In Box CDXLII for an upcoming Quilt Show national tour!

(Above:  In Box CDXLII.  30" x 30".  Layers of polyester stretch velvet fused together on a substrata for recycled, black industrial felt with self-guided/free-motion machine stitching and unique melting techniques.  Click on any image to enlarge.)

Ordinarily, I don't make my In Box Series pieces quite this square or this wide ... but a couple months ago when asked for a piece for the 2024 Quilt Show tour to various, national venues but with a minimum 30" x 30" size ... well ... I said, "Yes! Of course!"

(Above:  Detail of In Box CDXLII.)

Ordinarily, I frame these works but that's not what The Quilt Show needs.  Thus, this work has four, small rings stitched to the back of four upper edge squares.  When this piece returns ... sometime next year! ... I'll go ahead and frame it.

(Above:  Detail of In Box CDXLII.)

It was fun to work in this large size.  Who knows?  I might develop a large square approach in the coming year!
 

Thanksgiving and a visit to our church ... our future home and studio!

 

(Above:  Selfie taken at the back of the sanctuary.  Click on any image to enlarge.)

To celebrate Thanksgiving, Steve and I went to our church to see progress on the renovations that will transform the space into our future home and my large, fiber art studio.  Every time we visit, we have moved things ... things that can withstand the dust from the on-going work.  Today, two of our bookcases were moved in.  On other occasions, sealed tubs of yarn and vintage fabric were brought.  Boxes of books are there ... but not all the books we have! LOL!  We've moved my Cabinet of Curiosities and the four, old doors on which tagged keys once hung (and will hang in the future!)

We are elated that the ugly old carpeting has been removed from the sanctuary floor and from rooms in the living area.  The flea-bitten sectional sofa is now in the construction dumpster.  Soon, the carpeting will be gone from the stage.

The exposed duct work is gone from our future bedroom.  There are new windows throughout.

 

Custom cabinets are ordered and installation is scheduled for the first week in January.  Soon, this will be our kitchen!

All the ceilings have been sheet-rocked.  Most of the walls are finished too.  The building has passed inspection for the wiring, plumbing, and duct work.  HVAC units are in place!  The photo above will be the living room on the second floor.  The openings overlook the sanctuary and are supposed to get windows that will open and shut.

There are five openings.  The larger ones on the short walls will have the two stained glass windows that we already own.  We had comes to terms with leaving them in Columbia ... until this plan was devised.  Of course we are both very happy about this!

This is the view from the living area ... down into the sanctuary ... which will become my STUDIO!  Yes ... we are indeed thankful and excited for the coming year!  Happy Thanksgiving!

Mandala CLXXII

(Above: Found Object Mandala CLXXII. Custom framed: 30 3/4" x 30 3/4". Found objects hand-stitched to a section of a vintage blue-and-red bow tie quilt. Objects include: A bell shaped cookie cutter on two different plastic lids; retail glove hangers; corn-on-the-cob holders; assorted bottle caps; vintage brass belt buckles; cocktail forks; casino chips; wooden clothespins; brass rings; brass escutcheons; clear, plastic sewing machine bobbins; glass prisms; chess pieces; expired medical devices in clear/blue plastic containers; long needle-like parts of prostate radioactive seed implant devices; and assorted buttons.  Click on any image to enlarge.)

This piece started shortly after a friend donated the cool retail glove hangers to my stash.  Immediately, I had them laid out on the vintage blue-and-red bow tie quilt.  Then, I hesitated.  Why?  Well, I'm really not fond of quilt patterns that run on a diagonal ... at least not for this series.  Finally, I realized that I could cut the quilt on an angle.  There's no good reason for always cutting with lines parallel to the edges!  Sure, this might result in more triangular scraps, but these irregular shaped pieces could always be used for future unit in my Patchwork Installation! 

(Above:  Detail of Mandala CLXXII.)

I had fun arranging things around the glove hangers.  It wasn't as easy as I thought it would be due to the "thumb" leaving more space on one side ... but it all worked out nicely.  I'm really pleased with the results!

(Above:  Detail of Mandala CLXXII.)
 

Patchwork 123, the result of a community crazy quilt activity

(Above:  Detail of Patchwork # 123.  Click on any image to enlarge.)

This piece started as a community crazy quilt activity for ARToberfest at the Bethany Arts Community in Ossining, NY where I enjoyed a two-week art residency.  Though the weather was cool, people came and stitched with me.  Mostly, people added the double layer of buttons.  It was fun.  With me, I had a vintage, pieced quilt top and an antique crazy quilt.  So ... I got to explain my contemporary approach to crazy quilting ... using scraps of old quilts randomly put together on a recycled, black felt substrata.  (CLICK HERE for a blog post about ARToberfest and some of my time at Bethany Arts.)

