New Work, More Travel, and Best of Show

(Above: Handed Down, unique art quilt. Found gloves, vintage linens, antique paisley material, hand stitching. BEST OF SHOW in Palmetto Hands, a juried fine craft exhibition in South Carolina! Click on this or any other image in the blog post to enlarge.)

With this blog post, I've finally managed to catch up ... which is a good thing since I'm about to leave the country again (and undoubtedly get behind on blogging again). Please note ... I was unable to attend the reception for North Charleston's Palmetto Hands Exhibition but learned that I won BEST OF SHOW. I'm thrilled, of course.

So ... I'm leaving town again ... but ... Fortunately, I LOVE TO TRAVEL!

This time I'm going to England ... for art and ballet. Every spring Birmingham Royal Ballet splits its company, half going north/east and half going south/west. They tour to smaller venues, places that can't stage the big, classical ballets with their enormous sets and backdrops. Often new choreography debuts and excerpts from "the classics" are performed. My elder son, Mathias Lenz Dingman, is on the north/west tour. He's been cast in Jessica Lang's new "Lyrical Pieces", as Jasper in "Pineapple Poll", and also as the lead in the pas de deux from "Don Quixote"! (This last one is a BIG DEAL ... basically, it is the equivalent of a young lady having the opportunity to dance the role of the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker.) Thus ... I'm going.

I'll be in York this Friday and Saturday. I'll be in Buxton next week on the 15th and 16th. Between the two venues, I'll have two full days in Edinburgh to explore the historic cemeteries and other ancient sites. I can't wait. (Please note, I'm really not a "jet setter". Steve found a most reasonable airline ticket and I'm staying in youth hostels. My meals will likely be excellent egg sandwiches from the corner carry-out stores ... but it will be a blast and quite memorable. Today is Mathias' 24th birthday!) If you're anywhere in the area, I'll have my "smart phone" and laptop and will be checking messages. I'd love to meet like minded artists!


(Above: My keynote speech for the Coalition for Preservation of Maryland Burial Sites.)

So ... catching up! Last weekend Steve and I drove north from Columbia, SC to Columbia, MD. I presented my very first "power point" presentation on my Grave Rubbing Art Quilts and related artwork to the Coalition for Preservation of Maryland Burial Sites at their annual meeting. It was a wonderful experience to share my unusual fascination for cemeteries to a group of people who completely understand this unique interest.


(Above: Talking to some of the members of the Coalition ... many of whom own or maintain private, historic, and inactive cemeteries while others work for or own resting places that are still in use ... even a pet cemetery!)


(Above: Dessert at the Coalition ... and it was very tasty too!)

It was awesome to listen to the problems facing historic and private cemeteries on a state level and local level. Some of the stories are better than any fiction!


(Above: Spool Cradle III before being filled with wrapped and stitched wooden spools.)

During the drive to Maryland and back I worked on my wrapped and stitched wooden spools. It is a great way to watch the landscape and still be working.


(Above: Spool Cradle III filled with wrapped and stitched wooden spools.)

This is the third completed cradle ... and the smallest of the three. Yet, I had to work more on this one than the others. The cradle itself was mostly in pieces. I altered all the rollers and added the knobs. Because the pegs on the side were so far apart, I drilled holes and laced pearl cotton through them ... to make sides that wouldn't let the spools roll out as easily.


(Above: By the Grace of God. 21" x 28". Altered hand written laundry/clothing issue index cards from the former South Carolina Dept. of Mental Health Hospital, buttons from the same asylum, ink, hand and machine embroidery. Click on image to enlarge.)

I also finished another art quilt. This one was specifically made in order to submit to the SAQA (Studio Art Quilt Associates) national juried show called "I'm Not Crazy". Generally I don't make art work for specific opportunities but I'd made one similar to this last December. Unfortunately, it wasn't wide enough ... so I made another in order to enter this show.


(Above: By the Grace of God, detail.)

Each index card included a real patient's name and a real staff person's signature. I collaged vintage clipped letters to protect these people's privacy. All the buttons came from the mental institution as well. Using a fine tipped rapidiograph and bright orange ink, I wrote on each card ... including the phrase, "There But By the Grace of God Go I."


(Above: Spool Cradle III and MORE SPOOLS.)

I'm happy to report that I now have LOTS MORE SPOOLS. The plastic bag has the ones that I didn't finish while riding to and from Maryland. The large black basket, however, is filled with ones given to me by Kirkland Smith, a wildly talented artist who works with post consumer trash in the creation of amazing portraits. Her studio is at Gallery 80808/Vista Studios ... where my studio is located. (Yes ... I have another cradle. It is larger than any of the first three! I also have a plan for these cradles full of spools. They will be part of an installation this summer. I've been accepted for an artist residency in Galesburg, Illinois ... where I'm mounting an installation about childhood dreams and memories.)


