...... Arts II -Arts & Crafts

A Great Time at the Headwaters Arts Festival

noreply@blogger.com (Arts II) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 12:28:00 +0000

My family came to see my work at the Headwaters Arts Festival and my son-in-law took a couple of pictures of yours truly with my work. (He had placed these photos on his blog where I retrieved them for mine. Thank you Malcolm.)

Of the 5 entered, 4 sold. I was most pleased with my sales and with meeting a couple of the purchasers.

The diversity of styles and techniques, the scope of the work and the individual craftsmanship was excellent throughout the Festival and especially at the Art Show and Sale.

And the poster -without me.
Now I need to get to work on some new pieces. As I had said to a number of patrons, I produce only about 10 items in a series based upon a theme. Then I move on to the next theme. I have at least 3 themes rolling around and that does not include the furniture and boxes. We will see what this winter produces.

a Cap Embroidered for the Cottage

noreply@blogger.com (Arts II) — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 13:28:00 +0000

At the cottage I asked Mannie to make me a cap and embroider it. She did.Gold threads on a silk cap is my idea of cottage life -after the work is done.

Raven Series to the Arts Festival

noreply@blogger.com (Arts II) — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 14:10:00 +0000

Just moved in. Entered a juried art show and sale. Accepted. Here are the entries.

Art Show in the Headwaters of Ontario

noreply@blogger.com (Arts II) — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 12:40:00 +0000

Since moving into our new home I have been busy preparing for a rather large area art show and sale. The Headwaters Arts Festival runs from September 25 to October 4 and involves theatre, music, crafts, studio tours, and the Art Show and Sale that I was invited to display mypyrographic/acrylic paintings (the Raven Series)

(click on the images to make them larger)

My name, Peter Marshall, is in there somewhere.

Check it out if your are in Ontario, Canada near Erin or Orangeville -quite the haven for artists.

Crafty Acorn People

noreply@blogger.com (Arts II) — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 03:26:00 +0000

My wife had gathered a collection of acorns for doing crafts. Our granddaughter came over and wanted to work in the studio. Ergo Acorn people on a boat going to their island. (hmmm)

Our 4 year old granddaughter painted the boat and facial expressions; I hot glued the googly eyes; my wife sewed the clothes. Co-operation was the word for the day.
Now the acorn people could be taken out of the holes drilled in the boat and moved around. Our granddaughter had fun and the acorn people off sailed to their island in the sun.

Old work found

noreply@blogger.com (Arts II) — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 13:00:00 +0000

Midst the work done for others, moving and settling in, the birth of a new granddaughter and preparing to put work into a large art show (Headwater's Arts Festival -more later) I found a couple of old drawings I had done years ago.

After looking at them and then the Raven series of pyrograghic paintings being submitted to the show I realized how similar they were.

Never the less, here are two old drawings. Note the paper has faded and the lighting has created unusual effects that I just left as part of the image.

Note now an image from my Raven series.
- a little on "the dark side", as one dealer said.

Good intentions...but life just got in the way...

noreply@blogger.com (Arts II) — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 20:10:00 +0000

Just when I was making a stab at the "to-do list" at home the cottage beckoned to be opened. However, before we could even do that, I was commandeered to build a shelving unit at my son and daughter-in-law's home. So my wife and I -and my son- built this eight foot high, five foot wide unit to house twelve baskets to hide -oops, store - whatever. Adjustable shelves finished it off. My son wanted time to determine trim and colour, so as of this moment the unit is unfinished.

After opening the cottage (and there were a few days spent cleaning, starting up the water, blah, blah, blah) my wife and I returned home to assist my son in rebuilding his daughter's outdoor play set that had blown down in the high winds that frequent this area.

Yet, somehow, through it all my wife was able to complete her punch needle scarab with a circle made of nacre attached. Me I can barely drag myself to a sofa to lie down.

So, as much as I have tried to blog life just got in the way.

We're Back!!

noreply@blogger.com (Arts II) — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 20:17:00 +0000

Well, 5 weeks of packing and two twenty-six foot trucks (which became 3 trucks) later we moved into our new abode.

Time was then spent unpacking and even buying more furniture. And unpacking and unpacking and unpacking!!

Snow gave way to spring rains and breezes. Now Mannie and I had to deal with the outside which had not been tended to for 3 years and had lain waiting under white blankets.

The driveway and front yard needed work. (click on the images to enlarge)
Two cupolas were erected on the back deck and I put together a vegetable/wild flower garden.

