White-winged Crossbill, male. I love how they hang upside down.

 Male White-winged Crossbill, a special winter visitor.

 Black-capped Chickadee are daily visitors coming to collect black oil sunflower seeds. We always buy seeds and suet from the Wildbird General Store in Edmonton. We discovered years ago that being seed specialists they are very fussy and that cheapo department store seeds are a waste of money as the birds just toss them to the ground. 

 Red-breasted Nuthatch are also regulars, they love the suet put out for them in winter. We are lucky to have a nesting pair in our spruce tree so its boughs are always busy with the chatter of family life year round.

 Boreal Chickadee are sometimes winter visitors, we don't get them often so they are a delight when they come to gather bugs and grubs hibernating in the spruce trees.

 Boreal Chickadee.

 White-winged Crossbill, female, these we had never seen in our neighbourhood till this last week. We were happy to watch both the Red and the White-winged Crossbills forage at the tree tops and on the ground.

Red Crossbill, male.

House Finch, male. House finch come most days as they also enjoy the black oil sunflower seeds. I've noticed lots of singing lately and the males are feeding the females, spring courting bonds start early.

 Common Redpole is another sporadic visitor to our yard. They come for seeds from the Paper Birch tree in the back yard. This one though seemed to enjoy the company of the Crossbills and was foraging amongst them under the coniferous trees.

 Common Redpole

SkirtsAfire fashion show and media blitz

What a great morning. We walked into the hall and noticed I was the oldest participant, which of course made hubby chuckle and call me an ole boot, Matriarch I corrected him, both chuckling by now. Then someone questioned if I was there to support my daughter, I laughingly replied "no this ole boot is one of the designers who decide to expand her comfort level".  I can now say I participated as a designer and model in the SkirtsAfire fashion show media blitz and had a blast. I loved the energy and the coming together of creative women, it was wonderful, its how it should be. Creative women supporting and promoting creativity in women, what a wonderful thing to be a part of. SkirtsAfire is now in its third year and I am so looking towards taking in some of the events. 

The opening ceremony is thursday March 5th from 5-7pm at the Nina Haggerty Gallery 9225 118 Ave.

My art work is in the juried art exhibition at the gallery, so we will be in attendance. 

From 1-3 pm on saturday there will be artists talks and viewing at the Gallery, I will be talking about my work but don't know what time.

Ok I promised photos, so my loving husband set to the task of capturing the show to share.

 Getting ready.

 I was the lead out and as my dress is titled "Dance the Night Away" based on 1920 Flapper era I shimmied, shook and twirled, in essence had great fun.

 Skirt made from used plastic tablecloths, surveyors tape, kitchen strainers, christmas tinsel, cassette tape and mesh fruit bags. The judges are sitting to the right and you can see some of the camera crews that were recording the event.

Next up was a fantastic creation by three young students Madison Braget, Brooke Fersovitch and Kaylee Gaines titled "Midnight Truffle" which was made of tarp layers fringed with a duck tape waistband fastened with bottle cap buttons. I loved seeing their youthful creativity they did an excellent job, the bottle cap buttons were in my mind a stroke of genius. Sorry no close up, though hope to take some close up photos on the mannequins when the SkirtsAfire Festival opens.

"Mas Claro" by Joan McFarlane. Great geometric design by arranging tea towels and bubble wrap. (this one is a runner up)

 Can you believe its door screening as the base of this skirt that is covered with receipts and cigarette foils. "Not-your-ordinary Lace Skirt" by Paola Cantal.

 Ira Tuzlukova made "Paper Couture" skirt totally out of folded paper, amazing. Founded on the idea of Alexander McQueen couture lines.

 "Save Our Trees, No Flyers Please" by Tessa Stamp and Christie Hutchinson. Tree branches and flyers attached to a burlap base, I love the matching head piece that pulled the woodsy look together. (This is the the winning skirt)

And "Sleight of Hand" by Kia Day, a fitted Pencil style skirt made from playing cards with a hint of red lace at the leg.

As one can tell the designs are varied, creative, fun and best of all they are made of reuse and upcycle. During the festival all skirts will be on display in the SkirtsAfire Cabaret Space at the Alberta Community League 9210 118th Ave.

I can honestly say I am pleased to have been chosen to be a part of the SkirtsAfire skirt design competition. Well done Ladies.

2nd post about SkirtsAfire design competition

Wish I could say making a plastic tablecloth skirt is an easy-breezy chore, but, I cannot. Its a good thing I didn't procrastinate on this project as there have been a few minor set-backs. First was breaking threads and screwy tension on the sewing machine. I figured the top tension was askew so I went online to investigate how to remove the top cover. Frustration set after a few hours searching. Thank goodness Super-hubbies excellent google skills got it figured out. The cover was removed to reveal an astounding amount of dust and fibre lint staring me down. After a bit of dusting and finagling with tweezers removing thread from deep moving parts I was impressed that I was able to put everything back together; good thing attention was paid to how hubby removed it.

