Portrait of a Man

 (Above:  Portrait of a Man, detail.  Click on any image to enlarge.)

Two weekends ago I was in my 10' x 10' Pro Panel booth at the ACC (American Craft Council) Atlanta show talking about and selling my "In Box" and "Stained Glass" series.  One nice gentleman challenged me to create something totally unique, a portrait of a man ... but using my colorful palette, synthetic stretch velvets, and unique melting techniques.  We agreed on a size, a price, and a non-refundable $100 deposit.  We also agreed that if he didn't like the results, he was under no obligation to pay the balance.  Why?  Well, my process isn't like that of a painter.  I can't really "unstitch" things and make color changes without ruining the work.  Thus, this arrangement isn't a true commission; it is a "first refusal". Later we corresponded about a timeline and selected a sketch I drew referencing several images of Austrian artist and architect Friedensreich Hundertwasser, the inspiration behind much of my gallery work. 

 (Above:  Portrait of a Man. Inventory # 4262. Unframed: 15 3/4" x 12 1/2". Mounted on a standard 20" x 16" acid-free mat board.)

I spent more time contemplating an action plan and trying to visualize/solve potential problems than actually making the work.  I also had to find my light-box, an item I haven't used in at least a decade! The result of this time, however, meant the weekend's work went very, very smoothly.  I'm quite pleased with the work and happy to report that my client is too!

 (Above:  Creating a unique background for the portrait.)

When I accept a commission or a first-refusal, I always document the process in photos and create PDF for the client.  That way, the client gets to see every step of the development.  This blog post includes many of those images.  Above is what the background looked like before starting the portrait.  The border is like my Peacock Feathers.

 (Above:  A photocopy of my sketch, Pellon's Stitch-and-Tear, and my light-box.)

The sketch I drew was significantly smaller than the size I needed.  I scanned the sketch, enlarged it using PhotoShop, and printed the correct size ... 14" x 10".  I used Stitch-and-Tear in 2013 to make my Grid of Photos.

I bought my light-box nearly two decades ago.  I can't remember why I wanted it or what I planned to do with it other than view old slides.  This was the first time I've ever used it in my studio practice!  Thank goodness the bulb still worked!  I traced the photocopy enlargement of my sketch onto a piece of Stitch-and-Tear.

The Stitch-and-Tear was then pinned in place on the background.

I was a little anxious about this part of the process.  The idea was to set my sewing machine for a narrow zigzag stitch but also for free-motion stitching. I started on the bottom in a place I could quickly stitch and then tear away to unique paper.  It worked!  I continued over all the lines, expanding the width of the zigzag stitching for thicker areas (like the eye's pupils and eyebrow).

After all the lines were covered, I started removing the Stitch-and-Tear ... little bits at a time and carefully removing any tiny pieces of paper caught in the stitching.

Generally, I use 100% black cotton thread.  This time, however, I switched to navy blue for the background.  This change allowed the background to visually recede ... because it "reads" as a "lighter" line.  Every square and rectangle was stitched with an different motif ... very much like my gallery work and in the tradition of Hundertwasser's concept of individualism.  My colorful shapes are meant to represent an aerial view to an imaginary Hundertwasser city.

After all the machine stitching is finished, I stapled the work to a stretcher bar and went to the garage.  I wear a carbon filtering ventilator mask because the fumes from melting synthetics are toxic.  I melted holes and dragged my soldering irons into lines mostly in the background areas.  During the process, I realized I'd forgotten to sign the work.

I added my name later.  Voila!  A Portrait of a Man was finished!  Today, it will be shipped to its new owner!

I am linking this post to Nina-Marie's "Off the Wall Fridays", a site for sharing fiber arts. 

Felt necklace and getting ready for Open Studios

 (Above:  Pink felted necklace modeled by one of my neighbors.  Click on any image to enlarge.)

This week finds me finishing up one event and preparing for the next.  After last weekend's ACC (American Craft Council) show in Atlanta, there was paperwork to do and pictures to rehang here at Mouse House.  The Pro Panel booth walls, track lighting, and other things went back into storage.  There was custom picture framing to tackle (my "day job") and a few other waiting commitments.  Then, it was time to look ahead.

 (Above:  Another felted necklace worn by another, cute neighbor.  Thanks to both of you!)

