Tuesday, December 08, 2009
perspective
I'm beginning to see these circles as windows or portholes into some where or some time other than the here and now. Always hazy. Just out of reach and focus.
Sunday, December 06, 2009
new looks
Colin and I both went for haircuts yesterday. There are no before pictures for a very good reason. I left more hair on the floor of the salon than I now have left and Colin was looking like the bear's butt.
Work continues on this piece. I don't have a stash of embroidery floss so I find myself literally building thread, one strand at a time, from sewing threads. Six and eight strands at a time will make you slow down and be precise or the nest-knot monster just waits to pounce.You can click on both these shots for a close look.
Thursday, December 03, 2009
Innocent Bystanders
"Innocent Bystanders" is back from the Skinny Envelope Show in Florida. According to statcounter, someone in Oklahoma has been lingering over this piece. It's one of my favorites but if you are interested, get in touch and we can negotiate a price that will work for both of us. Here is a link for a detailed look.
The damasks and metallic washed hand dyed fabrics are hard to photograph accurately but anyone who has seen this piece in person will tell you that this is close....
The damasks and metallic washed hand dyed fabrics are hard to photograph accurately but anyone who has seen this piece in person will tell you that this is close....
Wednesday, December 02, 2009
in Nelly's hoops
It's cold and rainy and twilight dark at lunch here in Georgia, with tornado warnings for dessert. All I'd like to do today is hole up and stitch but it's off to the whine mine shortly. Hopefully all the middle management out there will see this full moon eve as a good day to slack off and leave me a few contemplative moments tween contacts to move some thread around some thoughts.
Monday, November 30, 2009
monday's work
I just finished - well, it's only basted together - something to take to work with me. Monday's are funny. It could be slamming busy with one report after the next of human stupidity and greed, or it could be eerily slow. At least I'll have something new stitch on and fool with if the moments present themselves. New music on my Ipod too. So I put this one up on the design wall beside the other two recent things and find the ongoing theme keeping up a pace, a circular rhythm that I wont' fight against.
Sunday, November 29, 2009
no heart for art
Somedays the art the you start will not pick you up and carry you along if your heart is not in the making. Neither of these things went any further than this but elements of both have been rescued and repurposed into something else, something that may just sail away without me.
Too soon to tell. No photos as yet.
On the sunny side of my mental street, my neighbor (who is moving) asked if I knew anyone who could adopt her son's adult cat - he was also moving away and could not take the two year old Novi with him. It just so happens that I did know someone who lost all three of her long time family pets within the last two years.
Novi moves on and Jan, Christian and Ryan were ready
Too soon to tell. No photos as yet.
On the sunny side of my mental street, my neighbor (who is moving) asked if I knew anyone who could adopt her son's adult cat - he was also moving away and could not take the two year old Novi with him. It just so happens that I did know someone who lost all three of her long time family pets within the last two years.
Novi moves on and Jan, Christian and Ryan were ready
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Thursday, November 19, 2009
ongoing
Focusing on the details can become a distraction but here each detail has a place and meaning. What they are remains a mystery, even to me. Besides, distraction is just another way to get there.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
in writing
Thanks for all the wonderful points of view regarding the use of written dialogue stitched into art. It's good to know what other people think both about doing it and seeing it. For now I have decided against any messages or even letter forms.
I find that when I begin using letter forms I can't help but want to convey something snarky or entertaining. In fact, I find that when I work literally or do something representational you can pretty much bet on something weird, shocking or downright wrong going on. You'll laugh too if you don't run out of the room.
I find that when I begin using letter forms I can't help but want to convey something snarky or entertaining. In fact, I find that when I work literally or do something representational you can pretty much bet on something weird, shocking or downright wrong going on. You'll laugh too if you don't run out of the room.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
the Wheel
Just came from Gerdiary and it's fun to see someone who seems to be rolling along the same art rails with me at this point in time. Using whatever is at hand to make some kind of sense of things with needle, thread and a stretch of quiet time.
The ground for this one is a piece of what I think is linen but I could be wrong. Maybe I'll snatch a thread off it and set it on fire, see what happens.
