Rusted Pods...

For as long as I can remember, I've always drawn, doodled, painted and carved pods.  Even if I'm not trying to draw pods, somehow one ends up in my work.  Another common thing, "Squiggles"...always show up in my work too.  Tails, tendrils, vines.  I'm sure a psychotherapist would have a heyday with it, and I'm sure if I thought about it hard enough...I could figure it out myself and save a few thousand bucks.  Alas, onto the art. 

Every  month, I meet with a group of lady friends who I've done collaborative projects with for about 6 years.  One I've known for much longer as she was my art teacher in middle school.  She's an inspiration to me then, and now, and one of the only people currently in my life that's been around the longest!  Everyone else I "used to know", I no longer consort with for one reason or another.

One year, our art group did an ABC themed art journal, one year we did charms, sometimes we just do an art/craft lesson, eat and talk!  But this year's project is a small book based on a theme of our choice.  I chose "The desert", no surprise there...and my prompt, or secondary theme, is "vintage/distressed".  Each month we make a page for someone in the group based on their theme, and someone makes one for me.  At the end of the year, we'll have a complete book with art from everyone in our group...and these rusty pods were for a friend wanting a double nature book!  Nature/nature.  Give me nature, or leave me alone!  :)  I can relate.

Of course I had to do pods...and what I couldn't figure out was how to make it all natural.  Everything outside is DEAD, there are no leaves to speak of, nothing growing to use as a stencil or to sew onto the page...so I decided to use cotton fabric, and the idea of rust since it's a process of nature that I've always admired.  I also used hand-stitching and not my machine, since I'm natural, right?!  This was my first foray into French knots, and it's hard to see in the photo, but the top of the large poppy pod skeleton is completely comprised of little French knots close together.

The other side of the page is mixed-media with pen and ink, graphite, thread, paint and some little pieces of fabric cut from my first rusted muslin experiment.  I'm not sure what sort of pod this is...I made it up.  But it's based on milkweed, with pea pod influences!  After the pages were finished, I hand stitched them together around the sides to hide all my embroidery. 

The next page on my list which is due in April, is bird art with a vintage distressed look.  And this is NOT me, but I've already started!  As with the Paschal candle for church, which I just sketched out on paper last night as I was lying in bed...I usually ruminate until the deadline nears and then I crank out that idea that's been brewing in my mind.  But I'm trying to turn a new leaf (or whole tree as it seems) and be an "ahead of schedule" kind of girl.  Wish me luck!