(Above:  Patchwork # 123.  60 1/2" x 20 1/2".  Scraps of vintage quilts hand stitched together with fabric yo-yos, layers of buttons, and a large piece of Battenburg lace on recycled, black industrial felt ... then upholstery tacked to a black frame over which acid-free mat board was previously glued.)

The piece was designed with two goals in mind.  First, it is part of my Patchwork Installation!  This series (minus this piece, of course) is on view in my solo show at the Imperial Centre in Rocky Mount, NC.  (CLICK HERE for a video!)  I hope to have future opportunities to mount this work.  If (or when!) I do, this new piece will be a focal point from which other work radiates.

(Above:  Patchwork # 123 hanging at Mouse House ... a photo to represent scale!)

This piece is significantly larger than any of the others.  It can hang either vertically or horizontally.  In my mind, I see more than just two smaller pieces coming in contact with it!

(Above:  Detail of Patchwork # 123.)

The other aim was to use the beautiful piece of Battenburg lace that was donated to my stash.  Art quilters including Nancy Roberts came to the artist talk at the College of Central Florida when three of my installations were part of a group show.  They gave me this Battenburg lace, a bunch of tape meant for more Battenburg lace, and more of what was supposed to be part of this lace but still basted to its original patter..  All the fabric tape went into my Cascade Installation which was started at Bethany Arts.  The lace still basted to its pattern was shared during ARToberfest.  I'm very pleased that this never-finished lace has finally a place of honor!

 

WIS Television segment on my upcoming retirement and future as a FULL TIME ARTIST

https://www.wistv.com/2023/10/27/soda-city-living-mouse-house/?fbclid=IwAR3vtVfAvlAxQauz7CAvB0vBHcSaRDy--LMGAohFSd9P_-UDtaJN5SyC4uE

Found Object Tornado

(Above:  Found Object Tornado. Custom framed: 40" x 40". Found objects and custom cording hand-stitched to a section of a vintage quilt. Click on any image to enlarge.)

I started this piece weeks and weeks ago.  It seems like this one took FOREVER to stitch and I did spend much more time on it than most of my other found object art quilts.  Yet, the truth of the matter is that I started it before leaving for three weeks.  Thus, it only seems like forever! LOL!  I am quite pleased with the results.  It was well worth the effort.

(Above:  Detail of The Found Object Tornado.)

The inspiration for this piece came from several sources ... not the least of which was a donation of Barbie shoes and boots from the Pixeladies:  Deb Cashatt and Kris Sazaki.  These dynamic artists have been collaborating since 2003.  This year, however, Kris retired from fiber art to focus on her writing.  Deb is continuing to make art quilts and has her own website.  Apparently, these Barbie shoes and boots were found while shutting down their joint studio.  They thought of my artwork and sent them to me!  Thanks!  Somehow or the other, these little items reminded me of the Wizard of Oz and Dorothy's ruby slippers. The idea for a tornado started to form.

(Above:  The vintage quilt donated by Ginny Merett before it was cut.)

Another source for inspiration came from the gorgeous, vintage quilt donated to my stash by Ginny Merett.  It was very, very well loved.  (Please read "threadbare"!)  Star-centered quilts are actually difficult to use for a Found Object Mandala.  I'm used to cutting at least four sections, each centered around a block.  But a quilt like this is centered on a single focal point in the very middle.  Yet, the undulating purple, pink, and blue ring was quite inviting.  I could already imagine using part of this ring as the background of a tornado against a white middle ground ... with an upper left corner in the sky.  So ... I went ahead and cut the quilt and stapled it to a stretcher bar.

(Above:  The section of the quilt stapled to a stretcher bar.)

Pieces of blue and purple bridal netting were hand cut in shapes to help define where the tornado would appear ... in the area where the pink, purple, and blue of the quilt seemed to be rising up and along the entire top.  These pieces of netting were layered onto the quilt before I put a large piece of white netting over the entire space.  This white netting is really important.  It covers all the surface, protecting the threadbare areas.

(Above:  Detail of The Found Object Tornado.)

Next came the cording.  It was made last year during an art residency at Catoctin National Park in Maryland.  This cording just never got stitched into a fiber vessel.  It was pinned on top of the white netting in lines representing the ground and the tornado.  After I stitched it down, I started with the shoes and boots ... and then amassing lots of other objects on the "ground" and in the sky.

