Tidal Wave XVI, a miniature

 

(Above:  Tidal Wave XVI, a miniature. Custom framed: 12 3/4" x 14 1/4".  Found objects, buttons, and beads hand-stitched to a section of an old quilt made from scraps of men's suits. Click on any image to enlarge.)

Each one of my newly finished, miniature tidal waves presented a challenge.  This one was no different.  I had to figure out how to deal with the very dark background, especially since the original quilt blocks were embellished with a dull red herringbone stitch.

 

(Above: Detail of Tidal Wave XVI.)

After stitching all the objects in place, I spent an evening embellishing the background so that my added embroidery coordinated with the red herringbone stitches that were already there!  Since I really love decorative stitching, it was a great way to spend the evening.  It has already inspired the next piece ... another little tidal wave but one that will need plenty of work to handle its bright orange and deep blue, shibori dyed background.  (No!  I didn't dye the fabric!  I just had enough sense to purchase it from a thrift shop where it was priced ridiculously low!  So ... give me a few days, I'll be posting the results soon!)

Tidal Wave XV, a miniature

 

(Above:  Tidal Wave XV, a miniature. Custom framed: 13 1/2" x 17". Found objects, buttons, and beads hand-stitched to a section of a vintage quilt. Click on any image to enlarge.)

Tidal Wave XV was a unique challenge in color and contrast.  Using just a small scrap from a rather vivid blue-and-white quilt meant finding objects that worked well in the small space and finding balance with the strong background.  Because orange is the compliment to blue, orange was added and much of the embroidery floss used was also bright orange.

 

(Above: Detail of Tidal Wave XV.)

Because green is beside blue in the color wheel, it was the other color on which I leaned to create a tiny but balanced composition.  The background was also densely quilted in order to integrate the netting/tulle placed over the quilt but also to visually break up the triangle and blocks into seemingly smaller pieces.  I think it worked out very well!

Tidal Wave XIV, a miniature

 

(Above:  Tidal Wave XIV.  Custom framed:  17" x 20 1/4". Found objects, buttons and beads hand-stitched to a piece of an antique floral curtain.  Click on any image to enlarge.)

Miniature tidal waves are a wonderful way to use some of the scraps that result after creating so many Found Object Mandalas and larger Tidal Waves.  For this piece, I used a scrap of a lovely, rose-colored antique curtain that was donated to my stash more than a year ago.  It also was a great way to use the short pieces of picture frame moulding that were leftover from other work.  It is mounted using a stretcher bar made from more short, leftover pieces. In fact, the entire piece was designed after the stretcher bar and frame were built!  If these parts weren't built, they'd likely end up in a landfill.  So ... the challenge to use them was on!

 

(Above:  Detail of Tidal Wave XIV.)

Another challenge involved the Santa profile cookie cutter.  Without other Christmas cookies around, it was a little difficult to figure out what it even was! Yet once I knew it was Santa, I just couldn't throw him out; I had to figure out a way to use him! Surrounded by all sorts of other "stuff" and with two buttons stitched on top of it, Santa works nicely on this piece!

 

(Above: Tidal Wave XIV at an angle.)

Another cool thing about these miniature tidal waves is the fact that I can use buttons in my collection that aren't as plentiful as needed for a larger artwork.  I had just enough of these!

Four, New Miniature Tidal Waves Under Construction and the first one is FINISHED!

 

(Above:  Tidal Wave XIII, a miniature. Custom framed: 17 1/2" x 18 1/2".  Found objects, buttons and beads hand-stitched to a section of a vintage quilt.  Click on any image to enlarge.)

The miniature tidal waves are rolling!  After finishing the first one, I still had quite a few objects in my pile that just didn't find a place for inclusion.  So, I decided to stitch a second.  At the time, I feared that my stash of "little things" wasn't quite large enough for a second piece.  I spent about an hour "hunting and gathering" until I had a large pile of small objects ... enough for perhaps four more miniature tidal waves.

