SCULPTURAL WORK, WHEN IS AN ARTWORK DONE

"Chamber" in progress,  Lori LaBerge  2016.  Rug hooked upholstery, industrial felt, metal, yarn

The deck was the perfect place to work this week as the weather was beautiful when we returned from Vermont.  Lately we've had a black bear, deer, baby turkeys and a variety of colorful birds in the field. We've also been keeping an eye on our local raccoon as she is expecting little ones soon.

"Chamber" is beginning to take shape.  I am again allowing for the natural drape of the industrial felt.  

A close-up shows the variety of ways materials are being manipulated.

There were two questions I was asked repeatedly during the studio tour.  The first was how I decide on what to place in the sculpture pieces.  While I plan out the general design of a piece, I do not plan out embellishments.  They tend to evolve as the work progresses.  The studio is stocked with a good variety of metal and yarns to choose from.  

I tend to place various metal pieces on the work to see what works aesthetically.  The number, size and color is taken into account.  I work in a subtraction method by placing a ton of items on the piece and taking some away until what is left looks right for the size of the work.  This gives me plenty of choices rather than constantly having to grab something from the shelf.  This does not mean that other items may not be added later.  

Fishing sinkers and chain painted and waiting to be stitched to the work.

The second question was how I know when a work is done.  I think this is subjective. The mistake I most often see with beginners is work being overdone.  Focusing on one thought or making more than one piece for multiple thoughts can prevent this. 

When I feel that adding anything else will detract from the work or overpower it, I know it is time to stop.  I look at composition to see if any changes need to be made. Does anything look off balance?  Is there enough variety of shape or is the piece intentionally repetitive? Do colors and values work? 

Is the point of the piece getting across?  This is more for me than the viewer.  The viewer may get something totally different from the work than I do.  More often than not, people look at my work and see something I hadn't thought of before.  That is when I really enjoy the individuality of art.

TEXTILE SCULPTURE, ART NOVEL FOR THE ROAD

Sculptural work in progress,  Lori LaBerge  2016

This will be the third out of four sculptural works to be shown July-August and will deal with a water theme.  The rug hooked portion above will be the base.  I added yarn and am just beginning to fray it around the edges.  The metal screws will hold the felted section.

Industrial felt was cut and manipulated with metal into a teardrop shape.

The felt was temporarily placed to get a feel for the final outcome.  Two longer metal rods will be placed through the felt later on.  Yarns and threads will be stitched on the inside and outside of the felt.

On the reading front I ordered a book of art fiction to read while on the road.

I can't wait to get started on this one.  It is about a woman who forges a painting, later becomes a curator and finds out her forgery and the original work are on their way to an exhibit she is curating.  The plot thickens!

NEW TEXTILE WORK, STUDIO TOUR WEEKEND

One of four sections of "Directions" in progress

I decided to start on a grouping of smaller pieces to work on during the studio tour this weekend.  "Directions" will consist of one design repeated in four different colors. Each section will be 10" X10".  Metal will be added later.

Each of the four sections will face a different direction.  When placed in position the right hand side pieces in the plan above will be reversed.

Here's a view of the gallery right before the tour started.  I have met quilters, rug hookers, art lovers and many other wonderful people so far.

Wool on the shelves, much neater than last week.

Enjoy sharing your art, hobbies or other endeavors with others and have a great day.

A BUSY TIME IN STUDIO, READING MATERIAL

Plans for the July landscape exhibition are in full swing.  Above is the postcard that will be sent to collectors, gallery members, fellow artists and others.  It shows from left to right glasswork by Simona Rosasco, my hooked work, painting by Kat Turczyn and pottery by Teresa Pietsch.  A huge thank you to Simona for designing the postcard.  We are looking forward to a great reception on July 22 at TRAC Gallery in Spruce Pine, NC.  The show will run from July 16 - August 13.

The last two weeks have consisted of a trip home, purchasing a new computer (my old one has lost its wifi use and a few keys no longer work), purchasing new programs and adding patches to others as many of my programs do not function with Windows 10, cleaning out the studio to prepare for the studio tour this coming weekend, and framing and preparing work for both the exhibit and studio tour.

