Would You Give Away Your Art?

Would you give away your art?  Just give it away?  No payment?  Ask nothing in return?

This artist, P. M. Neist, is doing just that.  She is calling this Project 105:  Radical Giving.

"She donates art to connect and reach out to people who either do not know her, do not usually purchase art or simply want a piece for no reason at all.  The donated pieces are smaller and designed to fit into affordable standard-size frames.  All work is signed, executed using archival quality paper and vintage embroidery material and it is shipped for free in the U.S."  

P. M. Neist is giving away her art, but she has a message about each piece she gifts.  If you would like to be a recipient, give out her website.

This brings me to the artist we met in a Paris Starbucks--He makes art pieces

on whatever he can find--like this cardboard flap; signs it and gives it away.

We were sitting next to him and a conversation began--he is trying to

spread love instead of hate throughout the world with his 'give away' art.

With this piece, he was making a statement about the deadly shootings in

Orlando nightclub

He is a well known graffiti artist in the US--his message is clear and

reads strongly!  Here is another artist giving away his art that

includes a timeless message.

We, as artist, have a platform for our work and each piece we give

from our hearts carries over to the receiver.  That is greater than any

money we could receive.

Tramp ART!

What the heck is tramp art?  Never knew this type of art existed until we visited the Santa Fe International Folk Art Museum--what an eye opener!

A coffee table book that features numerous tramp art pieces

I focused my photos on sewing items found made

during the tramp art era  This is a sewing box 

made by David Schump, 2013

pedestal sewing box from early 20th century

sewing box clamp with pincushion, 1896

sewing box with pincushion and

openwork woodland scene--late 19th-early 20th century

another view of the detail--just awesome!

And what is Tramp Art?  A brief description.....................

"Tramp Art was an art movement found throughout the world where small pieces of wood, primarily from discarded cigar boxes and shipping crates, were whittled into layers of geometric shapes having the outside edges of each layer notch carved, or in the technique of a Crown of Thorns. It was popular in the years between the 1870s to the 1940s when the art form started to decline.

The artists used simple tools such as a pocketknife to carve the wood and assemble mostly utilitarian objects. It was made in prodigious numbers around the world but it prospered in the United States. Examples can be found in every state. The most common forms were the box and the frame and although there were no rules or patterns to lend commonality in the artists’ work there were objects made in every conceivable shape and size including full sized furniture and objects of whimsy.

Tramp Art was a democratic art form made wherever the raw materials used in its construction were found. In the United States there were over 50 different ethnic groups documented making it. It appealed to men who might have made an important body of work such as ‘Sunflower’ artist John Martin Zubersky (active c. 1912 – 1920) or the wonderfully expressive wall pockets by John Zadzora (active circa 1910) but also to men who might have made one piece in their lifetime. It was easy to make and appealed to anyone who had a desire to take a pocketknife to wood.

There were countless men, some women, and even children who historically constructed tramp art. Tramp art was mostly made in home based settings and by men who were factory workers, farmers, and labored in just about every conceivable occupation. There were tramps or hobos who made the art form but not in the numbers the name suggests. The name tramp art was a contemporary invention and had nothing to do with the art form as a whole.

Tramp Art was first discovered in print in 1959 by Francis Lichten in Pennsylvania Folklife, Volume 10 Spring 1959 in which she termed the art ‘Tramp Work.’ In 1975 Helaine Fendelman published the first book on tramp art, Tramp Art an Itinerant's Folk Art. The book acted as a catalog to the first museum show on the art form sponsored by the American Museum of Folk Art"

I Shouldn't Have Gone IN That Store!

 The other day--while the car was being serviced, I walked

through Barnes & Nobles--and found more books of interest to me.

Why or why did I walk through those doors?!  Temptation at hand!

As I was browsing the newer publicized books, I was greeted by

an employee and we began talking books!!  

Books to read!  Books that have been read!

and these books............

I take screen shots so I can remember to buy later.......

when I NEED a book!  When I asked my mother one time

if she needed a book, her reply was, "no, I have a book!"

Just one book!?  Mother, really!!

Anway, fiction can take on history in new ways

I love a good mystery--even if it's cozy!

