Easily Amused Studio

Lorna's Portrait

2012-01-16T16:16:00.000-06:00

Lorna

Watercolor on Paper

2012 Wanda M. Spangler-Warren

12" x 9"

This lovely lady posed for us last Wednesday at The Art Center during our portrait group. She was a wonderful model, and it was a joy to paint her sharp features and to work on "indicating" very curly hair and the textures of a great fur vest...albeit in a short, short time!

Joan's Portrait

2011-11-10T19:46:00.000-06:00

Joan

Watercolor on Paper

15" x 11"

Wanda M. Spangler-Warren

2011

New group attendee Joan was elbowed into the model chair after a recent no-show at The Art Center's Wednesday portrait group. She had no idea we'd be expecting her to sit for four twenty-minute sittings, and I think she may have been a bit tired by the end of the two hours. However, I was pleased with my portrait that morning. I was concentrating on softness of skin tone and line, and I was working to also soften edges. I hope Joan likes it, too.

A Portrait of young Bennington

2011-10-17T13:33:00.000-05:00

This absolutely charming nine-year-old posed last Wednesday at AABC in Butler for our portrait group. He was really fun to draw, and he chatted amiably with us as we worked. In fact, he told us that he made his spider tie-dye shirt!

Bennington

Watercolor on Paper

12" x 9"

2011 Wanda M. Spangler-Warren

Exploring Contemporary Realism

2011-10-12T23:54:00.000-05:00

Our watercolor class has been looking at some contemporary realists and have been inspired to try this style and technique. Maria and classmate Kim Ross spent the better part of an afternoon cutting and photographing various types of fruit and vegetables for to use as reference photos. I tried a kiwi, shown below. I also tried an iris from a photo reference, and I'm happier with how it turned out.

Iris

11" x 15"

Watercolor on Paper

Wanda M. Spangler-Warren

To get a look at one of the very best in this genre, look at
http://jacquelinegnott.blogspot.com/. Her watercolors especially are just amazing with their depth and glow. (Can you tell she is strongly influenced by O'Keefe?)

Watercolor Portraits Galore!

2011-09-15T13:53:00.000-05:00

Alice
Watercolor on Paper
12" x 9"
2011 Wanda M. Spangler-Warren

Sally
Watercolor on Paper
12" x 9"
2011 Wanda M. Spangler-Warren

Jamie
Watercolor on Paper
12" x 9"
2011 Wanda M. Spangler-Warren

It seems most of the work I'm completing lately is two dimensional, and in watercolor. The regular attendance at my Art Center group or Maria Kovalenko Leysen's class setting seems to be the best insurer that I'll get some creative work done. Perhaps it's unfortunate that I don't have peer pressure to urge me toward sculptural and domestic productivity. I don't like that it takes a deadline or a disgustingly dirty house to motivate me...I am old enough to know better! However, because I know how I am, it's good to be in the situations where others provide the kind and good-humored prodding toward creativity I seem to require. Thanks, peers and teachers!

Some August Portraits - quick studies

2011-09-01T09:29:00.000-05:00

Here are two more portraits from our Associated Artists of Butler County portrait group during August. I'm so glad that we didn't take a break from portraiture this summer. Everyone seems to have appreciated the continuation and we have had really good attendance. Thanks to Terry Hagen for coordinating summer sessions.

James
Watercolor
12" x 9"
2011 Wanda M. Spangler-Warren

Jesse
Watercolor
12" x 9"
2011 Wanda M. Spangler-Warren

Getting to the point, lest I "Skirt The Issue'

2011-08-25T21:31:00.000-05:00

I have an installation of luminescent sculpture currently at Gallery Sim, which I have named" Skirts The Issue". I used clothing pattern paper to create a series of five skirts that are displayed on an iron curtain rod and suspended from the gallery lighting tracks. Here are pictures:

Here I pose with "Skirts the Issue" (29" x 84" x 22")
suspended behind me at Gallery Sim on opening day. Behind me you can also make out Sim Cha making his signature Mimosas for opening day guests.

