BirdBrain Designs

the rug is back…

April 7, 2015 by Birdbrain 6 Comments

Now that the show is over and Kenya is in the past, I have some time to sit at my rug and make some headway. Not a lot of headway as you can see–but some. The design is set out loosely, with an idea about the background colours. There is nothing planned or scientific about this rug. It begins with blue at either end and transitions into green. Where it goes from there is a mystery which will be solved by the dye pots. It is huge to lug around, but still a pleasure to hook. I’ve been sitting in my sun room with the spring sun pouring in over my shoulder and just letting the day go by. It’s about time. It has been a busy, busy year and I’m ready for some rug time. After all — how we spend our days is how we spend our lives…

a visit to the museum of bags and purses in Amsterdam

April 6, 2015 by Birdbrain 1 Comment

I am catching up on an Amsterdam post I wanted to share. February 2015 was the 60th birthday of the quilted 2.55 Chanel bag, so a visit to the Museum of Bags and Purses was a must. The museum is on the Herengracht, pictured above, the canal of the Ambassade where the Goldfinch’s Theo Decker spends time sorting out his life. The museum is housed in a three storey building with a tearoom overlooking the gardens at the back. I recommend planning a tour of the collection and lunch.

There was a display of 2.55 bags owned by various famous people, but I was intrigued with the summary of her contribution to fashion and her relevance to today’s approach.

There was a great display of fashion from the 1960’s, including, my favourite, Marimekko.

There was also a area devoted to Dutch design which was described as ‘minimalist, experimental, innovative, unconventional and surprisingly ingenious design”. I knew about Hester Van Eeghen from previous visits to Amsterdam, but at the museum I was introduced to Marjon Leek. I fell for her quirky tulip bag, seen below in the show case. I was lucky to find my own version in the museum shop. You can see Marjon in action here and my sketch and my own tulip bag back in Canada in the last photo.

sketchbook in the last couple of days

April 2, 2015 by Birdbrain Leave a Comment

I’ve been sketching these grocery store tulips for the last couple of days. They are on my counter in my new Scott Bartrim vase. I rewatched the video of Brenda Swenson painting from the second session of Sketchbook Skool. I love the way she adds bright pure colour to her work. She has inspired me. I found that in each session of Sketchbook Skool there was one teacher who really spoke to me. For session two it was Brenda. If you would like to know more, here is a short video about the role of art in her life.

I was in Hamilton last week and attended a talk on sketching at the Hamilton Club. I passed that building thousands of times when I lived there and I always wondered about it. What a treat to finally see inside.

On Thursday I went to the One of a Kind show in Toronto. I’ve said here before that I try to buy only second hand or handmade clothes. The OOAK is a fabulous place to find the latter. I was smitten by the screen printed infinity scarves by Little Minnow from Austin Texas and the great clothes by Hoi Bo of Toronto. I also sat in the midst of things sketching the people around. The final photo is my page of notes from the sketching workshop in Hamilton, Sketching is Thinking, where we were asked to do a pencil sketch of the person sitting across from us.

kiwi pouches

March 30, 2015 by Birdbrain Leave a Comment

I have several things I hope to write about–but in the meantime, a little bulletin from the studio. I uncovered the sewing machines on the weekend for the first time in two months and made two small pouches. This is great kiwi leather, a bright shot of spring in your world. These pouches are perfect for cosmetics or other small gear or can be carried on their own for a night out. One has a small pocket inside for credit cards. 8.5″ x 4″ and 7.5″x 5″. They will be in the online store later today.

sketching in Galt

March 26, 2015 by Birdbrain Leave a Comment

Yesterday we travelled to Galt, a great old Ontario town, to do some sketching, but it ended up being foggy and rainy. So…we sat in a lovely café with views of some of the city’s historical buildings. Before we left in the morning I sketched a new mug in my favourite colour. This is the second turquoise mug I have from Dundas potter, Scott Barnim. They make morning coffee a feast for the eye.

Even in the rain, Galt’s historic buildings were beautiful. Made mostly of limestone, they seem to be everywhere, imposing public buildings and old mills. Some have been converted into condos or awaiting a new life–but some are still functioning as designed 150 years ago. We hope to go back soon on a better day.

At night we attended a sketching workshop–but more on that in the next post.

tulips two and three

March 24, 2015 by Birdbrain 1 Comment

My bouquet of tulips is drooping and I’ve been sketching them in their decline. Quick impressions, mixing my greens from Hansa yellow and ultramarine blue. The colour of the leaves has changed even more than that of the petals–the leaves are now yellow twists. The petals from pink to purple. I bought some new colours in Amsterdam and I’ve been changing up my palette. Will draw it soon. And I hope to get back outside to sketch now that the temperature promises to go above freezing.

sketches this week so far

March 18, 2015 by Birdbrain Leave a Comment

I’ve been using the Stillman and Birn Alpha book for daily sketches as well as for notes and clippings. I love the size and format of the pages and I like having one book for everything. I’m trying to sketch everyday and do some experimenting. Tomorrow I’m going to try the tulips again, but mix my greens rather than use greens from the pans. I have a Sennelier Vert Olive which I tend to overuse. I love it going on, and then wonder what I was thinking when I see the finished sketch. All three of the sketches in this post were done with a Sailor pen and I like the looseness its upturned nib brings.

