Blog

Well, I am really tardy in getting this one posted. In between art pieces I have to make time to do the little other things life requires. This time it was making a snake for a door and helping some friends solve a few interior design dilemmas, among a few other things. Finally, though, I got to posting the sketch for the larger piece of Las Tunas. That great stripe of greens, golds and reds (shown above the sketch) will be about half the background with filler streaks in the red wool Eileen Fisher (to the left), the linen/silk Raulph Lauren (shown just below the sketch) and the other gold silk and dark greens in ultra suede. The fabrics to the right are for the cacti and the “tunas.” According to my sketch there are 46 “tunas”–each hand-sewn and painted. The completed size with the border will be 51″ wide x 24″ tall. Needless to say, this one will take a while, but I’ll try to post updates of the work in progress. Hasta pronto.

Well my little study in Las Tunas is complete. A bit later than I expected, but “life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans.” Here’s the overall photo, but you can view the detail shots on my web site here. Although normally I can’t do the same theme twice in a row (I get a little bored), I think I will make Las Tunas (el grande) the next in my series. I coveted a dress from the Tianguis in an amazing horizontal stripe in desert greens, golds and reds. I’ve been saving it especially for this idea for well over a year. I think it’s time that dress “meets it’s maker”:) I’ll post the larger design sketch soon. Until then….hasta…

Here is Las Tunas (the study) as it is so far. Since there is heavy relief work I’ve had to attach the fleece backing and the border before it’s complete. Now comes all the added details…fun! I suspect it will be another two, not so full, days of work. So the new piece will probably be posted the end of the weekend — providing life doesn’t step in the way. I don’t know that you can make it out in this photo, but draw your attention to the cacti in the second photo. Where the spines come out the fabric has been puckered into small welts, similar to ostrich skin. How this is done is by stretching the fabric taunt over a heat resistant form (aluminum foil works great). Then bringing an open flame in direct contact with the fabric. Obviously this only works with synthetics as you need the fabric to melt around the form (without burning holes through it). The resulting blackened color is a result of the singeing process. Next time I use this process I’ll try to post photos of the steps in case anyone out there would like to try it.

I’ve started the next piece in the Textures of Mexico series. “Las Tunas” are the fruit that grow on cactus known as prickly pear in the US. Personally I prefer to work in large formats, but I’ve been reminded that I should do a few “studies” before leaping into bigger stuff so that I can offer a broader price range. So, while the larger piece will be somewhere in the range of a 4ft wide by 2ft tall, the study I’m begining is a 2ft x 2ft. Here’s my initial sketch and my fabric choices. The background will be made up of silk, linen and cotton. The blue stripe is from a Jones New York skirt and the Hawaiian print fabric to the left of the blue stripe is a Tommy Bahama shirt. Check back and see how this starts to take shape.

Hi there. This is my first post and since I’m in between pieces at the moment I figured this post would act more as an introduction. Writing is really not my thing. So I don’t suspect I’ll be posting on a daily basis. However, once I begin a new piece I will be posting more frequently during the duration of the creative process documenting any new techniques or just cool things as I go. But for now, as part of my introduction, here are a few photos of my studio. The space is small but very efficient.

To give you an idea of the size of this space, when I was finishing this duvet cover for our queen bed  (below left) I needed a dog-free (hair-free) space to pin the layers together. This cover fit wall to wall on my studio floor with little to no room to spare (below right).

Needless to say, with such a small space I need to change the space as I work. I found “Murphy” tables the best solution. I have two  such tables. One is 5 feet square when open and provides sufficient space for cutting and layout. (shown in the top photo) When it’s folded up it becomes a large artist easel (below left). The other table is a small sewing table that when folded adds to the décor with it’s decorative underside (below right).

Well I suspect I will be starting a new piece within a week. Please check back. Likewise, if you have something to share or comments, please don’t hesitate to email me – I’d love to hear from you.