Welcome to my BLOG!
Art Making In The North -the life of an artist living in ALASKA.
February 20, 2012
Getting My Fix
The EYE of the Beholder Wearable Art Show needed a “People’s Choice Award” trophy and I jumped at the chance to create something fun out of metal. It was a chance to get my “metal fix” with all this fiber art I’ve been working in lately! The show already had a fab logo designed by fellow volunteer and graphic designer Deanna Teders. It’s great when somebody can email you a ready to go vector file that has been built right and corrupted! I edited part of the logo that had a large zipper and added a few of the buttons that were also in the logo and had it cut out of ¼” aluminum steel. I wanted a piece that could be held up by the winner as their name was announced –sort of like an Oscar! The trophy company is milling me an acrylic base and engraved name plate this week. It was fun to work with metal again but I had to unpack drill, grinder and even heavy duty gloves that I hadn't used since we moved.
We’ve been keeping up with our daughter, Kristen through the Great Belt Research Cruise daily Blog! She is currently at sea in the Southern Ocean with the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences as a Research Technician. The 2012 Great Belt Research Cruise: Exploring Phytoplankton in the Southern Ocean An international team of researchers left Durban, South Africa on February 18, 2012 aboard the Research Vessel Roger Revelle and will arrive 35 days later in Freemantle, Australia, after collecting data and samples as they cross the Southern Ocean “25 Scientists, 35 days at sea, billions of coccolithophores.” Kristen works primarily with the CTD equipment, then will process the samples from the various stations in the on board laboratory. The CTD rosette is the primary water collection tool used on the cruise; CTD stands for Conductivity, Temperature, and Depth, referring to the set of sensors mounted on the bottom of the rosette.
There is an education link for the cruise that is interesting for any teachers you may know. The goal of this project is to increase ocean literacy by inspiring and encouraging students and the public to learn about oceanography, life at sea and career options in ocean science. Photos and the expedition’s blog are by Rebecca Fowler.
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That's our girl, GRADUATED AND gainfully EMPLOYED :)
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February 14, 2012
Going Formal in Alaska!
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"Alaska Formal" Sticky Tie from evREwares, "Art with a PEEL, Reusable, Fabric Adhesives" Fishing Lure Tie and the "Alaska Formal" line designed by Cindy Shake
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Another advantage of working with a sales rep is the opportunity to meet and be exposed to other manufacturers. This winter Karen Sobolesky showed me this amazing new sub straight material that is a patented, peelable, reusable fabric adhesive that can be wiped clean and being manufactured by evREwares. I’ve been searching for such a material to have my illustrated alphabets printed on for classrooms, kid’s rooms etc. I used to print the alphabets on long strips of cover weight paper. But due to the rising costs of offset printing and having such an awkward shaped product, this is no longer a viable solution for wholesaling. During the process of designing and working on the new alphabet project ideas with evREwares, (which are still in the development phase), I’d seen their line of children’s “Sticky Ties” that evREwares produces and thought an Alaskan themed set of adult ties would be a big seller during our tourism season. Creative minds must think alike as evREwares was in the process of producing their line of “Big Guy Ties” and thought my idea of “Alaska Formal” ties for our market was a good one and bought the idea! I designed 6 different “Alaska Formal” themed ties including the iconic “Blue Tarp” tie, duct tape, fur, salmon skin, lumberjack, and my favorite the fishing lure tie! The ties are ready and orders are rolling in for evREwares. It’s fun to actually see Derek’s old blue tarp and favorite fishing flies and lures become immortal on the “Alaska Formal” Sticky Ties!
February 9
KTVA Interview!
http://www.ktva.com/home/outbound-xml-feeds/Local-Artist-Cindy-Shake-Turns-to-Fabric-for-Her-Art-139022214.html
Local Artist Cindy Shake Turns to Fabric for Her Art
WELL-KNOWN CRAFTSWOMAN TRADES WELDER FOR SEWING MACHINE
By Lauren Maxwell
Bio | Email
ANCHORAGE - Anchorage artist Cindy Shake is well known for her metal sculptures, most of which celebrate themes in nature. From garden art ravens to a huge metal flower blooming on a corner in Mountain View, Shake’s prolific work can be seen on office walls and in homes all over town.
