Cady Favazzo

Craft Talk

I’m teaching this program at @uwyoartmuseum this weekend. We’ll talk about poems, Michiko Itatani’s exhibition “High Point Contact,” and print making techniques. Sign up via @uwyoartmuseum Today is Shauna’s second birthday. I made her after a writing workshop where I felt totally out of place—like there wasn’t room for where I came from, or for how I thought about being a writer or being in the world. Shauna’s my reminder that craft can look a lot of different ways, that some of the best ways involve fabric or glue. Sid the Squid may look like a grumpy old fisherman, but he’s actually “a joy” and “just chilling soaking up the vibes” according to his loving caretaker. One of the biggest delights of my art museum job is learning new art making techniques. These are my first ever monotypes: paint on glass, print on paper, repeat (and change!) and repeat and repeat. Today’s craft is repairing the damaged spine of a library book. William is a big time shaggy cutie. He’s a furry little amoeba who got plenty of sleep last night. This is Olive. She’s sweet, fuzzy, and pretty stressed. You can’t tell in these photos, but she smells really good. This is Thunder. He’s full of rice and rice alone so he’s pretty heavy. He was designed specifically to be put in the microwave but I might have to stop doing that because it seems pretty fucked up when I type it out here. He lives with my sister and is made of a very soft flannel that never quite fit me. I could never pick a favorite, but Clare, who is incredibly exhausted and definitely an alien, is my favorite. Leif, made from a Good Will hunting shirt, marks the transition to the mouthless, tooth-shaped silhouette I work with today. He is also made in the tradition of “unsettling eyes” and “kind of spooky?” which are both kind of my thing. This dude is made from an old scarf and embroidery thread from a friendship bracelet kit, which is pretty appropriate because he lives with my childhood best friend who also happens to be the original inspiration for my creature-making. In high school, @polkadottwat whipped up his own band of “Closet Monsters” using old jeans from his closet and ten years later, when I finally learned how to sew, it was his design I had in my mind. This cutie has rice in her butt and that butt-rice is scented with cinnamon and pine. She is kind of microwaveable, if you’re into that sort of thing, and by “kind of” I mean, in theory you could put her in the microwave for some aromatherapy heating pad action, but she is also made of thrift store corduroy so who knows?? Today’s craft is trying visible mending + Sharpie to make my all time favorite bleach-stained pants work appropriate. Tie Dye Guy was a Christmas gift for my niece and the one and only creature for whom I took process pics.