This past weekend, Anthony & I celebrated Martin Gardner's birthday with a weekend of hexaflexagon building, learning, and flexing! If you unfamiliar with flexagons, I highly recommend watching ViHart's videos: This One, This One, and This One.
We managed to build several hexahezaflexagons on Saturday with a dodecahexaflexagon to cap the night (yes - that is a 12-faced hexaflexagon)! On Sunday, we continued the fun by attempting some of the more unusual hexaflexagons. Anthony worked on tetrahexaflexagons as well as pentahexaflexagons (Hexaflexagons with sides that are not a multiple of 3 are far more complicated). After several failed attempts, I managed to build a working 48-sided hexaflexagon. Of course, it is a bit thick & delicate... but fun.
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I entered my first piece in an art show in quite a long time recently - the Blue Ridge Fiber Show in Asheville, NC.
Show information: 2012 Blue Ridge Fiber Show ...Into the Garden
"an international, biennial celebration of fiberarts"
October 2, 2012 - January 2, 2013
at the North Carolina Arboretum in Asheville, NC
Sponsored by the Western North Carolina Fibers/Handweavers Guild, Inc.
I entered my Chiaroscuro Self-Portrait (pictured here in progress on the loom).
I just received word that I was awarded Second Place in Amateur Weaving in the decorative non-functional category!!!! I am so thrilled. This wonderful information arrived today as I was nervously debating whether to enter another piece or two in a local juried art exhibit. (I think I might go ahead and take the risk.)
If you are going to be in the Asheville, NC area, please stop by the Arboretum and take a look at the show. There are over 140 pieces of fiber art in the show ranging from professional to amateur work and woven work, felted work, garments, functional pieces, etc.
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It turns out that sometimes you don't have to travel very far to study with an incredible teacher at an incredible art center.
This past weekend I took Melissa Jay Craig's Unusual 3D Techniques class at the Morgan Art of Papermaking Conservatory and Educational Foundation located right here in Cleveland, Ohio.
Melissa is a great teacher. She covered a number of techniques in papermaking, scupture, and dyeing in just 2 short days. While I would have loved for the class to last longer, I walked away having learned a lot of things that I feel I can 'run' with at home in my own studio (with some modifications of course). This was my first experience making paper and I really enjoyed it. There is something really magical about it - especially when working with fibers like overbeaten abaca that shrinks and shrivels and has a gorgeous translucency. It is definately fun to work with a medium that changes as it dries - making it more difficult to predict exactly how it will look when it is complete.
The Morgan is quite a gem. It is a non-profit art center dedicated to the preservation of handmade paper making and the art of the book. It was established in 2006 in a converted machine shop in an industrial/residential area on the east side of Cleveland. It includes a large gallery, papermaking studio, bookbinding studio, printmaking studio as well as an amazing kozo garden out back in a re-claimed lot.
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For a birthday trip last week, we went to see Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater for the first time. It was spectacular!! Initially, I didn't bring my camera in since I knew that photos during the tour are not allowed. After the inside tour, we got a chance to walk around the grounds and view the house from the outside. I was so enjoying just looking, that initially, I didn't want to go back to the car for my camera.
The thing that finally inspired me to go get the camera was this triple-weave blanket that is for sale in the gift shop. It is really spectaluar and worth every penny that I couldn't/didn't spend on it. After snapping photos of the blanket, we walked around the grounds again so that I could take some pictures of the house as well.
On the home-weaving front, I have finished the 'prototype' self-portrait in time to take it along this weekend to Woolfest. I will be spending the day Saturday demonstrating double-weave pickup at the Guild-booth at Woolfest. I am also going to bring along a number of samples for the booth. I haven't decided exactly what to bring along yet... but I will figure that out tomorrow night (along with preparing the loom for travel, getting all my tools together, etc.)
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