Jan 6, 2013
Happy new year! 2012 was a busy year in my studio and in my family, and when I look back at all the projects I worked on, discoveries I made, and adventures I had, I guess it’s no great surprise that I didn’t get around to updating my website for a whole year. (Whoops. Bad self-promoter.)
One new development in my art is that I have changed the way I am finishing my pieces. For years, I have been layering and stitching fabrics together, and then stretching the whole thing over a padded panel for display. That changed this year, and now my new pieces are finished more like regular quilts– they are layered with quilt batting and a backing fabric, lines of hand-quilting stitches attach all layers and define forms, and instead of being mounted, the edges are bound and the piece hangs from a sleeve on the back. I adopted this new method to address the challenges I was having with surface tension on some of my larger pieces, and discovered that it not only solved the problem, but created a new sharpness to my images and a slight bas-relief effect that I really liked.
Armed with this new discovery, I took apart Demeter and re-created her over the spring and summer as a quilt. It was a frustrating and harrowing ordeal at times, but i learned a tremendous amount about my own work, and ultimately, ended with a piece of art that was much stronger than it had been. When I moved on to my next piece in the fall, I was able to design it with this new approach in mind.
And this newest quilt, just completed and titled “Miranda on Blue”, will be a part of my latest gallery exhibit, opening Friday, January 11th at theMaude Kerns Art Center here in Eugene, Oregon. The show is called “Curious Temptations”, and it features the work of Janet Hiller, Jae McDonald, Sally Zehrung, Sandi McMorris Johnson, and myself, collectively known as Material ARTistry. We are all so excited about this exhibit, and have filled the gallery with our very best work. Get ready to have your sox knocked off! The show will be on the walls at Maude Kerns until February 8th, so be sure to stop in during its run and have a look. And if you can make it, please come to the Opening Reception from 6 to 8pm on Friday, January 11th. I look forward to seeing you there!!