Mandala CCLXXXIII: Clock on a Game Board

 

(Above:  Mandala CCLXXXIII: Clock on a Game Board.  Custom framed:  23 1/4" x 23 1/4".  Vintage game board, game pieces, clock, toddler snack lids; yellow plastic from a beer six pack yoke; copper beverage can tabs; toy car wheels; small blue tubes of unknown use; heart-shaped buttons and beads. Click on any image to enlarge.)

Over the past few years, many people have commented on my ability to create perfect symmetry on my Found Object Mandalas.  I've always laughed and replied, "There's no perfection, just an illusion!"  Often, I refer to the arrangement as "implied symmetry" and talk about how the quilts on which I'm working aren't usually perfect to being with ... and how the placement is all done by eye, without a ruler ... and the reality that most found objects really don't lay flat and lend themselves to perfection.  Most of my pieces simply look like they are symmetrical.  They aren't.

 

(Above:  Detail of Mandala CCLXXXIII:Clock on a Game Board.)

This piece really proves several points!  Why?  Because a vintage game board really has perfectly straight sides with perfect ninety degree angles.  No ruler was needed.  It came that way.  Yet, when placing it on the antique quilt background, I didn't quite see that the sides of my frame weren't perfectly parallel to the game board.  It's off by less than an eighth of an inch, but that itty-bitty fraction is visually obvious now.  (It wasn't obvious when stitching it ... probably because I am too close to it.  One needs to stand back to see the angles!) This might have happened when attempting to place the hole for the clock in the dead center (which was successful but perhaps included me shifting the game board around.) This might have been because of the lines on the quilt blocks weren't parallel, but it is more probably because I just didn't see the slight distortion!  So ... this clock is a little cock-eyed!  Frankly, both Steve and I like it that way!  There's nothing wrong with a vintage (or more likely "antique") game board not being perfect in this day and age!

(Above:  Detail of Mandala CCLXXXIII:Clock on a Game Board.)

The clock really does work.  It really is keeping perfect time.  I might attempt creating another Found Object Mandala with a clock mechanism.  It wasn't difficult to do.  It runs on a single AA battery.

 

(Above: Mandala CCLXXXIII: Clock on a Game Board at an angle.)

I hope someone loves this piece despite the slight distortion.  If not, Steve and I will just keep it.  Being a little "off" suits us.  There are so many things in our life that aren't perfect ... like most things! LOL!  Why should this mandala/clock be any different! LOL!

Oswald Home Laundry is going to Ohio!

 

(Above:  Oswald Home Laundry. 2020. 44" x 61".  Digital image transfer and paint on antique Irish chain crib/lap quilt with buttons and a hand-stitched outline. Blogged with in-progress images and concepts at:  http://artbysusanlenz.blogspot.com/2020/03/oswald-home-laundry.html )

Every week or so, I browse through the call-for-entries on CaFE, a website listing all sorts of opportunities for mostly visual artists.  I saw one entry that intrigued me.  Then, I got an email from the Dairy Barn Art Center that also announced this particular juried show.  At first, I didn't think my work would qualify for Fibers of Appalachia.  The prospectus was written for works related to the more northern Appalachian area.  I'm in the south.  Then, I read the fine print!  As long as the work related to the regional area near Ohio, I qualified.  Oswald Home Laundry depicts my great grandmother who owned her own business in Huntington, West Virginia.  What could be more truly "Appalachian" that that!  I entered and the work was accepted.  Due to the size and the extremely high price for shipping, we are delivering it in person ... going on to Columbus to switch out artwork at Chaos Contemporary Craft, a gallery that now represents my Found Object Mandalas!  Fibers of Appalachia will run from June 15 to 21 and has an opening reception on Thursday, July 2, 2026 from 5pm-7pm.  We can't return for the opening but would appreciate photos from anyone who will be there!

Lancet Windows CCXLI and CCXLII

 

(Above:  Composite image of Lancet Window CCXLI and CCXLII.  Each one is framed: 31" x 11".  Layers of polyester stretch velvet fused to recycled, black industrial felt with machine embroidery and unique melting techniques.  Click on any image to enlarge.)

Though I haven't blogged in a bit, I have been working.  In fact, I created three Small In Box pieces.  Each one was constructed, stitched, melted, mounted, and framed but no photos were taken.  Why?  Well, I'm busy gearing up for the South Highland Guild's summer show in Asheville, July 16 - 19.  I need a full assortment of my Stained Glass and In Box Series.  I've been so focused on the "making" that I sort of forgot about snapping pictures.  After being satisfied with the number of In Box pieces, I turned my attention to the Stained Glass fiber work ... realizing that I didn't have a single Lancet Window.  I plan to create two more in addition to these two!