(Above:  Detail of The Found Object Tornado.)

Thank you to everyone who has donated to my stash ... because lots of the items that went into this whirlwind came from too many people to list!  It was great fun to stitch all the game pieces, dice, Scrabble tiles, keys, pull tabs, clothespins, dominoes, and everything else to this piece.  As I stitched, I thought about the abundance of my life and what it might look like if hit by a tornado.  Over the years, I've seen too many news reports from disaster areas.  I've seen too many people picking through the remains of the homes, people who have to start all over again.  Thankfully, many can start over.  Thankfully, there are services in this country to help.  Thankfully, I don't live in a war zone ... like some of the stories being covered in the news about people who aren't able to recover like I would if I were hit by a tornado.  I also thought about climate change ... because at the rate civilization is going, there's bound to be more and more occasions when a tsunami, a hurricane, a landslide, a forest fire, or a tornado causes another disaster.  For me, this piece really is about the abundance of my own life and how fragile the world is due to climate change.

(Above:  Detail of The Found Object Tornado.)

While I was stitching all the found objects in place and thinking about climate change, I also turned my attention to the area that didn't include the tornado.  I knew I had to "do something" there.  Climate change weighed on my mind.  I thought about tornadoes and storms until the idea of rain hit me!  This is why this piece took the length of time it did.  Perle cotton running stitches in four different shades took a long, long time but the results are perfect!

 

(Above:  Detail of The Found Object Tornado.)

Finally, I was satisfied with the piece.  Today, I mounted, framed, and photographed it!  Yes ... this one was definitely worth the effort!

 

After a really busy week back at home!

(Above:  Selfie with the newest hand-stitched In Box piece.  Click on either image to enlarge.)

Generally, I dislike photos of myself, especially selfies, but it seems to be one of the best ways to actually present the scale of an artwork and the framed presentation.  So ... here's another picture of me with another hand-stitched In Box piece.  With all the traveling and the trips to the church we are having renovated for our retirement home, I will likely have more of these colorful creations.  

(Above:  In Box CDXLI.  Framed 19 3/4" x 15 3/4". $375.  Layers of polyester stretch velvet fused to recycled, black industrial felt with hand embroidery. 100% cotton embroidery floss. Melting technique.)

This piece was stitched while I was riding in the cargo van on the way to my art residency at Bethany Arts Community in Ossining, NY.  It didn't get framed, however, until this past week.  Lots of things got framed this past week!  It is amazing just how many client orders were dropped off with Steve in my absence.  It's almost like a month of work piled up in just two weeks.  Most of the last few days have been spent designing presentations, cutting mats, and just "catching up".  All the while, I've been thinking/planning/hoping and looking forward to the coming year when we will finally be RETIRED and I will finally be a FULL TIME ARTIST.  

I have been stitching this past week (mostly in the evening after dinner), just not finishing anything.  Soon, however, the Found Object Tornado will be complete!  It was started over a month ago but had to stay here in Columbia while I was in New York and conducting a fiber art workshop in Kentucky.  More might have been accomplished ... except that I am now spending time packing and moving lots of things!  I hope to snap a few photos and write a blog post after our next trip to Cateechee, our future church home!

Back home!

(Above:  Me holding the finished demonstration pieces created while conducting a very successful, private workshop in Shelbyville, Kentucky.  Click on any image to enlarge.)

I was a little sad to leave my two-week art residency at Bethany Arts Community in Ossining, New York.  The time I had there was wonderful and so very, very productive. My new installation is now underway.  Thanks to my friend Nancy Cook's suggestion, the installation is now titled Cascades. Yet, I also left with a sense of excitement.  Why? Well, I wasn't on my way home.  I was on my way to a private workshop in Shelbyville, Kentucky.  The experience was GREAT!

(Above:  Relic CCLXIX.  Framed: 15 1/2" x 13 1/2".  Layers of polyester stretch velvet fused to upholstery fabric with beading and hand-stitched embroidery. $165 plus sales tax and shipping.)

Every time I conduct a HOT workshop (Heat Activated Techniques for Contemporary Stitch), I give demonstrations and finish the artwork.  This is what I made on the first day.  I bring all the materials and supplies for everyone in the workshop.  After my demonstrations, participants get plenty of time to create something using the same approach and materials.  This first day is meant to get everyone familiar with fusing polyester stretch velvet, applying strips of chiffon and/or netting over the cut shapes, and doing some free-motion stitching in addition to the beading and hand embroidery.

(Above:  Relic CCLXX. Framed:  12" x 10".  Layers of polyester stretch velvet fused to recycled industrial felt with free motion embroidery and melting techniques. $60 plus sales tax and shipping.)

