Sunday, October 30, 2011

Spooky Screened October

By Evan of Evan Webster Ink

Penzance screen printed costume.

In honor of October I'm writing about costumes. Personally, I wait until October 31st to figure out what to wear for Halloween. But screen printing can be a great way to make costumes and I really enjoy thinking about and making screen printed costumes. They are a good excuse to play around with specialty inks (think glow-in-the-dark, neon, puffy or glitter!). For a school play in Brookline I used metallic silver ink to portray buttons and a police person's badge.

Penzance screen printed costume.

I wish screen printing was more useful for making individual costumes but, because of set-up times, it's ideal for a minimum of fifteen of the same item. So grab some friends and dress as members of the Dharma initiative!

Have a safe and happy Halloween from Evan Webster Ink and Boston Handmade!

Saturday, October 29, 2011

Encaustic art is everywhere

by Jessica Burko of Reclaimed to You

With my second child arriving in about five weeks, I am trying to get into the studio to work on my art every chance I can get, which lately, amounts to about one full day each week. This week I finished work on two new pieces of encaustic collage. The piece above is titled, "You Are A Baby" and is a combination of a page from a vintage Dick and Jane book, part of an old sewing pattern, a small vintage color chart for knitting, a photocopy of some "household objects" and a bird clipped from a book of ornithology. All of these elements are collaged with encaustic medium on a wooden panel. All of the items are found, upcycled, recycled, reclaimed.

My work has definitely changed in the past two years since becoming a mother for the first time, and I find myself drawn to images and representations of childhood and thinking about my children (even the one not yet born) as I make my work. This continues the autobiographical vein in which I have been making work for the past several decades, but the focus has shifted away from me and my past to my family and imaginings of the future. It's been funny for me to make these realizations as I find myself drawn to different collage elements. The piece above is titled, "He Ran" and is a collage of a part of a vintage sewing pattern, a paper doll, part of a page from a dilapidated children's book, a vintage found photograph, and a clipping from a 1960's knitting magazine. Like the image at the top, this one also utilizes encaustic medium along with all found, upcycled, recycled, reclaimed paper materials.

Encaustic artwork is having a big explosion in the New England art scene recently with encaustic theme exhibitions popping up every couple of months, and more and more fine artists are experimenting with the luscious and enticing medium of encaustic. To see some of what is going on in the world of encaustic art be sure to checkout the upcoming National Juried Exhibition, Wax-Inc. at the South Shore Arts Center in the Bancroft Gallery, on view November 4 through December 21.

Friday, October 28, 2011

Print Gocco

by Leah of cricicis design

I've been working on a new series of drawings- of fish! They are hand drawn instead of digitally illustrated, and with a little more detail than usual. I wanted to maintain the sketched quality when I printed them, but still keep them somewhat consistent with my silhouetted animal illustrations of the past.

So I decided to dust off my Gocco! Have you ever used a Print Gocco? It's a screenprinting system that's compact and clean. You start with a carbon-based image (the old machines came with a carbon pen for drawing) or a photocopy, and an emulsion-coated screen. You pop flash bulbs into the top and press down- when the bulbs flash, the carbon burns into the screen to create a stencil. Then you ink up the screen, insert it back into the same place where it was burned, and press down onto your paper to make a print. Then you repeat! It couldn't be simpler. Unfortunately, production of the Print Gocco ended in 2005. I have a few screens and bulbs leftover, and thought this would be the perfect project for them. It feels nice to print these drawings in such a tactile way.

Here are a few more photos of the process and the final products:

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Chawan: An International Exhibit

by Karen Mahoney of City by the Sea Ceramics

I was invited to participate in an international traveling show while it is here in the United States and I hope you can come celebrate at the opening reception with me! The exhibit concentrates on a vessel to drink tea, the chawan, or tea bowl. Chawan: An International Exhibition features work from artists representing nine countries and has been traveling to museums and galleries around the world for the last few years. This Sunday, October 30 is the opening of the first stop in this country for an exhibit that has already seen Belgium, France, Korea, and Croatia and will head to Japan.

