Art Galleries Netanya, Israel

Art Galleries Netanya, Israel
Originally uploaded by studiocherie

My first impression of Israel was peace, the second impression - respect. The artwork hung outside the galleries which you don't really see in the US unless the watchful artist is present. I wondered, Can they really trust one another to this degree? We happened upon this place on the Sabbath, so there were only us Christians wandering about. There seems to be a genuine respect for family and tradition in Israel - so many businesses closed for an entire day every week. I was starting to feel how intimate this country is. There are so many ways I can describe Israel, yet I feel I don't really know Israel at all. The portrait in the foreground looks like the Israel I met. She is dressed for work. In fact, you can see she has been working hard, yet her hands are behind her back. She is young and fragile. Larger than her borders. Simple and beautiful. Unfinished.

My thinking spot

Everyone has one. Mine is in the shower, usually. I love to get a project to a certain stage, and leave it. Better ideas will come to me in the shower. Some ideas take a little more work and leave, work and leave, work and leave than others - my table runners have turned into a small tote, and now a larger tote - with several material changes as well.

I am getting it to the point where other people - the people who buy my patterns - will be able to duplicate what I have done in a reasonable amount of time.

Sometimes I get a little carried away with the tools and materials that are available to me. Then (in the shower) I realize what a tiny portion of the worlds sewing population will go to the trouble of turning a yard of Crypton Suede fabric into a hundred four inch circles, spend hours sewing them and have only a table runner to show for it. Then you have to clean your house and invite people over to see this amazing thing you made.

I was telling Megan Cooley a little about this when she interviewed me for her DwellWellNW blog. That got me thinking about the creative process in general and one of my most creative (and highly successful at it) friends, Kathleen Cavender. (If you are in Spokane, you can join us to listen to her sing Jazz tomorrow night at the Max at Mirabeaux.)


With all of this in the back of my mind, I went to the gym. A little sweat before I shower and have ideas. On the treadmill I had such a brain storm I had to get right back home to sketch it. If I am ever able to turn it into a reality, I will let you know and you will see the connection to Kathleen. Click on her name up there to see her art! Now I have 2 thinking spots, how wonderful.

Aircraft Carrier Part One

to brighten my family room
Originally uploaded by studiocherie

If you saw Cabin Fever Decorating, you saw the aircraft carrier. I called it "this boring couch." I think StitchinDye's pillow pictured in that post (which sold immediately by the way) was better than mine, but I am using up my scraps for this project, and had to work with what was on hand. Also she used 16 circles, and I am not that ambitious. The aircraft carrier has 9 pillows in back. There is no way I will have the entire couch done in time for the contest at apartment therapy, but they did get me motivated to start. I've left it around and Rory has not said anything about it. I think that means he's going to absolutely freak out when he comes home one fine summer day to find the entire aircraft carrier transformed into a bohemian love boat. Let's see if I can find some artwork equal to the pillow...

Unmasking An Iconic American Image

The Associated Press is seeking compensation from artist Shepard Fairey for using their image, which they purchased from a photographer named Manny Garcia, and turning it into a poster for the Obama campaign. Capturing an iconic image of a person takes years of practice, patience, thousands of shots and some luck, being in the right place at the right time with the right conditions and the right equipment. Turning that shot into a stencil looking poster takes less than 5 minutes on Photoshop. Why didn't you ask permission?

Second Grade Lions

When I was in second grade, I made this ceramic lion. Granted, everyone's lions were pretty much the same. The only thing that differentiated them was the skill with which we cut out the pattern, drew the face, and painted the pieces. Why then, does my artistic second grader bring home this piece of junk?

My second grade lion hangs on a small wall in my kitchen. Unfortunately, this thing will only exist in photographic form right here. I know a woman who was cleaning out her attic, and upon finding an unknown object, innocently came down to ask her family, "Can somebody tell me, why we kept this piece of junk?" Her teenaged daughter replied, "Uhhh, because I made it?"

Art teachers, please listen. We want to keep their artwork, but we also want nice artwork to keep. I understand if the school can't fire ceramics for every child and this is the year to discover the third dimension, but don't send home a piece of foil, covered in something that looks like painted clay and no note. What were you thinking?

Polymer clay is awesome. We can cook it at home. The garland was totally my second grader's idea and execution. It hangs in the very narrow space between her bedroom door and her closet door, and adds the perfect splash of color. As you can see some of the loops broke. To fix that, next time, we will make half of the pieces loops and half of them "s" shapes. That way we can bake each piece individually and string them together afterwards.

Okay, I made the dog. But she made and decorated the base. I think second grade may be a bit early for sculpture.

There are a number of polymer clay artists on Etsy who sell really neat stuff you probably can't make with your kids yet. It gives you something to reach for though...

These last three photos (the reaching brooch, the funny charm bracelet, and the nativity scene) are actual things for sale. By clicking on them, you go directly to the different artists' shops. Enjoy!