teasing apart thread nests

Yup, that's the title of this post. I'm sure any long time reader of this blog must have suspected that I collect thread snips from various projects. I pile them up into little cubbies until I figure out a way to use them. I try to keep them in color families, but sometimes I fail and then I don't stress about it.

Recently I thought they (the thread snips) would make a great texture representing a brick wall and heat rising. So I used them in this piece - Iron Spine: Hot in the City.

fire escape detail

another fire escape, more to follow, but please note the threads in the back ground

Iron Spine:Hot in the City ©Natalya Aikens 2017

As you might suspect, I have a few more thread nests to unravel. Here's some that I am using for the sky in a piece about water towers. Still working on this one.

teasing out the thread nest over repurposed plastic

sketching out the water towers

building up the rungs

Stay tuned! Hopefully this piece will be finished before the end of the month..

gathering inspiration

Getting ready to dive into art making full force here. I don't mean that I have stopped... I just mean that I want to start on a new batch of work that I want to have ready by a certain time, so that I'll be all set for any of the shows that I'll be participating in. I'm gathering my tools, materials and inspiration around me.

I gather inspiration by going on a photo safari of NYC or digging into my photo archives. These are few of the photos that are inspiring the upcoming works.

I think I can pretty much guarantee that there will be water towers represented. There will also be fire escapes, bridges, street signs and maybe even buildings, and perhaps scaffolding!

framing things

I have been focused on the business side of art lately. (With a bit of teaching prep thrown in!) And that meant frames this time!

I have listened to advice of experts and spent the time (and money) and framed quite a few of my pieces. Let's just say it's been a learning curve.... I have been adhering my embroideries to stretched canvas for a long time now, and then painting the edges, and I really love that look. So I was afraid that it would get spoiled in a frame. But it's just a matter of the right frame though... I went for simple and black, some shadow boxes, no glass, except for three little pieces that benefitted from mats also.

So here are some examples:

my dining room table production line...

you can see the three glassed and matted pieces here

I even framed two larger pieces. This is a corner of Iron Spine 4

Manhattan Bridge got framed

so did the Whitestone bridge

I really liked putting my abstracts on a white background and a shadow box.

Tappan Zee bridge got framed, I'm waiting patiently to do the new TZ soon!

Iron Spine 1 also got framed.

I am resisting putting these pieces up on my website as I have a few events coming up where they will up for sale. So if you're interested in these just shoot me an email! natalya@artbynatalya.com

fire escapes, bridges and water towers

I thought it's about time that I shared full images of all the new pieces I have created in the past few months. Now that I have premiered them at the Armonk Outdoor Art Show, it is time to see them on the blog. So without further a do here they are: 

Iron Spine 1xs (6"x6") © Natalya Aikens 2016

Iron Spine 2xs (6"x6") © Natalya Aikens 2016

Iron Spine 3xs (6"x6") © Natalya Aikens 2016

Iron Spine 4xs (6"x6") © Natalya Aikens 2016

Iron Spine 5xs (6"x6") © Natalya Aikens 2016

Water Tower 1xs (6"x6") © Natalya Aikens 2016

Water Tower 2xs (6"x6") © Natalya Aikens 2016

Water Tower 3xs (6"x6") © Natalya Aikens 2016

Water Tower 4xs (6"x6") © Natalya Aikens 2016

Water Tower 5xs (6"x6") © Natalya Aikens 2016

MNHB span (12"x12") © Natalya Aikens 2016

TRIboro span (12"x12") © Natalya Aikens 2016

TZB span (8"x8") © Natalya Aikens 2016

WHTstone span (8"x8") © Natalya Aikens 2016

GWB span (8"x8") © Natalya Aikens 2016

Soon I will have these up on my website with juicy detail images. Stay tuned! And thanks for stopping by!

afterglow

The show that I have been preparing for all summer has come and gone.. Funny how that is, isn't it? You think, you plan, you work, rework, work more and more, reconfigure, pack, repack, set up, lose sleep, work the show... and then poof! and it's over. But as exhausting as it was, today I am basking in the afterglow of it all.

I am very happy with the new work that I created specifically for this show. Happy with the older work that I was able to display. Happy with my display too, thanks to the friends from whom I borrowed equipment and the friends that helped me decide on the set up and then helped me take it all down. Thanks to all the friends to who came to visit me at the show and supported me with their kind words.

It was a wonderful weekend in every possible way, from the weather to crowds to the booth neighbors. And to all the lovely people to who complimented and bought my work!

Here are a few pictures of how my booth looked. This was the first way I set everything up. A few hours later on Saturday I reconfigured things, but was too distracted to take new pictures. I have never before talked about my art as much as I did in these two days. People needed explanations of not only my techniques, but also of my materials and my reasons why I do what I do! So it was a great experience for figuring out the best way of explaining it all, over and over. Talk about refining my elevator pitch!

And then on Sunday... I was in for a HUGE surprise! I got an award for Best New Artist! It was a total shocker for me as you can see in the photos below. The award is brand new and is given out in the name of Sylvia Rogers, who was a long time supporter and co-chair of the Armonk Outdoor Art Show. Her whole family was there to present the award, it turned out to be quite a big event.

that's the look of shock on my face..

posing with the whole Rogers family, that's Sylvia's husband in the green sweater

co chairs of the exhibit, Marian Hamilton and Susan Geffen

I am honored and humbled to be the first time recipient of the Sylvia Rogers Best New Artist Award. Thank you Rogers family and the Armonk Outdoor Art Show!!
PS Thanks to Sam Morrell for the pictures. And the video below (hope it works, fingers crossed!)