Next weekend is Columbia's " 701 CCA Open Studios".  Mouse House is participating.  We'll be open on Saturday from 10 AM until 6 PM and on Sunday from noon - 6 PM.  There are lots and lots of other artists' studios open.  The entire event is free to the public.  It's a big deal ... especially for us!

Open Studios sort of means that Steve and I need to clean, dust, rearrange and tag artwork ... basically "spruce up" the place.  It is also the only time we ever have a sale.  Everything that is in shrink wrap is 50% off ... which means we need to make a few signs too!

 
(Above: Mouse House!)

Open Studios also means cleaning my studio!  I started this week.  I found two, large trash bags filled with recycled, felted wool.  This stash had been given to me over a year ago.  It came from another artist who worked as a care-giver for a woman who used to make hooked rugs.  This elderly lady went to thrift stores searching for wool suits and jackets and blankets to recycle into her rugs.  All the garments were snipped apart and felted in her washing machine. The work became too difficult to continue as she aged and the stash became mine.

One problem!  I generally don't use much felted wool.  I finally figured out something to do with the two bags of it ... make unique felted necklaces.  I made ten this week.  There's likely enough wool to make another dozen.  This has been a fun!  My studio is getting more tidy.  Some things are actually being trashed and the carpet has been cleared enough for vacuuming!

 (Above:  Booth 1408 at last week's Atlanta ACC Show.)

So ... here I am last week in my booth!  But, that's not all Steve and I did in Atlanta!

We also went to the Georgia Aquarium, the largest in the western world.  We watched the dolphin and sea lion shows.  We saw little Asian otters and large California sea otters.  The largest tank has two whale sharks!  There were sea horses, an octopus, sharks, alligators, sea anemone, and more fish than I could possibly list.  It was a great day ... especially having the opportunity to crawl under the penguin enclosure to see these amazing birds fly through the water.  I stood up inside one of the plastic tubes, just inches from very cute ones!  Great fun!

Below are a few more pictures of some of the felted necklaces!  Scroll down!

I am linking this post to Nina-Marie's "Off the Wall Fridays", a site for sharing fiber artworks.

Last pieces before ACC Atlanta

(Above:  In Box CCCXII. Framed:  33" x 21". Polyester stretch velvets on recycled, black industrial felt with self-guided, free-motion machine embroidery and melting techniques.  Inventory # 4261. $550.  Click on any image to enlarge.)

Tomorrow is a busy day.  Everything needed to erect booth 1408 for the coming weekend ACC (American Craft Council) Atlanta show will be gathered near our back door.  It is a day to consult the list of "little things" ... like pens, business cards, invoices, bubble wrap, price tags, bags, extra light bulbs, glass cleaner and rags, extension cords, tape, the Dust Buster, etc.  It will all go near the back door.  The cargo van will be packed early on Wednesday morning.  Then ... off to Atlanta!

 (Above:  In Box CCCXII.)

I'm always a little nervous before these big shows.  Not only am I afraid I'll forget something important, I'm afraid of failure.  A lot rides on a weekend like this.  More than the money (which is very substantial), it is difficult to stand in one, small space and say the same things over and over again if people aren't really interested.  It's hard to keep an upbeat attitude if sales are poor.  It's hard to keep telling myself, "Susan, your work is good!" if no one is looking.  Doing these high-end shows is an exercise in maintaining self-confidence! 

 (Above:  In Box CCCXIII. Framed: 19" x 15". Inventory # 4262. $235.)

Struggling with low self-esteem has always been an issue for me. Like many artists, it likely comes from childhood experiences.  One would think it easy to overcome by just "letting the past be the past".  It just doesn't work out that way.  For me, making art is the best way to combat my own mental demons.  So ... before most big shows, I simply make more work!  I always feel comfortable and happy in my studio.  Armed with a pair of scissors, a hot iron, and a sewing machine, I can conqueror just about anything! So, that's what I did this weekend!

 (Above:  In Box CCCXIV. Framed: 19" x 15". Inventory # 4263. $235.)

Yet, that's not all I did this past weekend.  I went to two dance productions and wrote reviews for Jasper Magazine.  Being the publication's "Dance Writer" has been an amazing experience.  I look at the performances differently and have to do a bit of research too.  There are two editors, too.  One makes almost no changes.  She's my age.  The other one (a much younger guy) seems to tweak at least three sentences.  For the most part, I've thought his rewording read pretty much the same as my original.  Hilariously, he altered one paragraph into a grammatical error by inserting the pronoun "they" (plural) which referred to back to the word "friend" (singular).  I said nothing ... but since I'm going to link the two articles, I didn't want anyone to think I didn't pay attention in nineth grade English classes.

