The studio days flew by this week stitching away on new work.  Have a look at some close-ups:

machine and hand stitching on procion-painted cotton (detail)

machine stitching on procion-painted cotton (detail)

A break in the rain at lunchtime drew Flossy and I down to the floats for our noon walk.  So many shades of blue reflected in the calm water of the South Harbor...

This graffiti caught my eye, echoing images in the pieces I am working on.

machine stitching and acrylic on procion-painted cotton (detail)

Enjoy the rest of your weekend - we are going after cranberries again tomorrow, rain or shine.

Embroidery

Work for my solo exhibit here in December is coming along now.  This week I completed a couple of new pieces and got started on a few more, while some work is in that 'thinking about it' stage. 

'shell game' 16.5"x19.5"; procion on cotton with machine stitching

''Rainbow Shells' 15.5"x19"; procion on cotton with beads and machine stitching

detail from a piece at the 'resting stage'

In the evenings I enjoyed stitching some feathers for Jude's Magic FeatherProject.  

feathers embroidery on vintage kimono cloth for Jude

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

small purse I made when I was in high school

I love embroidering, and always have since my mom taught me how as a young child. 

detail from the bag above

The colored thread is like a box of crayons or my beloved Prismacolor pencils.  I love the repetitive act of pushing needle through cloth; the slow evolution of textures, lines, shapes.  
 

Visiting galleries and museums in Other Parts of the World embroidery has caught my eye again and again, incorporated in the work of contemporary artists.  I am drawn to the subversive juxtaposition of this traditional decorative technique with potent political and social commentary.   

This territory may be calling me to come exploring.  What new creative lands are you longing to traverse?

My Mother's (Bead) Soup

My mother and I share a passion for making things.  While I've been staying here in Denver, she has been sharing her wonderful bead stash with me.  I used her bead 'soup' and some remnant fabric to build a little bag for myself.

I ironed interfacing onto the bag's closure flap and drew the outline of my design. 

 The light on my beading tray is provided by a dandy little bitty Ott Light that clamps onto anything.

Here's the finished piece, which measures about 8x10 inches...

...and a detail of my beaded snake on the flap.

Teaching

They were the best group ever: fearless, focused, and fabulous.  I began Wednesday afternoon with a demo of low-water emersion processes.  A couple of hours later, thrilled cries of delight were coming from the sinks as people rinsed out their first-ever hand dyed fabrics.

The next session I introduced the class to thickened dyes and some of the ways of working with them including monoprinting and stamping.  They experimented intensely.

 As the week went on, visions began to form and finished pieces emerged from chaos.  I thoroughly enjoyed my role as cheerleader, soda ash solution preparer, title suggestor, and guide.

 

I find that the most helpful question an artist can ask is “What would happen if…”.  My workshop students were all examples of the wonderful strides in self-expression that can be made when this question is asked and answered.

 

 

 Finished work at the gala art exhibit and awards ceremony Saturday night.