French Knots on Paper in Blue

I started working on a fourth French knots in paper piece during Culture Crawl weekend to keep myself occupied during the slow times, and also to demonstrate process to visitors. There are so many people who did not realize the framed embroidery pieces were made with thread, so it was perfect to have something on the go to show them how it’s done. I didn’t get very far with it during the Crawl because I can’t talk and stitch at the same time, but I decided to finish it in the following weeks.

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With this piece I chose blue thread rather than grey as with the previous ones, but continued using Strathmore 90lb mixed media paper as the canvas. I went with a design where I alternated solid circles with dots. I really like making knots close together so there is a dense amount of thread, but it makes it tricky not to tear the paper while sewing. When this happens my solution to repair it is to use archival document repair tape as I do in paper cutting.

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This may be the last of these thread and paper works for awhile as it’s time to get back to concentrating on paper cutting work!

Looking Towards The Moon

I am more focused on thread than paper lately but I have managed to slip in some paper cutting projects as well. This is a piece of work I finished shortly after the Culture Crawl and it framed in record time. I decided to title it Looking Towards The Moon, which at first I thought was too dramatic but now I think it suits it.

The finished size is 11″ x 14″ cut from archival Strathmore Mixed Media paper, and framed in a white shadowbox.

You can find this piece listed in my Etsy shop »

A Weekend to Buy Local, Buy Handmade, and Buy Art

There are so many terrific artists, makers, and craftspeople in this city and the Christmas season is the perfect time of year to support small business by buying locally made goods to give as gifts. This weekend there are studio sales and craft markets galore, so I thought I’d share my favourites.

 

Shiny Fuzzy Muddy is my favourite seasonal market because it is a highly curated collection of fine craft and art, bringing together many of my favourite artists in the city. It’s an excellent place to buy beautiful things for loved ones (or yourself). Check out Dahlhaus, Antipod Worskshop, and Westerly Handmade Shoes.

Heritage Hall, 3102 Main Street
Sat Dec 10th, 11am to 7pm | Sun Dec 11th, 10am to 6pm

 

Got Craft is also a highly curated market that has been around for ten years now. They are a larger market with more to choose from, but still focused on quality indie handmade work. Check out The Beautiful Project, Coconama Chocolate, and Fable Naturals.

Pipe Shop Building, 115 Victory Ship Way, North Vancouver
Sat Dec 10th + Sun Dec 11th, 10am to 5pm

 

Gam Gallery is presenting their third annual group exhibition & holiday pop-up shop, this year inspired by Pantone colour system. They invited artists to contribute works in colours from the collection to create a spectrum of hues through the gallery. Check out works in the show by Sandeep Johal, Caitlin McDonagh, and Trevor Van den Eijnden. The show opens Friday Dec 9th, 7pm to 12am.

110 East Hastings, at Columbia
Fri Dec 9th to Fri Dec 23rd.

 

EEK Studio Sale with artists Christann Kennedy and Gina Miller. It’s a great opportunity to visit artists in their studio, and purchase an amazing piece of art directly from the artists.

EEK Studio, 1888 Main Street, Unit E
Fri Dec 9th, 5pm to 9pm | Sat Dec 10th, 1pm to 5pm

Happy Shopping!

Making Marks with Thread

I’ve been working on another clothing embellishment project in my head over the last few weeks, and when I sat down to finally start it on Monday I realized the idea was not going to work well with the fabric. I wanted to do more sashiko style patterns but the type of fabric doesn’t take well to drawing out the design first. So I threw that idea out the window and started looking through the library books I happen to have on hand at the moment and found a beautiful idea to try. The book is called Mark Making by Helen Parrott and came recommended by my friend, Amanda Wood.

Mark making with thread

I brought out the sampler to practice the style of stitching, and get a feel for how to move around the surface and group the threads together. I did the blue ones first and then the red, and these second set were so much better than the first. It was exciting to see my improvement so quickly.

Mark making with thread

Now I’m on to starting the actual project, and can’t wait to get started in the studio today. I’m hoping to get it done it time for Christmas.

Christmas Making in Paper

This week the Christmas-related making came into play when I decided to make a second advent calendar for our home. The one I made last year wasn’t large enough to accommodate two small gifts in each drawer, so I quickly threw together a simple one using small paper bags and envelopes. I gave each one a fancy number and then used string, thumb tacks, and tiny clothes pins to hang it all on the wall. We’re now onto day two of getting into the treats hidden inside.


Using coloured paper left over from the sonobe artwork, I started making origami ornaments for the Steamclock office. It’s the first time we’re decorating for Christmas at the office and I’m making things festive and colourful, while steering clear of the usual tacky decorations. I made two different styles of modular ornaments in turquoise with white, and bright blue with white.

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My co-worker Rach and I have been using these awesome chalk markers to draw on the office windows to also add a festive touch. I’ll share details of the office decor once it is all done next week.

Etsy Shop Update: Succulents and 3D Paper Art

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A update to my Etsy shop has been a long time coming, and now you can find six new pieces of recent work available for purchase. The update includes three framed paper succulents, and three framed pieces from the microcosm series that combine drawing and paper cutting. All of the work is framed and ready to hang.

Paper Succulents 9″ x 9″ framed

 

Microcosm series 9″ x 9″ framed

 

Microcosm series 9″ x 9″ framed

Visit my Etsy shop to view more of the work, and to make a purchase.

Work In Progress: Cutting At Six Times Regular Speed

Every once in awhile I take the time to shoot a hyperlapse of something I am working on. I’ve done this with paper cutting before, as well as drawing and stitching. The latest video I shared last week seemed to connect with a lot more people than usual and it went viral on Instagram, garnering over 24,000 views! I’ve never had that happen before, but it tells me people are much more interested in videos than they used to be on IG.

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I’ve since finished the paper cut design, but above is a photo of the work in progress. I took a break from paper cutting for awhile after completing the seven foot tyvek piece because I felt burnt out on it after that. I’m back to enjoying it again, and I’m happy to move on to creating new work.

Below is the video shot with Hyperlapse, which demonstrates my cutting process at six times the speed.

A video posted by Paper artist (@rachael_ashe) on

Post-Crawl Post Mortem

It’s a few days after the conclusion of Culture Crawl weekend and I am still sooooooooooo tired, and my brain doesn’t seem to be working very well. But I had a terrific weekend hanging out with the team at Propellor Design as a guest artist in their studio.

We had a busy weekend with over 1000 people dropping in to see us. Nik and I kept a tally of visitors on the studio chalkboard and it became a lovely piece of art all its own by the end of Sunday. It was great to see some familiar faces and introduce many new people to my work. I was pleased to have a selection of artwork find their forever homes, including the last of my laser cut pieces from a few years ago.

A video posted by Paper artist (@rachael_ashe) on

A huge thank you to Pam, Nik, and Toby of Propellor Design for hosting me in their studio. Watch the video above to see some of their lighting, work in progress, and materials of inspiration.

Visit their website or follow them on Instagram.

Scenes From A Visit to Victoria

Last weekend Boris and I took advantage of the long weekend and went over to Victoria to visit friends. It was a much needed getaway after a busy month, and a nice break before the craziness of Culture Crawl this weekend. We saw beautiful scenery on a day trip to Sooke and nearby beaches, as well as a walk around Beacon Hill Park. It was only my second time to Victoria in the twelve years I’ve lived in Vancouver.

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More photos, including ones taken at the Bug Zoo, on Flickr.