Creativity Workshops and Family Nights Out with Artist Victoria O'Neill

I've been partnering with  Communities That Care and En Familia for the past couple of months to create and conduct afterschool Creativity Workshops on Mondays at Ann's Heart. These are all non profit organizations in Phoenixville. I am so happy to be back working with kids on a regular basis. Our group consists of about 10 mostly elementary aged with a couple of middle schoolers here and there.

As always my program is focused on creative self expression, offering open ended art and craft activities designed to bring out the best in all participants. So far we've been drawing, made drawn and paper shapes mandalas, made a couple of types of collages, created articulated gnome puppets and beautiful tin ornaments.

We recently met with another like minded non profit in town Barnstone Art for Kids and are going to start collaborating with them, to share supplies, ideas and other resources as needed.

Communities That Care sponsors Family Night Out each month and I will be offering the activity for some of these nights in 2024. Last month we made snowflakes and this month we are going to be focusing on The Golden Rule.

Artist Victoria O'Neill "Aviary" at Triptych Gallery in Phoenixville

 

                     Nov 24th through December 31st 2023

AVIARY

Triptych Gallery on Gay St in Phoenixville

An assortment of bird related textile arts

Wreaths with Birds by Artist Victoria O'Neill at Frog Hollow Art Show Nov 10, 11 and 12 2023

 

This is definitely Bird Season for me. I have made so many of these birdies, putting them in nests, and attaching them to LED trees wrapped with various yarns.

For the past few days bitten by a wreath making bug. I was surprised by the prices on homemade wreaths, until I made one. It took forever, tough on the hands, had to get some new tools and the materials to make them are expensive.

I also wanted the birds to be waterproof for wreaths, so have been making them out of outdoor waterproof fade free fabrics, then painted them with acrylic glitter paint. Added some little sparkly pine cone crowns to add some playful spirit!

This wreath is huge.....2 ft wide by 3 ft high. It will be available for purchase at the Frog Hollow Art Show coming up next weekend!

Artist Victoria O'Neill at Frog Hollow Art Show Nov 10, 11 and 12 2023

www.froghollowartshow.com

Summer Respite

 It's been a busy year, now taking some time to regroup my studio. It was looking and functioning hunky dory and then rug hooking supplies and weaving supplies were added. 

I have an entire shelving unit filled with fringe blankets ready to become jackettes, and many quilts that will becoming coats. They will most likely debut in November at Frog Hollow Art Show.

A new skill: free motion handwriting with my sewing machine. I hope to integrate more of this going forward. I am a Baha'i and these are some words of wisdom from the Prophet and Founder of The Baha'i Faith, written in a book called The Hidden Words.

24" x 24" vintage fabrics fiber collage hand embellished with glass beads

for more information about The Baha'i Faith https://www.bahai.org/

Artist Victoria O'Neill at Frog Hollow Art Show Spring 2023

 Today was my last day as guest artist at Collabery Art Gallery. What a beautiful space with lovely, talented interesting artists. Some pieces found new homes and I made some new friends. I hope to be invited back one day. 

Next stop is our biannual Frog Hollow Art Show. The month of May will be spent making new wearable art clothes and other fiber pieces. 

 

Victoria O'Neill at Collabery Art Gallery April 2023

I'm really excited about rug hooking most notable is

 The Peace Chicken Collection

Numbered and Dated with a fabric tag......

This collection is part of my guest artist exhibit at 

Collabery Art Gallery in Phoenixville through April

To date there are 9 members, and more to come.

 

Other fiber art of mine at Collabery are these two angels and the multilayered framed "Cowgirl". Acrylic Paintings, Fiber Art Collages and hooked vases with flowers are also part of the exhibit.

 

I am there in person during all open hours through April.

 Come visit Collabery!

Victoria O'Neill Guest Artist Collabery April 2023

 I am excited to be the guest artist for April at Collabery. Working on a chicken/rooster installation for it!

