Glue Gun Stencils!

Glue gun stencils have become my favorite thing to make, taking only minutes and giving a whizzy (new word?), quirky look.  This idea is thanks to Traci Bautista and her newest book, "Printmaking Unleashed" published in 2014 by North Light Books.  I must admit that I love her work and her books (previous fav is "Collage Unleashed").  Just as long as you make sure that all the lines are connected to another, they stay together and easily come off of parchment paper (Teflon sheet can be used also).  The biggest one, the stripes, is 18" long and 12" tall so even big ones work.  I didn't bother to flatten out most of them because the glue had already become firm (the glue is flat on the bottom but rounded on top), but if this is a problem, I'm sure I can wave a heat gun over the top to soften the glue and put a plexiglass sheet on top and press it down.  Now to the actually using them as stencils!

Barefoot Sisters and Kimono Obi Dolls

Barefoot Sister with
Turquoise Fish

Barefoot Sister
with Silver Gold Fish

Barefoot Sister with
Two Fish

Along with the Standing Angels for the upcoming holiday shows, I made a group of Barefoot Sisters holding a variety of items in their hands.  The ones with the fish harken back to a commissioned piece I did for an English prof out in Utah who prints and paints fabric and then uses it in her quilts in her spare time.

Grove Gallery in East Lansing, LowellArts! in downtown Lowell, and the Woodland Weavers & Spinners' Textile Artists Market will have these pieces.  Check my website at www.JenniferGouldDesigns.com for specifics.  Hope your holiday gift making with fabric is fun!

Kimono Obi Barefoot
Sister with Pink
Camellia 

Kimono Obi Barefoot
Sister in Black,
White and Red

A Chorus of Angels

9" tall angel with leaves.

Small, 6" T angel.

Small, 6" tall angels.

Tall 9" T angel.

Having to work on holiday pieces for shows before it's even Halloween is difficult for me, so I decided to do small dolls.  Long ago I created what I called "Standing Angels" and I went back to those for these shows.  I've had a lot of fun mixing and putting together all kinds of  fun fabrics with big 3-D stars, hearts, and other 3-D pillow forms (leaves, baubles).

My friend, Lin Dahl, out in California asked me to make the little 6" tall angels for her so she could put them on her Christmas tree.  What a great idea it was so I've continued to do a variety of heights, just like all the various sizes of people in the world.

I usually do mostly gold with angels but I often remember that there are those who love silver.  Long ago I did commissioned Santa dolls for a woman in Salem, Massachusetts, who collected Santas.  These she wanted in royal blue and silver.  I was amazed at how lovely the combination is (those two Santas were wonderful! but unfortunately I took no photos of them...).

When I finally took pictures, I lined them all up on a bookcase, and they really look like a huge chorus singing.  So, when you get to December, enjoy the holidays!

The early angels.

Crimp Weave workshop with Dianne Totten

I took a 2-day crimp weave workshop with Dianne Totten sponsored by the Woodland Weavers and Spinners Guild in Grand Rapids, Michigan.  Above and below are images of a jacket Dianne wore one day and one of her samples.  Once I get my pieces woven, threads pulled, steamed, and photographed, I'll put those on the blog, too--- as well as an explanation of the process.

Mystery Workshop with Susie Krage

I took a mystery workshop from Susie Krage in Detroit on Sept. 10, the last SDA workshop that she's going to offer, although she'll continue teaching workshops at her studio.  It was a one-day screen printing class using textile paints screened on to fabric with paper resists (mine were in leaf shapes); fugitive media such as pastels, water soluble crayons, and watercolor pencils drawn on afterwards; then a base extender painted on to make the fugitives permanent and waterproof.  (ProChem ProFab textile paints and base extender were used.) A fun class!  Susie is a good teacher with a lot of experience using screen printing techniques.  Also, her studio in Indian Village section of downtown Detroit is large and has everything needed by students.

WILD GLAMOUR: Annual Show at YT Galleria

Glamour Girl in Black Tube Hat

My annual show opens at YT Galleria on Thurs., Oct. 2, with a reception from 4-8pm.  There's usually wonderful food and the galleria also has wonderful clothing, new abstract paintings by Carol Johnson I'm entranced with.  I decided on Wild Glamour as a title because I wanted to do more Glamour Girls that were beyond the styles I had tried, especially more with grass hair.  I still have more to experiment with, but there are also more Pisces Women, and the unusual Green Woman and Woman Enveloped in Ferns that were produced in the midst of the coldest months of last winter.  YT Galleria is in the East Hills section of Grand Rapids at 966 Cherry St., GR 49506; 616-451-8817; with lots of restaurants.  Hope to see you there for the reception!

Pisces Woman 22 with
Purple Spotted Fish

Monoprinted Embroidery in MI Arts show at the Holland Area Arts Council

"From Within"
Monoprinted, flour paste resist and painted, beaded, embroidered;
12" x 12", 2013

Hope you get time to visit the MI Arts All Media Competition at the Holland Area Arts Council, 150 E. 8th Street, Holland, MI 49423 before Nov. 30.  It's a great show in which two of us in the fiber arts got in pieces:  a thread painting by fellow guild member, Priscilla Lynch, and a monoprinted embroidery of mine--- very proud to have gotten in a piece and an embroidery at that!