The rest of the Laundry Day Series

(Above:  Me holding up one of four, framed Laundry Day Series pieces.  Click on any image to enlarge.)

Last week I blogged about the first twenty-four finished pieces in a series called Laundry Day. (Click HERE for that post.) For the most part, I had been making one of these per day during the COVID-19 shut down.  Composing with scraps of fabric that already were backed with a heat-activated adhesive was quick and fun.  All the fabric was leftover from hand prints cut out for my non-going Clothesline Installation.  

(Above: Six pieces in the Laundry Day Series.  Matted 20" x 16".  Without the mat, 11 1/2" x 7 1/2".  From top to bottom and left to right: At My Fingertips, Casual Load, Crease Free, Daily Chores, Dewrinkle, and Drain and Spin.)

Last week I got the 20" x 16" Clear Bags into which I put each one.  At the time, I had several more pieces under construction, others waiting to be stitched, and still others that were stitched but not mounted.  My one-a-day plan was failing miserably and the studio looked as if a cyclone had hit it.  Over the weekend, I came to the conclusion that I simply needed to finish the intended fifty pieces and then CLEAN UP!

 (Above: Six pieces in the Laundry Day Series.  Matted 20" x 16".  Without the mat, 11 1/2" x 7 1/2".  From top to bottom and left to right: Extended Tumble, Extra Cycle, Fluff and Fold, Handmade, In the Wash, and It All Comes Out in the Wash.)

 By Monday, the pieces were all ready to be listed in my inventory book, photographed, and put into their Clear Bag protective coverings.  Four, however, were framed.  They look great.  In my mind, I see them hanging over the washing machine, but honestly they could go anywhere.  The more I worked, the more I focused on seeing the hand prints, the sign of being "touched".  I'm guessing that social distancing has a little to do with this ... also the reminders to "wash your hands". 

(Above: Six pieces in the Laundry Day Series.  Matted 20" x 16".  Without the mat, 11 1/2" x 7 1/2".  From top to bottom and left to right: Laundry List, Line Dried, Lint Catcher, Made by Hand, Needs Ironing, and One Load at a Time.)

I learned a lot from this series too.  I learned that I prefer solids and I definitely gravitate to tan, brown, and anything that seems to have a little orange in it.  It isn't surprising to me that I like solids but I was surprised by the color choice.  Ordinarily I like green! 

(Above: Eight pieces in the Laundry Day Series.  Matted 20" x 16".  Without the mat, 11 1/2" x 7 1/2".  From top to bottom and left to right:  Optium Dry, So Fresh So Clean, Speed Wash, Spic and Span, Thread Count, Timed Dry, Towels and Sheets, and Water Levels.)

Hudson Yards NYC, a mini art quilt

(Above: Hudson Yards NYC, mini art quilt. 12" x 16". Digital image printed on fabric with hand and free-motion machine stitching.  Click on any image to enlarge.)

Almost a year ago (June 2019), Steve and I went for a wild and wonderful weekend in NYC.  We went all sorts of places ... from ABT's ballet at the Met to Spandex world in the garment district, from the Fulton Docks to the 9/11 Memorial, from the Whitney Biennial to overlooking outside art studios near the High Line ... the entire length of which we walked. (Click HERE for a blog post with lots of photos.)

(Above:  Photo looking down into an outdoor art studio.)

Although I took more images of architecture than anything else, I couldn't help but to aim my camera's lens directly down into an obvious outsider art studio.  The large, damaged metal tray's metallic sheen just looked amazing on the paint-splattered concrete.  Texture, color, sunlight, angle, and a wild assortment of creative gestures boggled my mind.

(Above:  Outsider art studio near Hudson Yards in NYC.)

No artist was there at the time.  Perhaps the place wasn't/isn't technically legal. Perhaps it was abandoned. I don't know any of the detail about this place or the person/people who worked there but during the COVID-19 crisis I can't help but to think of artists everywhere, especially those who took up the challenge of "trying to make it in New York City", the epicenter of the art world now overtaken as the epicenter of a virus.