(Above:  Detail of Lancet Window CCXLI at an angle ... in its frame ... hanging on the outside of our brick church/home/studio.)

I think I have enough Window Series pieces.  I want to make at least one (possibly two) Large In Box pieces.  It is very difficult to guess just what I will actually need, especially since I've never before been in this show.  At least I'm having a great time in my studio!

(Above:  Detail of Lancet Window CCXLII.)

I've already made one Large Stained Glass piece ... which I'm hoping is enough ... and two Peacock Feathers.  I'd like to make at least two more Peacock Feathers.  Time will tell if I get all this work done!

Mandala CCLXXXII, Sewing Pattern Figures

 

(Above:  Mandala CCLXXXII, Sewing Pattern Figures. Custom framed: 26" x 26".  Found objects hand-stitched to a section of a vintage quilt.  Objects include:  A yellow child's 45 record on which sits a porcelain plate, a blue, aluminum ashtray, a yellow lid, and a large, pink shank button; more than thirty figures cut and laminated from the front of vintage sewing patterns; four decorative coasters; yellow hair curlers; orange rabies pet tags; bottle caps; souvenir spoons; plastic crystals from an old bracelet; assorted buttons and beads. Click on any image to enlarge.)

A dear friend is going through a tough time.  A relative refuses to move to an assisted living facility despite her failing health and forgetfulness.  The relative had once been a professional seamstress whose collection included hundreds upon hundreds of old sewing patterns.  These were recently given to me.  I found homes for some of them.  I kept some of them.  I cut out the figures on lots of them.  These were laminated and I used some of them to start this mandala.

 

(Above:  Detail of Mandala CCLXXXII, Sewing Pattern Figures.)

Stitching through the lamination was easy but require a strong but very thin thread.  I had to cover up their feet because not all the figures were the same height!  I positioned them, however, with their heads along the same line ... right inside a ring of coral-colored buttons.  

(Above:  Detail of Mandala CCLXXXII, Sewing Pattern Figures.)

Also hiding the longer feet and obscuring the shorter ones is the ring of lavender buttons that were stitched along the edge of a yellow child's 45 record.  In the picture above, the red isn't really obvious but its there!  I drilled holes to line up with the holes in the porcelain plate ... all except for the one hole in the middle.  Yes!  I drilled another hole through a piece of porcelain.  It was needed in order to attach the blue ashtray, yellow lid, and the shank button.

 

(Above:  The pink chiffon scarf that protects the fragile quilt.  Picture taken when the work was under construction.)

Yet, as accomplished as I feel about drilling that hole, the thing that I'm most pleased about it the chiffon scarf.  All of my other Found Object Mandalas have a layer of tulle/netting over the quilt to protect the fragile seams and threadbare areas.  For some reason, I remembered having a stash of very sheer chiffon scarves.  In the past, strips of chiffon were fused over my Stained Glass and In Box creations but production of these things was discontinued a couple years ago.  I had to switch to strips of netting/tulle.  Very few people see this netting/tulle ... but when using the chiffon scarf, I can't even see it!  The scarves are 27" x 27".  I plan on using more of them!

Mandala CCLXXXI, The Red Rooster

(Above:  Mandala CCLXXXI, The Red Rooster.  Custom framed:  31 1/2" x 31 1/2".  Found objects hand-stitched to the section of a vintage quilt. Objects include:  A red rooster trivet; red, plastic forks; small orange-red checkers on large, metal washers; ViewMaster reels; discs for decorative patterns on a vintage sewing machine; drawer handles; four, red aluminum "Smokey the Bear" ashtrays; Kodachrome slides; toddler snack lids; Grizzly chewing tobacco lids (upside down); keys; vintage pilot pins; white plastic lids; heart-shaped rabies pet tags; assorted buttons and beads.)

Some mandalas start with a circle of multiple objects.  Some start with the desire to place four unique items in the corners.  This one started with the red rooster trivet!  Designing it was a challenge to create balance with this very obvious and very red center.

 

(Above:  Detail  of Mandala CCLXXXI, The Red Rooster.)

To pull the eye, I immediately auditioned the ViewMaster reels because they provided high contrast.  From there, more items were added but I only designed the center before stitching.

 

(Above:  Detail  of Mandala CCLXXXI, The Red Rooster.)

