Tuesday, October 23, 2018
Art for a Cause
Phoenix Pride is one of those great organizations staffed by some of the best people in the world! My husband and I had the pleasure of being part of a group show sponsored by Phoenix Pride and hosted by Gregg Edelman at his very-cool Exposed Studio & Gallery. (Gregg is a super generous guy who is masterful at throwing great parties at the drop of a hat.... he's also quite the photographer.) The art event was a huge success with the top three juried pieces (including mine!) to be exhibited soon at the Parsons Center in Phoenix, AZ. Thank you Ryan Starzyk, Mike Fornelli, and the rest of the team at Phoenix Pride for this great opportunity, your graciousness, and your support of the arts — and thank you for your steadfast work in the LGBTQ community and for human rights, in general. (A big fat congrats to Ace Walton who took first place with a fantastic mixed-media portrait using, among other things, "cigarette ash and borrowed cosmetics" — how wonderful is that!)
Monday, October 15, 2018
Vessels & Votives Workshop at Grand Canyon :: Fall 2018 Recap
The first week of October brought a dozen creative people from around the country to the Grand Canyon. Their goal was to learn how to felt — and that's what they did! This year's Vessels & Votives workshop was hosted by Grand Canyon Association's Field Institute (thank you GCAFI for this and for all you do to preserve and protect Grand Canyon National Park). Over the weekend, Mary Rooney generously shared her dyeing expertise with the class, offering participants the opportunity to dye wool (using acid dyes) for the next day's project. We also had the pleasure of having two guest speakers join us this year: NPS Park Ranger Ahsa Jensen gave a fascinating talk about historic uses of natural fibers in the region — and GCAFI instructor Slim Woodruff shared her extensive knowledge of Grand Canyon with those early birds who attended the sunrise rim talk. Ahsa also made available dried yucca fibers that we harvested last Spring in anticipation of the class (note: one must have an NPS collection permit to do this). Overall, it was a big success with participants creating a small felted vessel or luminaria (using an 8.5" resist) on Day 1... and then really stretching themselves to create a large felted vessel (using a 21" resist) on Day 2. I am so impressed with this group! If you're interested in felting at the Grand Canyon, be sure to sign up for the felting workshop in 2019... we'd love to have you!
Wednesday, September 19, 2018
Sacred Landscape :: Felted Wool Wall Hanging
For the past two years, I've been developing a body of work, entitled, "Sacred Landscapes". This collection consists of various size (3' to 7' in height) felted wool wall hangings which evoke the Grand Canyon's geological strata and its carver, the Colorado River. Each piece features a 3D "cut" to reveal a hidden layer below. The ovoid shape is inspired by the Shiva Lingam stones gathered from the Namada River in Onkar Mandhata, one of India's holy sites. The works' reference to the sacred is intentional, as Grand Canyon too serves as an inspirational site commanding respect and often reverence from those who gaze into its depths… and is sacrosanct to many who fight for its continued protection.
Photo: Sacred Landscape; Hand-felted Merino wool; 16.5" x 36.5". © Kim Buchheit
Sunday, September 9, 2018
Sneak Peek :: 2018 Sedona Summer Colony
Last month, I had the pleasure of attending the 2018 Sedona Summer Colony artists' retreat. While there, I met some truly amazing, talented artists, and had the opportunity to work on projects that required some dedicated time. One of these projects entitled, Blanks (or, Untitled), addresses the subject of personal identity. It is a set of eight felted, androgynous figures (measuring approx. 24" x 6" each) thoughtfully grouped in relationship with one another. The completed piece has been submitted for consideration in a regional show and I'll share a photo of the set in the near future. (The posted photo depicts two, temporarily headless figures drying in the Arizona sun. Photo courtesy of Sedona Summer Colony.)
Thursday, June 14, 2018
Wet Felting :: Best of Show
The last time I was awarded a ribbon was probably back in high school for track — and, I assure you, it wasn't blue... not even close. So I wanted to toot my own horn a bit and share a photo of me with my big, fat, felted bowl and its shiny, best-of-show ribbon. Thanks to all who voted — and thanks to everyone at the Flag Wool & Fiber Festival and The Arizona Historical Society for another wonderful year and perhaps the best festival to date. So much work goes into these events and so many talented, hard-working people make it happen. I was thrilled to be able to teach a workshop this year and hope to be invited back next year for same. If you missed it this year, be sure to mark your calendars for next.
