Wednesday, July 15, 2020

My addition to the Mural Mosaic International Art Project, Theme of The Dog

I was invited to join the mural mosaic project in March.  In 2008 I was an artist on their horse art mural, "Le Cadeau du Cheval/The Horse Gift".  It was a fun project and I  was able to attend the US unveiling in Columbus, Ohio.  It was a massive project and incredible to see in person towering 25 feet high.
    The current mural project is centered around the dog.  Who doesn't love dogs.  I chose to paint a Samoyed puppy using reference photos from puppy photos of our late male Samoyed, Inipi's Song of Raku, known as Racki.  He was the best Sammy we have had the pleasure of sharing our lives with.  We have had a number of Samoyeds over the past 45 years, pretty much addicted to the playful, loving, beautiful dogs.
    I finished painting panel #106 for the mural this week.  I titled it " Teaching the Sammy His Song".  For anyone who knows Sammys, you have heard them sing.  It's kind of a howl but it usually ends with an Oh Ya.  They are very vocal dogs.  Racki did have his song but he only rarely shared it with us.  I added three wrens with only 2 singing in a reference to Racki's reluctance to sing his song.  Here are the links, MuralMosaic Dog Mural on Facebook and their website, Mural Mosaic Website.


Tuesday, March 5, 2019

Cords/Ropes Replacement on Kessenich Weaving Floor Loom/Directions PDF File

1950's Cherry Kessenich Loom in process of cord/ropes restoration. Check the links below for further information on the process.
Cords/Ropes Replacement on Kessenich Weaving Floor Loom/Directions PDF File

Also check out KB Knits and Crafts blog for additional information on restoring a Kessenich loom/replacing the cords   Kathy has additional photos and advice that is very helpful. http://kbknitsetc.blogspot.com

Kessenich Looms   Kessenich Looms
Bruce and Ann Niemi
2329 Taft Road
Allegan, MI 49010-0156
(269) 673-5204


Sunday, March 3, 2019

Replacing the Ropes/Cords on an older Kessenich Weaving Floor Loom/Photos

At the beginning. The old cords are white. The Stens cord is blue and white.
One side of the loom finished. Extra cord hanging above are the ends that have gone around the pulleys and down through the shaft sticks.


Kessenich Floor Loom on it's back beam for easier access to the lamm cords.

Photo from the back of the loom showing how close the lamms are to the castle.



Loom heddle threaded with Stens cord and threading around the top pulleys.


To be continued... Scroll down the page to see downloadable pages on the process.

Photos of Tools for Kessenich Loom Replacing the Ropes/Cords

Best tools for the job.  Purchase a needle nosed pliers, you will not regret it.  I used Stens Starter Pull Cord  #4      1/8 inch on a 100 foot roll at Amazon.com for around $12.00. You need a strong cord that will not stretch. You will need to burn the end of the cord to melt it so it will not fray.  You also will need a heddle, I used a flat Kessenich loom heddle. I made the holes on the heddle larger so the cord will fit through easily.   You will need masking tape.  

Original drawing from Kessenich Looms

End of Stens cord knotted and melted before putting through the holes in steel pipe on loom.

You need to wrap the ends of the cords you are threading.  Make the tape 2 inches longer from the end of the cord. Twist it so it has some substance. This will help greatly in the threading through the pipe holes and the lamm holes.from the end of the cord. Twist it so it has some substance. This will help greatly in the threading through the pipe holes and the lamm holes.
Needle nose pliers

The cord to use.

Various tools used on the path.


Directions for Replacement of Cords/Ropes on a Kessenich Weaving Floor Loom/How to PDF File

I am posting this on my blog hoping the wandering masses of older Kessenich loom owners(not the people, the looms) can find the information they need to replace the cords on their looms. Recently I decided to redo the internal cords/ropes.  I had an extremely difficult time finding information on the web regarding this process.  I have owned this loom, a 1950's cherry Kessenich 36" since 1978. It worked beautifully until 10 years ago when the ropes started to break. I redid the ropes at the time but since have notices my shafts are no longer level and the ropes appear to be stretched out and soft.  At the time I used what Kessenich Looms sent out as a how to.  There was no other information out there at the time.  My loom did work after the first rethreading of the ropes.  I will use the term cord and rope interchangeably for the same item.    This time around I did find one other site that had useful information regarding the replacing of the ropes.  KBknits and Crafts.  This blog was very helpful and I am grateful this person decided to post her process and what materials to use for replacement.   I also contacted Bruce Niemi of Kessenich Looms in Allgeran, MI for further information. Bruce was very helpful and I also am very grateful for his time on the phone with me.
I put together 5 pages of information on how to approach this process. I will post the links here. They are jpeg files and should be easily downloaded. I also will post pics following the process. Good luck. It is a difficult, time consuming process. It took me over 40 hours and a great deal of frustration. But in the end, well worth it.
Important tip: When adjusting the knots at the bottom of the lamms(below) and the shaft sticks(above), do not pull on the cording.  Pulling the cording down so you can access the knot more
easily will cause major chaos with the cord wound around the pipes. It will cause more wraps on the pipe and you will need to redo the wrapping of the cords.

Cord/Ropes Replacement on Kessenich Weaving Floor Loom PDF File






Sunday, September 2, 2018

Wisconsin Visual Artists SC Chapter UW Hospital Exhibit in Madison, WI Sept 1 - Sept 29




Two paintings currently exhibited September 1 through September 20, 2018 during the Wisconsin Visual Artists SC Chapter Show at the UW Hospital - Madison, WI.
University Hospital, CS/2 Surgical Waiting Area
600 Highland Ave.
Madison, WI 53792

Tuesday, August 21, 2018

2 Drawings Accepted into the American Academy of Equine Art's 38th Annual Open Juried Exhibition

Received news that 2 of my drawings have been accepted into the upcoming AAEA Fall Showcase in Tryon, North Carolina.  Always excited about showing my work in an Academy show.  Here are pics of the 2 pieces.

September 7 through September 27, 2018  Opening Reception September 7, 5-7 pm
Tryon Depot Room
22 Depot Street
Tryon, North Carolina 38782
Strength in Hand   Graphite/Charcoal on Arches Paper

Chiaroscuro    Graphite/Charcoal on Arches Paper