Gore Mini Skirt
12" x 22" x 22"
Paper, Reed, Wood
2011 Wanda M. Spangler-Warren

Jean Mini Skirt
10" x 10" x 12"
Paper, Reed, Wood
2011 Wanda M. Spangler-Warren

Pencil Jabot Skirt
14" x 14" x 10"
Paper, Reed, Wood
2011 Wanda M. Spangler-Warren

Peasant Skirt
24" x 24" x 20"
Paper, Reed,Wood
2011 Wanda M. Spangler-Warren

A-Line Skirt
18" x 15" x 14"
Paper, Reed, Wood
2011 Wanda M. Spangler-Warren

Victoriana, Part of the Gallery Sim "Uncommon Perceptions in Fiber Art" Show

2011-08-21T22:44:00.001-05:00

Victoriana
2011 Wanda M. Spangler-Warren
Paper, Reed, Wood, Found Objects, Fluorescent Lighting
50" x 24" x 12"

This piece began with the reuse of an old capiz shell oblong light fixture which I had purchased at Construction Junction in Pittsburgh. I also reused beads of various materials which I had collected over the years, and I incorporated silk from a lovely floral silk scarf purchased from a thrift store. This piece is stunning in the front window of Gallery Sim. The show will be up until September 10, 2011 and includes the artwork of Laura Tabakman, Shawn Quinlan, Hope Alcorn, and Jane Ogren.

Victoriana (Detail)
2011 Wanda M. Spangler-Warren
Paper, Reed, Wood, Found Objects, Fluorescent Lighting
50" x 24" x 12"

Victoriana, Detail
2011 Wanda M. Spangler-Warren
Paper, Reed, Wood, Found Objects, Fluorescent Lighting
50" x 24" x 12"

Something Completely Different! The Fat Robin!

2011-08-21T22:40:00.000-05:00

Here's my most recent knitting project. I saw this free pattern offered on Ravelry and was anxious to try it. I needed a smallish project that could be done with the odds and ends of yarn that I seem to have here. It's pretty cute, if I do say so myself. The robin is 5" tall and 3 1/2" wide across the front. The eggs are about 1 1/4 inches long, and the nest is about 2" tall and 7 inches across. My nest looks quite different from the designer's sample, but I had to use the yarn I had and I wanted my nest to be fluffier around the edge. Also my robin's beak may be a tad duck-like, now that I look at the pictures critically! Oops!

Fat Robin looks quite proud of herself!

You can tuck the eggs right up under the robin's tail feathers!

A view of the nest from the bottom. (Perplexing the robin considerably...)

The crux of the biscuit is the "Apostrophe"

2011-08-03T10:21:00.001-05:00

Apostrophe

2011 Wanda M. Spangler-Warren

33" x 21" x 7"

Paper, Reed, Wood, Silk, Cotton, Fluorescent Lighting

Apostrophe (Detail)

2011 Wanda M. Spangler-Warren

33" x 21" x 7"

Paper, Reed, Wood, Silk, Cotton, Fluorescent Lighting

Did you get that allusion to Frank Zappa? This Luminescent Sculpture is ready for the show "Uncommon Perceptions in Fiber Art" at Gallery Sim in a few days. (A few days!) Come see it! Come buy it!

Hard Times, 2011

2011-07-29T18:00:00.000-05:00

Hard Times 2011

Watercolor on Paper

12" x 9"

2011 Wanda M. Spangler-Warren

This is Tom, who I painted (in a short 1 1/2 hour session) on Wednesday at The Associated Artists of Butler County's Wednesday Portrait Group. When I was looking at this that afternoon, I just wanted to give poor Tom a hug! He really wasn't this worried on Wednesday. I just seem to end up with my portraits all having either worried or angry expressions. Perhaps I'm only projecting my inner turmoil. Most likely I just need lots more practice! This is watercolor on Kilimanjaro 140# Cold Press, 12" x 9".