Two ponds emerged from the ice and snow and the large one was huge! Koi of 20 inches had survived and they flowed through the schools of goldfish. I had to buy and install new pumps and deal with the water that had been dormant over the long winter.

Each day I have something new to deal with at the house -my list is beyond 76 items to do at this time.

And so, no art work for me, although Mannie goes into the studio each day and works at something for our kids or for our new home.

We are enjoying our new life in this small hamlet, and the ideas for art pieces are popping up all around us.

And on and on... the packing never stops

noreply@blogger.com (Arts II) — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 13:49:00 +0000

Actually the end is near -of packing I mean. Fourteen days to go before the movers come. Our home looks like a warehouse and has been is a state of disarray for six weeks now.

Manuela's work area.
Our beloved dining room
Our living room -once a place of quiet dignity.
And my studio -once.....
The chaos of moving has been a tad tiring, irritating, and ............. I can see why it stacks up as one of the most stressful events in life. I don't know how those people who move around a lot do it.

But, there is a light at the end of this tunnel and we are looking forward to the new place and studio. So see you there when we get settled in.

A New Studio

noreply@blogger.com (Arts II) — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 23:22:00 +0000

We had been in a dilemma having sold our house with no where to live. However, by New Year's eve, we had put in an offer on a home and by the new year had gained a new home and a STUDIO!!!

A studio with its own separate facilities, fireplace and deck from its sliding glass doors.
This home is closer to our cottage and 200 kms from our present home so the move is substantive.

The interesting part is that as we had been out looking for a home in the area 3 years ago. My wife had seen this home for sale but at the time we were in no position to purchase it. The one home of all the ones we had seen in our 3 year search in the area that she actually liked. This home must have waited for us.

And so, back to the packing as we must be gone by February 27.

And the Packing Just Goes On and On and On...

noreply@blogger.com (Arts II) — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 03:50:00 +0000

Now that we have sold the old homestead, we must pack -despite no house to go to.
And packing is what we are doing. Each room in the house is a disaster.

My studio is piled high with boxes -even the books are now packed.

The hallways are lined with empty boxes awaiting filling.
Even the kitchen table can no longer be seen amidst the debris.

The dining room, although appearing rather neat, is strewn with tissue paper and the walls are lined with filled boxes of china and crystal.
Even the living room has not escaped the willful hand of the "packer."

Packing now consumes our time -or getting boxes to fill. To date I have obtained in excess of 200 boxes. Most are filled with the 1000 + books, and collectibles and china and crystal, and... There seems to be no end in sight.

And we haven't even started to pack Mannie's embroidery materials and fabrics!!!!

So, no time for art or crafts or a life; we're packing, packing, packing.

noreply@blogger.com (Arts II) — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 13:56:00 +0000

Happy New year to you and your family.

We are on the Move

noreply@blogger.com (Arts II) — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 02:06:00 +0000

Good grief!! We've sold our home of 30 plus years!!

December 12 we received an offer, although we had not even put it on the market, and by December 18 we were done!! And, with no house bought to move into.

Needless to say, with 45 days set to pack and get ready to move and find a home to move into, we might not be posting many of our art works on this site.

Today, while others went about scooping up bargains at the stores, Manuela and I packed and went and got more boxes and packing paper, and packed and picked up some groceries and packed.

I started in my studio, which appeared quite small, but the number of packed boxes just seemed to grow and grow. I did not even get to supplies on my desks nor to the books.

These boxes are stacked in front of my two stacked credenzas. Note the books.

The closet of art supplies was cleared out. Note the books.

Despite my efforts the art supplies not boxed spilled over the desks and onto the floor. Note the bird who keeps cooing as she does not know what is going on. I should coo, too.

And the spillage just took over all the working surfaces of my(?) studio. Note the books.

Even the linen closet in the hallway was commandeered for storage.

Our year, 2008, has ended on a different note, more so than Manuela and I had intended. The New Year should thus be rather exciting as indeed we start a New Chapter in our lives. We are on the lookout for studio space for the two of us in our new, not-yet-found home. Once established we will be back at work with renewed vigour and we will return to blogging when we have more to share.

Manuela and I wish everyone a new and exciting 2009.

"White Christmas" Song Revisited

noreply@blogger.com (Arts II) — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 19:55:00 +0000

Santa and his Reindeer sing I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas
I like this fun Christmas card based on a classic golden oldie's version of "White Christmas." I also like the animation from Joshua Held of the UK.

Have a Merry Christmas Holiday wherever you are.

