Stephanie Corfee

vibrant, bohemian, and intricate art

Experimenting

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This past weekend was time for some experimenting. i found myself in the painting studio in the wee small hours just itching to open up all those dyes you see lined up on the easel. i dug through my stash of silks leftover from my old wedding gown design business and found a suitable piece of habotai silk. i ripped it to a 36″ square and taped it to the back board. White duct tape. Classy. i’m certain it would have been nicer to stretch the silk onto a frame for painting, but did i mention it was the wee small hours? And i was just experimenting after all, what’s the worst that could happen? A few hours and a few episodes of PSYCH later ( i really love that show!) and i came out with what you see on the board.

The next day, i used fabric markers to add doodles all over the silk as well and here is what resulted.

It was so interesting to see how the intense looking colors in the jars translated to such watery, transparent colors on the fabric. i used Dye-na-Flow silk paints from Dharma Trading. i chose them because they seemed the most user friendly for beginners and are just heat-set with an iron. i am a very low maintenance kinda gal. If you start talking about crafts that require lots of odd ingredients and equipment, i sorta zone out. PLUS! they have a really nice variety of shades and colors….PLUS! they are economical enough to get a whole bunch to experiment with…under $3 for the small jars! My parents actually gave these to me for my birthday in november. Mom is awesome about getting you just what she knows you wanted! Thanks mom & dad!

The silk project was super fun and it made me want to try another project that i cannot believe i’ve put off so long! Lino Block Stamp Making! i have made all sorts of mickey mouse temporary stamps in my day out of potatoes, corrugated cardboard, foamcore etc….but never tried carving linoleum before.

EPIPHANY!!!!

Even though i just picked a simple design for my first time out, and wasn’t super meticulous cutting it, i know i’m hooked! Now i have visions in my head of shelves and shelves of unique patterns and such. Cutting the block is just so relaxing!

Here is the first little bitty block i cut.

And since i didn’t have a specific project in mind for it yet, i just added a few plunks of this design to the background texture of a new painting. Can you find it? i sorta obscured it with other designs….but the stamp will have its day in the spotlight sometime soon. Definitely.

“BLUESY” – 12×12 acrylic on gallery wrapped canvas.

And what’s REALLY weird is that when i logged onto Facebook the day after i posted this, there was a very matchy-matchy post right below it in my feed!

Its the Pantone Spring Color predictions for what’s gonna be hip & happenin in 2012!? i am SO not hip & happenin. How did my brain know to use just about every color in this palette? Must’ve been all the PSYCH i was watching rubbing off on me. : )

New artwork – Technicolor USA

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USMAP-blogi started this map of the USA this past summer and got to a certain point where i just stopped.

i don’t know why? Maybe i got distracted by other work, maybe i needed a breather from all the close, detail work? i think maybe i ran out of ideas for patterns to draw in each state!

Anyway, the map popped up in the background of another photo i blogged earlier and got quite a few comments, so i finally decided to finish it already!!

Each state is a bright color, hand-drawn pattern or a snip of one of my other artworks. It’s a happy map. i hope it inspires happy travels.

You can find it in my etsy shop at 11×14.

Custom Lil Fashionista Illustrations

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LBBinkColori love collaborating with creative people. Awesome things always emerge.

The above illustration is one i recently completed for Ashley over at Lil Blue Boo. You may have read my recent post about how we collaborated on some kids dresses featuring one of my art prints.

Anyway, Ashley asked if i’d do a little illustration of a girl wearing an LBB in a fashion-y, sketchy style for her new business cards. i created this drawing with her beautifully curly-headed Boo in mind. And since i had SO much fun sketching this little lovely, i thought i’d offer this style of “simplified portrait” in my etsy shop as well.

The idea is to capture your little one’s essence and fashion sense. To freeze a moment in time. To create an original and fun piece of artwork for her room, and maybe someday, HER little girl’s room. Here’s how it will work and some basics on pricing plus a link to my etsy shop where you’ll find the various listings!

LBBinkB&W

You Color It Option: A B&W illustration in ink on Vellum finish Bristol illustration card stock for you and your little one to color yourselves. Its a work of art they can contribute to! And it’s economical too.

– 8×10 B&W = $95 /  9×12 B&W = $100  /  11×14 B&W = $105 / *custom sizes available upon request, just email me!

Digitally Colored Print Option: An original ink illustration, scanned and colored digitally (like LBB’s) then printed on archival, heavyweight art paper with genuine Epson Ultrachrome inks for long life .

– 8×10 Digital Color = $145 /  9×12 Digital Color = $150  /  11×14 Digital Color = $155 / *custom sizes available upon request, just email me!

Full Color “Original” Option: An ink illustration with mixed media color on Vellum finish Bristol illustration card stock. You get the original, signed artwork. An authentic artwork created just for you!

– 8×10 Original Color = $165 /  9×12 Original Color = $175  /  11×14 Original Color = $185 / *custom sizes available upon request, just email me!

Sibling orders are eligible for an overall 15% discount. Convo me on etsy for a custom listing

i am also very open to custom orders on canvas or possibly 3 “looks” on smaller stock for a runway feel when framing. The sky’s the limit! Nothing makes me happier than creating truly one-of-a-kind artworks that have special meaning for the recipient.

PatchyGirl

Commissions – What’s in a name?

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An old friend and colleague of mine sent the sweetest holiday card this past christmas. It was a photo of her and her husband standing in front of their fireplace, looking all christmas-y. They were smiling for a reason. The card was actually an announcement. After much waiting and fretting, they proclaimed on this 5×7 card that they were soon to add a new family member. They had finally been matched with a baby girl in China and were going to be parents!

Fast forward a few months and my friend is excitedly anticipating a baby shower and wondering what exactly she’ll need for her daughter, who will be about 18 months old when they bring her home. Lots of the standard baby shower gifts just won’t apply. But one thing she knows she wants is a piece of art for the asian-inspired bedroom she is decorating. That’s where i come in. And here is the color scheme.

Harper ARt Color Palette

The proud mama had lots of great ideas, but the general idea is that i’ll be painting a 24×30 inch canvas with some blue skies and cherry blossom branches in the background and the baby’s Chinese name AND American name in the foreground. Inspiration will be drawn from the meaning of her Chinese name, which translates to “before the dawn.” I’ll also be including a hummingbird or two because the birds have special significance to the parents along their adoption journey. This artwork will be designed digitally for composition & color. Once approved, all bets are off as that flat digital image is translated into a richly layered paint, collage, pastel work of art.

i am so honored to be taking on this project for my dear friend and will happily post my progress for all of you to see.