"Swells" is ready for its Gallery Sim debut

2011-07-24T20:09:00.000-05:00

This piece is second in a series of large pieces with water as a major theme. The series is my first to incorporate silk as an important design element. This and other recent work will be exhibited at Gallery Sim, 1735 East Carson Street, Pittsburgh 15203 from August 13 through September 10. (2011)

http://www.gallerysim.com/events.htm

Swells

49" x 26" x 9"

Wanda M. Spangler-Warren

2011

Paper, Reed, Wood, Silk, Cotton, Fluorescent Lighting

Swells, Detail

49" x 26" x 9"

Wanda M. Spangler-Warren

2011

Paper, Reed, Wood, Silk, Cotton, Fluorescent Lighting

Promontory to be at Gallery Sim, August 2011

2011-07-19T14:45:00.002-05:00

Promontory

Wanda M. Spangler-Warren

2011

48" x 36" x 10"

Paper, Reed, Silk, Wood, Fluorescent Lighting

This luminescent sculpture will be part of the exhibition "Uncommon Perceptions in Fiber Art" at Gallery Sim, 1735 East Carson Street, Pittsburgh PA 15201 (South Side) August 13 - September 10, 2011.

http://www.gallerysim.com/events.htm

Promontory (detail)

Wanda M. Spangler-Warren

2011

48" x 36" x 10"

Paper, Reed, Silk, Wood, Fluorescent Lighting

I love using recycled silk in my sculptures, art quilts, and other mixed media pieces. The inspiration for this piece was the iconic lone tree on the bluff overlooking the ocean at Pebble Beach golf course in California. I preferred to render it as an Eastern deciduous tree, however! While I often use stitching, either simple joinery or more elaborate embroidery, this silk was applied with adhesive in order to meld smoothly with the paper face of the piece.

A Quick Study Portrait of Susan

2011-04-19T18:46:00.001-05:00

This was a quick watercolor study done on a Wednesday portrait session at The Art Center with live model, Susan. She had a jaunty pose and a great black beret, and I tried to capture her attitude and the beautiful tilt of her head.

Susan

Watercolor

15” x 11”

Wanda M. Spangler-Warren

2011

The portrait workshop in February

2011-04-07T09:13:00.003-05:00

Greg

Watercolor

15" x 11"

2011 Wanda M. Spangler-Warren

In February I attended a portrait workshop at The Art Center in Butler PA. We watched a free screening of a DVD by Judith Carducci. We then applied what we learned as we painted live models. This is Greg, and apart from the hairline, which needs softening, I think this is one of my better portraits thus far. Many thanks to Maria K. Leysens for coodinating and facilitating this great workshop!

The Frankenstein Art Bra

2011-02-19T17:17:00.001-06:00

The Frankenstein Art Bra
Wanda M. Spangler-Warren
2011
10" X 23" X 3"
Mixed Media

This art bra is made with a paper mache process. I painted it with acrylic and embellished it with stitching, wire, beading, and straps and buckles. The embellishment center front is a pair of elaborate "doors", reminiscent of a scene in the movie "Young Frankenstein". Gene Wilder (Dr. Frankenstein) and Terry Garr (Inga) approach the castle's immense doors.. Dr. F. says, "What Knockers!"
Inga says, "Why, Thank You, Doctor!"

The Reverse side of the Art Bra

Dr. Frederick Frankenstein: For the experiment to be a success, all of the body parts must be enlarged.

Inga: In other vords: his veins, his feet, his hands, his organs vould all have to be increased in size.

Dr. Frederick Frankenstein: Exactly.

Inga: He vould have an enormous schwanzstucker.
Dr. Frederick Frankenstein: That goes without saying.
Inga: Voof.

Igor: He's going to be very popular.

Later:

Elizabeth: [singing, while having sex with the monster] Oh, sweet mystery of life at last I've found you! At last, I know the secret of it all!

This art bra was commissioned and has been sold.

The German Shepherd and the Castle on the Lake

2011-02-18T16:03:00.000-06:00

The German Shepherd
Wanda Spangler-Warren
2011
Watercolor, 15" x 11"

Here are two recent watercolors I've done. The challenge with the shepherd painting was to simplify my composition, make the sky more interesting than the photo reference, and to show some color in the dark cloak of the figure.

Castle on the Lake
Wanda Spangler-Warren
2011
Watercolor, 15" x 11"

The castle was a night sky exercise we did in class. We concentrated on some frisket masking techniques. I was also trying to make my sky look realistic but interesting and to make my water reflections believable. I've said it before...I like watercolor painting, but I think it is really difficult!

