Fiber Fascination: New Adventures in Art

Sometimes an artist is called away from his or her familiar mediums and subjects to something entirely new and seemingly unrelated to his or her previous work. Often the time away from the usual art materials is, ironically, a way of deepening a connection with the original medium. In my case, my foray into acrylics ended up strengthening my connection and love for watercolors and inks. I learned new skills from my exploration in acrylics and if I hadn't tried working with acrylics for three years, I wouldn't have discovered my love for inks on canvas and clayboards.

Sometimes exploring a new medium develops in a whole new kind of creative expression. For over a year now, I have been exploring fiber. In particular wool. It began with knitting, which lead me to spinning yarn, and now to felting. Unlike, acrylics which returned me to where I started, working with wool has lead me to a whole new vision for my art. Painting will always be an important and necessary form of creative expression for me, but working with wool is opening doors and new creative possibilities. At this early stage, I have been exploring needle felting and creating felted wool "paintings".

I believe the physical nature of working with wool appeals to me, as painting, though a physical act in its execution, doesn't require the tactile manipulation like working with fiber does. I have the opportunity to explore sculpture and other three dimensional forms of art, which my painting does not permit. In some ways, working with both art forms balances out my creative expression with the fiber arts tapping into the physical and painting focusing on intellectual expression. Yet, both forms of art require an emotional and spiritual connection, which unites the creative energy in them. I don't believe I could give up one art form for the other, to me, they are a healthy balance for the whole of artistic expression.

Another aspect of working with wool is that it satisfies the eco-conscious side of my artistic goals. The wool requires no harsh chemicals, like varnishes or toxic paint pigments. It is 100% natural, biodegradable, and sustainable. I purchase my wool from a local sheep farmer, a small family practicing hand processed wool, committed to environmentally sound dyeing processes. The wool is also low in carbon output, as it requires little in the use of gasoline for transit. While, I have worked hard to choose products for my painting that are environmentally friendly and purchase only from companies that employ environmentally sustainable practices, there is no way to completely eliminate toxic or questionable materials without sacrificing quality or durability. With the fiber arts, it is very easy to choose safely and in favor of the environment.

I will soon be revising my website to incorporate this new aspect of my creative expression. Until then, I have created an Etsy shop featuring my needle-felted creations. All of the creations there celebrate and are inspired by nature. Please check out what I have been working on. Check back often, as I will continue to add more felted creatures, as well as other felted art works.

In the next post I will describe the needle felting process and give some background on this fascinating and relatively new art form. I am currently doing some research on the history of needle felting and wasn't quite ready to write about it at the time of this post.

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DoAn Art is a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization. Contributions in behalf of DoAn Art may be made payable to Fractured Atlas and are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.

All artwork and text © Copyright 2005-2009 DoAn Art (Antony Galbraith) unless indicated otherwise. All Rights Reserved. Any downloading, copying or use of images on this website is strictly prohibited without express written consent by Antony Galbraith.

Spring Migration Nature Art, Craft & Children's Festival

If you don’t have any plans this weekend please consider coming out to the wonderful Spring Migration Nature Art, Craft & Children's Festival! Learn details about the festival at www.gscincny.org.

In addition to the fun and educational events going on at the festival, I will have a table with my art, prints, greeting cards and newly created felted creatures. I hope to see you there!

Saturday May 2nd 10am-4pm
Sunday May 3rd 10am - 4pm

8375 North Main Street, Canastota, NY 315-697-2950

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DoAn Art is a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization. Contributions for the purposes of DoAn Art must be made payable to Fractured Atlas and are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law. 


All artwork and text © Copyright 2005-2009 DoAn Art (Antony Galbraith) unless indicated otherwise. All Rights Reserved. Any downloading, copying or use of images on this website is strictly prohibited without express written consent by Antony Galbraith.

The Dandelion

The Dandelion, 4 x4, ink fresco

The Dandelion, taraxacum officinale, is one of the first immigrants to North America along with the European colonists, had an established and long history in Europe where it was used medicinally, as a source of dye, and as a culinary herb.

As a medicinal herb, it has a reputation in for its effect in treating diabetes, liver ailments, and curing anemia.

The Dandelion was and still can be used to dye wool. The leaves create a yellow dye, while the whole plant creates a magenta color.