 My initial idea was to use tinsel held together at one end figuring I could just stitch across the top attaching it to the plastic. Well, not to be as the plastic is too fragile, too thin, too old, tears easy. Yes, tears easy, oh my the words emitting from the depth of the studio was… well lets just say its a good thing hubby has a sense of humour and finds my outburst funny. So time for a rethink. I dig through more old recycle stuff destined for the Reuse store and find the mangle of tinsel you see above.

 Since the tinsel cannot be sewn to the plastic I decide to loop it through the strainer parts instead, whoohoo, looks like it going to work. So after three hours looping and tying progress is made.

As the skirt needs a display stand during the SkirtsAfire Festival an old dress form purchased for an art project years ago needed bulked up as its a good six inches smaller than the breadth and depth of my body shape. I cut up an old quilted coat and hand stitched it to the form filling in the waist area, then wrapped and stitched an old blanket to fill out the rest of the form topped off by a t-shirt to hold it all intact. Oh shiiii..t the legs on the stand wobble and tip the form over. Once again Super-hubby to the rescue to tighten bolts. The skirt is placed on the form and ahghhhh... the tinsel has shook loose due its slipperiness and is falling to the floor. NOooooo!

Rethink time!

Tea time.

My Achy Breaky Heart cassette is cut and tied in with silver, red and gold tinsel for varied texture. 

The fix is thick pink cotton thread from a rummage sale. 

The re-thread job after two days of work as it is a finicky slippery process.

As one may now realize I've only given a glimpse of materials, the reason for this tease is that the completed skirt will be shown in a fashion show on february 23, so please be patient as the completed skirt will be after that date.

SkirtsAfire

I find it interesting to push limits of creativity with varied materials and venture into what one may consider Alternative Art if for no other reason that to have fun and bring creative thoughts into the visual realm. Mostly though no matter how fun my alternative work may seem it belies an underlying message about consumer waste of a throw away society and how our waste impacts nature. So when the call came out... Skirts must be constructed only of found upcycled materials and must be wearable. 
I jumped at the opportunity to design and create a Skirt for the event. My present undertaking of using items destined for the trash bin based on that mandate as well as... skirts are to incorporate the theme of "Finding the Magic in the Mundane"

The Mundane materials that had outlived their previous purpose are slightly tattered lime green and pink plastic tablecloths, red and yellow surveyors tape, two metal kitchen strainers disassembled, pink cotton thread found at a past rummage sale, plastic mesh fruit bags, worn out leggings, silver tinsel and possibly cassette tape. The Magic is in the process of turning mundane materials into a skirt inspired by 1920 Flapper era.

Dismantling vegetable strainers.

Blast of color and shine.

Six skirts will be chosen to be constructed for the festival. https://skirtsafire.wordpress.com
I'm happy my design was chosen and have been busy each day working on my skirt as the SkirtsAfire fashion show and media blitz happens February 23rd, though the skirt must be submitted by the 20th. My design is being altered a bit from the original sketch as I found the thin plastic tattered in places making it challenging to work with. One mandate of the design is that the skirt be wearable and hold up for the fashion show and further display; so I've cut up ragged tights destined for the rag bin and backed the waist to hip section to re-enforced the waistband area as potential of the plastic tablecloths to tear was too great. Another challenge is machine stitching thin plastic. I've discovered stitch length needs to be at 4 and to sew very slowly. Go too fast the thread breaks or the plastic tears, too small a stitch can also cause a tear due close perforations. Happily though the yellow surveyors tape is quite strong and durable adding strength to the skirt where needed.

The sketch proposal displayed a zigzag pattern around the upper portion of the skirt which has been simplified due the materials being used.

Designing the hip sash is creative fun, its a lot of playful arranging and rearranging, a bit of pulling stitches to create ruffling, cutting and twisting mesh bags and joining layers for fullness. Ah, its all coming together. Soon what was kitchen cast offs will be a skirt for dancing the night away in.

Art Clothing seems to be in a category of its own. While perusing online I see many creative artists working with clothing as art or using the image of clothing in art in varied ways with varied media. It amazes me as well as inspires to view the amount of artists who create using found items and stand by the motto to reuse, recycle and upcycle diverting items from the landfills.

Its beyond time to quit indiscriminate buying and tossing as our landscape is literally littered with plastic refuse that does not break down, its non-friendly to the planet. So what I hope for is to inspire others to be creative with what they have on hand, reuse what you can, recycle, upcycle and support local small farmers, local artists and artisans.

The alternative art I create tells a story, it has a past life and I hope creates awareness.

Robert Sinclair Workshop

When I lived in Brule AB eons ago I took a fantastic 2 day watercolor workshop with Robert at the Blackcat Ranch so when The River Valley Alliance and VAAA teamed up and offered a free 3 hour pleinair workshop May 4th, I gratefully took the opportunity. Of course Gerald had no idea he was signed up till we got there, but like a trooper he jumped right in and worked alongside me sharing the paintbox.

