Watt and Shand # 8 Acceptance for "Inside Outside"

I'm very happy to announce that Watt & Shand #8 has been accepted to "Inside Outside", an all-media exhibit May 13 - June 19, 2011, at the Goggleworks Center for the Arts in Reading, PA.  The juror is Bruce Samuelson.  This work is part of my 10 piece series on the transformation of the former Watt & Shand department store into a hotel and convention center, wherein the facade was preserved and incorporated into the new construction.  You can see the entire series on my website; I also blogged about extensively and you can track back the works in progress by clicking on "Watt & Shand" under Labels in the right sidebar.  The images for this piece are from photos I took in Feb. of 2009, when the work was nearing completion, and workers were installing the renovated balustrades.

The theme for this exhibit is "A Broad Interpretation of Space and Place on the Edge and in Between".  That fits neatly with the images and format I used  in this piece,  plus it's always a thrill to get a fiber piece into an all-media show.  I think it will be a very interesting exhibit and I look forward to seeing the variety of work at the opening reception.

Sacred Threads Quilt Exhibition

The Call for Entries is now open for the Sacred Threads 2011 Exhibition.  I am honored to be a juror for this year's exhibit, as I believe strongly in the mission and purpose of the show:
"Sacred Threads is an exhibition of quilts exploring themes of spirituality, joy, inspiration, peace/brotherhood, grief and healing. This biennial exhibition was established to provide a safe venue for quilters who see their work as a connection to the sacred and/or as an expression of their spiritual journey.

The objective is to create a dignified exhibition of artwork that touches on both spiritual and personal levels all those who view it. We want to share with others the experiences of quilters whose stories may be a source of healing and strength."

This year the biennial exhibit has moved from Columbus, OH to the Washington, DC area, and is being co-chaired by the talented and able Lisa Ellis and Christine Adams.  I would like to encourage all of my fiber art and quilting friends to consider submitting an entry; the call for entries is here and the calendar is here--the deadline is March 9.  The digital submission process that Lisa developed for the show is wonderful--I'd go so far as to call it easy--and the entry fee is reasonable.  If you wish, you can make your work available for sale, and there is no commission charged.  I would love to see this show continue to grow in stature and importance, and look forward to reviewing the entries--I know it will be a difficult, but rewarding job.

Lisa and Christine were interviewed by Leslie Riley, and you can listen online here for lots of great and inspiring information, history, and backstory about the Sacred Threads exhibit.

How (and Why) I Add Beadwork to Fiber Art

I'm in the midst of adding beadwork to "Squirrel and Locust" right now, and I wanted to share a bit about the process and the motivation for it.  I start with an assortment of seed beads, teardrops, cubes, and bugle beads and so on, and spread a small amount out on a piece of vellux.  Remember vellux?  A foam core with brushed nylon on each side, once popular for inexpensive, lightweight blankets?  I never cared for the blankets, but a square of vellux works great to keep beads from rolling away.  Here I have the vellux in an embroidery hoop to keep it flat and stable.  Below is the extreme closeup, showing how I'm using the tip of the needle to pick up a few beads--2, 3, or 4 usually, depending on their size.  And yes, I always wear a thimble on my middle finger of my dominant hand (the right) when doing hand sewing. 

The beads are then slid down the thread--more on that later--and laid in place on the fabric.  The fabric in this instance is the three or more layers, already stitched and quilted, of "Squirrel and Locust". The fingers of my left hand are underneath the fabric, supporting it, and my left thumb is on top, ready to grasp the thread and hold it in place for the next step.

With my right hand, I insert the tip of the needle at the edge of the last bead, and push it through; that hand then goes underneath, grasps the needle, and pulls the thread taut.

The needle is then pushed back up in the middle of that run of beads, in this case, behind the last two.

The needle is then reinserted through those last two beads and pulled through, and then it's time to pick up more beads.  This constitutes the "beaded backstitch".  It's a bit quicker that stitching each bead individually, but still ensures that the beads are very firmly anchored.  After a bit of practice, I can get a rhythm going, and while it is slow, methodical work, it's also meditative and soothing, just the thing to keep the hands busy while the mind wanders where it will. 

