Dining With Friends Platter 2009, Key to the Cure

(Above: Key to a Cure, my 2009 contribution to the Dining With Friends Aids Benefit. Click on image to enlarge.)

For the past several years I've been honored to be one of the invited artists at Columbia's Dining With Friends Aids Charity Benefit. Selected artists are given a platter to creatively alter. Each one is sold by silent auction. Over the years many art lovers and supporters have amassed nice collections and the platters are considered quite collectible. In 2007, I was even the featured artist! The theme this year is: Paint the Town Red. So....the pressure was on! I don't paint much....and many of the other artists paint very, very well! Platters aren't easily stitched. I've already attached buttons and one of my "In Box" fiber works....so....this year I embellished!

(Above: Detail, click on image to enlarge.)

The centerpiece was created from two vintage doilies, wool rovings, silver chiffon, assorted off-white knitting yarns, and white felt. I beaded it by hand, attached the symbolic red lapel ribbon and ornate key, and created the tag: The KEY TO THE CURE. I sure wish someone would find the right key!

This is the first piece created on my new embellisher. My mother bought me the twelve needle machine; she got my older seven needle machine. I'm thrilled with both the machine and the platter. Oh...I painted the edge of the platter with Liquidtex's red "Glossies", a product specifically made for painting on glass and porcelain. It requires heat setting in the oven. Steve baked the plate for me! I attached the centerpiece with Golden's GAC 200, the hardest of the polymer emulsions. Although there's a warning about permanent adhesion with glass and porcelain, I've not had any problems....likely due to the fact that there's no wear and tear trying to detach the fabric from the platter!

Dining With Friend's is being held on Saturday, April 25th.

Spring time here in South Carolina is always busy with charity fund raisers. Just last week I participated in a one-night only art sale benefiting the local homeless shelter. Both of my pieces sold! (Both were miniature "In Boxes" created last October during my time at the MacNamara Foundation.) I'll be participating in Spring for Art, a fund raiser benefiting the McKissick Museum, on March 27th. The day before Dining With Friends, I'll be at the 5th Annual art gala benefiting Sandhills School, a private institution for children with learning differences. That's the same weekend as the annual spring gallery crawl, Artista Vista.....busy, busy, busy!