Mountains of Paint on a Pallet – Years of Buildup a Work of Art

Mountains of Paint: Artist’s Paint Pallet, a Work of Art

I seldom use my pallet or acrylic paints any more

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Since I went mostly digital, I hardly ever use my brushes, my paper towels or even my beloved pallet. Beloved you say? Well, my pallet is like an abstract painting that is 20 years in the making. I still love painting in acrylic, it’s just that digital painting is so much easier and faster now. There is something to be said for traditional painting. The smell of oil, the finished work, paint on canvas is so timeless and original.
So I’m feeling bad because I just don’t add to this creation any more.
What started out as an insignificant piece of Masonite that I pulled out of the trash,
turned into this big thick clump of endless layers of acrylic paint.
layers of paint since 1990 
a painter's pallet, years of acrylic paint build up. Makes for a 3-D piece.So I was looking for something I could blog about and then it occurred to me – my pallet! This mound you see before you is constructed out of all of the acrylic paint I’ve used since 1990! It started out as my friend Wayne’s Masonite oil pallet. Wayne thought his pallet was too big so he cut it in half and tossed my half (the piece you see) in the trash. Way back then it was just a flat piece of 1/4 inch board. When I pulled it out of the trash and started using it as my acrylic pallet it began to grow.


Don’t Throw it Away! It’s got Character.

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There was a time when I was going to discard it – it was growing out of control and I thought it would be easier to work on a new one. In fact I did carve some off a few times. But then I looked at it again – all bumpy, colorful and lumpy, Full of character and personality, We’d been through a lot together. “There there lil’ fella, don’t you worry – daddy isn’t going to abandon you like Wayne did.” (can you tell it’s 2:00 AM?)


He’s been around too

palette (10)So here he is – I figure he’s probably middle aged like me – lots of miles, like me and many more ahead, like me, (I hope). He’s been to Maryland, California, technically Nevada and Idaho, but mostly he’s lived here in Utah. Of the thousands of paintings I’ve done he’s got parts of all of them in him.
 I think I’ll name him Benjamin since I never had any run-ins with anyone named Benjamin.

There is an arch in there

palette (6)Oh, and that arch you see was at the request of my children constantly nagging me to sculpt some form into him – It took about 9 months to build the arch. Sometimes you just gotta ask yourself, “What would Dr. Seuss do?” I think his pallet would look a lot like Benjamin.

Liberty, the world’s longest tie-dye is back

Orriginal Record Holder Demands a Recount. (re-Measure)

Liberty: World Record, Largest Tie-Die

Worlds Largest Tie-Die

The current, or previous world record tie-dye held by Artist Masami Shaingai of Tokushima Japan is considered a part of Japanese national heritage, so Guinness requested a re-verification of the new world record held by American artist Inez Harwood.

Liberty took four months to tie-dye.

Using over nine-thousand zip ties to hold the 950 pounds of fabric and one-hundred-twenty pounds of dye. (Dry weight) Dye that was generously donated by California based company Dharma Trading Company, who helped get the word out about the project on their blog. On rinse day, fire rescue volunteers pumped approximately 300, 000 gallons of water to rinse of “Liberty”. Official measure of Liberty is 2945 feet and 7 inches, 200+ feet longer than the record held by Artist Masami Shaingai ofTokushima Japan. Shibori, the Japanese version of tie-dye is a traditional art in Japan and the current Japanese world record is considered a part of Japanese national heritage, so Guinness requested a re-verification of the new world record held by American artist Inez Harwood. The official remeasure will be calculated by Greg Loweden of Hunt Land Surveying Inc. of Weaverville California. Since the first measure was completed while the fabric encircled two holding pond and was still wet from the rinse, Lowden feels the remeasure could be significantly longer. He has started a local betting pool to benefit the local high school, that offers a prize to the person who can guess the exact measurement of Liberty. (email glowden@velotech.net for more information)

Contact: Inez Harwood (646)397-5385 or (801)874-6184 inez@greyforeststudio.com vibrantprotest.com