Here's a closer look
I have been thinking about the pros and cons of stitching words into this piece - all that white space is nagging me to do something about it but I'm resisting the urge for the same reasons that I don't like to write artist statements about a specific piece. I don't want to tell people what to think and don't think my own thoughts should be relevant to the observer's experience. I'd love to hear from other artists who use the stitched words in their work. It seems to be a very sharp two-edged sword.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
the Wheel turns
I brought a new base to work with me only to discover that I forgot to bring any scraps to compose with so I started pulling raggedy chunks off my Go Bag. I've been dragging it around for a couple of years now and it's getting pretty seedy. There were fluttery little things hanging all off of it. Now they are being incorporated into a new hand stitched piece loosely based on the Wheel of Fortune tarot card
Thanks for all the lovely comments about the pieces in the previous post. This one was part of a short lived creature frenzy that I went through late in 2008
back when I had more free time. All of these were done on the machine in a very fast, improvisational manner. Right now, the studio is a kind of sad place for me - I don't spend all that much time there. Just digging through piles of things as I look for materials to take with me on the go. The Wheel will turn.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Morning Light
I love the way stitched pieces look in the morning light that comes through my studio. Unfortunately, the tree shadows prevent any good photographs and at this time of the year the light is too...steep. I'll try again later out on the deck.
This one continues to entertain me while I am at work but probably not tonight. It's Friday, the 13th. You would be surprised to know how self-fulfilling superstitions can be. Years ago I was a telephone operator and felt certain that there should have been combat pay added to our checks for getting through a full moon Friday night or Friday on any 13th.
This one continues to entertain me while I am at work but probably not tonight. It's Friday, the 13th. You would be surprised to know how self-fulfilling superstitions can be. Years ago I was a telephone operator and felt certain that there should have been combat pay added to our checks for getting through a full moon Friday night or Friday on any 13th.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
newest-biggest
Maybe I should wait until it's completely dry but as I was applying the matte medium and working on it from all directions I decided I liked this orientation better than my first approach. I thought about calling it "Blessed Are the Cracked for they let in the Light" but no doubt Groucho Marx' family lawyers would be all over me in a heartbeat. A name will come in time as I live with it. The original textile construction has been permanently mounted to a 36"x36" canvas and sealed with matte acrylic medium
Make An Offer! UPDATED
BOTH OF THESE GOODIES HAVE BEEN CLAIMED AND MY PLEDGE TO PFAN HAS BEEN MADE - THANKS FOR THE SUPPORT.
(it has outgrown it's blogspace!) I'm offering "Rainbow Box" OR this tall stack from my stash to the highest bidder by noon tomorrow with a $10.00 minimum bid. All proceeds will go to the pFAN kickstart
Sunday, November 08, 2009
November change & suprises
Jake convinced me it would be good for me to get out in the sunshine and stomp the woods for while. We went to Suwannee Park and walked and talked and suddenly he pointed out a mile marker to me and to my amazement we had gone a mile and I was not falling down. Bless him, he did go get the car and picked me up at the end of the trail. Not bad for my first outing in ages. My feet are singing. This time away from the usual Sunday routine gave those jars extra time to batch and Jim took them out into the warm sunshine for me. There was little dye in the rinse water but how these will finish out always remains to be seen. For now it's all eye candy. Enjoy.
Saturday, November 07, 2009
new WIPS big & little
It's been a good day for the art. There's been progress on both the new WIPs, little unamed by hand is waiting for me to settle down and sew, the big one below has been under the machine needle all day.
Add to that a whole flock of vintage damask napkins and table scarves found their way into the dyepots today. For now, there's a dozen or more mason jars flocked around the little heater in my living room sort of poaching. I promise not to get up in the night and start hatching them out. Dawn maybe.
Add to that a whole flock of vintage damask napkins and table scarves found their way into the dyepots today. For now, there's a dozen or more mason jars flocked around the little heater in my living room sort of poaching. I promise not to get up in the night and start hatching them out. Dawn maybe.
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