Work in Progress this week

A few pieces I'm fleshing-out.

Both relate to cells within the human body. They are intended to be fantasy. 

The first is about a harmonic cell life.

The second piece is about how bad cells might attach themselves to hemoglobin.

I will most likely continue to stitch on the first, but I think the 2nd piece is done.

Thoughts appreciated. 

Cheers!

Natural world in Paper Cuts

Claire Brewster

London, UK

We likey the sky - it always looks like birds are having fun when it's really windy and they get blown by the wind 

You Can See My Heart

When Do We Stop Counting, 2011

Cut UK population map, pins, foam board, box frame

Claire is takes here inspiration from her surroundings where she lives in London. Using old maps, atlases and other found papers, she creates divinely detailed paper cuts of flowers, birds and insects.

See more here.

and her blog here.

Low Commitment Projects

Tae Kitakata (Hawaii) and Brittany Powell (Oregon)

Sandwich Artist

O'Keeffe Sandwich

Johns Sandwich

Mondrian Sandwich
images via low commitment projects

One project each and every Monday morning of 2012. 

Tae and Brittany met each other in art school. Now that they are back in their home states, they are sharing ideas and concepts via these simple sketches.

I find it fresh, exciting and fun. 

Brava ladies! These two young women have a great deal of creative juice to extract for years to come. They are on my 'must watch' list. 

See more here.

p.s. I just adore a project they did together at art school where they created a roaming art gallery space. 

Black and Blue Lines

Lucas Grogan
Melbourne AU

X Disarm X
Installation
2011

X Disarm X #1
Ink, watercolor, and acrylic on matt board, 2011
31.5 x 22.5 cm

X Disarm X #3
Ink, watercolor, and acrylic on matt board, 2011
32 x 24 cm

In this series called Black and Blue, Grogan has appropriated Aboriginal Australian techniques to focus on the inclusion of Aboriginal art practices by non-indigenous Australians to work with the Aboriginal community on sharing techniques to bring a better understanding and appreciation of the culture as a whole.

Lucas Grogan is a Melbourne based artist who uses needlepoint, installation, painting and drawing to explore themes of isolation, inclusion and cultural collisions, through an autobiographical lens.

So many lines...

See more here.

new stitches - Update

Happy New Year dear reader, 

It seems I always have energy for many new stitches at the start of the new year. 

I hope you do as well.

One of my friends gave me a few pieces of lovely old linen, I thought I'd put some marks on it.

Here's a little drawing and a few stitches for your eyes. 

Let's see where this goes. 

C.Mauersberger, new stitches- more progress

C. Mauersberger line drawing, 2012

C. Mauersberger, work in progress, 2012

Where will you go this year?

Female Dilgence

Marita Kratz
Diessen, Germany

via Marita Kratz

In 2006, Marita Kratz started thinking about how a modern woman lives by the antiquated guidelines of an "ideal" woman. No doubt, you're familiar with the old "standards"...she must be kind, good, caring, loving, and beautiful...


Marita attempts to exaggerate traditional ideals and seeks interaction with the public.


She began a project as a visual investigation of female diligence.
In 2006, Marita spent hours putting her diligence into crocheting 12 roses one day. 


Soon, other women joined in and offered help to crochet white roses for her piece. 


Today she has 10,000.


She has installed the roses in multiple venues between 2007 and 2011.


Read more about this interesting performance artists here.

Sending warm thoughts

Small Challenge (or nothing)

Contents of the envelope my 93 year old mother, Bertha Sulak, gave to me this week. 

Learning about Kantha and Sujuni Stitching

Kantha stitching, first attempt, C. Mauersberger, 2011

I attended a 2 day workshop at the Cleveland Museum of Art with Dorothy Caldwell on December 3-4, 2011, hosted by the Textile Art Alliance of the CMA. 


The primary activity we did was to create small pieces using the running stitch in the manner of the women in the Bihar region of India called Sujuni and Kantha. 

Detail of Kantha-stitched quilt.

21 individual "blocks" stitched by 21 women in the workshop held in Cleveland, OH, 2011

3 blocks after MUCH more stitching

This 2-day workshop was just grand.

Dorothy introduced us to the work of the women of Bihar, India. She brought samples of their work for us to inspect and she presented 2 informative powerpoint lectures filled with many many more informative images.

For those of you who have attended any of Dorothy's workshops, you'll know that she gives each person her unfailing attention. 

My friend and fellow artist, Mary Ann Tipple, also posted about it here.

This morning I decided to draw a bit to workout some imagery apropos for a Kantha-inspired piece. 

I began by looking at the Pointsettia plant on my table. 

 Then I drew.

We'll see what happens next...

Marks like Murmerations

Camilia León

Santiego, Chilé

These drawings remind me of the video of the collection of starlings called Murmurations post last month.


Camilia León marks are simple and lovely.
More can be found on her website here.


Enjoy!