After a full day of using these materials, everyone is ready for Day 2 ... during which polyester stretch velvet shapes are fused to recycled, black industrial felt before being free-motion stitched with 100% black cotton thread ... then melted with both a soldering iron and an industrial heat gun.  It is fun and everyone was absolutely successful.  Believe it or not, most participants finish at least four pieces during the two days.  Some finish even more!  I also bring all the mats and backing boards.  Below are just a few of the photos of participants and their artwork!

 

(Above:  The house my grandparents built in the early 1970s in Pocono Pines, PA.)

On the drive to Shelbyville, I made a slight detour off I-80 to Pocono Pines, PA.  Once upon a time (early 1970s), my grandparents built this house as their retirement place.  Unfortunately, grandpa had a fatal aneurysm at age sixty-one and grandma couldn't keep the place.  Still, I have so many childhood memories of deep winter snow and warm spring days of canoeing.

 

(Above:  A panorama view of the beach at Lake Naomi.)

My three cousins and three younger sisters used to play on this Lake Naomi beach.  We made sand castles with moats and dug an indentation which we called the Nile River.  Good times. Good memories.

 

Approaching the end of my art residency at Bethany Arts Community

 

(Above:  Detail of my new, lacy installation.  Click on any image to enlarge.)

The time here at the Bethany Arts Community is flying by.  Because this is only a two-week art residency experience, I haven't blogged as often because I seriously want to spend as much time stitching on my new installation and also absorbing the many events and places around me.  As a result, I have plenty to show for my efforts.  It seems that I intuitively brought the perfect amount of materials on which to work in the time I have.  I took the image for this blog post a day or so ago.  Since then, at least another suspended strand has been finished.  All total, I have upholstery cord for fifteen.  I have today will see the fourteenth done.  I have tomorrow for the last one.

 

(Above:  The start of the suspended installation.)

I'm not going to type out the inspiration for this new installation again.  I wrote about it last week.  CLICK HERE to access that blog post. In that post, I mentioned and provided an image of my 2011 piece, The Canopy. So, I'm still calling these things "bedposts" and I still need a better name!  Anyone reading with ideas?  If so, please share!  I can't keep calling them by this term or by the other source of inspiration!  I can't keep saying I'm created a lacy "kelp forest".  What's a better title?

 

(Above:  Detail image of how these "strands" are stitched.)

To stitch these things, I first cut up my stash of lace, doilies, crocheted bedspreads and tablecloths, and other fabric with embellishment. All these things came from auctions, thrift stores, and through the generosity of others donating to my collection.  Then, using a chenille needle and perle cotton thread, I'm stitching the pieces to the one-inch upholstery cording,  I start at the bottom and work my way up to the loops I've previously stitched as an end.

(Above:  Natalya Khorover in her Port Chester studio.)

I could easily spend two weeks holed up in my studio stitching this installation but I haven't done that!  I've had a few wonderful experiences ... including a visit with Natalya Khorover in her Port Chester studio.  We had lunch at a cool Peruvian restaurant and talked about art, life, recycling, installations, family, materials, and epoxy! 

 

(Above:  Selfie with SAQA regional-rep Linda Stern (left) and Ossining resident/SAQA member Tamar Drucker.)

Last Tuesday I gave my HOT workshop Zoom presentation to the NY/NJ regional SAQA (Studio Art Quilt Associates) meeting.  Within no time, I had a lunch date with Linda Stern and Tamar Drucker.  They visited my provided residency studio and took me into Ossining for a fabulous lunch at a great Turkish restaurant. 

 

(Above:  The crossing bridges and Ossining aqueduct.)

Both these talented art quilters live in the area.  They took me to see the Ossining aqueduct with its double bridge ....

... and the Croton Gorge dam.  Although it has been rather rainy here in the Hudson River Valley.  The sun shone that day and made it a very memorable outing!  THANKS Linda and Tamar!

 

(Above:  Bernard Brown's residency trio.)

There have been activities here at Bethany too ... including a tremendous dance and original music performance by a trio under Bernard Brown.  The evening included the audience dancing too!

 

(Above:  Open Mic at Hudson Valley Books for Humanity in downtown Ossining, New York.)

Last night, Bethany Arts Community collaborated with the Hudson Valley Books for Humanity for Open Mic. Maya, a young atist-in-residence (a three-month program for artists under 35) read poetry and introduced those who read from their upcoming novels and poems or sang original works.  It was a magical evening.  Now ... scroll down for a few detail images of my new installation ... which needs a proper title!