(Above:  Hudson Yards NYC, detail.)

For this mini art quilt, I decided to stitch contrasting and complimentary threads on the areas outlined by free-motion stitch.  Thin, metallic machine sewing thread was used for the tray.  I stitched on this piece every night for about a week.  There are thousands of seed stitches and colonial knots, almost an accounting of artists trying, even in the face of a pandemic, to be creative.  Artists often go against the main stream.  Artists are often those who continue to work in spite of the obstacles and the long odds of ever "making it".  Artists work ... no matter what!
 

(Above:  Hudson Yards NYC, detail.)

Here in South Carolina, artists like me continue to work.  There are few, if any, opportunities. Beyond social media and this blog, there is little chance to share the new creations.  Everything finished goes immediately into storage.  Still, I work.  My custom picture framing business is considered "non-essential".  The governor has announced that we can open.  The mayor doesn't agree.  We are not sure what to do, what is right, what will happen.  Clients are generally too afraid to come.  Yet, I continue to make art.  It's what I do ... like whoever was working in that outsider space on the edge of Hudson Yards in NYC.  I hope whoever it was, he/she/they are still doing it too!
 

(Above:  Hudson Yards NYC, detail.)

I found a heavily pleated section of a former petticoat to use on the reverse.  A strip of lace became the sleeve.

New Windows

(Above:  Window CLXXXII. Unframed: 13" x 11"; framed: 19" x 17". $265.  Layers of polyester stretch velvet on recycled black industrial felt with free-motion machine embroidery and melting techniques.  Click on any image to enlarge.)

Spring this year has been really different.  There have been very beautiful days of blooming azalea and dogwood, but these were also days during which people were dying alone, stricken with the COVID-19 virus.  As this pandemic continues, my attention has turned to nature and the delicate balance between life and death. I'd never really thought about "what is a virus?" until recently.

(Above:  Window CLXXXIII. Unframed: 13" x 11"; framed: 19" x 17". $265.  Layers of polyester stretch velvet on recycled black industrial felt with free-motion machine embroidery and melting techniques.)

I learned a bit from an on-line article from Scientific American (August 8, 2008 by Luis P. Villarreal)

For about 100 years, the scientific community has repeatedly changed its collective mind over what viruses are. First seen as poisons, then as life-forms, then biological chemicals, viruses today are thought of as being in a gray area between living and nonliving: they cannot replicate on their own but can do so in truly living cells and can also affect the behavior of their hosts profoundly.

(Above:  Window CLXXX. Unframed: 13" x 11"; framed: 19" x 17". $265.  Layers of polyester stretch velvet on recycled black industrial felt with free-motion machine embroidery and melting techniques.)

Viruses are part of nature. While Steve and I have been busy tackling the "jungle" of weeds in our backyard, I've thought quite a bit about the undesirable plants in nature.  They are sometimes like viruses, needing a strong attachment to a "host plant".  The wisteria has been climbing up the pecan tree and small magnolia, trying to overtake them.  The ivy has become totally embedded in the the mortar of the the brick wall.  Kudzu and Virginia creeper is everywhere ... and yes ... there is poison ivy too.  We've spent several glorious spring days fighting the weeds but also thinking about the rose bush that is yielding more flowers than ever before.

(Above:  Window CLXXXI. Unframed: 13" x 11"; framed: 19" x 17". $265.  Layers of polyester stretch velvet on recycled black industrial felt with free-motion machine embroidery and melting techniques.)

As a result, I designed two absolutely new Window Series pieces based on plant life.  Generally speaking, my designs come from architecture.  The leaf and the elongated tulip, however, are my response to springtime ... posted appropriately on May Day!  Happy Spring and may the world weed away the COVID-19 virus!

Laundry Day Series

(Above:  Two of the Laundry Day Series pieces, matted and in 20" x 16" Clear Bag protection!  Click on any image to enlarge.)

