Brooklyn Kraft Haus

Christmas Decorations.....

2009-12-31T12:26:00.000-08:00

I wasn't going to get a Christmas tree this year but then I got an idea to make a tree with a squirrel and woodland creature theme.
Originally I was going to borrow a real stuffed taxidermy squirrel and put him on top of the tree but those plans fell through so I constructed my own version of a stuffed squirrel....

Then I got some wool roving and made some felted animals to make into ornaments to adorn the tree.
So far I've made skunks, squirrels, owls, foxes and soon I will make raccoons and acorns...
I also made a felt tree skirt and tied it on with a free felt gift ribbon from Anthropologie.

Hopefully by next year, I will have an entire tree full of handmade woodland creatures.....

Enjoy!

Harvest Dying: Beets, Tumeric and Cabbage with Esther

2009-09-26T15:19:00.001-07:00

Esther and I spent Saturday cooking up some beets and veggies to make some samples for our yarn dying workshop.
There is definitely a science to this process but it is really fun to experiment with natural dyes. The beets have an amazing reddish purple hue, very rich and vibrant, yet yield a rich peach tone on the roving. Red Cabbage produced a pale bluish green. It is pretty amazing to watch the different colors a dye stock will result in, especially when you change the mordants and assists.
Last year we did a yarn dying workshop with Koolaid and the results were pretty spectacular and bright. This year we are expanding our resources to the produce and spice isles, hosting a natural dying workshop which produce a surprising array of gorgeous colors.

This workshop is the first event we will be hosting with Textile Arts Center in Park Slope on October 10th at 1pm.
Come check it out.....

http://craftswap.meetup.com/66/calendar/11356669/

Featured Brooklyn Kraft Haus Artist: Natalia Porter Bolland

2009-09-26T13:14:00.000-07:00

Ok Natalia, so let's start with the basics. Where were are you from?

I’m from Mexico City, Mexico

Tell me a little about your childhood and I don't mean that in a Sigmund Freud kind of way...just trying to get some background about your life:

I lived most of my life in Mexico City and was lucky to spend three years of my childhood in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with my family. I have two sisters: Luciana, who now works in forestry management and various projects involving conservancy in Mexico, and Melisa, who is an architect and mother of my two dear nephews.

I come from a family of artists and designers for many generations, going back to my great grandparents who migrated to America from Europe.
My father was born in Argentina and he is an architect and a doctor in education.
My mother is a photographer from Veracruz.
My aunt Liliana Porter, who lives in New York, is a wonderful artist and also my mentor.

Where did you go to school? What did you study?
I received my BFA in Industrial Design in Mexico at UAM-X, which is the second largest public university in Mexico. I moved to New York in 2000 and received a Master's at Pratt for Industrial Design on a scholarship from the National Council for Science and Technology in Mexico. I then studied a MFA in sculpture at CUNY – Queens College, where I graduated in 2007.

That's amazing. So what did you do after you graduated with a degree in Industrial Design?
I worked as an art assistant for Janet Zweig in public art comissions. Simultaneously, I continued working on my own art and established a jewelry design company called Wits Productions, with my colleague Allison Schlegel. I am no longer working with Allison but I am working with my sister Melisa Porter, to expand the business and begin producing our collection in Mexico. My jewelry has been sold at the MOMA store in NY, and in many other stores worldwide.

Wow, so you started your own jewelry company and at the same time got another Master's degree in but this time in fine art. That is a lot of work to balance both school and your own company. Interesting name. How did you decide on a name like Wits Productions. Does it have it have any significance for you?

The definition of Wits is the ability to combine two things that seem to be opposites, but in a humorous way. I like making jewelry that has a sense of humor, that tells a story and that is more than just a beautiful thing. I usually work with found objects that I transform into something else. One of my latest necklaces is a small ladder that hangs down your chest.

Nicely put. Sounds very witty. You are a sculptor as well as a designer. You have another piece which consists of tiny wooden staircase, which spirals from the floor to the ceiling. I find it interesting that you choose this imagery and use it in both your jewelry and your sculpture. What inspires you to create your art?

It's hard to pinpoint what it is exactly that inspires me, I guess everything does, as well as the people that surround me. I usually work by collecting objects and then transforming them, hoping to assign them new meanings, or readings. I guess one of my favorite sculptures is a hair brush that instead of having bristles has really long hair (human hair) that comes out of its handle, titled “hair brush”. I like this because it becomes a nonfunctional object that makes reference to itself (its purpose) as well as to the person using it. It is funny. Another example is a ring inspired by a toy that I found in gumball machine. It was a little plastic ball with rubber spikes all over it, a party favor. I reutilized that form and cast it in metal. By doing this, I created a new object.

