My 2023 art residency at the Sam D. Hamilton Noxubee Nation Refuge in Mississippi was a wonderful experience and I blogged about it in several posts from this past March. My donation to the refuge's permanent art collection was sent in late April. I called it Springtime in Noxubee. (I blogged about it HERE.)
After the artwork arrived back at the refuge, I was asked if I would create another piece as the representative of the refuge for the Department of Interior's permanent art collection! What an honor! Of course I said YES!
During a teleconference call with representatives from the Department of Interior, two ideal outer frame measurements were suggested. I picked 24" x 24" and went about making the artwork to fit inside. Though I didn't have to frame the work, I wanted to do this ... and as a professional framer since 1987, I could assure them that my products were all conservation quality. Steve even used museum glass on the donation. I did this because they agreed to let us deliver the artwork and to give us a tour of the collection! Now ... to start that correspondence! I can hardly wait to get to DC and be the proud artist representing this very special location!
I will include the same statement with this piece that I provided to Noxubee's permanent art collection:
The
work is part of my on-going In Box Series. Each piece is a
free-motion machine embroidered artwork composed of layers of
polyester stretch velvet on a piece of black, recycled, synthetic
packaging felt. The felt was once the protective covering for a kayak
or canoe being shipped from a manufacturer to my friend's outdoor
shop. The work was stitched using 100% black cotton thread. In the
final step, the work is exposed to intense heat from an industrial
heat gun. The space between the polyester stretch velvet shapes
melts away in just a few seconds. This technique (which I developed
myself) is very much like the prescribed burns done in the refuge.
It transforms the area into something new and beautiful. In the
"boxes" are stitched drawings of leaves found in the
refuge. I used the "Autumn Leaves Scavenger Hunt" handout
found in the Visitor Center. Although my visit was during the
spring, all these leaves helped make my many walks more enjoyable.
The colors I selected reflect the new leaves on the budding dogwood
trees, the blooming red buds, and the light, sky blue that appears
with every dawn over Bluff Lake. Thank you ever so much for the time
and space for creative exploration, quiet contemplation, and new
discoveries in nature.
3 comments:
Congratulations on having a piece of your beautiful work in such an honored collection! It's beautiful and representative of what you saw in Noxubee.
I'm sure they are as honored to have a piece made by you! Congratulations.
and more congratulations - you are certainly getting some attention for your art works..
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