 

 (Above: Four miniature tidal wave outlines on my table ... waiting for small found objects.)

It was easy to locate small scraps of quilts and other vintage fabric for the backgrounds.  I spent an entire evening or two outlining the perimeters and waves with buttons.  Then, I was ready to place my stash ... basically, designing all four at the same time!

 

(Above:  Four miniature tidal waves ... designed and waiting to be stitched.)

It only took one afternoon to make the decisions of which objects went on which tidal wave.  Each piece was taken upstairs. I do most of my hand-stitching in the evenings ... upstairs in the living room while we watch whatever Steve streams on television.

 

(Above: Detail of Tidal Wave XIII.)

It didn't take long for the first of the four to be stitched.  These miniatures allow me to use some of the random beads that I have collected.  Their small size also means that I need to stitch much more densely in the areas where the wave isn't covering the quilt background.  Why?  Well, the scraps are old, fragile, and often threadbare.  Like my Found Object Mandalas and the larger Tidal Waves, I cover the quilt with a layer of netting/tulle before adding any of the objects.  This netting/tulle protects the fragile surface, but on these little ones, it is actually more obvious than on a larger piece.  By stitching/quilting the background, I can integrate the netting/tulle to the quilt. Most people wouldn't even see the netting/tulle after that area is embellished!

(Above:  Tidal Wave XIII at an angle.)

 

Tidal Wave XII, a miniature

 

(Above:  Tidal Wave XII. Custom framed: 12 1/4" x 15 1/4".  Found objects, buttons and beads hand-stitched to a section of a vintage quilt.  Click on any image to enlarge.)

Before Steve and I went to Spain, I finished and shared Tidal Wave X here on my blog and on social media accounts.  During the trip, it sold to one of my favorite collectors.  It was packaged and shipped shortly after we returned. I was already working on a large tidal wave but I kept thinking about all the little things that I still had laying on my work table that just didn't find a place in that miniature piece.  I decided to stitch another miniature tidal wave.

 

(Above:  Detail of Tidal Wave XII.)

Before starting, however, I worried that I wouldn't have enough "stuff" or at least enough "interesting and colorful stuff" to fill the wave.  I spent at least an hour searching through saved Ziploc bags, little boxes, and on shelves where "objects" are stored. It was surprisingly easy to find things to use.  Soon, the pile increased ... a lot! I knew that I had "too much" but "too much" is better than "too little".  There's choices.  Designing a miniature tidal wave is really fun but also challenging. 

(Above:  Tidal Wave XII as seen at an angle.)

There's got to be balance of colors, shapes, heights of the objects, and relationship to the background.  Yet, a miniature tidal wave also allows me to use a scrap of a quilt, one not large enough for a good-sized Found Object Mandala.  I'm really pleased with this second "miniature" and I've already started more.  In fact, I've started four more miniature tidal waves!
 

No Kings Protest

(Above:  Selfie at the No Kings Protest in Pendleton, South Carolina.)

As I type this blog entry, I'm multi-tasking.  Why?  Well ... apparently the nineteen second video I shot and posted to Facebook during the No Kings Protest has gone viral (or at least "viral" in my experience).  It has been viewed more than 11,000 times (and counting) in less than twenty-two hours.  I've deleted dozens upon dozens of negative comments (always angry, generally hatefully with personal accusations, and often with misspelled words).  Update:  Another twenty-four hours and the video has been viewed over 64,000 times.  If that's not "viral" what is? LOL!)

I've clicked on the profiles of some of these people.  They might not be real. I'm not exactly sure how to distinguish a bot from a live human being but there are a few clues.  Many of these profiles have been created within the last year, show no posts, have few if any listed friends, and list only very small towns as their home location.  The images used are rather generic.  The comments posted are often the same as those posted by others with similar Facebook pages. Update:  I reported around two dozen to Facebook but received a notification saying that these accounts had not violated any standards and could continue to exist!  I'm guessing that eliminating bots would hurt Facebook's stats and its many stockholders.)

