More Embroidery - Cats in Repose

Cats in Repose

Just finished this tonight and had fun learning some new stitches.  I love the chain stitch!  I can't wait to use it in color next time. For this design, I decided to keep it all black and white, like my original drawing. I had fun embellishing it with white stitching. I like the subtlety of it.

As far as I can tell, there are only light brown wooden embroidery hoops out in the world, unless you buy vintage ones. I like a darker look so I've been staining my hoops with a mahogany stain. I then seal them with two coats of polyurethane. It's extra work, but I think they look so much better, it's worth it.

Some detail

P.S. You can find my art for sale in my Etsy Shop :)

New Mosaic - Nowhere to Be (But Here)

This mosaic titled Nowhere to Be (But Here) is 10 1/2 x 13" and is made with stained glass, millefiori, beads and steel wire whiskers. For me, it expresses the joy of being in the moment with a loved one. If you are interested in purchasing it please email me.  Hope you like it!

Mosaic cats in progress

After creating my most recent mosaic of a kitten with his parent (this one), I decided to do another one with a completely different color scheme.  I've always loved this color combination and don't think I've ever used it before in my art.  I'm really happy with how it is coming out so far.  I hope to be finished in a few days and will post the finished mosaic after it is grouted!

New Mosaic - Cats, of Course!

I was drawing in my sketch pad when I came up with this design.  I love when that happens because my sketches are usually fast, which means I didn't toil for hours perfecting it!  I drew a second one which I will turn into a mosaic soon. I used wedi board as the base, which is really easy to cut into simple shapes with a utility knife.  This mosaic is 7 1/2 x 12 1/2" and made with stained glass, millefiori, seed beads, a glass fusion heart and steel wire for the whiskers.  It's titled "Beyond Space and Time" and was created with my mom in mind who passed away in 2013. Of course my love for my son was expressed in it as well. :) It has now been sold and resides in the U.K. Hope you like it!


My work space, in progress



New mosaic cats

I took a break from my book to create two mosaics. While in Austin, during the SAMA conference, one of my favorite mosaic artists, Martin Cheek, approached me and asked if I'd do a trade with him! Well, I've done so many mosaic trades over the past few years and had decided I wouldn't do any more for awhile because they take time away from my book, but could I pass this up? No way!

Martin wanted a cat so we decided on a cat trade. I already own a mosaic of a mouse by Martin, which I bought a few years ago, and I was more than happy to add to my Martin Cheek collection! I went on his web site to look at the many cat mosaics he had already made. When I saw Skinny Cat, I immediately knew that was the one I wanted! He shipped it to me while I got to work on his mosaic. Blue Cat, which is 8x10", was modeled after our family cat, Raymi, who has appeared in more of my mosaics than I can count! Check out Skinny Cat! I love those wild eyes!

Then he told me his daughter, Mollie, really liked my cat mosaics and would I be willing to do a trade with her as well. She makes adorable fused glass jewelry, mostly of animals, including cats, ha. So I said, absolutely!! She's going to make me either a turtle or a cat necklace. See how wonderful they are?! If you want to see more of her jewelry, follow this link. Spotted Kitten is the mosaic I made for her. It is 4x5".


As for the book, I am currently working on the design for Mosaic #9. I hope to get started cutting glass in the next week and will keep you posted with the progress!!