Mandala CCLII

(Above:  Mandala CCLII. Custom framed: 20 1/2" x 20 1/2".  Found objects hand-stitched to a section of an vintage quilt.  Objects include:  A glass floral frog; six Go Gater game discs; palm tree drink stirrers; blue plastic tops from a beer yoke; squirt guns; laminated grocery store stamps; insulin needle caps; antique electrical capacitors; wooden blocks (cut in half); white and purple Monopoly hotels; green, plastic game eagles; jingle bells; assorted buttons and beads. Click on either image to enlarge.)

This is the last of the five mandalas that I had ready ... last week ... for mounting, framing, and photography.  I'm already busy with another, larger mandala and have a small one in the design phase.  With new gallery representation, I need to keep up my productivity.  It isn't a difficult task!  I truly love transforming ordinary, strange, obsolete, and hilarious things into art.  Besides, it's football season!  Yes, I also enjoy college football, especially my beloved team: The Ohio State Buckeyes!  There's nothing better than stitching on a mandala and watching them play! Go Bucks!
 

Mandala CCLI

(Above:  Mandala CCLI.  Custom framed: 27" x 27".  Found objects hand-stitched to a section of an antique Dresden plate quilt. Objects include:  A red 45 record on which is stitched a straw trivet; gold belt buckles; drawer pull plates; vintage blocks (cut in half); drawer handles; telephone plugs; corn cob holders; electric meter tags; green game pieces; parts of a computer; toddler snack tops; miniature keys; Monopoly red hotels; small Chinese discs; Gogglie eyes; blue and red plastic lids; assorted buttons and beads.  Click on any image to enlarge.)

Several weeks ago I sent a packet of images, my resume, and a cover letter to Chaos Contemporary, a fine craft gallery in downtown Columbus, Ohio.  The owner/director had no idea I was sending something. This is called an "unsolicited" request for proper gallery representation.  Like most unsolicited mail, one can't expect a response.  Gallerists are often inundated with emails and letters.  They didn't ask for more work! They often don't have time to write even a "dear John/Jane" sort of rejection message.

(Above:  Detail of Mandala CCLI.)

I was surprised when I got a very nice email suggesting a telephone conversation.  This went very, very well.  Last week, I signed a contract.  This week, I'm delivering artwork to Ohio!  In fact, Steve and I are dropping off The Gown's Story in its brand new crate to the SAQA (Studio Art Quilt Associates) shipping center outside Dayton. 

 

(Above:  Steve in the process of building a crate!)

The Gown's Story is part of the upcoming global exhibition called AI: Artistic Interpretations. Shipping a crate is expensive.  Driving to Ohio, however, means spending time with our friends in Columbus and dropping off artwork at my new gallery!

(Above:  Detail of Mandala CCLI.)

Five mandalas were on the gallerist's "wish list".  Unfortunately, not all of them were available.  (One was recently sold in a juried show in West Virginia.)  Therefore, I've selected this piece as a hopeful replacement!  I hope she likes it!  I'll know soon enough!

 

Mandala CCL

(Above:  Mandala CCL.  Custom framed:  21" x 21".  Found objects hand-stitched to a patchwork of scraps from a vintage quilt.  Objects include:  A metal bakery mold; hand-carved, wooden mules; five, green coffee K-pods; green and red plastic lids; and assorted buttons. Click on either image to enlarge.)

I am running out of the little, hand-carved wooden mules.  Once, I had an entire box full. I adore them, even these ... most of which aren't quite completely carved.  It doesn't matter; they are all so cute.  It seemed appropriate to stitch them to a patchwork of quilt scraps.  Larger sections were used for other mandalas.  Thus, I stitched together the scraps for this background.  There's no telling what I might do with the dozens and dozens of scraps that I just can't throw away.  Surely, a new idea will come to me!

(Above:  Detail of Mandala CCL.)