But recently Shake’s work has taken a more delicate turn. This tough girl artist has temporarily traded in her welder’s torch for a sewing machine.
“It really is a departure from the Carhartts, sparks and flames,” jokes Shake in her colorful studio, now filled with fabric.
Shake explains that when she recently moved into a older home in Anchorage’s South Addition neighborhood there was no studio space on the property to do the big metal projects she’s so well known for. Shake said she saw it as an opportunity to take a break and change direction.
And changing directions isn’t something new for this long-time artist. Shake started her career in advertising two decades ago. Eventually she owned her own successful graphic design business. But a diagnosis of cancer in 2000 turned her life around.
“It was really hard,“ said Shake, “ I'd been working a lot, I had a real large client load and that whole year of treatment forced our family to reprioritize our lives.”
For Shake that meant one thing, spending less time at the computer and more time devoted to hands-on art. It’s when she started working with metal, an obsession that would last for a dozen years. But Shake said some recent news about her health is pointing her in yet a new direction.
“I am technically in remission, and that is making a big difference. You know, I think when you have cancer that's always in the back of your mind, you may be cured, you may be in remission, but it doesn't go away. Now I think enough time has finally gone by that I can slow down and maybe start doing some creative work that is coming from the heart.”
Shake’s latest work includes a series of colorful art quilts that are hand-sewn and embellished. She said the small pieces can become so personal that she sometimes has trouble letting them go, even to sell to local galleries.
“It’s hard; I work on a something a long time and I do have trouble parting with it,” she laughs. “I have to have what I call a ‘cooling off’ period sometimes.”
Shake’s latest business venture is something much easier to part with. It’s a line of original sewing patterns packaged so that quilters can create Shake designs of their own. Shake sells them at quilt and fabric stores around the state but said she’s also getting orders from around the world.
Then there’s the line of original fabric she’s exploring, featuring her trademark designs, as well as wearable art pieces entered in an upcoming show. Like everything she does, it’s art from the heart, and in Shake’s case that means others are likely to love it too.
January 21
Plan Z
With apologies to Plankton, I felt like I was reverting to evil plan Z this week. After several different attempts and ideas for my Alaska Fiber Festival Wearable Art entry that were just not gelling, I finally found an idea that I could run with. Thank goodness. I’m showing you just a sneak peek for now… Frustratingly, there is no "on demand create” switch on my body –though I wish there were. My first couple of ideas for my entry were shot down (by me) after doing some reference image searches, I came across images of similar designs that had already been created –DOH! One early idea was a dress in the shape of hand painted, Tyvek sculpted butterfly wings I wanted to call “Mariposa Metamorphic” -already done. Then, my idea for the “Read Queen,” a play on the Red Queen reinvented was going to be a red and black dress of sculptural books and magazine pages was just NOT structurally working as I had hoped. After sewing numerous pages from books, dying a thrift store wedding dress as a base in my NEW LG washing machine (I was panicked I was going to stain the machine using the Black RIT!) came out old lady lavender instead of BLACK, arrrgh, so I finally gave up that idea. Even after seeing that one of my original ideas had already been done I stubbornly kept at it and ground it right into the frozen ground until it died a slow depressing death until it was no longer fun. Then while feeling sorry for myself and farting around in my studio it came to me! I changed my thinking to try and create something that I LIKED MAKING instead of something that I HAVE TO DO or a piece that NEEDS TO WOW. Sounds easy enough, but sometimes I get so focused on the wrong direction and intention, like the JUDGING and the CONTEST portion of the Fiber Festival that I easily lose sight of the best part, the CREATIVE PROCESS and making. I put way too many self imposed high expectations on my entry even before I began. Fearing that my entry wasn't going to be "good enough" started to derail my ART MAKING even before I started MAKING the ART, silly me. I'm back on track and LOVING the direction my new piece is taking.-P.S. There is still plenty of time for YOU to make something, entries are not due until February 3 and is open to all mediums! If you are out of state and would like to participate, I'd be happy to help coordinate the delivery of your piece. For for more information and entry rules visit the Fiber Festival web site.
Oh, and did I mention there is $2,000 in prize money up for grabs?!!
The find of the week was my VINTAGE dress maker mannequin! Isn't she just FAB!
