Kelly Darke - Fine Art

Kelly Darke - Fine Art

Kelly Darke – Fine Art  brings a fascinating combination of fine art and art therapy to our mix. She is a Michigan (USA) artist, has a shop on Etsy, and uses stitching to add texture to her textiles.

Ariane Mariane

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Leisa Rich

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Abruzzo School of Creative Art

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Lift up the world...

Lift up the world a little every day . . .

by putting a tiny bit of something new in it.

And why not?

It's an act that encompasses:

passion

creativity

growth &

generosity

in a neat daily package. 

Perfect.

Susan M. Hinckley

Small Works in Wool

For the Love of Art.

One of the things I love about being a seller of fine craft is the association with and exposure to other artists and their magnificent creations.  I truly enjoy seeing the work people create --  beautiful vessels containing their love, passion, energy, time and resources.  It never fails to humble me to walk the aisles of a really good show.

I think that's because no one 

(in their right mind) 

goes into art or craft to get rich.

People are much more likely to end up there because it is where their heart has taken them (which shows in their work).  And that's worth much more than money, really.  

And to those who understand the value of handmade and feel its pull, but approach it as appeciator rather than creator, we need you and we thank you.  From the bottom of our hearts.

Susan M. Hinckley
Small Works in Wool

Keeping it Real.

When looking for ideas for one's art, it isn't necessary to look very far from wherever you happen to find yourself.

 Moon talk by a poet 

who has not been to the moon 

is likely to be dull.

-- Mark Twain

Having been educated as a writer, I've had it drilled into my head ad nauseum that good writers write about what they know.  As a young college student, I found it difficult to restrict myself to my own rather limited 18-20 years of life experience.  And now, as a ...*ahem...slightly older writer, it is clear to me that my youthful writing truly suffered as a result.

That's why my art is, by and large, the stuff of everyday.  Because I want it to be true.  If I can't make it true,  I can't expect it to resonate with the people who engage with it.  Keeping it real in some way offers  an easy-to-grab handle they can use to pull themselves into my creations, whether written or stitched.

It's a lesson I'm glad to have learned,  
and one I wish I'd understood the value of much sooner.

Susan M. Hinckley
Small Works in Wool

And now . . . a bit of fun.

People say an awful lot of smart-sounding stuff about art.

And I'll admit that quite often, the smartest-sounding stuff makes me want to just scratch my head and say, "Huh?"

That's why I was absolutely delighted the day I stumbled across PIXMAVEN,
a handy-dandy tool that can make even the least sophisticated among us sound like true art professionals.

One merely types in any five digit number, and the phrase generator spits out a "pithy commentary or savvy insight"... capable of... "confounding friends and colleagues"... and..."dumbfounding professors and artists emeriti."

From a previous zip code, I got this:

"Although I am not a painter, I think that the subaqueous qualities of the figurative-narrative line-space matrix contextualize the inherent overspecificity."

How many times have I wished I said that?

Probably time to redo the old artist's statement.

Susan M. Hinckley
Small Works in Wool

Just a friendly reminder.

Having been without the use of my left arm/hand for the past two weeks, I have been reminded of how perfectly splendid it is to have two hands, both in working order.

I missed my beloved left hand for too many reasons to count.

Of course, there were all the expected things, like eating, writing, and flossing my teeth.  But I was a bit surprised by how cut-off I felt from my creative side as a result of not being able to use my hands.

All I could do was peck away at my keyboard with my index finger, one letter at a time, and while it saved my sanity to be able to do so, I quickly realized that I like holding materials in my hands and feeling the process as something tangible and useful or beautiful emerges.

Frank Lloyd Wright said:

If it keeps up, man will atrophy all his limbs 

but the push-button finger.

And as I look around at the way people employ their hands most of the time these days, I am inclined to agree.  That's why, at least for the next while, I'm going to try to remember every day why I create in the first place, and how it feels --  the beautiful process and privilege of making with my hands.

Susan M. Hinckley
Small Works in Wool

Of Pencils and Possibilities

There's always a lot of noise in the art world about the definition of art, and who deserves to wear the Artist title and who doesn't -- admittedly a gray area. And it's a title I've been very reluctant to take for myself.

Most of the reluctance stems from the fact that I can't draw well. Even as a 4th grader that was painfully clear. It kept me from entertaining any thoughts of going to art school. And even though I know that drawing is a skill that can be taught (and that there's so much more to art than drawing), so firmly had I affixed the label "non-artist" to myself that it superseded my knowledge of those facts.

