Tag: Mixed Media Art

Posted on

Mushroom Spore Prints…more fun with natures gifts.

I spend a lot of time in the woods, any woods, I love the energy, the smells, the sounds and the connections with trees. Fungi fascinates me and the more I learn about them, the more I am intrigued. I have learnt about a few that are edible and delicious, more that I don’t like much and a few my tummy doesn’t like. I have also made a pain relieving tincture from the Fly Agaric (Amanita Muscaria) Mushroom. I have a healthy respect for these exquisitely beautiful fungi and photograph them every year. This year I found so many huge honey fungus , sulphur tufts and cortinarius I decided to have a go at making spore prints. A super simple process. Continue reading Mushroom Spore Prints…more fun with natures gifts.

Posted on

Autumn is upon us

We are a bit mushroom mad in our house too, the ones that grow in the woods now, not any other kind! we love hunting for them, identifying them and cooking up the edible ones. With Autumn now upon us, the woods are our favourite place to wander. Last weekend we went to Killarney National Park to hunt for them for reference. You aren’t allowed to pick anything there, only take photos. With all that inspiration I decided to have a go at creating some with wool. A mix of wet felted and needle felted mushroom have started emerging from my studio and I have to say I am rather pleased with them. It also gave me an excuse to random dye a whole pile of Wensleydale curly locks that I got from a local farmer and to card some of Leiko Felts gorgeous dyed merino wool from my stash into mushroom blends. Continue reading Autumn is upon us

Posted on

Dyeing silks and things in the microwave

I had some fun experimenting this last week dyeing various items in the microwave. I use Dupont silk dyes for all my dyeing projects and these are steamed fixed in a pressure cooker which can take up to an hour plus the use of water to rinse. Some time back I learnt that you could fix dyes in the microwave… but I was reluctant to try not being a fan of microwaves anyway.
However… having seen another textile artist posting gorgeous pieces on Facebook and learning that she had fixed them in the microwave, I vowed to try the very next day. A bit of googling and I found some basic instructions which I followed. This was not enough for my enquiring mind though. I wanted to test other materials that I had previously steam fixed successfully. Continue reading Dyeing silks and things in the microwave

Posted on

Mixed Media Textile Bundles on Etsy.

These are a wonderful way of gathering gorgeous bits n bobs without having to invest loads in large amounts of things.

As a textile artist I use a large range of products and materials across my various projects and have therefore amassed a vast pile of goodies. I decided to make up these textile bundles as inspirational packages for mixed media textile workers, or anyone who might find them a great resource. They can be used for junk journals, jewellery, scrap-booking, bags, wall art pieces, clothing, needle books and whatever your imagination creates.
These are available to purchase from my Etsy shop. Continue reading Mixed Media Textile Bundles on Etsy.

Posted on

Mermaids Purse

Earlier this year while wandering the beaches nearby, I came across an unusually large number of Mermaids Purses in various colours and shapes, some I had never seen before. These curious flotsam that wash up on the tide are the egg cases of sharks, ray, dogfish and other similar sea beings and yet they conjure up something more mystical, magical and altogether more charming. Continue reading Mermaids Purse

Posted on

For the love of Silk

I am sure I am not alone in this timelessness…no idea what day or date it is and the days seems to swirl by as weeks disappear into months. My idea to do a weekly blog post doesn’t seem to be reachable at the moment as other things take over. That really isn’t a big deal as I set that goal, and goals can be stretched and changed. After more than a year of lockdown, there are some really challenging issues that seems to come in waves of mental torture. Nature is my usual escape route, thankfully spring is springing which gives lots to marvel at. I find it difficult to settle to my creative pursuits. New goodies to play with helps though. I have some luscious silk tops and merino wool which I may incorporate into my textile works. I would like to try felting and use them in that, but that’s for another time… I found a UK supplier for silk fabrics and dyes instead of one in the US and I am happy with the quality. Continue reading For the love of Silk

Posted on

Mermaids and more

It has been a super busy time here with gardening so little else has been done. A disused old greenhouse got a facelift and a veg garden planned. A bit late I know but the lady we rent our apartment from asked if we would give her garden a facelift. We live on a corner of an old demense with native woodland around us and a view to the sea. Delighted at the challenge and a few gorgeous day’s weather, we charged headlong into it. I sat down this morning and photographed a few finished pieces of mixed media work as promised in my last post. I have a few new ones started too using both modelling paste and marble paste. Continue reading Mermaids and more

Posted on

Acrylic pastes, gesso and texture

Last year I decided I wanted to delve into more textural and sculptural effects for my mixed media work, it has taken until now to gather sufficient supplies to have a range to experiment with, to research and to decide what works for me. I can tell you, it was a minefield initially as there are just so many mediums out there and they all differ with brands too. I also am a bit of an alchemist (especially in the kitchen) so I liked the idea of making my own mediums from the raw minerals etc. To do that, one really needs to go back in history to see how things were done by the masters. Hence, marble powder was on my hit list. That arrived with my order from Germany last week. So I now have modelling pastes, texture pastes, crackle pastes, gesso’s, marble paste and air dried clays. All rather delicious!. Continue reading Acrylic pastes, gesso and texture