27 October 2010

Abstraction

Sometimes  scarfs want some unindetified-abstract patterns on them.  Just because they want to be colorful and eye-catching and conspicouos...  but no...  not so much... They want to be a little bit elegant also.

And dyes and wax make perfect work together on them and those patterns become harmonious. A dash of blue in the reds and yellows... colors just blend and wax is strict to stop them. And they end up as a colorful silkscarf, ready to play along a new life. 

19 October 2010

Pink Love

If you want to see the world in pink...

and you are in love with stripes also as I am...

then this is the perfect silkshawl painted by me. (45 x140 cm)
And more to come...

07 October 2010

6 Fingers

It is so cold here... Look what is on my needles...
From these lovely yarns...


 6 fingers :-)  4 more to go...

28 September 2010

Addiction of Handkintted Socks



How to be an addict of handknitted socks?

First I would like to state that there's no economic reason to knit socks. It consumes time and expensive yarns and it takes 2 days to figure out how to knit a sock, and there are so many variations and it seems no chance to choose the best one... 
No such a reason that makes reasonable to knit by hand... so it is perfectly pointless.
And beyond all reasons if you want to heat up your longing...
I share how it happened to me:

1. You need to put in hand some fine yarn and play with it in your fantasy.
If you see or try on a pair of handknitted socks, you are on the way to be hooked.
2. You need to look through wonderful pics about handknitted socks. Those Scandinavian ones are good enough for that purpose... believe me...
Try these here  or here or... here  these last ones are not socks I know...
but guess what... if you know how to knit socks ... you might want to knit mittens or gloves...
3. You need time... to put these together... one hour, one day, one week... who knows that?
4. BUT finally you want YOU WANT to knit a pair of socks, beyond all logical reasons... like me.
And then an other one... like me.
Welcome in the club. My name is Aniko and I love love love these socks...


13 August 2010

Yarn frustration

Create os recreate or what??
Sometimes things don't seem to go according a plan. According my plan. It is easy to throw it out, recreate, cut into small peaces... but it is a crochet.
And this piece just  that doesn't want to be altered, upcycled or recreated... but I love the material so much, that I don't have a nerve to trash it.

So what's gonna be now?
Frustrating...

I have to go back to basics. I have to follow my yarn back to the beginning... :-(

Dear reader, would you help me? At the top of my frustration I don't find the proper expression in the dictionary: What is the word for  when you want to ruin the crochet? (Not atomic level... I want to keep the yarn for a future project,  he-he-he)

10 August 2010

Flickr Favorites-Crochet


1. Rainbow Necklace, 2. Completed Beach Bag, 3. sunhat3, 4. Psychedelic Circle Jacket

Until a few years crochet for me was about 'dull table covers'. Tiny hooks and eyes you know those small round  ones you put into the china cabinet. I wondered the huge work... BUT ... they were a bit colorless for me. And a few weeks ago when I saw ArtMind's blanket I thought... wow, this is a different approach to crochet and I LOVE, LOVE this approach. Since then I find wonderful and colorful crocheted garments and patterns and my enthusiasm is growing big.

How about freestyle crochet? Wow. Yummie.

There is a collection of  Flickr Favorites here at ArtMind's. Have a look! Have fun!

09 August 2010

Cactus Monday


               This is a small journal page I drew as I had  looked through my cactus photos.
               It was hard to look into the flowers' heads they were so shy.


               More cactuses are here at Terri's Cactus Monday.

05 August 2010

My Creative Space-Illustration


This week is about illustration. 
I plan to collect piles of big and small drawings and paintings for a future book.
Half of this future book is ready - I mean the text side.
So I want to draw and paint illustrations like these above.
70 or a little bit more are needed...
Oh, my God!
It is huge...

Want to share your creative space? Hop over to Kootoyoo to play!

03 August 2010

Mixed Media


Mixed Media Experiment on paper
Acrylic, embossed paper, ink
(24x32 cm)

I spent a creative week at a magical place and I painted a few experimental pictures.
I was suggested to title this one: Blacks of a Spirit
Well?
I don't know.
This title is a bit murky...

25 July 2010

Face Challenge



Are you in? 
The challenge and more faces are at Susan's.
Have fun!

15 July 2010

Creative Space- 35+

My creative space is in the garden. 

It is 35+ degrees C (95F)... best temperature to dye...
if I can stay somewhere else... a cool place.
My freshly dyed wool pieces are on the sun and I am in the shade. 
Looking back this scene on my monitor... well it is a little bit strange...
not very well designed... but I hope the colors are going to be nice.