Contact: Terry Nagle (530)739-9366 terry@unseen-arena.com unseen-arena.com

Last March Artist Inez Harwood set out to break the world record for longest tie-dye. Harwood wanted fabric sourced from cotton grown in the United States, however finding a piece of domestic fabric long enough to break the world record wasn’t easy.   The search for fabric made from domestically grown and milled cotton took many months as Harwood searched local textile suppliers, the internet and finally, took to calling textile mills; through this research Harwood found that a very high percentage of American cotton is outsourced to places like the middle east and China for the spinning and weaving process, then shipped back to the U.S. The search ended in the discovery of Inman Mills in South Carolina. “I care about the American’s who have lost their cotton textile jobs. So I named my world’s longest tie-dye, Liberty that’s how this became my vibrant protest. “Says Harwood.Expecting to pay a premium, Harwood was surprised that the price of the high quality domestic fabric undercut the foreign equivalent by a significant percentage.

Liberty took four months to tie-dye. Using over nine-thousand zip ties to hold the 950 pounds of fabric and one-hundred-twenty pounds of dye. (Dry weight) Dye that was generously donated by California based company Dharma Trading Company, who helped get the word out about the project on their blog. On rinse day, fire rescue volunteers pumped approximately 300, 000 gallons of water to rinse of “Liberty”. Official measure of Liberty is 2945 feet and 7 inches, 200+ feet longer than the record held by Artist Masami Shaingai ofTokushima Japan. Shibori, the Japanese version of tie-dye is a traditional art in Japan and the current Japanese world record is considered a part of Japanese national heritage, so Guinness requested a re-verification of the new world record held by American artist Inez Harwood. The official remeasure will be calculated by Greg Loweden of Hunt Land Surveying Inc. of Weaverville California. Since the first measure was completed while the fabric encircled two holding pond and was still wet from the rinse, Lowden feels the remeasure could be significantly longer. He has started a local betting pool to benefit the local high school, that offers a prize to the person who can guess the exact measurement of Liberty. (email glowden@velotech.net for more information)

Harwood visited the Trinity county area this month to attend several meetings with local civic leaders, businesses and artists aimed at blustering the local economy through e-commerce and tourism centered on the Saint Francis Festival and an official re-measuring of Liberty the worlds longest tie-dye. Harwood’s focus is on attracting attendees of the remeasure event to local businesses and events taking place during the Saint Francis Festival. In her interview with ABC (channel 7 news) Tracy Leong, Harwood said, “ I think we should start voting for the home team.” Harwood believes that if U.S. citizens choose to buy American products first, the current economic crisis will resolve itself. (to see a webcast of the interview visit http://vibrantprotest.com/2013/08/13/vibrant-protest-liberty-is-going-places/If you are interested in seeing “liberty” the worlds longest tie-dye it will be on display at the Unseen Arena in Hayfork California during the Saint Francis Festival September 25th– October 6, 2013. To find out more visit vibrantprotest.com or unseen-arena.com

UVU Student Breaks World Record with her Artwork

Inez Harwood breaks the world record for longest tie-dye as her BFA capstone project.

Inez Harwood and her world record artwork.

Inez Harwood, a student of Utah Valley University in Orem Utah, breaks the world record for the longest single piece of “Tie-Died cloth.

Vibrant Prtotest, by Inez Harwood

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THere is a lot of artistic talent coming out of uvu

“UVU is fast becoming the best University in Utah valley for to learn art and illustration”, says artist Wayne Andreason of FolioAcademy. The program is constantly improving, as well as the staff. The program tries to attract faculty that are not just teachers but professionals with teaching skills, who mentor students for the art business market. Harwood’s project required cooperation from several departments at Utah Valley University a few shall be listed: Art and Visual Communications Painting and Drawing, Theater Arts, Musical Arts, Center for the Advancement of Leadership, School of Business, Academic Emergence Services, Grants Office. Community Assistance from the City of Orem, Wolverine Crossing and Dharma Trading Company.

