Today's blog comes from Candace Weir, Central Library staff:

People are always doing amazing things. Take “yarn bombing” as an example. Who first thought of knitting or crocheting coverings for trees, cars, sculptures or phone boxes?

According to Wikipedia, yarn bombing appeared in the Netherlands in May 2004 and then hopped over to Texas in 2005. Since then the practice has gone global. When I see knitting needles or a crochet hook I cringe; it is not my thing. However, yarn bombing seems pretty good natured - I like that.

When Urban Knits by Simone Werle showed up on the new books shelf, it caught my eye. Werle shows photos from all over the globe of this intriguing and egalitarian pastime. My favourite cover-ups from the book have to be the trees, the cannon balls and the large hollow spheres.

Other books that show the expressive capacity of old-fashioned crafts are Yarn bombing: the art of crochet and knit graffiti and Hoopla: the art of unexpected embroidery.

Calgary has had its own yarn bombs, like this public art intervention on the Brotherhood of Man statue by fibre artist Suzen Green. It was part of ARTcity Visual Arts Festival in September 2011. And I am happy to report that the talented Ms Green is now on staff at the Central Library.

My favourite group of yarn-bomb pictures on the internet comes from Time Magazine and I hope you enjoy them as much as I did. But my all-time favourite guerilla knit is on this smart car in Rome.

Let me be the first to advise you that June 9 is International Yarn Bomb Day.

- Candace

Today's blog comes from Candace Weir, Central Library staff:

There are people who can use a paint roller and not end up with more paint on them than whatever it is that they are painting. For those of us afflicted with the “covered in paint” handicap, a book on faux finishing could turn a behavioral quirk into something constructive. All it takes is a little creativity and some paint.

Designer Faux Finishing: Ideas and Inspiration for Sophisticated Surfaces by Victor DeMasi lives up to its title. The examples provided may not be for the faint hearted; but nothing ventured, nothing gained. Some of the finished examples remind me of Roman trompe l’oeil. The Met in New York has great examples of this type of wall art.

On a more practical side, It’s Faux Easy by Gary Lord starts out with a number of finishes that catch the light in intriguing ways. He demonstrates techniques starting with the simple layering of colour that is finished using cheesecloth, as well as more complicated techniques such as embossed stenciling. In each case, in this well-laid-out book, the materials list is followed by photos of the colour palettes and then step-by-step instructions. Watch the following video for a quick glimpse of Gary Lord in action.

Decorative Painting Techniques for Walls, Floors, Ceilings and Furniture by Elise C. Kinkead and Gail E. McCauley is another great source. There are loads of examples of what can be done using paints and stains to transform just about anything in the house.

Now, when you are covered ear to ear with multicoloured flecks, you will have something to show for it.

-Candace

When art and craft are a big part of your life, you need space for the materials and equipment that go with it. Creative people apply their gifts not only to the work they produce, but to the spaces where they produce it.

Inside the creative studio shows the work places of painters, jewelry makers, textile and mixed-media artists and more. The studios are as individual as the work.

Some have integrated studios into their living rooms or attics; others have appropriated barns and sheds. All have applied ingenuity to organizing the materials they work with so that the materials are at hand and also a source of inspiration.

The tools of organization come from many sources like restaurant suppliers, flea markets and home improvement centres. Every manner of container is used to sort supplies, including plastic bins, baskets and buckets. They make use of dowels, garden trellis, and pegboard, as well as repurposed furniture.

Each example includes a floor plan for the space and an essay by the artist describing what works for them best.

Untamed clutter can defeat the creative process. These creative types have found ingenious ways to conquer the monster and make a space that inspires their work.

Today's blog comes from Candace Weir, Central Library staff:

Words fade away,

Like hills in fog.

(from a Netsilik Inuit song)

To me, small and precious link together naturally. They also describe the objects from a new book, Upside down: arctic realities, by Edmund Carpenter.

Imagine the carver hunched over a small piece of ivory with a piece of bone or sharp stone teasing the image of a seal or a bear from the material. The tool follows the curves of the form and incises lines: stories in bone or ivory or wood.

Some of the wonderful little objects were made and discarded by peoples long since vanished. They were not made to be kept; they were made to be magical.

