Another Successful Commission and Time in Florida

(Above:  In Box CDXXXVI.  Custom framed: 22" x 57". Layers of polyester stretch velvet fused and free-motion machine stitched to recycled, black industrial felt with melting techniques. Click on any image to enlarge.)

I've been busy lately with a couple of commissions.  Today the last one was picked up by the out-of-state client who happened to be driving through Columbia after dropping off her eldest for a first year of college. Our conversations were wonderful.  It is always a great day when a commission is finalized with a happy person!  Most of my commissions include a detailed PDF showing the various steps in the process.  It is my way for sharing the process with the client.  Further below, I've shared some of these images.  But first ...

(Above:  Kimberley Riner, Tyrus Clutter, and me at the Artist Talk for The Gap Between Life and Art at the College of Central Florida.)

... I want to share a picture and several thoughts about the recent Artist Talk that was part of the inaugural installation biennial at the College of Central Florida.  The talk was last Wednesday and included artist Kimberly Riner, a ceramics faculty member at Georgia Southern University, and me.  Tyrus Clutter, associate professor at the College of Central Florida, was the most excellent moderator.  There was just the right amount of education, personal concepts, background information, and conversation regarding future artwork to make the hour seem like mere minutes. The talk was also very well attended by both students and the public, especially members of the the local quilt guild and SAQA members! (That's Studio Art Quilt Associates!) I am so proud to be a member of SAQA.  After all, I sent one message to the regional representative and heard a response within an hour ... and so many actually came!  All I can say is "THANK YOU"!

(Above:  Steve and I on one of the observation platforms at Paynes Prairie Preserve outside Gainsville, Florida.)

The Artist Talk was held the day before the exhibit ended.  Therefore, Steve and I stayed in the area and took down my three installations the next afternoon.  This meant we had plenty of time to explore Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park outside Gainsville, Florida.  Officially, this is a "prairie".  Historically, it was called the Alachua Savannah but it is also known at the University of Florida Gator's "swamp".  Past canals and changes to the area were detrimental to its hydrology, but in 1970 the state of Florida acquired the land, made it a state park, and have actively been restoring natural conditions.  One of the restoration efforts included introducing a herd of bison.  Bison actually lived in the eastern part of the United States until the late 18th century.  The herd is carefully monitored.  Most are sterile to avoid over populating and in breeding.  Steve and I hiked to two different observation platform but didn't see a bison.  Oh well!  It is still nice to know that they were somewhere!   

The installations were then taken down, loaded into the cargo van, and brought back home.  We had a wonderful experience with this opportunity and in the "real Florida".  Now ... below are some of the in progress images of the recent In Box commission.

(Above:  The piece of recycled black industrial felt and the stretcher bar that was used to create the artwork.)

The client's desired size fit nicely on the stretcher bar that I have used for years when constructing one of my Large Stained Glass fiber pieces.  A layer of WonderUnder/Pellon 805 was cut and ironed onto the felt.  It was the size needed:  14" x 49".  This size allowed two-and-a-half inches between the artwork and the framing.  The framing took up another total of three inches. Basically, when working on a commission with a desired finished FRAMING size, one must subtract from the finished size to figure out the size of the artwork that will fit into the frame!

Squares and rectangles of polyester stretch velvet were then cut and fused onto the initial layer of WonderUnder/Pellon 805.  All of my polyester stretch velvet is prepare ahead of time.  Every piece already has WonderUnder/Pellon 805 ironed to its reverse side.  This initial foundation layer just has two layers of the heat-activated adhesive.

I spend hours cutting increasingly smaller pieces of polyester stretch velvet and fusing them to the foundation layer.  As many as thirty different shades are used.

Believe it or not, I then iron more WonderUnder/Pellon 805 over the entire surface.  This allows me to fuse strips of fine bridal netting and sheer chiffon scarves over the piece.  I do this in order to complicate the colors but also to provide a smooth surface over which to machine stitch. 

Using only 100% black cotton thread in my Babylock Tiara, I free-motion machine stitch the artwork.  Each "box" gets its own, unique motif.  More importantly, I stitch little "bridges" back and forth between neighboring squares and rectangles.  These "bridges" transverse the space between the shapes ... the space where the black felt is still visible.

Once all the stitching is finished, the work is stapled to the stretcher bar and taken to the garage.  I wear a ventilator mask for the next two steps.  First, I use two different sizes of soldering irons to melt holes through the layers of polyester stretch velvet.  This creates a wonderful sense of depth and texture.

Then, I use an industrial heat gun to melt away the thinnest layer ... the space between the polyester stretch velvet shape ... the space that is only the felt.  The synthetic felt melts away in seconds.  Because the thread is cotton, it doesn't melt.  The thread holds the piece together!

Finally, the artwork is hand-stitched onto a piece of acid-free mat board ...

... and put into its frame!  For this presentation, there is a linen liner inside the outer frame.  The over-sized glass was installed between the two ... providing a narrow space between the glass and the mat board.  The artwork never comes in contact with the glass!  Perfect!