Watt & Shand #4 In Progress

Here's another one of the images I'm planning on using in Watt & Shand #4, showing the inside of the facade and a historic building which was preserved in its entirety. Below is a quick snapshot of a section of the color palette for the work--the colors aren't quite true, but you can get the general idea. I have a lot more work to do before this one starts to come together, but I'm enjoying this part of the process immensely. I have an idea of where I want it to go, but I'm still working out some of the concepts, and I find it engaging and stimulating.

If you are new here, you can track back this work in progress and the entire series so far by clicking on "Watt & Shand" under Labels in the right sidebar.

Dandelion Prints

I'm really busy in the studio right now, with a veritable round robin of projects underway. Most of them are still in the preliminary stages, where I'm making prints, picking colors and fabrics, and doing the initial design work. I've made some cyanotype prints for a Dandelion quilt or quilts that are in progress and they turned out very nice and crisp. These are huge leaves from a garden bed that is slightly neglected, so I got to pull "weeds" and make art all in one go.

I wrote about the inspiration for this work in a previous blog post here, which also includes a picture of my grandmother, who had 15 children but did not obtain celebrity status.

This is my 200th blog post! Time sure flies when you're having fun.

More Columbine Prints

The weather here in PA has been just outstanding, and I'm busy making prints and painting fabric. I made a few more cyanotypes for the Columbine quilt; above is a shot of the plant material on the treated fabric, out in the sun for a timed exposure. You can see a reflection of the nearby zelkova tree, and my own reflection on the left, in the glass cover sheet.

And above is a partial view of the finished print. It's on a silk/cotton blend with a lovely sheen. The earlier prints captured the flowers in bloom, while these have the seed capsules.

I'm working on four large projects more or less simultaneously right now and having an enormous amount of fun in the process. These long days are very energizing.

Watt & Shand #4 Begun

I've started work on a new piece in the Watt & Shand series. This time I'm focusing on the view from inside the facade, just after the demolition had finished and before the rebuilding began. I've got some fantastic images that I went to great lengths to obtain, and I'm excited about finding a good way to employ them. So far I have printed some directly on fabric, and have also made some cyanotype prints with them:

The Watt & Shand series is based on the renovation and conversion of a former historic department store building in Lancaster, PA, into a modern convention center and hotel. I was originally captivated by the way the light came through the windows of the empty facade, and went on to take pictures at every stage of the construction project. You can read more about it and follow my creation of three pieces so far by clicking on Watt & Shand in the Labels sidebar at the right, and visit my website to see them in the Structures gallery.

Art of the State Reception

I had a fine time at the opening reception of the Art of the State exhibit at the PA State Museum. They really did it up right. Above is the obligatory shot of me standing and beaming in front of my Big Root Geranium, and below you can see it in context. The work to the left of mine is Wyoming, by Linda Fanning-Lefevre. I met Linda a few weeks ago at the Susquehanna House opening, and it was a cool coincidence to meet her again and find her work next to mine.

Here's a general crowd shot to give a feel for the gallery space:

And another crowd/gallery shot. It was a large crowd, hundreds of art enthusiasts, and there was a lot of good energy and amazing work in the space. I had poured over the images online, but as always it didn't prepare me for how impressive, diverse, and innovative the art was up close and personal. The exhibit runs until September 20 and is well worth a visit if you find yourself in the Harrisburg PA area.

Leaving the show, I got this shot of the curved exterior wall of the museum in the twilight:

And one looking across the street to the State Capitol building.

Machine Quilting Unlimited Article

I'm very excited to announce that I've been published in the latest issue of Machine Quilting Unlimited. I'm the first artist to be chosen for their new feature called Art Studio. I wrote about how I employ the quilting line as a design element in my work. It's lavishly illustrated with detail shots of my quilts that clearly demonstrate the specifics addressed in the text.

This is a great publication that balances good photography ("eye candy") with deep content relevant and useful to all machine quilters (longarm and domestic sewing machine users). Check out the cover and table of contents for the July issue here to see what I mean.

The editorial staff was great to work with and I thoroughly enjoyed the process of producing the article. I've found I have a lot to say about how I work and what's important to me in the process, and I'm delighted to have had the opportunity to share it.

Plume Poppy Progress

I've unearthed the Plume Poppy quilt, code name The Beast, and resumed the quilting work on it. I am very pleased to report that the new machine is easing this task considerably. The wider harp lets me work without tightly scrunching the fabric and hunching my shoulders, and the improved thread tensioning is eliminating a lot of fiddling around with that little screw and expressing myself with nasty euphemisms. I'm excited to be working on this one again, it's going to be very dramatic when it's finished.

I now have two machines set up in my studio; I'm using my faithful old Pfaff for piecing, and the new Janome for freemotion work. This allows me to work on two or more projects (almost) simultaneously, which is enjoyable and a boost to productivity. If you are new here, you can track back this work in progress by clicking on "Plume Poppy" in the right sidebar under Labels.

Parade of Homes Installation

I have some installation photos from the PA Arts Experience exhibit at the Parade of Homes builder's showcase house. (See my previous blog post here for info and links to the architect, builder, and house plans.) Above is The Organic Garden hanging in the master suite; to the left is Rob Evans' pastel, West Side, Deer Isle.

Above is Tall Blue Lettuce hanging in the dining room; below you see it again next to Sumac. I really like the wall color in this room, it was neutral without being boring, and was a great backdrop for the art.

The artwork filled the house, and looked like a million bucks. The builders were very pleased with how well it complemented the home, and they received a lot of interest and comments from the the touring public. It was definitely a worthwhile project for all concerned.

Below are two views of the countryside as seen through the windows in the rear of the house for your viewing enjoyment.