Pointillism In Glass

I unintentionally confused some folk on Facebook when I called it this... to me it made sense because it's producing an image in dots. And those dots are little tiny size 11 glass beads.  But when you throw a thought out there it conjures up *many* different ideas and interpretations.  I'd love to see the physical form of some of those ideas. :-)

Now going way back  to junior high and high school in Ketchikan Alaska - this is when and where I first became acquainted with applique beading on felt and woolen cloth.  The ones I learned from were marvelous... Doug Hudson in junior high and then the legendary Esther Shea.  I learned so much, especially Tlingit flat design translated to beads and cloth.

But kids being what kids are, I learned, but did not continue.  It wasn't until just a few years ago that I picked it up again... and I surprised myself at how much I'd remembered!  It's kind of like riding a bike, when you do pick it up again you slide right back into it.

The method I learned was pick up 4, and go back through 2. This is all well and fine, til I began doing tiny crazy detail work.  Detail, that's something I just can't stray far from.  A couple of years ago I was working on some of this beading at the Puyallup Fair while exhibiting at the Fred Oldfield Western Heritage and Art Center, and a very kind Yakima Indian lady came by, who was quite skilled at beading. "Oh no!" She admonished. "That will be too loose for you. Pick up two beads and go back through one!" That small bit of advice kindly given made a very big difference!  It's the only way I'll do applique beading now.

When I picked up the beading again it was by way of being overwhelmingly inspired by a form of beautiful Alaskan regalia known as an Octopus Bag.  This intriguing bag began with the Metis in Canada, and its popularity grew with those who came in contact with it.  The bag was adopted from tribe to tribe, all the way to the east and west coasts. Mid-continent knew it as the Fire Bag, and because of its two set of four legs, amongst the Tlingit it was called Octopus Bag and amongst the Iroquois it was a Spider Bag.  With the Tlingit it was traditionally worn only by a Chief or prestigious speaker, but now it's worn by dancers, men and women.

Alaskan Wildflowers bag. My very first, and the only one fully completed so far.

The thing about them though, is it's very hard to find anyone who makes them.  Also, you just don't see them outside Alaska. I learned how to make them by examining museum photos online, and also guesstimating their size by those worn by dancers in other photos.  Since I began showing them at Native shows, I have since learned my interpretation is pretty darned close to those worn and used by tribal members back in Alaska.

Raven-Steals-The-Sun bag. The bright colors and contrast were great fun.

The first one I made was given to a dear Native friend upon her retirement.  I have since built two others in a contemporary Native style, both still need their shoulder straps.  The fourth one recently completed (also still needing its shoulder strap) was a PNW/Celtic blend... the bag design is unmistakenly PNW, but the beaded decoration is very Scots-Celtic.  I really need to get better at knotwork, but I'm happy with the way the large and detailed thistle came out.

Hummingbird bag. You can see I'm getting more detailed!

Since playing with Octopus Bags, and also doing bead work on a hand-sewn Button Blanket (also traditional PNW Native regalia), I've ventured off into other hand-sewn items.  But I'll go further into that in a later post. ;-)

Celtic bag in progress. I ended up using nearly a whole hank of dark green beads for this thistle.

Working in the knots.  Beads really do have a mind of their own!

Heavenly fragrance

I knocked the back of a hatchet with the back of an axe, and split into that big red cedar crosscut that I've had in my yard for the past year. I was pleased to see a trickle of water seeping from the cut as I forced the hatchet's blade deeper into the wood.

"Good," I thought. "Still good and green." It is important to keep the wood wet when working with traditional PNW tools and methods-- these were designed for wet wood. Puget Sound's weather did most of that for me, but there were a few times last summer when I hosed this wood down. One more hard blow, resulting in a sharp *CRACK!* as the cedar broke open cleanly and evenly. No wonder this wood is so utilized and so prized. The Tree of Life. The grain is straight, but it's coarse, not tight- a male tree.

