The Windows of Hutch

~ The Windows of Hutch ~

I have to say that of all the things that I make at the studio the window coverings are my favorites.  There seems to be so many levels on which to appreciate them.  You are drawn to them from outside the house and that experience changes from day to night.  from inside the experience is different but the light from day to day and day to night always effects how the look.  The shadows that are created by the daylight passing through the cut designs are always exciting to see.  The above detail is from the spring and summer  window covering I call "Rainflowers" .  It is a paper cut using thin white butcher paper.  I like the way the paper curls at the edges and gives the design some dimensionality.  The cascading flower and leaf pattern has a second element of dangling paper raindrops painted grey blue that fall from a cloud valance along the very top edge.  This rain can be seen silhouetted in the photo below. 

 "Rainflowers" 

The "Rainflowers" window covering is available as a paper cut kit.  The full design measures 34 inches wide by 67 inches high and can be adjusted to fit most window openings.  The cost is $28. and will be in our blog shop soon.

 "Winter Window"

Our "Winter Window" is my favorite.  The design is a northwest woodland winter scene comprised of trees, snow, mushrooms, a bird, and a squirrel.  It is cut out of quilter's batting which has a translucent quality that allows for beautiful lighting effects when double layered.  Pictured above is single cut out layer that has great shadow casting qualities. This fall I changed them slightly by dyeing the cut out layer dark brown, giving the design greater contrast without the help of backlighting.

In our "sweet room" which has a lot of light aqua and soft pink colors I dyed the solid piece of batting a very soft pink and left the cut out layer the natural cream color.  I also flipped the image to create a balanced overall design for the double but separated windows in this nook.

I often tell customers about the first time I went outside the studio after dark, with the lights on inside.  It looked magical and felt that way too.  It was that tingling sensation throughout the whole body that you only experience on rare occasions.  It's like when you hear a singer hit that amazing note or see a dance performance that leaves you breathless.  Anyway, it was cool.   This is a photo from last season before I dyed the cut outs brown.  It's even better now.  In the fall and winter I set the upper room lights on timers so everyone walking or driving by after dark can experience this magic for themselves.  Remember Morris Street in La Conner, Washington.   Take a drive!

Like everything at the studio the window coverings are totally made by hand.  The idea begins as a free hand line drawing that gets hand cut into a template.  The template is then placed onto fabric, the design is traced, and then the fabric cutting is done.  These windows are well worth the labor involved in making them, but don't take my word for it, come on by and see them for yourself.

"Winter Window Design"

Pictured here is an example of a completed double layer winter window with a dark brown cut out top layer that was hand dyed.  This exact design measures 33 inches wide by 67 inches high and can be cropped to suit most window sizes. 

The cost for the winter window pattern is $24. and will also be available in our blog shop very soon.  Until then just give me a call at the studio if you have any further questions or to order.  360-466-2303.

Whirligigs On The Road.

~ The 1st Annual Samish Island Chili Cook Off ~

& Whirligigs!

Hutch studio was asked to loan a few of our cool whirligigs for the "1st annual Samish Island Chili Cook Off".   These spinning centerpieces will be on every table.  Maybe the wind created by the spinning gigs will help cool down the burning taste buds.   Come by for a visual as well as a culinary treat.  I'm taking the whole family.  See you there!

NY International Gift Fair

I wanted to share what we've been recently working on at the studio.  A small collection of sweet items that capture a nostalgia for our childhood, or perhaps the childhood of our dreams.  Houses, nature, children, and pets, all play together inside a warm and worn suitcase.  The art of sewing, wire bending, and paper cutting are highlighted as well as the idea of recycling and repurposing everyday items and materials.  This group of goodies will be displayed in our "Bunnies By The Bay" booth at the International Gift Fair that runs from Jan. 29th- Feb. 3rd.  So if you happen to be stuck in New York City due to all the snow right now, stop in at the Javits Center for a peak and let us know what you think.

This is one of the latest creations for our "hutch studio" line of little pets.  "Kitty" is a soft hand painted plush sitting approx. 3 inches high.   A great example of "less is more" or "less is meow".  She is backed with a soft cotton fabric in a polka dot print.

"Puppy" is a hand painted plush sitting approx. 3 1/2" high.  He is also backed in a soft polka dotted fabric. Both of these cuties are just prototypes at the moment along with a number of other items in the case.  We want to cage a reaction at the show to see what might be worth producing more of.  I know that I am looking forward to seeing more of these little pets at the studio.  How about you?

A tiny collection

Krys and I are currently putting together a small collection of tiny items that will be presented at the upcoming NY gift show.  The subject matter is animals, children, nature, and old book print. The materials we are using are paper, fabric, and wire.  The grouping will be displayed in a beautiful old suitcase.  Very "hutchy"!  The picture above is the latest version of the "Bunny Girl Cabin"
The grass and figure silhouettes are now printed onto the paper walls instead of hand cut out of paper *refer to last blog post..

