Diamondscapes

Mini needle felted landscapes framed in a brand new shape. These 3” x 3” rounded-edge diamond frames are custom made with a CNC router, and the new shape add so much interest to the tiny textile pieces when they’re hung. They’re great hung on their own, displayed in clusters, or I like to use them to fill in those weird gaps in my gallery wall (don’t worry, we all have em’).

Although I’ve certainly tried felting smaller than this, just to see if I could do it, I keep coming back to this 3” size. I’m able to get enough detail at this scale to create actual scenes, not just abstract landscapes, plus they ship extremely well, I can work on these while I’m traveling since they don’t require a lot of supplies, and the price point works with most budgets.

As much as I love working large, those pieces are always a risk and take longer to sell. With these mini’s, they’re often sold out in a few hours or days after the launch, so mark your calendars for September 1st when they go live. Or, if you want to get first dibs with my newsletter subscribers, signup here.

Enjoy the collection! I hope to do one or two more mini landscape collections before the end of the year. Stay tuned!

Mixed Media Collection: July 2021

I can never get enough texture, and ever since I learned rug hooking and punch needle, and how it could compliment my decade of needle felting experience, I’ve been falling in love with the layers, colors, and depth made possible by working with yarn, wool fiber, and fabric, all at once.

These mixed media pieces have been such a joy to make, but dang, they’re slow. I thought needle felting was slow, but it feels like a breeze compared to this! I have only ever had 2 or 3 pieces available at a time in the past, so this summer my goal was to have a substantial collection to offer. 7 pieces may not sound like a lot but it’s weeks and weeks worth of work, plus one of those pieces is 24x36 which is by far my largest mixed media piece to date. I’m so happy to work large!

One other idea I have had floating around in my head was adding embroidery or stitching to these mixed media pieces. That’s the beauty of mixed media - no rules and anything goes! I’m thrilled with how the wild flowers turned out, my very first attempts at hand stitching tiny details with yarn.

Enjoy the new series (now available on the website) and be sure to check out the process video so you can see one of these made from start to finish.

Artist-in-Residence: The Reserve at Lake Keowee

I’m just getting back from a fantastic stay at the Reserve at Lake Keowee as Artist-in-Residence. The community was so welcoming, the scenery beautiful, and it was so easy to find inspiration. Not only did I create art on-site, but I also did a workshop, artist's talk, and live plein air demo. I always get so much out of exploring new places, and Lake Keowee had so much to offer!

Lake Keowee in the Round (15” diameter)

Each morning I got up to watch the sunrise and enjoy a walk before the day got too toasty. The Reserve has many walking trails and hiking paths, some in the hilly pine forests, some along the emerald lake. I saw creatures almost every I ventured out, including my first-ever bear sighting in the wild. While distracted by a very busy armadillo who didn’t seem to mind our presence, we followed him down the trail, and suddenly realized there was an adult black bear about 40 yards away. I got one blurry photo and turned around. My husband and I didn’t finish our hike that day!

Black Swallowtail Butterfly in White Frame (6x8)

FAVORITE THINGS:

SIGHTS: Pink sunrises and that glorious color fade from the red clay earth to the emerald green water along the shoreline.

SMELLS: Pine needles in the sun.

SOUNDS: Crows laughing at me and gossiping high up in the trees.

TASTE: The grouper special at the clubhouse the first night of the residency. So so good!

MOMENT: Armadillo/bear sighting on a hike and doing the plein air demo at the pagodas while chatting with a wonderful group of ladies.

Trees at Settlement Village (9x12)

Every day had something to look forward to, whether it was a meal with members of the community, teaching a sold-out workshop full of extremely talented ladies, exhibiting my work and speaking about why I work in so many mediums, or paddling around in a kayak for a few hours. I always made time to work, but I didn’t put too much pressure on myself to stay inside all day and create, as I’ve done on past residencies (and regretted). This was a wonderful balance of scheduled events, adventuring, and creative time.