She was immediately put to work fitting my Wearable Art entry for the Fiber Festival.
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| Check out the entries from the 2011 Show for a little inspiration at http://www.alaskafiberfestival.org/ |
January 14
Big Huge Color
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| This free app called the Color Palette Generator, automatically creating a color palette from any photo, I found on the Cold Feet Quilter’s Blog. I’m not sure what I will use the app/utility for yet but one thing I do know is I can use all the help I can get when it comes to color! I’m always looking for new designs of color wheels (or as I like to call them –Bravery Wheels!) and ways to learn more about the use of color. With this free app you simply upload a photo and with the click of the “Create>>” button and Big Huge Labs automatically generates a color palette you can use for your art making projects. Big Huge Labs “Helping you do cool stuff with your digital photos since 2005. :-) Have fun with your photos!”has other fun and free “toys, games and utilities” to use with images. Big Huge Labs has a whole menu of time sucking fun to offer! This weekend when I have a couple of hours to burn I’m going to check out the Cube, Bead Art , Captioner and Framer apps! After |
January 12
 Seems Alaska is receiving all the snow for the entire U.S.! Alaska’s weather has even hadCNN watching. We’ve set a new record for snowfall in the month of January, ALREADY and with even more snow on the way, it’s been a great time to stay INSIDE the studio and sew. Here is a link to the images from the snowfall in the outlying cities of Valdez and Cordova that appeared in the Anchorage Daily News. With some of my deadline projects out of the way I’ve wanted to work some more on my powerline series using image transfers, fabric painting, embellishing and free motion stitching. The new TAP artist transfer paper provided a smoother image for me to sew and paint over. These pieces have given me an opportunity to practice my sewing when I slow down enough to quilt “properly.” I tend to not want to follow the “rules” of traditional sewing or quilting. It’s a gentle balance because the perfectionist in me would like to already be an expert at sewing the basics but I’ll need at least another week, just kidding, I’m still light years away but enjoying the journey! I’m working on avoiding puckering, maintaining proper tension adjustment, avoiding uneven stitches with my free motion sewing and taking more care with my finish work. Part of my steep learning curve is my desire to use new and different materials, fabrics, designs and embellishments. At least with the kind of winter we're having, the garden won’t even be thawed out until July giving me PLENTY of time in the studio!  |
| Art quilt, part of the "Powerline" series is about 13" x 30" tall. Cotton fabric, digital image transfers, fabric paints with free motion stitching. |
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| Art quilt, part of the "Powerline" series is about 14" x 16.5" tall. Cotton fabric, digital image transfers, fabric paints with free motion stitching. |
January 7
In a Small World Lives Memory Lane
  A few years ago I ran into a high school friend David at City Market. David is cool, he was cool even in high school. In his high school life he was a fantastic artisan and potter in D-21. D-21 as it was called was the infamous Art Room at Dimond High School. Today, David is a successful and amazing carpenter. It was through David that Daddy-O and I met our current electrical contractor that installed our power box, panels and upgraded our electrical for my kilns, plasma cutters and welder at the old house (he's getting a call this summer for the new house needs!). Welders should never be without a good electrician and thanks to David we have one for life! David and I were reminiscing on one of our morning meet-ups over morning coffee and he mentioned that our old art teacher Mr. S, who also happens to be a very successful potter, is now teaching in China. David and Mr. S have occasionally e-mailed one another along with a few other of our D-21 art peeps. 
Directly above is a page from my high school yearbook showing the Art Room at D-21. That's me in the upper right corner! The other photo, upper left, is a picture of Mr. S talking with a student in 1980. The smaller inset is of another art teacher Mrs. P, who also happened to be a vendor at the Spenard Farmer's Market last summer selling her art!