I've made many of these "Sweet Little Tweets" at the studio, but this is the most recent version.  The base is now made from cardboard rather than old metal lids, and the birds are made of painted "oven bake" clay rather than glazed porcelain.
I'm always asking myself "Could someone make this at home?"  Sometimes changing the material or process can make a big difference.  One last tweak is changing the old sheet music ling the cage to the same old book print that you see on the walls of the paper cabin.

 This is a vase of flowers that is made by repurposing cardboard paper rolls.  The flower children are pencils with printed faces and colored paper petals and leaves.  I think that the pencils might be packaged and sold separately so you could pick which and how many flower children you want to put in your vase.
What do you think so far?  All of these items will soon be available for purchase in our "shop" section.

Shadows of hutch Part 1

There's something about shadows that has always excited me.  Maybe it's the fact that they are all about the moment, destined to move or fade away with the light.

Since starting hutch studio, I've noticed some really amazing shadows.  I think that it's result of the perfect combination of great natural light through many windows with interesting window coverings and objects within the space.  In this post I want to share a few of my favorites.  The first is a shadow of flowers and leaves on the floor on a sunny morning in May.  It was our "Rainflowers" paper window covering creating the pattern.

This shadow was cast on the wall next to a wooden stand that had a small standing plush bird wearing a hat and carrying a treasure in it's beak. Oddly, in the afternoon of the day the picture was taken, someone purchased the bird.  It's not the bird in this lonely shadow anymore.

This was a shadow that was brought to my attention by a visitor to the studio.  It's a squirrel climbing down a tree branch from the hutch "winter window" pattern that hangs in the front door window.  This happens during the morning hours when the sun shines.

We definitely have some great old dress forms in the shop that we use for display.  This is the shadow that a wire mesh dress form that stands up against a wall in our side porch.  I liked the contrast of the linear weave pattern against the organic contour of the dress form.

One sunny morning as I was beginning the hutch day, I looked down at my work table and there it was.  Right under my coiled wire, shadows were cast from a small paper cut hanging in a window.  Flowers standing almost as they were growing up from the table's front edge.  I was tempted to grab some paint and a brush and quickly paint the shadow onto the table.  Maybe that's a future hutch project "Shadow Paintings".
  
If you stop by the studio for a visit you may be able to view one of these shadows in person.  Or maybe you can discover a totally new one.  Stay tuned for more shadow pictures to come. I'm curious which one of these shadows was your favorite?

SAT Presentation

General Membership Meetings The Padilla Bay Interpretive Center, 10441 Bayview-Edison Road, Bayview, WA 98273 Click Here for a Map

Thursday - January 27, 2011 - 6:00 PM Annual Membership Meeting Padilla Bay Interpretive Center 10441 Bayview Edison Road Mount Vernon, WA January 27, 2011 is our annual membership meeting.  Members and guests are welcome to attend.  Dinner starts at 6 PM PT. SAT will provide the main course.  Members will provide sides and dessert.  If you cannot bring anything to share, your presence is more important than a dish, so please come anyway.  If you can, please bring a dish to share as follows:Last names starting with "A" through "M" - please bring a vegetable dish or salad.Last names starting with "N" through "Z" - please bring a small dessert. Program: We will have a short business meeting followed by a presentation from Chris Theiss, ceramic artist and instructor at SVCC (Skagit Valley community College). The presentation will be an overview of his ceramics and drawings from 1989 to present. He will discuss his artistic decisions, career choices, and professional ambitions. Chris will also talk about marketing and exhibiting artwork and the future of the traditional "art show". Bio - Chris Theiss was born in 1967 in Hope, Rhode Island.  After beginning his art education at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York, he transferred to the Rhode Island School of Design where he received his B.F.A. in ceramics in 1990.  He then studied under Robert Arneson at U.C. Davis where he received his M.F.A. in studio art in 1992.  Chris was visiting professor of ceramics at the Rhode Island School of Design in 1992 and 1993. He has been a member of the art faculty at Skagit Valley College from 1993 to present.  Chris has exhibited his ceramic sculpture and drawings throughout the United States and his work is in Museum collections such as The Mint Museum of Craft + Design, Los Angeles County Museum, and California Palace of the Legion of Honor.  Chris’ work was recently selected for a book, “Ceramics for Beginners- hand building”,by Shay Amber. See you there!

More Paper Houses.

Design Prototype!

I wanted to share the very latest in the development of the tiny paper cabins at hutch.  I wanted to combine a number of visual elements that we seem to continually gravitate towards.  Children and animals, old children's story books, nature, paper cutting, silhouettes, light, and our hutch colors are merged here into a tiny  magical package.

Design Prototype!

Pictured are 2 different versions.  The first has a boy and kitty silhouetted against the cabin and the second has a little girl and bunny.  Both are not yet available for purchase.  I was hoping to get a reaction and some comments on this current direction.  What do you think?