There's horse hair plaster there are horse hair brushes. There are also really cheesy felt and glitter pictures of horses running through mountain streams. Horses and crafty art tend to go hand in hand (or hand in hoof). But using a horse as a canvas? Hmm...
Artist and photographer Kandace Wilson's living canvases are of the equine variety. According to this interview on Beautiful Decay her portfolio contains "stellar images of the painted horse, textiles created from the painted imagery, and fashion designs using those textiles". Kandace's idea is to get painters to paint on the horse which she then takes photographs of.
Native Americans used to put war paint on their horses to ride into battle so it isn't anything new, and you have to admit that the images are rather stunning.
Still I'm not sure how impressed the horses standing hour upon hour being poked at by a paintbrush. The phrase "Why the long face?" comes to mind.
Yay or neigh, crafty folks?
Plush You is an exhibition at LA's Munky King Gallery that is introducing the world to some seriously amazing squishy works of genius. One of the works is a people-munching monster that displaying equal helpings of the endearing and the slightly disturbing.
Made by Moxie introduces Hungry. Needle felted beasts with an appetite for human h'ors oeuvres.
The pieces are made with the art of needle felting and appear to be happily chomping on Barbie limbs in an effort to satisfy their famishedness.
Moxie's work is has all the right measures of kooky and cute and is truly inspiring stuff for you plush creators out there.
The exhibition runs until the September 19. Go and see it. I wish I could.
London's Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square has been home to some inspiring crafty art. From Gormley's One and Other folk knitting, paper-aeroplane folding and body painting to the most recent Ship in a Bottle by Shonibare. What will end up keeping Nelson and his lions company next?
Today saw the announcement of the contenders for the prized pigeon-perched place in one of London's busiest squares.
Offerings include:
You can see the proposals exhibition in the St Martin-in-the-Field Crypt till October 31.
Personally I quite fancy the giant chicken. Possibly with a giant knitted moustache...
It's all gone to sea this week in the world of craft. Maybe I'm just seeing things but I'm pretty convinced there are tentacles coming out of the walls to drag me into the deep. I'm either going insane or I've been wandering through the hallowed halls of handmade we call Etsy again.
Witness the wonder of the Wall Tentacle. A papier-maché and wire wall adornment that puts the man-squeezing octopus into your home decor.
The sea-based sculpture is one of the many kooky cool offerings from Art Akimbo. Other bizarre but brilliant pieces include Nose Mustache Eyeglass Holders, a fridge face and probably least kooky a flying heart of gold clock.
The photo of the face magnets on the toaster is worth a look alone.
We don't have Wonder Bread in the UK but I am assuming it's in the vein of gluey white Happy Shopper bread that tempts your tastebuds by looking so white and pristine but tastes like it may stick your innards together. So instead of eating it why not use it for art?
This Wonder Bread embroidery that I discovered on Bit Rebels is pretty damned bizarre but oddly cheering. It's the work of artist and crafter Catherine McEver.
The slices of art are four years old (which is an impressive shelf life for any bread) and she even includes her homage to Van Gogh's Starry Night.
Art via the medium of scary immortal bread and thread. Brilliant.
Sport shoe giants Nike are challenging creatives to turn the humble trainer into something crafty and arty in a global project which will hit London's Design Festival this year.
Some amazing interpretations of the shoe have already begun appearing on the Nike78 Project site to prove that artists and crafters really can make something inspiring from anything.
78 pairs of plain white trainers have been sent out to creatives worldwide, in a project thought up by graduate Paul Jenkins. Each of them has been asked to "use sport as inspiration to challenge their function"
The results are fish tank shoes from Japan (watch the video to see how they did it), remote control shoes from the UK, shoe masks from a Finnish artist, and cake and knitted versions too.
The finished shoes can all be seen at the London Design Festival in September.
Craftivism is about taking what you make or can make and using it to give voice to people who can't speak for themselves. Hands can make more of a statement than countless words sometimes do. This is very apparent in the case of the latest project to stride bravely onto the Craftivism scene.
Desconocida Unknown Ukjent, by artist Lise Bjorne, is an ongoing community art project that uses embroidery to highlight the plight of the growing number of women who disappear on the border between Mexico and the USA.
Since 1993 there have been 800 documented cases in the area but unofficial numbers suspect many many more. The cases go unsolved due in part to the Mexican Government remaining passive, and often hindering the process of justice.
Workshops on July 24th at London's Pallant House Gallery invite you to embroider labels containing the names of the dead and missing women of Juarez. These will be exhibited in the Contemporary Eye: Crossovers in October.
So far 2100 individuals in 27 countries have so far participated in the project. If you feel strongly then join them to speak out with your craft.
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