I know…it is a bit early for Valentine’s day, but while Spoonflower.com is still making holiday wrapping paper I figured I would get my cupid design printed! It turned out to be so great! I love it! The paper is nice and thick too, so you could use it for things other than wrapping. If you’d like to check out the design, it is available at this link: http://www.spoonflower.com/fabric/1636622.
Made this pirate kitty for my friend’s son. His pants are removable. Bit of an OOPS in the fabric placement for the crotch area on the front. Luckily the pants cover it! haha. He’s also got an eye patch (but no eyes) and a bow tie. I hope he enjoys his matey! Arrrggggh!!! :)
My supernice friend Debby gave me some Hello Kitty holiday fabric and I decided to make a Hello Kitty ornament doll with it. I made two other smaller ones, but their hands were shaped more weird, so I enlarge the pattern I designed and came up with this Hello Kitty! I thought she could do with a skirt/apron too! hehe. The red stripes are the back. Even though she has no real face, I think she is pretty cute! :)
I just finished this JOY decoration. I turned my wreath into the ‘O’ and then I made a ‘J’ and a ‘Y.’ Not too shabby I say. It isn’t perfect, but I like it a lot! Yay!
I just completed this little wreath that I made to go with my candy canes! It turned out fairly well for my first ever attempt at such a project! Yay!!!
Here are some new pillows I’ve been working on. I’m going to be selling on consignment at In Other Words in Portland, Oregon. I’m pretty excited about it! The first one is Henry Miller Magic cat with red stripes. The second one is Judy the Utie(rus) with minis on the back. The third one is a pillow of Angelica Kauffman and Mary Moser having tea.
Henry Miller Magic Cat Pillow
Henry Miller Magic Cat side view
Judy the Utie(rus) pillow
Judy the Utie(rus) backside
Angelica Kauffman and Mary Moser Having Tea pillow
Back of Angelica and Mary pillow
This is my newest piece called “Tea with Angelica and Mary.” Angelica Kauffman and Mary Moser have just seated themselves for some tea that they pour from their Saartjie Baartman teapot. Above them is their silhouette of a nameless dead white guy who has apparently posed for Kara Walker.
Tea with Angelica and Mary by Kristin Bell
Hey Y’all! Anyone out there in the Portland, Oregon area should check out Kara Walker’s art exhibit at Reed College in the Cooley Gallery. Here’s a link with more info. about the exhibit. On the link there is also audio of Kara Walker’s talk that she gave at Reed a few weeks ago. It is FREE and going on until November 18, 2012. Kara Walker is an internationally famous and controversial artist whose work touches on the themes of antebellum America, race, sexuality, gender, stereotypes and the legacies of slavery. She has been vaulted into art world super stardom by her silhouette works, but at the same time has been denounced for her questionable imagery.
Angelica Kauffman Self-Portrait with Bust of Minerva
Perhaps the most internationally famous and prolific female artist of the 18th century, Kauffman was a child prodigy. She was born in Chur, Switzerland but grew up in Schwarzenberg, Austria where her father, Johann Joseph Kauffman, also a painter, encouraged his daughter to hone her musical and artistic talents. When Kauffman’s mother, Cleophea Luz Kauffman, died in 1757, Kauffman decided to give up her music and devote herself to painting.
Angelica Kauffman, Allegory of Poetry and Music (Self-Portrait)
Throughout Kauffman’s life she traveled extensively. In 1764 Kauffman moved to Rome. At this point in her life she was already famous. On a trip through Venice she met Lady Bridget Wentworth Murray who encouraged her to come to England. Kauffman moved to London in 1766 and by 1768 had become a founding member of the Royal Academy. Her fame made her ripe for scandalous talk and she also became acquainted with many other famous people of her time including Goethe (1749-1832), who was a close friend. Her first marriage, which was annulled, was to a bigamist, and her second marriage in 1781 was to Antonio Zucchi (1726-1795), also a painter, who gave up his career to run Kauffman’s affairs.
Although she is best known for her portraiture, Kauffman also painted grand history paintings which were deemed the highest forms of art in her day, but were normally made by men. Her works are considered Neoclassical but can include touches of Rococo. She painted for royalty, but also made a living selling her portraits to the upper-class. The largest collection of Kauffman’s work is held in the Vorarlberger Landesmuseum in Austria. — Kristin Bell, 2012
Sources: Natter, Tobias G., ed. Angelica Kauffman: A Woman of Immense Talent. Germany: Hatje Canz Verlag, 2007.
Rosenthal, Angela. Angelica Kauffman: Art and Sensibility. New Haven: Yale Press, 2006.
Thought you all might like to know about Hollis Sigler. I’m just reading her Breast Cancer Journal right now. I’m not going to write a whole bio here, but just wanted to alert you to her work. She is best known for her images that relate to her struggle with breast cancer. Her story is very moving. Check out more about her at the Hammer Gallery and here.
kristinbell.org 