 

Mandala CCXLIX

(Above:  Mandala CCXLIX. Custom framed: 23" x 23".  Found objects hand-stitched to a section of a vintage quilt.  Objects include:  Part of a lamp; Coke lids; hole punches; a folding ruler; four, small spreading knives; tops of French thread spools; View Master reels; dice; telephone plugs; pawns from a red set of chessmen; red checkers; decorative pieces of brass; assorted beads and buttons. Click on either image to enlarge.)

Generally when I'm at a flea market or thrift store, I'm searching for "multiples".  Most anything will suffice if there are at least four of them.  Yet, I'm also looking for items that are rather common, things that I can collect until I have enough for a Found Object Mandala.  Recently, I found the sixth hole punch!  I could finally create a piece featuring them.  This is the result!

 

Mandala CCLII

(Above:  Mandala CCXLVIII.  Custom framed: 16" x 16".  Found objects hand-stitched to an antique crazy quilt block.  Objects include: A ceramic dish; heart-shaped rabies pet tags; small bells; clothespins; toddler snack tops; laminated Palmetto State cigar bands; kitchen drain strainers; miniature crochet doilies marketed for scrap-booking; assorted beads and buttons.)

Before leaving last week, I managed to finish not one but four Found Object Mandalas.  Now, when I say "finished" ... well ... I don't really mean "totally finished".  I'm referring only to the attachment/stitching of the found objects to the quilt section.  There's plenty to do after this phase is done!  I've got to remove the staples that are attaching the project to a stretcher bar larger than the one to which I will later use.  Then, acid-free foam-centered board is glued to the surface of the smaller stretcher bar.  The piece is then stapled down and I stitch through both the piece and the acid-free foam-centered board.  This distributes the weight of the objects so that no section is supporting more than a few square inches.  Next, the piece is put into its frame and finally photographed.  So, despite "finishing" four mandalas, I returned to lots of waiting work.  This is just the first one!  More to come!
 

First trip for the month

(Above:  Blues Chapel at Spiralis Gallery in Easton, Maryland.  Click on any image to enlarge.)

Spiralis Gallery was planning a show called Cryin' Out Loud and asked represented artists if they had appropriate Blues related work.  How could I not suggest Blues Chapel?  This was one of the first installations I ever created and it is still one of my favorite works of art.  Okay ... it really doesn't fit the available space but what does that matter?  All twenty-four early female Blues singers are hanging!  My fingers and toes are crossed that the work (all 24 as I am not willing to break the set!) find a permanent home.

(Above:  A moment during the reception.)

Steve and I delivered the work on Monday afternoon.  To do this, we were up and on the road at 3:45 AM.  It was necessary in order to arrive with time to install before heading up the road for a good night's rest.  After all, we had to get up early the next morning too (though at a more reasonable hour ... like 6:00 AM!)  We were in Pittsburgh soon enough. The Lace Forest was already deinstalled from Fiberart International and in boxes.  We loaded it into the van and headed to Washington, DC.

(Above:  Flight 93 Memorial in Pennsylvania.)

We wanted to attend the opening reception for Cryin' Out Loud and especially to talk to the many people who showed up.  Yet, the opening was scheduled for "First Friday" in Easton.  It only made sense to spend time during the week doing things we'd never done before ... like stopping at the Flight 93 Memorial in the farmlands of Pennsylvania.  I wasn't going to cry.  I cried.  The memorial truly brings the individual lost lives and the hideous terrorist 9/11 attacks into solemn focus. The stop was well worth the visit and the vivid memories Steve and I recall of that horrible day.  Yet, that day was twenty-four years ago.  Most college graduates have no memory of that day. This place is such an important way to share an experience that touched the world.

(Above:  Inside the Heurich House Museum off Dupont Circle in Washington, DC.)