So I came to art via a long and winding path on which I studiously avoided picking up a pencil whenever I could. However, this year I decided to face my drawing demons and took on a 365 day Creativity Challenge to do a drawing every day for a year. It took me two years to work up to even thinking I could possibly do it (and so far I remain truly draw-o-phobic.)

So I count it as a great victory that this week I bought a case for my pencils and erasers. Sure, it was only 69 cents, but that was 69 cents I wouldn't have invested in drawing 3 months ago. It has polka dots! So I couldn't resist it . . .and it represents a step.

day 46 of the drawing challenge

I will never be able to draw with photo-realism. I don't even want to. I mostly just hope to improve my ability to see, and increase my artistic self-esteem by slaying the drawing dragon.

I know that practice does not make perfect. But I am also learning that practice does introduce possibilities.

And in art, it's the pursuit of the possibility that keeps us creating.

Susan M. Hinckley
Small Works in Wool

A Larger Net

Hunt

a larger net is not always

the answer, sometimes you must look

at what you already have, see

what's around you, pick

through everything, catch

and watch for a glint, a glimmer

a gleam that could be

used, re-used, made new, applied

combined, re-worked, colored

with an old notion or a new

brush, buffed, polished, put

up to the sun to see

what an idea looks like

-- smh

  
Susan M. Hinckley
Small Works in Wool

TAFA Team Etsy Pick of the Week: Thread Art Wall Hanging

The TAFA Team Etsy Pick this week is from Danny Mansmith's shop, SCRAP.  Danny is a self-taught artist who uses thread to draw his art.  I love this one, the waiting spirits, in particular!  His shop is eclectic and fun, full of art in a variety of mediums.

"the waiting spirits" by Danny Mansmith

You can read more about him and his art by visiting him on the TAFA List and on his Etsy site. 

*Etsy Pick of the Week feature by Stacey Sharman from Peppermint Pinwheels.  Every Thursday, we will post one item from a TAFA Team affiliated Etsy store. In choosing a Team member photo, we will be looking for beautiful, Etsy Front Page worthy photos.

Appreciation Crumbs

Sometimes as an artist it is hard to know

whether you are really reaching your audience.

Long days spent isolated in the studio can translate into all kinds of self-doubt:

Will anyone understand what I'm trying to say?

Is what I'm doing worthwhile?

Would anyone ever want to buy this?

DOES ANYBODY OUT THERE EVEN CARE?!


That's why I try to leave feedback for people when I come in contact with their work. I know that when I do shows, the people who take the time to sign my book or leave a comment value what I do, even if they can't afford to take it home and/or have no space in their lives for a long-term relationship.

Which I understand because I'm also poor and my walls are full.

But art nourishes my soul

so I am careful to take 
the time to say "thank you."

Just leave a comment when you see something you like, or something that you feel the artist should continue to explore. One of the most helpful comments I ever received was from a woman who told me a particular piece "had legs." I knew I had an idea that meant something and so I worked on pushing that idea as far as it could go. (And the woman has become a very supportive friend and collector.)

It only takes a second to mark a "favorite" on an Etsy shop, or say "well done, and I especially liked that --" on a blog post.

It's the least we can do for our like-minded art loving friends who spend so much time and energy putting beauty into the world.

Just leave a little trail of appreciation crumbs as you make your way around the web -- it's sure to lead someone back to your own world and work, and you may find a kindred spirit (or even an occasional sale?!)

At the very least, you'll be giving an artist

the encouragement they need to keep on creating.

Susan M. Hinckley
Small Works in Wool

I'll Give You Fifteen Good Reasons.

 

You don't have to think 

very hard at all 

to come up with 15 good reasons 

to buy handmade:

1.  You're helping the economy.  Most craftspeople are small business owners who can really use your support.  And if you buy at a local show, you're keeping the money close to home.

2.  It's good for the environment.  Many hand-produced goods are made using green methods and/or materials.  And there's no impact from fuel burned in shipping long distances.

3.  There's a human connection.  The kind you won't find at Walmart. It's a very different feeling when you pick up something that was made with care by a pair of human hands.  

4.  The item tells a story.  Either in the item itself or in the hands that created it, there's often more than meets the eye.