But, perhaps the place that most of us can take advantage of the Dandelion is in the kitchen. In the spring, before it flowers, the leaves can be eaten like a salad green. The flavor is a mild bitter-sweet, not unlike escarole. The raw leaves are a healthy low-carbohydrate food, more nutritious than spinach. The USDA Bulletin #8, "Composition of Foods" (Haytowitz and Matthews, 1984) lists Dandelion greens as the fourth in the top of the most nutritional greens. You can eat the leaves later in the season, but they will need to be blanched and cooked to remove the stronger bitter flavor that develops. If you wait until the autumn, after the first frost, the bitterness will have dissipated again. The photo here is of my spring harvest, which soon became part of a delicious mixed green salad. My family, who are not particularly daring in their food choices, all enjoyed the added flavor that Dandelion contributed to the salad.

a plate of freshly picked dandelion greens

Additionally, the root can be roasted and used as a caffeine-free coffee substitute. The flowers can be used to make a wine, or stir-fried as a vegetable. They are particularly tasty dipped in a light batter and fried like tempura.

So, before you start spraying noxious chemicals on your lawn, consider the source of nutritious food you might have right outside your door! Dandelions are high in iron and in vitamins A and C. At a time when grocery costs continue to rise, why go to the store to purchase foods with less nutritional value, when you have a free food source right in your own yard? (NOTE: avoid harvesting near roads, since road salt and and other toxic chemical may be present.) Don't be afraid to experiment, there is nothing toxic about the plant, so no matter what you do it cannot harm you, and you just may appreciate a great use for what was once considered an annoying weed.

Please do share your ideas and uses of the Dandelion by posting in the comments below!

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DoAn Art is a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization. Contributions for the purposes of DoAn Art must be made payable to Fractured Atlas and are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law. 


All artwork and text © Copyright 2005-2009 DoAn Art (Antony Galbraith) unless indicated otherwise. All Rights Reserved. Any downloading, copying or use of images on this website is strictly prohibited without express written consent by Antony Galbraith.

Helping the Bees

Last year in America, a third of the honeybee population disappeared, which came after losing a third of the population the year before. This is happening all over the world. Without some serious intervention, we are looking at the very real possibility of the extinction of the honeybee.

There are many theories concerning the reasons for their decline, none of them yet confirmed. But, regardless of the official reason, one of the theories that has a real impact is the loss of habitat. As more and more houses are built, and suburban sprawl widens, the subsequent deforestation rids the bees of tree cavities to nest in. The fields, once filled with flowers, turn to sterile, chemical-laced lawns, and the few flowers that do get planted in yards often do not provide food for the bees.

Some simple things one can do to help honeybees is to refrain from using pesticides and herbicides on lawns and to plant flowers that attract and nourish the bees. Some of the bee-favored flowers are Asters, Clover, Marigolds, Poppies, Sunflowers, Buttercups, Clematis,
Crocuses, Echinacea, Foxglove, Geraniums, Hollyhocks, Hyacinth, Roses, Sedum, Snowdrops,
Tansy, and Zinnias, plus many vegetable plants, herbs, and flowering trees and shrubs.

The decline of the honeybee has created a serious problem for everyone, for we are losing a key pollinator. Without pollination, our very food supply is threatened. One way to help ease the pressure off the Honeybee is to aid the Blue Orchard Mason Bee, by making homes for them to nest in. They are very industrious pollinators, a single female bee pollinating over 1000 blossoms a day! The male Blue Orchard Mason Bee cannot sting and the female rarely stings, they are not aggressive and safe to have around your home. They are great to watch and a perfect project for families to work on together, as it is very easy and enjoyable.

Here is a link to instructions for making your own Blue Orchard Mason Bee house. It is important to get the houses up soon, as the bees are starting to wake up and will be seeking homes. If you don't have time or really don't want to make your own bee house, here is a link where you can purchase one. I am making mine this week and will post a picture once I get it set up!

Let's do our part to help the creatures whose homes and food we have taken away, and whom we cannot live without!

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DoAn Art is a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization. Contributions for the purposes of DoAn Art must be made payable to Fractured Atlas and are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law. 


All artwork and text © Copyright 2005-2009 DoAn Art (Antony Galbraith) unless indicated otherwise. All Rights Reserved. Any downloading, copying or use of images on this website is strictly prohibited without express written consent by Antony Galbraith.

The Black-Capped Chickadee

Black-Capped Chickadees are the acrobatic clowns of North America. They frequent the bird feeders outside my window and bring joy on the dreariest of days with their cheerful call and comical antics.
Despite their small size, they are quite brave. Often I can stand very close while they pull seeds from the feeder. In years past, I have even had them land on my shoulder for a fleeting instant.
In addition to their entertainment value, Black-Capped Chickadees provide valuable pest control, eating many insects that are harmful to agriculture. A huge amount of their preferred habitat has been lost to suburban sprawl and deforestation, but we can give back what we have taken from them by providing feeders and nestboxes. Please consider eliminating the use of pesticides and instead welcome a natural and entertaining form of pest control to your property. For information about building nestboxes try visiting here or here.

