Blog

As you know, I can’t post a photo yet of the entry on this blog, but Prickly Heat (my Bizarre Bra entry) has been accepted into the show. *Very Exciting*

So now we (the man in my life and me) are trying to decide if we’re going to make the trip to NZ in September to see the show….we’ll see.

hasta pronto.

A little something I worked on while the man in my life was away for a couple weeks. While not a functioning teapot, it does function as a small box (the lid is removable).

I will soon start on the 3-D hanging mobile piece that I plan to submit to The VI International Biennial of Contemporary Textile Art. Organized by the WTA (World Textile Art Organization) the Biennial is being held in May 2011 in various cities in Mexico, but submissions need to be in around the first of the year.

I have a few more detail photos I need to take of the cholla cacti that grows wild in the open desert just near my house to use for reference materials before I start construction. As specified by the WTA any piece submitted will be suspended from a ceiling and therefore should be designed to be viewed from all sides. It must measure between 1.5 and 3 meters in height and no more than 2 meters in diameter….certainly the largest piece I will have done thus far. I’ll post sketches soon.

I realized many on this side of the world don’t know about WOW. So, below is a YouTube video from the WOW channel to give you just a taste of this spectacular theatrical performance. Enjoy!

I just got word that the Bizarre Bra, “Prickly Heat,” made it through the prejudging process and is now off to New Zealand for judging to be in the show:) Although, I’ve been so consumed by this piece over the last several months and particularly these last couple weeks, that I’m kind of sorry to see it leave. Not so sorry to withdraw it from the competition. So, on Wednesday it will be sent with a friend to Laredo who will ship it to the Mainfreight depot in L.A. Then on a seaward voyage to NZ. Yeah!

I thought I would post much more frequently during the last couple weeks to show the progress. Sorry, but I was exhausted by the evening. Since my last post I was working pretty much round the clock (well, round my clock which is never too early in the morning). From about 9 or 10 am to about 8 or 9 pm everyday I was working in my studio finishing this piece. I met the deadline (barely), and I did take photos of the progress along the way. Below are those photos and captions. Enjoy!

Stamen & Pistils: Each stamen are produced from small strips cut from a white polyester blouse. The strips are each singed and hand-molded over an open flame and then painted. The pistils are a length of muslin, folded in half lengthwise, and then all the weft threads are removed at the edges toward the center fold about an inch. These are painted/dyed using watered down acrylics. After drying, they are combed through and the edges trimmed before being attached to the form.

The beginnings of six flowers=42 stamen & 12 strips of pistils.

These pieces are so small that unfortunately a photo doesn’t capture the scope of how labor intensive flowers can be. The piles of petals and leaves here represent about 375 pieces. I used more of the polyester white blouse for the petals and a green ultra-suede skirt for the leaves. Both of these fabrics are great for small bits that will be handled a lot as all the edges need to be singed well so as not to fray when handled. When I singe the petals I also spend a bit of time forming them while the edges are still hot. This gives each petal a more organic curve when attached to the form.

A shot of my work table as I prepare to paint the petals, leaves and start assembly.

Close-up of a completed flower.

The grouping of how the flowers will appear together on the ta-ta covers. Each ta-ta cup has 3 large flowers, 3 large buds, 3 medium buds and 2 small buds for a total of 214 pieces each or 428 pieces in total…and we haven’t even reached the spines yet:)

A close-up of the spines. About a year ago Hershey’s cocoa changed their packaging from the classic tin cans to brown plastic containers. I drink a cup of Hershey’s cocoa every morning instead of coffee and the man in my life has saved all of the containers. Good thing, because I cut up half of them and used them for the spines. I’ve decided that the cacti will be fishhook barrel cactus, otherwise known in Mexico as “Manca Caballos” – Horse Cripplers. The brown plastic containers were perfect for this as the center large fishhook spines are brown – for once no painting required. All I needed to do for those was cut a thin length and form them over an open flame into a fishhook shape. {Yes, there were a few mistakes until I got the hang of it and many small burns on my fingers from over-melted plastic.} The smaller spines do not protrude but rather form a type of textured covering around the cactus. Since they are quite a bit smaller than the fishhooks and they did need to be painted, I cut strips 3cms wide from the containers. Then, over the open flame molded the strips into slight curves, painted them and then cut them into small narrow points. The finishing touch of a rounded base was produced by holding the piece over a flame until the edges melted. All are glued down to the cacti forms using superglue and an epoxy overcoat. Total spines=580

And here’s the final piece….unfortunately, showing it on the blog is against the rules for WOW. I am allowed to show this to my local media in San Miguel and Mexico but not allowed to show it anyplace “international”, which includes blogs, websites, facebook, etc. However, if your a friend of this blog and would like to see the final send me an email (or comment) and I’ll see if it’s OK to send it to you directly. Otherwise, you’ll need to wait….sorry for the anticlimax:)