Here's part of my bead stash.  I like to keep them in tubes--the ones meant for coin collectors work well--and sorted by color in fishing tackle boxes. I'm particular about the beads I use, and very leery of the kinds often found in craft stores.  They need to be strong and smooth, relatively uniform, and colorfast, so I buy them from specialty vendors.  I have a nice but modest collection, and I always lust after more.....

I also use semi-precious stones and larger glass beads in my work.  I keep them sorted in the types of boxes  meant to hold cards of embroidery threads.

After much experimentation, I settled on Silamide bead thread as my favorite.  It's nylon, very sturdy, and doesn't kink or shred.  I use it doubled, and bury my knots on the backside of the work, but don't bother to try to hide the stitching.  I don't need a lot of colors, as I am mostly trying to match the value of the background fabric.  I generally use English #10 applique needles, they are sturdy enough to go through the layers of cloth and batting without bending, but still slender enough to fit through the beads.  The scissors are Prisms from Dr. Slick, made for fly tying, but great for sewing as they are very sharp and have fine tips, for those occasions when I need to un-sew something. Plus they are beautiful and make me happy. I forget which fishing supply site I bought these from, but there's a good picture and description of them here.

                                         
 That covers the basic "how" of adding beadwork, but to me the more important and interesting part, as with the employment of any technique, is the "why".  I use beads to add another layer of texture and interest to a piece, as I did here in "Sycamore", where I was referencing the texture of the tree's bark:

I am also interested in the lines where two images or fabrics meet.  I like using beadwork along intersections; it simultaneously blurs and emphasizes a straight line, and can provide a loci for curved lines, as it does here in "Tulip Poplar".

I also like adding beads at botanical intersections, as I did here in "Wood Poppy":

I don't always think that a piece needs or would benefit from beadwork, but once I commit to it, I always feel that the hours and hours of hand work are worthwhile.  The beads don't overwhelm the other design elements, but they add a subtle and enticing twinkle when a piece is viewed from a distance, and a lot of satisfying detail when viewed up close.

Watt & Shand #1 Acceptance at AQS Lancaster

I was very happy to find the "fat" envelope from AQS (American Quilter's Society) waiting for me in the mailbox today, holding the acceptance of Watt & Shand #1 into the Lancaster show. 

This was the first in what ended up as a 10 piece series, documenting and celebrating the transformation of the former Watt & Shand department store on the center square in Lancaster, PA, into a modern Marriott hotel and convention center.  The developers took the extraordinary step of preserving the facade of the historic building and incorporating it into the new construction. I was mesmerized by the process and spent years taking photos of it, and sometimes I got lucky, as with the shot of the welder, above.

I documented the series extensively here on my blog, and you can track it back by clicking on "Watt & Shand" under Labels in the right sidebar. You can also see the entire series here on my website.  They were all exhibited in a solo show last March at the Lancaster Arts Hotel Gallery, and I had a great time meeting and greeting visitors to the exhibit who were in town for the quilt show.

The AQS show is held in the Convention Center, so this year, I will have the pleasure of exhibiting a work about the building, in the building.  How cool is that?

Big Root Geranium in The Quilt Life magazine

What a thrill--my "Big Root Geranium" is in the February 2011 edition of The Quilt Life magazine, in a feature called "It's My Nature".  The quilt is shown along with a picture of the plant in my garden that inspired it, along with a brief text.  It looks great--I'm very pleased with the layout and the image quality.

The Quilt Life is a publication of The American Quilter's Society.  It's the brainchild of quilting superstars Alex Anderson and Ricky Tims, with Jan McGee as the editor-in-chief, and is available by subscription or on the newstands.  It's a fresh and contemporary take on quilting magazines, with so much more than just patterns and techniques.   You can view the table of contents for this issue here --check it out!

Eclipse, Solstice, and Creative Energy

I interrupted my sleep last night for the incredibly rewarding experience of watching the lunar eclipse.  The clouds were blown away by frigid winds part of the way through, leaving clear skies for viewing.  It seems significant, in a vague but nonetheless satisfying way, that the eclipse fell on the solstice.  It's been a cold and dark December--I know December is always dark and often cold here in Pennsylvania, but each year I'm surprised at just how much effort it takes to keep the metaphysical wolves at bay--and I'm ready for the surge of kinetic energy that increased daylight is sure to bring.