The reception is 1-4 at the Gorse Mill Studios Gallery at 31 Thorpe Road in Needham. There will be a demonstration of the Chinese tea ceremony by participating artist Chang kuei Wei at 2pm if you would like to see that as well. I hope you can make it! If not, the exhibit is up until November 27, and gallery hours are Monday-Friday, 11-5.

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Hibou Designs

by Nancy of nancyrosetta

Boston Handmade is pleased to welcome our newest member, Anne-Claire of HibouDesigns!



Just in time for Halloween!
Colorful and collectible hand sewn plush toys. These are so much fun! Welcome Anne-Claire!

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

A Much Needed Change

by Cristina Hurley of Cristina Hurley Jewelry Design

I had a very busy and rough couple of weeks, which culminated in a big craft sale which was a bit of a disappointment. The next day, I decided that I needed to change things up a bit in my shop/studio.

The easiest and most effective way to revamp a space is to paint... so I decided to paint half of this wall with paint I had been using to paint the shop. I painted and then decided to add some custom hand painted swirls...

I love swirls, they are organic and fun to do freestyle. No need to mark or measure, I just began swirling out from the straight edge I had painted the wall up to.

The swirls are all over my shop in different ways, so I thought they would look nice and add a bit of whimsy to my decor.

Cool! the swirls are all done! they only took a couple of hours or so. The paint dried quickly, so I began to hang up what had been on the wall already. In this case, a display with some jewelry in it.

All done! All I had to do was put everything back, and I decided to rearrange the furniture and displays. I think it looks nice!
And that's just one wall!
I made changes in the entire shop.
Stay tuned for the next chapter...
The window wall!
:)

Sunday, October 23, 2011

10th Annual Craftland Holiday Show

By Beth of Elizabeth Brennick Designs

Today I took my handmade items over to Craftland for their 10th annual holiday show. Craftland is open year round but from November 25th to December 31st it turns into a winter wonderland of handmade goodness.

Craftland is located at 235 Westminster Str Providence, RI and is open seven days a week. A few highlights of the show on Friday, December 2nd from 5-9pm is the opening night party. The first 150 shoppers receive a goodie bag. There will also be refreshments and snacks. On Friday, December 15th from 5-8pm is meet the artist of Craftland. Shop till midnight is on December 23rd.

Other Boston Handmade peeps representing at Craftland is An Li Liu of An Li Studio and Kerrie of Cody's Creations. Here are a few pictures of whats in store from us:

Dog Collar by Cody's Creations
Chunky Crocheted Cowl With Flower Brooch by Elizabeth Brennick Designs


Hot Pink Hummingbird Flower Shirt by An Li Studio

Saturday, October 22, 2011

The Fabric Place Basement

by Kerrie Beck of Cody's Creations

I have been super excited since hearing that the Fabric Place Basement was opening in Natick - the Fabric Place closed its doors in Framingham a couple years ago and I lost my favorite place to shop for fabric.

I finally got a chance to stop by, and I was so elated! Tons and tons of fabric (everything from cottons and upholstery to microsuedes and leather and many hard to find fabrics), notions as far as the eye can see, and yarn section that makes the non-knitter really want to learn. My arms were laden with fabric, so I was only able to manage a few pictures.



I am so excited to have an amazing fabric store in my local community!

Friday, October 21, 2011

My New Ceramic Button

by Karen Mahoney of City by the Sea Ceramics

This past weekend I went to the Newton Harvest Fair and of course I checked out the craft vendors. There was a lot of really nice work, but I ended up going home with this small piece from Ingrid Hathway. She had two baskets full of beautiful buttons, I really had a hard time picking just one. I love it, and plan to put it on a future knitting project of mine.

