Have you met Hazel Terry? She's an artist and blogger who lives and works in the U.K. I came across her leaf paintings when looking for leaf craft ideas for my round-up. The shape of the leaf determines what each will become. Inspiring, no? I also love her tissue collage: And her illustration work: And her textile pieces, such as this example of her patchworked limerick series. Lots and lots of ideas to try with kids, here! Painting on leaves, using cut pieces of tissue for collage, including word balloons in paintings, "writing" with thread... Thank you for your creative vision, Hazel Terry!
xo Have you met Jay Mohler? Saying he makes God's eyes is like saying Michelangelo painted ceilings. They are incredible, intricate works of art. Jay sells finished yarn mandalas (as he calls them) on his etsy shop. They range in size from about 18 to 24 inches, though you can also special-order a huge four-footer. He also sells kits with everything you need, or just the special notched sticks, or just the secrets of the universe (i.e. directions for making your own ojo de dios mandala). Seems like a great craft to get into with an older child!
xo Have you met Cyrus Kabiru? He's a painter and sculptor living in Nairobi who works largely with recycled materials — trash, in other words. He's become known for his C-Stunners, non-functional but wearable "glasses." Watch a short video of Cyrus talking about his work, here. His work is so inspiring and inventive, and it has an environmental message, too. You could use his glasses as inspiration for an afternoon of crafting with children. Use less sharp, not-so-pointy materials, of course: egg cartons, plastic forks and spoons, pipe cleaners, lace scraps, doilies, wired ribbon, paper cups... Keep an eye on what's heading to the trash can, and what you might be able to rescue from the landfill.
xo Have you met Emily Blincoe? She's a photographer from Austin, Texas. She captures many different sorts of beautiful and thought-provoking images, but I'm currently in love with her Arrangements series. These images appeal to the sorter/arranger/documentarian in me. I know I wasn't the only kid in the world who poured out her bag of m&ms and sorted them by color on the kitchen table. On Emily's site she has just a few portraits of people with their collections. I'd love to see more from this series. It's a great way to take a photo of a child with his current obsession (like my nephew and his rocks and minerals, or my niece with her dragon figurines). There's much more to see on her site, so please pay it a visit! xo
Have you met Roger Titley? I came across him when I was looking for inspiring ideas for making puppets. (That's a hint about the topic of an upcoming post.) He builds these scaffolding-like figures that can move much like the animals they represent. These hand-held ibises are inspiring. I wonder if I could make a much simpler version. Hmm... This giant dung beetle was built for the World Cup opening ceremonies in 2010. He's also made a bunch of more realistic animals for various ads. From what I can gather, he's South Africa's answer to the Jim Henson Creature Shop. Roger was interviewed about his work here. What a dream job!
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March 2017
AuthorI'm Debbie Way, an artist and writer who enjoys making things. |
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