Sunday, June 3, 2018
Vessels & Votives :: Recap
We just wrapped up a half-day Vessels & Votives felting workshop at this year's Flag Wool & Fiber Festival. Such a great group of participants — talented, dedicated, and super fun! It was great to see their vessels come together, each one unique and beautiful. Here are a few pics from the class. (Special thanks to my husband, Mike Buchheit, for all his help, photo-taking, and good cheer... I couldn't do these workshops without him!)
Thursday, May 3, 2018
Felted Botanical Vessel
I just wet-felted and finished another round, botanical-themed bowl in preparation for the 2-day Vessels & Votives Workshop which I'll be conducting here at the Grand Canyon in October. With a finished size of 10.5" (h) x 14.5" (diam.), this smaller format seems more manageable for a beginner-intemerdiate level class. Working with pre-felts can be challenging for those who've never felted before, but with so many other surface design options available, I know class participants will have no problem decorating their vessels. If you are interested in a weekend immersion class where you'll explore felting both small- and large-sized vessels using resists, as well as learn to dye wool roving with acid dyes, then sign up now! Class size is limited to just 12 participants. Come learn in one of the world's most beautiful wild classrooms!
Thursday, April 26, 2018
Experimenting with Surface Resists
In preparation for an upcoming workshop, I wanted to do more experimentation with surface resists. This 14"(w) x 10.5"(h), wet-felted, white-on-brown wool bowl is the most recent result. Kitty was hoping it was a cat cave, but alas, it is not. The slits were made using crescent-shaped pieces of plastic which were removed midway through the fulling stage — thereby allowing the cut edges to "heal" during the final fulling. Some stiffener was used to keep the soft vessel from denting when roughly handled. I've a few more experiments to do prior to the next Vessels & Votives workshop, so stay tuned.
Wednesday, April 11, 2018
Felted Botanical Vessels
I just completed this large, round bowl and added a second layer of stiffener to the tall vessel, then had them photographed this week. The round vessel is approximately 12"(h) x 17"(diam.); the tall vessel is 24"(h) x 7"(diam.). This work is a continuation of a series entitled, "Botanical" which utilizes pre-felt cut-outs along with Merino top (100% wool). The round piece will be available for sale at the upcoming Flag Wool & Fiber Festival with some of the proceeds benefiting the event. The Festival is hosting several fiber arts workshops the weekend of June 2-3, 2018, including my 1/2-day Vessels & Votives workshop where you'll learn to make mini versions of the round vessel pictured above. Learn more and sign up here.
Monday, April 2, 2018
Vessels & Votives in the Valley of the Sun
We just wrapped up a super fun Vessels & Votives custom workshop in Glendale, Arizona. Class participants brought lots of joy and energy to the felting process and all seemed quite pleased with their final pieces. The fairy lights were a big hit and made the felted votives extra special. Upcoming workshops are listed here on the blog, but if you're interested in hosting a private workshop, simply contact me by email to discuss the details.
Wednesday, March 7, 2018
FWFF's Workshops Posted Today!
Flag Wool & Fiber Festival is an early summer event that fiber lovers and other creatives look forward to year after year. Now in its 26th season and under the dynamic leadership of Andrea Greene, this event offers "free family fun with something for everyone" including a host of fiber-related workshops which just went live today. Check out the complete class listing here and sign up today to secure your spot. (Note: I'll be teaching my Vessels & Votives felting class on Saturday morning). Event is June 2-3, 2018, 9am-4pm, at the Pioneer Museum on Fort Valley Rd., Flagstaff, AZ.
Friday, February 23, 2018
Embellished Felted Vessel
Using trimmings from a larger project, I embellished a small, felted bowl by needle-felting the wet-felted remnants all around the outside. The finished piece somewhat resembles a cabbage — which made me smile while photographing it during a fresh snowfall this afternoon.
Sunday, February 11, 2018
Sacred Landscape Series
I just completed another felted wall hanging for inclusion in my Sacred Landscape Series. Here's a close-up photo showing some of the textures and color gradations. One of the things I love about using pre-felt as a substrate is how those solid-colored base fibers migrate up through the top layers to create a tonal "glazing" effect. On this particular piece, the top layers are cut through in one area to reveal a "river" of turquoise blue below... a tribute to some of Grand Canyon's waterways (e.g. the Little Colorado River and Havasu Creek). Detail of felted wall hanging; 17"x 39.5"; 100% wool; © Kim Buchheit
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