You are not here merely to make a living. You are here in order to enable the world to live more amply, with greater vision, with a finer spirit of hope and achievement. You are here to enrich the world, and you impoverish yourself if you forget the errand. - Woodrow Wilson
June 2010. All spring I kept thinking summer would slow things down a little. The cats lounge on the stone porch – the only cool spot around. It’s hot outside but cool right here in the studio where projects continue to unfold. And it’s just like summer camp - with a host of announcements!
Art Cloth: A Guide to Surface Design will be released soon, but not quite as soon as I hoped. Interweave is promising a mid-July shipment now, so if you pre-ordered here, we haven’t forgotten you! AND best case scenario, if you have not yet ordered your copy, there is till time to get in on the raffle for a piece of my original artwork – open only to those who pre-order the book from me.
I’ll be introducing my new book at the Festival of Quilts, in Birmingham, England in August. If you are planning to attend, please come by my exhibit and say hello. I’ll also be lecturing at the Festival on Sunday, August 21. There may be a class opportunity right after Festival and you can look for those details and/or register on Claire Benn and Leslie Morgan’s site Committed-to-Cloth.
The response to the new soy wax crayons has been terrific and the first workshop on this topic, held in Art Cloth Studios, only highlighted the possibilities. I want a month in the studio! Watch for our latest DVD on this topic, which will be filmed in late June. You’ll be able to order it here first, along with the proprietary wax mix. I’ll be teaching the Colorful Soy Wax workshop at PROChem in 2011, and also at the International Surface Design Association conference in Minneapolis next June.
Existential Neighborhood: Envisioning the Creative Community (existentialneighborhood.blogspot.com) which is my newest blog effort. I am increasingly interested in the brain/body connections of the creative process and am currently writing about a wide range of topics, all of which cycle back to fashioning a satisfying and creative existence. Why? How? What if it's hard? Come and visit me there and share your thoughts.
I am currently offering Creativity Coaching, by the hour and also by contract for longer terms. If you are stuck, need a sounding board or just want a fresh perspective, email me at dunnewoldj@complexcloth.com.
Best to you,
Art Cloth: A Guide to Surface Design on Fabric is in the designing stages and looks incredible. Pre-order it now by visiting our store. I'll autograph the copies before we ship them - which will be on or about July 15.
I've decided to host a "raffle" of sorts - to thank those of you who are
willing to support artists first hand - instead of using a discounter
like Amazon.com. Anyone who pre-orders my new book from the website will automatically be entered in a drawing for two of my larger works of art.
The pieces are yet to be determined - I need to get some work back from
Interweave before I can make the decision about what to offer, but they will be GOOD pieces. The drawing will occur in mid July, 2010. Anyone who has already pre-ordered from my website is automatically "in."
Please feel free to pass this on to your friends! I am not against Amazon.com per se, but am interested in leveling the playing field so that I might actually be able to hold my own against the discounters. I expect we'll engage in a little fun with an outcome two people will really enjoy!
Vibrant Color: Combining Soy Wax and Dye for Brilliant Results
New DVD featuring Jane Dunnewold and Lisa Kerpoe
Available August 2010
Run time: 90 minutes
Description: Got soy wax? Got dye? Learn how to combine them to produce fabulous results. Join Jane Dunnewold and Lisa Kerpoe as they explore three exciting new techniques - including dye crayons perfect for rubbings, drawing and writing; hot, colored wax - ideal for stamping and direct applications and wax paste, perfect for stenciling. In this entertaining presentation, they will share everything you need to know to produce gorgeous fabrics – including the basic supplies, application techniques, applying background color, setting the dye and the final washout.
Pre-order it now by visiting our store!
Screen Printing Sampler: 4 Fun & Innovative Ways to Make Artful Cloth
Quilting Arts Workshop DVD with Jane Dunnewold
Run time: 60 minutes
Description: Screen printing is versatile, instant gratification! World-renowned surface design expert Jane Dunnewold demonstrates four temporary (or impermanent) methods for adding designs to a screen. Flour paste is easy and inexpensive and creates organic lines-crackles, words, and even drawings. Paper stencils are immediate and perfect for a short printing session or for printing single images. Water-soluble glue withstands several printings; it dissolves as you print, so every image is slightly different from the one printed just before it. Soy wax can be applied with a brush or a stencil-or even a tjanting tool. Once the printing is complete, hot water washes the wax away. Voilà! Your screen is clean and ready for the next print run. Inexpensive and addicting, these screen-printing techniques are a must for the fiber-artist's surface design toolbox. Order it now by visiting our store!