I've blocked so many "people" that I've lost count ... especially since my account only showed one blocked person before yesterday.  (It was quilter who continued to leave very upsetting comments on my Grave Rubbing Quilt series that flourished a decade or so ago.)  

I've deleted more than one hundred of these negative comments.  I've also spent more time than usual "liking" all the No Kings Protest videos and photos that have popped up on my page.  This is the least I can do. I truly believe the words on the sign in the above image.  I can't allow myself to "do nothing".  So ... I'll keep monitoring my video.  I'll continue to block the profiles the leave nasty messages (whether they are "real" or a "bot") and I'll just hit that delete button on the words.

Yesterday was an opportunity for people like Steve and me to express our feelings about the dangers to our democracy.  It was important.  I'm glad we went.  I'm especially happy to see so many others out protesting peacefully with us.  We live in Lindsey Graham's backyard, a very red landscape.  My hope is that those reconsidering their support for the administration know that switching sides will not be a lonely place.  There are plenty of us here in South Carolina's Upstate!  More pictures below!  Now ... time to check that video!

 

Since starting this blog post, Steve and I had lunch.  Then dozens more Facebook profiles were blocked and their mean-spirited comments were deleted. The video passed 16,000 views.  Gosh, that's a lot!

Mandala CCLXXIV, Wooden Toy Cars

 

(Above:  Mandala CCLXXIV, Wooden Toy Cars and View Master Reels. Custom framed:  21 1/2" x 21 1/2".  Found objects hand-stitched to a section of a vintage quilt. Objects include:  A yellow child's 45 record; a decorative, metal jar lid; a cookie cutter; toddler snack lids; View Master reels; military eagle and strip pins; wooden toy cars; dominoes; bottle cap openers; miniature binder clips; assorted beads and buttons.  Click on any image to enlarge.)

After creating a Found Object Mandala in mostly black, white, and shades of silver and gray, I had to lay out both the recently shared "green duckies" mandala and this one!  I adore monochromatic arrangements but I also really like bright and colorful artwork.  The six, wooden toy cars have been sitting on my work table for several weeks.  They seemed to be screaming out to me:  USE US!

(Above:  Detail of Mandala CCLXXIV.)

The design came together easily and it was fun to stitch.  Lots of holes were drilled through the yellow child's record ... thirty-six were needed to attach the metal lid ... four were needed to attach the cookie cutter ... and another eighteen were needed to stitch the group to the quilt!  That's a lot of holes! I used a 1/6th inch drill bit and was happy that the record never cracked!

 

(Above: Mandala CCLXXIV as seen at an angle.)

Mandala CCLXXIII, Green Rubber Duckies

(Above:  Mandala CCLXXIII. Custom framed: 22 1/2" x 22 1/2".  Found objects hand-stitched to a section of a vintage quilt. Objects include: A yellow 45 children's record; bottle caps; green rubber duckies; badminton shuttlecocks; plastic bottle caps; toddler snack tops; blue poker chips; glass prisms; wooden dice with Scrabble lettering; pale pink hair rollers; green plastic containers with yellow lids; hexagonal toy dowel connectors and wing flies; yellow tiddlywinks; assorted buttons and beads. Click on any image to enlarge.)

I thought I was done with rubber duckies; I was wrong!  Even after stitching a tidal wave with over 150 of them and several mandalas, I still have more!  I couldn't resist the challenge of using these strange green ones!

 

(Above: Detail of Mandala CCLXXIII.)

Part of the challenge was to use plenty of red but not end up with an artwork that looked like it was inspired by Christmas.  The addition of blue and yellow seemed to pull off success!  

 

(Above:  Mandala CCLXXIII seen at an angle.)

There are two "hidden gems" to this piece.  First, there's a bottle cap inside each of the badminton shuttlecocks that aren't visible from a straight-on view.  Then ... I spelled out Games, toys, and love using the small dice embossed with Scrabble markings.  It was hard to do because I didn't have an entire set.  Ordinarily, I spell out "Found Objects" or "Found Object Mandala" but I didn't have either a B or a J.  I wish I knew exactly what the green plastic containers in the corners were.  I have a bunch of them but no idea what their intended use was!

