My Window

 

I love using my photographs in my fiber work.  I print them on a variety of surfaces and fabric, make them into Thermal fax silkscreens ( see posts Jan 12 09, Dec 10 08 for details ) or work them into new images in photoshop. Inspiration can be generated by walks at the beach or in my woods, travels, driving in the car, just about anywhere.

My bedroom window faces east, waking me with wonderful surprises. I have used images taken there in a number of pieces and will continue. I thought I would share, from time to time, some of the photographs that inspire me, whether or not they end up in work. 

My Window, a silk organza piece. Sunrise and Raindrops.

Piecing in the Flow

For many years I taught an intuitive piecing workshop. The focus of the workshop was to teach direct cutting into fabric without prior thought, ruler or pattern. Piecing was taught using a really simple curved piecing method. Assembling fabrics that worked together with a few for contast was a key design clue.  Once you got into the act of cutting and piecing, you begin to loose your 'decider' self and proceed from your basic instincts of color and design, thus creating flow. When I first started this, curved piecing was a relatively new idea. 

Postings showing more of this work from 2/15/09, Blast from the Past, 4/20/09, Batting Average- a short history of batting, 12/4/08 Colors on the Brain  and Piecing in the Flow Workshop At Portsmouth Fabric Co. 3/9/08 which describes the workshop.                                 

Poem below from the early 80's.                                                                   

Tree (2003)

IN THE FLOW                   

I go to my table
Filled with my thoughts and my cloth palette.

Cutting through the fabric,
layers in my mind. 

Opening me,

possibilities,

Spirit finds me! Flow!
Standing back,
I see a new thing.
Collaboration!                                                                  

               

Moon Fog

I just finished mounting a piece, an off spring of my Pages collage series. I really enjoy using my photography in my work viva printing, transfers or silkscreens. This is a really old photo from the 70's that I scanned and printed onto silk organza. It was fused with more dyed organza, painted stabilizer and scrim. I stitched into it and highlighted sections with copper paint stick. I decided black stitching would be too distracting to the dreamy mood. Any comments?

Pages, a new Collage Series

I just finished a new series of surface designed fabric collages. They are fused and stitched, then mounted to 6x6 artist canvas. The backs are covered and fitted with wire- ready for hanging. The stitching motif is a variation on a circle, so when purchased as a group or for display, they present as unified.

I am really seriously happy with the results and will probably continue.

I will place them on my Etsy shop very soon. 

I hope you like them too!

Defining Style

Before I Knew You 2008

I think artists find their style by following their heart or muse. Trying different medias may lead to a style or a style could be a combination of different medias with subject or color schemes as the unifying factor. I use lots of fabric painting and surface design in my pieces, including intuitive stitching.

I Came Singing   2008

 I also enjoy working with imagery in photoshop and printing on fabrics. I think when viewing my work that they come from one vision.

Its not the style that matters, it's the tapping into flow that takes you to your style.

Art from the heart.

Driving Force

"Passion will make it happen."  Those of us old enough will perhaps recognize the words from FlashDance- one of my favorite movies. An untraditional dancer braves a traditional audition, with encouragement from an attractive admirer. Ah. Kinda of like the Modern Art Quilt/Textile Movement in the world today. We have struggled and gotten all kinds of things accepted that were forbidden just 25 years ago, machine quilting ( a biggie), free or unbound collage, painting on fabric, surface design of all varieties and my favorite, digital fabric printing. We are a moving and shaking force and expanding. "May the force be with you!" (another movie quote- guess?)

                 A new piece called A Thousand Wishes, recently exhibited at SDA Conference. Painted cotton duck and printed manipulated photo. The photo was reprinted on silk organza and sliced after sewing on top of piece. Not sure I'll repeat this, but it was fun to experiment!

Can't Resist? Leaves, feathers and String, Oh My!

Recently I held a Resists Workshop that is part of my Fabric Transformations  Series. 

We had a blast. We started with resists you apply and wash out, then moved on to removable masks and finished with discharge.   Pictured here, from top, is a fleather resist with discharge, leaf resist with spray paint and string and glue.

Sketching with Thread

Last month,  my daughter and I went to view the Fairey Exhibit at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston. She bought along a artist's pad and sketched some fairly fast drawings. I have always admired people who can render likeness in this manner. This morning, I realized I sketch with my sewing machine. Years ago I would painstakingly draw designs on work with a 'removable' pen and sew along these lines. Then spend a good deal of time erasing them. Gradually I stopped, not even sure when. Now I just place my piece at needles point and start to quilt. This process is very intuitive. Sometimes I'm not crazy about what happens but more often then not, I have a sewn drawing that totally fits the piece. It is about trusting my experience and allowing that 'flow' to happen. Try it, sit down at your machine with a small piece and quilt. Watch out for wide smiles!

Collages on the Go

More! more! MORE! Eh-ha-ha-ha! Here's a few more tiny tid-bits. Collages on the go. Enjoy!