The studio in work mode

Works mounted and ready for framing

The works above were based on tabletop pieces I made a few years back.  At one of the studio tours a client said she thought they would look great framed.  I found my drawings of the original tabletop works and used them to recreate the works.

"Walking on Art: explorations in carpet design" by Deirdre Dyson

I purchased the book "Walking on Art" and am enjoying the author's thoughts on creating designs.  She writes about inspiration, color, shaped work, carving to define specific areas, pile heights, combining various threads to create color and many other topics.  

We all face busy times.  Challenges can occur when least expected or wanted.  Next week I will continue the learning curve with the new computer and programs.  For now I am using two computers and an ipad to work things out.  I have had to ask for help many times this past week as technology is not my forte.  Accept challenges, ask for help when needed, enjoy the down times and have a great day.

DESIGN AND THEME

The theme of roads is leading me in a myriad of directions.  Our area is full of roadwork right now and traffic cones are everywhere.  I developed the designs below to experiment with various shapes.  They will also allow me to work on background ideas and color combinations while staying within the geometric abstract style.

Design 1-- Lori LaBerge  2016

 Design 2--Lori LaBerge  2016

The above focus on singular cones, below I delved into adding another, leading to a playful interactive effect.

 Design 3--Lori LaBerge  2016

 Design 4--Lori LaBerge  2016

Here is a tall thin cone.  In the next designs on cones maybe I could work further with size.

How far can you go with a theme?  How many variations can you create?  Does a theme lead you to other places?  What would you like to experiment on with your theme?  Color? Shape? Size? Materials?  Find a theme that interests you, test out these questions through sketches and have a great day.

STUDIO WORK

Almost completed.  “Side Streets”, 20” X 20”, Lori LaBerge  2016

It has been busy in the studio this week.  I have to stitch the metal washers to “Side Streets, mount the piece and then work on framing.  The original plan was to fill the background with dark grays, but I found the light gray added a nice contrast to the darks without detracting from the orange and yellow.  The diagonal shapes are reminiscent of a crosswalk pattern.

Pieces for landscape show lined up in the studio

Frames for the landscape show pieces arrived early in the week.  I have now completed 10 framed works and two sculptural pieces for the show.  There are two more sculptures to work on. 

The hooked portion of as yet untitled sculpture. 

Upholstery fabric was used for hooking.  The ends were left showing on the topside rather than clipped.   The sculptural section will sit on top of the hooked work.  Open areas were hooked around to leave room for screws to hold the sculpture upright.

Colors chosen for sculptural work.

I want to create a piece depicting water so various shades and textures of blue will be stitched into dark gray industrial felt.  It should be completed in the next couple of weeks.

My daughter will be visiting this coming week and will be helping me prepare for the Toe River Studio Tour.   There will be quite a bit of cleaning due to happen in the work section of the studio.  We’ll also focus on hanging work in the gallery section.  I feel lucky that my family has always supported my art.

Thank those that support you in your art, hobby, career, etc.  and have a great day.

BURLINGTON CITY ARTS EXHIBITS: WOOD AND METAL

I returned last night from our trip to Vermont.  On our day out to see art we had a chance to visit the Burlington City Arts Center.  On display was wood and metal art. Enjoy!

Cal Lane works in metal.  Those of us who love textiles can revel in the lace creations she creates from using a torch on items such as old barrels, wheelbarrows, shovels and other industrial items.  The combination of strength and fragility attracted me to her works.

Work by Cal Lane

Close-up, Cal Lane

 Artist, Cal Lane

Artist, Cal Lane

Flour was poured through metal carving creating a oriental rug effect.

Clark Derbes creates art using a chain saw.  While I had seen chain saw art, I had never seen contemporary artworks created this way.  The geometric sculptures left my husband contemplating the "how was it done" and me delighting in the colors, shapes and patterns. 

Chain saw art by Clark Derbes

 Artist, Clark Derbes

 Artist, Clark Derbes

 Artist, Clark Derbes

Artist, Clark Derbes

These artists have elevated their work to another level.  Metal becomes lace through welding, an old tree stump becomes a sculpture through use of a chain saw.  Think about how various materials can be manipulated with various tools and have a great day.