 It wasn't until the drawer handles were firmly stitched in place that I addressed the corners and edges.  Thank goodness for the red "Smokey the Bear" ashtrays.  They are definitely vintage!  The embossed words say "Prevent Forest Fires".  Nowadays, it wouldn't be deemed appropriate to even make flimsy, aluminum ashtrays ... much less ones featuring Smokey the Bear regardless of the embossed words!  Time change.  Some "found objects" are now obsolete but perfect for my mandalas!

(Above:  Mandala CCLXXXI as seen from the side.)

Mandala CCLXXX, The Dart Board

 

(Above:  Mandala CCLXXX, The Dart Board.  Custom framed:  27" x 27".  Magnetic dart board and other found objects hand-stitched to a section of a vintage quilt.  Other objects include:  Toy car wheels, keys, assorted bottle caps, blue plastic in the shape of a small tube, and assorted buttons and beads.  Click on any image to enlarge.)

I'm not exactly sure when SAQA (Studio Art Quilt Associates) posted their call-for-entry for an upcoming global/traveling exhibit called Sensational but I do remember seeing it after I created Mandala CCXLVII.  The call for entry is summarized as follows:

See it, touch it, hear it.  Let your artwork engage the senses in this no-theme exhibition that will allow viewers of all ages to experience textile art in ways not usually allowed.  Embrace the challenge to create art that is appealing not just visually, but also through sound, touch, or interactive components.

When I first blogged about my earlier mandala, I wrote:  "This Found Object Mandala is truly unique!  The center is a plastic target.  The protruding, flexible bristles will literally "catch" the point-less darts."  When I first read the call-for-entry, I knew this piece would qualify.  Because the call allows artists to submit three pieces, I will probably submit both of these works ... but ... I wondered if such a small (16" x 16") piece would really look appropriate in an exhibit that will most likely feature larger works ... and ... well ... why couldn't I make a larger dart board.  I certainly had enough time.

 

(Above:  Detail of Mandala CCLXXX, The Dart board ... with darts.)

So ... this is really the first time I actually ordered something for one of my Found Object Mandalas.  The magnetic dart board wasn't "found" (unless you consider "finding it" through an Internet search!)  It is, however, hilarious because it really and truly works!  For the photo above, Steve literally threw the darts onto the artwork!

 

(Above:  Detail of Mandala CCLXXX, The Dart Board.)

I have no idea whether I'll have work accepted into the show or not.  These opportunities are very, very competitive.  I do know, however, that I had a blast making this piece and that Steve doesn't care if it gets in or not.  He'll have fun throwing the darts at it!

In Box CDLXXVI

 

(Above:  In Box CDLXXVI.  Layers of polyester stretch velvet fused to white synthetic felt with hand embroidery and melting techniques.  Click on either image to enlarge.0

Several of my fiber Stained Glass and In Box series pieces are framed using an expensive anti-reflective/UV filtering glass.  This "crystal clear" glass is one step below the ultra expensive "museum glass" but still quite a bit more costly than regular glass.  Steve and I try to use every scrap of it.  Recently, a piece was accidentally broken.  Steve cut it into the largest possible pieces.  I have designed works to fit the glass!  This is one of them!

 

(Detail of In Box CDLXXVI as seen at an angle.)

I like these unique challenges.  I'm especially pleased with the way I was able to raise the work off the mat board.  It is mounted on little square of acid-free foamcore that "sit" on top of the mat.  Thankfully, the rest of the broken glass was able to be cut into the sizes I ordinarily make.  Everything is A-okay!

Large Stained Glass XCII

 

(Above:  Large Stained Glass XCII.  Custom framed: 54" x 22". Layers of polyester stretch velvet fused to black, recycled packaging felt with machine stitching and melting techniques. Click on any image to enlarge.)

I haven't turned my full attention to making artwork for The Summer Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands at Harrah's Cherokee Convention Center in Asheville but I am very well aware that a full booth of my In Box and fiber Stained Glass series will be needed.  The show runs from July 16 to 19, 2026.  I have lots of pieces on hand but need several others ... including this one!  

 

(Above:  Large Stained Glass XCII leaning again my booth wall here inside my studio ... beside other work that will be going to the show!)

I have plenty of time and lots of new ideas.  I'm simply missing a few of the normal sizes/styles that I ordinary create.  Thus, I'm sort of splitting my time between the various projects that are "in the works".  

 

(Above:  Detail of Stained Glass XCII.)

I especially like having more than one or two projects going at the same time.  I think it makes me more efficient.  When I'm questioning myself about one piece, I can easily take a just steps away to another piece.  While working, the answers I need seem to pop right into my head!

 

(Above:  Detail of Stained Glass XCII.)