I love to collect little toys. My whole apartment is filled with toys and interesting found objects, I guess I inherited this from my grandfather who was an art and antique collector. As for the staircase, I am inspired by the challenge of creating a sound structural object. I spent my whole life in construction sites with my father, surrounded by building materials and to me incredible structures.

I guess it’s inevitable for my artwork and my jewelry work to be informed by one another. I guess everything I do is a version of the same thing: me.

Since I do not have a degree in jewelry, the process of creating jewelry is something I made up. I use materials that are not commonly used for making jewelry and I do not use traditional processes to create them. I combine materials like rubber, fabric, plastic with more precious materials such as silver or brass.

Your curiosity for finding objects and repurposing them combined with the experience that you had growing up as an architects daughter, has given you inspiration for creating sculpture and wearable art. Do you also feel that there is another layer of meaning to the concept of a staircase? Sometimes while in the process of making art, we notice that we are subconciously telling a story about ourselves. Do you see how the staircase might have some spiritual signifcance for you?

Yes, I see my staircase as a metaphor for the process of rebuilding a life, and of creating an escape for myself. ( I made it soon after separating from my ex-husband). The process of attaching a step after another was calming and meditative, that finally formed a very interesting structure. Unfortunately this piece got broken, but I then rebuild a version of it in bronze (an unbreakable bronze).

Most of my artwork is labor intensive, and very crafty. I realize the process of making my work is more important to me than the actual result. And that is why I do not mind taking so much time into making each piece. I find my work to be very Mexican, but not in a traditional way. It is informed by the labor intensive quality of Mexican crafts, and Mexican lives.

Who is your favorite artist?
Oh hmm. That's tough. Definitely inspired by Tom Friedman. I love Cornelia Parker but I guess I am mostly inspired by my aunt Liliana.

You described your jewelry as humorous, fun and conceptual. How else would you describe your overall style?

My work is a combination of art and design. As a designer I tend to plan and think things thoroughly before starting to work. Because of this my work reads as being organized. It is definitely intricate. I like to describe it as being intimate. By intimate, I mean you really have to get close to the object (or drawing) in order to see it.

Are you still working as designer in addition to your jewelry business and fine art?

Yes, I am working as a designer at a company that specializes in textiles.

Lovely, Natalia! It has been a pleasure. You are a very busy and talented artist. Keep it up and keep us posted on your upcoming sales and art shows.

I will be selling my jewelry this and every other Sunday at the Old American Can Factory in Gowanus, Brooklyn. Please stop by!
http://www.xoprojects.com/market.html

WITS PRODUCTIONS:
http://www.witsproductions.com
natalia@witsproductions.com
425 Central Park West
APT 3C, NY, NY 10025

Mr. Panda Pants Takes A Nap.....

2009-09-16T19:40:00.000-07:00

Ahh. So relaxing. Mr. Panda Pants found himself a nice little bed at work today. Very cozy. Very comfy.
My amigurumi panda is rather lonely though. I will have to make him some more friends.
It's hard leading a life of luxury alone.

Spinning Workshop: Learn how to make your own yarns

2009-08-28T16:26:00.000-07:00

Kraft Haus is offering a yarn spinning workshop and we hope you will come and check it out. If you are an avid knitter or even if you are just interested in the process of spinning, I'm sure you will enjoy this workshop. Learn how to spin yarn from wool roving with a drop spindle. Materials will be supplied. The workshop is being held at the Brooklyn Lyceum. See details on the Meet up page.

http://craftswap.meetup.com/66/calendar/11107911/

Brooklyn Kraft Haus has a home!

2009-08-28T16:24:00.001-07:00

Brooklyn Kraft Haus is going to have a home! We are going to hosting our craft events at the Textile Arts Center, formally known as the Weaving Hand, in
Park Slope coming this fall! The space is beautiful and there is plenty of room to work on our new creative projects.
We will be having open craft events on Thursdays and Saturdays and are planning a fiber dying workshop using natural dyes coming up in October. Very exciting to share this space with talented weavers and fiber artists.
Stay posted on Meetup for our upcoming events!

http://www.weavinghand.com/

Screen Printing Workshop

2008-06-30T14:15:00.000-07:00

This week has been a long but extremely fulfilling week. For over a month, I have been planning a screen printing workshop at the Gowanus Studio Space. Last month, I knew nothing about screen printing. Now, I feel like I could just start printing on everything and anything. There was a lot of preparation involved with setting up the space at the Gowanus for this event but all the hard work paid off in the end. Our Sunday workshop was fantastic! We got a very comprehensive learning experience with Julia and the results were amazing. The best part about the workshop, was the print swap in the very end. I went home with 9 gorgeous prints to adore my walls with. I encourage everybody to try this workshop even if they have no experience with screen printing at all. I will be posting photos from this event very soon because I know you are all very curious....

