2015 Catch up - Spinning!

It's been a busy arty kind of year so far and I can't believe how far into the year we are now!  The middle of November and that means Christmas is just around the corner! I've used Facebook most of this year to show off my work, but want to catch up my Blog with some notes and pictures of my creative year.

2015 has been a year of working in many different medias - beginning with spinning and all of the prep that goes into that such as shearing (see Jack and the Alpacas for more on that) carding, blending and, of course, buying pretty fiber.  Weaving wasn't left out as I worked on and completed a set of six placements for a friend. Planned on them for Christmas 2014, but turned out to be birthday June 2015!

And then back to my first and second love - photography and painting. I've taken a number of online art classes this year, with Jane LaFazio, Junelle Jacobson, Valerie Weller, Jeanne Oliver and Julie Johnson.

It's been too busy to do just one post, so this first will feature spinning, followed with weaving and watercolor/journaling.

I had to show one shearing picture (see more at Jack and the Alpacas) - it shows the process from the beginning. Shearing, sorting,washing, carding and the spinning: There are no pictures of the first sorting and washing.

Lefty being sheared - a nice size blanket!

First run through the carder!

Looking better - almost ready
to spin!

And now just a variety of the various yarns spun this year. They are wool not alpaca and the initial fiber was not prepped by me. I just did the spinning.

Next up weaving. 

20 15 Catch - Water Color, Wood Blocks & Journals -Installment One

Here's the first watercolor/journal installment: I planned on doing weaving next, but I found this already started and saved as a draft - so it's jumping ahead.

Spring found me taking a Junelle Jacobson class that also featured Valerie Weller (rooster and cats) This post will feature wood blocks and fun sketches from class with Junelle Jacobson and my practice sketches from a DVD class with Jane LaFazio.

Trying for whimsy thanks to Junelle's encouragement.

Junelle pushing me further out of my comfort zone!

Valerie Weller taught us the easy way to draw cats.

Trying a sketch of Lefty and one of my favorite quotes!
"Pretending to be normal day after day is exhausting!"

The next few pictures are practice sketches from a dvd class with Jane LaFazio. What I love about Jane is that she teaches you to use real items to paint from, not pictures and to really look at the item you're painting.  She teaches you to paint in a journal and to paint everyday items and to paint every day! Later I will be posting the pictures from my online classes and I've learned that daily practice does pay off.

I still love sketching ladies - as my mom called them,
I've always called them the girls!

From my sketchbook, to cut out in wood, to the yard!  Love my birds, but still need to add a wing. A friend gave me some old corrugated metal and they will have cute wings by next Spring.

Looking forward to another Junelle Jacobson class and Jane LaFazio watercolor class coming soon!