I sat in my car today for an hour for this one below, with the afternoon sun pouring in. Another favourite Belleville house. Today I was just trying to get the angles right, with all its dormers and verandahs. I want to go back and sketch it again, orienting it better on the page, including some foreground. I’ve been watching Paul Heaston’s class on Craftsy. It’s worth checking out. While I will never draw in as detailed a fashion as he does, I want to incorporate his well-explained concepts to help plan my sketches and the design of the page.

Meanwhile, I am finally back in the studio and will have some new things to show you before too long.

amsterdam sketches

March 11, 2015 by Birdbrain 2 Comments

I spent four days in Amsterdam on my way home from Kenya. Amsterdam is one of my very favourite cities and I love to have the time to walk, to visit the museums and to sketch. It’s all there in such a small radius, long-surviving architecture from 1600’s to the latest in art and design.

The Van Gogh Museum was particularly exciting for me this time as VG’s sketchbooks were on display. It was such an eye-opener–you could see his process and his thinking by digitally paging through his sketchbooks. Below is the real thing in a view from one of the showcases.

I did some sketching too. It was +8 degrees when I was there so it was warm enough to sit out for a little while and sketch. The exercise, for me, is getting to know the buildings, exploring the curls and corners. And my concentration and struggle for the whole time there, was how to follow the angles while keeping the drawing loose. And how to convey those windows, how to keep them from looking like black holes.

I was staying right on Dam Square, so this wonderful building was in my sights regularly. And below that a few pages from my sketchbook.

some things I learned in matangwe

March 9, 2015 by Birdbrain 4 Comments

I learned so much from the rug hookers in Matangwe. I learned about dignity and perseverance certainly, but I also learned about colour and design. I learned that it’s not about materials, having the best wool or the perfect colour, but about how you interpret your world using what you have. These hooked works have brought me to see Matangwe in a new way. Below are some pieces that stood out for me and the stories behind them.

Esther and Irene were new hookers this year. They walked two hours each way, five days a week, to get to the community centre for their hooking lessons. They were quiet and dignified and we exchanged only a few words. However, their work demonstrates a bold use of colour and shape that belies their shyness. These were their second pieces of hooking, ever. I love the energy in them and am intrigued by the way they see their world.

Tabitha arrived every day with her four month old daughter. A second year hooker, Tabitha produced more pieces than I was expecting anyone to make. She was resourceful, hardworking and creative. During the first week she completed the test assignments quickly, using materials from home. She then went on to make chair seats and table mats of her own design. Everyone loved the first piece below,hooked with wool and t-shirts, and it sold quickly in Matangwe. Clearly it resonated with the people there. The following two pieces are of her own design as well, begun at home and finished using t-shirts, stockings and wool. The material seems to be a determining factor in the design–the last piece using stockings is finer and more whimsical that the other two which use a combination of wool and t-shirts.

And like Tabitha, Everlyne was on fire producing pieces of her own design. Here is a photo of her on the last day with yet another piece, done entirely with t-shirts. She has incorporated her own version of one of the local birds with design features she saw in Rug Hooking magazine.

I plan to make an inventory of all the pieces before our gallery exhibition in Belleville in September, so I will post more of the pieces here for you to see.

some thoughts on hooking in Matangwe Kenya

March 7, 2015 by Birdbrain 4 Comments

Jill commented on the last post that it must be ‘quite an adjustment returning’ to Canada after a month in Kenya. It is. And I will write more about my 5 days in Amsterdam after Kenya, a key part of the adjustment for me. For now, I have been mulling over the achievements of the 14 women who spent three weeks hooking and, in addition, their impact on me.

Above are pictures of our sale on the final day of the course. Employees at the local medical clinic and the local school came to admire and purchase. We sold several pieces. There were more pieces in addition to those pictured, including an order of six chair seats. This is a remarkable achievement for 14 women, half of whom had never hooked before.

A few words on the process: I brought a large duffle bag full of donated linen, t-shirts and woollen strips. While in Nairobi, I was able to purchase 10 additional yards of burlap and some cotton jersey remnants from a t-shirt factory. After the second week, we went to the local market in Bondo and purchased a large bag of second-hand t-shirts, especially in the colours of sky and grass–we were running out of materials!

There were two classes, morning and afternoon. Everyone began hooking a small mat, either a flower or a heart, to establish standards both for hooking and for finishing. Everyone then went on to hook one of the local birds from a photo, tracing the image on to the backing, using the window as a light box. From there, once the first two pieces were completed to an acceptable standard, the rug hookers designed their own mats and chair cushions. The experienced rug hookers–those who had hooked last year–took to the challenge quickly and some completed five or six pieces in the three weeks. And there were a few new rug hookers who completed wonderfully creative pieces, while others stayed with the original two pieces.

I loved sitting hooking with these women. Some sang quietly as they hooked, others chatted and laughed, but there was always an atmosphere of cooperation and achievement. As the time went on, they became more daring in their designs, drawing their interpretation of the world around them. I would often be surprised when one of the rug hookers would arrive with an almost completed piece which she had begun at home. Tomorrow I’ll write about what I learned about design and colour from these wonderful rug hookers.

Below, buying t-shirts at the Bondo market. Vendors often have their wares spread on the ground on a tarp. Bondo is a 7 km boda boda (motorcycle) ride on deeply rutted, dusty roads. Three adults and a couple of baskets on a boda boda is commonplace–and I am always relieved when we arrive safely.