Panel Discussion, three poems, and two new Lancet Windows

 (Above:  Lancet Window L ... as in FIFTY ... Roman numerals!  Inventory # 3358. Framed: 31 1/4" x 11 1/4". $375 plus tax and shipping. Click on image to enlarge.)

Daily I split my time between custom picture framing (the "day" job aka the "paying" job), making art, and doing the many things that go into growing a career as an artist. What does that really mean? Well, the first part is fairly obvious.  I work at Mouse House, a business I own with my husband Steve. We frame pictures for our clients. Our hours are weekdays from 9:30 - 5:00 and some Saturdays from 10 - 2. It's a full time operation.  Yet, I'm the boss! I do have a great deal of flexibility in terms of my day time hours. Frequently, I'm mounting and framing my own work. This is also when I blog, enter work into my inventory book, apply for juried shows and other opportunities, and ship artwork to various locations.  

 (Above:  Lancet Window XLIX. Inventory # 3357. Framed: 31 1/4" x 11 1/4". $375 plus tax and shipping. Click on image to enlarge.)

The past two weeks have been packed full with installations and exhibitions ... but I've also been MAKING ART!  Behind the scenes I've been working hard to create a good collection of pieces for the upcoming ACC (American Craft Council) Baltimore wholesale (Feb. 18 and 19) and retail shows (February 20 - 22).  I can't ease up because March will find me at the ACC Atlanta show.  I need all the art I can make!  Thus, two more Lancet Window Series pieces are part of this final push.  Over the coming weekend I hope to make two or three more small "In Box Series" works.  MAKING ART is what I live to do.  The day job and the "other job" is what I have to do in order to sustain the "making".

 
(Above, from left to right: Cindi Boiter, editor of Jasper Magazine; Michael Krajewski, and me at last evening's artists' panel discussion for Art from the Ashes show at the Tapp's Art Center.)

So ... the "other job".  Like custom picture framing and "making art", its another full-time commitment.  In a sense, I'm constantly working THREE full time jobs! Yet, these are all labors of love.

The job of growing an art career is a commitment to being organized, keeping good records, following-up on the details of documenting, marketing, selling, and shipping artwork. It involves Internet searches for opportunities and follow-through on projects. It means a lot of writing: artist's statements, exhibition proposals, interviews, press releases and articles.  It means a lot of record keeping too.  But, sometimes it also means the honor and great fun of an artists' panel discussion!  That's what I did last night.

Cindi Boiter and her Jasper Magazine made it possible for me to create THREE installations and hang two art quilts in an invitational exhibition called Art from the Ashes, one of the events in the city-wide sesquicentennial commemoration of Sherman's Civil War burning of Columbia.  Last night the public gathered to listed to six of the visual artists (including me) talk about their inspirations, creative process, and the deeper meanings behind the works in the show.  It was great!

 (Above:  Poet Al Black and me in front of our collaborative installation, Nails in a Coffin.)

One of my installations was a collaboration with local poet Al Black. Al and I were the only two non-Southerns involved in the Art from the Ashes project. He's from Indiana, played football for Purdue University, and is a Big 10 fan. (He teased me all fall but cheered for my Ohio State Buckeyes in their successful bid for the National Championship.) More importantly, Al Black is the kind of poet with whom any visual artist would be proud to collaborate, especially on a project inspired by the Civil War.  Like Walt Whitman, Al served with country as a conscientious objector ... working in battlefield hospitals ... tending war torn wounds ... and writing profoundly deep words thereafter.  Al graciously gave me permission to reprint all three of his poems in this blog post.  Read them for yourself. I'm sure you will be touched.

 (Above:  Nails in a Coffin, a collaborative installation with Al Black.)

Handful of Nails, Part I 
The Undertaker

  

Before
this war of hubris
I was
a cabinet maker 

crafter of tables & chairs
couches for the parlor
pie closets, shelves
dressers and beds
to lie on 

Now 

I hammer together
rough boards and nails
housing
for the dead 

if the resurrection
comes to pass
a handful of nails
is all
they'll find
 

 (Above:  Handful of Nails, Part Two and view of wrapped, rusted nails.)

Handful of Nails, Part II
The Native Son

I was your native son
your barefoot soldier
your collateral damage 

tenant farmer's son
forced to fight
or find other fields to plow 

you planted me
along the hedgerow
no place for momma to pray 

only a handful of nails
remain to testify
that once I was a man
 

(Above:  Nails in a Coffin, detail.)

