SERE: Summer Heat (stage four)

This posting shows the overview and a couple of detail shots of the completed embroidery on Summer Heat. The spiral is now clearly evident; it is comprised of a multitude of applied materials stitched in place. It has a variety of textures and widths, but reads as a flowing, harmonious unit which guides the eye across the piece. It is interesting to see at this point how the background is beginning to look burnt, pealing and aged. Two more stages to go!

Remember that you can click on any photo to enlarge it so you can see more detail.

SERE: Summer Heat (stage three)

Here you can see that I've begun the stitching and application of surface elements, including metal, to start adding dimension and interest to the surface and further delineating the swirling pattern.

In addition to working with fabric, I also weave. Today my studio assistant, Jessica, and I spent hours dyeing yarn for a rug we've been working on. She did a very artistic job of arranging the yarn on the lawn to dry in our sweltering Southern California sun!

I have added the painted, shrunk Tyvek to begin to delineate an overall pattern for the piece. It is interesting to observe the light markings from the underlying Rossi fabric breaking through the surface; they seem to have been created with a slightly dimensional dye which leaves a tactile, noncotton surface which cannot be covered with acrylic paint. Stay tuned!

Taking a risk, I've decided to post my progress on a new piece for my SERE series. This one is called Summer Heat, for obvious reasons, as we swelter here in Southern California. We are experiencing a drought which is annoying but not deadly as such an event is elsewhere on the planet. I have no idea where this piece will go, but I thought it might be exciting to watch as it guides me along. So far I've painted Wonder Under, applied it to a ground fabric from Lonni Rossi's collection and added a bit more paint. I'll post another photo when there is significant change.

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These are three views of Well Bottom which show what is left when the well runs dry. The background fabric is painted over a farina (yup, cereal) resist which was slowly flaked off as more paint was added and dried in multiple steps. I have then stitched and appliqued a range of threads and other decorative elements into the ground cloth. The piece is framed.

I wanted to post some images of pieces which highlight my stitchery which I refer to as Contemporary Embroidery. I use, in addition to a wide range of threads and beads, metals which can be stitched into. Some of the backgrounds are painted, printed and/or otherwise heavily manipulated. These pieces are all either framed or stitched to stretched canvas and therefore are not "quilts." The first set is from the DK, or What the Cat Dragged In series all of which have bits of metal brought to me on our cats' magnetic collars.

This piece, Cyclosporosis, is comprised of images taken of slides under a microscope of various cells from this water-borne disease. It infects people all over the globe who are forced to use fetid water.