Thursday, December 02, 2021

The Protector

(Above:  The Protector, 25 1/2" x 16 1/2". Manipulated digital image printed by Spoonflower on cotton fabric.  Hand and machine stitching, beading, trapunto/stuffing, and custom framed with decorative tacks. Click on any image to enlarge.)

 I'm more than a little behind on my blogging but determined to catch up!  This piece was mostly hand-stitched while riding in the cargo van to and from the Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft show.  The beading was done after I got home. It was framed the next week and then ended up waiting for almost another week before I managed to photograph it. Why the wait?  Well, I've been busy with several projects and upcoming opportunities.

(Above:  The original image.)

Earlier this morning, the curator at the Sumter Gallery of Art picked up all the artwork for my solo show, Last Words. (December 16, 2021 through February 18, 2022).  This will be the first time that I'm not installing the show.  I can't wait to see what he does with the pieces he selected!  The museum's connections extended to a local church, Good Shepherd Episcopal Church. As a result, The Canopy and several of my Large Stained Glass pieces will be on display every weekend in a collaboration between the two venues.  This is all meant to further engage the community with art!  I'm very honored and totally excited!

(Above:  The Protector, detail.)

I am also deep into an important (and very large) commission for a local hotel currently under construction.  I'll blog about this at some point ... but for now ... I'm pleased to share The Protector.  It started with a photograph given to me by my friend Jinny.  Her grandmother is the child in the image.  No one in Jinny's family remembers the name of the nanny but it might have been Nancy.  At the time, the nanny was very much a part of the family but most of the older members are now gone.  Nameless or not, it is the pose that totally captured my heart.

(Above:  The Protector, detail.)

The touch of the nanny's hand conveys such feeling, the sense of absolute love and protection.  To me, she looks like a guardian angel.  After scanning the image, I worked in Photoshop to eliminate the unnecessary background and add more space above the nanny's head.  The resulting digital image was printed by Spoonflower on cotton.  It was a joy to stitch.  

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