 

Handful of Nails, Part III

Soldier Blue

Soldier blue

Yankee Doodle Dandy

marched south then east

and north to heart of sedition

I saw America

not in Leaves of Grass

but in the blisters

on the soles of my feet

in Pee Dee gator swamps

typhoid found me

name and address

pinned upon my chest

my family will send

the undertaker

to build me a pine bed

with a handful of nails

and carry me north

so I don't have to

sleep alone in

blood red clay

On Gold and other things

(Above: On Gold VI. Inventory # 3346. Framed: 9" x 11". $150 plus tax and shipping.  Click on any image in this post to enlarge.)

Every once in a while I see a new custom picture framing product that I can't resist. It happened several months ago ... when Crescent Mat Boards introduced their Couture Line. Most of the small samples didn't appeal to me at all, but 1314 Gold Leaf took my breathe away. It is undoubtedly the most attractive in the collection. It is the most beautiful mat board I've ever seen. It is featured prominently on all the company's marketing material for these new mat boards. Hand gold-leafed, 100% cotton rag, 8-ply, black core ... what was not to like?   THE PRICE, of course. At just over $200 a sheet WHOLESALE, I couldn't justify buying it without a really, really good reason.

(Above: On Gold IV. Inventory # 3344. Framed: 11" x 9". $150 plus tax and shipping.)

I found a great reason! Because this is gold leafed, it doesn't really require glass or plexiglas. The surface is sealed.  It didn't take me long to figure out how to mount small pieces using gel medium ... allowing both the beautiful mat board and my artwork to be presented without glass ... open to the touch!  I cut my 32" x 40" sheet into sixteen 8" x 10" pieces.  These are the finished works.  I'm calling the series On Gold for obvious reasons. Later this month they are going with me to the ACC (American Craft Council) Baltimore Show. I hope people like them!

(Above: On Gold II. Inventory # 3342. Framed: 9" x 11". $150 plus tax and shipping.)

It's very difficult to get a good photo of these works.  The reflection off the gold leafing is dazzling.

So ... I had my husband Steve pose with a few ... just to give a better sense of size.

(Above: On Gold VIII. Inventory # 3348. Framed: 11" x 9". $150 plus tax and shipping.)

The "top mounted" presentation, however, isn't difficult to see in this detail shot.

(Above: On Gold VII. Inventory # 3347. Framed: 9" x 11". $150 plus tax and shipping.)

To adhere the fiber art work to the gold leafed mat, I applied heavy gel medium to the reverse of the work, positioned it onto the mat board (already secured in the frame), put a piece of silicone paper over the top and then a piece of foam-centered board, and finally added weights. I have enough weights to do four at a time.  After several hours, I removed the weights, foamcore, and silicone paper.  (The silicone paper prevented any of the gel medium ... oozing up from the holes .. from sticky to the foamcore.  Most of the gel medium was dry. The piece was stuck to the gold-leafed mat board.  Yet, some of the gel medium was still wet in my interior holes.  I used a Q-tip to remove all the excess medium.  Within another hour, all the gel was dry.

(Above: On Gold X. Inventory # 3350. Framed: 11" x 9". $150 plus tax and shipping.)

I'm really pleased with the way these little gems turned out. The rest are further below. Scroll on down!

Before getting to these other works, I want to share last Sunday morning! I sat with my installation Cotton (and my other work too!) that is currently hanging in Art from the Ashes, an invitational show commemorating the sesquicentennial of Sherman's Civil War burning of Columbia, my city.  The Tapp's Art Center's executive director was worried that children might damage the strands of cotton.  Why? How? Well, the Columbia Presbyterian Church rents the facilities every Sunday morning for two services. So, I volunteered to be there from 6 AM until 1 PM. I brought my hand stitching and was quite productive. The congregation was most delightful. Most read Al Black's poetry our collaborative installation, Nails in a Coffin. The pastor took the photo above and sent it to me during the coffee break. 

I took the photo above. The installation was admired and nothing was damaged. I'll be there again this coming Sunday.  The exhibit's opening was last Sunday evening. Tomorrow, Thursday, February 5th, is the artists' panel discussion from 7 - 9. The show looks great.

(Above:  Death of Desire. Grave Rubbing Art Quilt Series. 27 1/2" x 40 1/2". Crayon on silk grave rubbing with vintage and used buttons. Hand and free-motion machine embroidery. Click on image to enlarge.)

In other news, Death of Desire, is headed to an invitational exhibition called Southern Highlights at the Ruth Funk Center for Textile Arts in Melbourne, FL from May 15 - Aug. 22nd.