When I first started creating The Clothesline Installation during a month-long art residency with the Springfield Art Association in Illinois, I saved all the scraps of fabric cut away from the hand prints.  Each one had Wonder Under, a heat-activated adhesive, ironed to the reverse.  I knew I could "do something" with these scraps but I didn't have a clear idea.  I certainly didn't know that I'd have time during the COVID-19 crisis to use them.  

(Above: Six of the Laundry Day Series pieces.  Matted 20" x 16".  With the mat, 11 1/2" x 7 1/2". Top to bottom, left to right: Care Instruction, Delicate Cycle, Dry Clean Only, Fabric Softener, Heavy Load, and Laundry Day.  Matted at just $65 each.)

Many of the scraps still looked like hand prints (or at least the remains of fingers!)  In a pile, they truly showed the signs of being handled or touched.  They also looked like a small load waiting to be washed.  It occurred to me that I could use these scraps as a daily design challenge.

(Above:  Scraps of fabric cut away from the hand prints used for The Clothesline Installation.)

Without significantly altering the shapes, I started fusing them to canvas in pleasing arrangements.  A little free-motion stitching united the shapes and added detail.  I started doing one per day.  By the time I'd finished the first eight, I had an action plan!

 (Above:  The Laundry Day Series.  Matted 20" x 16". $65 each.  From top to bottom and left to right:  Lie Flat to Dry, Light Load, Low Heat, Mild Detergent, No Bleach Needed, and 100% Cotton.)

My plan was to make fifty works that would fit into a 20" x 16" mat, put them in appropriate Clear Bags for protection, and give each one a unique title referencing "Laundry Day".  So far, I've finished the first twenty-four.  More are waiting to be matted.  More are waiting to be stitched.  Soon, I'll post the rest.  In the meantime, this post documents the first twenty-four.

(Above:  The Laundry Day Series. Matted 20" x 16". $65 each.  From top to bottom, left to right: Permanent Press, Pre-Wash, Remnants, Rinse and Repeat, Rinse Cycle, Soaking.)

I ordered a box of off-white mat board (25 sheets ... enough for 50 finished works).  Mat board comes 32" x 40".  Each piece was cut into four 16" x 20" sections.  Two pieces were cut with the mat opening.  On the other two pieces, the artwork was mounted/hand stitched in place. These were slid into an artwork protection package ordered from Clear Bags.  There are a variety of sizes, plus ... some sizes come in a variety of thicknesses.  The Laundry Day Series fit neatly into the thinnest 20" x 16" bag.  Before sealing the flap, I slid a sheet of information, including a bio, a black-and-white photo of The Clothesline Installation and this statement:

The Laundry Day Series developed alongside Susan Lenz's Clothesline Installation, a project conceptually rooted in the beauty of "doing things by hand" while promoting conservation of household energy. Fabric hand prints were fused and stitched to a collection of vintage linens. The excess fabric that was trimmed away from the hand prints wasn't wasted. These scraps were used for the abstract compositions in the Laundry Day Series. Each work evokes the feeling of fingers, a human touch, and a recycling mindset. There is a total of fifty works, each one with a unique title.

(Above:  Laundry Day Series.  Matted 20" x 16". $65 each. From top to bottom, left to right: Soap and Water, Spin Cycle, Stain Blocker, Tumble Dry, Wash and Wear, and Wrinkle Free.)

This challenge has been a great way to jump start each day during the COVID-19 crisis.  It has provided a small amount of time for composition, stitching, and presentation.  Each one is only $65.  If the country ever comes out from "sheltering in place" and holding exhibits, I'll have affordable work to accompany The Clothesline when it has a chance to be seen in public.  Even if this never happens, I'm having a blast using the bits and pieces that might otherwise have been thrown away.

Oriental Mood I and II

(Above:  Oriental Mood I and II.  Altered oriental screen.  Each side is 26 1/2" x 17 1/2".  Vintage oriental embroideries and silk matting.  Click on any image to enlarge.)