Flowers by the Green (5x7 oval)

Once Again Sam’s Nature Report:

• Woodpeckers

• Turkeys

• Bunnies

• Deer

• Herons

• Squirrels & chipmunks

• American crows

• Groundhogs

• Black swallowtail & eastern tiger swallowtail butterflies

• Geese

• Lizards

• Snake

• Armadillo

• BLACK BEAR!!!!!

Laurel Pond Pines (13x13): SOLD

Part of the deal with most residency programs is that the artist donates a pieces from the collection inspired by or made during the residency. This piece below is the largest one I made of the Reserve and it was the one I chose to donate to the Community Foundation because it features one of the best views there, in my opinion. This is the view of Pinnacle Mountain from the top of the hill in front of the clubhouse and it looks breathtaking any time of day, even in the rain.

The View from the Clubhouse (14x20): DONATED

I can’t say enough good things about The Reserve. It was an honor to be chosen to be the Aritst-in-Residence for 2021 and it was such a great experience on every level! Enjoy this short video recap of my week and be sure to check www.oneagainsam.com for all available fiber art pieces made during the residency. Many of the pieces found forever-homes with residents which I was still at The Reserve, which is exactly what I had hoped would happen, but several other pieces are up for grabs!

Artist in Residence: Devil's Fork State Park

I just spent a week staring at the most beautiful green lake. I hiked, I paddled, and I made lots of art! This was my third artist residency through South Carolina State Parks and this year I was assigned to Devil’s Fork State Park in the northwest part of the state, where I’m starting to think there are more waterfalls than people. The landscape was gorgeous and there was so much to explore. Although I had a very full week, I feel like I could have spent a year there!

Every day I got up before sunrise and headed out for a hike in a new place. I averaged 4-7 miles each day, usually on a trail that lead to a waterfall or two, and soaked up as much inspiration as I could. In the afternoons, I enjoyed the panoramic view of Lake Jocassee from my cabin porch, making needle felted landscapes and painted pendants inspired by my surroundings. It was so easy to find inspiration. Not only does Devil’s Fork boast a lake so clear and green it looks like pool water, but there’s the majestic Blueridge mountains at the horizon, and of course acres and acres of magical woodlands full of creatures and flowers. This place has it all.

I am so thankful to have the opportunity to get to know another State Park in this intimate way and it’s even more special this time because this residency is the one and only thing on the calendar for 2020 that didn’t get canceled. It was the one thing I got to keep, I got to look forward to almost a full year, and the experience did not disappoint in any way.

I hope you enjoy this short video recap of my time at the park! All needle felted wool paintings are available here, the one mixed media fiber art piece at the beginning of this post is available here, the painted landscape pendants can be purchased here, and the laser engraved pendants are here. Use coupon code JOCASSEE now through 10/15 to get 20% off your order of $50 or more at www.onceagainsam.com

Once Again Sam’s Nature Report:

• 6 Bald Eagles

• Countless monarch butterflies (on their way to Mexico)

• 1 Otter

• 4 Great blue herons

• Many fishies-a-swimmin’

• 5 Belted king fishers

• 1 Bear (possibly)

• 2 Deer

• Several chipmunks

• All the squirrels

• 17 Waterfalls

• 0 Snakes (hooray!)

The 50 States Project

I’ve been working on a big series of tiny art! The 50 States Project has been on my to-make list for several months and I just finished up the series. I really enjoyed researching different locations for each state, and it’s always a challenge to needle felt at this tiny scale. Each 3”x3” needle felted landscape features a landmark or representational scene from each of the 50 States, and the collection is available on my website.

Be sure to enter the giveaway on Instagram and Facebook! The winner will get their choice of any of the mini landscapes from the series. All you have to do is answer the following question on either of my social media feeds: What is your favorite state and why? Good luck! Winner will be announced 9/19 at 6pm EST (must be US resident to win).