Looking Around: Amanda Blake

A great weekend is coming to a close here and I think I'll wrap it up by posting about Amanda Blake, an artist I discovered while browsing on Etsy. Check out these lovely paintings...

Clover followed her imaginary friend everywhere

Nigel and Lily embraced by the sea

Rebecca wore a dress of wildflowers

She made wings of love letters and cherry blossoms 

They built a life out of hope and flowers

Where she went in the night

I respond to the dreamlike, almost haunting quality of these pieces. The painting itself is beautiful...the muted colors and the dry, sparing way in which the paint is applied. Flat and imperfect patterns and flat perspective give the work a folky, honest feel. The figures are mysterious...gazing out at me...waiting? listening? longing for something? I am left to insert my own narrative. When I look at these works, I feel like I am  remembering a nearly forgotten dream.

You can see more of Amanda's work online on Etsy, on The Enormous Tiny Art Show, and on her website. 

Ruth Tabancay

Another from my files....I first stumbled upon Ruth Tabancay in Fiberarts Design Book 7. Tonight, I visited her website and discovered even more exciting work. You should certainly take a look! Below are a couple of my favorites.

Sweet Dreams - hand-stitched tea bags

detail

Birthing Bed - wool felt and  liquidamber fruits

detail

What Linens Know - Hand embroidery on vintage linens

detail

Sweet Stop Motion by Elise Fachon

Stop motion is so fascinating to me. It is a tedious process but the results are so worth it.
I ran across this piece by Elise Fachon on www.thisiscolossal.com yesterday. Check it out...


PIN from Elise Fachon on Vimeo.

I constantly find myself personifying inanimate objects...spoons, cups, irons, buttons...so this seems very close to home. It makes me want to run to my studio with a camera and start moving things around!

Time is flying by...

Being a mom is great....even greater than I ever hoped...but it sure takes a lot of time. I just logged in to this blog after what I thought was surely just over a month or so of absense only to realize that my last post was on March 16th! March 16th!! Three months ago. Wow. Life is moving fast.

My son is now four months old and I am happy to report that I am starting to get in a rhythym at last. Of course it is not a return to my old rhythym...that is gone for good...but a new (even better?) rhythym entirely. I am learning how to get things done in the free minutes I find scattered  about my baby-filled day. I am learning to be more patient and more relaxed about my to-do list.

One thing that has been on my ever present to-do list for eons is creating an Etsy shop. I have spent countless hours daydreaming and brainstorming about what new thing I am going to start making and selling that is going to change my life and really bring home the bacon. Of course, I can't really just start making a product like that...on a whim. Afterall, there are only so many hours in a day and I want to make my art...not little things designed only to sell, sell, sell.  So finally, as I was setting up an Etsy shop for Paso a Paso Missions last week, something clicked in my head..."Just make a shop with your art. Who cares if it sells?! It is just another way to get exposure!" And that is exactly what I have been working on for the past couple of days. It is not totally finished yet but it is "open". I want to add a few more pictures to a couple of items and write more elaborate descriptions...but it is a start. I am excited!

You can see it here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/StudioBetsyTimmer
You can also visit the shop for Paso a Paso Missions here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/PasoaPasoMissions
(I did some volunteer work in Guatemala last year and as a way to keep helping from the States, I am managing this shop.)

Lee Bontecou

Another of my inspirations...

This last one is my favorite...I like seeing the interaction between the individual pieces...a collection of characters. You can read more about her here and check out this video from MOMA below.

Julie Arkell: Combining Cute and Creepy

Below are some images of the creations of Julie Arkell, an interesting artist I first encountered in Selvedge magazine.


From earthangeltoys.com "Julie Arkell is one of England's best recognized contemporary folk artists working in papier-mâché and mixed media. It has been said that Julie, "...cannot resist the rejected debris of everyday life.  She especially favors discarded toys for inspiration and printed textiles”."


I have turned to papier-mâché  again and again because of the ease with which I can combine it with found objects...no firing or heating to damage the little bits of everyday I wish to employ. Arkell's work is funny and a little disturbing...it keeps me a little off kilter when I examine it....which, for me, keeps it from becoming too cute.

You can see more of Arkell's work here.

Manon Gignoux

In June 2008, I had the chance to take a class at the Haystack Mountain School of Crafts in Deer Isle, Maine. It was an incredible, life-changing, inspiring two weeks that I will never forget. I met many amazing artists and learned a lot..both about dying fibers and how to live life as an artist.

Haystack is also where I first encountered Selvedge magazine. I came across issue #22 which is filled with dolls of all sorts. I went home determined to get a copy of that particular issue and a subscription.

(I did get a subscription eventually...for my birthday...it is so expensive it is a special occasion sort of purchase. I think of each issue with its beautiful photographs and heavy matte paper as a book for my permanent collection...no recycling these puppies!)

The main reason I was so enamored with issue #22, which I eventually won on Ebay, was for its photographs of  the work of Julie Arkell and Manon Gignoux. I'll post more on Arkell later. For now, have a look at the work of Gignoux.

Manon Gignoux is a French artist who makes textile sculptures, clothed objects, clothing and accessories.  I love her muted palette, use of layers and texture, and simple forms. Her figures are pared down to just the essential details. As the viewer, I have plenty of room to project personalities and invent stories. The fabrics are carefully chosen for their texture and hand...they carry with them a strong sense of history, of use, and of the beauty of the everyday. Besides Gignoux's figures, I especially enjoy the dressed objects. With a couple buttons and some carefully selected scraps of cloth, she magically gives a salt shaker or a bottle a unique personality.

Eventually, you will be able to see more of Gignoux's work on her website...but as of late, it has been taken down for an overhaul.