Two more containers of wrapped, rusted nails

I went to my first estate auction over twenty years ago. It was a Saturday. I planned to find a blender at a yard sale because ours had just broken. Steve was in graduate school. We couldn't afford a brand new one. I stumbled upon the auction site, never got a blender, but the day changed the course of our lives. Over the years, we've attended hundreds, probably over a thousand auctions. It introduced us to antiquarian prints...which got me into framing...and the rest is "history". The first thing I bought was the Mumma's Fruit Farm basket. It was full of tools. I bid a dollar. It was old when I got it; it was in pieces a few days ago. I lined it with a wavy corrugated, stitched it back together, and added the metal strap. I'm so pleased to have it in Decisions, my installation...full of wrapped, rusted nails.


The installation needed one more container of wrapped rusted nails. I found it in my garage along with the fruit basket. It had been my father-in-laws. I'm pleased to have a sense of family added to the work. It is pictured with a cord I made...zigzagging over assorted yarns using two different variegated machine threads. I love making cord and used plenty of it to tag all the keys. I don't think I'll keep the cord in the installation though....still thinking about it.

Though I'm still dabbling with the installation, I've otherwise moved on to another little project which I'll post soon. Yesterday, I walked down the street outside the studio with my mentor, oil painter Stephen Chesley. Only a few years ago this had been the location of Cline Steel Company. We scavenged for rusted bits. Stephen also does some welding and was looking for unidentifiable chunks. I was looking for flat pieces and interesting shapes. I can almost see the rusted fabric that might come of this arrangement!