Student Inez Harwood is a Traumatic Brain Injury survivor who faces ongoing health challenges and disability, she found a strong support community at Utah Valley University. Inez is a new genre artist which requires considerable leadership, and organizational skills. She began her journey more than one year before the art happening, when she proposed her idea to the Center for the Advancement of Leadership. Inez and C.A.L. began meeting regularly to coach her on how to develop the project. A process that helped Harwood learn how to write a public art grant and business proposal. Months before the physical work of the project began Harwood would have to develop the bureaucratic and financial development aspects of the project, including environmental study of the effects of dye and municipal water usage policies, gaining access to public works resources, finding a donated studio location, finding sponsors, hiring a studio staff, project manager, business manager, secretary, publicist, janitor, and community volunteer coordinator. Then once the team had been trained, the real work began.
In January 2013 Harwood moved into the donated studio at Wolverine Crossing with a 850 pound roll of fabric and began the tie process. Three months later, on March 7, 2013 Inez and over 200 volunteers rinsed and stretch the brightly colored fabric around the two retaining ponds west of U.V.U’s Hall of Flags.
This world record art work stretches 2945 feet 7 inches in length, breaking the previous world record held by Japan by 200 feet. This beautiful masterpiece was woven in South Carolina by Inman Mills with 100 percent domestically grown cotton, the approximately 970 pound tie-dye cloth by American artist Inez Harwood, 36, was made of using 120 pounds of dye and 8,000 zip-ties; originally measuring 3,153 feet long, it sets the new world record for the longest tie-dye cloth, to be published after verification process later this year in the Guinness World Records.

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Record breaking piece of art is 2945 feet 7 inches long

This world record piece of art work stretches 3153 feet in length. Naturally I wonder what the previous record was. Probably 3152 feet. (or less) This beautiful masterpiece was

Woven in South Carolina’s Inman Mills with 100 percent domestically grown cotton, the approximately 950 pounds heavy tie-and-dye cloth by American artist Inez Harwood, 36, was made of using 120 pounds of dye and 8,000 zip-ties; measuring 3,153 feet long, it sets the new world record for the Longest tie-and-die cloth, according to the World Record Academy:

You can see the colorful record breaking Tie-Died piece, Vibrant Protest: Liberty, at the Woodbury Art Museum in Orem, Utah until April 27th 2013.

Cool Huh? If you could hold a world record, what would you want it to be for?

Bead it Like You Mean It

How to sew beads on fabric video course

Beads on Quilt Top

Although bead work isn’t the most common form of expression in the art community  it certainly is artwork. And can be a lot of fun and very rewarding. My friend Lyric Kinard is an artist who is also a “BEAD-AHOLIC”. Well she is addicted to creating beautiful bead work and amazing quilt art. She loves fabric and art.

New Tutorial at folioAcademy.

Bead it LIke You Mean It, the new tutorial at folioacademy.com

We are so happy to finally make available, the some of the wonderful teachings of Lyric Kinard. Bead it like you mean it is a tutorial video course offered at FolioAcademy.com. She is lively, spry, beautiful, enthusiastic and entertaining. She’s fun to learn from. If that don’t bead-all. (that was supposed to be funny)

Who is Lyric Kinard?

Picture of the artist Lyric KinardLyric Kinard is an artist with a serious addiction to fabric. Her award-winning wall quilts and wearable works of art are a product of her need and passion to create order and beauty while living a chaotic life as the mother of young children. She often says that her art is the only thing she does that is not undone by the end of the day.

Her second love is teaching, which she has been doing in various capacities for the past 12 years. She loves to share her joy in the process of transforming plain fabric into a work of art. Much of Lyric’s work begins with plain white cloth which she dyes and paints to create the palette from which her designs spring.

Her Abstracts. . .

pic of abstract,

Her abstracts begin with an emphasis on color and are created on the design wall while her pictorials begin with a specific message in mind and are often meticulously drafted on paper before cloth is cut. All of her artwork is quilted to a layer of batting to add texture and to emphasize line.

Her quilts are not just normal quilts. 

some of Lyric's beautiful work

While traditional quilts are then bound and done, Lyric often adds more embroidery or beads and even more paint if the design calls for it. This further emphasizes the dimensional and tactile quality of quilts as a medium for expression.

Close up

Lyric has studied with many well known textile artists around the country and continues to expand her skills in the area of surface design. She has a BA in English Literature from the University of Utah and has also formally studied music and architecture. She currently lives in Cary, North Carolina with her husband and five children.

Check out Bead it Like You Mean It, a wonderful course on working with beads, at FolioAcademy.com

Examples of three cool tricks.