"The Lovers"

2011-02-15T22:49:00.000-06:00

Happy Valentines Day to all! I thought it might be appropriate for the occasion to show you my take on the lovely Picasso painting "The Lovers".

This painting was done during his Neo-Classical period. It has been one of my very favorites for some time, and when Maria wanted our class to put ourselves "into" a famous painting, this one came to mind. The girl is draped with my striped serape, rather than Picasso's green wrap. This was very fun and satisfying to do. The exercise of paying very close attention to each line and color on the master's painting and trying to emulate it has been valuable, too. Somehow, I feel "closer" to Pablo now!

Self Portrait - Watercolor, collage, and other media

2011-02-03T19:54:00.000-06:00

Self Portrait, 2011
Watercolor, mixed media
15" x 11"
Wanda M. Spangler-Warren

Maria had our watercolor class try a technique used by contemporary artist/blogger Myrna Waknov. We applied random watercolor washes and textured the wash with various materials, such as rubber stamps, bubble wrap, plastic objects, etc. We added a layer of tissue paper applied with an acrylic medium. We then used a reference photograph to create contour drawings, paying attention to the areas of dark, medium, and light tones and delineating them with tonal shapes. This drawing was overlaid onto the collaged background and rendered in watercolor. Some stamped images completed the background and the portrait. This was fun, and I tried this technique on some jazz music themed paintings which I'll blog about soon.

Watercolor Class - A Portrait of Gus

2011-01-28T13:53:00.000-06:00

During December Maria had our Watercolor class do a project after watching a professional watercolor artist describe her technique on a video. This is my portrait of Gus, who was photographed using a pose and lighting similar to the model the professional painted.

"Gus"
watercolor
15" x 11"
2010

Reference photo of Gus

Knitting...another project

2011-01-27T18:49:00.000-06:00

Work in progress, a "prayer shawl"

Here's a project I'm doing for one of the ministries of our church. Knitters and crocheters in the congregation make these shawls or wraps to donate to the church. At church, they are blessed, stored, and are available for any member to have to give to someone who needs to be reminded of the love of God and others, and/or needs to be comforted during a time of physical or emotional need. This one's about two thirds' complete. I had several shades of orange and coral yarn, so I decided to make a striped one. I guess I was thinking of college colors, too, since I attended UT Knoxville (Go Vols!) and my daughter attends Syracuse University (Go Orange!).

January Knitting and Crochet!

2011-01-24T10:44:00.000-06:00

This month I have concentrated on a few projects. It was especially nice to have my large knit blanket on my lap to warm me as I worked on finishing it! We have had an unusually cold and snowy winter here in Southwestern Pennsylvania. Here are my recent creations:

The cosy knit blanket. It's big! 72" x 55"
That's Penny, our dog, who's always just a few inches away from my feet.

A detail of the blanket. I thought I might use this photo as a collage background sometime using an image transfer technique.

Another view of the blanket. Can you tell I was using up my stash?

Some hats I made for Howard International Ministries in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. There is always a need for warm hats, scarves, gloves, socks, and coats in the winter time. I like making these because they are quick (once I finally figured out how to do them)!

Some more hats I made to send to my daughter, who is studying in France this semester!

Portrait Sessions Resume After a Holiday Hiatus

2011-01-20T20:08:00.000-06:00

On Wednesday we had our first 2011 session at The Art Center in Butler. This portrait of Pete was done in colored pencil on burgudy Canson Mi Tientes paper, and it is 15" x 11". It's good to be back!

Drawing 101...Can you see any improvement?

2010-11-11T11:40:00.000-06:00

Our Wednesday portrait group at the Art Center in Butler, Pennsylvania has been very helpful to me. Not only is it a wonderful group of ten or twelve upbeat people in a great place with good coffee and sweets, but the two-hour sessions have helped me see and draw more confidently .We have our wonderful volunteer models pose for about four twenty-minute sessions.

Here is my drawing of Janice

Here's a typical model setup in a corner of our classroom. This is Janice.

Janice is dressed in one of the many period costumes she has made as a civil war era re-enactor.

This is my third year of attending this class, and I've had such good mentorship and critique along my way from the seasoned artists in the group. It's embarrassing, but I'll show you some of my early work and let you see the progressive improvement. I console myself when I remember the early drawings and paintings of Van Gogh. He had to learn just like I'm learning, and just like any artist will have to learn.

