This is a busy week with all sorts of things on my "to do" list. I'm trying hard to also wrap up a couple of art projects before Friday ... including the small, hand-stitched In Box piece pictured above. So ... what happens on Friday? Well ... I head to Springfield, Illinois to join a caravan headed to Burning Man 2026. I was invited to join the Octopolis art installation crew. My Lace Forest will be the "kelp" under a 20' tall octopus with 30' - 35' arms. The metal armature was made in California and is currently on its way to the desert! (It will later be sunk off the Alabama coast for a coral reef restoration project!) The fabric "octopus skin" is still under construction in Illinois but will be finished by Friday. By the 24th or 25th (depending on travel and check-in times), I'll be working with the "build" team to transform all the parts into one of the big art installations. I am quite excited about the event itself, a week of art, music, and survival on the playa! I'll be staying for a day to a day-and-a half of "strike", the time when the landscape is returned to its uninhabited condition. Since joining the crew (which numbers forty people!), I've been preparing!
I am now the proud owner of a solar powered generator, a beach cruiser bike decorated in painted polka dots, a giant tarp that will become my personal "shade structure", a hand-held A/C fan, proper goggles and dust masks, plenty of sunscreen and body lotion, and all sorts of other needed supplies. The Lace Forest has already been tightly packed into six, 40-gallon tubs. Steve and I plan on loading the van on Wednesday. That will leave Thursday to hopefully "remember" whatever we've "forgotten"! LOL!
Last Thursday, Steve and I headed to the sale at Foust Textiles in North Carolina. This wholesale company sells only to "the trade" ... meaning organizations, businesses, and properly licensed artist/stitchers/etc. We bought all sorts of things, from chenille needles to Wonder Under (a heat activated adhesive) to tulle/netting. While other shoppers grabbed giant bundles of batting and bolts of quilting fabric, we browsed through the selection of remnants. I found a shiny piece of shocking lime fabric featuring leaf-like embellishments and a neon yellow stretchy knit. At home, I made this silly cape for my Burning Man costume. I wasn't going to bring anything special to wear (and I am not stupid enough for "clothing optional" when the sun is so brutal!) but at $3.00 per pound, this cape had to be made! I'm sure to blend in to all the other fanciful garments!
Only days before going to Foust Textiles, Steve and I traveled to Wildflowers Too Art Gallery on the New Jersey shore. We delivered all my Found Object Tidal Waves for a solo show there. I got this picture of part of the display.
Just because most of my Tidal Waves are in New Jersey doesn't mean I'm finished with this series! It might never end! The world is simply full of trinkets and plastics that make interesting compositions. The ocean is simply too full of plastics to mean I won't want to bring attention to this type of pollution. Thus, I'll likely be stitching Tidal Waves for the rest of my life. Plus ... I adore them!
The antique crazy quilt used as a substrata was also a signature quilt. Some of the names were stitched in now fraying silk. Bits and pieces of others can still be seen. Unlike most crazy quilts, this one didn't have much embroidery. No worries! I added plenty of decorative stitching!
With any luck, I'll also be finishing up a commissioned mandala before leaving for Burning Man. I might even get it mounted and framed but I'm confident that I will not have time to blog about it. Why? Well Steve has several things on his "to do" list ... which for some reason means I need to be involved! LOL!
Yesterday he had me repairing torn insulation in the crawl space! Who knows what else will require my attention before Friday! Odds are, this is the last blog post until after I return!
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