Monday, December 29, 2014

New Felt Cuffs on Etsy

Howdy!

My newest finally-finished felt wrist cuffs are listed on Etsy.

I made the felt myself with roving...really fun stuff.  They are flat but wrap around with a button enclosure.  Edges are wrapped with yarn or embroidery floss to secure the wool.  Because of their fairly large size and visual pop, I'd definitely consider these wearable art.  Click the photos to go straight to each listing.


Blue Wool Cuff Bracelet by AmyEclectic on Etsy



Wool Cuff Bracelet by AmyEclectic on Etsy
https://www.etsy.com/listing/216540345/colorful-felt-cuff-bracelet?ref=listing-shop-header-1
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By the way, I'm also having an end-of-year sale on everything in my shop.  This includes new items, old items, clearance items, normal items, cheap items and pricey items.  Enter HNY33 to get 33% off of your whole single purchase.  Offer expires midnight December 31st, so get shopping!

Sunday, December 14, 2014

Goodnight, Ovenfried Beads

Today I finally retired the name Ovenfried Beads.  Since polymer is barely on my radar nowadays, I want to share with you that there are some new sites you should bookmark or follow if you want to continue to see my work. 

 AmyEclectic on Etsy

Etsy:   Two possible names that I wanted to use were taken or retired, so I decided to go with AmyEclectic.  That name didn't just come to me today by accident.  It has stewed for a while.  Today I just had the balls to do it. 
Amy E Wallace - Artist on Facebook

Facebook:    It's simple.  Amy E Wallace - Artist.  I can't ask for much more freedom in what I decide to share of my creations.  I didn't want to call it AmyEclectic in the event I should leave Etsy.  Etsy is just a selling venue, not my creative identity.


A Very Pedestrian Snail on Tumblr

Tumblr:    This photo blog is primarily nature photography.  I'll occasionally share one of my handmade items if I think it will appeal to my audience.  It has been titled A Very Pedestrian Snail since I started it.  My photos are heavy in lichen, fungi, leaves, bark, and natural oddities I find on my hikes.

Flickr:  There is so much updating to do....I haven't touched it in forever.  If you want to visit it, here it is..

This blog.  I have already changed the name....I plan on making some other adjustments over the next few weeks.  Last week I lost my only camera, but I have lots of in-progress photos I can share.  There is so much to do!  I'm not sure if I can change the URL.  Too tired to look at that right now.

You are invited to visit these sites.  Please "Like" or "Follow" if you would like to know what I'm up to in my art.

Thanks for your support.


Monday, July 14, 2014

Marbling Fabric = Science Art


My newest Etsy listings for marbled fabric mention that I have a deep creative interest in science, namely biology.  Astronomy and geology rank a tight second.  I am fascinated with natural design with fractals and interconnected patterns, fluid dynamics, repetition and shapes/structures.  Patterns and designs that can are similar in minute and large scales are very appealing to me.  If you open a random biology, zoology or other related natural science textbook, you'll see images that can be achieved in a myriad of way artistically, including illustration, painting, or achieved through the "random" use of paint on a liquid.

Marbling fabric is my way of satisfying my need to see natural forces at work with little control from my end.  This is where fluid dynamics and chemistry come to play. The final image is where a moment of movement is frozen in time and preserved.  And that's where one of the hardest parts of marbling come in....knowing when to stop adding dye, stop swirling, stop manipulating, and drop the fabric down.  It is a most gratifying activity, and it's amazing to see what manifests when I know darn well I couldn't have invented it in my head first.  I can visualize (which is a foundation of creating), but I never know how it will end up looking.  Typically when I pull the fabric up off of the base medium, the first thing that comes out of my mouth is "Holy s#%t, that is AMAZING!"  Every time.

Here is a video from Interweave that skipped the prep work and goes straight to the fun part of marbling fabric.


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Below are images of my own marbled fabrics.  These pieces really are little works of art, created by the Universe with a little nudge from me.  If they were hand-designed, painted, illustrated or otherwise created using paint from a brush, a marker or another slow process, they'd be very laborious, thus very expensive.  The fact that it's on fabric adds another dimension of longevity and use...if it gets damp, it won't be destroyed.  It can be sewn, embroidered, embellished, over-dyed, quilted, or otherwise altered by an artist who needs a framework or base to work from. They can also be framed as they are.  If you are interested in seeing more photographs of each of these and designs not shown here, click on the photos to go straight to the Etsy listings.  Purchasing is possible there.  If the act of marbling fabric interests you, there are lots of sites and books out there to help.  I highly recommend you do it outside or on concrete floors.  Give yourself a whole day to it to really immerse yourself into it.  Pun intended!


Marbled Fabric by Ovenfried Beads on Etsy

Marbled Fabric by Ovenfried Beads on Etsy

Marbled Fabric by Ovenfried Beads on Etsy

Marbled Fabric by Ovenfried Beads on Etsy

Marbled Fabric by Ovenfried Beads on Etsy

Marbled Fabric by Ovenfried Beads on Etsy

Marbled Fabric by Ovenfried Beads on Etsy

Sunday, July 13, 2014

Cabochons/Buttons/Pendants on Etsy.

And there's more to come!

I'm digging deep into the chasms of my polymer clay stash, coming up with some fun stuff that I just know I won't finish to completion (as in buttons, bead embroidery, jewelry, etc).  For a while before I retired from polymer jewelry earlier this year, I went on a cabochon-making bonanza.  They are finished as far as cabs can go, but I know that there are creative folks out there who can use them in fabulous fiber art, embellishments and jewelry.   They are all small batch.  Click on the pictures to go straight to the listing on Etsy.  In the listing you will find out more about the techniques used, how they are finished, dimensions, etc.  I will be adding many more over the coming days.