(Above: "Sun and Sand", the beginning of a new experiment. Acrylic painted canvas created while at The Studios of Key West during my March artist residency ... being cut into pieces for "quilting".)

So ... I've got an installation on my mind. It's an idea that's been brewing for over a year. I'm quite excited. Yet, there's another adventure happening this summer. I've committed to a solo exhibition at Frame of Mind, an eyeglass shop on Columbia's Main Street that is part of the monthly "First Thursday" art crawls. The show will be this August. It will be called Sun and Sand: A Month in Paradise. It will showcase my impressions from my March artist residency at The Studios of Key West.


(Above: A really, really old and horrible attempt to paint with oils on a stretched canvas ... which became the substrata for my "test piece".)

The colors in Key West are intense. The water is especially vibrant, reflecting opaque mint greens, deep turquoise, ultramarine blues, aqua, seafoam, kelly green, royal blue, and shimmers of gold and silver. All these colors are possible because the sandy ocean bottom is white sand. Light bounces from the shallow ocean floors into an amazing range of color. I wanted to capture this in a new way ... at least, new to me.

I decided to paint ... directly on pre-primed canvas. It seems to me that many art quilters search for ways to appropriately apply paint to their fabric. They look for dyeing techniques and additives for acrylics that will soak into the texture of cloth. They experiment with Epson printers and gelatin plates .... all in an effort to make marks on material. In truth, the application of color/marks on cloth has already been done; it's called PAINTING. Paint is applied to CANVAS; canvas is, in fact, fabric. So, instead of trying to invent the wheel, I decided to paint on canvas ... cut the painting into "quilting" pieces and see what kind of artwork I might end up with.


(Above: Sun and Sand, experiment one ... click on image to enlarge.)

So far the experiment is working. I have well over three yards of primed canvas painted in bright colors reflecting my mood and impressions of the ocean, of water. I cut a few pieces and zigzag stitched them to a really old attempt at oil painting (dating to at least 2001). After attaching the water-inspired pieces, I put a piece of recycled white acrylic felt behind the canvas and continued to stitch. I'm very happy with this experiment. I've got lots of work in store for the summer ... and time in airports on which to experiment with "sand" ... hand stitching.

Munich ... better late than never!

(Above: Detail of a typical Bavaria facade ... blue and white shutters on deep saffron stuccoed exterior. Click on this and any other photo in this blog post for an enlargement.)

Yes ... I'm still behind on my blogging but I'm determined to catch up!


(Above: My Dad, my sister Wanda, my elder son Mathias, my husband Steve and my Mom ... infront of Munich's Stadtoperhaus, the theater in which the Bavarian Ballet Festival was held. Now long after this shot was taken, we were inside applauding wildly for Mathias as Puck!)

In a nutshell, Steve and I went to Munich for a week, April 22 - May 1. My parents went too. My sister Wanda (an excellent, traditional embroiderer specializing in hardanger and counted threads) and her husband Reinhard live in Munich. The main reason for the trip, however, was to watch Birmingham Royal Ballet's two evenings of performances with the Bavarian Ballet Festival. Our elder son, Mathias, is a soloist and was first-cast as Puck in The Dream (aka Midsummer Night's Dream.)


(Above: Facade of the Rathaus in Munich on the Marienplatz.)

Of course we spent time in downtown Munich, watching the famous Glockenspiel chime at noon with its movable, dancing figures.



(Above: Memorial in the Frauenkirchen just off the Marienplatz.)

We went to the Hofbrauhaus and also to the historic Frauenkirchen. I almost always visit the church(es) first. Naturally, I took lots of photos of memorials and German epitaphs, especially ones with skulls and crossbones. It is a habit by now.


(Above: A votive candle vending machine in a neighborhood cemetery.)

It is also a habit to visit as many cemeteries as I can. I'm always looking for inspiration for my Grave Rubbing Art Quilt Series and its related work. Generally, there's something new and different ... and this time it was finding a vending machine for votive candles!


(Above: Aviation area of the Deutschesmuseum.)

Steve and I also visited the Deutschesmuseum. What an interesting place. I'll never look at ceramics the same way. I'm too accustomed to viewing "ceramics" as art ... fine art and functional art. It never really occurred to me that ceramics are EVERYWHERE ... including spark plugs and on spacecraft tiles. We loved the printing area and the historic construction toys.