The next day we went to the National Gallery of Art, one of our favorite places in Washington, DC.  We also stopped by the Textile Museum before heading to Dupont Circle.  We booked tickets for a tour of the Heurich House Mansion.  Tours are limited to eight people.  There were only six on our tour! The guide was friendly and knowledgeable.  We were never rushed.  Each room seemed more luxurious than the last one.  Truly, this German-born brewer spent his fortune well!  The place is a gem from the Gilded Age.  

(Above:  One of the bedroom in the Heurich House Mansion.)

We thoroughly enjoyed the tour but we also enjoyed the outside grounds!  Believe it or not, Heurich beers are still being made.  The outside area is a beer garden, open to the public! 

This really was an excellent way for us to unwind during the week!

 

(Above:  One of the splendid rooms at the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia.)

The next morning, we boarded an Amtrack train for Philadelphia.  Despite our various visits to this city, we'd never been to the Barnes Foundation.  Unfortunately, most of the rooms on the first floor were closed in order for the hardwood floors to be refinished.  We only saw about 60% of the collection but it was amazing!  We will definitely have to return.  We went to one of the gallery talks.  It was excellent and explained how the collection was started and the philosophy behind the arrangements of artwork.  Identification labels are not posted on the wall.  Most rooms don't have a laminated pamphlet with information (though there seems to be slots on the benches for such a booklet.)  Visitors are encouraged to use their cell phones to scan for website pages.  The reason for this is simple.  Visitors are supposed to spend their time LOOKING, not reading labels. The place is an educational institution that focuses on the way artwork functions together through line, color, light, and space.  It was a unique experience that confirmed my own, intuitive way of hanging the artwork we own.

 
 

Two forgotten Windows

 

(Above:  Window CCXXIV. Layers of polyester stretch velvet fused together on black, synthetic felt; free motion machine stitched; melted with soldering irons and a heat gun. Framed: Custom framed: 19 1/4: x 17 1/4". $275 plus tax and shipping.)

July was a busy month. August has been one too.  September promises more of the same.  In October, however, things will be different because I'll be in Hamilton, Montana as an artist-in-residence.  I'm excited but I'm also aware that a few things have slipped through the cracks ... like these to Windows.  

(Above:  Window CCXXV.)

I know how it happened.  Window CCXXIII got finished, mounted, photographed, framed, and blogged but we ran out of glass for the two finished shortly afterwards.  Because we've retired from full time framing and only frame my artwork nowadays, we delayed ordering more glass until we needed other items as well.  Thus, the two Windows sat around on my mat cutter for a couple of weeks.  By that time, I had finished several Found Object Mandalas ... which were framed (without glass), photographed, and blogged.  I even managed to post these mandalas to social media. Somehow or the other, I forgot to blog these two Windows in the excitement of the other, finished artwork.  Things happen!  This happened ... and I'm hoping to be more diligent in the future.  Social media posts are nice but this blog is my running documentation of finished artwork. 

Wildacres Retreat, a week long art residency

(Above: Entrance sign to Wildacres Retreat.  Click on any image to enlarge.)

This past week was an amazing experience at Wildacres Retreat as an artist in resident. I was provided an ideal cabin with lots of windows to the forest.  Two other artists were also in residence for the week.  They each had their own cabins.  Meals were provided and residents had a special place to sit.  We enjoyed many conversations about our creative approaches, our backgrounds, and our hopes for the week.  

Fortunately or unfortunately ... depending on how you look at it ... it rained almost every day.  Yet, my project required me to be inside.  I'm working on a writing project!  It is a long term goal but having uninterrupted time to study, do research, and simply write (badly ... but it's a first draft) was so very, very valuable.

Most days were foggy but meals were served in the cafeteria ... which was a three-quarter mile walk uphill.  It was worth the climb.  After every meal, the walk was all downhill.

I did, however, hike almost every day.  Most of the trails showed lots of lingering damage from last year's Hurricane Helene.  The photo above was from a hike on Rose Creek Trail. 

Lots of trees fell across the trails and were cut.  Thus, there were plenty of tree sections to photograph.  The photo above was taken along the Loop Trail. 

