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| 52 Ways to Look at the River |
Hurrah,
52 Ways to Look at the River is finished! It was an huge project, challenging at times but also fun and rewarding. I'm so glad I made the commitment and followed through on it. I'm also very thankful for all the support and encouragement I had as I progressed, with so many readers following along. I was very close to being done in the fall when I got waylaid by my involvement in the James Webb Space Telescope project, and the making of
Luminosity. Now that that's completed, I had the time to wrap up 52 Ways.
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| 52 Ways to Look at the River, detail 1 |
52 Ways to Look at the River will be making its exhibition debut at my solo show,
Sue Reno: Life Along the River,
Narrative art quilts depicting the Susquehanna River and its environs, March 3 - 31, Marketview Arts Gallery, York PA. I hope that some of my local friends will be able to join me for the opening reception Friday night, 5:30 - 9:00. I will also be giving an artist talk on Saturday, March 25th at 11:00 a.m.
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| 52 Ways to Look at the River, detail 2 |
A brief synopsis of the project if you are new to it: I’ve lived near the Susquehanna River for most of my life. I’ve
spent a considerable amount of time visiting its shores and hiking the adjacent
trails. It occurred to me that there was something new to notice every time.
With that guiding principle I undertook an ambitious project to document my
observations.
Beginning on the 2015 summer solstice and
continuing uninterrupted for a year, each week I visited the Susquehanna River somewhere
along its course and took pictures. Back in the studio, I chose an image and interpreted
it in a 6” x 12” fiber art panel.
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| 52 Ways to Look at the River, detail 3 |
The panels are on a wool/rayon felt base and are
primarily needlefelted with wool and silk fiber, with some added applique, and
were machine and hand stitched. I wrote about the process and illustrated it extensively here on my blog, and you can track it back at:
http://suereno.blogspot.com/search/label/52%20Ways%20to%20Look%20at%20the%20River
or just click the 52 Ways tab in the top header.
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| 52 Ways to Look at the River, detail 4 |
At the end of the 52 weeks, I began assembly of the
panels. I hand painted fabric and quilted
it to form a background. Each panel was appliqued onto black felt and then
stitched on the quilt. I added hand beadwork with glass beads and semi-precious
stones.
The finished size is 72”h
x 82”w.
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| 52 Ways to Look at the River, detail 5 |
I hope you've enjoyed this journey as much as I have! As always, thank you for reading and commenting.
5 comments:
I am in awe. Fine art touches emotions we don't always know are even within us; congratulations on a masterful work of art, Sue.
This was a fabulous project to follow and I thank you for sharing your journey!
Beautiful. What a labor of love and expression of art. Thanks for sharing!
I followed and loved every bit of this project? Thank you so much for sharing.
24 weeks into my own weekly art project with works half the size, I have an insight into how much time and creative energy is invested in your work. Congratulations on completing the consolidated work. I am sure it will be a compelling element if your solo exhibition.
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