Still dealing with my leg and can’t really stand for long as yet… so, I’ve been sitting and sketching and experimenting with watercolors. Want to loosen up and not be so literal. Also want to paint outside other than on my deck, but that will have to wait a week or so. Here’s some of my recent explorations. I’m having fun.
Watercolor Explorations
This has been a very difficult time personally and I haven’t been in my studio for a while. In one month, I both broke my tibia and worst on March 4th lost my brother, Senter, to cancer.
I still haven’t been able to work but have started to document some smaller work I’ve done this past year in a small sketchbook. Mostly mark making, collage, and simple printing, resulting in mixed media books and other explorations. Some of this work was done in courses lead by Lorna Crane and by Sally Tyrie through Fiber Arts Take Two. Revisiting work is calming, a chance to slow down and think about my direction – how will this work influence future projects. I still have a ways to go with this documentation but here are some results to date. It’s a work in progress.
Mark Making Explorations: 1. Mark Making Book, 2. Painted Fabric Samples
1. Print: Incoming Tide, 2. Small collage using various types of simple printing
1. Prints, acetate images and machine stitches, from a series of 14, 2. More explorations, didn’t go with these
Three earlier fabric books, combined together with a leather cover. I’m still working on the cover.
Very happy my project was featured on the cover of the Fiber Arts/taketwo “Reveal and Conceal” exhibition online catalog. Titled “Forest Floor”, this piece consisted of a monoprint cover tied with handspun wool. Inside is a semitransparent page with a collagraph print on dyed teabag paper. Concealed under this page is a small print from acetate which is revealed when open. It is one of a series of eight.
“Reveal and Conceal” exhibition catalog cover
As a break from my current printing project, I’ve working with some of my photographs. Such a break allows me to step back and bring new insight to my original work.
Two of these images result from a trip to Odessa, an historic village in Delaware, while the third is from a trip to Maine just before the pandemic began. With the Odessa images I was exploring my experience of its autumn quietness and historic background.
The Maine photograph captures the vividness of the evening light. We were driving back to our vacation cabin after a busy day and it took my breath away.
“Odessa Marsh”
“Odessa Barn Hinge”
“Evening Light”
I’ve been exploring using images printed on acetate with a solvent to print the image on paper – by hand, no press. A bit tricky, need a light touch and some luck so the solvent doesn’t smear yet the image does transfer. Here are a couple of my first images that I’m happy with – after lots of unsuccessful tests. Now to register an image on the paper and create a clean print – while keeping a light touch etc…
“In Coming Tide”
“Debris”
My second course was with Sally Tyrie. She focused on developing a body of work with a single theme. Here is one of my series. The base layer is mono printed on paper with acetate layers on top. I digitally printed the acetate with my photographs I had manipulated in Photoshop. The final layer is machine stitched to add texture and to hold it together. The concept for this group was taken from walks at both the Jersey Shore and the Wissahickon Creek. This was very fun!
“Mixed Media Layering”