One day I hiked up to the Blue Ridge Parkway on the Deerlick Trail.  It was such a strange experience, almost like stepping into a post-apocalyptic world.  This section of the parkway is still closed for repairs.  No one was in sight. Grass grew in the pavement's cracks.  The picnic area hadn't been cut in almost a year ... nearly burying the picnic tables.  The view, however, was stunning.  On my return hike, the sky opened up and poured so hard that I had to take off my eyeglasses!  Blurry vision was better than attempting to see through that much water!

Wildacres is a bee and butterfly sanctuary.  There's a meadow with hundreds of wildflowers.

Flowers grow along the trails too!

Even the bee hives are pretty!  I had honey on biscuits and decided to buy some to take home!  

Due to the rain and the short time I had at Wildacres, I didn't take many photos but this one says plenty!  I hated to leave!  The time was magical, thought-provoking, and productive.  I made two new friends ... but we all forgot to take a photo! 

Steve had dropped me off at the start of the residency and picked me up on the last morning.  We decided to go to a Starbucks in East Marion.  Believe me, it isn't that close.  It was twenty miles away, down a winding mountain road.  I think what happened next was more than coincidence, more than serendipity.  It really felt like a moment sent by God Himself. Tim, who is writing a book on the way Southern men grief, was already there.  Inside of three minutes, Janet Day arrived.  We three artist in residence had a second chance for that photo!  It had to be a small but significant miracle ... just like the week had been! 

Mandala CCXLVII

(Above:  Mandala CCXLVII.  Custom framed:  16" x 16".  Found objects hand-stitched to a scrap of a vintage quilt.  Objects include:  A small, plastic "point-less" dart board; Go Gater game discs; vintage bottle cap openers; beer caps; lime green plastic tops from a six-pack beer yoke; six, yellow eagle-shaped game pieces; and assorted buttons.  Click on image to enlarge.)

This Found Object Mandala is truly unique!  The center is a plastic target.  The protruding, flexible bristles will literally "catch" the point-less darts.  I didn't show the darts but they are inside a Ziploc bag attached to the wire on the back of the frame.  Also attached to the top edge of the back of the frame is a short aluminum cleat.  Inside the Ziploc bag is the other half of the cleat.  Instructions for mounting the artwork using the cleats is written on the back.  Using the cleat will make the artwork very stable on any wall ... so that people can still throw the darts at the target! 

This is how my mind occasionally works!  Putting parts of a six-pack yoke, beer caps, and bottle openers with all sorts of game pieces.  Fun, fun, fun!
 

Mandala CCXLVI

(Above:  Mandala CCXLVI.  Custom framed: 13 5/8" x 13 5/8". Found objects hand-stitched to an antique crazy quilt block.  Objects include:  A plastic Duke mayonnaise lid with a piece of a lime green plastic beer yoke and a crescent moon charm; four toy airplanes; red, plastic lids; laminated Tampa Nugget cigar bands; crocheted circles; Tinker Toy connectors; four mechanical drawing compasses; blue lids from a toddler's snack item; assorted buttons and beads.  Click on image to enlarge.)

This small mandala was designed for another one of the cut-down frames from an older series of artwork.  It was a challenge to work small, to fit the design into the existing frame; and to use another antique crazy quilt scrap/block that was never finished into a quilt.  I've had the mechanical drawing compasses for months and months.  This is the first time that worked!
 

Mandala CCXLV

(Above:  Mandala CCXLV. Custom framed: 31 1/2" x 31 1/2".  Found objects hand-stitched to a collection of antique quilt blocks. Objects include:  A glass floral frog with ten, round, bright orange buttons; eight, brown oar-shaped drink swizzlers; laminated Air Mail stamps; antique cardboard yogurt lids; peach colored plastic lids; dominoes; copper soda can pulls; white fur coat closure frogs; beer caps; keys; hinges; snowflake shaped Christmas lights; miniature toy airplanes; decorative orange wires for scrapbooking; electric meter tags; assorted buttons and beads.  Click on any image to enlarge.)