Over the Holiday break I received an e-mail from an old high school boyfriend, Steve. He was happy to read on the internet that I was still an artist and even making a living at it. Steve shared that he is now also an artist as well as a teacher in Seattle. He wasn’t one of our regular D-21 crew because he spent most of his creative time with the theater crowd. Approaching 50 years old and ready for a change, Steve wrote he was about to be moving to China and had written and illustrated a book "A Place For My Stuff" about downsizing and his process that lead up to the big life change. The book was available on Blurb so I ordered it and when it arrived I put it under the Christmas tree. Finally able to sit down with my morning tea I had a chance to read through it. It’s a lovely story full of wonderful illustrations of places I'm familiar with in Seattle. Through the book I was able to catch a glimmer of what my old high school friend has been up to the last 30 years. The coolest part of the story is at a Holiday Open House both David and I were at, I shared that Steve is now in China and teaching at the same school as Mr. S! After all these years, it's still a small world.
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| "A Place For My Stuff" An Illustrated Journal by my high school friend Steven Reddy. Available from Blurb. Steve writes "All of the location sketches were done on-site with black Uni-ball pens in spiral-bound tablets of 90lb. all-purpose paper. I shade them with very diluted India ink washes with Utrecht's Nylon Sable brushes, and color them with whatever watercolors are handy. Sometimes I'll apply highlights with a white Jelly Roll pen." |
December 27
We saw the new Muppet Movie over the weekend! I LOVE the muppets and when Kermit sings "The Rainbow Connection" I tear up, probably because it makes me think of the incredible talent of Jim Henson -another soul who was ahead of his time and passed much too soon. Some of my friends also know I have always secretly wanted to be a muppet designer.
With happy shades of Kermit on my mind I was inspired to create my own little green world after seeing a photo in a magazine of unique and fun ways to create Holiday centerpieces. I was inspired to create my own ornament terrarium style diorama -sorry, no frogs but I did have other supplies on hand. When I think of other people’s terrariums, I think of clunky, huge, recycled water cooler bottles with the insides sweating and dripping with so much moisture you can’t clearly see the tangle of overgrown plants. Terrariums don’t have to be big and clunky and now there are many more unique varieties of plantings available. I picked up some clear, glass ornaments at the thrift store originally market $1, but anything Christmas was five items for one dollar, so they were only about 30 cents for the box! The hardest part
was finding small succulents and moss for my mini terrariums at the end of December in Anchorage.This a photo link of the kind of moss I was looking for, but no luck. There is plenty of similar moss in my garden, unfortunately it’s now under 2 feet of snow and frozen dormant! I already had some potting soil and fun little HO railroad scale cows for my ornament terrarium that I could use. A funnel made it easy to get the potting soil in the small opening, a wooden skewer helped plant the succulents, pat the soil down and a few clean Q-tips helped to clean the inside of the glass ornament. We'll see how the little orb world will grow with our low winter light.
I found some inspiring terrarium art and imagery while reading that terrariums are making a comeback. Garden Design dot com featured Terrarium Ornaments inspired by the work of Paula Hayes that was at the New York Museum of Modern Art and check out these moss placemats using "SuperMoss" that rolls out like wallpaper -ooo the possibilities! The Fern and Mossery also has a Blog on all things terrarium and The New York Times ran an article on “Terrariums Make a Comback.” Check out the work by Michelle Inciarrano and Katy Maslow who now sell their terrariums at a Brooklyn Flea Market under the name Twig Terrariums. Don’t worry, I don’t have yet ANOTHER medium I'm jumping into, it was just fun getting a bit of dirt under my nails during December in Alaska!
December 21
This Alaskan celebrates the Winter Solstice with joy of finally seeing the 18-plus hours (on Dec. 21, Anchorage sunrise occurs at 10:14 a.m. with sunset following five hours and 27 minutes later at 3:41 p.m.) of darkness wane and having a full house! And true to years past my studio is humming and the family is a buzzing this Holiday week. With Kristen home for the winter break, all of my offspring have been able to gather at our house laughing, eating and squabbling. The familiar sounds of sibling rivalry occurring in adult size bodies are strangely comforting to me. Though probably not as exciting as seeing Daddy-O in his full construction and tool belt regalia as he starts on our “new” old house interior renovations during his winter break! I’ve made room in the studio for Kristen’s sewing machine and have loved the company while I work. Of course we’re fighting over the choice of my music playing vs. her streaming Law and Order or CSI… nothing a little hot Apple Cider with Captain Morgan’s won’t cure!