What we can put into a curio cabinet, they drew from their imaginations to serve some long forgotten purpose, dreamed of in a land where the sky was the same colour as the land or the sea. The carver “…must reveal form in order to protest against a universe that is formless, and the form he reveals should be beautiful.”

Small in size but monumental in content, most of these objects would fit into a hand. There are delicate little animals, an Ekven ivory carving that looks like a spaceship, masks, heads and little females with steatopygic hips. They served a purpose and fell away, like the cultures that produced them.

Canadian poet Al Purdy wrote the beautiful and evocative Lament for the Dorsets which celebrates the richness of lost cultures.

If you are intrigued with these stories, I also recommend A Dream in Polar Fog by Yuri Rytkheu. The novel gives clear and moving insight into traditional Siberian Yupik life as seen through the eyes of a marooned Canadian sailor in the late 1800s. Rytkheu wrote in both Chukchi and Russian and is considered the father of Chukchi literature.

- Candace

Today's blog comes from Janet Millett, Central Library Staff:

Very few positive things have ever been said about cat hair covering the furniture. Those who have feline companions must resign themselves to deal with the inevitable byproduct. If, however, you are a creative soul, Calgary Public Library has a new book that will cause you to look at cat hair in a brand new light.

Crafting with Cat Hair by Kaori Tsutaya shows many cute possibilities of what you can do with that abundant and free supply of cat hair. Like wool, it can be felted; however, it differs from wool in that it doesn’t have the strength or durability due to its texture.

The author provides step-by-step instructions for making little felted shapes that can be used to adorn scarves, hats and even book covers. You can make a furry little replica of your cat and frame it.

As well, there is practical advice with a yearly calendar indicating when you can harvest your greatest yield of fur and she answers questions such as what to do about cats that go outside.

Instead of groaning about the never ending clouds of hair, you can now imagine all the possibilities. Who knows – maybe if you have some not-so-creative friends with a kitty, they would gratefully share their supply as well. The possibilities and color combinations could be endless!

-Jan Millet

Jane’s Two Cents:

This curious little book is a wonderful example of what I love about the Library. When our PR guy says, “Everything You’re Into”, he’s not kidding.

Personally, I like the finger puppets and knickknack boxes. And the part that says no cats were harmed in the making of this book.

-Jane

Today's blog comes from Candace Weir, Central Library staff:

Sometimes it is fun to revisit the shelves in the hopes of snagging a couple of interesting browses. Since I like to make things, the books that get my attention are often about methods of making. Spanish jeweler, Carles Codina, has three books in our collection that fit this criterion:

Complete Book on Jewelry Making,

Goldsmithing & Silver Work and

The New Jewelry.

His books cover a wide range of techniques; articles range from how to make a North African bracelet to an article on the specific properties of gems. As a novice jewelry maker and fiddle-around type, I found them packed with information, full of things to try or to dream about trying.

Codina’s books are refreshing in that the esthetic offered is quite different from much of the jewelry I have seen in Calgary – although the market appears to be changing. Witness Nikola, a shop in Inglewood where the proprietor sells jewelry that is bold and unusual, made by local and Western-Canadian artists.

Building on the bold-and-unusual-jewelry theme, another book from our collection, 500 Silver Jewelry Designs, contains a plethora of great images, most of which are terrific fun to look at.

Who knows what an inspired, jewelry-making dabbler might come up with after combining ideas from these lovely books?

-Candace

Today's blog comes from Candace Weir, Central Library staff:

One of the nicest ways to enjoy a cup of coffee is to spend it with a good magazine. You find the some of the best resting on the shelves of the Arts and Recreation department at Central.

American Craft is one of them, full of eye-candy inspiration. Despite its name, the magazine showcases talented people, from all over the globe, making very beautiful things.

The August/September 2011 issue (pages 108 – 111) features artisans from Adelaide, Australia. The JamFactory, profiled here, is one of 14 independent, state-supported craft and design centers.

Visiting “The Jam” is one of my dreams. I would love to see the wonderful and often off-beat explorations that characterize the Australian craft scene.

Nick Mount, mentioned in the article, is a pioneer in the Australian glass movement. His work is a mixture of elegance and visually quirky elements.

Included in this issue, as well, is a 70-year timeline of American craft making. Many of the objects in this visual time machine have become pop-culture icons. You can visit the American Craft Council website to continue exploring objects and images online.

