Exploring fabric collages 2014

Using a piece of white cotton pegged to a clothes line, I brushed on silk fabric dyes and then sprayed with water to disperse.  As they blended they created the exciting background.
 Using 3D dimensonal paint I created the idea of long grass in the background.  Then I did some drawing with a green fabric marker.  Taking a red cotton fabric I cut out circles of different sizes.  I also did this in a multi coloured orange yellow fabric.  There were stuck down in layers onto the background.  Finally I used 3D black dimensional paint to create the centres. This is a lovely medium to work with.  It was then framed in a glass frame to protect.

Collograph Printing 2013

Totally love this medium.  I prepared a mount board by cutting into it in the negative space.  Then using texture of broken egg shells, torn wallpaper, graphite, cheesecloth created depth.  It was ined up and put through a printing press.  I loved the prints so much that I kept this original plate as a picture and framed it.

Meeting the President.....2013

President Higgins and his lovely wife Sabina in Dublin 2013. This was the presentation of awards for the Bicycle project undertaken by me in 2013.
See older blog of the making of this project.

Mixed Media Stitched Square.

 Mixed Media Stitch Readers Challenge - This was selected for print in Cloth Paper Scissors Magazine in 2014.
comhttp://www.clothpaperscissors.com/media/g/mixedmediastitchedsquare/default.aspx?PageIndex=2
 This is a personal achievement for me and I am very pleased.

Thermofax stencils and hand and machine embroidery.

A way with the Fairies

The Fairies are taking over my life and I am enjoying it.  See my blog on Templemorefairytrail.blogspot.com  and enjoy my progress with this exciting project.  Making the houses has been a treat and forcing me to look out side the box for items that are small enough and will blend into the background.  However at first I was playing too safe and it was not magical. Since then I have gone on to develop the following styles and when I put them on site the magic started to happen.  It will take the best part of 6 months to get it all finished but who is in a rush when adventure is at play!! Loving it!! My mind is working overtime with all the possibilities.  The part I am enjoying most is the smiles on peoples faces when I tell them what I am doing. We are all children at heart.  Just wait until the children start finding them

There are horse tracks in the Park. I am expecting to find discarded Horse Shoes any day that the Fairies have decided to turn into houses. I can already see where they would go.  It is coming into the season where the nuts fall from the trees so again it will be interesting to see what plans the Fairies have for these.

Aluminium Foil Mixed Media

I started experimenting with aluminium foil when I was asked to do a summer workshop with children recently.  I decided to do owl with them as a theme project.  Here is some of their work.

 

 

They tried out cats too

 

Waxed with shoe polish to finish

 

 

 

New Clay Owls and stamped medallions, drying before painting.

 

However I decided to take it a step further myself so I did the following.

I found a lovely old dressing table drawer and decided it was my challenge.

I sanded it and painted the inside in Annie Sloan Chalk Paints.  It was then waxed with Annie Slone Clear wax.

 

 

 

If you look closely you will see where I added skeleton leaves under the foil to give texture and hide damage that was on the surface.  I used plumbers foil tape as it was sticky and worked brilliantly.  Then I painted it with alcohol inks in various colours to give a beautiful finish.

I am delighted with the outcome of this and have another one to do.  I have thoughts of putting legs under it to make a small table.

 

Entering the world of Fairies

I have decided to explore Fairy Tree Houses. Every time I take a walk in our beautiful park with all the very old trees I start imaginng what a house would look like if it was set into the roots of the trees.  Therefore after photographing the trees I am going to set about creating little houses to fit into the trees as my next project.  I am also going to make fairy houses out of used metal cans and wrap them in timber etc to create handing fairy houses.  Over the next month I will be amaking these and hope to create a blog for you to follow. So today I am going to post some photos taken this week and where I am going to start from.

 

Love the mushrooms growing up so high on the tree near the hole.  I can see a fairy ladder dropped from the hole to climb up on.