Thursday, June 08, 2023

Mandala CLXII and the Patchwork Installation Continues

(Above:  Mandala CLXII.  Custom framed: 25 1/4" x 25 1/4".  Found objects hand-stitched to a section of a vintage quilt.  Objects include: A trivet made from Popsicle sticks and beads; two different sizes of blank, glass slides; bamboo styled salad forks; copper beverage can tabs; keys; brass screw eyes; clear, plastic candle holders for cakes; vintage film capacitors; brass buckle slides; assorted buttons and beads.  Click on any image to enlarge.)

Even though I'm hard at work creating more and more units for my Patchwork Installation, I had to stitch another Found Object Mandala.  The vintage Popsicle stick trivet had been sitting on my mat cutter for weeks and weeks.  It seemed to be calling to me, "Susan! Use me!"  When I acquired the blank glass slides, I couldn't ignore the trivet any longer! LOL!

(Above:  Detail of Mandala CLXII.)

Most of my Found Object Mandalas are presented in floater frames, frames that don't lip over the perimeter.  This one, however, is in a traditional frame.  I've had the frame for years.  It had another, older piece in it.  That piece has been cut up and made into greeting cards.  To be honest, the greeting cards look better than the piece ever did ... and the mandala looks better in the frame than the piece ever did too!

(Above and below:  Individual pieces for my Patchwork Installation.)

In the meantime, I've been stitching up a storm in anticipation for my solo show at the Imperial Centre's Maria V. Howard Arts Center in Rocky Mount, NC.  The exhibit runs from September 1 to December 31, 2023.  My vision for this installation is a running, linear arrangement of the individual units ... meandering down the length of the gallery walls ... flexibly hung with the sides abutting one anther ... moving up and down, around the corners, above and below other artwork.  My goal is at least one hundred pieces.  So far, I've got sixty-nine!  Each piece features scraps of quilts and other textiles stitched together and then tacked to black painted frames.  So far, so good!








 

1 comment:

Margaret said...

What a find those eye hooks (screw eyes) would have been! I use them on the ends of my dowels for hanging my soft pieces! That said, it all comes down to size -- the right-sized hook for the particular dowelling.

Love those little patchwork pieces!