I've been busy in the studio, in the sense that I've organized things and taken care of tasks and paperwork and so on and so forth.  Creatively, I've been hibernating, planning what I'd like to work on next, thinking about the directions I'd like my work to go, and dreaming about travel to exotic lands.  It's necessary sometimes, to let the subconscious do its work without pestering it incessantly.

Specifically, I'm mulling over the images I'm using for Skunk and Hackberry, which I think will be next up in my Flora and Fauna series.

I'm finishing up some details on Squirrel and Locust, and I'm very excited about how it's turning out.

But mostly I'm dreaming about India.  The pull to return there is very strong.

I wish you all a happy and healthy holiday season, whatever your beliefs, and send sincere best wishes and good vibes for wonderful new beginnings and good things to come.  Thanks so very much for reading and commenting, and being a part of this journey with me.  Please stay tuned...I feel I'm about to experience an explosion of creative energy, and I look forward to sharing it with you.

The Organic Garden in the Art in Embassies Program

I am deeply honored to announce that The Organic Garden has been selected for the Art in Embassies program.  It will be part of the exhibition at the US Embassy Residence in Vientiane, Laos, beginning in early 2011 and continuing into 2013.

The Mission Statement of the program: "Established by the United States Department of State in 1964, the ART In Embassies Program is a global museum that exhibits original works of art by U.S. citizens in the public rooms of approximately 180 American diplomatic residences worldwide. These exhibitions, with art loaned from galleries, museums, individual artists, and corporate and private collections, play an important role in our nation's public diplomacy. They provide international audiences with a sense of the quality, scope, and diversity of American art and culture through the accomplishments of some of our most important citizens, our artists"

I am feeling flushed with patriotism at this opportunity to serve my country with such talents as I possess.  Whenever I travel abroad I am always cognizant that, in a sense, I represent the US to the people that I meet, and I'm delighted that my work will now be serving that same purpose.  This piece was created as an expression of the microcosm of my life, literally the view out of my back door, and the rhythms of daily life that encompass caring for my plot of earth, growing food, and bringing it to the table.  It uses fabrics I printed and painted, textiles I've collected from around the globe, and remnants from clothing I've sewn.  I can think of no better work to send forth to represent the values and freedoms I hold dear, and hope it will bring a moment of pleasure and quiet contemplation to those who view it in an exotic land.

Mysore Silks, from the factory

Years ago I lived and studied in Mysore, India.  It was a transformative experience in many ways, not the least of which was the exposure to Mysore silks.  I consider them the finest in the world, and love sewing with them.  They have a sheen and a "hand" to them that is exciting and inspirational, and contributes greatly to the aesthetic of my work.  I brought some silk back with me from my student days, and my husband procured an excellent assortment of them some years back while on a business trip, but I was running low, and the type I prefer is not readily available online.  Luckily my daughter came to the rescue; while on a recent trip to Bangalore she sought out and  found a showroom stocked with Mysore style silks. 

She was such a good customer, buying on my behalf, that they took her in the back and showed her around the factory.  She got these amazing pictures of the looms, above, and the spooled threads, below:

Another picture of the fantastically complex machinery:

And a picture of one of the artisans operating the loom:

Here is some of the bounty she brought me,  in the lighter shades:

Here are the jewel tones and darker pieces. They are all a meter, or more, and the photos can't begin to capture how iridescent they are.  Many of them are woven with one color thread in the warp and another in the weft, to make a fabric commonly referred to as "shot silk".

I also received three pashmina/silk scarves, light as air and very warm:

As well as some pure silk scarves, even lighter than air, with complex woven paisley designs:

A bonus printed silk scarf:

And last but not least, an incredibly decadent red silk and gold metallic thread tablecloth. 

I've got the yardage all edge stitched, rinsed and dried --they "bled" very little, further proof of their superior quality-- pressed, folded, and stacked up in a glorious pile.  I'm doing my best to clear the decks of the usual mundane tasks that pile up in the holiday season so that I can get some serious studio time in and see where all this will lead me.....someplace good, I think!