This mandala started after receiving an envelop from California.  A friend-of-a-friend sent a collection of antique quilt blocks.  Most were threadbare but the hand-stitching was amazingly tiny and tight.  Whoever started this project knew how to masterfully piece scraps of fabric together.  It was my job to figure out what to do with them.

 

(Above:  The blocks laying on my studio/sanctuary floor.)

I lay them out on my studio/sanctuary floor and just stared.  It seemed that they had once been stitched to some sort of sashing. Perhaps they were once part of a proper quilt top.  Perhaps not!  Oh the stories some of my materials could tell!  Yet, it is up to me to finish that tale!

 

(Above:  The two squares I created from the collection of blocks)

I played with the blocks until I liked the arrangements for two, nice squares.  Then, I just zigzag stitched them together ... flat ... no seam allowance, just "together".  Some of the extra blocks were cut to fill in missing patches.  Otherwise, I just left the threadbare areas as they were.  After all, I knew that I would cover the entire surface with bridal tulle/netting to protect these fragile places.  A piece of a damask tablecloth was stapled to a stretcher bar.  On top went some cotton batting that I got from an auction.  On top of that came the quilt square.  On top of that went the bridal tulle/netting.  I spent three or day evenings quilting these layers together.

 

(Above:  Detail of Mandala CCXLV.)

Finally, I was ready to attach my objects.  I designed the middle ... out to the row of beer bottle caps.  Then, I added the other rings.  Last of all, I selected items for the corners.  I think this piece turned out very, very well.  Happily, I have another square of zigzagged-together blocks for another mandala.  I'm already thinking about how it will be entirely different from this one!

Mandala CCXLIV

 

(Above: Mandala CCXLIV.  Custom framed: 22 1/4" x 22 1/4".  Found objects hand-stitched to a scrap of a hexie quilt top.  Objects include:  A wooden trivet with a 1992 centennial Sierra Club volunteer button; assorted green beer caps; flat, green trees from an toy army collection; green juice lids; clothespins; twelve little locks; infant snack lids; crocheted circles; external toothed lock washers; assorted buttons and beads.  Click on either image to enlarge.)

This is the first time I haven't put a piece of bridal tulle/netting over the quilt before stitching down any of the objects.  Whoever made this small hexie quilt top was an awesome stitcher. The stitches are absolutely TINY.  The quilt top was never finished but must have been treasured for years (or at least stored in ideal conditions).  Every piece of the fabric was in excellent shape.  The thread was still strong too.  There was no reason to protect the material by placing it under the tulle/netting.  I simply stretched the top over two layers of an old damask tablecloth and started adding the objects.

(Above:  Detail of Mandala CCXLIV.)

I bought the collection of army men and their equipment and landscape at the Pickens County flea market. The army men really didn't hold my interest but I adored the trees!  They were nice and flat, ready to be part of a mandala!  A couple tables away, I found the Sierra Club volunteer button.  I knew these things had to go together!  The large, green lids came from the grapefruit juice we have almost every day!  I'm really pleased how this eco-friendly mandala turned out!
 

 

Mandala CCXLIII

(Above:  Mandala CCXLIII. Custom framed: 13 5/8" x 13 5/8".  Found objects hand-stitched to a section of a vintage quilt. Objects include: A faucet wheel handle; a pewter coaster; a souvenir plate; vintage child's blocks cut in half; golf tees; Coca-cola souvenir tokens; assorted buttons and beads.  Clik on image to enlarge.)

Recently I had Steve cut down several frames that once held another series.  Only one or two sold.  It was high time to take the artwork out and cut the legs of the frames into usable squares for small Found Object Mandalas.  The older work was matted to a standard 16" x 20" and slipped into an appropriate cellophane bag.  The price was reduced accordingly.  It then became my job to fill the frames.  It was a challenge to work small but it was fun.