I can never get bored with one approach because switching from one piece to the next is super easy.  Right this minute, I've got more than three pieces in various stages of production!  My only problem seems to be that they often find a conclusion on the same day!  I don't know why this happens!  I try to anticipate it by starting "something new".

(Above:  Detail of Stained Glass XCII.)

I also like to have at least one hand-stitching project going at all times because pieces like this one aren't hand-stitched.  I don't work on them during the evening while watching television.  Only hand-stitching is done then.

(Above:  Detail of Stained Glass XCII.)

During the day, however, my machine can hum along on pieces needed for the upcoming craft show!

Large In Box CDLXXVIII

(Above:  Large In Box CDLXXVIII.  Custom framed: 34" x 22".  Layers of polyester stretch velvet fused to recycled black packaging felt with free-motion machine embroidery and melting techniques.  Click on any image to enlarge.)

I'm excited to be part of The Summer Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands inside the Harrah's Cherokee Convention Center in Asheville, NC. The show will run from July 16 - 19, 2026. In anticipation, I am busy creating new work in my Fiber Stained Glass and In Box Series.  This one was just finished, framed, and photographed.

 

(Above: Detail of In Box CDLXXVIII as seen from an angle.)

I have plenty of the pieces to make in order to have a full booth and at least one of every style/size/approach.  There's plenty of work for me to make!

Cascades, my solo show at the Pickens County Museum of Art and History

 

(Above:  Me with Cascades, my fiber art installation! Click on any image to enlarge.)

I can't believe that its been more than a week since the opening reception for the concurrent solo shows at the Pickens County Museum of Art and History.  Susan Perry and I decided on the title Cascades ... because we knew that my Lace Forest would look fantastic when displayed in its alternative presentation ... namely ... as Cascades!  It took Steve and me a half day to install this work.

(Above:  Before installing Cascades.)

Part of the reason it took so long was simply the effort to wheel all the tubs and boxes into the museum and ride the elevator to the second floor gallery.  Then, we set up the pipe system and secured the tops of each pipe directly to the wall in order to avoid any possibility of it tipping over!  One by one, the strands of lace were zip-tied around the top aluminum brace spanning the lengths between the poles.  There are fifty-four strands in all!

Finally, Cascades was flowing down that long wall!  Please notice, none of the other walls had artwork!  Those were addressed the next day!

The outer/exterior walls were hung with my Tidal Wave series ... including the largest made of all the plastic that would have otherwise been thrown into a landfill ... and the one covered with all-white puzzle pieces.

One corner held the tidal wave made of upholstery cord and trim as well as two of the miniature tidal waves.

This is a view from the opposite end of the long space.  Unfortunately, I forgot to snap pictures of the wall on which my five "button tidal waves" were hung.  Trust me!  That look great!

The small tidal wave that I call "Starburst" went between the two featuring the springs salvaged from inside an antique Victrola. 

The interior walls were also hang with artwork.  My Patchwork Installation meandered like any of the Upstate South Carolina rivers ... down one wall ... around to the next wall ... and around another corner too!  I shot a video of it.  CLICK HERE to see it on YouTube!

The reception was well attended and lots of fun.  It happened the evening after the annual juried show at the Blue Ridge Arts Center in Seneca, SC opened.  I was glad that I could attend both, especially since I won a first place ribbon in the Mixed Media category!  Now, please scroll down for two more images of Cascade!

My Open Air Montana art residency presentation!

 CLICK HERE to access the video!  

Found Object Tidal Wave XVIII

 

(Above:  Found Object Tidal Wave XVIII.  Custom framed: 28 1/2" x 30 1/2".  Found objects hand-stitched to a section of an antique quilt. Click on any image to enlarge.)

Originally, this piece was supposed to hang in my solo show at the Pickens County Museum of Art and History.  Steve and I hung the show last week while I was still stitching it.  We were supposed to leave a space for it; we forgot!

 

(Above:  Detail of Found Object Tidal Wave XVIII.)

We did leave a space but it was too small.  Thus, I had to finish another, smaller tidal wave that I started but thought would take "forever" to complete.  It did take hours and hours but I managed.  I blogged about it HERE.  Then, I finished this one.  Maybe it will go in a future show?  Who knows! LOL!  

 

(Above:  Detail of Found Object Tidal Wave XVIII.)

This piece was constructed on an antique quilt that sort of resembled a crazy quilt due to the herringbone stitches embellishing all the pieces.  It was also a signature quilt.  Names were embroidered in several of the blocks, often in very high contrast to the dark fabrics.  I picked out several names but I'm now wondering if I'd do that in the future with other sections of this quilt.  I really enjoyed adding decorative embroidery beside and around the existing stitches.  I think I could integrate the old stitching with my new stitches.  Perhaps that will be my next tidal wave!  

