Silk Mill #3 Acceptance into Art of the State

Silk Mill #3

I’m thrilled and honored to announce that my latest work, Silk Mill #3, has been accepted into “Art of the State: Pennsylvania 2013”.  This prestigious exhibit will open June 23, 2013 at the State Museum of Pennsylvania in Harrisburg, and run through September 8th.

There were 137 works chosen from a field of 1,934, putting the acceptance rate at about 7%.  This is an all-media exhibit; the juror for Sculpture and Three Dimensional Craft was Wendelyn W. Anderson.

Silk Mill #3, Detail

I’ve been fortunate enough to have work in this venue in previous years; it’s a really wonderful and elegant setting, and they throw a great opening reception/awards ceremony.  I’m looking forward to it, and to seeing all the other guaranteed-to-be-excellent work on display. Perhaps I’ll see you there!

To learn more about Silk Mill #3, and the others in the series, see yesterday's post, or click the Silk Mill tab at the top.

As always, thanks for reading and commenting.

New Work - Silk Mill #3

I’m excited to reveal my latest work, Silk Mill #3.  It is based on an photographic image I took of the historic Ashley and Bailey silk mill, circa 1899, in Columbia, PA.  The building was abandoned in the 1970’s and fell into disrepair.  It has recently undergone renovation, and a portion of it has been repurposed as the Turkey Hill Experience, an tourist attraction run by the popular local dairy company. 


I took a lot of pictures of it just before the renovation began. I am fascinated by historic buildings with strong architectural lines that have become open to the elements.  (See my Watt & Shand series of art quilts, also in my Structures Gallery and here on my blog.) This structure had broken and missing windows, with the sun shining through them, and a portion of the roof missing.  There were plants growing on it and in it.  But its basic integrity warranted its preservation and re-use. 

This work measures 53” h x 60”w.  The central images are from altered photos, made into thermofax screens, and screened onto hand painted fabrics.  The patchwork is a mix of commercial and hand painted silk, cotton and wool fabrics.  The inner border is the same photo, which I had commercially printed onto silk yardage.  I am particularly happy with the way I was able to move the color fields across the work. 

To see more about the works in this series and their evolution, along with the source photos, click on the Silk Mill tab at the top, or go here.  All the photos here and on my website can be enlarged by clicking.

I hope you enjoy viewing this as much as I enjoyed making it, and as always, thanks for reading and commenting.

Skunk and Garlic Mustard acceptance into Images 2013

I am delighted to announce that Skunk and Garlic Mustard has been accepted into Images 2013, the juried gallery exhibition of the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts.  The juror is Joyce Robinson, curator of the Palmer Museum of Art.  Images 2013 will hang in the Robeson Gallery on the University Park campus of the Pennsylvania State University from June 5 to July 14, 2013. 


I’ve been privileged to have work in this premier regional exhibit in past years--I’ve even won some awards--and I am always very impressed with both the quality of the works selected for the exhibits, and with the exhibit space itself and how well the staff utilizes it.  I’m looking forward to the opening reception on June 7th; perhaps I’ll see you there!


Skunk and Garlic Mustard is part of my Flora and Fauna series, where I am working with the skulls of native wildlife in conjunction with plant monoprints and vintage textiles.  For this piece, I had the luxury of an entire skunk skeleton to photograph and use for cyanotype prints.  I love the delicacy and beauty of these small organic artifacts, and marvel at how they once worked as a whole to support such an interesting and successful life form. 

The vintage component in the work is the bit of french knot embroidery running down the right panel.  It was a gift from a kind friend, so like many vintage textiles I don’t know its provenance but can only appreciate the skill of whoever stitched it.  The botanical print is a heliographic monoprint, made on silk with textile paints, of the horribly invasive garlic mustard plant.  Despite the time I spend cursing it and pulling it, I can’t help but admire its energy and beauty.

As always, thanks for reading and commenting.

Interviewed by Amber Kane

Amber Kane is a fellow fiber artist who works with weaving and crochet to create beautiful and unique designer scarves.  She is producing a series of interview with other artists, and I sat down with her recently, via Skype, to engage in a dialogue over a wide range of artistic topics.  We discuss process,  studio practice, defining an artistic voice, and finding the courage to forge your own identity and creative path.

Amber posted it on YouTube with the tag line:  “What did you love doing as a child?  Sue Reno loved sewing, and she never stopped”.  True!  But of course there's a lot more to the story.  The clip is long-ish, at 26 minutes, but I promise you it is worth your time.



Thanks, as always, for reading and for viewing.