Fabric Art Collage

Fabric Art Collage

Rebekah Meier
© Lydia Lowe 6/13/2012

     If you’ve always wanted to create with collage but prefer working with fabric and fibers rather than paper, this is the book for you.

     The book covers a wide variety of information: tools and supplies (embossing powders aren’t just for paper), painting and stamping (melted crayons on muslin and how to clean the iron afterwards), creating base materials (paper and fabric combo’s), texture (needle felting), embellishments (paper beads), fibers and embroidery (plus size inchies?), hot tools (dryer sheets as a design tool), distressing (coffee and tea spills can be a good thing), and assembling the layers. These are just a few of the more unique things that I found and is a fraction of the possibilities that are available for creating fabric art collages.

       I thought the book was a little light on project ideas. But the author did have a lot of information to cover regarding the tools and supplies that are available. For additional project ideas, I would recommend Rebekah Meier’s second book, More Fabric Art Collage. The two books go hand in hand.

Lacee Schafer

UNTITLED

  Lacee Schafer

McPherson Public Library

McPherson, KS

© Lydia Lowe  6/09/2012

When I walked into the McPherson Public Library today to view the artist of the month, I took one look at the first painting and thought, "this reminds me of Errick Ferguson".  Then I read the artist bio and realized that this was Errick Ferguson's niece, Lacee Schafer.
I really like the limited use of bright color technique that both of these artist's use.  It just reaches out and grabs the viewer.  I'd love to see more of this type of work.
But Lacee has her own style, too.  Check out these photo's.  So without further ado:

Invocation

Serenity

Paper Flowers

For Our Freedom

Koi

Irrevocably Similar

Still Life

Pride & Prejudice

Monday Night Book Discussions

"PRIDE & PREJUDICE"

(written by Jane Austen)

Salina Public Library

Salina, KS

© Lydia Lowe  6/12/2012

Pride & Prejudice . . .I read this book on my own when I was in junior high school.  I enjoyed the rhythm of the words and the way it was written.  There's a lyrical, poetic bent to the the writing.  I'm a poet so this appeals to me.  The rhythm and the way the writing falls back upon itself.  The story is appealing, too.


However, as an adult, still a poet, but more of a prose reader, I found that all of the things that I loved about it in junior high school I don't particularly care for now.  As an adult, I read more for story and character and less for the way the words fit together.  I think that's sad, but there it is. 


This is an excellent read.  But be prepared to take your time reading it.  You can't just sit down and run through it like you can with today's books.  It has to be savored and requires a lot of thought as you go along.  The story is worth it, if you can keep the rhythm and the thought processes going in a round about direction. 


Then again, maybe I just wasn't in the mood for this type of book at this time.  Sometimes you just have to be in the mood . . .

Bradley Fair Summer Jazz Concert Series

Joseph Vincelli

JOSEPH VINCELLI
Bradley Fair Summer Jazz Concert Series/Smoky Hill River Festival
© Lydia Lowe  6/7-8/2012

     On Thursday, June 7, one of my favorite performers, Joseph Vincelli kicked off the the Bradley Fair Summer Jazz Concert Series in Wichita, KS.  Then on Friday, June 8, he was off to Salina to perform at The Smoky Hill River Festival.  What a treat!  

     The first time I heard Vincelli in concert, he was at Bradley Fair.  I happened to mention this to him when I got a chance to talk to him, and he said that he started doing concerts at Bradley Fair twelve years ago.  He was excited and looking forward to playing the next few days in Salina at the river festival.  It’s become somewhat of a circuit for him and a given that he’ll do both.  That’s been going on now for about three years.

     Vincelli did several performances during the four-day festival.  I happened to catch two of them.  It was refreshing to see that he changed up his performance each time he played.  Adding in new songs and changing the order of the songs that he played from one performance to another.  Vincelli is noted for his saxophone but he also played the flute as well, and it was lovely.  He roams the crowd during his performances and really works the music for all it's worth.

