Solo Show at the Sanford Museum and Planetarium

The wall!!! I have a variety of styles per say in this show, Mixed Media Fiber in the form of the niches, Paint in the form of the acrylic painted panel frames, and Encaustic in the form of the smaller encaustic paintings.  The theme is Queen Anne's Lace and Crows, so there is some consistency.

This is the only close up photo that didn't end up blurry, I will have to take new photos when we go up in a month to take the show down!

Stop by and check out my show, be sure to sign in and let me know you stopped by!!! My show runs the month of May at the Sanford Museum and Planetarium in Cherokee, Iowa!

Queen Anne's Lace Panels in Progress

Not feeling the love!  I'm left wondering how much better these panels would turn out if I wasn't so distracted by a million things that need to be done before my solo show is hung this weekend?

As you can see from the previous photo that each layer of paint is leading towards improvement, and yet I'm just not feeling it.  The good news is I found six gesso'd raised panel frames today that I plan to go full tilt on later this evening! 

Baltic Birch raised panel frames, taped and gesso'd another words ready for paint!

Queen Anne's Crow No 4

Now with a base color of white. The central panel has been wrapped with plastic wrap to protect it from my surfacing endeavors.  Touching the work has finally moved me beyond my stuck place, I'm now getting to know each personally.

More Queen Anne's Lace

I have a few more to make but had to stop for the day, I printed more fabric (birds) and it won't be ready to use until tomorrow afternoon sometime; I'm working on my new Natural Dyeing App while I wait on the fabric.

Auditioning Elements for a Work in Progress

Very simple, but lacking in additional interest.  The goal here is to avoid being cutesy.

The piece definately needs a pop of colour, but which colour and where?  If I attach the cochineal dyed silk organza I'll add stitching in a contrasting colour.

I'm not sure that this works either, but it's interesting... just the wrong colours and not enough of them. Acrylic on watercolor paper.

Here's a bit of gouache and watercolor, with ink sketches, on paper behind the main panel.  The main panel is still lacking, it needs a pop of something, anything... but it has to be the right element otherwise it just sits there like a lump.

So I will continue auditioning elements into the wee hours of the night, once I have this niche figured out the remaining eight niches will be a snap since I'm working in a series.  I will be adding additional elements to the outside of the niche in the form of copper and/or black brads and tacks.

Progress

This whitish egg will be replaced by one that has been painted to look like a crows egg, it's currently drying.  Now to make the sides for the egg niche and make a decision on the larger niche's background.  To paint the niche background copper or not to paint?  To collage vinage papers and fabrics or not to collage?

Experimenting

Machine stitch on painted timtex.

WIP - Niche's

Niches for an upcoming solo show, am still playing off the theme of Queen Anne's Crows from last year.

The door on this piece, and another similar piece, were confounding me.  This issue has now been resolved... the big reveal will be this coming Sunday at Cafe Diem, stay tuned. 

She was Third Class to the right of these two pieces.

Queen Anne's Crows

Queen Anne's Crow's available in my store.

Digitally printed cotton fabric, painted timtex, machine stitched.
Size 7 7/8" x 9 7/8"
Matted and framed to 11x14x2 inches

WIP - Queen Anne's Forest

Queen Anne's Forest (lace) No. 1
4x6 inches
Painted Timtex, Machine Embroidery

I will be adding indigo dyed silk organza to this piece later this evening.

Madder Root Dyed Lace

Altered Prom Dress

The 1950's formal I altered for Clare for her prom.  I added ribbons under the dress so that it could be hitched up giving it more form, then added an underskirt with tulle so that it would be poofy.  To break up the color I added a velvet belt with on of my vintage brooches, the colors in the brooch compliment the dress beautifully: smokey quartz, quartz, blue topaz, and silver.

Queen Anne's Lace No. 4

I need to reheat the surface, a pint sized customer (5 year old) tried to pick the wax off the surface, she managed to scratch it but other than that the surface was hard enough to twart her endeavors.

Madder Root Dyed Crochet Lace

I posted information at the Natural Surfaces Zine on this process.

I love how the fabric buttons look being back lit like this.

Wedding Dress

Today's Yard Sale Score

There were gobs of bits of vintage lace, doilies, linen fabrics etc., all carefully folded INSIDE of tacky polyester fabrics.

This is just a hint of what I picked up, all at one sale, for fifteen dollars. The only downside is I'm going to have to put this stuff in a closet with my ozone machine - it smells like dryer sheets to which I'm very allergic. Most of the items like the millenary pieces are very fragile, still very usable for collage, and would probably not survive being washed.

This woman was an ace garage sale preparer!!! Very sly if you ask me, as I was taking items out of the bags all sorts of treasures started to appear. It's like she knew that these would be chosen ONLY by the right person. As I was looking around for more goodies, I had just grabbed a bag of millenary supplies, she asked me if I had looked at the other bags of fabric on the far table simply stating that everyone had passed them by. I took one peek and grinned from ear to ear and each bag was a mere 50 cents! Mother Lode!!!

Vintage Bling

A peak of some goodies to come!

An overwhelming knot of trims!

Somewhat sortred!

Vintage type writer ribbon tin that held sewing pins.

Life is strange sometimes. I picked up a box of vintage bling yesterday at one of the shops I frequent. Typically I do not use gold anything in my work because I simply do not purchase anything gold, so I don't have enough to complete any one project - well until now that is.

As I went through the box I discovered that the box of trims once belonged to woman that once lived in my house! Just like the piano that keeps coming back to live here, after being sold multiple times, so has this box of trims! In the box I also found crystals from my chandelier that is missing and has been since dh moved here in 1991.

Yes life is strange sometimes.

Heart No. 3

Heart No. 2 In Progress

Heart No. 2 In Progress