 

(Above:  Found Object Tidal Wave XVIII as seen at an angle.)

Waccamaw Recognition, artwork for Bullets and Bandaids

 

(Above:  Waccamaw Recognition.  30" x 38". Individual letters clipped from new and vintage ephemera gelled to the surface of a machine embroidered art quilt coated with UV filtering epoxy.  The text was taken from the May 5, 2005 concurrent House of Representatives and Senate resolution.  Click on any image to enlarge.)

For the past few years I've worked with Bullets and Bandaids, a non-profit that connects veterans and civilians through a unique process the that involves a veteran's recorded interview being shared with a writer.  Then, the resulting essay is shared with a visual artist. More than three hundred people from fifteen different countries have participated. Four books have been published to share the essays and artwork.  I've written several essays and made three artworks.  Now, Volume 5 is underway and I was asked to create an artwork from the essay written by my friend Dr. Ed Madden about Chief Buster Hatcher.

(Above:  Detail of Waccamaw Recognition.)

I thought long and hard as to how best to approach an artwork.  All sorts of ideas presented themselves in my mind.  Many included Native imagery and symbolism but the nagging voice from the back of my brain said, "Don't do it! You could easily be accused of cultural appropriation!"  

(Above: Waccamaw Recognition as seen at an angle while hanging on my north facing brick wall.  The lighting was such that reflections from the UV filtering epoxy weren't bad but the coloring went toward a yellowish-tint that even Photoshop couldn't eliminate without interfering with the colors of the letters.) 

The content of the essay was also considered but the scenes described were brutal. The narrative was filled with discrimination and violence, but it also mentions how Chief Hatcher was instrumental in getting the State of South Carolina to officially recognize the Waccamaw tribe, the first tribe to be so honored.  I was impressed by the effort to turn bad experiences into a positive legacy for the future.  To that end, I sought out an official document, something filled with respect and honor.  I found the concurrent House of Representatives and Senate resolution from May 5, 2005.  There's a possibility that ... once upon a time ... I even framed it!  Mouse House did an awful lot of framing for resolutions from the late 1990s until we retired.

 

(Above:  Waccamaw Recognition inside my church/studio ... where straight-on reflection from the UV filtering epoxy was terrible but the colors were more accurate!)

 

Letter by letter, I wrote out the concurrent resolution (using painters tape to keep the lines straight and after mapping out placement!)  One of my "artist statements" says that I am convinced that I was a kidnapper in another life due to my obsession with letters snipped from various ephemera.  It is true!  I have three different collections of letters ... all neatly stored in tiny trays.  Thank goodness!  There were 1,698 letters in the text!

 

 Here's the text:

 

 A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

CONGRATULATING THE WACCAMAW INDIAN PEOPLE ON RECEIVING THE HIGH HONOR OF BEING RECOGNIZED AS A “TRIBE” BY THE SOUTH CAROLINA COMMISSION FOR MINORITY AFFAIRS.

Whereas, the ancestors of today’s Native American Indians inhabited the land of the present day South Carolina; and

Whereas, Native American Indians have traditionally exhibited respect for our finite natural resources through a deep reverence for the Earth; and

Whereas, many ancestors suffered and perished in the lands to which their descendents now maintain a powerful spiritual connection, as is evidenced by their customs and legends; and

Whereas, Indian people are resilient and determined to preserve, develop, and transmit to future generations their unique cultural identities; and

Whereas, Native American Indians have served with valor in all of the Nation’s wars from the Revolutionary War through Operation Iraqi Freedom; and

Whereas, Native American Indians have made distinct and important contributions to the United States, South Carolina, and the rest of the world in many fields, including agriculture, medicine, music, language, and art, and they have distinguished themselves as inventors, entrepreneurs, spiritual leaders, and scholars; and

Whereas, such statewide recognition of the contributions of Native American Indians to the United States and South Carolina will encourage self-esteem, pride, self-awareness and respect in Native American Indians; and

Whereas, such statewide recognition will allow all South Carolinians of all backgrounds to demonstrate their respect of and admiration for Native American Indians for the richness of their contribution to the political, cultural, and economic life of the State of South Carolina; and

Whereas, the National Museum of the American Indian was established within the Smithsonian Institution as a living memorial to the Native Peoples and their traditions. 

 Now, therefore, be it resolved by the House of Representatives and Senate