Monday, November 14, 2011

Innovations for 2011

 

 

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I have to confess, early in the process of getting ready to make my pins for this season I had this moment of “Should I be doing something else?”  I love these little canvases and all they offer me – a format, the opportunity to combine colors, line, tone, textures, collage elements, and make a very unique piece each time I make a pin.  (Brooch or pin?  I’m never sure what word is best.  it’s wearable art.

That makes it sound like I only make these works during one time of the year, but the truth is I am making them all the time.the Public Market Annex is the most well-attended event I’m involved with so I am greatly motivated to create a lot and to find changes and innovations to what I am making.

This year I got a late start, as I was out of state through much of September.  I did get some pieces started while down in Oregon for a few weeks, and VERY happily I was able to hit my favorite Portland Bead store (Village Beads in Multnomah Village, here is a plug!) and to collect other snips of fabrics and interesting elements which may or may not actually make it into a finished piece.  Still, I was hoping for some ways to add some new dimensions to the pins.

I created some pins in a smaller size.  I wasn’t sure I’d have enough room to make anything interesting but it turns out a smaller size offers enough room for some really  fun pins on a smaller scale.  I've put the two sizes together up above so you can see the difference.

The other very fun thing is a large variety of elements I’m adding that I have not used before, including a number  of fibers, including yarns with mohair and metal accents, recycled silk from kimonos, hand-dyed rayon ribbon and other accents that I have never done before.  I’m also using paints and some interesting embellishments, which are also new. 

It might be overstating things to call a different size an “innovation.” but it is definitely something new that has infused my enthusiasm.  I look forward to learning what people think of them.

 

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the pin on the upper left shows a fiber accent.  the pin on the bottom is the new smaller size.

 

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It’s snowing in Juneau!  The schools are closed and everything looks beautiful, except perhaps my driveway!

 

~b

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