Pause- a new work

Working for the first time in awhile, I feel like an exploding volcano! I want to push my boundaries with my photography.  I worked this piece up in Photoshop using layers. Then, I divided it into 6 printable sizes. Very patchwork, eh! It was fused to a very stiff interfacing and stitched into it. I'm exploring printing on a created substrate, so this work is firm. The process requires working with a new product called ink aid. So far it is very permanent. I will apply medium after I'm finished.  Let me know what you think.

Top is detail, bottom Full View- I'd switch them if I could.

Finding, Watching and New Wonders

Off I go wondering on the web again. Never know what you'll find- lovely to find your work in unexpected places- like this photo at Exeter Fine Crafts Gallery. It's a web announcement they sent out with my work on the mannikin left front and on the wall behind the floral arrangement.

Googling Your Name

Ah, Whatz in a name! 

Last night I was trying to find something about a exhibit and couldn't remember, 

(CMS- Crumbling Mind Syndrome), 

AND so I googled my name. WOW I am on and out 22 pages longs. I found things I didn't know about much less remember. I found my piece done for President Obama's special inauguration exhibit at Morris & Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation Arts Center, Silver Spring, Maryland,on Quilt Visions Newsletter! 

Try it sometime. It was verrry Interesting!

Batting Average- a short history of batting

The choices of what to put between the layers of our creative textile creations, can be confusing. Way back in the 'day', when I first started quilting- I would pretty much use whatever I could find, like old blankets or felt. Being self taught, I just did the natural thing. Historically, blankets covered in tied patchwork were called Haps. One day I decided to wet a finished piece and throw it into the dryer to 'pouf' it up so the stitching would stand out. I liked this so much I continued until I forgot to pre-wash a piece of old red blanket. Well, I had a result I really didn't appreciate much.  I was still hand quilting and appliqueing then and disasters like this were not worth the risk anymore!  So the search was on for a 'new' batting. In 1980, I was introduced to a 

new quilting guild. They used polyester batting and I gave it a whirl. I didn't like it at all. It stuck to my fingers, was difficult to hand quilt and the finished quilt seemed stiff and decidedly un-blanket like. SO, I moved on to try cotton. This batting needed to be quilted every 2 inches or it would shift. Thats when I decided to learn to machine quilt, which was not accepted then. It was untraditional. BUT, I figured, if the ladies hand stitching quilts had machines to quilt with, they would have. So, off I went, hunching over the machine, learning to quilt. BUT cotton was limp and unattractive for wall-hanging quilt batting. SO, I tried wool, which stitched well, smelled wonderful and had good body but was ex-pen-sive! Then, cotton natural, a needled cotton batt was introduced. It was firmer and didn't need lots of intensive stitching. I used this for many years and still have some I pull out for certain projects. I've also tried fusible battings which are quick and easy but seem to work best for small projects. I even made a transparent organza pieced quilt with organza inside to meet the 3 layers criteria of some exhibits. That was fun as it was an interior collage of sorts. My current favorites are stabilizers. They come in a variety of thickness and I like choosing just the right one for the project at hand. It is amusing for this old batt to review the progression of all the different kinds of battings I've used. I guess you could say I'm batting a thousand!

Check out Fog Rising on the Textile Source Blog: Celebrating Textile Design and Innovation! Too very cool!

Best Thinking

Following a thought...

Where do you do your best thinking? Where do those ideas, inspirations and sudden flashes of creativity come from?

 I get some of my best ideas on walks. I can jog out of the house in a burst of frustration and churn up the tunes until I get to a very steady incline near a heavily wooded part of the road. Then, slowing down, I take in the scene- the birds, deer sign, trees, the way the sky looks, you know.  I just melt into the surroundings. It calms my mind and then the magic happens. A idea will pop up or a solution to a piece I am working on.  This peace and excitement are part of my art. Those feelings from that place becomes the energy I use to work. It propels me forward. It is an essential part of my art. 

6 New Collages

On a roll for collages, more to come. Here's 6 for now. All matted. Way too much fun!

Crafts Show or Bust! part 6 Where do you Store all of THAT!

storage










I have a wonderful huge square room for a studio. NO closets though. I have learned to arrange furniture to create spaces for a kitchen area, desk and a place to store my booth equipment when I'm not doing a show. I arrange the 2 panels of the booth to the right when you walk into the studio. The studio door alines with the L-shaped 'closet' and blocks all my mess from view. This works well when I have open studios and the door is left ajar. The front of the 'closet' allows me to hang a small portfolio and announcements. This is on view immediately as folks enter for Open Studios and is adjacent to my sales desk. So far this arrangement works well.

 The next OPEN STUDIO IS MAY 9th, 10-5!!

Crafts Show or Bust! part 5 There and Back

Finished and back. This is an athletic event.  Check with your Doctor before attempting!

It was a great show though and I like meeting people and  talk about my art! 

I am lucky enough to have a freight elevator in my building  to take all of the exhibit equipment up and down the stairs to the truck. We also have carts, which helps allot. Each time I do a show I learn something. This time, I discovered labeling the legs of the booth helps with a quicker and more efficient set up. This is important for me because my booth is second hand and has right and wrong sides. And we all want to present our best side!