Artist Victoria O'Neill at Barnstone Live Art Spectacular

Update: These are before and after photos of the two collages made for Barnstone, created and got them into the frames and ready for auction in 45 minutes! Was happy to see many people bidding on them.

 I am looking forward to creating a couple of collages in real time at this event! Click here for details  or click on image below.

388 West Pothouse Road Phoenixville PA

A Spectacular Art Event Where Artists Create Original Artwork...LIVE!

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Art | Food | Drink | Online Auction | Music by DJ Minty Fresh

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During the event, spectators have the rare and exciting opportunity to watch artists move through their creative process, witnessing sketches evolve into completed artwork that is immediately available through an auction! This event consists of two 45-minute rounds where 20+ artists will work in various mediums to create one of a kind art on the spot! 
 

Artwork created by children from the Barnstone community 

will also be on display and for sale.

Loving Rug Hooking

 For the past few months I have been exploring a new medium, with the materials, tools and techniques of traditional rug hooking. First off made some vases with flowers. Then moved into some big stuffed 3 D angel sculptures and now making chickens. Kind of random with the chickens but saw a wooden chicken and got inspired to make some. I have an art exhibit coming up in April and in addition to other art planning to do some kind of an installation with the chickens......making a flock including more chickens, a rooster and some chicks. Chickens are 13" high, created with all cut wool strips. Backing is wool. Brainstorming right now on how to integrate chicken wire, straw and maybe cardboard to make some kind of a chicken coop display.

The all wool 7" vases below have yarn flowers made with a cute little loom and pom pom flowers made with a pom pom maker.

The angels below are about two feet high, hooked with wool and assorted yarns.  While stuffing, I hand sewed seams where the wings are attached to create a 3 D effect. This duo is sitting on a bookshelf in my living room in front of a couple of paintings. Everything seems to be matching here. Painting on the left was done a year or so ago, painting on the right more like 40 years ago! Angels in the middle Feb 2023.

If you are in the neighborhood stop by Triptych Salon in Phoenixville for One of a Kind Wearable Art Jackettes and Shawls, Fiber Vases,  Fiber Art Collages and more. Exhibit is up till Feb 28th.

After that I will be at Collabery Gallery in April. Details to follow on that.

Progress on Woman Holding a Rooster Hooked Rug

 It's amazing that each of these little loops is hooked one at a time. This process is very time consuming but oh my I just love the way it looks! I've found so much inspiration looking at other people's rugs. 

This one is 24" x 34" hooked wool on linen.

Second Hooked Rug in Progress

 This is the second rug. Drew the picture on linen and hooking away. She is 24" x 34" Pretty big!

I love learning new mediums but this particular one has me hooked!

It is so relaxing and meditative. 

First Rug Hooked by Artist Victoria O'Neill

Hooking is completed on the birdie rug. It was a great learning experience. Next one will be bigger, working on a design now.

This wound up being 14" x 22". 

So excited to find a rug hooking group in my area and there is a hooking event coming up in October! Can't wait to meet other hookers and see what they are doing. Also now in the market for a large standing hooking frame....... 

Hooking My First Rug

It's exciting to be working on my first hooked rug. I am obsessed with this new medium. Once the sky is completely filled in a border will be added. I designed it so that parts of the branch and bird will extend into the border. This is 100% wool and when finished will measure 14" x 20"

I have been working with bird images lately so it was a natural progression from painting them to drawing one on special rug hooking linen to hook.  

I posted a picture of the bird on linen to some rug hooking group pages on FaceBook and have so far had about 400 people love/liking and many comments, and so am considering selling patterns of my designs. My daughter knows how to get images into PDF files so people can just download, print and tape together. 

Once the drawing was done the hooking began. 

It was a challenge to fill in the inside of the bird because was using wool from an upcycled skirt that was pretty thin and it kept fraying, but the color is so nice just had to keep with it. 

I went to a 4H fabric sale (twice!) this weekend and picked up enough wool to last for the rest of my life. 7 full loads in the washing machine and dried in the dryer.