Squirrel and Locust acceptance for Art Quilts XVII

I’m happy to announce that my Squirrel and Locust has been accepted into Art Quilts XVII: Integrating a Paradox.  The exhibit will run November 2 through January 19, 2013, at the Chandler Center for the Arts in Chandler, AZ.  The juror is Adrienne Buffington

Every now and again I find a call for entry where the theme really relates to my artwork.  I love the idea of integrating a paradox and combining seemingly disparate ideas and elements,  and it is one of the central themes of my Flora and Fauna series.

Here I’ve taken macro images of a squirrel skeleton and used them to print cyanotype images.  I’ve combined them with  a monoprint of the locust “my” squirrels scamper on, and integrated one of my very favorite bits of vintage embroidery:

Squirrels in love, gamboling about on lily pads, cheer me up every time.  What were they thinking?  What am I thinking?  This is where artwork comes from.  I’m so happy to have this great venue to share my work with you all.

Here’s the list of accepted artists.  I’ve added website links where I could find them.  There is a LOT of talent in this group of artists, and I predict it’s going to be an amazing show.

ART QUILTS XVII - Integrating A Paradox
Selected Artists
1. Allen, Pamela
2. Belikiewicz, Stella
3. Blake, Debra
4. Branjord, Sandra
5. Busby, Betty
6. Carter, Erika
7. Chippetine, Lisa
8. Christoff, Suzanne
9. Cline, Georgie
10. Currier, Denise
11. DeCamp, Marcia
12. Donabed, Sandra
13. Engstrom, Linda
14. Gamon, Nancy
15. Gaskin, Laura
16. Giacomini, Mita
17. Green, Nancy
18. Hahn, Betty
19. Hattabaugh, Marla
20. Hansen, Gloria
21. Hiller, Janet
22. Hixson, Steven
23. Huckvale, Neera
24. Kastles, Kathleen
25. Kleeman, Cathy
26. Kleinman, Sherry
27. Krawchuk, Joanne
28. Kyler, Kaci
29. Lauterborn, Eileen
30. Libby, Kathy
31. Linet, Denise
32. Markel, Beth
33. Maser-Flanagan, Valerie
34. Massey, Christina
35. McBride, Jimmy
36. McCurry, Linda
37. Mink, Patricia
38. Murphy, Francis
39. Nemirov, Sharon
40. Otte, Miriam
41. Padilla-Johnson, Alexanna
42. Redmond, Wen
43. Reno, Sue
44. Sample, Loraine
45. Schulze, Joan
46. Shell, Maria
47. Smith, Brenda
48. Sutherland, Tammy
49. Velis Turan, K
50. Weir, Deborah

New Work - Silk Mill #2

New Work!  Silk Mill #2 is finished and up on my website.  It’s the newest addition to my series The Structures, where I examine and intepret historic buildings.  I’m intrigued by the changes that take place over lengthy stretches of time, especially when the structure becomes open to the elements. 
I first happened upon this building,  the Ashley and Bailey Silk Mill in Columbia, PA, when the roof had partially collapsed and many of the windows had missing panes.  It was a brilliant sunny day, and the blue sky shining through the formerly enclosed spaces completely captivated me.  I’m also fascinated by the former uses of the building, first as a silk mill and later as a women’s lingerie and garment factory, and all the textile associations that history evokes.

A portion of the building has since been  restored, and now serves as a tourist attraction promoting the Turkey Hill Dairy.  I’m so happy to be living in an area where historic structures are respected and repurposed.

Above is my photograph that inspired Silk Mill #2.  I edited it and had a thermofax screen made, which I then used to screen print the four main images.  I also had the image digitally printed on silk yardage by the good people at Spoonflower, and used the yardage for the center cruciform structure and in the patchwork. The result is a bit more abstract and graphic than my usual work, which I think represents the graphic nature of the photograph well. 

The size is 35” x 40” wide.  Materials are silks and cottons, some hand painted by me.  It’s embellished with couched threads and rick rack, and I took the time to do hand beadwork with seed and bugle beads around the main panels.

I’ve rounded up all my posts about this silk mill and added a tab at the top, so you can wander back through the works in progress and see all the amazing and inspirational original photos.  Enjoy! 

As always, thanks for reading and commenting.

And stay tuned--#3 is on the way.

“The Structures” featured in The Quilt Life Magazine

I can finally share the news I’ve been excited about for some time--my architectural series of art quilts is featured in the latest issue of The Quilt Life Magazine!  It’s a gorgeous 5 page spread, with lots and lots of photos, and I am incredibly happy with how well my work is represented.  Best of all, the text by editor Melissa T. Maher captures exactly my inspiration, motivation, and working process in conceiving and producing this body of work.  My sincere thanks to Melissa and to Editor-in-Chief Jan Magee for their interest, support, and professionalism in bringing my art and ideas to the pages of the magazine.

The October 2012 issue is the Architecture Issue, and it is chock-full of wonderful content for lovers of both fiber and architecture. See the table of contents here, and then go get your copy!

The quilt featured on the first pages of the layout is my Watt & Shand #9, above.  Also featured in the article, and the backdrop for my picture, is Watt & Shand #10, below.

The article mentions that I am continuing my architectural work beyond the Watt & Shand building with new work featuring the historic Ashley and Bailey Silk Mill in Columbia, PA.  I’ve been posting about those quilts as works in progress--you can track it back here-- and I will have more updates on them soon, so stay tuned.  You can also track back the entire journey of the Watt & Shand series by clicking the tab at the top.  And as always, thanks to all for reading, commenting, and supporting my creative endeavors.

Contemporary Threads at Marietta Art House

I’m delighted to announce that my work is included in the invitational exhibit, Contemporary Threads, opening this weekend at the Marietta Art House in charming Marietta, PA.

The beauty and diversity of fiber will be celebrated with works by Carol Galligan, Christine Forsythe, Gale Jamieson, Amber Kane, Catherine Kleeman, Phyllis Oughton/Koster, Roberta Little, Florance Mellinger, Cindy Moyer, Sue Weaver, Angela Keeling-Woodruff, Erma Martin Yost, and myself.  Wow!  So much talent!

My works on display for the first phase of the exhibit are from my Watt & Shand series, including Watt & Shand #1.

Watt & Shand #3

And Watt & Shand #8. Follow the links for lots more information about the individual works and the series.
If you are in the area, I hope to see you at the opening reception this Sunday, September 9, from 2 - 5 p.m.