New work--at last!!!

This is my latest piece. Entitled "Sweeping Changes". You are seeing it after "magic time" when it has been pieced together but not yet layered or quilted. I have had a game going on this year and recent work-- not yet posted--has all been created using leftovers from previous projects. This one has 400 quadrants all made with leftover pieces... and I didn't even use half of them!
The concept here is the major changes we are currently experiencing in our government and economy-- much of it based on the new policies in place from the election of Barack Obama.
There is a vague black line of demarcation running northeast to southwest. Below that line will be what has been the result of sweeping. Above the line will be what has been swept away.

The area below the black has been swept and what is left are positive (+ signs) in real copper leaf. Here you can see the copper leaf in the process of being cleaned up. The sheets of copper leaf are being brushed to remove the unattached leaf from the silk organza. The color of the silk is too vibrant, I think, so I am over-dyeing using color-hue dyes to deepen it.

The area above the black line is the area that has what has been swept. The first indication is the spirals of "dust". These were created using freezer paper and paint sticks with a stencil brush.

What's next? Well you haven't seen the back yet. It has been dyed and I'll post that progress tomorrow. I have already done it.

The next new step for me will be attaching the silk organza with the copper leaf. I screwed up and applied the copper to the wrong side of the left piece. So I have to work out a solution-- that doesn't involve starting over. The copper leaf had to be ordered online from an art supply and I DON'T have that kind of time-- so time to improvise. I think I'll probbly cut the silk into smaller pieces and attach via black misty fuse in small groupings. There will be much writing/ text on the piece. The bottom will contain things that have changed in a positive way since Obama's election. Above the line will be things that have been or are in the process of being modified or eradiciated. DEEP!!!! Well for me, anyway.

I am finally highly motivated. There is a particular exhibition I am creating this for. I have a July 1 deadline to get images in. Pedal to the metal!!!!!!!!

The Energy of Hope

I created this piece as a whole cloth quilt. It is actually 2 top layers-- silk broadcloth covered by silk organza. Some of the imagery is printed on the organza and some on the broadcloth. It is very intensively quilted. The images are created using a variety of my own stamps, silk screens, plus the spool ends of many of my threads. The gold is actual gold leaf using Jane Dunnewald's method of using matte medium as a bonding agent applied via silk screen.

Here you can see how tightly it is stitched. I forgot to measure this before posting but it is approximately 4ft x 3 ft.

The name comes from how I felt going into the election and aftermath. With the economy in the tank, it is amazing how one's outlook affects one's energy.

Ice Storm

The beautiful, the desolate destruction, the times together--

The beautiful-- Here is one of our maple trees covered in about 3/4" of ice. The freezing rain fell most of the night. We could hear the trees breaking all night long.

For nine long days and nights we cuddled around the candles and the small propane heater. I had bought the heater at an auction for Best of Missouri Hands with the idea of using it in my booth on chilly days. I didn't expect to use it to keep warm in my own house. This is my mother all bundled up to play cards.

My husband, Jon, was utterly frustrated trying to practice. It was so cold his fingers just weren't working. But we got reacquainted with the card game Kings in a Corner which I hadn't played since my kids were little-- 20+ years ago. We tried other games but this was the one my mom could recall.

This is typical of the destruction we found. Our maples were just devastated. Several of the branches still attached in this photo ( below) didn't make it until the thaw.

Thankfully this is now all behind us-- except the clean-up. When the ice fell from the trees it added about 4" of ice to the snow and ice already on the ground. Moving along......

Next post will have new work and a return to normalcy. Aah! Precious normalcy--warm toilet seats, TV, water pressure sufficient to shower, no need to wear a knit hat to bed, but alas, the cats no longer want to snuggle under the covers.

Where I have been/ where I am off to

What a shock to discover it had been 2 months since my last post. In early November I had to go to Florida unexpectedly while my son's body figured out how to settle down on blood pressure medications. As a Mom, let me tell you, it is scary to see your kid hooked up to IVs and monitors in ICU. Fortunately things have settled down and he is respecting his body and treating it with care.