Sometimes I buy things at auction for no better reason than "no one else wanted them".  Such was the case with two Oriental screens.  A better "before" picture would have shown that these two panels were in horrible shape.  The backgrounds were badly foxed (brown spots) and showed other time-weary signs of aging.  One had holes in it.  The thin, wooden frames were scratched.  One looked as if a rat gnawed on it.  No one bid on these two items; so I raised my hand for the six-dollar minimum and took them home.  They sat in a back room for months waiting for time and attention.

 (Above:  Oriental Mood II, In progress photos.)

If "sheltering in place" isn't the right time, I don't know when it would be!  So I tackled the first piece, the one with the worse damage.  It went well enough that I documented the process when transforming the second one.  From left to right, the photo above shows 1) the piece "as it was", 2) the removal of the flimsy frame, and 3) the embroidery with silk mat cut away from the screen onto which it had been attached.

 (Above:  Oriental Mood II, in progress.)

From top to bottom and left to right, the photo above shows 1) the wooden screen to which the embroidery had been attached, still showing some of the papers covering it, 2) the wooden screen sanded, 3) the trimmed mat and the beginning of the trimming for the embroidery, and 4) the embroidery elements trimmed away from the very, very brittle and foxed paper.

  (Above:  Oriental Mood II, in progress.)

From top to bottom and left to right, the photo above shows 1) a piece of vintage fabric selected as the new background, 2) Wonder Under with facing paper ironed to the surface of the fabric, 3) gold, silver, and light green metallic foil ironed onto the Wonder Under, and 4) the embroidery elements ironed onto the new surface.

 (Above:  Oriental Mood II, in progress.)

From left to right, the photo above shows that 1) I've covered the surface with another layer of Wonder Under and a piece of very sheer black chiffon and 2) free-motion stitching around the elements.

The piece was trimmed to a size slightly larger than the mat open and then later glued using Yes! paste to acid-free foam centered boards.  I'm not entirely sure the dark background was a good idea but at least the pieces have been given a new lease on life.  The silk threads of the embroidery were close to disintegration but are now secure under the layer of Wonder Under and chiffon.  Photographs really don't capture the beauty of the metallic foiling, but in person there is a regal element because of this rich addition.  It was a fun exercise and a good feeling to revive these once beautiful pieces!  Below are two detail shots.

 (Above:  Oriental Mood I, detail.)

(Above:  Oriental Mood II, detail.)

I'm Not Stitching Masks

(Above:  Big City Lights, a mini art quilt 10 1/2" x 22".  My manipulated digital image printed on fabric with both hand and free-motion machine stitching.  Click on any image to enlarge.)

I had a lot of fun deciding which areas to densely hand seed stitch and which areas to outline with free-motion stitch.  Yet, the most fun came when I approached the reverse side.

(Above:  Big City Lights, reverse.)

I knew I had a piece of strange, iridescent red fabric because I found it earlier in the month when constructing Stir Crazy in South Carolina. I don't know when or where I got this piece of fabric ... probably in some box lot from Bill Mishoe's auction.  I'm sure I saved it because I liked the fact that both sides of the fabric seemed like "the front".  For the reverse of this mini art quilt, I used the redder side for the background, and the more taupe side for the sleeve.  I especially like how this fabric catches light ... on either side.  It seems fitting for a piece called Big City Lights.

 (Above:  Big City Lights, vintage leather postcard used as a title and signature label.)

Best of all, I knew I had this vintage leather postcard embossed with a red dyed floral design to use as the label. My friend Laura Brady gave me four of these unique items. It was sad, however, that the back of the postcard was hidden.  There was only one thing to do ... use one of the other postcards for another mini art quilt!

(Above:  A Straight Line, 16" x 12".  Mini art quilt featuring my manipulated digital image of an architectural detail in New York City printed on fabric with straight-line machine stitching.)

