Subversive Stitch: I didn't think I would do it


but I did.

If you are easily offended then I suggest you do NOT scroll past this picture.
















******
*********

*****









I have not been a big fan of using rude language or imagery in my work (although yes I did do that ONE embroidery but), but I  was invited to participate in a project involving said word. I enjoyed the challenge of seeing if I could visually create a piece 

Getting a BIg Ass and it's not what you THINK!


Wise Owl Says



"Courage is the commitment to begin without the guarantee of success".

It's not just the courage to be judged, or dismissed as an artist, but the courage of facing indifference also. The problem is if we start thinking everything has to successful (whatever that means), how will we keep trying, and growing and striving for that one creative moment that succeeds in ways we

The F Factor










copyright ©2011 Corrine Bayraktaroglu aka Jafabrit All rights Reserved

F is For Facinorous

 and that is what I plan to be with this next embroidery project :)  


Diwali 2011 Springfield Ohio









We've been going to Diwali now for several years and each year is as wonderful as the last.  Happy Diwali.








Clowning Around




 I have no idea what possessed me Saturday to buy this ugly  99 Cent little oil painting (circa 1974 signed Dartin)when I was at the charity shop. I hate clowns (even have a blog entry about it back in 2010). No! not scared of them, just never liked them.
I will admit I liked HOW it was painted with buttery loose brushstrokes that get a sense of the figure. Something weird must be going on in

Now I Get It: Edward Gorey






I remember seeing his work on PBS Masterpiece Mystery Theatre years ago and always enjoying the intro as much as the show.









but hadn't quite understood how the egg head I made with Nancy would be so reminiscent of Gorey's work.  Then a fan of Gorey's, and a wonderful supporter of studio jafabrit (thank you) told Nancy and I why she wanted to buy our egg.









After doing some

Having a Voice


Makes People Happy



I do it with my art or with guerrilla art,  although I can't say my street art is "always" anonymous (that's practically impossible in a small village).






Karla Black's Voice 










I really like her comments about what sculpture is to her in this interview. She is a Turner Prize winner and her work will be unveiled at the Batlic Centre of Contemporary Art in my

Mental Vitamins





The Healing Power in the Act of Creating




 Neuroscientist Kelly Lambert has shown in her research that "when you knit a sweater or plant a garden,...when you prepare a meal or simply repair a lamp, you are bathing your brain in feel-good chemicals and creating a kind of mental vitamin."

 I found this info in great article on EcoSalon that talks about the link between Using Your Hands and

How cool! Amazon top 10 craft books list


Gale and Joan's Craft Activism Book made Amazon's top 10 best craft books list for 2011, wheeeeeeeeee!

Here is a nice review of the book by Bead Nerd, and yes that's our jafagirl peace pole.






photo by Gale Zucker






Shadows and Inspiration


I love walking past this garden, especially when there are beautiful shadows on the gorgeous blue wall.












My fascination with shadows goes back a long way it seems. I remember my first oil painting class with Marie Linnekin and we had to do a still life study. I was fascinated with the shadows and all the other objects seemed to become secondary.









There are a lot of things that

Crafty Pals and Why Inspiration Matters




One of my FAVE long time bloggy pals, Margot Potter, has a new website called Craft.You. It's all about making lemons into really tasty strawberry fizzy lemonade and she sure knows how to do that with a zing and a flair.  She has free advice, classes, tips, and interviews, plus she is a FUN read. It's not just about making crafts though, it's also about life crafting.

Why Inspiration Matters

That Elusive Image and FAB fabric markers


 I was planning on starting a project yesterday BUT then I got a bee in my bonnet because I couldn't find  my photograph that is the inspiration for it. I became like an obsessed demon and for three hours searched my photo files, and the house. Five minutes before I leave the house to go to a meeting I suddenly realize where it might be. 

RIGHT NEXT TO THE FLIPPING COMPUTER IN A FOLDER, grrrr!

Matt Decker Tattoo's

Look at the color! Just one more session to go on Missy!



Inspiration exists, BUT


I haven't seen the movie Modigliani, which some say is awful, but I thought this video clip and music lovely.






Played in my sketchbook last night and there must be some subliminal message about being wooly-minded ;)








  However today my Monday Muse is telling me to get off the computer and start laying the groundwork for a painting and an embroidery.  The ideas have been fermenting

I am not a speaker


Trust me I just BLITHERED on and I think the salon talk was all over the place eeeeeeeek, BUT it was fun (more about that later) and a LOVELY finish to our Hairy Art Palace Exhibit. Thanks to The Yellow Springs Arts Council and their wonderful volunteers.




Meanwhile I am just working on being as lazy as possible today (although the studio beckons).  I have been tossing and turning at night as

Cloud Watching and Jafa's have a new meaning






I love long drives, and cloud watching is one of the things I like to do.  I saw this jet shaped cloud on the way to Penn State and had to take a pic (of course). I go nowhere without my camera. As with a lot of things I post about I thought I would do google search on clouds found this: The Cloud Appreciation Society




Oh yea! erm about the jafa's, well it's official, Nancy and I have

rocks that make me drool!!!!!!!!!!




Claudio Bravo Pastel Drawing 1971




Spent a couple of hours at The Palmer Museum of Art at Penn State, and what a gem it is. Yes, you read that right, the above is a pastel. I thought it was a photograph at first and was floored when I realized it was a drawing. In the reflection is an Alex Katz aluminum cutout called Anne. I REALLY enjoyed the faculty exhibit, very inspiring, and makes me

Blog Archive