(This image is from an older watercolor painting that had been damaged. I scanned a section of the original and did some minor touch-ups using digital software.)
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DoAn Art is a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization. Contributions for the purposes of DoAn Art must be made payable to Fractured Atlas and are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law. 

All artwork and text © Copyright 2005-2009 DoAn Art (Antony Galbraith) unless indicated otherwise. All Rights Reserved. Any downloading, copying or use of images on this website is strictly prohibited without express written consent by Antony Galbraith.

The Morrigan: The Dark Mother

The Morrigan: the Dark Mother

After six months of work, the painting "The Morrigan: The Dark Mother" is complete. This painting was an exploration of the dark side of life. By dark, I do not mean evil, but simply the negative aspects that when combined with the positive, complete the whole. I chose the Irish goddess The Morrigan to represent this exploration and added both archetypal and personal symbols to further represent the dark aspect of life and spirit.
The Morrigan, ancient goddess of the land, of fertility and death, became associated in more "modern times" with war. In triple aspect she was accompanied by Nemain (Frenzy), Macha or Badbh (Battle Crow). In her war aspect she appeared over the battlefield, inciting the warriors to become crazy with war-lust, and thus, causing their own demise. The Morrigan was not death herself, she was the harbinger of death, and so the Ban-Shee or the Washer at the Ford, became associated with her. She is the Kali of the Irish pantheon, the Dark Mother to whom we must respect deeply.
The Morrigan, represents the dark aspect that we all experience and possess. Everything emerges from the dark, the child from the womb, the day from night, and The Morrigan’s power exists within this place of potentiality. We also end the cycle by returning to the dark, day gives way to night, our bodies return to the earth, and so The Morrigan blesses us by releasing us from her realm and calls us back when it is time.
The dark aspect is not something to be feared, for to fear the dark, is to be afraid of our own nature. It is to be understood as part of a natural cycle of rise and fall, expanding and contracting, reaching out and turning inward, etc. The Morrigan offers us a way to understand and navigate the dark paths throughout our life, if only we overcome our fears and reach out to accept the “fruit” of knowledge she offers us.
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DoAn Art is a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization. Contributions for the purposes of DoAn Art must be made payable to Fractured Atlas and are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law. 


All artwork and text © Copyright 2005-2009 DoAn Art (Antony Galbraith) unless indicated otherwise. All Rights Reserved. Any downloading, copying or use of images on this website is strictly prohibited without express written consent by Antony Galbraith.

The Hare: fear, creativity and rebirth

This painting is titled “The Hare: Fear, Creativity and Rebirth” I have been thinking about the role of fear in life. What does fear teach us? When I approach a new painting, I often struggle with fear. Sometimes it can be a silly fear, like what if I use the wrong color and ruin the whole painting. But, often the fear is much deeper and more personal.
Sometimes making art is very hard, because in order to do it, you have to spend a lot of time with yourself, alone, with only your thoughts and emotions. Many times startling thoughts and feelings can rise to the surface and really shake me up. I have to overcome the fear that each time I sit down to work on a painting those dark thoughts can come and stir things up, whether I like it or not. Some paintings really force me to explore the darker aspects of myself and the world I live in. There are times when I have to put limits on the amount of time I can work on a particular painting, as the thoughts and feelings that come up can really drain me.
But, despite this challenge, I feel triumphant each time I leave a painting and come back to it again. Fear is only as bad as we allow it to be. The Hare has many enemies. Every day it must leave the safety of its home and forage for food, knowing that danger lurks from every direction. Yet, it must leave despite this fear, or it would starve or be unable to find a mate. I believe that the Hare teaches that we each have the ability to overcome fear, even if we are faced with it every day, whether it is from outside or inside.
Additionally, it takes creativity to outwit our enemies or to find ways to over come the fear that stifles us. The Snowshoe Hare changes its coat from brown to white during the seasons, an example of nature’s creativity at work. We are gifted with many tools available to us to outwit fear, it is often our own creativity that helps us use those tools effectively.

And, always, whether we succumb to fear or find ways to transcend it, we experience a rebirth. It can be small or completely transformative. The barberry bush behind the Hare bears little red fruit, each fruit contains two tiny seeds. Each seed is the potential and rebirth we all have within ourselves and is present in any given situation. Each time we transcend our fears we emerge stronger and more empowered, we are reborn as new beings, like the Hare, wearing a new coat ready to face the next fear that waits to challenge us.

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DoAn Art is a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization. Contributions for the purposes of DoAn Art must be made payable to Fractured Atlas and are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law. 


All artwork and text © Copyright 2005-2009 DoAn Art (Antony Galbraith) unless indicated otherwise. All Rights Reserved. Any downloading, copying or use of images on this website is strictly prohibited without express written consent by Antony Galbraith.