Empress Wu Designs with Wilma

I   've always enjoyed that imperfect line of  "not quite in control' free motion machine stitching....  I think it really suits creating portraits , giving them some character and even a quirkiness that hints of personality plus.  These ones below are from my " Red Cheeks" series from a couple of years ago, and are amongst my favourite stitched portraits.  The current Stitch Club ( textileartist.org) workshop, by  Batool Showghi has inspired me to stitch more this week. Batool , of course, is in complete control of her machine stitching and her works are exquisite and they tell a moving story.  ... " Working with paper, print, paint and stitch, her textile art bears witness to displacement, silenced women and the damage that authoritarian regimes impose on ordinary lives. Batool’s mixed media wall pieces are incredibly striking, but her artist books truly set her apart. Printed imagery of family photographs, birth certificate documents and her o...

  I couldn't have hoped for a more suitable theme set for this fortnight's Tag Tuesday ..... "Add a Postage Stamp". I often use postage stamps in my collage work, and I admit I really enjoy working with these miniature artworks.  The two stamps I've chosen for this exercise are both Australian.   The first one depicting a white tailed kingfisher is from a 1980 issue and this series is amongst my favourite "bird" series. The second is from an Australian animal series issued in 2019  .... who doesn't love a wombat?  The tags are both paper collages - with some stitching and  in the second, I stitched a real dried eucalypt leaf. And just to add a but of interest, I also decorated the backs of the tags, complementing the theme on the front.  I hope you enjoy this glimpse of  the natural world in Australia... 

Days 5 & 7 - the Gold Rush Era Stamp Series   It seems so long ago now since we were celebrating Christmas and New Year.... hope you enjoyed a great festive season. I took some time out, not doing much at all but I did set myself a little challenge of doing some tidying up which meant spending a little time each day using scraps of fabric and paper  to create something a little playful or as the mood took, useful!  Unlike the long projects I usually undertake, this was a 12 day project ( 12 days of Christmas ) - completely random, but finishing half done projects or recycling.  For example the first photo shows some collages  I did on days 5 and 7 to use a postage stamp release, the Gold Rush Era series, first issued in Australia 1981 ... yes I probably have had it in my stash since then!   Completing some other little projects was very satisfying .... On Day 1, I assembled a folded  paper folk cube from a kit my daughter gifted to me las...

from 2022 #the100dayproject- Wilma Simmons    When I see or use a bright yellow, it resonates energy, joy, and happiness.  It is no wonder that in the colour prompts, this yellow is called "sunshine" ... If you haven't been following, I am participating in #the100dayproject, an art challenge, where participants for 100 consecutive days make art for a short period of time daily, using  their own chosen techniques in their self designed project.  I've chosen to respond to the weekly colour prompts #coloricombo , curated by Este Macleod. This particular one  ( black, white and sunshine) is inspired by and is a tribute to the iconic Iris Apfel ( 1921 -2024) ,  who was an American businesswoman, interior designer, and  fashion designer , known for her flamboyant style, outspoken personality and oversized eyeglasses. In business with her husband, Carl, from 1950 to 1992, Apfel had a career in textiles, including a contract with the White House that spa...

It seemed appropriate to end the 10 day folding book of  egg cups with a blue chook!   The decision wasn't as easy to manage the space between the beginning and the end of the shelf - Should I have left it blank? I filled it in with a drawing of a pot plant. There is a much bigger version of this plant next to the cabinet where the real egg cups are displayed, so it too seemed appropriate... .   And here are the images of my  #the100dayproject - #100daysof eggcups... Thanks for following and watch this space for the continuing story - only 90 days to go! 

  These two "police" egg cups in my collection - a Parisian gendarme and a London bobby - made me wonder what could possibly be the connection between the police and eggs?  After a quick Goggle search, I found that an Australian policeman made the world news by cooking an egg on the bonnet of his car in 46 degreesC heat in Birdsville , Queensland and here's the video to verify the story...   This of course has nothing to do with my #the100dayproject and the drawings of the little egg cups in my collection. I also drew a floral eg cup today, so bouquets to the police all over the world. 

  Days 7 & 8  created a little scene of laughter and absurdity.... some funny faces egg cups with a cup and saucer egg cup . I did also draw a lovely egg cup with the Bavarian coat of arms, one of the many egg cups I collected while travelling in Germany.  It really did get overshadowed by the funny faces ...  Followed by the cup and saucer ... .  #the100dayproject : Days 4 -8 #100daysofeggcups  To view the series so far - check   Instagram 

  For Day 4 , I chose three egg cups with similar shaped flowers... and the touches of red and yellow really complement all those blues of the precious days.    And for Day 5, one of my favourites and one of the oldest in my collection of eggcups with legs .  Do you prefer the traditional egg cup shapes of the novelty ones? Watch this space - more unusual egg cups will follow....