vacation over...

Well, I'm back in the saddle again after a few days away. This picture of Lake Barkley, Kentucky, at around 5:15am one morning last week illustrates the whole vacation--calm, laid back, peaceful. A good break.

But now it's back to making art, getting ready for the Midsummer Arts Faire in Quincy, Illinois, June 26-28. And I have three pieces at the Quad State Art Show, also in Quincy, opening Friday, June 5. And then there's that list of other things I've been meaning to try....

I did carve some rubber stamps and do some sketching and planning while I was sitting on the porch admiring the view. But now to follow through....

That is all.

Fiber Art Alliance Goes Public

I am pleased, honored, humbled, all of the above to announce my selection as a member of the Fiber Art Alliance. This group of fiber and mixed media artists was recently formed and is now going public with our website.

We are spending this year each making three small pieces using the theme Natural Lines. The first set of these are now posted on the website.

And here is a detail shot of my piece, Trail:Lake Agnes:



This piece has several fabrics I started dyeing in my Jane Dunnewold class. The hint at birch trees seen in this section was the result of a happy accident, and some of this piece can also be seen in my previous post. The appearance of trees inspired my theme for the three pieces, playing on an idea that had been bouncing around in my head for a while.

One of my favorite pasttimes is hiking in new places. This piece is a memory of hiking along the Lake Superior Trail in late September 2002. The colors of turning leaves, the quiet fall of footsteps along a leaf littered forest floor, foggy days--all of these sensual memories remain.

I think the second piece I make will be about walking in national parks in the southwest--the idea isn't yet developed enough to pick a trail. But soon it will be.

In other news, my hammock is now hung in my new yard, so let the moments of Zen begin.

That is all.

printing results

Ask, and sometimes you shall receive. Here are a couple of prints off of the same screen:






The screen was designed using water soluble Elmer's glue. The glue broke down some as I continued to print with it. I switched colors during the printing without washing out the old ones--I like the serendipity of what results from doing that. The long lines (some white, some dark) are from wrinkles in the padding underneath. Now that I know this setup will work, I'm going to get some cheap white acrylic felt and stretch and staple it to the piece of countertop. And I didn't really care this time as I was mainly testing the process.

And in the top one, you can see where I overlapped one print on top of another. The result of a sudden hard line amongst the softer blends of color is something I like.

So I got some decent pieces out of the test. And I see where I want to go next, which is always a good thing.

That is all.

a place to dye

I wanted to try screen printing on my own, to see if I could make a space to do it in without making a big mess. My only real choice was a small area in our unfinished basement where the washer and dryer and laundry sink are. Here's the result:



I have the old countertop from our island on top of the washer and dryer. A drying rack on top of a shower curtain to catch the drips while the pieces dry. Thickening paste made. Dyes I want to use. Fabric made to size. Other supplies.

And two silk screens, one with a pattern made with soy wax, and the other with washable glue. Both tend to disintegrate while screening them, at least to some extent. Here's the results:



The result is that there was no big mess. There were a couple of drips onto the plastic below the drying rack. So I think I can pull this off, dyeing and screening in a small space. Is it optimal? No. Is it free? Yes. And that's a big deal.

Meanwhile, here's another picture of my new hero, my pal Buddy. Enjoying the midday sun, not a care in the world. What a way to live in the moment.



That is all.

back to the boneyard

I'm working on a piece for a new group I'm in (more about that later). My first dilemma was I didn't like the finished piece that was my first attempt. It just came out differently than I expected. It's hanging on my wall, waiting for a spark that will transform it into something I'm willing to put my name on.

So the next dilemma involved two pieces of fabric I liked together. I had started with white cotton and made them into complex cloth in my Jane Dunnewold workshop--and they look good together and I could see a finished piece for this project in them. The dilemma is that generally it's a no-no to show or sell work begun in a workshop. But these pieces had no input from the instructor--she was around, but the designs and steps were all of my own making. So I have convinced myself that it is ok to use them. What would have been the difference if I had made them the next day in my own studio? Maybe that's a rationalization because I really like the piece they've become...

But they needed something else. So it was back to the boneyard--where I found the perfect complement. At first I couldn't remember how it was even made, other than it had been melted at some point. Turns out it was a piece of ribbon sewn together with acrylic felt. I only had a bit of it, but by cutting it judiciously and melting it some more, I made it work. Here's a glimpse (can't show the whole piece yet):



Nice color scheme, huh? Well, in real life it is because of parts you can't see here. But the main point (other than the whole ability to rationalize thing) is that it's nice to have this boneyard to pull from. Of course, that means I never throw anything out...you think moving would have taught me something...

Meanwhile, here's my current inspiration:



What a life. Lounging in the springtime sun, wasting the day away.

That is all.

Water based resist workshop

I spent three days last week at a Jane Dunnewold workshop on using water based resists (soy wax, washable glue, flour paste). Lots of work and knowledge passed on, and lots of good company. The host organization was a nearby art center, the Fine Line Creative Arts Center. It's an excellent facility, and only about 10 miles from my home.



The processes are messy, and there's never enough room to put your stuff. But the results, although sample sized, are good examples to inspire future 'real' work:




I need to work out a place I can be messy in my house, or else wait until I can do it outside. I'm thinking that won't be anytime soon--this picture was taken out my front door an hour ago:



Does anyone in charge of the weather realize that it's April? The saving grace is that it is currently above freezing, so this will all go away soon.

And as it always seems, some of the most interesting bits are from the cloth I used to pad the surface:



That is all.

It's only fabric...

I continue to practice what I preach--do what you want to fabric, it's no big deal, they'll make more. Only once in a while do I end up with something unuseable--and even those pieces end up being useful later (if I can find them).

So I had this piece of dark blue corduroy that I had discharged with bleach some time ago. It has an irregular pattern to it in that the wales are different sizes. When I hung it up on the wall the other day, I could see a landscape in it, an abstract one to be sure, but still. But I wasn't entirely happy with the patterning and color.

I have Thiox. I did a test piece to see what would happen and this is what happened:



The orange areas are from bleach; the white/green patch from Thiox. So now I know. I have now discharged the corduroy with both and am moving on in the design of the piece.

And sorry for the big gap in posts. I have been distracted by taxes and paperwork and now by scenes like this in my own yard:



That is all.