There was also a special exhibition called "Yesterday's Future" which focused on the new gadgets, machines, and modern developments of the 1950s. I couldn't quit taking photos of all the cute Vespas.



In Munich's market, all its restaurants, and at roadside stalls, it was obviously SPARGEL SEASON ... that's aspargus in German. White aspargus are a delicacy and filled the marketplace. (The cream of spargel soup was WONDERFUL!) I took lots of photos that all look more than a little obscene ... what fun!


(Above: Steve and I standing on a clump of snow far larger than all the snow that fell in South Carolina over the winter.)

My sister Wanda arranged a nine passenger mini-bus and drove us all over the place, including a wonderful day trip into the alpine area of Bavaria. The water was so clear and beautiful. Of course I went wading and collected a few striped pebbles.



One of the places we stopped was on the banks of the Isar River just south of Munich. On the opposite bank were dozens of rock formations. It was obviously some sort of outdoor art installation but we know nothing more about it. If anyone reading this post knows more, please leave a comment or email me at mouse_house@prodigy.net. I also posted a little video of this view (on which one can hear my family warning me not to fall into the water. I didn't!)



One afternoon Steve and I took the great public transportation to Olympic Park. I remember the summer of 1972 fondly. As a family, we drove to this place, still a construction zone, weekend after weekend. It was wonderful to see such modern structures being built. We left Europe, however, before the Olympics started and well before the tragedies occurred.



Olympic Park is now simply a most gorgeous place for riding bicycles, jogging, feeding ducks, and ... rolling around in the lake inside a giant, plastic bubble. Okay, this is really only for kids but I hope one day to find a bubble that will allow me to try this fun. I posted another, brief video of these kids HERE.



One of the best days was our time on the Zugspitz, Germany's highest alpine peak. The people selling tickets for the cable car thought I was insane. I had on my leather flip-flop sandals. While this is obviously inappropriate footwear for skiing, it presented no problem at all. The summit has a nice restaurant, indoor viewing areas, and a platform for another cable car to the glacier area. Steve and I created yet another little video of our descent on this smaller ride. It is HERE.



One of the reasons that my shoes weren't a problem was the fact that the weather really was wonderful. The skies were crystal clear to the horizon. Every snow capped peak was visible. It was a bit windy ... but that didn't matter at all.



This is a view of our ride on the cable car that brings people from the summit to the glacier ski area ... where there's another restaurant, gift shop, bathrooms, and the platform for the cog train that also brings people up the mountain. My mom, Dad, and Wanda went up with the train. Reinhard, Steve and I went by cable car. My mom, Steve and I went down by the train. Dad, Wanda and Reinhard took the cable car. Skiers, of course, went all over the place. There were plenty of t-bars and chair lifts. One could ski all day without ever coming totally down.



As strange as my flip flops must have been, wearing a long, traditional dirndl for skiing is stranger still!



Obviously, the sun was such that tanning was possible. People were really enjoying the lovely weather.



Later that day we drove to Oberammergau, the place internationally known for its Passion Play. for woodworking, and for beautifully painted building facades.



Steve and I took loads of photos. To access all the ones we jointly kept, please visit my Flickr! set. It is HERE. As a slide show, click here. Almost all our meals (especially desserts), all my cemetery images, and dozens of alpine views, interesting buildings, and family snapshots are included.



Of course, the Passion Play is only performed once every decade but the theater does display some of the beautiful, intentionally distressed costumes created and worn for the productions.



The texture on this one was incredible.



On another afternoon Steve and I went to Nymphenburg Palace. Of course, the palace had already closed for the day but we enjoyed the gardens.



Another afternoon found us at the BMW building ... quite modern and amazing.



The interior had a bar, performing venue, and exhibition space for various vehicles including this cute little three-wheeler.



On our last day in Bavaria Wanda drove us to several quaint towns northeast of the city. We really liked seeing the architecture, painted facades, and window shopping.



One church in particular had the most amazing metal work for its massive doors. All the locks and hinges were stylized with tiny, smiling faces. Quite lovely!



The happiest part of the trip, however, was eating. At least we were very, very good at this activity. For the most part, it was an outdoor experience too.



Desserts were quite impressive. Next post promises to show some textile work. Yes, I did stitch well traveling ... wrapping wooden spools with wool yarn and embellishing them with floss.

The Weekend before last! (I'm a little behind in my blogging!)

(Above: At Runaway Runway. My model Felicia Finney and me! Click on any image in this blog post to enlarge.)

