Blueberry View Artists Retreat Final Notes

Uprooted 2: Big Ugly

So Uprooted 2: Big Ugly is the piece that I finished while at Blueberry View.  I was worried that these pieces would take so long I wouldn't get one done, but being away from home, distractions, office work etc made it possible to do such a feat!  This is part of my Uprooted Series, but it has the nickname "Big Ugly" because it comes from a tree-bush-thing that used to be in our front yard that Zack ever so fondly named "Big Ugly."  I turned out rather lovely I think.

While working on attaching the tendrils to the root, I found that the longest tendril could be used (I was worried about the weight and it not maintaining it's shape) with the support of a part of a branch that it conveniently warps around.  I was unsure how to attach it at first.  Glue would look icky, it dawned on me that I could drill holes to stitch it to the branch stub.  I am so excited that I found the tiniest of drill bits that went well with my beading needle:

This photo was hard to get, but you can see the thread between the wood and beads:

And...pulled tight!

I finished Uprooted 2 on Wednesday giving me Thursday to focus on Uprooted 3: Growth

I've still got plenty of work on finishing the roots and I'm on to the third tendril.  I was thinking this piece may have 3-5 tendrils, we'll see where it goes.

Uprooted 1, 2 and 3

Reception set up.

She Can't See the Forest through the Trees, on the wall. 

Not as impressive as how it's supposed to be hung, but its a good piece that shows the depth of my work. 

Janet and Mark hosted a lovely reception in the Studio/Apartment that I had been working in.  I was happy to talk to other artists in their area.  Also, my parents, brother and niece all came by too!  Thank you everyone who attended and have been following along with my work.  This weekend I will be continuing to bead tendrils, I haven't started a good set up for the sanding yet.  I'm thinking outside is a good spot though.

Blueberry View Artists Retreat Update: Day 9

I’m going to divide this post into two sections because I have been working on two different pieces for this series simultaneously.  First is Uprooted 2:

Uprooted 2: Big Ugly

I will be finishing this piece off while I’m here.  On day 4 I had figured out the position of the tendrils.  Since then I have had to move my sanding operations inside as it got cold and rainy at the end of last week.

I did get the remainder of it sanded the holes drilled for the beaded tendrils and today I put a coat of walnut oil on it for finishing.  I have also added the first larger bead detail within a space in the root where I removed a large part that had been burnt or charred at some point.

Bead detail

Before Walnut oil

After Walnut Oil

Uprooted 3: Growth

I'm not sure if I'll get this piece done in the next 3 days or not.  It's got a lot of detailed sanding to it, and I'm only half done with the second tendril.  I imagine this piece will have 4 + tendrils on it, so I'm working diligently.  I hope to at least have all of the sanding done and be ready to apply the walnut oil and wax to it for the reception on Thursday night.

Tendril 1

Tendril 2

Pre-sanding

Starting sanding

Blueberry View Artists Retreat Update: Day 4

I can't believe it's already been 4 days! I have mostly been beading and sanding my base pieces.  I got the really long tendril for Uprooted 2 finished on Tuesday (above photo) and got to start compiling the actual piece.  I took a ton of photos of different positions that I could apply to this sculpture.  I kept going back to the image below, so I think that has settled it for me.  I may end up beading one more smaller tendril for this piece, but I think it's going to be pretty strong with or without it.  I'm also wondering if I can make this piece stand on its own like the photo and also hang on the wall.  Lots of ideas rolling around in my head.

My sanding process was thwarted by rain yesterday.  I got a little bit done in the morning and then it started to dribble, which is not goo for use of power tools.  So I went to the beads for my focus for the day, hoping the rain would stop.  I did decide to look at the weather report and it's supposed to continue to be cold and rainy so I started to consider how to move my sanding into the studio without getting sawdust in my beads.  Mark has graciously offered me the use of his wood shop, but my hand starts feeling weird and vibrating after a half hour of sanding so I really like being able to go back and forth within the studio.  If I worked in the shop, I'd be running up and down stairs, and bundling up against the cold.

So I've started in on beading tendrils for Uprooted 3, I'm not sure if I'll have time to get this entire piece finished, but with beading all day yesterday and for two and half hours this morning I'm beyond half done and on to the straight part of it.  Not having to worry about beading around curvatures makes for much easier and faster beading.

Janet and Mark had me over for an amazing dinner on Tuesday evening.  I probably could have visited with them all night.  I learned a lot of their background and their inspiration for Blueberry View Artists Retreat.  The house they built is also amazing, such artwork and antiques that enrich their home!

If you're in the area or willing to drive, all are welcome to come out for my reception next Thursday evening, you'll get to see what I've been creating in person, meet Janet and Mark and see their amazing property with gardens and antiques.

