A Mixed Thread

Took a breather from my Explorations project while I waited for some new ISACORD thread to arrive from Leah Day

I had to get some ecoprinting and dying done on some new scarves for The Gallery.

The logwood scarf is done and I’m almost finished with the cochineal scarf.  

Last night’s Artist Reception for the Flora and Fauna Exhibit was an enjoyable event. Given the curator’s selections of my textile art, it was kind of a mini-retrospective for me with some pieces that have never been seen before.

 

The Flower & the Butterfly

Inspired by the fabulous recycled upholstery fabric that is seen as the center of the flower; it’s an applique that is stitched on and stuffed with batting to fill out providing texture and dimension. Batiks are used for most of the petals.

Say Yes! 

An exhuberant potpourri of color, texture and technique, this piece is a contemporary sampler of printmaking on cloth. Techniques range from handcarved block printing, deconstructive screen prints, Gel prints and solar prints. Ditto for the hand dyed and printed strip prints on the sides. It’s topped off with hand embroidery and appliques that may be embellished with extravagant fibers.

In My Garden

Working on In My Garden seemed like an exercise in obsession given the length of time it took to hand embroider! As an artist it’s one of those pieces that is “precious” to me and have never before shown it because it took such a long time for me to be ready to consider parting with it. The time has come, though, and I do hope someone appreciates it as much as I do.

The main fabric is solar printed and the sashing is shibori with MX Procion dyes.

Rosie’s Meadow

Rosie’s Meadow was the first art quilt I ever submitted to an art call for exhibition and the first acceptance I ever received.  It showed at the Whistler House Museum in 2014 and has not shown again since then, so Rosie is quite happy to socialize again!

A textile collage of my painted and printed fabric as well as commercial cottons, it is fused onto a fiber substrate, along with some machine pieced sections. All are free motion stitched as a means to quilt, applique and texturize the piece. Although not intended initially, it took on a Japanesque look that I like.

Dragonflies

Dragonflies is the newest of the pieces, combining ecoprinted fabric with commercial; incorporating photo, paint and applique.

It was certainly the best curated show at The Gallery so far, thanks to Lisa Sears and her assistants, Liz Scorsello and Peg Kane!

I shared the scene with four exceptionally talented artists: Paige Wallis, Watercolors; Ose Manheim, Digital Photography; Peg Kane, Acrylics and Ceramics; and Lisa Sears, Acrylic Painting. If you can get there at 480 Main St. in Malden, it’s well worth seeing and will be on view until July 22nd.

Maybe you’ll run into one of my favorite artists there – Ose Manheim!