Follow me on Facebook for more frequent updates. 

https://www.etsy.com/listing/196082958/2-horn-shaped-cabochons-pendants-or?ref=shop_home_active_1
Now THESE fiery things could end up in something really cool.
https://www.etsy.com/listing/196081592/3-round-buttons-cabochons-or-pendants?ref=listing-shop-header-1
Three different designs from the same chunk of clay.
https://www.etsy.com/listing/196080312/4-square-buttons-cabochons-or-pendants?ref=listing-shop-header-2
Like a circus.



Tuesday, July 1, 2014

The Stacker Bead Destash

Today I posted 4 listings on Etsy for the beginning of my bead destash.  These beads are from my original jewelry supply stash.  If you click on each picture, you will be taken to the individual Etsy listing.  These listings contain the majority of my current Stacker bead stash.  When they're gone, they're gone!   Make sure you also check out my new Rusty Fabric panels that are now available for purchase.  They are hand-dyed, one-of-a-kind, and ready to be used! 

Excellent set of beads...creme of the crop!

 
Great fall jewelry colors.
https://www.etsy.com/listing/195918486/96-polymer-clay-stacker-beads-destash?ref=listing-shop-header-0
 This was added 7/10 due to popular demand.
 
This massive lot of 148 beads has a ton of potential.



Sunday, June 22, 2014

Hot Date in the Art Studio

Last night was a great "date" night between me and my art supplies in the studio.  I worked on some bases for the Femmes pictured here.  The bases are made of Ultra-Light polymer clay, then covered with regular Sculpey III, Fimo Soft or Premo, depending on the color. The Ultra-Light is amazing...easy to mold, not sticky.  If you use the Ultra-Light and happen to paint it, I'd love some tips on what kinds of paints stick well to it.  I've tried a few things but so far I'm not terribly happy with what I've come up with.  Alcohol inks seem to penetrate plastic well, but as far as brush-on....well the verdict is still out on that. 


Later I started my second sari-strip scarf.  Decided to start with reds and oranges on one part, then will merge some blues and purples into another half.  I'm kind of addicted to ironing the strips right now.  As of this morning, the strips you see below are now sandwiched and pinned between 2 layers of Sulky Ultra-Solvy stabilizer.  When the blue/purple half is finished and attached, I'm going to sew the sandwich lengthwise in large arcs and sweeping curves to make sure all of the sari strips are connected.  When I'm satisfied that I've sewn enough, I will submerge the whole scarf in some water and work the water soluble Ultra-Solvy out of the scarf.  This will be a "beefier", more substantial scarf than the one at work that I made.


Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Good-bye Jewelry, Hello Grown-up Art!





Jumping out, on, and upward!

 Anyone who has followed my blog for more than 6 months knows that I usually post something only when it's really important.  Well this blog post is ULTRA-important, as it is publicly marking the end of an era for Ovenfried Beads.

After a few years of hemming and hawing over whether or not I like making jewelry, I have discovered that I do not, so I've stopped.  Shoppers who know my Etsy store, or any of the four regular galleries in Cincinnati who sell my work, know that my designs are always changing.  The Stacker beads are one of the only constants in about 12 of the last 19 years I've been working with polymer.  Polymer clay has afforded constant challenges needed to stay stimulated.  In the beginning I was one of a handful of locals using it.  Now with Etsy and other seller venues, the competition has grown very tiring for me, and I feel like I'm treading water backwards.

Last year I took a fabric marbling workshop at Silk Road Textiles in Cincinnati with fiber artist Barb Grothaus.  It opened a whole new venue for that balance of chance and minimal control that I love.  I have also started marbling paper in the Japanese "suminagashi" method.  Paper painting and staining (which is different than making a painting) has also been a barrel of fun, and I'm starting to create my own art components from those colorful stiff sheets.

Then I was able to stand by during two Natural Spirit Doll classes by Carole Staples.  Last week I made my very first art doll, and I can only describe what happened as a creative tidal wave that has exploded out of me.  The polymer beads, buttons and baubles have found a new home...on actual artwork.  I have finally tapped into something that has been wanting to come out for a long time, and the only way I can manifest that is to devote 100% of my artistic energy and time to it.

What does this mean for fans of Ovenfried Beads?  Well, for one thing, my jewelry will only be available for sale in shops through Mother's Day.  Most of what is in stock in the shops has been rotated between galleries, online and in shows for years.  After that I will take it all back so I can disassemble, sort and use in future mixed media art.  The jewelry that is in my Etsy store will also be taken off, but my Stacker bead tutorial will remain for sale.  New non-jewelry items will start to pop up on there sometimes, and eventually when I have created some nice bodies of work, I hope that they will return to the same loyal, local, women-owned stores that have carried my work for years and years, available to the public again. I really look forward to what is to come. 

If you collect my jewelry or give it as gifts, buy it before it is gone.    Below is a list of stores that sell my jewelry. They have all been notified of this new direction.  Visit their website for contact info, store hours and more.

indigenous: a handcrafted gallery
2010 Madison Road
Cincinnati, OH 45208
www.indigenouscraft.com

NVision
4577 Hamilton Ave
Cincinnati, OH 45223
www.nvisionshop.com

Urban Eden
1313 Main Street
Cincinnati, OH 45202
http://irisbookcafe.com/urban-eden/

Silk Road Textiles
6106 Hamilton Ave
Cincinnati, OH 45224

www.silkroadcincinnati.com

www.ovenfriedbeads.etsy.com