Organic

I fiddled around with fabric this afternoon and came up with this. The base is deconstructive screen printed cloth with dyed and painted silk organza pieces laid over top. I have just discovered Misty Fuse. Why did I not listen to all the other artists who use it...like before now? It's wonderful stuff.

Saturday Morning Painting

Did this pastel painting this morning. Today a friend and I are going to the local art store (a real art store - privately owned - with all kinds of majorly cool stuff you can't find at those chain stores). I need more Schminke pastels. They are luscious. They are necessary.

Divining

Music can take me other places and times. I get lost as I listen to the layers or the beauty of a singer's voice. Last night my husband person shared this link with me. I encourage you to take a few minutes, turn up the volume, watch and sing along. This video inspired me! Stand By Me Check out the singer from the Netherlands - amazing!

The piece above is made from painted organza and cotton cloth plus an image from an antique book.

Titles - much like beauty - are in the eyes of the beholder

Awhile back I painted on a design on a screen using thickened dyes. I let it dry on the screen and then pulled soda ash paste across the screen. This technique is called desconstructive screen printing. The mother of this technique is Kerr Grabowski (please click on her name to see some fabulous work!). Last night I finished all the hand stitching, etc on the piece. This is a very happy piece and reminds me of crop circles or labyrinths or ameobas. Take your pick!

Getting Underneath

An acrylic abstract consisting of lots of layers....just like our lives. Last week at work proved more trying than usual. I'm bracing myself for a lots of finger pointing and deductions based on misinformation...something that touches each one of my most sensitive buttons. Working in a high stress, mismanaged atmosphere is what so many of us are realizing in today's corporate world. It tends to make trust and respect difficult to come by.

Trial

I put together the piece above last night using some of the fabric I had dyed, discharged and silk screened.

Then I stage it on top of another piece of cloth I had created. Do you think it works with that background cloth? I kind of like the unexpectedness of the colors and the overall tribal type of feeling it has. I'd love to hear your opinions.

I'm having a hard time leaving the pastels alone! Although tonight I already have plans to do some work with cloth. I miss the feel of the needle in my hand.

Hidden Jewels

My daughter raises chameleons. Yes, those changing color, incredibly interesting lizards. She calls these creatures (they really are fascinating) 'hidden jewels'. Anyway, that term came to mind yesterday while I was rummaging around a flea market and found this treasure hidden in a box along with a bunch of empty frames and other assorted paraphernalia. As I picked up this gorgeous monotype to examine it more closely the dealer said 'you can have that for $10'. I didn't even try to bargain him down. I knew it was a piece of art work done with great skill. You just know quality art when you see it. What I didn't know until I was able to do an internet search is that it was done by a recognized Mexican artist by the name of Vincente Gandia and worth way more than $10. I almost feel guilty.

I love pastels. period.

Framed Cherries

OK. So. This is what happens when you take a pastel painting done by an amateur & stick it in a gorgeous gold frame. It actually ends up being something to display on a wall. Any of you textile artists out there who have never dabbled in the fine arts I encourage you to take a class, or do the exercises in a book or just mess around with another medium. You never know where the experience will lead and it will certainly make your artistic eyes even more open than they are now.

Where has the last week gone? All of a sudden it's Thursday and while I've put in what feels like a million hours at my day job I haven't done much creative work. Last night I was able to burn a new screen and tried it out this morning. I think the mesh I used has too loose a weave or maybe the paint is too runny but I was able to realize some success with the screen.

Now it's time to go off to the land of too many uninteresting problems to solve, too many egos jockeying for position and too much stress for this sensitive soul. But it does help to pay the bills....a very good thing!