As it was a workshop I took the opportunity to Play, play, play and heeded Roberts Zen advice to stop a painting before you start it. He encouraged laying down color without consideration of a finished painting. Robert advise us to ground ones self in place with the earth, to feel the energy come up through our feet and to breathe with the understanding that we are all within the cycle of life. While out painting pleinair to realize that the trees are absorbing our breathed out carbon dioxide that they then convert and expel as oxygen for us. Yes we really are part of the glorious cycle, aren't we.

Top left is the first one painted. It looked much darker when wet but I had sopped the whole 300lb Arches paper with way too much water and drew into the puddles with watercolor pencils, which of course then bled to became a soft gray. Which in reality worked as it was snowing out so the bridge and landscape really did look soft in the distance without much definition. I drew into the wet again with watercolor pencil to define the bridge, it looked great, then it dried so soft the lines almost all disappeared. The yellow in the background are the willows in full bloom. Workshops are wonderful to encourage one to step outside of their habits and to experiment.

Next to the right, also a pleinair, except I was indoors looking out as mentioned as it was snowing and I did not want to get chilled. There were a few hardy souls that went out to paint in the snow, though I was thankful they opened the building which has lots of windows to view the landscape from. The second painting was started with watercolor washes which were then drawn into with watercolor pencils to accent the snag tree. This one was more successful as a painting, yet also successful in that more control was used in working with the water and pigment.

The bottom left image was worked from a photo of pussy willows. I basically drew with watercolor and inktense pencils which were then splashed with a wash of water to soften and blur the drawn lines.  So yes I greatly played and had a joyful time. Upon viewing my 3 pieces Robert teased and said "go home" we both laughed cause I was really taking his advice, from which I greatly benefited.

For the last image bottom right I decided to tackle the bridge once again but to push the pigments using both watercolor washes and inktense pencils.  I brought along the pencils as I'm not quite sure I like working with inktense pencils yet, but I do love aquarelle watercolor pencils though find them a bit on the soft side.

Surprisingly I prefer the first bridge painted, which is interesting as anyone who follows this blog and my blog with my paintings posted realize I paint to a high degree of definition and detail in acrylics. I do also work highly defined in watercolor though for some reason never get around to posting images of my watercolors on line.

As I mostly work detailed and layered with semi-dry brush work it was engaging to realize how much dilution of pigment happens experimenting using ample if not too much water. All in all a very successful and playful workshop for me. I'm excited about the idea to do more pleinar paintings this summer.
Hugs to all and happy sunshine days.

Walking the Whitemud Ravine

The suns warmth lured us down the Whitemud Ravine this afternoon.

 First bridge who should greet us but this sweet chipmunk. They scurry so fast I never seem to be able to get clear shots but this wee one was generous and posed.

 The willows are in blossom, such a joy to witness when snows recede.

 A curious little vole?

 A fine looking Beaver.

 Theres a bit of snow and ice on this hillside and a few icy sections on the trails as well as the expected mud, thought the paths were mostly dry.

Comma butterfly.

Butterflies were out in numbers flitting in the warmth and once in awhile I was gifted with a momentary landing whereupon was able to quickly captured the image. 

 Milbert's Tortoiseshell Butterfly. Very tiny at this time of year. I have noticed the summer ones to be twice the size. 

Mourning Cloak butterfly. 

“For The Love of Nature” Paintings by Teresa Stieben

Tess invites you to an open house reception
& exhibition of wildlife and floral paintings
July 11 6:30-8:30 pm at the Jeff Allen Art Gallery 10831 University Ave, Strathcona Place Senior Centre. Edmonton Alberta 
for info call 780 433 5807
The exhibition runs June 29th to July 25th
Jeff Allen Gallery is open Monday to Friday 9am to 3pm. 

In the name of progress

A friend of mine who has been working to save aboriginal and pioneer graves from destruction in Alberta sent me this poster, it seems this problem is widespread. Its amazing how "progress" does not respect those laid to rest. Nor do cities respect the descendants when burials are unearthed. The city of Edmonton is guilty of desecration of burials within the Papachase Reserve. Land which was never ceded, never bought, nor ever given to the city; yet in the last 100 years Papachase was illegally procured. The original peoples were chased off in the name of progress under the guise of The King, and then later The Queen of England as an ideal to bring this province into a civilized way of life. So I now ask, how civilized is a province or city that desecrates her dead? How civilized is a province that desecrates the land by ripping pipelines across it every which way. Pipelines which leak toxins into our earth and alter the lay of the land so that caribou herds are being decimated to the point of extinction in Alberta. The tar sands keeps expanding, even though there is no safe storage for its dirty sludge. Sludge  which is so toxic that birds that inevitably land on the tailings ponds DIE. The only thing that lies between this same toxic sludge and the Athabasca River, a major river system, is a mud walled damn. Ahh, the name of progress, a dirty idea really, a ploy for industrialization that fills the pockets of a few and leaves a wake of desecration and devastation for our children's children.

So now you may ask, how do I jump from desecrating burials to desecration of the land, well as I see it it, it all goes hand in hand. Desecration of burials and raping the land of unsustainable resource is all a product of Corporate GREED.

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