Spool Quilt has returned in its crate from the show in Arizona ... requiring two FedEx ground deliverymen to get it back into the house!

Skirt! Is a Rebel is currently part of the SAQA's (Studio Art Quilt Associates) on-line exhibition Photo to Fabric. (Guest curated by Priscilla Stultz.)

Plus ... I receive a nice sized box of old thread from Phillippa Lack, a very talented silk and fiber artist working in Cheyenne, Wyoming.  Thank you, Phillippa!  I'm unraveling it all ... adding it to the rest of my collection of thread ... all of which is part of an exhibition called Threads: Gathering My Thoughts. I'm also sending proposals for this work to be seen elsewhere ... anywhere ... and suggestion of fiber receptive locations are always welcome!

And ... serendipitously ... Kayle Rice, a Facebook friend, in Kalamazoo, Michigan must have known that I was planning another round with my clipped letters.  From time to time, I have to add to my stash.  I was planning on doing just that during the upcoming Sunday services at the Tapp's Art Church while sitting with my installation!  Kayle sent me all these wonderful, colorful letters to sort into their little alphabetized trays!  I'm thrilled.  Thank you, Kayle! 

I am linking this post to Nina-Marie's "Off the Wall Fridays", a site for sharing fiber art work.

Further below are the rest of the sixteen pieces in my new On Gold series!


(Above: On Gold I. Inventory # 3341. Framed:11" x 9". $150 plus tax and shipping.)

(Above: On Gold XI. Inventory # 3351. Framed: 11" x 9". $150 plus tax and shipping.)

(Above: On Gold XII. Inventory # 3352. Framed: 11" x 9". $150 plus tax and shipping.)

(Above: On Gold XVI. Inventory # 3356. Framed: 11" x 9". $150 plus tax and shipping.)

(Above: On Gold XV. Inventory # 3355. Framed: 11" x 9". $150 plus tax and shipping.)

 
(Above: On Gold III . Inventory # 3343. Framed: 11" x 9". $150 plus tax and shipping.)

(Above: On Gold XIV. Inventory # 3354. Framed: 11" x 9". $150 plus tax and shipping.)

(Above: On Gold XIII. Inventory # 3353. Framed: 11" x 9". $150 plus tax and shipping.)


(Above: On Gold V. Inventory # 3345. Framed: 11" x 9". $150 plus tax and shipping.)

Night of Terror, installation and a trip to McKissick Museum

(Above:  Night of Terror, installation, alcoves one through three. Click on any image in this blog post to enlarge.)

Had anyone asked me a year ago whether the sesquicentennial commemorating General William T. Sherman's Civil War burning of Columbia would prove fruitful and inspiring for art, I would have laughed. Yet, this invitational exhibition has been most exciting. This is likely due to the four summer lectures provided by Jasper Magazine and Muddy Ford Press, the sponsors of the show.  Artwork has simply been pouring out of me.  This opportunity also took a hair-brained idea for rusting and staining vintage garments with dye concoctions using plant life from my own backyard into the realm of reality.  Knowing the Tapp's Art Center well (from two previous solo shows), I knew I wanted to fill the front six alcoves with these garments in order to express the fears experienced by women, children, and other marginalized citizens on February 17th, 1865.
   

(Above:  Night of Terror, alcove one.)

I blogged about my experiments with rusting and natural dyes HERE and HERE.  I created a Flickr! album with photographs of thirteen of the garments.  Yet, until last night the actually installation was just an image in my head.

 (Above:  Night of Terror, alcove one, bottom ledge.)

On Sunday and Monday I installed Cotton and Nails in a Coffin, two other installation for the same show, Art from the Ashes.  Yesterday, I got to PLAY with the collection of garments, rusted nails, wire, and other items in the actual alcoves ... making my vision come to life ... my third installation.  It was SO MUCH FUN and very rewarding.

(Above:  Night of Terror, alcove two.)

Deciding which garments went well together, which should be nailed to the wall, which would be suspended, and what would sit on the bottom ledge was like having a conversation with my raw materials.

(Above:  Night of Terror, alcove two, bottom ledge.)

I started around 3:30 PM and finished by 7:00.  By that time, I was alone in the space with all the lights on and snapping photos.

(Above:  Night of Terror, alcove three.)

A detail shot of the sleeping gown suspended on the left is featured on the cover of Art from the Ashes, a book featuring short prose and poetry reflecting on the sesquicentennial.  The opening and book launch is this coming Sunday, February first from 5 - 7.  I can't wait!

(Above:  Night of Terror, alcove three, detail.)