Don

Thomas

I call this Scary Mary Lynne

Jacqui

Sarah

Harper

Sam

Marilyn

Pat

Successful show at Art Works in Johnstown

2010-10-20T22:29:00.000-05:00

The show featured 24 of my artworks and was a very striking display of them. The brand new interiors at Art Works in Johnstown are sharp, and the gallery space is large and inviting.

Here's an exterior view on opening night of "The Illumination of Art Works in Johnstown"

Here I am posing with four of my pieces. (Dove, Elongation, Airborne, and Silk Cycle).

On opening night, the Johnstown Concert Ballet performed three dances. Four of my sculptures were featured as set pieces. This was so lovely. I felt honored to be part of this beautiful ballet.

My Husband poses with the "Dove" looking somewhat angelic.

"Meditation" glowed beautifully on the front wall. This sculpture was originally not backlit, but I added fluorescent lighting for the Johnstown exhibit.

ART WORKS in Johnstown Grand Opening features my art!

2010-08-22T13:13:00.000-05:00

I am a featured artist for the upcoming grand opening of ART WORKS in Johnstown.

The exhibit, titled "The Illumination of ART WORKS" opens August 26, 2010 at 7:00 p.m. at 413 Third Avenue, Johnstown, PA 15906, phone 814-535-2020. The exhibit will house 23 of my luminescent sculptures and works of ten other regional and nationally known artists, and it runs until September 30, 2010. Admission is free.Web information is at www.artworksinjohnstown.org.
Wanda's web site is http://www.easilyamusedstudio.com/

Interplay Exhibit at Pittsburgh Center for the Arts

2010-07-01T20:05:00.000-05:00

Interplay is an Associated Artists of Pittsburgh Centennial exhibition juried by Eric Shiner, Milton Fine Curator of Art, Andy Warhol Museum. It is the first collaborative exhibition of the AAP, Pittsburgh Filmmakers, Pittsburgh Center For the Arts, and its eight affiliated guilds. The show opened Friday June 25 and runs until August 22, 2010 at the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts at Fifth and Shady Avenues in Pittsburgh PA. My piece "Vibrissae" is in this show! It has been hung and shown in the exhibit catalog with this horizontal orientation.

Also, I currently have "Record Rack Replay" on exhibit through July 31 at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh. It's called "The Associated Artists of Pittsburgh at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh". Catchy! The Art Institute is located at 420 Boulevard of the Allies, Pittsburgh PA.

Drawing of "Harper"

2010-07-01T19:37:00.000-05:00

Portrait Group resumed last week, and our model was a young lady named Harper. She was just adorable, but I had difficulty. She is a lovely, cherubic eight-year-old, and my drawing looks so much more mature than that. I continue to struggle, but I'm determined to get better at this! (Portraiture in general, drawing specifically!)

Shells

2010-06-05T22:00:00.000-05:00

I had intended to post this back in the winter when we were thigh deep in snow! This watercolor was done in class, taught by Maria Kovalenko Leysens. We used various shells in a random arrangement for our subjects. We outlined the shapes, masked them with liquid frisket, applied a wash and used salt on the wet washes to crerate the random white spots. When dry we next spattered with a couple of darker colors using the toothbrush technique. (Then we all went to wash our faces and eyeglasses and dab the paint off our clothes....ha!) When this was dry we removed the frisket and painted the shells and all their details. Shadows were the last steps, and the paintings were done! This was a lot of fun, and I liked how mine turned out. My friend Annette's was beautiful, and she posted hers also. Here's a link Annette's shell painting

Wine and Glasses

2010-06-04T20:28:00.000-05:00

This watercolor was my first attempt to paint glass. It was challenging, but fun to try to express transparency. I had never really studied the many types and positions of reflection in glass and liquid, so this painting was a useful exercise and a great end to the art class's 2009/2010 session. Maria talked me through this and helped me plan my painting. I'm very happy with it! So, Thanks, Maria!