December 15
After purchasing some beautiful 100% cotton Batik fabric from theQuilted Raven, I was inspired to make some 12" x 12" Art Cloth. I've had several requests from loyal customers for Art Cloth panels that they could sew into small art quilts, pillows and wall hangings. What an opportunity for me to fling some paint around the studio! I made a mess, cutting out custom foam shapes, altering my rubber stamp collection and trying various acrylic paints, fabric paint,Jacquard inks, FW Acrylic Artists Inks. After painting, printing and stamping in layers, I heat set all of the cloth. The pieces where I used high intensity glitter paints, I think, turned out the best. I'm working on the custom hang tags now and the panels will be available at the Quilted Raven!
I need to get the studio cleaned up and add an extra table for Kristen's sewing machine. She's coming home tomorrow for the Holiday break and my studio is going to look like Santa's workshop because we're going to be knee deep in team ART MAKING!
One place I forgot to clean up yesterday was the bathroom near my studio where Daddy-O found my large, rubber halibut and other fish molds floating and soaking in the sink when he went to shave this morning! Thankfully he's used to life with an artist!
December 10
I ordered some woven labels from “It’s Mine!” to sew to the back of my art quilts. I had been using a fine point sharpie to write the title of the quilt along with my name but wanted to add a more professional touch. Sometimes the sharpie was hard to see against the darker fabrics and feel that these labels, once sewn on, will also last a bit longer with the work. “It’s Mine!” offers a number of different styles and it was hard to choose which style would be the most versatile. Before I ordered I looked through my growing stack of small art quilts and settled on the white stitching on navy, simple, horizontal design. The labels arrived as promised and even earlier than stated! Just in time for a couple of special gift-giving projects I’ve finished. With the large selection of styles and sizes, these labels are also perfect for artisans working in fiber arts, sew in clothing for kids going to day care, camp or for an elder person's belongings in an assisted living facility.
November 28
Small Business Saturday may have been celebrated across the country but BIG ART was being sold at the Anchorage Museum Craft Weekend! I was fortunate to be able to shop "local" yesterday and today and saw many of my talented artist friends and their inspiring booths. I also enjoyed visiting all of the authors at the Read Alaska Book Fair that happened on the upper level of the Museum during the juried Craft Fair.
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| My friend Wendy Gingel gets a big congratulations for having her work accepted in the Anchorage Museum's Earth, Fire and Fiber XXVIII show this year (3 PIECES!!). She also has an impressive schedule lined up including: New Works in Tile, The International Contemporary Gallery -Anchorage, December 1 -31, 2011 and the Smithsonian Craft Show,Smithsonian National Building Museum, Washington DC April 19-22, 2012. |
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| The Gingell Ceramics booth today at the Anchorage Museum Craft Weekend. We were only able to visit briefly as Wendy was busy bubble wrapping all sizes of her SOLD original ceramic ware! Her booth looked great and customers were purchasing not only the smaller works but the large, impressive platters and bowls. I can't wait to see her large wall tiles at the upcoming First Friday show next week! |
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| Elise Strauss' booth with her beautiful lamp work beads of Koi Creek Beads. My favorite was an incredible "Ringed Seal" necklace. Customers were lining up to have a chance to purchase her limited edition Dancing Bear glass ornaments and her one of a kind feature beads! |
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| Terri Atwell with Beadwitched. Daddy-O purchased me a pair of Pearl, Iolite and Sterling Silver earrings from Terri. Pretty cool how he shopped while he was skiing today at Alyeska, huh?! |
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| "The Lindas!" Artists Linda Weatherwax and Linda Smith at their ever lovely booth today at Museum Craft Weekend. The "Lindas" are normally my Bad Girls of the North neighbors and I missed seeing them this year because of our big move. |
xOx
Week of November 13, 2011
A shout out and CHALLENGE to my artist friends (Duke, Katie, Wendy, Steve, Mary, Gina, Amanda, Linda, Joyce, Jamie, Ann, Lance, Chris, Sheila, Marieke, Kim, Jana... just to name a few)
I'm inspired and want to enter the "Eye of the Beholder Wearable Art Show" and I want you to enter too! These events are always better with new, diverse and abundant entries.
The event is scheduled for Friday, March 9, 2012 in Anchorage and is open to artists of ALL MEDIA (I'm thinking maybe METAL, wood, fiber, plastics/vinyl, recycle items, canvas, Tyvek...??)
