Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Architecturally Inspired ~ Delicately Stitched

Liz Kettle here with you today. I am thrilled to be able to introduce you all to new 8 That Create member, Natalya Aikens. I have loved Natalya's work ever since I first came across it on the web many years ago. We share a love of vintage fabrics, stitching and architecture. Welcome to 8 That Create Natalya!


 Natalya takes the seeming unrelated elements of Russia, recycling and photography and melds them together to create magical pieces of art. Her work is evocative of a beautiful memory, history and stories of a special place and time. Natalya grew up in St. Petersburg Russia and much of her art reflects the folklore and beautiful architecture of Russia. Natalya currently lives in New York and finds inspiration in her surroundings as she explores with camera in hand. Many of her photographs find their way into her artwork.

 







"Marrying together of the disparate influences on my art – heritage and recycling – is my greatest challenge and my greatest pleasure. It is what drives me into my studio everyday."                             Natalya Aikens     
                                                                                                                  

Natalya is passionate about recycling and likes to add bits of plastic and mesh bags as well as paper into her work. Natalya's goal is to transform trash into something treasured and sophisticated.

You can see more of Natalya's beautiful work on her website and you can connect with her on Facebook and Twitter as well as right here at 8 That Create.

 

A quick peek into Natalya's creative space


.










Isn't it fun to see what is in someone else's space? I have some of those insulators too.





I asked Natalya to share 8 little tidbits about herself with our 8 That Create followers.

1. I love to experiment with many tools and materials.
2. I don't feel married to one particular set of techniques and will use any technique to achieve a desired effect.
3. I like to think of myself as rather thrifty.
4. I love to find new ways to use old materials.
5. I enjoy listening to NPR  or books on tape while working away in my studio, but only during the execution phase, never during design.
6. I need quiet when figuring out a new design, no distractions while concentrating.
7. Costume design was my first love.
8. I have an extensive library of art, design, history of fashion and film books and I refer to them all often.

If you want to hear Natalya talk about her work check out this SAQA video interview:



 

Thursday, February 21, 2013

Change is in the air!

We have exciting news to share! We are delighted to announce the addition of Natalya Aikens, Benedicte Caneill, Kristin LaFlamme, and Beryl Taylor to four of the original members - Jane Davila, Gloria Hansen, Liz Kettle, and Carol Sloan. We're still 8, still creating, and ready for whatever the future holds. And boy, do we have great plans in store! Each of the new members will be introduced in their own posts in the coming days, so stay tuned for all the scoop on these talented women and their gorgeous work.

A second bit of exciting news is that a selection of the works we had hanging at the View Art Center in Old Forge NY in our show Off the Hanger, has been featured in Quilting Arts magazine in the February/March 2013 issue, available on newsstands or online now. Artists participating in this show were Sue Bleiweiss, Jane Davila, Jamie Fingal, Gloria Hansen, Leslie Tucker Jenison, Liz Kettle, Carol Sloan, and Kathyanne White.

Below is a sneak peek at the article and an glimpse at the diversity of the work that made up this show.