Vibrissae

2010-05-25T18:32:00.000-05:00

Vibrissae is not a word that trips easily off the tongue, nor is it a word I even knew until I was naming this piece of artwork. It is synonymous with "tentacles, or sensory hairs", which were ideas behind this piece. It is about 40" high and is back lit with fluorescent light. I've incorporated silk and cotton fibers, in the appliques and in the accent stitching. The piece uses my traditional reed and paper technique. This piece is one I also submitted for the Associated Artists of Pittsburgh 100th Annual Exhibit at the Carnegie Museum of Art. (My fingers remain crossed...although the competition will be fierce and plentiful. There appeared to be at least 700 pieces of artwork submitted for the jurists' consideration!)

Silk Cycle

2010-05-25T18:24:00.000-05:00

I just completed this piece for submission to the Associated Artists of Pittsburgh 100th Annual Exhibit to be held at Carnegie Museum of Art. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. This piece is about 38" x 38" x 10". This is something I wrote to describe the piece:

This piece grew from my love of natural fibers, particularly silk. In this country, lovely fabrics and painstakingly sewn garments of this beautiful silk seem to find their way to thrift and secondhand stores. I purchase them and hope to honor them, their designers, their makers, and the sericulturists who raise silkworms and spin the fibers from silkworm cocoons.

“Silk Cycle” features front button panels from several silk blouses. Their vertical alignment mimics the orderliness of the Asian and Indian factories which often, sadly, operate under sweatshop conditions. Oval white silkworm cocoons are harvested by boiling and killing the silkworms before spinning filaments from as many as seven cocoons into thread. While a “no-kill” method of silk harvesting has been developed, the new process is much more costly than the traditional method. Silk mills feature rack upon rack of rotating swifts, gathering the thread for further processing and weaving. The grid pattern of my piece emulates this rack structure. The reed reminds of the round flat woven baskets used in the raising and feeding of the worms.

The wonderful graphics and the sturdy practicality of vintage sewing patterns give “flesh” to the structure, honoring designers, garment workers, home sewers. The reed armature, a “ribcage” wears the clothing, but it also forms the belly of the consumerist beast. It bulges, highlighting the greed which can perpetuate unfair labor practices and unfair trade.

Liturgical Fiber Art

2010-04-16T08:45:00.000-05:00

"Rejoice", 60" x 27"

My preferred Lenten observance is not to deny something for that period of time, but to create and give something. This year I made an Easter banner for my church. The chancel looked beautiful with spring flowers galore, my new banner, and a banner I had made two years ago!

"Rejoice", detail

Luminescent Sculpture "Geometry"

2010-04-14T21:13:00.000-05:00

I recently completed a sculpture I've called Geometry. I wanted to overlap several geometric shapes and use varying patterns in each to enliven the piece. It is currently displayed at PPG Place 2, along the PPG Place Plaza, right at plaza level. This piece, and five of my other artworks are displayed in a group exhibit of artists from the Fiberarts Guild of Pittsburgh, currently celebrating 50 years' existence and hosting our triennial Fiberart International 2010.

"Geometry"

Paper, reed, wood

32” x 27” x 8"

Here's a detail of the triangular element in this piece.

Watercolor 101

2010-04-14T20:46:00.000-05:00

One would think that the dearth of postings here on my blog would mean I've not been creative for awhile. However, I really have been working on several projects and will play catch up here for the next several posts.

First of all, I have to share my latest three watercolors done under instruction of Maria Kovalenko Leysens at Classroom 101, An Art Studio in Mars, PA. The "Cosmos" painting includes some pastel work atop the watercolors. The "Eggs in the Grass" painting was done from a still life Maria set up in the classroom. The "Teacup and Saucer" painting was also from a still life featuring some china in Maria's collection. All are 9" x 12".

Reworking "Cut 2" today

2010-02-25T13:12:00.000-06:00

Today I flayed "Cut 2 - Hep Cat Couture" in order to rework it and make it mo' bettah. Poor Kitty!

Now, as I'm looking at it, I'm wondering if I should finish the inside of the opposite side, the "couture" side, and leave the upper feline face structure showing. The result would look sort of like cat-face straps on the back of a lovely gown with a low, v-shaped back.

