I had made my first set of magic brushes but when I went to Maine last week I gathered sticks, stones, and other bits. Today I made Maine Brushes. One with feathers, one with a bit of muddy knotted rope, two with stones, and one with a pine cone. I decided to leave the black and magenta electricians tape as it was and added black strings with black and clear beads – a bit of drama. The 4 other stones are just because I always collect stones…
“Maine Brushes”
After making marks with my brushes on paper and fabric this course has had us make scrolls, collages, marks on fabric and paper, and 5 books so far and it’s not over! I liked my first scroll and was sorry to discover I was to cut it up so I made another and wound this one on a spool tying it with hand made silk cordage.
“Spool with Scroll”
Taking an intense mark making course with Lorna Crane called “Perfectly Imperfect”.
It began making wonderful crazy brushes. We were to embellish them and I based mine on an imagined Prehistoric Healer as they remind me of funky magic wands, BUT the main purpose is the mark making—getting you out of your normal way of working—the crazy bit is for fun. Mark making is in the next section of the course. After that we will use our marks in making collage, scrolls, books, and finally a vessel. We will be marking with ink, markers, acrylics, stitches, etc. etc. Painting on paper as well as fabric. It is a very busy, involved course and a lot of fun!
“Magic Brushes”
In a previous post (titled ‘Heist”) I described a project called “Bound in Place”. It was dyed and then buried as an experiment. When I went to dig it up I couldn’t find it! Hence the “Heist”. Below are images of laying out the rusty bits, attaching them, and adding seed stitching to create texture.
Testing Layout and Stitching
Dyed and Burying Project
I waited until March the dig it up but couldn’t find it, then in late April, I was weeding in this area and there it was, so covered in mud I almost missed it. The poor thing was torn with very distressed fibers. After washing and drying it it was repaired, attached it to dyed linen and backed with a piece of thin felt for stability.
Found and Repaired Project
I’m happy with the result showing the work involved plus a sense of decay—nothing’s permanent. Another time I will bury one in the warmer weather and will mark it better. I’m still interested the effect bugs and other ground dwelling critters may add to the project—and they most likely weren’t at work in the frozen ground!
“Page 22” is a Mixed Media work created for a group exhibition “Artists in Solidarity with Ukraine” at the Germantown Espresso Bar near my home.
“Page 22”
It began as a spread in a journal of paintings begun as a daily exercise.
After days representing my daily feelings, suddenly there were these pages representing the war in Ukraine. Too often all seems normal then one day things turn horrible beyond belief. Once this has passed things tend to return back to normal (what ever that is) until the next catastrophic event. We don’t learn.
The name “Page 22” represents the page in the book with the original image.
This work is about 12 x 4 inches, made of cotton and rusty metal bits held between two pieces of cotton, then covered with stitches. It was then dyed with tea in the hope that the metal would mark the work with rusty stains. It’s title is “Bound in Place”
Missing
I wasn’t happy with the amount of rust in this piece (the angular rusty bits didn’t react) so I decided to bury it outside and see what the elements did to it. The ground was pretty frozen and I could only go a bit below the dirt but I marked the spot and was very proud of my self that I waited a several months to dig it up. Only it wasn’t there!! I dug all around to no avail. All I can figure is that a squirrel or other critter attracted by the smell of tea made off with it…