This mini-art quilt is a collusion of ideas.  First, I wanted to create something with rainbow colors because the local Outfest for Gay Pride Month (June) was just canceled due to COVID-19.  Second,  I am constantly in awe of beautiful buildings.  When traveling, I seem to take more pictures of architecture than anything else ... even nature (which is a horrible but true thing to admit on Earth Day!)  I love the linear patterns, the way windows reflect light, and side-by-side diverse textures.  I love every style and era from Roman ruins to Romanesque arches to riveted metal on modern office buildings.  The idea of stitching a series of building really appeals to me but I've never done it.

 (Above:  A Straight Line, detail of the stitching and trapunto/stuffed circular area.)

One of the reasons for not starting a series of buildings it the fact that I find it difficult to stitch a straight line!  Free-motion embroidery is no problem.  Putting the "dog feet" or "feed dog" (or whatever those things are) up for "straight-line" stitching is problematic.  Even on this little 16" x 12" piece, I had to really, really focus to keep the machine ON THE STRAIGHT LINES!  The center was much easier; it is stuffed with felt from the reverse, a technique known as trapunto.

 (Above:  A Straight Line, reverse.)

The third idea was to create a reverse that is the polar opposite of the straight lines and bright colors of the modern front.  I found a piece of nearly deteriorated Japanese fabric in my stash.  All those curves, muted colors, and natural motifs sure are different!  In order to use it, I had to fuse the entire thing to a piece of black cotton.  The sleeve was made from another exotic piece of fabric.
 

 (Above:  The vintage leather postcard used as a label.)

Finally, I attached one of the other vintage leather postcards ... with the attached stamp and 1907 cancellation marks showing.  As this is a "post card", I thought it appropriate to write something on it, free motion style, of course.  This is my postcard to all those people who think I ought be stitching masks during COVID-19!

(Above:  Most of the CSA [Community Supported Agriculture] boxes delivered to Mouse House as the downtown Columbia drop-off location for Gruber Farms.)

I might not be stitching masks (for obvious reasons ... and because Steve and I actually have N-95 masks on hand ... generally for sanding but now for grocery shopping!) but we are trying to help during this "sheltering in place" health crisis.  We volunteered our back parking lot for the Gruber Farms CSA downtown drop-off location.  Our backyard is safe, secure, and can allow people to collect their box in a contact-less situation.  We order a box too and now have fresh strawberries, collards, onions, cabbage, and celery!

More items for The Clothesline Installation!

(Above:  More items for The Clothesline Installation.  Click on any image to enlarge.)

A wonderful friend dropped by a donation of vintage household linens last week.  She knew I was creating a new installation called The Clothesline and wanted to contribute these fabulous guest towels, table runners, and Irish linen place mats.

 (Above:  The peach colored fabric is moire ... from about twenty-five years ago!)

Immediately I fused Pellon's Wonder Under to the reverse of several pieces of "found fabric".  What do I mean by that?  Well ... to me, "found fabric" is the material I find in a box lot purchased at Bill Mishoe's auction or pick up at a yard sale.  It is the fabric that other people have donated to my stash.  It is the pieces of vintage fabric from thrift stores that I've stored in a giant plastic tub ... often "found" later.  Almost all the moire fabric I've used in this installation was purchased at auction over twenty-five years ago ... because at the time I used moire fabric for shadowboxing christening gowns and other items.  I like moire but had forgotten I had so much of it!  Thus ... I "found" it in my own stash!  The installation now has a golden colored, bright yellow, and peach colored moire.  If I get more linens, I'll likely use the blue I "found"!

I especially like the sheer table runners!  They make it obvious that the fused hand prints are on both sides of these pieces.  The small pieces only have one ... and I fuse the hand print to the back of these pieces.  Thus, each pieces is meant to be seen from both sides, perfect for a clothesline!