The deadline (May 1) is nearing and now the real push is on. Below are photos of various stages of the bra under construction. I’ve now finished the basic painting and have figured how to connect the two halves as well as how to secure the back ties. I think I’m going to use clear bra straps (reconfigured) to loop around the neck to provide more support of the piece from the top and not add a needless distraction away from the cacti and flowers. Since that strap will be one of the last items sewn on to the form, I’ll test it when the rest is done. If it doesn’t look like those clear gel straps are strong enough then I will have to whip out a couple other “roots”  that will act as straps to tie around the neck. In the meantime, still have a bit to do including: painting and attaching the back straps (roots); constructing, painting and attaching the flowers and buds; cutting, painting and attaching every spine. Actually, grouping all the items together doesn’t sound like so much here, but I know these little details take the most time. Wish me luck, and I’ll post new photos at each step of the mad dash to the finish:)

Cacti forms primed for painting and unpainted root straps

Heavy-duty metal link joining forms in the center front

Painting in process

Although I try to stay focused on the art and creation in this blog, we had a small diversion from the norm today which gave me the perfect scenario in which to introduce my mother. Below is the first meeting between my mom, the ever devoted nurturer of “all things great and small”, and the newest addition to the tiny casita my folks are currently living in until their main house is complete. This little guy was born on Good Friday. His mother would not accept him and the people who own the ewe didn’t feel it their place to take care of the rejected baby because everything that happens (or doesn’t happen) is “God’s will.” Fortunately, the woman who brought him into town and my mother who took him off her hands both believe that God has way too many responsibilities and every now and then needs some help.

So today my mom got a very quick introduction to what we have available in San Miguel for the care of large animals (as the translator, I too got the intro…more than I probably ever needed to know). As it happens, we have a large animal supply tienda in Centro that sells everything from vaccines and syringes to replacement formula and bottle nipples. Then up the street just two doors to a pharmacy where we picked up diapers. Of course the lady at the counter asked me what size of diaper. When I said that I didn’t know but could we see the smallest she gave me a very quizzical look. Then again I got the same look when she brought back “new born” size and I asked to see the next size up from those. ‘Why the look,’ I thought and then realized how odd that I would be asking for diapers and not know the size of the child for whom they were intended. So when she returned I apologized and explained that the reason for the size confusion was that the diapers weren’t for a child but for a lamb — then I got not just a look but a smirk (crazy gringa).

Anyway, after our quick run to town mom returned armed with formula, feeding bottles and diapers. Why the diapers? Because this little guy will be living in the house with the rest of the animals and the diapers makes clean-up a bit easier and more sanitary. So tonight the little guy is settling in with the rest of the menagerie (my folks, two dogs, a parrot, a cockatiel and a chinchilla) in their country casita.

Like I said, the perfect intro…this is my mom.

Creative note: In case you were wondering, I did manage to sew on 4 of the 12 spines on the second form today:)

Well I finished the full cactus to cover one ta-ta. This one took longer than I originally expected. No BIG surprise as I usually underestimate my time. However, the second should take less time as all the math (and trust me there was a lot more than I was truly comfortable with) was worked out while putting together the first one. I don’t think I’ve done as much hand sewing in my whole life as I’ve done in the last couple weeks. None the less, I think the extra time has paid off. Of course they’re not really cacti just yet. They do need to be painted and the spines put on. Oh, and the flowering tuna need to be constructed and attached, but first I need to do the more boring stuff of finishing the second ta-ta cover. This part is drudgery. I really enjoy the problem solving no matter how many seams and hand stitching I need to rip out, but once I’ve solved the problem (which was solved in the first cactus) I kinda want to move on – really don’t want to relive it. But alas I must carry on…really looking forward to the finishing touches:)

As you know if you’ve looked around on my web site, all the textile sculptures I create are made from recycled fashions. Below is what is left of a White Stag dress after cutting all the pieces needed for the cacti. Granted, I don’t know that I would consider White Stag a “fashion” (no offense if you are a White Stag fan), but I chose this piece to use for the cacti for a couple reasons. First, there was just enough to make both cacti…I really didn’t want each to be made out of different fabric if I could avoid it. Second, since I knew I would be dealing with some relatively small pieces this fabric gave me enough polyester in the blend that allowed me to singe the fabric. No edge is left exposed when completed, but each piece is subject to a great deal of hand sewing and singing the edges of the pieces before handling them really helps with the fraying. Finally, I really like the subtle vertical jacquard stripe. It will add to the texture of this piece once it’s been painted.

Many folks assume I deconstruct the clothing and then cut. Honestly, that’s just too much work. So the only time I deconstruct is if I really can’t get the last piece I need out of the fabric unless I take out a seam or pull off a pocket. Fortunately for this piece no deconstruction was necessary:)

I can hear my grandmother’s voice from the grave, “that’s no sign of a properly made garment.”

As I studied further my “ta-ta” forms this afternoon, I recalled my mother once telling me that, when her mother was teaching her to sew, her mother (a professional seamstress) made her rip out a seam in a skirt 10 times until she got it “perfect.” So, after studying the forms I’m quite confident of their durability, but they really aren’t very pretty. Certainly the outside of the forms will be covered by the sculpture of the cacti, but the inside…well I simply can’t leave them unfinished. After all, that’s no sign of a properly made garment:)