Hmmmm? This would, however, have the unfortunate effect of showing the support structure of dowels, knobs, and a wooden scrub brush handle. (These blank pieces were in a miscellaneous bag of wood shapes I acquired.)

Weaving!

2010-02-24T13:42:00.000-06:00

Hello, my name is Wanda, and I have a Thrift Store Habit. Yes, it's chronic, but I don't think abstinence is the answer. I just have to exercise prudence in my frequency and acquisitions. (And Prudence just hates to exercise!) Har-dee-har-har...

Anyhow, I picked up a cool record rack from probably the sixties or seventies era. It's made of wood and has forty slots. The slots are numbered on a thin brass plate that runs along one edge of the rack. When I saw it, I immediately thought it reminded me of a loom.

I wound it with weft yarns and began weaving various yarns and plastic beads onto it. It was really cool looking when I finished, but it needed a little more identity. Some old vinyl 33 1/3 rpm came in handy as "wheels", complete with crocheted "tires" around the edges. I named it "Record Rack Replay" and entered it at the Associated Artists of Butler County "Cold Winter, Hot Jazz" exhibit. It won first place in the sculpture category, too! I enjoyed seeing the reactions people had to it as they began to realize what it was made of and how it was put together. What do you think?

Knitting!

2010-02-23T19:39:00.000-06:00

At the Fiberarts Guild of Pittsburgh's wearable art fashion show I was inspired by Holly's great striped poncho. She explained how she did it, and, of course, I promptly forgot her dimensions. Anyhow, I knew I had a stash of several yarns and could execute something similar.

The meeting was January 21, and I finished this serape yesterday, February 22. My hands have been busy during my evening television viewing, expecially the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver! My son took this photo for me. It doesn't show the bottom, which comes to my knees. The whole thing is done in garter stitch on size 10 1/2 needles, and I used circular needles. (Which I picked up at the recent Pittsburgh Knit and Crochet Festival in Cranberry Township, PA). I finished uneven edges with a crocheted band, and I added a crocheted band to camouflage the seams on the front and back yoke. It is reversable, very warm and cozy, and I think I now need to use a similar method to make a throw for our living room!

2009-12-03T09:24:00.000-06:00

It's time to blog again...I've been away too long! I'll mention a bit about the art shows and activities of the last several months in order to bring you up to date. The Associated Artists of Pittsburgh had a juried show in June at Fein Art Gallery on Pittsburgh's North Side. The show was called "Think About It", and my piece "Cut 2" was included. It represented a departure from my traditional style, and I used clothing pattern tissue for the outer layer and presented this piece on a pedestal. It measures 62" x 26" x 24" and was quite the conversation piece at the opening! I was delighted that, as drivers on East Ohio Street passed by the studio, my piece was easily visible from the front door and window!

2009-07-12T19:35:00.000-05:00

Dove

The Associated Artists of Butler County’s February Age of Aquarius Show was the debut of my luminescent sculpture “Dove”, and it won “Best of Show”. I was thrilled and honored.

The sculpture was also used to promote the Butler County Paper Pantry, an ingathering of paper goods and monetary donations for paper goods to stock local food pantries. Paper goods are not covered by public assistance programs, so this filled a real need for families during the late winter. The AABC Art Center was a gathering point for donations.

“Dove” sports a layer of white paper toweling in honor of the paper drive.

“Dove”, 48” x 36” x 12”, paper, reed, wood, glue
Photo by Paul Scanlon

Pictures from Making Connections

2008-12-03T11:45:00.000-06:00

I'm excited to share pictures I took from the Making Connections show of the Fiberarts Guild of Pittsburgh, now through January 25 2009 at the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts. My piece is called "Mounting Opposition", and it is a luminescent sculpture with paper, wood, reed, and twine.

MAKING CONNECTIONS - Pittsburgh Center for the Arts - November 14, 2008-January 25, 2009 | Fiberarts Guild of PIttsburgh

2008-11-18T17:10:00.000-06:00

MAKING CONNECTIONS - Pittsburgh Center for the Arts - November 14, 2008-January 25, 2009 Fiberarts Guild of PIttsburgh

My sculptural piece "Mounting Optimism" was selected for the Making Connections show of the Fiberarts Guild of Pittsburgh show. The show is currently at the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, Fifth and Shady Avenues, Pittsburgh until January 26, 2009. The show is stunning. Please come take look, or check out the slideshow on the link provided.

