New Work - Flood Stage

I’ve got some new work, in a new (to me) medium, and I’m tremendously excited about it.

Flood Stage #1

It’s been an incredibly wet and rainy spring and summer here in Pennsylvania, and I’ve been looking for a means of expressing my reaction to my damp and dripping environment.

Flood Stage #2

A request from my friend, artist Janette Toth, was the catalyst for this new direction and series of works.

Flood Stage #3

She asked if I had some small works to hang at the Fresco Green Scene, for their involvement in Lancaster Art Walk in October.

Flood Stage #4

I’ve been Working Large for the past several years, and didn’t have anything on hand, but apparently I’ve been nurturing a pent up demand for small scale intimate work.  I sat down at my needle felting machine with an assortment of wool and silk scraps and wool and alpaca roving, and the floodgates opened, as it were.

Flood Stage #5

I’ve lived near the Susquehanna River most of my life; my childhood home was on a hill with a spectacular view of it.  I’ve hiked near it, sailed on it, swam in it, and was in Harrisburg, PA during the devastating floods caused by Hurricane Agnes.  I’ve also spent a lot of quality time with the streams that feed into the river, and have witnessed floods caused by rains in the summer and ice jams in the winter. 

Flood Stage #6

So with all of that experience and imagery crammed in my head,  on the heels of Hurricane Irene, and in the midst of the lashings of Hurricane Lee, these small works came tumbling out all in a rush. 


Flood Stage #7

I’m calling them “Flood Stage” and numbering them sequentially. They are all 8” high by 6” wide, and are mounted on mat board.  They are at my framer’s right now--I work with Jenny at State of the Art, and she does an amazing job with her level of craftsmanship, but especially with collaborating in picking out the perfect mats and frames.  My work is always transformed in her hands, and I’m looking forward to getting it back, and then seeing it hanging.
My artistic project plate is very full right now, but I hope to make time to expand on this theme and this new series. It is tremendously fun to work on, always a good sign!