Blog

Since my last post, I’ve been working away at the new piece and got totally immersed in all the components and their various challenges that I completely forgot to take photos along the way. Sorry.  My New Year’s Resolution: I will try  to be more diligent about posting and taking “in-progress” photos.

However, I have finished my last piece for 2009. Uprooted (Sp: Desarraigadas) is part of the Textures of Mexico series and is a sculptural interpretation of the lilies that bloom here in Parque Juarez in early spring. The background of this piece is comprised of torn and frayed pieces of shantung and jacquard silk. The pieces were overlaid in a geometric pattern and then machine quilted in place over a heavy cotton upholstery batting and artist grade canvas.  The durability and weight of the background is necessary when adding high relief, 3D forms to the front – especially wire frame forms such as the one from which the root ball is protruding. {If you’re interested, the making of the root ball was covered in my previous post.} Although all the leaves and the flower stems have been tacked into place, each leaf and flower petal have thin wires embedded into the veining allowing them some additional movement and flexibility.

Hope you enjoy viewing this piece as much as I enjoyed creating it. For purchasing info and more detailed photos of this piece please click here.

Hasta el Año Nuevo!

I promise this isn’t going to turn into a sea creature or some otherworldly monster. In fact, this textile element when finished will look like it was pulled from mother earth. Normally I would post after the element is complete, but I am particularly pleased with the singeing/melting fabric and thread thing that’s going on. I’m excited that it worked the way I thought it would building (or rather melting) the outer skin on this element. So thought I’d share this step, even though it’s not yet complete. I’ll post the finished element soon. Hasta….

The last couple days I’ve been back to my most current textile art piece. I’ve finished the top stitching on the background. The top layer is comprised of torn jacquard and shantung silk, neither of which are incredibly sturdy, but by adding the natural batting layer and top stitching (machine quilting) all layers to a canvas back this piece is now strong enough to support the subject. I’ll be starting on those sculptural components in the next few days…as soon as I figure out how best to create them:) I don’t work out everything 100% before I start. Many things are figured out as I go – that’s half the fun!

Hasta pronto mis amigos!

My current project has been on hold this last week as I was asked to participate in a local charity “event”. One of the store owners asked several local artists to make ornaments that can be sold to benefit Hospice. Of course I said I would be happy to participate, and in my classic form, realized only a week before they were due at the shop that I hadn’t even come up with a design. Panic is a great motivator:)

I did manage to finish all three and deliver them to the store on Sunday for the tree-trimming event:) Below are the three ornaments. The first two are “genus: imaginari.” To my knowledge, these flowers don’t exist in nature, but my imagination is full of them. These like my larger pieces of work are entirely made from recycled brand name clothing I find in the mercados of Mexico. The flowers are then glued into a dried cutting from the tip of maguey leaf. People who plant magueys near and around their homes and gardens typically cut the tips off the outer leaves so no one impales themselves upon them. The tips of the leaves are so pointed and strong they can easily put a pretty nasty hole in soft flesh and were once used as needles to sew together animal hides. Each of the flowers are about 7″ in height by 3.5″ wide. The last ornament is an abbreviated version of “Las Tunas” and is about 7″ in height by 8″ in width. It’s not as heavy as it looks. The interior wire-frame gives it more structure than stuffing.

If any of you are in San Miguel de Allende, you can purchase these at Mixta (located at Pila Seca 16A – near Zacateros). $500 pesos for each of the flowers and $600 pesos for Las Tunas. 80% of the price goes to support Hospice SMA (the other 20% to the store for arranging the event). Or if these aren’t your style, stop in and see what the other artists created… No matter where you are, please spread the cheer this year to your own charity of choice.