For more creative spaces pop into Kootoyoo's place. It's fun!

14 July 2010

How To Make A Colorful Flower Stand?



Oh yes, I felt again that I must paint something. I needed more colors. Finally I dug out some leftover concrete-tubes from a previous house building project. They were used as supporting pillars.
How nice. They can be flower stands in their next life in the garden.
So?
May be that you want more color too into your life.
Here it is how it happened to me, use this post as an inspiration. Color your life! It is easy. Really.


First scene: what you need- concrete-tube cut into desired sizes. I had 2x 50cm  and 1x 70 cm tall pieces.
                                          - paint  suitable for concrete painting. My choice were blue, yellow and white.
At this point you are not surprised by my color choice.... if you read my other post about flip-flop stamps and about coasters.


Second scene: the work- paint as you like
I like to paint simple and effective patterns  like these spirals.
I never lose interest in spirals. 
That is a mystery in itself.  



Third scene: waiting, drying...
This is my weakness. 
So I go for a walk. 


Fourth scene: dress rehearsal... 
This is the time when I consider that my flower stands are a little bit unusual. So may be I need some moderate plants... and I don't have any... at this moment. 


13 July 2010

Flickr Favorites- Reflections



Reflections
Distorted huge pictures.
Toys for adults and children.
If you analyze them you must be a scientist.
If you capture them you must be a photographer or an artist.
If you lost in admiration you are like me. No label.

Check out the other mosaics at ArtMind

12 July 2010

Summer


(Oil on board 24 x 18 cm)

That is all we want on a hot day, isn't it?
No air con. 
Cool water instead. 
Nature.
Simple things like that make us happy and content.


03 July 2010

Living on Top

(Acrylic experiment  on paper 30x 20 cm)


Sculpture. Living on the top. On a huge wall. 
Accompanied by crazy animals.
A frozen moment under the bright sun.
It's a hard job  to be on top. 
Visible for everyone.
No escape.
No vacation.
It's a hard job to be saint.

02 July 2010

Blue Face


I was hooked by this 'new for me technique'.
So this is an other attempt.

30 June 2010

Deep Blue Eyes

(watercolor 20 x20 cm)
Self-portrait

I always wanted deep blue eyes for me... :-))
So here they are.
No, seriously. I found this lovely tutorial on how to paint easy portrait.
It is fun though  I choose the harder way... I didn't have lightbox and my paper was too thick... so I drew instead of copying.
But... the result. Wow. Look at those deep blue eyes.
Look, Nature: finally I got those.
And there is no moles on the skin. Satisfactory.

Yes, that double chin also belongs to me.

Julia Kay's Portrait Party  you can find a photo of me here.

29 June 2010

Flickr Favorites-Tiny Worlds

 Water drops

They are so small that we rarely see them. They are so tiny that we rarely take them seriously. They are so temporal we usually miss them.
But...
they are so perfect even as they are upside down ... or downside up(?) that it is a precious time to be with them. Precious time to stop and wonder.

Yes, they are real. In the modern-Photoshop-era it must be stated.... few years ago it would have been natural for all of us... :-)

If you want to play and may be join there are more favorites at ArtMind.

28 June 2010

Dogs at Play

(Acrylic on paper 16x21 cm)

Playing  on the beach. 
Isn't it a dream  of each of us? 
So look how it is.
Playing freely... a little bit biter... but not so that it would hurt.
In a few minutes we change roles. 

27 June 2010

Yellow

(Acrylic on paper 29.5x21 cm)

When I considered myself full time textile artist, I used to paint water soluble pigments mainly on silk.
I loved to experiment new methods, new styles. And the need to paint realistically was rarely there. I was 
very happy to paint symbolic elements and stories and scenes like one does in illustration. My focus was on colors and the symbolic world was a perfect area to express them.
This time as I experience a new medium -I never used acrylic before I mean in a figurative sense-, I still want to try new approach. New to me, classical to others... :-)
I would like to share its sensation. Those lovely and live colors on petals, completely charms me.

22 June 2010

Flickr Favorites-Bottles



1. Bottles, 2. All Bottled Up, 3. My Perfume Bottle Collection 021810, 4. Glass Bottle Collection

How much fantasy goes into these simple objects. Forms and shapes and colors. I am not a collector type as I don't want to dust them... well it is far too practical approach for a collector.  And I AM still amazed by these glasses. Enjoy them! Digital pictures rarely need dusting. :-)

Want to see more favorites? Check them out and join at ArtMind.

