Relaxing?

I turned in my grades on Monday, and was officially done with this semester.  For the last few days I've been gathering all of the needed information for teaching jobs, and putting together application packets.  Not a pretty task, but necessary!
This afternoon though, I took a much needed break from those piles of paperwork and got to hang out with my friends Ann and Courtney for 'grandma club'.  Grandma club involves crafting, gabbing, and maybe a mimosa or two.  This week we made yarn covered wreaths, and they all turned out really cute.  Here's Ann's:

And Courtney's:

Somehow I forgot to take pictures of them all finished!!  I'll take some pics of mine tomorrow, I promise.

Nowhere - A Film by Nathan Edwards

Check it out!  

Nowhere. from Nathan Edwards on Vimeo.

This is my husband's thesis project for his MM in Electronic Music and Recording.  We did much of the filming for it over the summer on our road trip out west.  The first few minutes are in darkness, and then the video starts as well.  If you want to see it in it's full glory, click on the HD button once it starts! :)

Dollhouse Furniture and Thrifty Goodness

Who knew making tiny furniture could be so fun.  I've been working hard finishing these pieces this weekend.  I'm really happy with how they turned out.  There are two of these Paul McCobb bedside tables.  

I'm really trying to get these as true to life as possible, they are 1/12 scale.
And a Paul McCobb dresser.  Can you tell I'm a fan of McCobb?  Tapered legs are sexy. 

I still need to find some appropriate drawer pulls for these. 
Today I went to Ikea and Dick Blick with my friend Ann, and picked up some more supplies for making tiny furniture, and we had a wonderful time oogling at cooking stuff and furniture.  Yesterday, my Dad stopped by, and I got to see my youngest sister play one of her hockey games.  Busy busy!  I am looking forward to some studio time tomorrow! 
I also wanted to share these with you:

I got them at the thrift store last week, and they've been living on my desk ever since. 

Thats about it for now, hope you all had a wonderful weekend!

Dear Drawing: I love you.

Yesterday, despite a killer migraine, I was fairly productive.  My students are doing well on their final projects, I've documented a good chunk of my semester's work, and I had time to draw.

I was subbing a life drawing class's final, so I got to sit and draw the entire time, which was so nice.  In undergrad I took a figure drawing class every semester that I could.  It never seemed like work. (Do I sound like an informercial yet?).  My professor was a short and crazily energetic old man who would rip up our newsprint pages if we started with a bad composition.  While this sounds cruel, it never came across as being mean because he was a truly caring person.  Ahhh, nostalgia.

Needless to say, I had a fun time in that class.  We used conte-crayon on smooth newsprint paper because he had a mean dust allergy.  I am now a conte-crayon elitist.  But, last night I opted for colored pencil.  I don't know why I don't use colored pencil more often, it is lovely.

7x9" - Colored Pencil - 1.5 hours
Can I please take a figure drawing class again?

Almost There

In the last three days I've written 25 pages of Art History papers, and I am exhausted.  But, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel - for this semester at least.  I am looking forward to spending this weekend in the studio!

In the meantime, I've been editing some of the older pictures of my dollhouse.

I am so glad that I painted it a grey-blue instead!

I've also been working on some schematic drawings of the dollhouse furniture, but, no pictures yet!!
I'm also looking for a scanner to start scanning some of my smaller paintings, do you guys have any suggestions?
Hope you are all having a great week!

Slow Day

We drove back home bright and early this morning after all of our Thanksgiving shenanigans.  The rest of my day has been consumed by the never-ending paper writing for my Art History class.  In order to save the small piece of sanity I am hanging on to at this point, I had to take some breaks to decorate our apartment for Christmas.

I loooooove Christmas!! It feels weird to have decorations up when it hasn't even snowed around here yet.

It makes our place seem so much cozier than it usually feels.  So cozy that Rascal took full advantage, watching me work hard on my papers while she just lazed about.

Remember when I used to knit??

Well, I still do!  Even though I don't get much quality knitting time in, I've got something to show for my efforts -- I finally finished the sweater I had started in July when Nate and I went on our road trip out west!

