The Gorgon Medusa

Every now and then I leaf through an art book, looking for inspiration. I had imagined that I might find some gory painting of a saint. Saint Sebastian will some day rise out of a skein of yarn, I swear. But this time I was inspired by Caravaggio's Medusa (painted in 1597). It is a haunting image of the Gorgon frozen in the moment when she sees herself as what she is. It is horrifying and tragic.

I had no plan (or more specifically, no pattern) for how I might pay homage to Medusa, and obviously I could not hope to replicate the mastery of Caravaggio. I also culled inspiration from Ray Harryhausen's Clash of the Titans, and as I worked I played Clutches "Release the Kraken" repeatedly in my head.

And when it was all said and done, I am pleased with the results. Behold, the head of the Gorgon Medusa (as held by the hand and forearm of Perseus).

Keepsake baby blankets

When you work in an office with mostly women you will have to go to a baby shower or two (or more).  This past year I had the opportunity flex my creative muscle with these keepsake blankets. Neither was done with a pattern.

Before I knew she was pregnant I planned to make this blanket. I had just delivered the Squirrel Baby costume to another co-worker, and I asked my office mate what kind of animal themed baby blanket she would like.  She laughed and said, "a giraffe" about 2 months later she shared her good news.
I searched for a pattern, but but finding nothing I opted to create one myself, using primarily a hexagon motif.

It was not long after my office mate announced her pregnancy that another co-worker happily shared her news at a staff meeting. I listened for queues to figure out what kind of blanket I should make for her. When I received the invitation for the shower I was delighted to see that it was to be a dragon themed party, given her affinity for Game of Thrones. Once again I could not find a pattern. I ended up using a crocodile stitch and combining a basic hat pattern for the hood.

The Nightmare

A few months ago it occurred to me that I needed to make my entry for the Staff Art Show. I needed something that was recognizable, but not too obvious, and something that displayed dark humor. I flipped through art books and bounced some ideas off my roommate. We agreed on Fuseli's "The Nightmare". 

I started with the horse head, which set the scale for the rest of the project. I had no pattern to work from, so there was some adjusting, and times when I just held my breath in hopes that it would all work out. I did, undid, and redid the woman. Then I did, undid, and redid the face of the incubus. Finally it was done. All that remained was to construct an armature to hold it all together.

With one day to spare we made a trip to Home Depot, and my roommate constructed the armature. When I woke up this morning I felt like it was Christmas morning, I was so excited to install my work.