Autumn exhibits galore!

2008-10-25T16:37:00.000-05:00

This has been a whirlwind of exhibit preparation and installation for the last couple of months. I had a solo show at Sherwood Oaks, a retirement community in Cranberry Township, PA in September. Their Oak Lodge there has a very nice gallery space, and I had a successful event, selling five artworks there.

Then, from that show I went directly to another solo show in Butler PA, at Kairos Coffee and Tea. There are 29 pieces installed there, six luminescent sculptures and 23 mixed media paintings. The shop sells the most luscious, frothy, delicious coffee specialties, I've had the mocha latte and the mocha mint latte...just superb! They feature coffee from a different part of the world weekly, and there are usually two or three choices brewing at any one time. Their teas are also wonderful, I'm told. When the weather gets really cold nothing beats a spicy hot chai tea, and I'm going to order that the next time I'm at Kairos. There are two seating areas in two individual rooms which are set up as gallery spaces, and there is space for paintings in the work/service area and in the corridor. It's a wonderful location, and Keith is very helpful and interested in the visual arts.

I'm checking out some leads for other galleries and working on a submission for the Fiberarts Guild of Pittsburgh's show "Making Connections". I'm enjoying my work on art quilts. Here's one I made and sold recently entitled "Night Garden".

Check out gigapan.org

2008-05-02T08:10:00.000-05:00

Gigapan is a robotic hardware, specially designed website, and proprietary software phenomenon that is currently in beta testing. It is a joint project of the robotics department at Carnegie Mellon University, NASA/Ames Labs, Google, Charmed Labs, and DeepLocal, and I had the pleasure to work with the equipment and to assist in teaching it at Computing Workshop this spring. The panoramas created are simply amazing. You can zoom waaaaaaayyyyyy into the pictures. On a Guatemalan market shot you can zoom in to see the items the shoppers are touching and details of the goods for sale. I recently made a pano of my April 2008 art show. In the gigapan site, search tags

luminescent sculptures

to see it, and let me know what you think! The show was held at The Art Center in Butler Pennsylvania. Also, if you search on

you will see all the interesting work done by the students and staff at Computing Workshop.

Wandamarie's excited about Guilds and Associations

2008-04-17T09:15:00.000-05:00

I'm so pleased that I've been screened into two local prestigious guilds,
Craftsmens' Guild of Pittsburgh and Associated Artists of Pittsburgh, both based at the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts. I'm also a new member of Fiberarts Guild of Pittsburgh, Inc., and enjoyed a lecture on Friday by Winnie Radolan about handmade paper and handmade paper art forms. Wonderful! I can't wait to get my arms into a vat of lovely paper pulp!

I hope to be able to contribute to the regional art scene and to be of service to these organizations. Associated Artists of Pittsburgh has a show this fall, and so does Fiberarts Guild, so I've been stewing some ideas. Also our Etsy Street Team, EtsyPittsburgh, is inaugurating our first CITYCRAFT MARKET on April 26 from noon to 5 p.m. at Creative Treehouse in Bellevue, PA. Look for me there with luminescent sculptures, ACEO's (Art Card Editions and Originals), original collages and original mixed media pieces.

2008-03-23T20:58:00.000-05:00

My show opens April 4 in Butler PA at The Art Center, http://theartcenterbutlerpa.org and all are invited! Here are a few sample pictures of my work. More pictures are shown in my Etsy site http://wandamarie.etsy.com. Thanks!

Premiere Post

2008-03-07T13:40:00.000-06:00

March plogs along, and I blog on, again. This is a second attempt to create and maintain a blog, and I'm determined to do better this time. That said, I'll make this post brief because I'm procrastinating something very important that I must do. I need to be in my studio, getting some work done for my show, which opens April 4. It will be called "Light Forms - Airy Constructions of Paper and Wood" and it will be in the member's gallery at Associated Artists of Butler County, The Art Center, Main Street, Butler PA. The walls will be mighty bare if I don't complete about ten more pieces! I have a few great ideas in my sketchbook and in my brain...so I'll rush off now to give them birth!