April is an insane month for art events here in Columbia, South Carolina. April 21st was particularly crazy. On that Saturday my home/business, Mouse House, participated in the Elmwood Park Tour of Homes. My "home studio" was also part of Open Studios. That night was the annual Columbia Design League sponsored Runaway Runway fashion show of recycled garments ... including one of my designs. My sister Sonya and two of her friends flew in for the weekend festivities. Talk about busy!


(Above: Sonya and I posing in front of My Bluegrass Roots I, II, and III ... work depicting our great grandfather Max Emil Oswald (original photo ca. 1896), our great-great grandmother Carolina Amelia Phillips Oswald (original photo ca. 1924), and our third cousin (? ... Grandma Baker's first cousin!) with a girl he never actually married, Mary Rollings (ca. 1928).

On Friday night we attended an art opening and checked out my studio at Gallery 80808/Vista Studios ... where my trio of art quilts were already hanging for Artista Vista, the annual art crawl in downtown Columbia.

Sunday was a continuation of Open Studios. On Monday, my husband Steve and I flew to Munich for a week ... which we spent with another sister, Wanda, her husband Reinhard, and my parents.


(Above: Mathias as Puck! This photo actually came from the BRB touring blog ... last year ... from a performance in Japan ... but it shows the same principal cast and costumes!)

The "excuse" for this overseas adventure was Birmingham Royal Ballet's performances with the Bavarian Ballet Festival. My elder son Mathias, a soloist, was first cast as Puck in The Dream (aka Midsummer Night's Dream).


(Above: Mouse House ... a uniquely zoned, downtown historic property. We are legally a business downstairs and officially a residence upstairs.)

So ... I got a little behind on my blogging and it is now time to catch up!


(Above: The Elmwood Tour sold ticket on our front porch and the cats greeted visitors.)

First ... The Elmwood Tour of Homes was fantastic! Both our cats seemed to know their presence was needed as unofficial greeters. Max practically insists that people pet him. Shadow waited at the door. She knows she's beautiful and people will gush over her.


(Above: Guests on the Elmwood Tour of Homes and/or Open Studios in the "gallery" area of Mouse House.)

We had a friend's daughter inside the front door for a more "human" introduction. She also collected zip codes which was required for Open Studios. This information is used for the hosting organization to qualify for tourist generating grants. I was glad for the help because it freed me to talk about my work, my studio, etc. I stayed on the ground level.


(Above: My sister Sonya, her dog Lulu, Stephanie and Karey ... providing entertainment and music for guests!)

Upstairs my husband, sister, and her friends provided light refreshments, music, and more conversation.



But the animals stole the show! Shadow kept chasing after Lulu's ribbon lease!



The two seemed to get along very well. Now ... please note THE SHOES! These are Sonya's. She loaned them to me for the evening because they looked great with the dress she brought me from India! Yup! It's a designer gown and totally unbelievable. I still can't believe it is mine.


(Above: Sonya with the Barkin' Bag ... an obvious twist on the elite Hermes Birkin bag. Lulu is comfortably inside dressed in a harness that matches Felicia's outfit of course.)

Obviously I was thrilled to have my sister for the weekend and happy she brought friends to admire all my art and overwhelmed by the metallic knit dress ... but there was another reason for Sonya's visit. She was literally bringing another "model" ... Lulu! The over-sized tote was made from used tyvek and bubble-wrap mailing envelops, paint, and buttons from the South Carolina State Mental Hospital. It was designed for Lulu ... who stayed with Sonya in style at the local Sheraton!


(Lulu on the luxury pet bedding at the Sheraton ... which was featured on the Sheraton website ... HERE!)


(Above: Felicia Finney and me at Runaway Runway.)

So ... here we are backstage! Felicia is wearing black felt recycled from the local outdoor shop. The felt once was packaging material from a kayak and canoe manufacturer shipping vessels to distributors. It is covered in shirt buttons salvaged from the floor of the former South Carolina State Mental Hospital's vacant laundry and alterations building. My gown ... well ... AWESOME ... and, yes, I do have on a nude colored spandex slip!



So ... on to the show! Runaway Runway is now held in the Township Auditorium. The catwalk is raised and lit. The stage includes two giant sized screens that project close-up views to the models on the runway. There's an MC and spotlights, the press, and Lady Chablis in the lobby greeting guests. It is a wild night with incredible designs.

I've created a video of Felicia on the runway. (It was actually shot by my wonderful husband Steve!) Click HERE to see it!



One of my favorite garments was created by Jasper Magazine ... using pages of various issues ... including the one with my Spool Cradle. Check it out ... enlarge the photo below!



I shot plenty of photos of various garment. They are below. Even though Felicia and I didn't win anything, we had a great time. Scroll down for more images!