A Tea Leaf Blog
Attention Portlanders out there!
Stop by the Tinymeat store on North Williams to find local handmade gifts! It's a great place to pick out those last minute gifts, treat yourself to something sweet, or chit chat with Tinymeat owner, Michael! My handmade goodies are there, as well as a dozen other local artists' & crafters' work.
Tinymeat's address is 3808 N. Williams, Portland, OR - Located in the same building as Cha Cha Cha & Ristretto Roasters.
Tinymeat™ and I have united our creative powers to bring you...
Weeping Willow Wallets!
They are now in the Etsy Shop for only 15 buck-a-roos.
Exterior
The wallet's exterior has my 14th work of my Standard Movement Series, 00014 - Weeping Willow.
Interior
The wallet's interior is antique ledger paper. Coffee ring and scribbles included! Sewn by Tinymeat™ himself! How cool is that?!
It's Friday and you know what that means... new arrivals in the ATeaLeaf Etsy shop! And I have a special surprise for you all. You can now choose the artworks you would like for your wearable. It gets a little bit sweeter too: not just one side, but two!
Standard Movement Series Pendants
Choose your favorite front and back and I will personally custom make your new necklace!
Head on over to my Etsy shop and get the ball rollin'. Hope you all have a long and lazy weekend lovelies!
Introducing my 16th piece of my series, Standard Movement.
00016 - Western White Clematis – Click here or image above to purchase a print
To begin with, the oval frame. My thoughtful Godparents found it at an antique store. They are so sweet. As many of you know, I love bubbled glass. Who doesn't? I love how it enhances my imaginative 2-D world. Next, something new this time around. I usually use vintage paper for the main background, in this case I used fresh, crisp ledger paper. I wanted this work to be much simpler than the last, so I left a lot of white space and added fewer textile pieces which represent orbs. I incorporated a white flowering plant that I discovered on a walk to Portland's striking St. Johns bridge. The plant caught my eye with it's showy seedheads.
I searched high and low. Alas I found the name of the white flowering plant, it's called Western White Clematis. I read that it is a perennial vine and a member of the Buttercup family. It also goes by names such as Virgin’s Bower, Traveler’s Joy, and Leather flower. It sounds like a terrible idea to get in contact with, its oils are extremely irritating to the skin. It can also cause internal bleeding of the digestive tract if digested in large amounts. Eek! However, Native Americans would use it for headaches and nervous disorders, in small doses, of course.
If you would like to purchase a print of this original artwork of mine, they are available in my online shop, here. The prints are a limited edition of 30, printed on a heavy cardstock paper, backed with matboard, and slipped into a cellophane envelope. Whew! Did you get all that? I will also sign each print and ship them in a bendproof mailer. Live near Portland and wanna save on shipping? I will also be selling these guys at Crafty Wonderland and Skating with Scissors Craft Bazaar. I'm so jazzed to participate in my first two craft shows!
Thanks to cutiepiecompany for featuring my work titled "00015 - False Lily of the Valley" in her sweet summer treats treasury!Check it out for yourself here.
After three attempts, my 14th work of the Standard Movement series, titled 00014 is finished! I am more than happy to share this bundle of joy with you on this sunny afternoon.
Bike riding down the Eastbank Esplanade, I discovered a magnificent Weeping Willow. A willow with catkins, might I add. These cylindrical flower clusters are why it took me three tries to make this artwork, I was being a lil' picky of how they were drawn on a page torn from a bookkeeping & accounting study guide, which was once in the hands of a lady named Ava. The drawn raindrops and globe-like orbs faintly blend onto the page.
Within this 5" x 7" filigree frame, on the bottom left-hand corner, I included a snippet of a 1980's Kansas City, Missouri map, once owned by my mother & father. On the top right I included a snippet of a fellow’s charming message that was written in a young lady’s 1976 yearbook, which is also prominent in my 13th work.
You can vaguely see catkins drawn on top of the yearbook signature. They hide around a torn piece of a black and white photograph. I plan on using more remnants of this photo in future pieces. A b&w photograph of what you ask?