In the mean time I came home and realized we had been living in crisis mode on some level ever since my parents had moved in 2 years ago. The result had been that the partly remodeled kitchen had never been finished. While still not completely done it is now much closer to the ideal. From my chair in the breakfast area I no longer have to look at open cabinets and shelves. It may look great in a restaurant kitchen but in my very full shelves it does not! All the cabinets now are stained and varnished in a cherry finish, have doors and new hardware. The peeling ceiling is now smooth and painted. The 1968 ivy trellis wallpaper is now finally gone and the walls painted a dusty mid-range teal. We still have circa 1968 carpet on our kitchen floor in a "lovely" avocado medallion. As soon as I sell my next piece of artwork the floor will get replaced with a ceramic that mimics slate. It all blends nicely with the granite tile we used for the counter and back splash. The under counter lights have been enjoyed every day as well as the ceramic black sink and copper faucets. Progress! What a great way to start the new year!

In a rampage, I also finally got the upstairs bathroom up to a tolerable state. We still need to re-tile the shower. But no more peeling ceiling or woodwork. Civilized!!!!

I am finishing the piece I started awhile back-- The Energy of Hope. It'll be the image on my annual New Year's Card. Ok... I'm a week behind.

But hope is where I have planted myself this season. For the first time in several years I don't feel hopeless about the direction our country is moving. Even though we hear daily reports of lingering financial crisis ahead I personally believe the worst is over and that brighter days lie ahead. I think that the belt tightening most of us have been doing has been a good practice that is often overlooked with complacency. Never the less, income production MUST occur.

As a possible income source I am sending out a few letters to offer my services as a personal chef-- available to provide a delicious meal as a part of a private dinner party or cook a week's worth of meals for a busy family. While I have no plans to make this a full time gig I am hopeful that it will take some of the financial strain off our household.

Cooking for me has always been a source of creative joy. Over the years I have developed a reputation for putting on spectacular meals. I have resisted "going professional" simply because I haven't wanted to be pulled from creating my art. Now is the time.

This year I am already committed to create lots of new work. My art quilt group is producing a coffin quilt for use by our members. Last one to die gets to keep the quilt!!! Actually it'll probably go to the quilt study center. We all felt like being an artquilter was a major part of who we are. The idea that perhaps that wouldn't be represented at our memorials was not acceptable. None of us are getting any younger and having one "ready to go" seemed like a smart project.

In April our group is having a show at the Springfield Nature Center and I'll be making special piece for that-- I'm thinking Cleome!!!

In last August I have a show in Dallas at Cerulean Gallery and plan to produce quite a few new pieces for that. Then in September is Fiber Focus in St. Louis. I am planning to help produce a regional show of SAQA members work for that.

I have also been invited to create a work for an internationally traveling exhibition of quilts that celebrate various holidays. My father's favorite holiday was the Chinese New Year. He loved all the traditional foods served as well as dragon dances and kites. I'm sure I'll incorporate all those in to the piece somehow.


So here is to prosperity! Here is to new beginnings! All hail the hope for the future.

Lots of new work

This piece is entitled "Freefall" in recognition and/or celebration of both the craziness of the stock market and earmarking the season. These are gingko leaves in motion. The panels on the right have gingko leaves in gold leaf--not foil--leaf.

The leaves on the left side are done as thread lace. Except for some tuille, every bit of those leaves were done with freemotion stitching. Except for a couple of sashing pieces all was hand-dyed silk. I love the rich intensity of colors.

This piece is still in progress. There is more than one layer. The bottom later is noil that has been dyed and painted with stamps and silk screens. The top layer is divided into 2 main sections. The left is dyed and painted silk organza. In addition, I have used gold leaf to add the alchemy symbols and the woven patch. The right side is also silk organza. It is using more of the pieces I dyed last year when I dyed the fabric for the previous piece (Freefall). The sections have not been assembled with batting yet. I have no idea yet how I'll quilt it.

Here you can get a better idea of the layers. All those circles were printed using a few of my dozens of empty spools.

