Author Archives: debbie

About debbie

Fiber Artist post arrival in the Pacific North West.Born in the East end of London now living on the Eastside of Lake Washington. Studied Fiber Arts at the University of Washington.Docent at Bellevue Arts Museum. I like to explore,create and enjoy within a mixed media universe.

Old Friends

Bus Babes

I’ve been making these figures for a long time and find them relaxing.The ribbon for these has been in my stash for many years as have the arm beads.The leg-beads are trade necklaces I picked up last summer in Homer Alaska.Buttons are thrifted or gifted I’m never sure these days. People see these as gradation pieces but I’m just a hat lover at heart. I make them as companions along with my Teenager series.

Dude

 

 

Intellectual House

This week I attended an event at the Intellectual House at the University of Washington.As a alumni of the fiber arts course I get regular updates of events.The Sacred Breathe series was in it final session and I went along to hear the storyteller specifically.

Barbara Lawrence-Piecuch uses traditional storytelling as a form of teaching for preschoolers to adults. She was raised on the Suquamish Port Madison Indian Reservation, where she continues to live and work. Lawrence-Piecuch serves on the Suquamish Tribal Higher Education Board and is chair of the Suquamish Tribal Elders Council. I found her creation story new and inspiring.

I also received a call for our local Salmon days festival for artists in the same week so will be using the inspiration from to inform my submission.I have no idea if I will be successful in my application but it is time to promote myself as a working artist rather than a hobbyist. I would also very my like to be able to fund my own studies early next year.

 

Stash Busting

I have long admired the ancient Egyptian culture.I have a childhood memory of getting lost at the Tutankhamen exhibit in London.I was looking for a project for my Tuesday beading group and out an old kit.

With a little help from my friends we made these Royal Plume Earrings.

“All my bags are packed”

Bellevue Arts Museum March 2017 Artist Among Us

Yep today we start packing for my month long trip to the UK.First leg will be with my graduated son,who has just completed his first of many degrees.

I will be heading back for a family wedding,both my parents birthday and a lot of travelling catching up with friends after celebrating my 50th birthday.I will also be gently exploring studying a Master/PGcert in Humanitarian action and peacekeeping as a distance learning program from Brookes university.I hope this will enable me to teach/ make art in a education environment in the US.

This was my sharing table at BAM docents meeting. As ever it was fun to share my talents with such a diverse group .I did leave the labels off as some of my piece are political.

 

Kidsquest Success

Awesome evening.Great helpers.I I promised the stalkers I would post a paper-cloth how to so will play with that later in the week.

My biggest priority this week will be getting ready for an Artist Amongst Us sharing at BAM. This give me the opportunity to share my work and consider whether I should set up in business.

This year example.

White Flag

In late March I will be sharing my art with the docent body at Bellevue Arts Museum.I’m currently thinking and working on some new pieces to share.As ever my pieces don’t really follow a straight line theme.I have a mostly finished stitch piece of an Alaskan watercolor – half finished

I found myself sorting thought the scraps from patch printing from the women’s print party at the Pratt back in January.As I am working on a woven piece to include for my upcoming table at the local kids museum and for the sharing.

White can signify so many things innocence,purity,snow,surrender

I wove over raw silk and included untreated raw silk.

Gardening success

This week is the annual Pacific Northwest Garden show and this years Arboretum Foundation Garden won a Gold Medal.I got involved chinking moss,cleaning stones and gluing plant labels onto posts.I think after four years of construction I kind of in the grove of working with this team to create an educational inspirational garden.

Inspiration from afar

I always love snail mail and this little bundle of Marimekko cards arrived from E in Norway.The designs are truly inspiring.

Outside the cloud is hanging in the trees and the rain is dripping from the gutters after an icy start to the day.

E tells me she has been listening to Henry Ibsen plays and looking forward to seeing A Dollhouse with her Grandma.I think have things to look forward to helps us so much in the winter-time.

This morning was interesting I attended the walk through for a new show “Future Machine” by Electric Coffin.Due to one of life little quirks we had a power outage and had to do a Q&A by day light in the atrium.I’m look forward to exploring the exhibit in day light tomorrow.

American Craft Council

I have been privileged to be invited to join the American Craft Council.I have to do a little research into how this will impact my practice but feel honored to be invited.

I am currently working on a pair of sister quilts for the author of my artist statement and her long term colleague volunteer coordinator at Kidsquest. One is completed but the other is proving to be a challenge.I will keep at it and hope to be accepting of the resulting quilt.I always find it a change to balance pushing technique and abandoning a project.

We have planned out the year and I have a month long trip to the UK and 3 week vacation in Hawaii to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary.