Category Archives: Thank you

Four Ways To Add Color To Stick Season

I think it’s safe to say that the last gasp of summer is now behind us. That fact, paired with the latest COVID restrictions on social interactions here in Vermont, point to more time for reading and digging into creative outlets, online and otherwise.

November Trees

It’s a time when we can all use a bit more color in our day-to-day, so I thought I’d share a few of the things that have brightened my outlook:

I’ve been enjoying the American Craft Council’s weekly post “The Queue”. It’s a series of interviews with 2020 ACC Awards honorees, often including a short video of the artist. The ACC is a wonderful resource; I encourage you to spend some time exploring the Stories section of their website. The satirical sculptures of recently featured Bob Trotman caught my eye several years ago, so I was happy to become reacquainted with his work on a deeper level via “The Queue”. With a background in philosophy, not art, Trotman was originally most interested in studying the idea of the individual. But as he developed an art career, his concerns turned toward examining the machinations of society. As a result, his artistic commentary is largely aimed toward money and power in America.
Considering the unprecedented behavior we have been witnessing from our out-going president and his enablers, Trotman’s powerful voice is more resonate than ever.
Another resource that delicately walks the line between delightful and educational is Vermont painter Susan Abbott’s Painting Notes Blog. Always enriching without being didactic, Susan shares her extensive knowledge of art history from both a visual and personal angle. She shines a contemporary light upon the artists and works that have gone before us, and who have laid a path for us to follow. If you’re interested in book suggestions from Susan, look for her generous response to my question at the very end of the comments section of this post.
Beginning with the lock-down last spring, several major textile organizations joined forces to offer weekly “Textile Talks” — video presentations and panel discussions that surround a huge variety of subjects related to textile art.
All can be accessed via YouTube.
The recent “creative discussion” between color icon Kaffe Fassett and his niece Erin Lee Gafill covers their personal history as well as the habit they’ve developed of painting side-by-side. They’ve recently released a book of these parallel works called Color Duets. Anyone who knows and admires Fassett’s work and his long, illustrious career will enjoy the conversation. Particularly inspiring is the way Fassett straddles different media while maintaining the consistent thread (sorry for the pun) of color.
And finally, if you too are a student of color, you know it’s hard to beat a garden – flower or vegetable – for the lessons it can teach. Our beds may be all buttoned up for the winter, but even as the snow flies we can dream about next year’s glory…while learning a thing or two along the way. Two resources that will be scratching the color itch for me this winter are Darroch and Michael Putnam’s Flower Color Guide and the Floret Flowers website. There are plenty of lessons to be gleaned from each, but perhaps more importantly during these crazy, stressful days, they both offer pure, visual delight.

Flower Color Guide

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With Thanksgiving just around the corner, I can’t let the occasion pass without saying how grateful I am that you choose to join me here every other week, sharing your ideas and comments along the way. Please accept the suggestions above as a token of my gratitude. Be well and wear your mask. We’re all in this together.

Linda ©2020 Elizabeth Fram, Ink, graphite, and colored pencil on paper, 11 x 8.8 inches. It’s always fun to see what each person chooses to include in the selfie they send me, because it’s a further window into who they are. Linda made the paper batik behind her and I think it’s an apt reflection of her bright spirit. All 13 pieces in my COVID-19 Selfie series can be seen together on my website.

Black Beauty

Happy Thanksgiving! Here we are again in the midst of another holiday season…
To put a new spin on the black in Black Friday (and maybe to give you an idea of something to add to your holiday wishlist), I’m saluting one of my trustiest art supplies.

Platinum Carbon Ink

Blacker than black, lightfast, and quick-drying, Platinum Carbon ink has become indispensable to my daily drawing ritual. I have a converter in my Lamy Safari fountain pen which allows me to refill the pen directly from the bottle, a cost effective and environmentally friendly alternative to cartridges. Reviews mention that because this ink is pigment based it contains fine particles of carbon, meaning you should clean your pens frequently.

Hmmm… I haven’t done that. Maybe I’ve escaped any issues because I use my pen pretty much daily, but it would probably be smart for me to follow through on that chore before refilling the next time.

There is a lot to be said for the beauty and deceptive simplicity of a black line. It has the power to sensitively convey weight, value, texture, and gesture while supplying a lifetime of lessons for those willing to delve into its nuances. For a jump-start, explore this link to 10 pen and ink drawing techniques and tips. Also, Alphonso Dunn’s book Pen & Ink Drawing is a terrific beginner’s resource.

As time has passed I’m seeing how much what I’ve learned through my drawings has influenced and benefitted my textile work. Exploring the relationship between marks made with ink and those created via stitches is the fertile ground where discoveries take place.

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It wouldn’t be right to let you go without thanking you for continuing to check in with me here week after week, and for letting me know when a point of discussion strikes a chord with you in one way or another. Whether you weigh in publicly or privately, I am always grateful for your thoughts. The greatest reward of this blog has been knowing how much company I have on this journey.

Hard as it is to believe, this marks my 155th uninterrupted week of posts. If you have found Eye of the Needle helpful, please share it! As a special thank you, enjoy this free download of important resources that have been the most fruitful in guiding me in my practice.

Art-full Storytelling

It wouldn’t be right to post this week without first extending a warm thank you to all of you who have taken a moment over these past two years, many of you faithfully each week, to read Eye of the Needle. I hope that by the time you get to this week’s entry your cooking chores will be well behind you and you are heading back to your studio — or perhaps taking a moment to put your feet up and just digest. And in that case, perhaps the following suggestion might be of interest.

I recently came across The Memory Palace, a storytelling podcast by Nate DiMeo. He has created almost 100 episodes, and as the current MetLiveArts Artist in Residence at the Metropolitan Museum in NYC, DiMeo is producing 10 more episodes “interrogating the collection to draw out the revealing secrets and stories of the art”. He dives into details, fleshing out the stories behind the artists, their works and the times in which they were created. I’m envious of anyone who will be visiting the Met and can listen in the presence of the works as he describes them. Follow this link to learn more and to hear the 3 episodes that have been completed so far. In DiMeo’s words:

“I come across something from the past — in a novel, during a museum visit, in a documentary, in some listicle on some website…that moves me, that makes me want to know more, and I go off and research it. The writing and production process, in a very real way, is all about me figuring out how to move the listener in the same way that I was moved”.

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And finally, to switch gears entirely, those of you who know me well know that I am the definition of social-media-phobic. Always late to any trend, I have taken the leap and opened an Instagram account (elizabeth_fram) this week. I invite you to follow me for a behind-the-scenes look at my day-to-day in the studio.

Best wishes for a Happy Thanksgiving weekend…

Gratefully Yours

I was doing a bit of art/business housekeeping this week and came to the realization that this edition marks 7 months of weekly posts. I don’t know if that fact surprises you — but it certainly surprises me.

Test Swatch / Wrapped resist

I jumped into this endeavor by metaphorically closing my eyes and holding my breath. With no real clue where it would lead or how it would pan out, my greatest hope was that having a blog would be worth the time and energy — and that I wouldn’t embarrass myself.

Test Swatch / Textile paint

So it has been a lovely surprise to realize just how much I have gleaned from this commitment — most of it totally unexpected. And as with the test swatches I’m using today as illustrations, one can’t really know for sure what will happen with any project until you dive in, holding tight to a sense of faith that there are plenty of good lessons to be learned by giving it a try.

If I had to pick one word that best describes the benefit of following through on this weekly exercise, it would be “focus”. It’s a challenge and a luxury to hone in on a single idea per week, with the intent of sharing it coherently with others.

Test Swatch / Stitched resist, Textile paint, Hand embroidery

Initially, I thought the point would be to gain greater exposure for my art. But what I didn’t anticipate is that this blog has also become an avenue to assist me with better defining my work for myself.

Test Swatch / Wrapped resist

A blog has an element of accountability that works two ways: First, I have a responsibility to myself to find something to write about that will leaving me feeling satisfied that I have learned from the exercise, whether or not it’s read by anyone else. In addition, I have a responsibility to you, knowing that your time is precious and it is a privilege that you are sharing it with me by reading what I have to say.

Test Swatch / Textile paint, Hand embroidery

And that brings me to the meat of this week’s post: Thank you.

Thank you for taking the time to check in, some of you faithfully each week. Thank you for sharing your comments, your support, and your knowledge — whether you choose to do so publicly or privately.

Test Swatch / Textile paint, Hand embroidery

And thank you for your part in helping me realize that the leap was well-worth taking.

I’ll see you next week…