Columbia Classical Ballet's Don Quixote review
Columbia City Ballet's Body & Movement showcase review

I've been writing for Jasper all season. If you scroll down the blog list, you'll find all my articles.  It's been fun!  I have only two more shows before my term is up.

More Great Quotations and Good News!

(Above:  Quiet Because I Stuttered, The Wall of Ancestors.  12" x 12". Anonymous photo, collage, antique frame and glass.  Click on any image to enlarge.)

I'm excited!  Dates have been set for another solo show!  Anonymous Ancestors is going to the Gadsden Museum of Art in Alabama from January 4 - February 22, 2019.  In celebration, I turned this anonymous photograph into yet another piece for The Wall of Ancestors. I can't wait to transform the space, especially the large interior.  Each venue has provided its own challenges and ends up very different according to the room's layout.  This will be so much fun!

(Above:  Great Quotations XXVIII: Dance.  Quotation by Martha Graham.  Antique or pre-1945 image and letters clipped mostly from vintage magazines and ephemera on a page from Charles Richardson's English Language Dictionary, 1846.  Dictionary page was initially fused to fabric and includes free-motion machine stitching and watercolor.  Page measures 11" x 8 1/2".  Each piece is matted to 20" x 16".)

I've also just finished six more pieces in my "Great Quotations Series".  These are so much fun to create ... especially the research for just the right quotation.  From Martha Graham to Harry Truman to Carlos Santana and beyond, I'm reading some very profound and often funny statements.  Browse down for the other five, finished pieces.

(Above:  Great Quotations XXV: Write.  Quotation by Maya Angelou.)

 
(Above:  Great Quotations XXX: Style.  Quotation by Coco Chanel.)

(Above:  Great Quotations XXIX: Society.  Quotation by George Bernard Shaw.)

(Above:  Great Quotations XXVI: Wait.  Quotation by Carlos Santana.)

(Above:  Great Quotation XXVII: Faithful.  Quotation by Harry S. Truman.)

Six new "Small In Box" series pieces ... ready to go to Atlanta!

(Above:  In Box CCCXI.  Inventory # 4253.  Framed:  19" x 15". $235.  Click on any image to enlarge.)

By this time next week, Steve and I will be in Atlanta setting up booth #1408 at the American Craft Council Show.  Some of the other artists have been doing high-end, fine craft shows like this for twenty to thirty years.  Some artists do as many as twenty shows per year. We've been doing this for five years and do two or three shows per year.  Nevertheless, we are now finally feeling like "pros".  We know where we are going, what to pack, how to set up and light the booth, and what shoes to wear (which is a very important consideration!)

(Above: In Box CCCIX. Inventory # 4251.  Framed:  19" x 15". $235.)

It is also important to have plenty of work for potential art-lovers to purchase.  Everyone like having a choice.  Until this past weekend, I only had two "Small In Box" series pieces.  It was time to make more.  These are the six that got finished!

(Above: In Box CCCVI Inventory # 4248.  Framed:  19" x 15". $235.)

I think we are ready for Atlanta!  Scroll down to see the others!

(Above: In Box CCCVII Inventory # 4249.  Framed:  19" x 15". $235.

(Above: In Box CCCVIII. Inventory # 4250.  Framed:  19" x 15". $235.)

(Above: In Box CCCX. Inventory # 4252.  Framed:  19" x 15". $235.)

Deckle Edge Literary Festival 2018

(Above:  Making bookmarks at the Richland County Main Library as part of the Deckle Edge Literary Festival 2018.  Click on any image to enlarge.)

Yesterday was an amazing experience!  From 10 - 4, I spent time on the second floor of the Richland County Public Library, just at the top of the central escalator making bookmarks with the public.  The event was part of the Deckle Edge Literary Festival.  I met lots of people and talked about the many panel discussions and other offerings at the one-day festival.  One lady and her young son came from Summerville, just outside Charleston.  The three girls in the photo above came with a high school journalism group in Oxford, Mississippi.  I also met lots of aspiring poets, like the volunteer in the background.  She's a Spring Valley High School student who helped festival goers find their way to various discussions groups, the hospitality room, the theater, and the bathroom.  She made two nice bookmarks too!  I also spent time with a homeless guy I know from Starbucks.  He has a "gold card" like me.  He made a bookmark that spelled out the word "coffee".  Later, one little four-year-old girl refused her mother's help.  She couldn't read or write but carefully selected attractive letters to glue down and then announced exactly what it meant to her.  It was incredible!

