Show

Queen Anne's Lace Panels in Progress


Not feeling the love!  I'm left wondering how much better these panels would turn out if I wasn't so distracted by a million things that need to be done before my solo show is hung this weekend?


As you can see from the previous photo that each layer of paint is leading towards improvement, and yet I'm just not feeling it.  The good news is I found six gesso'd raised panel frames today that I plan to go full tilt on later this evening! 


Baltic Birch raised panel frames, taped and gesso'd another words ready for paint!

WIP Queen Anne's Crows No 5


I'm not overly ripped on this shade of red, but for a base coat on the wood this will do, I'm wanting a much deeper shade of red. As for the paint dripping on the stitched panel never fear, that panel has been covered with plastic wrap.

I have to say I had doubts but this was a great idea, I figure if I truly end up hating the color(s) I can always paint the piece black, BUT, the act of painting the wood got me to thinking about the piece, what I want to add and where, what other colors do I want to add, do I want to leave the birds as is?  Btw you can get hose birds from my stencil series over at StencilGirl Products, the birds are a part of my Three Crows Series.  Am off to look at my copper nail and barbed wire collections while this layer of paint dries!


Before the first layer of red paint.

Experimental Birds and Studio Clean Up


I have a bunch of altered papers so I decided to use my Three Crows Stencil to make some cut outs for some upcoming projects, so far it's a LOT of fun!


Shiva paintstik in iridescent copper and raspberry pink folk art paint on blue scrapbook paper.


Cleared off my drawing table, let the fun begin, well for me it's cleared off!

Am gearing down for my solo show next month, and another project that will be revealed about mid-month so decided it was time to do a little cleaning and organizing so I can focus!


I found this raised panel frame earlier, while organizing my paper storage rack, it's been hiding there since about 2009.

Some Bird Art


Little medallions with featuring Black Birds in Tree, alcohol inks to the left, shiva paintstiks to the right (prussian blue)


Experimenting with copic markers and gelli pens on scrap booking paper.  Barely noticeable at the bottom are three of the washi tapes I purchased last weekend.  This will probably end up as the cover for my "new to me" journal.  Crow is from my Three Crows Stencil.

More birds to come, I'm working on a major project (all new work for an upcoming solo show) the big reveal will happen and soon, until then here's my latest samples to see how the various mediums work with the stencils.

Natural Dyed Hexagons


Natural, compost (bundle), and rust dyed cotton fabrics.  The dark red was obtained using a Turkey Red recipe.


I started these hexagons using my natural and compost dyed fabrics in March of 2005, the weekend my mother died actually, and found them last night while I was looking for a missing stack of colored papers.  This couldn't of happened at a better time as I am currently working on a new body of work called "Faded Memories: Stitched Stories of the Prairie and Plains" for an upcoming solo show at the Sanford Museum in Cherokee, Iowa.

This new body of work will encompass both traditional and digital techniques, and to say that I found these hexies made up already would be an understatement! The hexagons are from a pattern known as Grandmother's Garden, which seems rather appropriate for this new body of work!

Auditioning Fabrics





Found some folded points, etc., in a box of vintage fabrics I picked up along the way and am now auditioning them to use in an upcoming body of work. I think I may rust dye some of the red and white gingham as it's too clean and too cheerful.  

The netting and metallic mesh was in a box on my shelf. 

Studio Notes March 5th, 2014


I'm not sure why I'm having so many issues with Blogger of late, but it's interfering with my ability to post, well whenever I like!

Monday I went to Cherokee Iowa with my BFF Brenda to help with hanging her show at the Sanford Museum, help might be a bit of an exaggeration but I'm sure she was happy for the company as it's a long boring drive there and back.  


While on the drive we talked about my upcoming solo show, and why I still didn't have any work produced  yet for said show.  After six hours of beating a dead horse I'm back to these niches I created last spring for another show but always felt like I could have done more.  I love the cut outs in these pieces, I love the birds, the stitching, etc., and want to pursue this further, pushing the limits and see what will happen only with digitally printed and rusted fabrics.

Since I found out my show isn't being hung next month but rather in May I have extra time now to explore the possibilities.

WIP - Niche's


Niches for an upcoming solo show, am still playing off the theme of Queen Anne's Crows from last year.


The door on this piece, and another similar piece, were confounding me.  This issue has now been resolved... the big reveal will be this coming Sunday at Cafe Diem, stay tuned. 

She was Third Class to the right of these two pieces.


Prairie 2002




Prairie
2002
45x38ish inches
Natural Dyes
Silk Crepe de Chine

This is "Prairie" I found it last night in a wicker trunk with several other pieces to my 2002 Prairie Rermnant Solo Show.  I'm thinking of cutting it into four sections, after pressing, and machine stitching, maybe push the surface a little further, and work them into my Canyonland Series.  This while I wait on my indigo vat to do it's thing!

Triptych Update

I was all set to quit working on this particular piece, the triptych that is, and decided to try backing the panels with canvas in hopes that doing so would make stitching the interfacing easier.  I was correct, it did I have yet to have to clean a goober off of my needle, I'm not sure if it's the coarseness of the canvas or what but WOW what a difference it is making.  I'm hoping to have the core stitching done tonight so I can apply the rest the paint tomorrow.

Pushing a Deadline

It would not be natural for me if I wasn't pushing a deadline!  Seems that my ah ha moments are lot richer, and more frequent the closer I approach the deadline, well at first blush this is what it would appear to be.  I think the reality, that is far more likely, is instead of entertaining a multitude of ideas I'm more brutal in my choices, rejecting everything but the strongest of ideas for a piece.

In this current bout of decison making I've decided that stitching fabrics that have been treated with matte medium is far more exciting, and a whole lot easier, than stitching painted interfacing. There's less glue gobbers, from the manufacturing process for making interfacing, to remove from the needle etc.

Change of Color

Was contemplating my new color palette today and was questioning myself as to WHY I'd ever want to go back to working with bold or primary colors.

And then I remembered what my work looked like hanging at the Fisher Art Center last summer, how each piece blended perfectly into the natural red brick wall.  And then it dawned on me subconciously I automatically started working on a bold primary color palette for this new body because the walls at Cafe Diem are also a natural red brick!   There's no sense making 24 new pieces that will simply disappear into the brick wall, or is there?

Will share WIP photos as I work this issue out!