cherilyn christie :: handmade art + craft + design

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

New Knits

The winter knitting continues!

Above are two new designs I've been working on.

This cabled neck warmer is another original knit design I came up with. I like that it gets wider where the buttons fasten so you can easily keep your nose covered in the cold without having too much bulkiness around the back of your neck.

This gray bandana scarf is a smaller version of the bandana scarves I had been making. I've added a button to fasten the ends together.

This one has already sold on my etsy site, but check out the other items still available here: groveland studio

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Winter Approaching

The unseasonably warm weather here in Virginia doesn't show it, but with Thanksgiving behind us and Christmas less than a month away, I'm reminded that winter is fast approaching.

At the end of 2010, I loaded a roll of film in my 35mm Minolta, and set out to take some real photos, on real film. None of that digital stuff. I wanted something tangible, maybe even nostalgic.

The photos came out feeling a little apocalyptic, mysterious. I've titled this small series The Last Days of 2010.

With 2011 soon drawing to a close, I'm taking a look back, and looking forward to what the new year will bring. Hopefully it will be a year of new beginnings and lots of creativity!

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Collage Art

Red Hen, 3 x 3.75", 2010

Collage is one of my favorite types of art making. I love collecting and assembling scraps of paper, each with it's own history, and creating something new and full of life. Here are a few mini collages I've done over the years, now for sale on my etsy site: www.blackbirdassembly.etsy.com

Trumpet Sound, 3 x 3.5", 2010

Rock Steady, 5 x 3", 2010

Le Fleur, 3.625 x 5.25", 2007

Double Zero, 6.5 x 4", 2005

True/False?, 5.75 x 4", 2005

Sunday, October 2, 2011

Football Season = Knitting Season

Every fall as the weather begins to cool and the leaves begin to change... the football watching in my house begins in full force. I'm not much of a sports fan, but when the game is on in my home, it's a great time to break out the knitting needles and get to work.

I started knitting these bandana scarfs last fall, and now I've completed four of them. I designed the pattern myself.

The first one finished was kept for myself, and helped me stay very warm last winter!

These four bandana scarfs (and a few other items) are now for sale on my etsy site, check it out: www.blackbirdassembly.etsy.com

Saturday, September 17, 2011

Quilting Time

I recently got to make a baby quilt for a good friend's baby girl. The fabric was collected from a mix of thrift stores and fabric store remnant piles. I had most of the squares cut out long ago, and then they sat in a box waiting for just the right moment.

This is the third quilt I've ever made. I've got a couple more baby showers coming up, so I'm hoping to be quilting again soon. Because of their size, baby quilts are way less intimidating, so it seems like a good place for me to experiment with color and patterns. I'm sure I'm doing things all wrong, but I'm having fun with it, and I'm pretty happy with the end result.

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Growing in the Shadows

Growing In the Shadows

Acrylic on wood panel

6' x 4'

For several years now, I have had the opportunity to create an art piece for the Burning Brush Pilgrimage art walk at Cornerstone Festival in Bushnell, Illinois. Above is the piece I created for this year's art walk, and here is the artist statement that goes along with it:

The inspiration for this piece comes from the idea that God is at work in our lives even when we can't see the evidence right away. Often in times of darkness or pain, all we can see is the darkness of our immediate earthly circumstances. Yet even in these times, God is at work producing growth in our hearts... slow and steady, still, quiet... His presence is there.
This painting is a monument to the way God is constantly at work, in my life and in the world as a whole, bringing beauty from ashes, life from death, joy from pain.

I did some preliminary sketches, and restarted the painting a few times. I had so many ideas of how this painting could work. The final product was only one of many possible solutions. Because of this, I want to continue working with this idea and create a series of smaller works, sticking with similar shapes and themes, exploring the possibilities until they become exhausted.

Several months before the painting was even a thought, I designed this poster for a church women's retreat. This is where the simple leaf shape first appeared in my work.

l also made bookmarks for the ladies to take home. In this design, the leaf shapes start to overlap, and things begin to change...

I'm excited to see what's next!

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Blog update

Since the new year began I have been thinking a lot about updating this blog and starting to blog more consistently. It is already September and I am just now getting started! Better late than never I suppose.

My goal from here on out is to update this blog at least once a week. I'm hoping it will encourage me to create more often, to be more thoughtful about the things I am creating, and to inspire others who may stumble across this blog and see what I've been up to.

Here goes nothing!