 (Above:  Sample book marks.)

The idea for this project was for people to use my letters (clipped from magazines) to spell out a significant word or favorite author or important book title.  No one selected a book or an author.  Everyone gravitated to a word of intention.  I thought that would happen, especially since the sample bookmarks I made came from a video called "10 Emotions You Didn't Know Had Names".  I found this video on Facebook.  It was shared by my friend Ellen Kochansky, director of the Rensing Center ... a place where I will spent five summer weeks creating another, larger project for public engagement.  The funny thing is, almost no one looked at my samples.  People immediately understood that they could write anything they wanted using the thousands of available letters.

 (Above:  Some of the participants and the bookmarks they made.)

For me, it was a unique way to watch people select letters that really did look like the meaning behind their word or phrase. 

Some people automatically used the blank bookmarks vertically.  I've never done that.  The man in the photo above let his wife know what was on his mind.  His bookmark read, "LUNCH"!

 (Above:  Making keys with the public, including poet Jennifer Bartell.)

I kept busy the entire time too although nothing I made will ever be used as a bookmark.  Everything I created will later be turned into a tagged key for my Wall of Keys.  That's how I came up with this idea in the first place.  I've always used "text", a literary form for visual expression.  I've always thought about meaningful words.  During the day, the public influence me in unexpected ways with idea for new words and phrases.  Soon, there will be plenty of newly tagged keys on my wall!


(Above:  Detail of my Wall of Keys.  There are currently over 2000 tagged keys.)

Later in the evening, I went to the champagne reception followed by the keynote address by Terrance Hayes, winner of the 2010 National Book Award who also the current New York Times Magazine's poetry editor and honored as a MacArthur, NEA, and Guggenheim fellowship.  During the evening, Nikky Finney was given Deckle Edge's inaugural "Southern Truth Award".  Nikky Finney has a resume very much like Terrance Hayes ... winning the 2011 National Book for Poetry award, a book I've even read! LOL!  For the most part, the evening was one spent listening to amazing words by very, very accomplished writers.  It was my honor just to be there!

(Above:  Deckle Edge's keynote evening with Deckle Edge's board member Cindi Boiter starting the evening off!)

Six more Great Quotations

 (Above:  Great Quotations XXIV: Gentleman with a quotation from Vin Diesel.  Click on any image to enlarge.)

So far this week, I've been working on my "Great Quotations Series" and preparing for a day at the Richland County's Main Library.  I'll be making bookmarks with the public at an event called Deckle Edge Literary Festival.  The bookmarks will be very similar to the tagged keys I make ... except that there won't be a key, just a long tag with an inspiring word, phrase or favorite book title.  I've got all my clipped letters ready to go.  They are the same sort of letters that I use on the "Great Quotation Series". 

 (Above:  Great Quotations XIX, Bath with quotation by Sylvia Plath.)

In preparation for Saturday's public art project, I even got a new, larger container in which the clipped letters are stored.  It is marketed to hold nuts and bolts.  Several of the trays are more than twice the size of the trays in my older container.  They are perfect for most of the vowels and letters like "N", "R", "S", and "T".  

(Above:  Great Quotations XX: Oedipus' Riddle of the Sphinx.)

All the pieces in the "Great Quotations Series" are made using antique or pre-1945 images and letters clipped mostly from vintage magazines and ephemera on a page from Charles Richardson's English Language Dictionary, 1846.  I have a stack on which I'm currently working ... so there will be more.

(Above:  Great Quotations XXI: Smoke with quotation from Mark Twain.)

It is great fun researching words, looking for the best quotation for each piece.  I don't select or even look for the quotation until the page already has the image and stitching done.  In a sense, it's like a game or a crossword puzzle ... something I must riddle out.

(Above:  Great Quotations XXII: Gown with quotation from Karl Lagerfeld.)

Many of the images were black-and-white.  I've done quite a bit of the hand coloring.  It's fun too!

(Above:  Great Quotations XXIII: Flirt with a quotation from Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte.)

Looking for the quotation also makes me want to spend more time just reading good books.  I read Jane Eyre when I was much, much younger ... and likely the idea of "flirting as a woman's trade" went well over my head! LOL!