New Work -- Deer and Mayapple

Today I'm featuring another just-completed work, "Deer and Mayapple".  It's part of my new series, Flora and Fauna, which is also the name of my exhibit running through the month of October at the PA Arts Experience Gallery, 114 N. Prince St., Lancaster, PA.  I'll be at the gallery from 5 -9 tomorrow night for the First Friday opening reception, and again on Saturday for Lancaster Artwalk.  I'm excited about the opportunity to share my new work in such a great venue.

"Deer and Mayapple"  is 42"h x 50" w, and features cyanotype prints of skull and jaw bones that I photographed.  The prints came out very well; you can even see the squiggly lines bisecting the skull on top, which I'm assuming is where the growth plates fused.  It's a smallish skull, with short stubs of antlers, and part of the nose was either worn or nibbled away.  The patchwork is made from high-end silks, and cotton and bamboo fabrics I painted and printed.

It's also got this absolutely fabulous vintage embroidered piece, with a fawn nibbling some possibly forbidden fruit in a fantasy garden. 

Can you tell I am having a lot of fun with this series?

New Work - Fox and Hackberry

Fox and Hackberry is completed!  It will be on my website soon, but I'm happy to share the first look at it here with all my loyal blog readers.  It's 50"h x 66"w, and features cyanotypes on cotton, made from photos I took of a red fox skull, a heliographic hackberry print, and some almost-traditional patchwork.  You can read about the cyanotype process in a previous post here, and see the results below.  I am very happy with how crisp and detailed these prints came out--I spent a lot of time on the photography.

Those wonderful swirly shapes in the center are vintage hand-crocheted doilies, appliqued onto a piece of silk I hand painted:

Here's another detail shot, with skulls and a portion of the hackberry print.  I saw a red fox in my backyard this past winter, running along the edge of the woods where the hackberry trees grow:

Fox and Hackberry is one of the new works in my Flora and Fauna exhibit that just opened at the PA Arts Experience Gallery at 114 N. Prince St., Lancaster, PA.  Here's the front of the exhibit postcard:

And the reverse of the card with all the relevant info.  I will be at the Gallery on 10/1 from 5 - 9 for First Friday, and again on Saturday as part of the Art Walk festivities.  It's going to be great weather and great fun--hope to see you there!

Quilts=Art=Quilts Acceptance

More good exhibit news--Plume Poppy has been accepted into Quilts=Art=Quilts at the Schweinfurth Memorial Art Center in Auburn, NY.  This prestigious exhibit of contemporary art quilts was juried by Jeanne Beck, Elizabeth Busch and Erin Wilson, and runs from October 30, 2010 to January 9, 2011.

Plume Poppy is a huge work--81"h x 74"w--with a lot of detail, and I'm so pleased that it's going to a venue where it will be properly lit and displayed.  I am again contemplating a road trip....

And in the garden, my plume poppies outdid themselves this year, despite the run of dry weather late in the summer.  Their huge glaucous leaves give me such a thrill, and I love their architectural presence in the garden, and the way they pop up unexpectedly from seed.  I know they can run a bit too rampant in some soils, but in my heavy clay they volunteer just enough to be a pleasant surprise.

Artquilts XV: Needleplay -- Acceptance

I'm very happy to announce that two of my works from the Watt & Shand series have been juried into Artquilts XV:Needleplay, that will be displayed at the Chandler Center for the Arts & Vision Gallery, Chandler, AZ, November 5, 2010, through January 15, 2011.  The selected works are Watt & Shand #7, above, and Watt and Shand #10.  The detail shot of #7, below, includes the amazing leaning man:

If you are new here, you can track back the Watt & Shand series as a work in progress by clicking on Watt & Shand under Labels in the right sidebar, or you can read the short synopsis here.  Below is #10, the final work in the series:

The list of accepted artists reads like a Who's who of quilt and fiber artists I admire--check it out here.  I am thrilled to be in such esteemed company, and would love to see this show.  I may have to give some  serious consideration to a road trip!

Jonal Exhibit Opening

 

The opening of my solo show, "Fantastic Foliage" at Jonal Gallery was great fun--great visitors, perfect weather, excellent food, and warm and welcoming hosts.  I'm so happy to have my work in this excellent venue.  Below is a portion of the front gallery room, before the crowds came.

A shot of the Labyrinth gallery--the floor is unbelievable--original wood flooring, restored and then painstakingly hand stenciled in an elaborate labyrinth design.

And here's the happy artist!

I will be giving a gallery talk / powerpoint presentation at the gallery tomorrow, 9/16, from 7-9.  Call the gallery at 717-681-9400, or email  to reserve a spot.  I have a lot of interesting information and visuals to share and look forward to spending another evening at the gallery --hope to see you there!         

Today's Feature: Reed Run

I'm packing up and getting organized in advance of delivering and helping to set up my work at Jonal Gallery tomorrow.  One of the works included in "Fantastic Foliage" will be Reed Run, which is based on the experience of hiking along the stream in the Reed Run Nature Preserve in Lancaster County.  The leaves are from  pawpaw trees--regular readers know I have a bit of a fixation with pawpaw trees--which grow in stands all along the streamside.  The print on the left is a cyanotype on silk, and the one on the right is a heliograhic print, done with textile paints on a textured silk.

There's hand embroidery in this one, and lots of beadwork with glass seed and bugle beads as well as semi-precious stones.  Combined with the rich silk and handwoven cotton fabrics, it's a visual and textural treat when seen in person.  Please stop by the gallery if you get the chance.