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Opportunity of a Lifetime

By Diane of Lady Dye Fiber Arts & Design

Last month I had an opportunity to meet one of the most famous knitwear designers of our time, Nicky Epstein, at Newbury Yarns. Newbury Yarns has recently moved to a new location and as part of the re-opening, Nicky Epstein was there to meet and greet knitters but also to do a private workshop with individuals. She was a really nice and a witty woman who signed all of my books.

What I really appreciated the most about the experience, was how open Nicky was to questions about not only what I was working on but also willing to discuss more in detail of the books she had written. In particular, as she signed the book Knitting in Tuscany, she talked about the recipes that she decided to put in the book as well as her experience traveling through Italy. I truly valued that experience and look forward to meeting her again one day. Until then, I will keep my signed autographed books and hope the she blogs or writes about me in her next book in regards to the lovely hand-dyed yarns of mine that I had give to her the day we met :) Happy knitting everyone!


Wednesday, October 19, 2011

What We See Show

By Kerry of Khawkinsphoto

You are invited to view What We See - a new exhibit featuring my photography of the West Roxbury area. Opening reception will be This Friday, October 21, 2011 7pm-9pm at Donahue Real Estate, 2085 Centre St, West Roxbury, MA, 02132.

Join the fun, and view the new photographs!

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Boston Guild Social Media Event

By Danielle of The Merriweather Council


I will be presenting at an event called Social Media Warriors hosted by The Boston Graphic Artists Guild on Tuesday, October 18th (today)!

I was invited to be a presenter and panelist at this event to discuss using social media (Facebook, Twitter, blogging, etc...) for my business.

Monday, October 17, 2011

Sunday, October 16, 2011

Swoon at the ICA

by An Li Liu of An Li Liu

Swoon is known for her beautiful, detailed, life-sized paper-cut portraits that are pasted onto walls of buildings all around the world. Ephemeral in nature, they organically wither and decay. She has a fantastic piece entitled, “Anthropocene Extinction”, on view at Boston’s Institute of Contemporary Art that addresses humanity’s impact on the environment.

I love her combination of giant linocuts, hand-cut collages, and bold colors. From street art cred to institutional recognition, Swoon now has to answer all those questions about this transition, and what that means to her. You can read more here.

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Nature in the City

By Kerry of Khawkinsphotography




Nature is all around us and in unexpected places. A friend and fellow photographer were looking for subjects to photograph in Savin Hill area of Dorchester. We took a spin around the neighborhood. We spotted a home with a wonderful garden in the front. It was full of flowers and plants. It was a very nice surprise. I think we must have spent a good 20 minutes just photographing all the colorful plants and flowers. It was a nice treat.

Friday, October 14, 2011

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Degas at the MFA


A new exhibit called "Degas and the Nude" is now open at the Museum of Fine Arts. This exhibit focuses on the artist's exploration of the human form and includes his influences and inspirations. As the website says, "Degas explores the beauty of unguarded moments."

It will be on display until February 5, 2012. To see a slideshow of some of the work, visit the exhibit's website.

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Pumpkin Products in Fall

By Allison of Fraske Designs

Being a New Englander, I simultaneously love fall and take it for granted. I sometimes forget how lucky we are to experience foliage, apple picking, harvest activities, and we are one of the biggest celebrators of Halloween (I hear).

One of my favorite things about fall is pumpkin inspired anything. It's become kind of cliche, but I am and will probably always be a pumpkin fan. Here are some of my favorite pumpkin inspired Etsy listings:

Perfect Pumpkin Soap Slice
Pumpkin Soap by Little Goat Soaps

Mini Felt Bunting Garland (aqua, pumpkin, gray, cream)
Felt Bunting Garland by Steph Loves Ben

Limited Edition long sleeve belted Cardigan in Pumpkin orange  -  organic cotton  custom handmade
Limited Edition Cardigan by Econica

All Natural - Hand Poured - ORGANIC PUMPKIN flavor Lip Balm
Pumpkin Lip Balm by Pure Apothecary

What is your favorite part of fall?

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