21 June 2010

Pears

(watercolor on paper 24x17.5 cm)

Study.
I am a newcomer of a Paint and Draw Together blog. 
As I found their challenges lately, of course I want to join. 
Even though the deadline is over.
Well, it is gonna be nice to see improvements when we see back from a year down the line.
The first challenge was this theme: Bartlett Pearls on Marble


20 June 2010

Taxi Driver

Drawing (Graphite on paper)

If you have a pleasure to explore Cairo in a private taxi, he is the perfect man to go with.

Pyramids? Old news.
See real life!
You can go to a local tire shop, as an extra part of your program,  holding your breath along the way because of the dead and deserted  animals by the banks of the Nile.
Praying for your life - as he drives.
Adventurous.

And here he is. Smile! Still alive.

18 June 2010

Glasses


I was totally amazed by the colors and light that was through these glasses. So I painted a color study.
As I see this on my monitor I can see that slight changes are needed. Even though the blue one was like this, I am not completely satisfied... I think I should have shown more of the blue glass, as its shape is not come through. 

11 June 2010

How to Make a Room Divider or Fly Curtain? Part 1.

Fly curtain or room divider?

It depends. It depends on the size only.
I designed a fly curtain, but... if you make the letter-scale bigger ... let's say 300% or  500%... than you got a room divider.

Strange idea said my husband to me. Why don't we use a simple net to cover the door to the patio?
It is so dull- I said to him. Here is my plan:
I cut out big letters from a piece of felt and sew them together vertically,  I make some embellishment  and go. Isn't it cool?

So what I need: -felt pieces (I have 3 colors, white and red are quite thick and
                           the orange one is thinner,
                           no problem, letters need thickness, so I use the red as a base)
                         - a pair of scissors
                         - threads for embellishment
                         - a needle
                         - few meters of a yarn to sew the letters together
                           (first I thought orange would be cool
                           than in reality orange became too much - visually I mean-
                           so I changed the color into a neutral colorless...)



First I make my pattern for lettering: 
A 5x9cm (2x3.5 in) square piece of red felt.
I write each of my letters into this pattern, because I want to use my
scissors freely, so this little pieces of papers are just reminders.
My words are like these: 
enlightenment, follow your heart, grace is in the now,
joyful journey, blissful life, moment



Here comes the fun part:
cutting letters


I save the scraps for future in between elements.
When the letters are finished I dig out the big pieces from the scraps and mix them
with white and orange. I cut simple shapes like squares, hearts and circles, 
sew 2 or 3 together with a simple cross stitch or a double one.
These gonna be divider elements. 



To make each and every pieces ready ... well it takes time
 I can tell you now. 

See the finishing steps at Part 2. 

07 June 2010

Yellow Lilies, Red Field




Yellow lilies, red field on silk shawl




03 June 2010

Creative Space- Last Stitches


A bedcover is on my table...
Finally. Huh. 
Sometimes I have crystal clear ideas how to finish a project, but not this time.
I wanted to alter a never used curtain. Bedcover.
 Bedcover? 
Yes. No. I don't know. Too wide. Too short.  Well... I need more colors. 
Yes. No. I don't know.
 Embroidery? 
Yes. No.

The curtain was patiently sitting on a shelf waiting for its good fortune. 
I wasn't patient. At all.
And months went by...

Finally I said to myself: that is enough.
What is the easiest option?
Simple solutions are the best.
So here it is :-) Easy squares. Greens and blues.
Modest embroidery. 
Finally. Huh.
And I like its simplicity. Finally. :-)


More creative space at Kirsty's

01 June 2010

Flickr Favorites- Emptiness/Loneliness

1. Cold, Cold Heart, 2. heart hole, 3. Heart Shaped Hole 7- IMG_0272, 4. Hole in my heart

"An empty heart is full of light."

Last week when the theme was announced -emptiness/loneliness at Artmind  -, 
I found this theme a little bit depressive.
Aloneness instead of loneliness?
So I wanted a lighter version. 
May be hope. 
I don't know.
Here is my version.


 If you want to play details and more mosaics are here.

29 May 2010

Window Decoration

 
Work in progress. Window decoration.
Busy making  and hopefully finishing this window decoration...  
and 2 bigger ones. 
Strange to see it on a photo.
 I see those blue thread-yarn-lines a bit fine.
Finer than I thought it would be.
 May be one or two need to be thicken... ?

26 May 2010

Big Questions of Life


A piece of shimmering silk and dyes
make me feel magic.
This time was poppy-heads time.
One of my favorites. 
I don't know how it exists, 
how this form is possible, this poppy-head form...
Have you ever examined a form like this? 
I am completely amazed.
Big questions of life...
Big question marks.