Katherine Statsenko

GINI GOLDIE 12 months

Just was checking out the sketchbooks & I really like yours!

Arlissa Vaughn about 2 years

Will you vote to empower emerging artists? http://short.to/22v99  

Thnx from a fellow artist :)

Gray over 2 years

I work in a bi-lingual kindergarten- English German. The kids are all now three! Pretty damn small-- its not really my age but they are very sweet and I enjoy it! (well, most of the time!!) I really love doing art project with them, ha, naturally! We did one a while back tie dying cloth bags- that was funny or even just simple things like pasta necklaces. Glitter is strongly used... can't go wrong with Glitter. I feel my art achievements are not so very high!! =) I think thats why I love seeing what everyone is up to- it gives me a link to grown ups!

I will have to check out about the leaving comments... hmmm.

Do you work and study or just study? When I studied I worked in a bar- it kept me saine and gave me money.... I did one year without working but I was just bored and got really stressed out as all I thought about was the work our tutors were giving us. Not good! I remember I had an art teacher who hated the colurs you got in pain bottles.. she was a real fan of mixing your own colours. I suppose it caught with me- I only ever buy primary colours!! Your tutor hates pink? Male or female? Maybe they were bathed in it as a child. My kids at work would eat pink if they could. (glitter included!)

Gray over 2 years

That was such a dumb project!! Egg drop! Everyone designed (including myself) some kind of complicated little run- god, I wish the internet was better back then! (talking only 7 years but what a difference it makes!) I fell over an idea on the internet the other week- it was something about wrapping the in bubble wrap or having it fall into corn starch.... hahaha. Simple ideas. Damn it! I remember the day we had the design show there was this most amazing sky- it was a little like the northern lights- I found it was something to do with crystals and high altitudes. It was so wonderful and súch lovely colours of green. Typical stoned students thought the world was going to end. That was a funny day!

I heard that if you use the bark from birch youa re ment to get an amzing green. I want to try that one out. I also know that lichen from trees and stones gives you stunning blue/grey colours. Again, have to wait for the snows the melt a tiny bit. I need to go to a flea market and pick up some large enamel pots to bolid this stuff in. Hmm.... I saw some for sale the other week. I didn't ask th eprice but I shall have to go back with some mode of transportation. Lugging those about on the underground would be hell!!

Did you try and play with colour paper for your words? Or was it just black and white? Colour and texture has a strange effect on peoples emotions. I worked in a school a while back that had the whole school painted grey- quite a nice nutural tone but the idea behind it was if you use too many colours it can work the kids up and they can't concentrate. I have to admit- I have no idea really if it works or now. Now of course I am working in a colour factory compared to the other school- so lets hope it doesn't affect the kids too much!!

Elly Wright over 2 years

We do not have mulberries in UK. However, I remember being offered them by children in the countryside in Turkey. Delicious! And yes, the dark ones probably would stain nicely, as would bilberries and blackberries? Just guessing. Every time I see your sketchbook I am delighted. Your drawings are so lovely. Will you be able to see the books at the shows in Brooklyn?

Gray over 2 years

You can get hold of eco dyes.... printing on fabric- well, it's screan printing right? Hmmm.... I am having the same ideas myself. I get the eco natural dyes to get natural colours- and you can get some wonderful ones (damn, must wait till summer for all the plants!) but the biggest problem is that you have to boil the fabric and the plant.... not very picturesk!! But I was thinking if you made up a dye liquid and painted it on then ironed it in? That could work.... Or, there is an interesting technique where you stitch a design in and dye the fabric, when you remove the stitches it leaves the fabirc white... Hmmm.

But all this chatting about dying I went out and bought some white cotton fabric and am planning my first attack- I was given three natural dye books... I want to make some trial strips... will up load when I get them going!!

Your project sounds very sticky and time consuming... what words did you choose? I remember at uni they made us do some weird stuff. The egg drop was one of the most amusing! We had to pair up and design and 'thing' to break the fall of an egg from a drop of a meter....

Elly Wright over 2 years

Talking about dying fabric - once in France I collected some windblown
walnuts. They were still in their green skins, which I took off with
great difficulty to reach the actual shell and to dry them out. I had
black fingers for at least 6 weeks - nothing would shift it but time.
So they would probably work well if you want black! Also I remember my
grandmother telling me (long long ago) that as a young girl she would
steep white gloves in coffee, which would make the gloves a kind of
'ecru' (natural) colour. Maybe not very exciting, but they are
vegetable based!

Gray over 2 years

Red cabbage- I think, and I would assume (could be bad!) but I would say it dyes red! Like beetroot- never wear a white shirt with that! Onions give a wonderful or awful yellow. I bought myself some white fabric for some tests.... kind of excited. Unfortunately alot of the plants to dye with are in winter sleep... but onions are ready! I have also heard you an dye with fuit tea. Now I am openly suspicious!!

The mushroom one is an interesting one! Thanks for the tip- I am a lover of hunting mushrooms out. I am not foolish with ones I don't know. I just go for the classics.... but its a seriously good tip. Don't worry- I wont be foolish!!

MDF? Modulated fiber board- aka that cheep stuff they use to line furniture- you know the one thats quite thin- you can buy it in the DIY shops- the crappier version is straw board- don't use its a bitch to work with. If you use sandpaper on them please remember to use a mask- the fibers are not good for your lungs! MDF is great to carve into and then mould the paper in.

Are you on face book or anything? I know you are a smart lady and have an etsy spot!

I am working on finishing a fabric book at the moment- I have beer bottle tops to sew on a cover... I will up load it when I am finished!

What have you been making that envolves so much glue?? I can feel the headaches!

Elly Wright over 2 years

Hello Katherine, Today our sketchbooks will be out there to be
shared with whoever is interested. Guess what, I was looking at the
blog and at flickr, both of which are showing some photos of themed
boxes with our books -  I actually saw a corner of my book sticking out (it has
quite a distinctive colourful cover). At least I now know that it
arrived safely! The postal service in UK provided a very erratic
service at the end of last year - wild cat strikes etc. Anyway,  I
wished I could be there to see all the books of my new friends. Good
luck to all of you.

Gray over 2 years

(I have to really say I love your work!)

=) Keep up the great work....