All the hand prints were cut out while riding in the cargo van to Lander University last Friday.  My solo show, Anonymous Ancestors, has been stuck inside a closed building on a closed campus.  The thought was that retrieving it would happen as soon as the summer session started up, but summer session was recently canceled.  The gallery director made the arrangements.  He unlocked the building when we arrived.  We were alone in the space and sent a text message when we left.  The entire experience was sort of like being in a past episode of a Twilight Zone, as if we were the last people left on earth. 

California Valley Quail, a mini art quilt

(Above:  California Valley Quilt, a mini art quilt. 12" x 12".  Digital image printed on fabric with hand and machine embroidery.  Click on any image to enlarge.)

Earlier this month I posted another 12" x 12" mini art quilt.  I thought it featured a dead gold finch but it was really a Yellow-breasted chat. After stitching this small piece, I realized that I had images of yet another dead bird.  Like the dead chat, I sort of promised this bird that I would create "something" from the many images I shot of it ... but, like the dead chat, I hadn't really done it yet.  

(Above:  The California Valley Quail posed in one of my fiber vessels.)

This period of isolation and social distancing has reminded me of these occasions, of seeing beauty even in the face of death.  I decided to stitch a detail of the quail, not the full bird, but I'm posting one of the pictures of the bird positioned in one of my fiber vessels ... just in case I didn't get the species correct like that last time! LOL!

(Above:  Melting snow before it slid off the roof.)

This poor bird died when an avalanche of snow slid off one of the buildings at PLAYA, an art residency program in the Oregon Outback.  I had a fabulous month there in the autumn of 2015 and another two weeks during December 2016 ... which is when the quail died.  CLICK HERE for a blog post about these two weeks.


(Above: California Valley Quail, reverse.)

I don't have a photo of a few dead wax wings I once found printed on fabric ... yet ... but I might see about this idea soon.  During a pandemic one is reminded that life is so very, very precious.  Images of dead birds seem to make visible the natural beauty of life and the visceral feeling of mortality.

Painting Outside - Stitching Inside

 (Above:  Painting outside.  Click on any image to enlarge.)

Originally, Nike's Advice was an art performance piece.  I painted 130 feet of unprimed canvas with the public. There were no instructions, no pattern, no thought given to the results.  It was an action-packed two days of slinging paint and allowing people to add little flowers, inspirational words, stick-people drawings and whatever else came to mind.  Most of the fabric was ... well ... as one would expect when approaching "painting" in this manner.  It was downright hideous.  Even so, dozens of sections were quite nice.  These were saved and stitched.  Most of them were sealed with fabric stiffener, mounted on stretcher bars, and coated with UV filtering epoxy.  The last of the saved sections was recently finished.  I blogged about them HERE.

It was sort of sad to end this project ... until I realized that I could set up two workhorses on one of the glorious spring days during the COVID-19 crisis and paint again.  So I did!  For the most part, I just paint "backgrounds" using a rolling brayer, a sponge, and an old toothbrush.  Lids taken straight out of the trash were used to "stamp" circles too.  It was lots of fun.  Later, I ripped all the paintings into smaller sections.

 (Above:  A series of cards made from the scraps of painted canvas.)

My intention is to end up with a number of smaller pieces with the same dimensions.  As it happened, I ended up with two 11" squares, four 14" squares, and 13 that measure 16" x 12".  Before stitching them, however, I took the scraps and created a series of note cards.  It was fun and fast and an excellent way to spend part of an afternoon "sheltering in place."  I used card stock that I had on hand.  It came from a package that once contained five colors. Apparently, I don't really like orange or purple card stock because those were the only colors left.  Orange and purple, however, look pretty good as note cards!

I started free-motion stitching the two 11" squares.
  

The 100% black cotton thread really defines the non-objective background. Stitching these pieces is like watching something come to life.

I took the dullest of the four 14" squares and stitched it next.  By the time it was finished, I wished I had snapped a "before photo".

So ... I did that with the second section.  I'm having a blast with these new works!