Alberta Craft is a great way to find out about the talented artist/artisans producing their work in our local community. This quarterly publication of the Alberta Craft Council lists upcoming exhibitions and features artists, like Medicine Hat clay artist, Jim Etzkorn. I think that life is too short not to drink your coffee or tea out of something handmade.

Arts magazines can lead to so many interesting places.

-Candace

Today’s blog comes from Candace Weir, Central Library staff:

The coffee table is a small surface that calls out for the clutter of life: a book, a tea or coffee mug and small things. Small things – either curious or beautiful – invite inspection and reflection.

The art of small things by John Mack considers the aesthetic of smallness and celebrates the art of the miniature. Among many fine things, he profiles two of the treasures that I keep on my coffee table.

I was given a plaster replica of the queen from the famed Lewis Chessmen. They are a collection of pieces from four different chess sets that were found in a bay in the Outer Hebrides.

My queen is great for ruminating on, although something a little stronger that tea may be called for. Based on her expression, being a medieval queen could not have been all pleasure. She is slightly larger than the figures of another obsession of mine: netsuke.

Netsukes are small sculptures about an inch tall, commonly carved from ivory or wood. Grace Gift Shop in the Dragon City Mall (second floor) in Chinatown carries some lovely Chinese netsuke. I have carved my own versions using taqua nut.

In the collection at Central Library, there is a splendid older book, The Art of Netsuke Carving, by Masatoshi. It shows traditional tools and techniques as well showcasing examples. Carving Japanese Netsuke for Beginners is another inspiring source that includes a gallery of beautiful pieces.

Finally, keep a place on the table for The Hare with the Amber Eyes by Edmund de Waal. Winner of 2011 Ondaatje prize, it traces the history of a family and an era through the story of a delicate and exquisite collection of netsuke.

Candace

Have you ever had the problem of too many books? Here are the clues: overflowing shelves, truly dusty tomes and piles that make you trip.

You look over and wonder what else you can do with all these dust collectors. Not every title is worth a second reading. To borrow a phrase from Monty Python, some are not for reading, but for laying down and avoiding.

I believe that much of what we condemn to the landfill has potential (check out my end table); so I was happy to discover a new book that shares this philosophy.

Lisa Occhipinti has come up with a collection of crafty and witty solutions in The Repurposed Library: 33 craft projects that give old books new life.

Need a new (and unusual) lamp? How about a shelf to surprise and delight your friends or maybe a whimsical wall decoration? There are plans for all of these.

Some use only the pages, or covers, and still others the whole book. In any case, you’ll always recognize the original form. A number have clever titles, such as the Book Mobile which is an Alexander-Calder-style creation, rather than a vehicle delivering library service.

With all these interesting ideas for your old books, your overcrowded shelves will soon be looking neater.

Today's blog comes from Candace Weir, Central Library staff:

Sometimes a material gets invented that makes it easy and fun to get creative. Polymer clay builds on our kindergarten experience with Plasticine, only there are many more colours and possibilities. The creation gets baked into something permanent. Results can be breathtaking.

As art materials go, it is relatively safe and certainly easy to use and the tools are inexpensive. The material is extremely versatile. It can be used to create stunning jewelry or make decorative objects for your home – anything from sculptures to vases. I recently saw an exquisite little cane-work bowl in the Rubiyat, a shop that specializes in fine handicraft.

We have more than 60 titles in the collection to help you master the craft and inspire new projects. You can learn techniques from books like Polymer Clay 101 by Angela Mabray. Have a look at Amazing Clay Flowers to learn how to make realistic blossoms of incredible delicacy and grace.

A recent article in American Craft (October/November, p. 54 – 61) reveals “How Polymer Hit the Big Time”. It shows the art of Elise Winters, who has worked to establish respect for the art form and the first permanent museum collection of polymer art at the Racine Art Museum in Wisconsin.

Winters creates large luscious jewelry that coils about the wrist and neck in vibrant waves. Works by other artists shown here include an ash credenza with a mosaic-like decoration in polymer clay applied to the surface.

To see more work by the pros, check out the online polymer art archive. Or gaze and drool at the lovely handiwork of Kathleen Dustin.

Candace