State of the Studio, early March

 There's a lot happening in the studio right now; here's a hodgepodge of photos.
 I spent many cold, dark winter evenings ensconced in my easy chair near the fire, sewing beads to "Squirrel and Locust", the newest work in my Flora and Fauna series, and I finished it up today. It's enormously time-consuming work, but in a pleasant, meditative way, and it has added tremendously to the overall look of the piece so I'm glad to have made the investment.  (You can read more about how I do the beadwork in this previous blogpost.)  Above is just a quick detail snapshot; I'll take the official pictures soon and get them up on the website.  I'm really looking forward to sharing this one and getting some reactions!

I've just about finished a complete studio re-do.   My reorganized space is already a joy to work in, everything is easy to find and the work flows more readily from station to station, so I'm predicting I will be able to up production a notch or two. Today I pinned up the prints and fabrics to audition for "Skunk and Garlic Mustard" on the design wall,  so that I can give that composition some consideration, and just for fun I used my new spacious work table to paint some fabric:

I've discovered some buried treasure, like these shirts and pants I had tailored from handwoven Indian khadi cloth back in my student days in Mysore:

 The colors and textures are so lovely, and all the more interesting from having been washed and worn quite a bit.  As I'm making preparations for a return visit to India this summer, I'm conceptualizing a series of artworks using these garments.  One of the shirts has a prominent stain and will be cut apart, but the rest are so interesting as is that I'm hesitant to deconstruct them.  Stay tuned as I puzzle out their highest and finest re-use.

I spent a snowed-in day scanning a raft of old documents, pictures, and ephemera from my study abroad that are also tweaking the creative neurons in a stimulating way.  I love, love, love this bit of Kannada script that I wrote for an exam.  At one time I was proficient enough at it to get a "B"; unfortunately that knowledge has faded from disuse, but I still admire the graceful beauty of the letter forms:

And last but not least, I rediscovered my fabulous vintage Indian religious comic books, including Shiva Parvati:

Isn't that a cool cover?  It's a very dramatic story, told succinctly in comic book format, and it only set me back 2 rupees.  Good stuff.

Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts Jurying

Last week I had the privilege and the pleasure of serving as a juror for the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts in State College, PA.  It was an intensive two days of jurying, facilitated by Festival Director Rick Bryant and his excellent staff and volunteers.  Above I am posed with my fellow jurors--unbelievably, it was warm enough to step outside--L-R  are Jimmy Clark, Ron Thurston, myself, Sharon Massey, and Karla Prickett.  Visit the Festival blog for their bios; I was in very esteemed company!

Below is a shot of the jury hard at work.  The submission process was done online, and  viewing and ranking the images was done digitally.  Each juror had a laptop, and in front of us were 5 digital projectors and 5 large screens.  As the images came up on the screens, the artist's statement was read to us.

There were over 1,100 submissions for the roughly 300 spots available.  Each submission consisted of 4 images of the artwork and one of the artist's booth, for a total of 5,500 + images to view and weigh in on over the course of two days.  It was intensive work, but well planned and well paced, they kept us supplied with good food and plenty of coffee, and it went very smoothly.  I saw some amazing work throughout this process--some of those images are still stuck in my head, in a good way--so I am really looking forward to returning in July and seeing the work that made the cuts in person.  At that time the jurors will visit all the booths and score the work again in order to award prizes. 

I am frequently on the other side of this equation, as I submit to a lot of exhibitions, and I learned a long time ago to celebrate any acceptances that come my way, but not to take it personally when my work is declined.  This experience reconfirmed my belief that jurors take their responsibilities seriously, want their fellow artists to succeed, and make difficult decisions based on the criteria of the prospectus in order to showcase the best work available and help ensure that the event will be a success. 

Groundhog and Green Bean Acceptance for National Fiber Directions

 I'm very pleased to announce that Groundhog and Green Bean has been accepted into National Fiber Directions, at the Wichita Center for the Arts, Wichita KS.  The juror for the exhibit is Jill Rumoshosky Werner, an artist whose innovative conceptual work I have long admired, so I'm doubly pleased that she included my piece in what promises to be a very interesting show. From the prospectus: "The exhibition is open, but not limited to, the following: uniquely designed functional pieces such as coverlets, pillows, tablecloths, garments, rugs, etc., and nonfunctional tapestries, wall hangings, 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional works which have been printed, painted, embellished, felted, woven, knitted, twined, cast paper, quilted, stitched, or other forms of manipulating fiber for art."  Doesn't that sound grand?  The exhibit will run from March 25 - May 8.
                                     
 Groundhog and Green Bean is part of my latest series, Flora and Fauna, where I'm using animal skull images from local wildlife paired with botanical prints and vintage textile elements.  I have a long standing love/hate relationship with groundhogs, as do most gardeners.  I lost a lot of greenbeans before I finally threw in the towel and fenced in the vegetable beds, so there might be a hint of schadenfreude in my use of the skull in this instance.

The skull prints are cyanotypes, made from macro photographs I took, and the green bean print is made directly from the leaves of last year's crop.

Midwinter Break in Torrance, CA

 I had an unexpected opportunity to take a quick trip to the Torrance, CA area, just outside of Los Angeles, and I jumped on it.  It's been a tough winter here in PA, and I was largely  interested in getting WARM.  I did a fair amount of lazing around in the sunshine, but I also worked in some fun activities.  I took a hike near Palos Verdes and spotted the Goodyear Blimp (above) and ate twice at the Green Temple vegetarian restaurant (below).  I had dined here back in 2004, and was pleased to see that the decor was just as funky, and the food was just as delicious, as I remembered it.  I can personally recommend the walnut loaf with mushroom gravy.

 I visited the Madrona Marsh Nature Preserve, a charming bit of natural land in the very midst of the urban/suburban sprawl in Torrance.  I give them great credit for preserving and managing this bit of wild and rare ecosystem.  It's interesting in that you are treated to scenes like this:

 And this:

 But if you look over your shoulder, you spot this:

 And off in the distance is this:

 They also have a Nature Center, with friendly staffers and helpful exhibits, and a good specimen garden.  This week the lupines were blooming:

 As were the fuschia flowering currants:

 On another day I braved the freeway into Long Beach to go on a whale watch cruise.  At the start of the trip we passed the Queen Mary; it's now a hotel and tourist attraction:

 We were very lucky on the cruise and spotted a young migrating  gray whale, simultaneously with a large group of several hundred common dolphins.  At one point, the whale was rolling in the water while the dolphins were jumping over it--apparently a very rare occurrence, and extremely exciting!  You will have to take my word for it, as I was too busy experiencing the moment to capture it, but just imagine a large whale flipper and some leaping dolphins in this picture:

 We also spotted brown pelicans, cormorants, and sea lions, both swimming and sunbathing:

 Back on land, I visited  the Aquarium of the Pacific and enjoyed it very much.  Among other treasures they have a wonderful collection of jellyfish, like this Crystal Jelly:

 And this Lion's Mane Jelly:

And some fabulous sea horse exhibits, including these Weedy Sea Dragons:

On my final day, I hung out at Redondo Beach:

 Had great fish tacos at Pancho's:

 And watched the sun set over Manhattan Beach:

The sure sign of a successful vacation is the desire to return home.  I'm not thrilled to be back in the land of the dreaded "wintry mix"--there's more in the forecast--but I am happy to be back to my own bed and my studio and my friends and family.  I'm relaxed and refreshed and ready to start work on some projects that have been simmering on the back burner.  Wish me luck in keeping that mellow vacation vibe going forward....

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?