I didn't snap a ton of detail shots. Why? Well, I didn't have my tripod and the interior was a bit dark due to the late hour, but I couldn't resist this shot.

(Above: Night of Terror, alcove three, detail.)

A month or so ago my cyber friend Dale Rollerson shared a bit of knitting that inspired me. I don't knit (even though I learned on two different occasions). I'm not good with counting or tension or any of the other skills that are highly valued for quality knitting ... but ... what Dale was doing was different!  She used two extremely different sized needles for a wonky result. She made a small sample and fused it into other fiber work. This technique seemed promising.  I used a large wooden dowel with a sharpened end and a Chinese chopstick, didn't count a thing, dropped stitches, went off in different directions and then stapled the thing to the wall.  It sort of reminds me of military mesh but also the ways so many textiles unravel, deteriorate, and fall to pieces when exposed to elements that distress them ... like the city on fire!  Thanks Dale, for this idea!  (By the way, Dale is the owner of my very favorite contemporary embroidery supply site, The Thread Studio in Perth, Australia.)

(Above:  Looking from in front of alcoves 1 - 3 toward alcoves 4 - 6 on the opposite side of the Main Street entrance into the Tapp's Art Center.)


(Above:  Night of Terror, alcoves 4 - 6.)

Alcoves 4 - 6 are on the opposite side of the Main Street entrance into the Tapp's Art Center.  I enjoyed creating these vignettes just as much as the first three.


(Above:  Night of Terror, alcove four.)

Alcove four includes a garment that isn't rusted or naturally stained.  This central sleeping gown was "flower pounded".  I call it Antebellum and consider it representational of the times before the Civil War.  I blogged about it HERE.


(Above:  Night of Terror, alcove four's bottom ledge.)

I used one of the tablecloths I rusted.  I have two other tablecloths with rust and natural staining but didn't use them.  Sometimes I don't need everything I gather together for an installation.  I think I might free motion stitch one of the tablecloths into its own art quilt ... if I can find the time! LOL!

(Above:  Night of Terror, alcove five.)

One of the last things I tried was using acorns and seed pods from wintering crepe myrtle.  It worked well ... even on the garment sent by another cyber friend, Martha Ginn.


(Above:  Night of Terror, alcove five's bottom ledge.)

The pods and acorns produced a strong enough black dye that even the polyester content in this garment was affected.  I loved using it on the bottom ledge ... almost like it was "dead" or run over by war.  Thank you, Martha!


(Above:  Night of Terror, alcove six.)

This is the last of the six alcoves.  It includes one of the children's garments that seemed to fall apart during the rusting and natural dyeing experiments.

(Above:  Night of Terror, alcove six's bottom ledge.)

I started trying to add stitches in an off-white thread ... obvious patch marks ... but never finished.  Yet, it looks great on the bottom ledge, another totally damaged work suggestive of ruin, fear, and the horrors of war.

(Above:  Exhibition signage at the McKissick Museum.)

I look back on yesterday and marvel. It was a very good day. Installing Night of Terror was great but it wasn't the only artistic thing I did.

(Above:  Me putting the quilting stitches on Stitching Together, my piece in the juried museum show Crafting Civil (War) Conversations.)

In the morning I went to the McKissick Museum to put the first quilting stitches on my work Stitching Together.  This sculptural art quilt includes brown crayon grave rubbings from unknown Confederate soldiers' markers in Elmwood Cemetery here in Columbia as well as black crayon grave rubbings of lambs, praying hands, doves, olive branches and other symbols of peace from the nearby, historic African-American Randolph Cemetery.  The rubbings are on a vintage tablecloth and free motion stitched to recycled, white acrylic felt that was once packaging material for a canoe being shipped to my local outdoors shop.  These two layers were next basted to another vintage tablecloth and put onto the mid-19th antique, wooden quilting frame.  Thus, the three layers are ready to be quilted.  I made the chairs as well from pieces of a newer quilting frame donated by Kathleen Loomis.



While I stitched, one of the McKissick's curators and staff person were hanging other work in the exhibition.  This show asked artists to submit work in response to a Martin Luther King quotation in which he looked forward to a day when sons of former slaves and sons of former slave owners could sit down to a table together.



For me, I see my piece as a place for daughters of former slaves and daughters of former slave owners might sit down and mend our country's racial differences.  Below is the signage that accompanies my piece.



I could have stitched all day ... but then I won't have gotten to play with my installation!  I am linking this post to Nina-Marie's "Off the Wall Fridays", a site for sharing fiber arts.