Blueberry View Artists Retreat: Day 1.5

As you can tell from previous blog posts I've been excited for my very first artist residency.  I left for Blueberry View Artist Retreat on Sunday late morning to arrive here in the afternoon.  It’s lovely to finally meet Janet and Mark after only emailing and talking on the phone.  They are both artists themselves, they live on the property, have their studios here and run an antique shop.  I moved in and got straight to work.  The large tendril has been lingering, so that’s what I’m finishing up beading, but I’m also getting into sanding my first root/trunk piece.  It’s been a while since I've used my Dremel tool this much, but after 4 + hours I’m starting to think it needs a name. I've really been enjoying peeling back the layers of this wood piece and discovering what’s underneath.  I like to smooth it out, but not so much that it doesn't still look like it came from nature.  I am quickly becoming engrossed in this process and loosing hours at a time.

Day 1

Day 1

I have the best set up for sanding.  I had packed drop cloths and towels anticipating working in the large studio space provided me in this apartment, but I have a little deck overlooking the blueberry fields and gardens (see top photos). There’s a granite slab mounted to the corner of the deck for a grill, which has been a great outdoor work space to keep all of the sawdust outside.  Not only is the sawdust outside, it’s just windy enough to pick up the sawdust and take it away as I remove it from the wood.  I’m even getting some sun.  I may come back with a weird bandanna/eye protection tan if it keeps going this direction.

Day 2

Day 2

I wasn't sure what to expect as far as getting on a daily schedule.  I’m used to scheduling my art time around other people, meetings, work or on the go.  I've been starting my day with yoga, coffee and beading.  I have been thinking about exploring Benton Harbor and St. Joseph, but I haven’t wanted to leave my new space just yet.  I did make it to the grocery store and the Riverside Tavern for a yummy burger for dinner.

Tendril Yesterday

Tendril tonight

I do believe that I’ll be hunkering down with this tendril, fingers crossed, getting it finished up.  One of the issues I’m running into while beading it is not only its size, but its weight.  Right now it weighs 89 grams (3.1 ounces) which is kind of heavy for one hand holding it in various positions.  I often forget just how much glass beads end up weighing.  I think I’ll be sticking to smaller beaded pieces after this experience.

Packing up and Heading Out

Sunday I leave to my very first artist's residency at Blueberry View Artists Retreat.  I've been making myself anxious thinking about all the items I have to take to be able to work on the Uprooted series. I have been working on beaded tendrils and had hoped to have the really long one done before I left, but it's got about 7 more inches and I've got a bunch of packing and cleanup to do before I go, so we'll see.  It's the tendril on the left in the above picture.  Uprooted 1 has 3 large tendrils and 2 tiny ones.  My current roots may be a little larger, so I'm not very far in to making all the tendrils I want, but it's a start.

I have about 4 roots and pieces of wood packed to work on.  I think this may be setting my sights too high for only two weeks, but I'm not sure which root is going to go with the tendrils that I've already made, so it's best to be prepared.

To relax, but keep beading, I have been making leaves, of all sizes and colors, for future leaf panels.  When I do sit down to start in on a panel it's less overwhelming if I have a stockade of leaves to start laying out.  In making various sized leaves, I made the above tiny earrings.  This neon red color has really struck me lately, as you may have noticed in the previous hexagon set.  So I made a tiny set that's only 1.3 inches long from the top of the earwire to the bottom tip of the leaf  This style is only $35.00.

I love piling my tendrils and taking photo details of them.  I have ideas for some even more involved beaded pieces with this in mind.  We'll see how long it takes for that to come to fruition! I can only bead so long per day before my shoulder starts clicking and my fingers can't hold tight anymore.

In Preparation for Blueberry View Artists Retreat

I received my first artist residency for next month at the Blueberry View Artists' Retreat. I'm starting to prepare for it, thinking of what to pack for two weeks of living and creating.  My proposal for this particular residency is to be working on the Uprooted Series.

Uprooted 1

Uprooted 1 is a beaded sculpture piece that I created for my Individual Artist's Grant Exhibit.  I have been planning on creating a grouping of Uprooted pieces to be shown together and this is my opportunity to really focus on this installation piece.  I have been focusing on beading tendrils to bring with me.  Some of the larger tendrils can take up to 150 hours of beading and I want the majority of my time spent at Blueberry view to be finishing the roots and putting the actual pieces together.  I'm sure there will be points where I want a particular tendril shape, so I'll have to make it and bead it while I'm there, but the more tendrils I have done, the better.

I have 3 done and I'm working on the 4th, which is much larger than any of the other ones I've done.  I can tell that with my focus on the tendrils, I'm getting a little faster at beading them.