Tuesday, April 29, 2014
The art of crochet is amazingly vast and varie;. I’ve often
said I will never learn it all in my lifetime. The joy of wanting to learn so
many techniques in crochet is what keeps us at it for decades. My book, The Fine Art of Crochet is definitely in a small niche category, and I have
recently come upon another exciting book that occupies its own niche as well.
Collage with Crochet Art ~ A Beginner’s Guide to Mixed Media
By Macarena Smartt
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| Collage with Crochet Art |
Macarena Smartt’s book, Collage
with Crochet Art thrills me! It is collectible and a must for every
crocheter/artist’s personal library. She says it is intended for the ‘budding
artist.” Many, many crocheters hesitate to say the words, “I am an artist,” out
loud. I believe it is because those words bring connotations of educated skills along with the pressure
to perform.
This book reminds me of some kids’ craft books I’ve seen
in which clear, precise step-by-step instructions, and shapes systematically
help turn a child's efforts into art. Macarena uses the same approach for adults and says, “This
creative and original approach to mixed media is a great place to start your
adventure into making works of art. With a unique and interesting style,
Macarena will guide you from a blank canvas to a beautiful work of art.” The thrill for me is that crochet is pivotal in the resulting special niche crochet
book I mentioned earlier. Not only does the
reader learn to create with paint, but is also guided to adding crochet
embellishments to the canvas.
On a large and professional scale, you can find examples mixed media expressed with vintage crochet embellishments in the work of Kathleen Holmes featured in her owh chapter of my book.
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| Kathleen Holmes: "Network" |
Collage with Crochet Art may not be for everyone; personally, I
am not one who likes to do any arts or crafts in which I get my fingers sticky!
However, I highly, highly recommend this book as an important addition to
anyone’s crochet library. Looking at this book literally excites me in a
physical way because it is so unique, beautiful and is made with the love and
passion that Macarena brings to her skill as an artist. If I still haven’t convinced you to buy the
book, consider it as a gift for an artist friend. You will open is/herh eyes to the possibilities of crochet and soon you'll be asked to teach
them how!
Comments
An absolute must to getting those artistic juices flowing.