Application deadline is Friday, February 3, 2012 (plenty of timefor you to plan, design and enter your creation!) And the best part... there is $2,000 in prize money!
For entry form and rules go to www.alaskafiberfestival.org
For a wonderful dose of COLOR and inspiration check out the AK Fiber Fest link above and the photos from the 2010 show -it's just FAB!
Week of November 6, 2011
Finally, there are more EMPTY boxes than FULL boxes ready for recycle or someone else to use for a MOVE! It's difficult for me to spend time art making in the studio when the whole house has been in such a state of flux with the move. However, today I spent my first half day working in the studio getting re-aquainted with the projects that were in production before the big move. Daddy-O painted my office a beautiful and reflective white and even installed two sets of WONDERFUL halogen spots that I love to work under. The "clean" studio (as opposed to the "dirty shop area" where I do metal work) is cleaned, painted, wired with all the digital network stuff and the shelves are restocked with my supplies and materials. Our "new" house was built in 1949 -which is old for Anchorage. There is a very cool, original hardwood floor in the studio that I love almost as much as I love the vintage southern exposure, full windows in the studio! I'm still getting a feel for the layout and work space flow and will probably make some changes as time and projects dictate -but for now I'm a happy girl.
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| A sneak peek into my new studio area! |
xOx
Had a chance to do a little art making in the new kitchen. We're still not sure what to think about the solid brick surround in the kitchen but I was sure that I wanted to paint the little alcove above the cook top though! Using some of my vintage Windsor and Newton Galleria Acrylic paints, I painted a little cloud scape. The original color was peach (shown in the picture with the home inspector checking out the appliances). I thought it made a nice backdrop for our framed vintage fruit label and for a few pieces of my salt and pepper collection.
xOx
Week of October 30, 2011
How to meet the neighbors -Day 1... Have your dog's leash get stuck in the hood of their car while trying not to set their car alarm off. "Howdy neighbors!" I know it's early on a SATURDAY MORNING and we just moved in, but can you open the hood of your car for us?!"
xOx
Took advantage of a good weather day and hiked up Mt. Alyeska BEFORE the move and BEFORE the snow -both of which arrived TODAY... A freezing rain had coated the rocks and roads of Girdwood. Made for slippery hiking but the fresh air was exactly what I needed. Olive dog needed some mountainside exercise too -lots of Fall smells and critters to track. I used this free, new filter on my phone to take these pictures, the FxCamera.
xOx
Week of October 24, 2011
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| Only part of the studio supplies boxed up and ready for the move! |
Oddly, the stress of buying another house, selling our house and now packing up everything has inspired me. I've had these bouts of inspiration that make me want to paint, draw, collage, sew, pound metal and CREATE. Due to all of the stress it's probably more like the need for EXTREME CREATING -probably a good thing I don't have easy access to the plasma cutter and welder... However, not having easy access to my art supplies and tools has created A LOT of anxiety. I'm a bit stressed to not have a clear timeline as to when my studio can be up and running again. My supplies and tools have always been readily at hand. I took for granted how often I could create at a moments notice -especially with my shop and studio being in our home. I've had to make due with some journaling -though not quite the same. Daddy-O has been super supportive and has the studio improvements and set-up at the top of the list once we get moved in. Awww, he truly does know me :) or knows how to keep me calm!
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| For easier transport and set-up, Daddy-O has been the "super spouse" -totally disassembling ALL of my studio racks AND both work tables without complaint! |
xOx
Picked up the sculptures from the Anchorage Gallery, Virtu, that recently closed. About 5 years ago I consulted with the owner for their storefront signage and made these exterior sculptures for the Gallery. I let them install the two pieces "on loan" as start up budgets are alway tight, and besides I'm always in support of an ART GALLERY! Sadly, Virtu closed and many artists are finding it tough to find another venue to sell their work. The good news, if there is such a thing, is that I now have the sculptures back and I think we will hang them on the house we are moving into this week. Both sculptures have accumulated a beautiful patina and weathered just as I had hoped.
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| 10' long custom sculpture I made for the Virtu Gallery that was on loan. |
xOx
For past posts my old Blog site was Art Making the North
http://www.alaskafiberfestival.org/