For someone who loves fiber arts, this sounded right up my alley!

Never a dull moment if you immerse yourself into a book--

they take you away to another world!

There is even the chance you'll learn something new!

Happy page turning!

Summer Movies

It has been an extremely hot summer--what better thing to do than go to the movies?!

We have seen some of 'blockbuster' movies of the summer--very enjoyable 2.5 hours of your life.  We recently saw "Dunkirk" as a family--not all together but each of us seeing the film in our perspective city of residence.  

"In May 1940, Germany advanced into France, trapping Allied troops on the beaches of Dunkirk. Under air and ground cover from British and French forces, troops were slowly and methodically evacuated from the beach using every serviceable naval and civilian vessel that could be found. At the end of this heroic mission, 330,000 French, British, Belgian and Dutch soldiers were safely evacuated."

Us older folks had heard of Dunkirk but the younger generation had not---which led to much discussion about how this piece of history could be turned into a film.  What struck me was the fact that most of these soldiers were very young men--and scared out of their wits!  These were English soldiers!  and the question the 'kids' asked--'where were the Americans?"--another topic of conversation for sure.

If you haven't seen this film, I suggest you take the time to watch a powerful period in history--we can not change history!  Only relish it for what happen and be thankful for those young men.

Books On My Bedstand..............

I love to read!  And I'm always looking for that next good read--

I can read two books at the same time--also, listen to audiobook

as I work--too many good books to let slip through my fingers.

"Precious and Grace" is such a quick read--all about those

lovely ladies of the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency

"The Midnight Assassin"--interesting history about Austin, TX

and the serial killer that roamed the streets of 1880's

"The Woman in Cabin 10"--haven't begun this one yet, but

it was recommended by several people

"Killing the Rising Sun"--oh my!   Just so factual

with such detail--I find this one fascinating about WWII Pacific War

as our small town of Fredericksburg, TX has Pacific War museum

and this book brings the museum more to life.

"Killers of the Flower Moon"--never knew anything about this piece

of history, especially the birth of the FBI

"A Gentleman in Moscow"--this one I read a chapter or two at 

a time--the descriptions of characters is timeless

Oh, I do have others on my bookshelf 

and in my ear--I enjoy all of Lisa See's books--this one

about tea growing, cultivating, family involvement and

the progress of tea in China.

Selvages--What Do You Do With Them?

As a person who works with fabric, I'm sure you've seen the selvages--there is a lot of information printed for your assistance as well as the manufacturers.

You can find the name of the fabric and the designer

There is a copyright date as well as internet address

And there are all those dots with numbers--what do they mean?

These are color registrations--as the fabric is printed each color goes on in different print

sequences.  Color #1 is the first color to be printed, etc.

these circles or squares serve as check point for printing,

making sure the colors in the fabric are in the right spot.  If not,

the printing process is stopped and realignment takes place.

Some people take these selvages to assist with shopping for additional fabric--

Me, I'd rather take a sample of the fabric.

Most people cut off these selvages, but WAIT--there are

ways you can incorporate those in your finished products.

One year I used them to make paper pieced Christmas trees to

use on my Christmas cards.

Don't throw those selvages away!!  Here are some other

ways to be used..........

The Sewing Loft  has a handy list of 25 things to make with

selvages!  I like the postcard idea!  

Happy stitching!!

Silk Stitches

Every few days I pick up my stitching--usually, when I don't want to 

concentrate on knitting--

This is my Snowman Christmas blocks--I turned to my embroidery box with

all my threads (wish I had more!!) and pulled out my handspun silk bobbins--

I had forgotten I had these to stitch with--The silk is single ply

and the above has been dyed with indigo

My handspun silk pulls nicely through the cloth and is strong

to resist any tugging--no breaking on this yarn!  

Oh, how I love the indigo color!  I think one day

I'll stitch all my blocks with indigo silk thread (handspun, of course!)

I also have other natural dyed handspun silk threads in

my handy dandy box--I did these when I held a natural dye

workshop--not hard to make a small skein and throw it in

the dyepot along with the other skeins--here I have some

over dyed greenish gold--dyed yellow, dipped into indigo--yellow and

blue make green!

I also use madder, cochineal and logwood--