giraffe in the hood…

Here she is, my little giraffe dressed as red riding hood. The hood can be unbuttoned and removed. I really find it amusing that she cannot actually wear a hood because her neck is so long. So funny…

making…

This is almost done. Still have the belly, the feet and the spots to add. Then i need to make the hood. I like her shape. I should have already finished this but been feeling lackadaisical which is how i seem to roll in winter. I plan to finish her this week so i can move on to making a bird i sketched last week. I’ll post the sketch next time.

slow steady love…

A little friend to help you deliver your sweet nothings. He’s a poseable plush figure, needle felted of course. His shell is removable, just unbutton it and hide your note under it. He may be a little slow delivering it but he’s very reliable and totally adorable.

idol worship…

Months ago I was approached by my friend Peter to be in a show he was putting together called The Astromonger’s Monster Challenge. Here’s the idea behind the show:
What arises when an artist is forced to follow instructions? How does an artist translate verbal description into visual images? This show challenges artists to create works based solely on brief descriptions of historical monsters, creatures, cryptids, and yokai. Each artist works from the imagination and in any medium s/he chooses to render the assigned monster. The artist agree not to engage in external research; they are barred from viewing existent renditions of these creatures whether online or in print. They work in a visual vacuum. The result is an archive of contemporary representations of the many bizarre and wonderful monsters of the world.

This was my creature description:
Airavat ( India )- They were known as the multi-headed white elephants that were usually the steeds of the Vedic gods. The white elephants not only had muti-heads but numerous extra limbs, trunks, tusks , etc depending on the artistic renditions. They were known as immensely powerful creatures ( near unstoppable to their destinations) and were always a symbol of royalty. there image has spread to other cultures as well including Thailand.

And this was the result:

There are 4 heads, each with a different expression. there are 8 limbs in total and it stands on a sort of point giving it an almost weightless look. I wanted to portray this creature as an idol, an object you would put on an altar. Airavat is a needle felted sculpture that took approximately 2 days to complete. It was sold at the show. May it bring luck and swift and unwaivering journeys to it’s new owner. Perhaps someday I can adapt this sculpture into a ceramic piece. I think that would look lovely.

christmas cousins…

I made these during the holidays. Country Rabbit was a present for my best friend and I haven’t decided what to do with City Rabbit yet. It’s difficult to part with him.

devil of a time…

This friday, the Showroom NYC and Osaka Popstar is hosting a show, Devil Dog Art Show.

This is my entry to the show. Inspired by Dumbo’s Pink Elephants on parade. This devilish elephant is actually a devil dog in disguise. He wears a suit made of needle felted wool.

art + action = Obama 08 piece

I dropped off my piece for the Obama show this morning. I hadn’t even thought of giving it a title. I couldn’t think of anything! I’m terrible at coming up with titles for my pieces. If i can i tend to just leave it as “untitled”. But I was so fortunate today that my good friend Shane was next to me when the naming crisis came up! It didn’t take him long to think of one either. So here it is, the Yes We Canon… Or is it Yes You Canon?

The piece is made of needle felted wool and has a magnet that mounts it on a steel base, with the Obama figure like a canon ball/daredevil signifying his quick shot to the top.

The Obama show opened this evening at the Showroom NYC and has been extended for another week. My piece is for sale. 90% of the sales go towards the Obama campaign fund.

my personal imp

I am a fairly organized person. I rarely misplace my keys or my wallet. If it’s something that I use everyday, then I usually know where I had it last.

But once in a while, things just disappear. Once my watch went missing for half a year! I looked everywhere but couldn’d find it. Then one day a friend that was watching our dog, found it under the bed. I’m sure I looked under there.

In cases like that my mom would blame an IMP. A mischievous though not a malevolent creature that liked to play tricks on us, like hiding things. Exhausting you by hiding something you want or need. Then just as you give up looking for it, it returns the item by placing it somewhere you’ve already looked!

I used to imagine what this creature would look like and began to piece together a kind of lore for it. I call them personal imps or P.Imps for short. We all have one and they are very varied in appearance and personality.

About two weeks ago, justin and I were experimenting with armature, stuffing and needle felting. We came up with a kind of poseable stuffed animal.

This is my first attempt at fleshing out an imp. Meet Greema, personal imp 2nd class. He comes with a small satchel that he uses to store those items he’s hidden from you. The class and bag type determines what kind of things they take. His body is fully poseable and he is made with a combination of fleece, wool, felt and poly stuffing.

I plan on making others but would welcome feedback.