Author: JP Dawes Artist

Fast Friday Fabric Challenge #53

| JP Dawes Artist

I had just decided that I wanted to go in a totally abstract interpretation direction with my art and along came Chris’s challenge for photo realism. No way to abstract that one. I first thought of simply scanning a painting from the past, print it on fabric and pump up the volume with paints. After I gave it a lot of thought, I decided that the challenge really demanded my full attention. I have been striving to design some simple pieces. 

The result is one of my most favorite things in the world…a chocolate sundae dripping over the bowl and sweet maraschino cherries on top. I drew the sundae on white muslin with inktense pencils and then shaded the ink when I applied water. I applied fusible web, cut it out and applied it to the white table top. For the shadow, after I cut out the sundae , I held it over the white  background with a light source on the right. That gave me the correct shadow for the bowl. I quilted the wall in a wood grain to make it recede and the table and sundae come forward. The hard part was the foreshortened spoon. What was I thinking???  The table top was intentionally left without quilting since I felt it would make the piece too busy.
So here it is, I hope you like it. Comments  are always welcome and appreciated. 

Etsy Treasury

| JP Dawes Artist

Well, this can become terribly addictive. I have created a couple of treasuries on Etsy. It’s a great way to learn your way around the site, check out what others are offering and analyse the photography. This is a link to my newest treasury. Ice is-nice-blue-is-cool

Creating these is also a great way to practice your artistic eye. You get to compose the page with the color and style you choose. It’s almost like painting a picture.  Take a look if you’re interested.

Wabi Sabi and my 2011 word

| JP Dawes Artist

I will be working in my studio today, attempting to get something creative accomplished. My word for 2011 is Perseverance.  This has recently been difficult because of a severe RA flare that began before the holidays. My father was visiting and I had no choice but to persevere through the pain. I decided to destash with Etsy and have been persevering getting started but it has a long way to go. 

That brings me to how my Word andWabi-Sabi relate. If you aren’t familiar, here is a definition of Wabi-Sabi:
“ Pared down to its barest essence, wabi-sabi is the Japanese art of finding beauty in imperfection and profundity in nature, of accepting the natural cycle of growth, decay, and death. It’s simple, slow, and uncluttered-and it reveres authenticity above all. Wabi-sabi is flea markets, not warehouse stores; aged wood, not Pergo; rice paper, not glass. It celebrates cracks and crevices and all the other marks that time, weather, and loving use leave behind. It reminds us that we are all but transient beings on this planet-that our bodies as well as the material world around us are in the process of returning to the dust from which we came. Through wabi-sabi, we learn to embrace liver spots, rust, and frayed edges, and the march of time they represent.”


I read an article that compared Wabi-Sabi personalities to NOT Wabi-Sabi personalities. I discovered that in the entire list given, I am Wabi-Sabi. Because of a few acquaintances who couldn’t possibly relate to this concept, I had been trying to accept their way and persevere. There I was in black and white! Maybe that makes me the odd man out, but that’s okay.


My word last year was Acceptance.  I have finally accepted that some of the activities I was involved with simply weren’t working for me. I was persevering and trying to make them work but finally had to accept defeat. I don’t do that willingly. 


My life will be much freer now that much of the toxic emotional clutter is gone. I am feeling great relief that I can get back to my creative life and continue to be Wabi Sabi.

Technical Pen Updates

| JP Dawes Artist

I was not able to get most of the pens clean that I purchased on Ebay. Some even had broken wires that were only discovered after they were somewhat cleaned out.   What a bummer. However, Ebay has a buyer protection program so I reported the seller for a false listing. I offered to pay a small amount for the pens that worked as well as the shipping. I wanted to be fair, after all. Customer support decided to give me back all of my money  so how cool is that? 
I belong to the Freecycle network so I posted a want add for Rapidograph or any other technical pens a few months ago. I guessed it didn’t hurt to ask. I got an email last week that someone had found an old set if I would come pick them up!!! That set was also very dirty, but hey it was free so if I could get only a few of the pens cleaned and working I would be good to go. I soaked them in ammonia for many days and the wires were shaking. So I was part way there. 
At the Salvation Army I found a sonic jewelry cleaner that Gary Simmons writes in The Technical Pen book  will also work in place of a $100 Koh-I-Noor sonic cleaner. I am happy to report that I now have a full set of pens in working order. I am excited that I can now use the metallic acrylic Speedball inks that have been  sitting on a shelf. I hope to be able to post a few sketches and things for you to see in the next few weeks.