Mandala CCLXXII, Demitasse Spoons and Dominoes

 

(Above:  Mandala CCLXXII, Demitasse Spoons and Dominoes.  Custom framed: 22 1/4" x 22 1/4".  Found objects hand-stitched to a section of a vintage quilt.  Objects include: A decorate porcelain plate with an upside-down brioche mold and two buttons; black, plastic checkers with dice-like blocks featuring various letter and spelling "Found Objects"; vintage cocktail forks; dominoes; a set of twelve Axel Prips demitasse spoons; gold, plastic four-leaf-clover tokens; white porcelain and metal drawer handles; black lids with faucet handles; assorted beads and buttons.  Click on any image to enlarge.)

This Found Object Mandala started with the twelve Axel Prips demitasse spoons.  They were still in a little box!  I bought them at the Arts and Crafts conference inside the Omni Grove Park Inn from one of the antique dealers (Spotted Horse Antiques out of Knoxville, TN) .  Truthfully, it didn't occur to me that anything in the convention center was remotely affordable.  Steve and I only went to gaze at the Stickley furniture and the many creations by Roycroft artists.  We were awed by ceramics with five-digit price tags and a pair of wrought iron chandeliers that cost what putting electricity into our home cost.  We almost didn't ask the price but on a whim inquired.  It was reasonable!  We didn't even suggest a lower price!

 

(Above:  Detail of Mandala CCLXXII.)

Okay ... they weren't exactly cheap but they were too cute to pass up!  (Approximately four-dollars each)  I knew they would look great on a mandala!  I also suspect that they had never been used.  For decades, they probably sat in that box ... in the back of a drawer ... just waiting to be "out in the open" and appreciated for their Arts and Crafts beauty!  On the back of the frame, I glued the flattened box lid.  It was such a joy to stitch this piece.  

(Above:  Mandala CCLXXII as seen from an angle.)

Tidal Wave XI, Plastic Trash

 

(Above:  Tidal Wave XI, Plastic Trash.  Custom framed: 40" x 40".  Plastic waste (mostly donated to my trash but with the intention of keeping these things out of a landfill) hand-stitched to a section of a vintage quilt (also donated to my stash for the same reason) and a button outline.  Click on any image to enlarge.)

More than a month ago, a friend from Columbia visited and brought a carload of "stuff" to donate to my stash.  Some of it came from another friend's porch, a place used by people who drop off things that neighbors might use ... especially art supplies.  Of course, this frequently means that someone drops off a bunch of collected plastic that was supposed to become "art" but then never did. Eventually, there's just too much and it all gets tossed ... or in this case ... someone else brings it to an artist like me who really will use it.  

(Above:  Detail of Tidal Wave XI.)

I wish I could say that I kept everything but I didn't.  There's simply too much plastic in this world that can't be recycled. Not all plastics are accepted at recycling centers.  Here in Pickens County, only things marked with a #1 symbol are accepted ... and not even all of them.  Thin #1 plastics can cause issues with some recycling equipment.  Even laundry detergent containers which are marked with a #1 symbol and are accepted have non-recyclable lids.  In fact, most plastic lids cannot be recycled.  Lots of people save them because they've seen artwork like mine and hope that saving them will keep them out of a landfill.  Lots of lids and other items ended up on that Columbia porch ... and then were brought to me.

 

(Above:  Detail of Tidal Wave XI.)

 

It took most of an entire day to sort through all the bags of saved plastic.  I had to make several decisions regarding what I could reasonably keep and what was just too overwhelming to save.  Almost all the black and white lids got tossed.  They were the most common but they are also the least likely for me to use.  I sorted and sorted into piles of multiple items. If there were at least six or eight, I bagged them.  I need multiples for my Found Object Mandalas.  Still, there were plenty of unique and colorful things ... things that just didn't make sense to bag.  After all, the giant tub in which I store these bagged plastic is only so big!  Finally, I decided to stitch a tidal wave using the plastics that I couldn't otherwise keep.  It was fun!