It is made from yarn that I recycled from a (suuuuuper ugly) thriftstore sweater and then dyed with acid dyes.  It is really great to finally have this finished!  When I remember to bring my tripod back from my studio I will make sure to take a picture of me wearing it.  It was knit in one piece, and has simple shaping for the waist and hips.  I have dreams of someday having a closet full of handmade sweaters. :)
I also picked up a few nice things these last few weeks at the thrift store.  First off, I spotted this chair at the goodwill for $10 and my heart skipped a beat or two -- here are my cats posing on it for you:

I am obsessed with mid-century furniture right now, and this chair calmed that obsession, at least for a little while.  It has a couple of small/easily fixable little scratches, and totally needs to be reupholstered, see:

Midcentury furniture + 90's floral upholstery = awful. 

I'm thinking of covering it in a simple grey or muted green fabric, but maybe I'll search through my stash and see if there is anything else that would work.  I'm thinking that just about any other fabric would be a huge improvement!

I also picked up this little purse thinking it might be a cute camera bag, but my camera sits a little funny in it, so I think I'll put it up in my etsy shop sometime this week.  It is sooo cute that I am really tempted to keep it though.

That's all for now.  Hope you are all having a great weekend!

So much to update!

Hello all, sorry for the sparse posting as of late, but it is nearing the end of the semester, and this blog has been put on the back burner.  I've got about three weeks left, and I'm really looking forward to being able to be in my studio full time over winter break.  This last weekend Nate had his thesis concert and both of our families and our friends came out in full force ending with a packer-game-watching-pizza-eating reception at our apartment.  We must stay true to our Wisconsin heritage.  Congrats Nate!!  (I am a little bit jealous of you being done though!)
This week I tried to make up some studio time that I had gotten a little behind on with all of the busy work surrounding Nate's show.  Here's a peek of what I've been up to:




No matter how busy I am, and what time of night I actually get back to the apartment, I have still been making time to cook.  I made these pretties last week:

They were chicken and zucchini potstickers (the zukes were some of the last from our garden)
I've also been taking my Tuesday nights off to get together with my friends Ann and Courtney for our "Grandma Club" which so far has involved sewing, knitting, and wine.  Unfortunately I keep forgetting to take pictures of us - but I did get a shot of Courtney's cute puppies Abita and Remmy:

They keep us company. :)
That's it for now folks, but be prepared for more frequent posting once the semester starts to wind down. :)
--Cassie

Studio Move

I'm in the process of reorganizing my studio after moving into a new room.  Having my own space (with a window!) has been nice - especially with the projects I'm working on.  I'll post pics of my new space once I get my studio space organized.  For now, here is some of what I'm working on:
Drawings of dollhouse furniture:


Under-paintings:


Process Photographs:


As far as my thesis show goes, I'm feeling less intimidated by it as I get more and more work done.  The only thing left that I'm anxious about is how to present things (frame, no frame, mounted, pinned to the wall, etc...).
I'm also thinking about how large of chunk of my show will be the presentation of my art-making processes, and how much will be finished work, and whether or not I will be putting the actual dollhouse in the show, or if I will leave it out and let the photographs, drawings, and paintings hold up the show without it.  Decisions decisions...... 

Delicious Desks

I had a critique last week and we talked about making the dollhouse furniture more specific, and less 'ikea', so this desk is the result of that.  I took a lot more time making it, and made it from balsa wood using a craft knife, sandpaper, and glue.  It stands a mere 2.5" tall, and I am loving it.  :) 
It is modeled after this desk by Paul McCobb, and I will stain it after I get finished with the other furniture. for that room so that the finish is consistent.  
I am almost done painting as well, that is what is taking me longest with the 'rehab' -- I had to cut the brush down so that I could get it into all of the nooks and crannies of the ceiling area.  I also bought fabric for the carpeting and wood for the floors - I've still got to get a coping saw so I can cut the floor down to size.
Painting:

And this is the progress as of last night:

Lets see where it all goes!

