Bloomin' at 60 with Nancy Mellon

Jafabrit is an artist who loves painting, embroidery, photographing, drawing, yarnbombing, blogging and hanging out with her jafapals. 

Jafa T it's time for Ha Ha

"Bloomin' at 60" Series 

Nancy and I were so inspired by Cynthia Korzekwa's blog post on art for housewives about the artist Lee Godie and her photo booth photographs and decided we wanted to do a series. Not the same of course, but the idea of transformation hit a nerve with Nancy.

" Lee Godie and the Need for Transformation" 

Just like Lee, I have a need for transformation. Of my thoughts. My body is transforming all on it's own. You think I would have expected it but it's been a surprise. I became 60 and wondered what am I becoming. Old? Dead? Is it "Bang! you're an old lady now"? Um, yes in some ways that is the way our society perceives a woman after she turns 60. So what does "old" mean to me? It is pretty spooky to me. My mom did not go gracefully into her old age. But if I look at some of the artists I know ....It's filled with creativity and when not creating, it still seems manageable. They laugh or cry and create and transform their struggles into art.  They aren't listening to society, they are listening to their inner voice. 

Part of this aging thing is that I am getting mucho wrinkles and I kind of like the wrinkles. They remind me of my grandmother.  She did aging well.  Her face was a beautifully wrinkled apple doll face. Grandma carved apples for years and dried them by hanging them up like a wash line of tiny shrunken heads. Then she created the homeliest dolls from them. She also kept playboys under a stack of magazines, she sang silly songs and told stories about the pleasure of not wearing a corset. She dressed up for Halloween, made maple syrup candy to give out and fit right in if she decided to go along with the neighborhood kids Trick or Treating. 

My fascination with the changes to my body make me, the artist me, interested in painting and drawing and describing the beauty of old bodies, how they bend and curve, how they are full of intricate lines.  

Lee chose to transform herself into others through her photo series. I found it fascinating and meaningful that she was able to find a way to make choices, to be in control over something in her difficult life.  And in those concentrated moments of choosing and creating another life, she must have felt alive and good. Like Lee using "art to give her madness meaning and direction" I think we can transform our aging selves into art that gives meaning and a chosen direction to go in."  

thanks for dropping by

Crafting: Felt Flower Bouquet

Nancy and I wanted to make a special bouquet to leave in town and out came the felt, the yarn, scissors, glue gun, and a few branches from the garden.

 

After wrapping the branches with yarn and gluing on hand stitched flowers we had our bouquet.

Tim we,like many, will miss your wisdom, kindness and joyful presence.

2003 Art Map of Yellow Springs, Ohio

Welcome to the jafagirls blog, and thank you for dropping by

This blog entry is by corrine aka jafabrit

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I was cleaning out my studio and came across an art map that Talitha Greene and I created  2003 when we were members of the Village Artisans Gallery (located in Kings Yard at the time).  We were getting a lot of visitors asking about where they could see art and we decided to come up with this. Very basic but that was all the means we had available at the time.

We gave the template to several local shops who printed out copies for themselves and handed out to customers. 

jafa jumble

As in Nancy has been very busy elf getting the Yellow Springs Arts Council Fundraiser pulled together with her gallery crew.

CHEERS

Yarnbombing at the Springfield Museum of Art

Jafagirls Nancy Mellon and Corrine Bayraktaroglu have a love of supporting the local arts/artists and getting up to artistic mischief.

We hope you enjoy visiting our blog.

Nancy and I were just delighted when we were invited to yarnbomb the beautiful tree outside the Museum.  We didn't have much time, but thanks to a donation of knitted pieces ♥ and ooddles of felt pieces in the studio and our imagination we got this done in a week. 

The tree is 12ft around, and the largest we have ever done, but it was FUN.

Weather was gorgeous.

It is part of the Museums celebration of Fiber Arts now on exhibit in "Gathering by Sue Cavanaugh" and "Ohio Designer Craftmen: Best of 2013."  And I want to give a shout out to another Yellow Springs artist, Pam Geisel, whose beautiful quilted piece, "Cosmic Connectivity" was juried into the ODC exhibit.

If you have never been to the museum, check it out,the grounds are gorgeous, the permanent collection fabulous, and their current exhibits' stunning. 

For more information 

Museum Website

Museum FB page

Changes and New Adventures

After 8 wonderful years of a totally zany adventure new jobs and interests pull us in different directions. We have been blessed with a lot of support, and fabulous collaborations with fellow artists, and for that we are thankful. While the jafagirls may no longer function as a group we will still be jafagirls (after all that is what we are, just another f^%$# artist in a world full of artists) and our friendship and art continues.

What won't end

The Little Art Box on Corry Street

Corrine aka Jafabrit will continue doing 

Free Art Friday around Yellow Springs
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Occasional Yarnbombing/textile street art
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Our commitment to promoting and supporting the arts in our community
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Nancy's Notes
Nancy Mellon is Coordinating the YSAC Gallery, meeting and working with many artists, creating art events and generally is too busy. And as always, working with Corrine and doing art mischief together is the best of times.
 So who knows what's next.
YSAC FB Page *** YS Arts Blog
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Meanwhile we are hanging out with the Bird Brains at YS Put a Bird on It.

Cheers
May the artforce be with you

Ice Hands and Haiku

Winter Sun 

As the sorrow of losing a beloved pet clutches at my heart, I reach out and embrace the sunshine in life as much as possible. I loved Mateusz's Haiku, it really touched a chord and seemed to fit with the ice sculpture Nancy and I put in the Art Park on Saturday.