A Warm Sweater and Family

noreply@blogger.com (Arts II) — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 15:31:00 +0000

The winter storms hit and I put on my knitted sweater -knitted by my daughter's mother-in-law for me. How talented she is at knitting.

As I sat snug in its warmth I thought about the artistic enterprises of the family - which goes beyond Manuela and me.

My mother-in-law has made jewellery, built amoires and carved tables, painted pictures, sculpted, cast bronze, and dabbled in other artistic pursuits -and all after the age of 60.
My daughter has been involved in advertising and directs productions for a television corporation. Her husband photographs some of the most beautiful landscapes and animal pictures (you will have to hunt for them at http://theadventuresofmadmalandhobbes.blogspot.com/)
My son uses his art degree to think outside the box as a director in a computer company that provides a range of telecom and IT in-building services that meet the changing business needs of their clients. His wife, as a manager of a large retail corporation, puts together marketing displays in her store to attract the customers as they walk about. And their daughter, my goodness, she was mixing her paints like a pro at the cottage this year and painting pictures of trees in a storm -and she's 3.

I feel warm and secure surrounded by my well knit sweater and such a talented family -who actually understand Manuela and me as we continually work on our next new artistic endeavour.

Punch Needle Potpourri

noreply@blogger.com (Arts II) — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 11:26:00 +0000

While Manuela watches TV she often keeps her hands busy doing punch needle work or knitting ...or continuing any one of a variety of crafts projects that she has on the go. This punch needle potpourri of different fabric embellishments is typical of her handiwork ..this one is in continual progress.
Her she has combined a doily, beads, stones, punch needle and more.

Further Ponderings on "the Craft"

noreply@blogger.com (Arts II) — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 20:56:00 +0000

Just pondering while I work....

noreply@blogger.com (Arts II) — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 03:49:00 +0000

Details of the Fallen Tree Pyro painting

noreply@blogger.com (Arts II) — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 04:05:00 +0000

I have been out in the garage finishing up the pyrographic burning of the fallen tree image on plywood. It was a chilly -3 degrees Celsius out there. I had to put a glove on my one hand as it had begun to tingle with cold. Two sessions of 45 minutes each was enough and then my legs began to feel numb. It was time to come inside.
Nevertheless I finished up the pyrographic detail for the picture. I was looking to accent rhythms in the plywood and the fallen tree image.
At sometime the painting will begin!

Return to the New Pyrographic/Acrylic Painting in the Works

noreply@blogger.com (Arts II) — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 04:11:00 +0000

The drawing of the fallen tree that I had penciled onto plywood had to be burnt. I could not do it at home because the fumes were too much for me in my small studio and so I waited until I could go to my son's home where I could use the huge work area to burn the image. And, I bought a mask.

The work was painful -literally. My back strained while bending over the plywood. Usually I have worked on smaller pieces that I could burn while holding on my lap. Not so with this 48" x 30" plywood piece. I could only work for 30 minutes at a time and then rested the burning tool - and my back. And still I worked from 10:00am to 4:30pm (half hour for lunch).

Despite two days of working I still have burning to do -and then there's the painting.

Manuela's Fabric Works -Another Example

noreply@blogger.com (Arts II) — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 14:22:00 +0000

Manuela has even used her hand-made, thread fabric to cover this box embellished with drift wood and thread-knot moss.

From Manuela-Made Thread Fabrics to Art Objects

noreply@blogger.com (Arts II) — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 04:43:00 +0000

Although Manuela's thread fabrics are lovely to look at in themselves, their incorporation into the art work and embellishment of utilitarian art objects is quite the challenge.

Manuela takes this

to make this

And other pieces have been added along with other material and embellishments to make

and...

and so on...

Manuela-Made New "Thread Fabric"

noreply@blogger.com (Arts II) — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 14:15:00 +0000

(Click on the image to get a larger, clearer image)

Fabric Created from Loose Threads

noreply@blogger.com (Arts II) — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 14:34:00 +0000

Manuela has found a use for even her loose and leftover threads. She arranges them in flat panels and then sews randomly over the threads to bind them into a fabric she uses in just about all her works.

Look closely and you will see metallic threads, sequins, and other items embedded into the fabric.
examples:

I will show Manuela creating the loose thread fabric in another post.

The 3 Crazy Quilt Patches Together at Last

noreply@blogger.com (Arts II) — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 10:29:00 +0000

After many hours working on each crazy quilt patch Manuela finally brought them together. She will probably make a wall hanging of them so stay tuned for the final installment because I don't think she will be able to leave the background alone.And the next project will be???