Live Water Progress

This is the current state of the three panels -- front side.
I decided I would, using surface design techniques, somewhat duplicate the front on the back
Here is a detail of the back panel. You can see I have used the fish again- painted this time. I first dyed the panel using thickened dyes. Hollis Chatelain you have nothing to worry about from me!!! Then to blend the colors more I went back and stamped more color with my 2 favorite stamps. One uses those floor tile spacers- the tiny ones. The other is just pieces of foam stuck onto a piece of plexiglas. I used acrylics and textile medium when needed to thin.
Another of the panels.
This shows all three back panels. Hopefully you can see that they are somewhat a duplicate of the front. I am not trying for an exact match- just a disorientation.

Scalped!!!

This was not at all the haircut I had planned. In fact I just wanted the usual 1/2" off my normal do. But this is what happened when I requested my hairdresser get off the phone while cutting my hair. She had been speaking to her mother-in-law for several minutes with no indication she planned to get off. After fuming, myself, for several minutes I finally said, "I'll be happy to wait until you are off the phone for you to finish my haircut". She actually said "Why? Am I messing up the cut?" I said, "No. But I am not paying you to talk on the phone. I am paying for you to cut my hair." Several near silent minutes later I commented that it sure was short. She said," Well I had to even things up!" Then she blasted me for treating her so badly and fired me as a client. The conversation went downhill from there and I realised there was no point in trying for rationality any longer.

So, Katie Grimes, I hope everyone in Thayer, MO sees your scalping and doesn't give you the chance to mess with them. I considered having business cards made of this photo and giving Ms. Grimes the credit she deserves while posting them on bulletin boards all over town.... But a week later, I am nearly over this by now. Grrr. and yes, I even paid her but NO TIP!!!!

live water

Swarms= schools of fish
To create the fish I first made a stamp using a glue gun to outline the fish shape onto silk organza. Then I came back and painted in the shading. I added fusible web to the back side of the organza. Then stitched around the fish shapes to create appliques. Then I cut away the extra organza and then heat fused the fish down.

This larger view shows how the fish flow onto the first and third panels.

My next step is to dye the backs. I plan to use thickened dyes to paint on the dyes in such a way that it looks like you are seeing the front from the back.

Magic time! Live Water

Here are the blocks up on the wall. In this lighting it isn't terribly brilliant. In real life the colors glow! It'll be divided into three panels each 5 blocks wide. At least this piece is small enough to get all the parts in one photo.

I've used the "excitement energy" to get the first 6 rows of the left panel assembled. Then I went home for lunch and pretty much collapsed with the creeping crud that is going around. I had hoped to get it completely pieced over the weekend but somehow doubt my energy will carry me that far. cough cough, hack hack.

Time to take a deep breath!

Today is the day I'll be doing Magic Time! for "Live Water" I can hardly wait. I have made about 170 blocks which translates to 680 quadrants. I expect to use only about 150/ 600 of them.
The weather is totally spring. On Monday I'll get word on the commission for MSU. Fingers more than crossed--expected even!

So come back and hopefully tomorrow I'll have the first images of the new work.

In the mean time- I'll note the first crocuses and jonquils. Last night we slept with one bedroom window partially open. Our 6 mo old kittens HAD to sit in it. You could just see them discussing the inflow of new information. Mingus was saying, "Look at those birds! and the smells!" Django was saying "Do know how scary it is out there? Those birds could attack!"

So I am off to my studio.....

EEEEWWWWW! Spring is coming!

The very first sign of SPRING in the Ozarks is the smell of skunk. They are on the move and getting hit on the road. So it is the olfactory sense that first kicks in the anticipation of the end of cold weather. That is good news as we are currently being hit with 36 hours of "wintery mix." There is a 1/4" coat of ice on the car and we are only 6 hours into the 36. I know this because I had to go out to the car to bring in my sketch book.



As crude as this drawing is, it is the sketch for my newest work--"Visions of Plenty:Live Water"

We live in one of the few places in the US that not only has lots of acreage with live water but the cost is generally still under $2000/acre... sometimes lots less. As the race for water gets more heated having live water on one's property will get more valuable. What is "live water?" It is water that is moving-- a creek, a river, a spring.

This piece is well underway. I have the blocks with 2 layers of circles thus far. If I can get down to my studio (2 blocks away--downhill) I'll get the third layer on and get them quartered. Tentative "Magic Time" is scheduled for Sunday. I'll probably have to get out the crimpons (those ice traction thingies) to get down the hill. Oh yeah. I don't have any of those. Hmmm. Guess I'll stay put and make curry instead.

Photo at last--Slipstream Adventure

I'm happy to at last have a "finished" photo of this pieice that I can now use for promoting it. The finished size of the piece is 80" x 156". I'm working on getting the back view compiled. This is actually 4 separate photos which have been combined onto a single canvas. My friend Bruce Carr shot the work and my friend Jim Kraus did the Photoshop work. The only manipulation was to correct some keystoning and evening up the sizes. Great job, guys!!!

The next step is to find venues for exhibition and potential clients for purchase. You'll be seeing this piece in every exhibition that will accept a piece this large for the next 2 years... unless that wonderful client comes along who wants to purchase it early on.

Now on to the next piece-- which is well underway. I expect I'll be doing "Magic Time" for it later this week. There will be approx 150 blocks--smaller than the last one but still quite large. The colors are deep purples to rich blues to citreon green with a light source that brightens one section to light greens. Yum!