Kyoto: Japan's little crafty haven

2008-06-15T18:16:00.000-07:00

When planning a trip to Japan a few months ago, I thought about which cities I would most want to visit. I definitely had to see Tokyo, for obvious reasons. And my brother lived in Nagasaki, so I would spend some time there. But after talking to my friend, Keiko, I decided I'd like to spend a few days in Kyoto. It turned out to be my favorite place to visit. A crafter's delight. Kyoto is a city drenched in history, culture and art. I had to check out the Kyoto Handicraft Center. I found myself an antique kimono, made from shibori dyed fabric. A lovely number indeed. We saw some artist making Japanese block prints, Ukiyo-E, and bought one for ourselves. Couldn't resist. After that, we visited the Nishinjin Textile Center and were delighted to see a fashion show of all the fabrics woven at the textile center in Kyoto. What luck! Then we took a tour upstairs and watched some women weaving on these enormous looms. On our long walks through the streets, we found some hand-made ceramic goods, cute little animal statues and cups. The woman in the store made them all herself. Heading back the hotel, we thought about where we might find some Geisha or Maiko, Geisha in training. We spotted two Maiko in the 7-11 buying snacks! Of all places...

Felt Doll Workshop

2008-05-19T16:56:00.000-07:00

Ahh the felt doll workshop. Felt, felt and more felt.
Esther and I were inspired to create these little felt dolls after we went to a felt monster workshop at Make. It was such a fun and easy project to do. We thought to ourselves, why not have a Meetup and teach members how to make cute felt animals? I made some patterns for members to choose from, a moose, a cat and a pig. The moose,Chocolat, seemed to be a popular guy. Suet decided to make a Yeti with the long white faux fur we bought at Michael's. Eventhough she did everything step out of order, this doll was the cutest! Gotta love the headband, nice touch. I can't wait to see how all the dolls look when they are finished! We will definitely post them up when they are done...

Yay it's Spring, Open Kraft Haus!

2008-04-12T16:06:00.000-07:00

We had another great Meetup at Brooklyn Lyceum today and thankfully it didn't rain. It was a cornicopia of crafting projects. There was scrapbooking, quilting, knitting, crocheting, doll making, and peanut making. Nathasha's doll making techniques were quite impressive. I love the gypsy doll she made. Very fancy indeed!! And good luck to Sarah and her nuts.

Last craft of the day, but certainly not the least, was DIY-custom-dressform-making- funtimes brought you by Esther, Alaina, and your's truly. Yes, that's right kids; we brought rolls and rolls of duct tape and made our own custom made dressforms with an old tee and some duct tape. Our first victim was Alaina. She did quite well considering the lack of oxygen in her lungs after we wrapped her up. I however, felt a little PANICKED! Ahhhhhhh. But I'm excited to get it stuffed and finished. Despite some funny looks from other cafe dwellers, we didn't miss a beat. We, Krafters, wear our duct tape proudly! Tune in next time for some more fantastical Kraft Haus Meetup madness!!!

Cupcake Exchange

2008-04-06T18:15:00.000-07:00

A delicious Sunday it was. I'm totally overdosed on sugar. I never thought it could be true...that I could eat too many cupcakes. Ugh. Yum though. We had a cupcake exchange. Everybody that we invited to the party baked a dozen cupcakes, of which they baked themselves and decorated in hopes of winning a prize. I spent all Saturday night baking and ended up with 4 dozen. What why so many.. I couldn't stop! Then I ran out of time to make frosting. I was determined to make boobs. But I didn't get to frosting them until today at 1:30pm. I was running around trying to find a proper nipple for my boob. Found it. Finally. White chocolate morsels. I used pink sugar sprinkles for areolas and white chocolate morsels for nipples, which I dyed pink with food dye. Finally, the contest began at 2pm when the bakers started trickling in. There were some really great ideas and very delicious cuppies but there could only be four winners. The categories for the winners were best tasting, best looking, most creative, and don't quit your day job. The winner for best tasting went to April for a chocolate coconut concoction which didn't look like much but tasted delicious. The best looking went to Esther for her Pina Colada cupcake with coconut topping and a cute paper umbrella stuck in each one. The most creative went to Alaina for her everything but the kitchen sink cupcake. Literally it had everything stuck on it. Have you ever seen Fraggle Rock. Yeah it looked like the Trash Heap! And last but not least, the Don't Quit your Day Job award went to Brian for his bacon and feta cheese frosted cupcake. Yeach! Congratulations to everybody that participated in the bake off. It was a tough call for the judges but the winners left home with some lovely parting gifts. Till next time....