Drawing on the Susquehanna - Online Exhibition

52 Ways to Look at the River

 Drawing on the Susquehanna, Four Centuries of Artistic Inspiration and Commerce,  was scheduled to open at Lore Degenstein Gallery, Susquehanna University, this April. In the current shutdown situation, the physical exhibit has been postponed. However, the good news is that curator and artist Rob Evans has put together an outstanding online exhibit available here.

In Dreams I Found Utopia

Rob states: "Pulling together this exhibit has been a two year journey and labor of love: researching, tracking down and purchasing prints, books, magazines, maps, ceramics and other works of art by scouring Ebay, obscure book and print shops, and various online marketplaces around the globe. Not only has this exploration been a treasure hunt of sorts, but it has deepened my sense of connection to this valley, and to my roots as an artist following in the footsteps of those who have lived and worked here before me, and who, like me, have been taken in and transformed by the sublime beauty and rich human history this river embodies."

As you may have noticed, I am also enamored of the Susquehanna, and have a series of works portraying it in its many moods. I am honored that two of them, 52 Ways to Look at the River, and In Dreams I Found Utopia, are included in this exhibit.

The artwork in the exhibit is truly amazing, and Rob is very eloquent in his descriptions and in placing the works in their larger context.  Please find a few quiet moments to treat yourself to this wonderful journey through time and space; again, available here.

In Dreams I Saw the Rift acceptance into Art of the State

In Dreams I Saw the Rift

I am thrilled and honored to announce that my latest work, In Dreams I Saw the Rift, has been accepted into Art of the State Pennsylvania 2020.

In Dreams I Saw the Rift, detail 1

Once again the submission process was very competitive, with over 2000 entries from which jurors Lauren Frances Adams, Clara Lieu and Ron Tarver chose 109 works. Within that group, my work is part of the fine craft category; the exhibit also comprises painting, photography and digital media, sculpture, and works on paper. The exhibit is always of the highest quality, and the gallery space in the State Museum is fantastic. I am delighted to have a place to display this large work, where I can count on the lighting and staging to be excellent.

In Dreams I Saw the Rift, detail 3

This year obviously poses some serious challenges for art exhibits. The museum is currently closed, at least until the end of April, and staff is working from home. This opening date has been postponed from June until (hopefully) September. I'll post updates as I get them.

I am acutely aware of how fortunate I am to be currently sheltering safely, to have my basic needs met, and to have studio space in my home. I share this good news with the knowledge that life is difficult for many right now. As I look for ways to help, I'm sending out positive thoughts and love to all my friends.

New work - In Dreams I Saw the Rift

In Dreams I Saw the Rift

 I am pleased to share my new work, In Dreams I Saw the Rift. It's the latest in my series The River, which to date has been focused on my decades of experience living near the Susquehanna in Pennsylvania.

In Dreams I Saw the Rift, detail 1

 I've been working on this piece, off and on, for several years, and as I progressed the theme became clearer and clearer. I finished it just before the corona virus crisis became acute. To me it represents chaotic neutral--whatever comes next could be positive, or negative, or most likely a mixture of both.

In Dreams I Saw the Rift, detail 2

 But as always, I try and leave it up to you, the viewer, to draw your own interpretations of the imagery.

In Dreams I Saw the Rift, detail 3

 The top portion is made from handstitched hexagons of fabric, done in the English paper piecing method. The middle portion is needlefelted and quilted, with lots of hand embroidery on the wool borders. I had a lovely time with all that time consuming hand stitching.

In Dreams I Saw the Rift, detail 4

 The borders are cyanotypes of bamboo, with a wet process cyanotype fern print anchoring it at the bottom. The quilt measures 66"h x 59" w.

In Dreams I Saw the Rift, detail5

You can track it back as a work in progress by clicking here.

As always, thank you for reading, and special thanks to everyone who has shown interest in the progress posts and photos.

You can follow my work in progress on your social media of choice:
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Experiments in wet cyanotype - part 48

There were a few sunny and warm days in March where I had the impetus to do some botanical printing. I pulled out my collection of autumn leaves I had pressed for just such an occasion and fiddled around with their layout. I am using my favorite cloth, a medium weight cotton sateen. 

Once I decided on the arrangement, I removed the leaves and treated the fabric with a combination of cyanotype chemicals in the center, and Jacquard Solarfast around the edges. I then added the leaves back on and pressed them down firmly. I covered the arrangement with some sheet plastic (I don't have any glass this large) and set them in the sun for a nice long exposure. I no longer worry about the crease lines in the plastic, as it adds another layer of design.

Over the course of several days I did two more panels, with slightly different arrangements of leaves.

Pressed leaves lose their integrity after a while, so I was invested in using them all up as creatively as I could.

The colors of the chemicals change dramatically after exposure.

Here are the three panels after exposure, but before rinse out. The areas where the leaves acted as resists, that have some lovely green and blue tones, will mostly rinse out.

This phase is very fleeting, so I enjoy capturing these images.

Here are the finished prints! I am very happy with how they turned out.

They are up on my design wall now, where I can enjoy them and contemplate my next move.

I am very fortunate to be in a place where I can putter about like this right now. I hope  everyone is sheltering as safely as possible.

I've been working with cyanotype since 2002, and with the wet cyanotype process since the summer of 2017. All the wet cyan posts, of which this is number 48, where I document my experiments in detail, are available in reverse chronological order by clicking the "Wet Cyanotype" tab in the header bar, or by going here.

And a reminder that you can also follow along on your social media of choice:
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In Dreams I Saw the Rift, part 4

With the river, the bamboo, and the hexies well under way, and work progressing on sewing all the elements together into a quilt top, it was time to think about the backing. Ordinarily, as my work is meant to be displayed on a wall, the backing is not seen, but I am particular about it nonetheless. It needs to be the right weight to support the quilt, yet still be easy to stitch through. And it needs to look good! I spend many hours with it as I am doing the quilting, and I want it to please and/or amuse me.

My procedure in the past has been to hand paint the backs on my driveway, and let it dry in the sun with the cracks in the driveway providing textural lines. For this first effort in my new house, I wasn't quite ready to paint up the driveway (what will the neighbors think!) and there wasn't much in the way of sun, so I retreated to the back deck with a tarp and a good deal of optimism.

The picture above is from the first dripping of the paint. I let that sit a while. Without sun it was not spreading very rapidly, so I got in there with a clean broom and moved some paint around.

While I was waiting on all of that, I used up the bits of paint left in the cups for some improvisational faux-shibori dyeing. I like having a stash of random handpainted fabrics I can pull from for future projects.

The big panel dried enough by sunset that I was able to bring it in and drape it on a table to finish up overnight. After rinsing, drying, and ironing, I had this beauty ready for layering up the quilt.

Big reveal to come! Stay tuned.

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