Simplification

I've had so much going on these last few weeks on top of trying to battle a never-ending cold.  I decided to simplify my life today, and work solely on the dollhouse.  Here is some of the progress I've made:

Painting the downstairs area using house paint samples.

And I've also started on some of the furniture - this is a desk that is modeled after a desk by Paul McCobb.  I just got it glued, so it is drying right now:

I love furniture, especially mid-century modern pieces.  MMmmmmm!

I was looking through some of the used books at the university library, and found some really excellent books with refernce pictures of 1950's modern furniture.  Lucky eh?

Down Low and in the Garden

Thursday night a group of my friends had a show at the Bad Dog!  It was a great show, and they had a really good turnout despite the rainy weather.

There were so many wonderful pieces!  Here are only just a few--
The Party I Always Wanted, An installation by Ann Flowers

I'd Rather Race a Bear, by Adam Cox

Selections from the Collection of the Estate of the Late Bloomer, by Joanna Goss

Float Away, by Ann Flowers

I can't say enough about how well their show came together, congrats!!

I'll be sad when Bad Dog closes down for the season - only a few shows left before it gets too cold!

Back at It!

I just got back from Minneapolis where I attended the American Craft Council's 'Creating a New Craft Culture' Conference (say that three times fast!).  It was a great experience, and I got to catch up with some old friends, and made many new ones along the way.
Stacy Jo Scott, Casey Champion, and myself:

I'll be sharing much more about the conference in this next week, but for now I just wanted to let you all know I'm back safe and sound.

25th Rotation Around the Sun

This week has been a whirlwind to say the least.  The Homebodies show that we put on at the Bad Dog Gallery went swimmingly, and it was great to see so many friends come out to check it out!  :)  Unfortunately I was so busy during the show I didn't get too many pics, but I did get some setup pics, so that's what you get to see!Kena and I 'supervising', aka, taking a break...

Myself , Mei, and Kena enjoying the spread: chili, meatballs, salad, zucchini bread, mac and cheese, and cookies.

Setup!

It was a wonderful night, no rain and no wind, and lots of wonderful friends coming out to support us!  We couldn't have asked for a better show.
Yesterday was my 25th birthday as well, and Nate being the great husband he is, took me out for some indian/nepalese food in St. Charles followed by a trip to Trader Joe's.  He knows the way to my heart is through food and music.  :)
Yum!

(By the way, the cardigan I'm wearing is from the thrift shop - $1!!  I love it!)
Nate looking dapper as always, but still managing to make a strange face - haha:

Next weekend Nate and I are heading out to Minneapolis for the 'Creating a New Craft Culture' conference,  and I can't wait!!

Show Tonight!

Heading out to the Bad Dog Gallery to prep for our collaborative show, "Homebodies!"  Here is a quick sneak peak!





There may be a giant blanket fort involved.  :)

In the Studio

Sorry for the lack of real substance on this blog as of late, I am in the thick of the semester, and time is lacking!  I've been chugging away on the dollhouse, painting it has been a challenge with all of the tiny details.  I'll post pics once I'm finished with the outside, but it is now a grey/blue color.  So much easier on the eyes.  :)
In the meantime, I've been working on these:

They are small graphite drawings (about 6x8") of the furniture that came with the dollhouse.

So far I'm really happy with them.  The second one is still in progress.

I'm also working on a series of small oil paintings.  They are about 6x6", and I've just done the drawings and the under-paintings for them.

I've got a show coming up next week Thursday that I'm looking forward to at the Bad Dog gallery.  It is a collaborative show that I'm working on with six other students for our 3D Forms & Fibers class.  It should be interesting!  Hopefully I'll get to post some in-progress pics early next week.  :)

Jason Isbell &The 400 Unit @ The House

Last night Nate and I got to see an excellent show at The House.


 Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit were awesome, along with the opening bands Roman Candle and Tom Schraeder & His Ego.  I've been loving seeing shows at smaller venues lately.  I can't say enough good things about all of the bands, so please check them out for yourselves! :)

And being the nerd I am, I had to get a picture. :) 


I blame my love for the electric guitar on growing up in Milwaukee.  Good music makes me weak in the knees - good thing I married a musician!