5.  It's personal.  An item that you've picked specifically for someone, or had created just for them, is a more intimate gift than a gift card can ever be.

6.  It's unique.  No two hand-crafted items can ever be exactly alike.  That's the point of handmade!

7.  It can be inspiring.  Seeing a well-crafted object might inspire you to look at your own scrap bag/wood pile/free time in new and exciting ways.

8.  You're helping someone else.  Buying handmade gives an artist the opportunity to continue doing the work they love, and helps them make a living using their skills.

9.  You spread the word.  Buying and giving handmade is a great way to spread the gospel of hand-crafted.  

10.  There's a potential heirloom. When you commission a piece to commemorate a specific occasion, a handmade item will carry the story you want to tell down through the generations.

11.  It's interesting.  In addition to enjoying your hand-crafted object, there's always plenty to learn about the person who made it, and the materials and techniques that were used in its creation.

12.  It's fun.  Shopping at craft fairs or browsing online is a great way to fill your hours with eye candy.

13.  Your item is well-crafted.  The kinds of people who create beautiful objects are the kinds of people who derive joy from the process.  Your item is likely to be made to last.

14.  It'll give you a good feeling.  For all the reasons listed above and many more, you'll feel good when you buy and give handmade.  It's the right thing to do.

15.  It's easy!  Etsy makes it easy to find thousands of hand-crafted items from the comfort of your own home.  Never before in history has there been such easy access to all-things-handmade . . . 

What are you waiting for?!

Susan M. Hinckley

Small Works in Wool

Priming the Creative Pump

  

Sometimes the well runs a little dry when it comes to ideas, and I find that's usually when I haven't been working much.  Because when I'm working, there always seems to be no shortage of ideas that I can't get to because I'm too busy . . . well, working.

Wouldn't it be wonderful to have a continual fountain of ideas --

a library of sketchbooks to mine for gold, for instance, or a gigantic rolodex with an index card containing every great idea we've ever thought of but didn't take time to write down and therefore forgot?

I'd like to come up with a way to record those fleeting ideas that wouldn't result in piles of paper scraps bearing unintelligible scribbles in a shorthand so abbreviated that even I have absolutely no idea what it was originally intended to represent.

I think it's helpful to do a little something creative every day.  Because even when I'm not actively working on a project, if I flip the "creative switch" for a second or two I notice it's like throwing a drop of oil on the gears, keeping them ready to move should I provide them the opportunity.

And when I can't bring myself to actually DO something creative, it seems to be equally effective for me to look at other people's creative efforts.

The more art I absorb, of any kind,
the more my mind

seems willing to produce.

Charles Horton Cooley said,

"The mind is not a hermit's cell, 

but a place of hospitality and intercourse."

And yes, there is plenty of coming and going in my head . . . 

I guess I just need to up my hospitality a little

in hopes that my ideas will be tempted to 

sit down, relax awhile and maybe talk to each other.  

Susan M. Hinckley

Small Works in Wool  

  

The Beauty of Handmade

 
I've always had a weakness for handmade objects--

there's a beauty inherent in the work of the human hand that is somehow lacking in all things mass-produced, regardless of whatever stellar design qualities they may possess.

The imperfection imparted by touch is endlessly fascinating -- the jag of a line as it reflects a heartbeat or breath, the slight wobble of a stitch as the needle makes its way across cloth, pushed by a thimbled finger.

That no two hand-crafted objects will ever be exactly the same is surely part of the appeal.  And the context provided by the thoughts and feelings of a living maker informs each work as well, placing it in a specific moment, a specific place.

"That a thing made by hand, the work and thought of a single craftsman, can endure much longer than its maker, through centuries in fact, can survive natural catastrophe, neglect, and even mistreatment, has always filled me with wonder.  Sometimes in museums, looking at a humble piece of pottery from ancient Persia or Pompeii, or a finely wrought page from a medieval illuminated manuscript toiled over by a nameless monk, or a primitive tool with a carved handle, I am moved to tears.  The unknown life of the maker is evanescent in its brevity, but the work of his or her hands and heart remains."

-- Susan Vreeland

And thank goodness.  We can forever know something of the maker by the fruits of his or her hands, giving us a priceless connection, a glimpse into another human being's time, place and heart that transcends the value of the object itself.  

When you give handmade, you give . . .

 

A little piece of yourself.  
See? Beautiful.

Susan M. Hinckley
Small Works in Wool