 

(Above:  Tidal Wave XI at an angle ... hanging on the side of my studio/home/renovated church.)

 The old and damaged quilt used was first covered with a layer of white tulle/netting.  I usually do this to all of my Found Object Mandalas, Tidal Waves, and similar work.  The tulle/netting protects any threadbare areas or ... in this case ... fragile seams.  These blocks were reversible.  They were made individually and then hand-stitched together.  Whoever attempted to do the hand-stitching wasn't particularly good at the task.  The seams were coming apart.  Thus, under the quilt was a piece of an old damask tablecloth and on top was the netting/tulle.  In all the areas that aren't part of the tidal wave, I hand-stitched a pattern in a pale lavender perle cotton thread.  This adds interest but also integrates the netting to the quilt.  Most people don't even see the netting!  I'm really pleased with this piece and will probably end up making another one some time in the future ... because ... well ... there's just too many non-recyclable things in this world!

 
 

Our Trip to Spain

 

(Above:  Selfie with Toledo in the background.  Click on any image to enlarge.)

We've been home for just over a week but it has taken until today for me to sort through more that 550 pictures, catch up on overdue correspondence, and do all the little things that needed done after being away for eight days!  In a nutshell, however, the trip to Spain was FABULOUS.  Yes, it rained a bit while we were in Madrid but not on the days when we went to Toledo and Zarazoga.  When it rained, we stayed in a few of Madrid's magnificent museums. Photography isn't allowed at the Prado but I made up for those hours with dozens of pictures from Reina Sofia and the Thyssen Museum.  I'm not going to post any of those.  Why?  Well ...this blog post is going to be a long one and the artwork can be accessed on-line!

We also walked a lot, more than 20,000 Fitbit steps most days.  We climbed towers and followed paths outlined in our Lonely Planet guide book.

We even stayed in a room in Zaragoza with the most amazing view to the main plaza and the imposing facade of the basilica.

We visited the royal palace (and recommend to anyone going to Madrid that they go there too ... and get advanced tickets to avoid the very, very long line.  Also, book an English tour.  It was grand and far better than wandering around with information headsets.)

 

I couldn't get over just how ornate every room really was!

 

The floors were gorgeous; the fabric exotic; the mirrors and clocks and furniture ... just WOW!

 

The chandeliers were simply over-the-top!

 

We visited the Temple of Debod, one of the few structures that were physically moved, piece by piece, from out of the area that is now under water due to the building of the dam on the Nile River.
 

 

On Sunday, there's a giant flea market in Madrid.  Visually, it was stunning to see all the vendors ... especially the one selling all sorts of picture frames!

We sought out unique architecture ...

... and visited several covered markets.

At one place, I added my prayer to thousands of others!

We didn't have a meal at the restaurant under this rooster sign ...

... but we did eat very, very well.  One night we had a traditional leg of lamb. Another night we had a seafood paella.  On this occasion, we ordered tapas ... both cold ones and hot ones.  We really have no idea what we ate because the restaurant was very much a locals hang-out.  We told our waitress to pick for us!  Everything was delicious.

I lost count of the beautiful churches we visited. Some were ancient. Some were much newer.  All of them, however, included elaborate decoration and a variety of styles.

The vaulted ceilings were often stunning.

Many were part of a larger complex with a cloistered courtyard.

Statues filled the many side chapels.

I can't ever remember seeing so much gold!

Even smaller niches were intricate.

We visited a synagogue and another church strongly inspired by Moorish design.

Ornate patterns were everywhere!

Domes were often over-sized and soared to unusual heights.

Several churches maintained separate museums ... like one for a grand collection of tapestries ...

... and another for stained glass masterpieces.  All in all, the time in Spain was inspirational and fun!