Essentials #3

Essentials #3

Hand dyed cottons, fused, machine quilted, mounted on painted wood panel. 11x14" $100 Email me. Sold

Here's my working arrangement. 

I have all the fabrics I intend to use in front of me, in piles of similar colors. I compose the design on the teflon sheet, with a predetermined size, which is pretty important to how the design will be worked out. The batting is cut already so I can try out the design for size. Tweezers, scissors and rotary cutter, along with my marking tool, a sliver of soap, are at the ready. To my right is my iron, a cheapo Proctor Silex which I have been using for years. It has a Silverstone surface which helps with getting the fusible off easily, when I goof. 

 
On another table I have my painting area. I am using acrylic craft paint and I just got some enamels in black, red, yellow, white and royal blue. This yellow panel is painted with the new enamel paint. It has a touch more shine than the regular matte acrylics.

Essentials #2

Essentials #2

Hand dyed and commercial cotton, fused, machine quilted and mounted on painted wood panel. 12" square. $100 Email me.

I am really enjoying using subtlety in my colors, along with the obvious high contrast primaries. I found that I had dyed (a very long time ago) some really soft yellows and grays. Whoda thunk I would need them and use them as I am? 

I've been asked repeatedly how the pieces are mounted and so I decided to add a sidebar link to the post which explains it all. Look at the top of the page at the right hand side and click on the link.

Funny that for many years I worried about working in series and didn't know how I could do it. Now it seems so easy and satisfying.
Nothing wrong with easy.

Essentials #1

Essentials #1

Hand dyed cottons, fused, machine quilted, mounted on painted wood panel, 9x12" $100. Email me. SOLD.

Once again, presentation is everything. The red panel echoes the reds in the composition. Vertical or horizontal? Your choice. 

 

I have ordered larger wood panels for the previous four compositions in the series, and will mount and repost them when the panels arrive. 

Stated Intent

Stated Intent
Hand dyed cotton and silk, fused and machine quilted. 12.75 x 15" $100 Email me.

 I am enjoying finding just the essentials of each of these compositions.Here's the Essential series, so far: 

 

Resolve

Resolve
Hand dyed cottons, commercial stripe, silk, fused, machine quilted. 11.5x16" $100 Email me.

Thanks to you all for the support of this new direction. This composition features some subtlety in contrast with very dark silk underlying black matte cotton. The gold muslin is textured compared to the smooth cottons. And two slight curves add some interest to the structured layout.

Using white and black along with the gray is so clarifying against the primaries. 

I do plan to order some larger wood panels to mount these. That will be just the finishing touch.

Sanctity

Sanctity
Hand dyed and commercial cottons, silk, fused, machine quilted. 12x16"
$100 Email me.


Balance, weight, and strength are some of the things in my mind as I create these compositions. 
I am aware of rumbles in the peanut gallery and I am prepared to read comments from those who feel I have lost my marbles. I know this is so different from my usual work but I must try and find my voice in this direction and have already completed three more in this series which will appear on my blog, one a day, for the next week, at the very least. 

I plan on expanding the palette to see if I can get the same strong effect.

In grad school we studied 'the shock of the new' and how it takes some time to get used to the ideas put forth. Soon they become familiar and are not so disturbing or disappointing.

New Work

Clarity
Hand dyed cottons and silk, fused, machine quilted. 10x15.5"
and then hung vertically. $100 Email me.



I recently discovered the work of Harold Krisel and began pinning his paintings like mad on my Pinterest board. This was just after I discovered Gwen Marston's new work focusing on Minimalist Quilting. Add to those two, the new website by Gail Baar, which continues to thrill me.
When artists talk about being influenced by the work of other artists it usually means= I saw this art piece and decided to rip off the idea. OK, call me guilty. But I must say that digesting the combination of these three bodies of work took me by the ear and dragged me into the studio.
The thing that made me gulp and take notice was the spare, direct, unequivocal nature of the design. The complete lack of folderol, the inclusion of only the essentials, the limited palette, with primaries, and neutrals was part of the thrill.

I knew I wanted to work with this idea.