It's of an elementary class, adhered pretty darn well to a piece of worn matte board, with no date present. I purchased this photograph along with some report cards from a flea market. I love the idea of using bits of something that was once together, that has created something historical visually, that once had an impact on more than one individual. I like to compare these bits to pixels, which I also love drawing with brown ink sporadically in my artwork.
I also worked in a piece from a hard cover book about astrology that's full of tables. One thing that I think is thrilling about using used books is that at one time in it's life it was owned by someone else and it had a particular purpose. Years later it's now having a new purpose, a purpose that it was not intended to be used. I love flipping open the cover of old books and finding the previous owners name and address written by their hand. I question if they are still alive; do they still live at this address; did they read this book all the way through; did they read this book more than once? I don't believe too many people write their name in their books in this day and age. In today's culture it seems that we go through so much information, that it's easier for us to do away with books after a short period of time. Websites like half.com and Amazon have encouraged this. I find this interesting.
I'll stop there with that thought, I could go on and on but I need to continue working on some graphic design projects! I hope everyone is enjoying their Friday. Also I hope you have a swell weekend and get around to doing something creative! I'm really giddy about tomorrow & Sunday, I'm going to be spending many hours working on a new batch of miniature artworks for new pendant necklaces! Weeeeeeeeeeee!
Saturday and Sunday's weather was glorious. I very much enjoyed my time outdoors. Especially when I was able to hang out all afternoon on a picnic blanket in the park, reading. I picked out a book from the library called Plastic Culture, How Japanese Toys Conquered the World. It's a very delightful read! I'll follow-up with you all with a summary when I finish reading it.
Over the weekend, on my way back from doing a lil' bit of dog sitting, I visited the tallest bridge in Portland, the St. Johns Bridge. I don't make it around these parts of Stumptown often, so I had to take a snap of it's Gothic towers for my photo collection. Maybe some day it will wind up drawn in my art.
Speaking of drawing, I worked on my 14th work of the Standard Movement series, titled 00014. To be honest I wasn't too thrilled of how it was panning out, even after two attempts. When it came to drawing up the Weeping Willow's catkins, I guess I was a little persnickity of their final look. So hopefully by the end of this week I'll have something complete to share.
Congrats to Kotori, winner of the Standard Movement drawing, titled 00005! I wanted to graciously thank Jackie of Sweetie Pie Pumpkin Noodle for taking the time to interview me and I also wanted to thank you all for the lovely comments on her post. For those out there that would like to purchase this print, it is for sale here.
Morning, morning, morning! I took a few snaps of my latest Standard Movement pieces. Did you notice how I caught some of the morning's warm rays? He he. Yes, the photos below are a bit yellow but I'm not complaining, it will be nice to be reminded later of this sunny and cozy Friday morning! Here are the beauties I worked on this week for your viewing pleasure...
"00009"
"00010"
"00011"
If you would like my Standard Movement Series to be displayed at your gallery or coffee shop this Spring... let's talk! Feel free to drop me a line.
I'm pretty excited about this weekend! I'm going to hit up the local art store and do some experimenting with some new media. My heart is just fluttering thinking about it. Hope you all have a relaxing weekend!
PS: Just a reminder if you haven't visited Sweetie Pie Pumpkin Noodle's blog, do so! For your last chance to enter the drawing to win some art of mine, go here. "Goodbye! Chances are not forever." –Apostle of Hustle
Those darn gray clouds have gotten in the way of the midday sun here in Stumptown. For the most part I have accepted these typical March weather conditions of Portland... but today I have been pretty antsy for sunnier... warmer weather. Especially listening to the Black Kids (the band), they have that effect on me. Thought I would give you a lil' sneak peek of what I have been working on this week. I will be posting these new Standard Movement works Friday... which is tomorrow!
View the interview post: http://sweetiepiepumpkinnoodle.blogspot.com
Today I have something to share with you that I am so estactic over. Jackie of Sweetie Pie Pumpkin Noodle blog was so kind to interview moi. So make sure to head on over there! You have a chance to win a print of my art, "00005" of the Standard Movement series!
For you Portlanders out there I hope you got to absorb some of the sun's rays this morning and early afternoon!