Back to Chroma:Blue at Last!

This is the third module of the second piece in the Chroma series.  It is made entirely of Japanese cottons which have been Indigo dyed (mostly shibori technique).  I superimposed the chemical formula for Indigo  - C16H10N2O2 - and a representation of the molecular structure of this isotope.  Still a bit more stitching to do but I'm so thrilled to be back in the studio at last that I just couldn't wait to document the piece.

3D Shibori in England

I had a fabulous time at West Dean College studying textured shibori with Mandy Griffin.   The college is an old estate with an interesting art collection on rolling hills with masses of sheep and pheasants roaming about.  There are walled gardens and a glass house in addition to a world recognized contemporary tapestry atelier.  Good food, too!  I learned exactly what I'd hoped.  Below are before and after photos of three techniques, and, yes, those are screws (and much else) all bundled together.  These techniques will be appearing in my work in the near future (when I get over the jet lag!!).

SeaTangle

I've started on a piece, not part of Chroma:Blue, which is about textures.  I've been hand stitching all week, layering and layering fabulous bits I've created to give this piece some serious dimension.  I'm nowhere near finished but thought it would be fun to post.

SeaGreen

This is the beginning of a series on water, on a year devoted to water issues.  The United Nations has declared 2013 the Year of Water Awareness and I am celebrating by focusing work on this area of extreme global impact. I've started benignly with this piece.  Much more to come.

Blue Garments

The second module of Chroma:Blue is now complete.  That 19th century heavy weight cotton de Nimes  (denim) certainly has legs!!

The Start of Chroma:Blue

I've been researching the color blue for several months taking notes and thinking.  Over the last couple of weeks I've started laying out the modules and just last night finished the first one.  It was supposed to be simply the texture/color range one but has morphed into a sort of sea creature so I may add a few shells eventually.  The underlying element is a weaving I did, and then I stitched all over it to integrate it into the ground fabrics.  Of course I dyed all the yarns and other texturing materials.  It's heavily embroidered and appliqued, and I made the fabric beads.

Integrating the Paradox

Sirocco from my Fierce Winds series will be on exhibit at ArtQuilts XVII in Chandler, Arizona,  from Nov. 2- January 19.    Swing on by if you are in the vicinity!

Trash in the Schuykill River

I've been playing around with some images I took the day after a massive flood of the Schuykill River in Philadelphia a year or two ago.  The photos illustrate the amazing extent of the damage, and the piece I'm experimenting with could become my submission to the Art Cloth Network's annual juried show.  Here is one of the photos of the detritus trapped at the river's edge and a bit of the experimental piece.

All Done!

Jacob's Ladder is finished.  My brilliant framer (Colleen at Kathy's Gallery in Torrance) has built a wooden armature for it so that it now can hang on the wall without concern for becoming wonky.  Of course I need to have a box built for it so it can be mailed off to Minneapolis in December for the exhibit. 

I am very lucky that Naomi Guttman, a poet who is in the process of writing an epic poem which features, among much else, a textile artist, will be providing the sound track - YES, really, which will add an auditory experience for the viewer.  She will be writing about Jacob's story.  The show will be on view in January and February in Minnesota, details to follow as the time approaches.

Over-dyed

Here are some of yesterday's pieces and then some other random stuff from my stash with the second round of dye.  Some more successful than others.

Dye Day

Had fun at Susan Willen's yesterday where she had prepared ALL the necessary chemicals and equipment; all I did was fold and dip and scrunch the fabric I'd brought. These are the pieces I'm happy with.  The orange one will be a wildfire line in some future piece while the larger blue bit could be an ocean floor or ....  They are all bigger than they appear as I folded them for the photo.   The rest of the pieces are getting over-dyed today to blend them somewhat more.

Return From Paradise

Salt Spring Island is an artists' haven between Vancouver City and Vancouver Island.  Amazing numbers of talented folks and beautiful galleries to be found there.  Felt-making is the primary textile art practiced there:  world class.    Plus perfect weather.  Plus a knit-bombing event on Granville Island in Vancouver.  Waaaaay fun!!!

The Original Collages

These are the paper collages the four of us we made a few weeks ago.  We are now each making a textile response to each of them so we will end up with 16 pieces.  You can read the makers' names under the postings of my finished pieces.

Collage Interpretation

Here's my textile response to the collage made by Cynthia Catlin.   I'll post all four collages next so you can see the basis for the inspiration.  I have not yet started working on the fourth one.

Collage Series Continued

I dyed and screen printed the fabric of this 12" square.  Meanwhile I had painted the packing tissue and dyed the scrim which I then appliqued to the surface of the piece.   There's a visual depth which occurs because of the range of values.  The piece was inspired by a collage made by Susan Willen, well, actually a small portion of her collage.