     This year, Vincelli once again roamed around the grounds of the festival for impromptu performances.  I was walking around and would hear that saxophone and the next thing I knew, there he was under a tree, just playing away.  This year he had planned to roam the festival only and was not scheduled to play on any stages, but a last minute cancellation opened up Stage II and he filled the time.  Unfortunately his band didn’t make the trip, but he played along with his tracks and they served as his back-up band.  It was a wonderful bonus.

     Joseph Vincelli has a new CD out, "The Invitation", and it is available on his website.  Check it out and if you get a chance to hear him perform live, make sure that you do.  He is awesome to hear and see in person.

Art at The Metro

Leave Your Print     Reagan Tatro

Into the Lens     Reagan Tatro

The Space Between     Reagan Tatro

Chris Mayer: Solo Ritmo

CHRIS MAYER: SOLO RITMO

Metro Coffee

Hutchinson, KS

© Lydia Lowe  6/2/2012

Chris Mayer: Solo Ritmo . . .I've been hearing a lot about Chris Mayer and Solo Ritmo but never had the chance to attend one of his performances until Saturday night.  I wish I'd made it a point to have gone sooner, this was one of the best performances I have been to in a long while.

The performance reminded me so much of beat poets in the late 50's or early 60's.  I've seen them depicted on T.V. and in films but this was the first time seeing something like this in person.  Mayer did not disappoint.  Using a variety of percussion instruments, drums, cymbals, and found objects, he started his set with a lot of different pieces about time: Before the Drum, Tick-Tock-Sick (which had a Dr. Suess for adults flavor with a variety of clock sounds and finally through the spoken word all the clocks were thrown out and he decided to use a sundial to tell time), What Time Is It? and then he switched to Storm Song and How the Raven Stole the Night (this was one of my favorites, I loved the Native American story flavor to it).

There was even a chance for the audience to participate.  Cards were handed out with an instruction of what was needed, like a noun or adverb, etc. and then he put all of these words together to make up a spoken word poem on the spot.  It was amazing.  It was fun to listen for the words I'd written as he read the poem.  Everyone seemed to smile when he got to their contribution to the poem.  He even had the audience bring him objects and he used those as instruments to create new and unusual sounds.

Mayer's last piece of the night was entitled: Song.  He used a most unusual instrument, (pictured above) called a Waterphone.  Click on the link to find out more about it.  This instrument was created by Richard Waters and simulates the sound of a whale, but it also brings to the ear the sounds of something otherworldly.  It's beautiful to hear in person. You've got to check out Chris Mayer: Solo Ritmo when he comes to The Metro again.  I know I will.

Chris Mayer will return to The Metro at the end of the month, Saturday, June 30 with Five Man Trio.

Guest Review by James Lowe

From left, Steve Traylor, Ben Decker and Derek Law, the Triple Decker Trio, play at Cool Beans. (Photo by James Lowe)

Spontaneous jazz trio delights crowd

James Lowe - KJAG Radio/For The Bee

Today I took in a concert at the Cool Beans Coffee and Sandwich shop in downtown Hutchinson. Cool Beans is a smart, hip place and the staff is awesome. They had a jazz trio playing there that I discovered after interviewing them had been thrown together within 20 hours of the show.

I thought this was such a cool thing to do on a Friday during a lunch period. So did a lot of folks in Hutchinson.

The trio, by the name of The Triple Decker Trio, includes Derek Law, bass, Ben Decker, guitar, and Steve Traylor on the bass trombone. These folks put on a great show, they had a wide range of music from classic jazz to modern day stuff as well. One guitar, a bass and a horn put together a hell of a show. These folks cooked and they had it down. People were getting into it - a table even began to join in on singing with the group.

I loved the experience. This seems to be what is going on anymore. A lot of people say, “Oh live music is dead in Hutchinson.” I do not believe that is true, you just have to know where to find it. The Metro Coffee here in Hutchinson does great shows every weekend. Cool Beans at the old Amtrak station has music every Friday from 11:45a.m.-1 p.m. The Farmer's Market has music going every weekend. Then you have Third Thursday downtown and Hastings Cafe does a First Friday every month. It’s just you have to do a lil' home work to enjoy great live entertainment.

The Bee Website