Wordless Wednesday

Motivational Monday - Upcoming Art Shows

Here is to getting motivated for the upcoming festival season! Whether you are an artist soon to be displaying your beautiful creations, or a festival go-er out to enjoy and hopefully purchase some of that awesome art!

The festival season is upon us very soon!  May is the start of the season for me?  Are there any other artists reading this, and if so when you do you usually start doing your shows?  I wish I was in a warmer climate and could do them all year round.  It can be difficult getting motivated and energized after taking 3-5 months off from the circuit.

May

My first show is always The Delaware Arts Festival.  This year it will be their 41st annual show and it runs on May 17th and 18th.  I hope some of you locals will make it out.

I will be in Booth #93.  It is a good location by the looks of the map they sent me.  : )  I am not in front of the parking lot that when it rains sends a river 3 inches deep straight through my tent.  I had wet feet for the entirety of this show a few years ago. : ) All for the love of art!

www.delawareartsfestival.org

June

In June I do the Granville Art Affair & Wine Festival.  The dates for the show this year are June 13th and 14th.  It's actually a Friday and Saturday (which is different than the usual Saturday, Sunday shows).  So keep this in mind if you are going to visit.

I absolutely love this area, the people, and the artists.  It is a great show full of community.

www.granvilleartaffair.com

July

I just signed up for the Westerville Music and Arts Festival.  This one is new to me this year.  It is also their 41st annual, and I have heard many good things about it.  This show runs on my birthday!! July 12-13th.
Hopefully I hear good news soon and am accepted so you can come hang with me on my birthday!

August

Still looking for a show for this month.  Local artists reading this ( let me know if you know of any that would be good) : )

September

The Old Worthington Market Day is a show I have done every year for so long I cannot even remember when I began.  Probably at the very beginning 7or 8 years ago, maybe longer.  It is an amazing 1 day show that only last about 6 hours.  It is not easy to get there and set up as so many artists and vendors are showing up at the same time.  It is tight and I always feel as if I am going to run over someones artwork trying to get in and set up.  :)  Never have though. Whew!

I didn't do it last year as I took most of the year off because I had a destination wedding that sucked all the creative energy out me.

I have not signed up for this yet, but as soon as the application come out I will.  I have not been turned down before, so I am almost positive I will be there.

Peace, Love, and Handmade Paper,
Erin

Fiber Frenzy Friday - Corn Husk Cover Progression

First of all, when cooking down corn husks you need to cut the material into approximately 1 inch pieces.

 Soda ash is needed to help break down the material you are cooking.  Soda ash is commonly known as baking soda.

Here are the corn husks as they are cooking down.  I let each back cook at the highest setting for 5 hours.

Once the corn husks are finished cooking they must be cleaned until the water run clear.

Once they are clean, soak a few handfuls into a 5 gallon bucket of water.

Next, it goes into the blender for about 15 seconds.  You want to do small amounts at a time so the fibers don't wrap around the blade and burn out the motor.

The mixture is now thinned out and ready to be poured into the mold and deckle to make the book covers.

I usually just pour the bucket of fiber straight into the mold and deckle and play with the fibers until they are even across.  I take a sponge and screen and hand press lightly some of the water out of the book covers.  

Once I have a number of covers made stacked onto white felt sheets they go into the press.  This press  exerts 2000 pounds of pressure.  

 After about 20 minutes in the press I then put the covers onto dry white sheets of watercolor paper.  Watercolor paper is very sturdy and thick.  A cover will get sandwiched between to sheets of the watercolor paper and then those are sandwiched between to pieces of cardboard.  I have a fan that blows through the corrugation of the cardboard and dries the sheets with slight pressure.  This way the sheets are less likely to dry wavy.  

 These are the covers dry.  I will still put a layer of varnish on what will be the exterior of the covers for increased durability and water-resistance.  I am excited to show the students these at our upcoming lecture on next Friday. 

I hope you found this informative.  : )

Peace, Love, and Handmade Paper, 

Erin

Wordless Wednesday

Motivational Monday - Happy St. Patrick's Day

Praise the ripe field not the green corn.

                                               ~Irish Proverb

This is an old garden of mine from many years ago.  I tilled each section by hand, as I did not own a rototiller at the time.  I would lay grass cuttings on the pathways each time I mowed and the grass slowly turned brown and soft to bare feet.    I even collected rocks to line my pathway!

In the top photograph I placed an old wrought iron head board and called it my "Flower Bed". I will most definitely do that again.  Little pathways lead you to a comfortable place to sit and enjoy a mason jar full of sweet tea in the sunshine.

I look forward to having a similar garden again.  the big bush in the far rear right of the photograph above are collard green.  I can remember many a "greens & corn bread" get-together.

Let nature and warmer breezes motivate you to do the things you love even if you don't own the correct tools to do it with.  

Oh do I look forward to having a back "yard" that is not all patio.  :)

Peace, Love, and Handmade Paper,

Erin

Wordless Wednesday

Fiber Frenzy Friday - An Art Show Set Up

I believe this particular set up is from my first show of every year in Delaware, Ohio.

I remember this from the brick walk way and parking lot behind my tent.  The year before it rained profusely and a deluge of water came right out of that parking lot and straight through my tent.

The water must have been 3-4 inches deep.

It was deep enough to cover my shoes.

I was soaked the rest of the day.  And if I remember correctly I went barefoot the rest of the day.  Moist socks are no fun!

Wordless Wednesday