I plunked two nice little hunks into a bucket of water on my patio under the deck. One will become a frontlet, and the other is yet to be decided. The fragrance of fresh-cut cedar fills my back yard. I've left my studio door open to enjoy that fragrance even more-- there is nothing on earth to equal the scent of fresh-cut cedar. The bucket sits next to a bag of rawhide, which waits to be turned into drums and other things. Should be a productive summer.

Many brands on the coals...

I've not been posting much here lately, but it's with good reason. I've been pulled in many directions over the last couple of months, some in art and business and some in Scouting.

I've recently had to make a decision to cut something out. I had to step down as Cubmaster. It was a hard decision, as I've been with that unit for 6 years, since my younger son joined Scouting as a Tiger Cub. He advanced on up to Troop last year, though, but I was still in a leadership position with the Pack. Two sons in two Troops. Art business that has suddenly taken off this year at a much greater rate than I anticipated. Involvement with local arts communities to network and to find opportunities. My family was not seeing enough of me either - something had to give. I know the Pack willl do fine without me, it's just a matter of adjustment and other parents stepping up. That position needs to be filled by a parent who has a son there, not by someone trying to be active at Troop level too.

So now I'm playing catch-up. I've several commissions to fill, I'm mustering art to hang in a local restaurant, I've a big show at the Fair next month to prepare for. And I'm working on awards for an all-too-quickly-approaching BSA District Awards Banquet. These awards are very unusual and pretty cool. The idea grew from paddle-making which I put an OA youth onto up at Camp Black Mountain last summer. That and aspirations to learn steam-bending cedar - which we still want to do, just to be able to teach to youth. These awards are a joint effort - a talented craftsman of a Scouter built them. I'm painting them with PNW Flat Design. Then four of us will get together and finish the decorating andadornments. District has *never* seen awards like these!

After Banquet, I will post photos. I wouldn't want to give away the surprises before the event. I must say though-- I feel like I'm getting ready for a Potlatch!

PNW play

PNW Elk

He's got a few issues I'd like to change, though nothing enormous. Overall, I'm pretty satisfied. This is for Wapiti, my OA Chapter. Our Lodge is Nisqually, the Raven. You can see Raven in his eye. I went with a Northern style, sort of a Tlingit-Tsimshian. I'll eventually paint him on a drum.

Eventually I will design a full-body elk suitable for sewing on a button blanket. The image I have in my head is in profile, leaping. I remember seeing an ancient tattoo that was on the corpse of a woman of high rank. She was discovered in a tomb in the Russian Steppes; her story was published in the October 1994 issue of National Geographic. I've always been quite taken with that tattoo design. The pose is so striking, so free, full of joy and powerful - it has stayed with me. Yes, I think that design with a Northwestern Coastal approach would be quite appealing on a blanket. Maybe I'll tackle that one by Spring.

Progressions in PNW design

Raven Steals The Sun

I still have much to learn in PNW Flat Design. I have a good teacher in a Kwakiutl chief and master carver down in Southern Washington.

This was done in Micron pen and acrylic paint. My ovoids are still "mushy" as he put it. They need more strength, more tension - in order to be proper. When I get it done right, I want to paint this on a drum. I'm told the style I use is very strongly Tsimshian - having grown up in Ketchikan, I can understand why.

Explorations into other outlets

Button Blanket

This is merely the beginning of my borderwork, which contains Heron. The buttons and shaped paua shell ovoid in this photograph are not sewn down, but merely placed to judge their visual merits in a completed design. The red wool applique work, however, is stitched down for the most part - all is hand-sewn with tiny blanket-edge stitches to help bind and define the edges.

This is a full-sized blanket of high quality coating-weight wool. Heron will be in the border on both sides with the larger smoke-colored shell buttons lining the edge of that, and Bear with Cub will be the central figure. She will be outlined with the smaller mother-of-pearl shell buttons seen in the photo. It will take considerable time, probably the remainder of the winter - but it is a welcome break in between painting feathers for the upcoming Home Show in Eugene.