Another detail showing the right side. After last night's election and Obama's speech I am feeling more optimistic about life in general and especially our future as a country. By the way-- the name of this piece is "Energy of Hope".

I have no idea where this piece is going. It is made up of many of my scraps from previous circle quilts. I added a line of multi-colored couched yarn. This, so far, is just pinned to the wall in rows. I am not sure yet whether it'll be vertically oriented or horizonally. I, for sure, have no idea how to quilt it.

So, while I have been in my studio feeling somewhat aimless, I have found all sorts of directions to investigate. If has been fun.

I think I'll go back to celebrating and drinking in that warm glow of hope. I remember that feeling. It has been a while. I liked it a lot.

Jon will be home tomorrow with his CD completed and ready for publication. This is a landmark event in our lives and I expect that forever after our lives will reflect the changes this CD will have wrought.

New work--Reconcilable Differences

This piece was nearly self-created. By that I mean a piece that seemed to know what it wanted to be even before I began. It started several months ago when I was between projects. When I cut my blocks to build my circle blocks I almost always have anywhere from 1-5" strips that are 8" long as leftovers. Consequently I have drawers full of these mostly silk scraps. When I am in my studio without any perceivable direction I will grab these strips in similar colorations and just build long strips. In this case I had over 16 ft of these strips in various shades of brown.
I began by simply hanging four 4 ft strips near each other. Somewhere in there the concept of reconcilable differences popped into my head. ( I seem to have been surrounded lately by people who love each other but can't seem to get along)
The general layout is 4 vertical strips made up of the horizontal strips. Between them are vertical strips printed entirely in circular images. There is a diamond overlaying the whole thing. Inside of the diamond is a melding of imagery- strips and circles. Outside the diamond each vertical strip has quilting that is individual to the strip. Inside the diamond the quilting is an allover looping and semi- floral pattern. Outside the diamond the quilting is jagged straight lines for the odd strips and all circles for the even ones. Outside the diamond there are words--mine, I, me. Inside the diamond are the words our, us, we.

The concept is that when one goes beyond thinking only about oneself then differences begin to disappear and consensus and compromise can be found.

I would love to see this piece end up in a law office or perhaps the office of someone who works to mediate family relationships. The overall size is nearly 4 ft square. These are only my "blog quality" photos. I'll be shoot it again at higher resolution immediately. If you want to see higher res shots-- email me directly.

Dang!!!!! Quilt National anyway!!!

Live Water

Live Water-- detail

Well Gosh Darn!!!! If you know me well you know this is NOT what I have just spit from my mouth. I truly thought this piece had what it took to get selected for Quilt National. The upside is that I can now market the heck out of this piece. Had it been selected it would have been traveling for the next 2 years. Part of the highly restrictive rules of QN is that you can't post the work to anything but your own website. Fear of someone else copying and reposting my work kept me from posting when I completed it. So NOW you can see it in all its glory. This piece finished out at 70" x 105" in three panels. It is a happy piece that takes you to another world. The price is $9750. If you'd like to receive a higer resolution image of this, please email me and I'll get it right off to you. The back side has a similar imagery done in dyes and pigments-- so it could hang against a curtain wall (an interior glass wall) and both sides could work for you.

One of the trickier aspects of making pieces this large is that there are so few venues that will allow pieces of this scale. So my new marketing plan is to send out portfolios to art consultants and architectural firms that have the audience I am seeking.

In the meantime I'll work out my frustration discovering some new avenues with the potato dextrin and see what my next major thing will be. The upside is that my studio is getting a cleaning it hasn't had in over a year.

Good news has also come this week. Barnes Jewish Hospital has selected Burning Leaves to hang in its lobby area. This is a major piece that was most recently shown at William Woods University-- Celebrating Creativity. Thanks to my agent Sandra Kolde. I really appreciate her keeping my work in mind when talking with major accounts. Although I would much rather sell my work outright, leasing provides a foundation that pays my studio rent and frees up my attention for creating.

Now that I am no longer wondering about QN I can get back to wondering if the sky is falling in the stock market. Oh joy!