The Gastro Guest House--a free form crochet and knit wall hanging

The Gastro Guest House is a free-form crochet/knit wall hanging that was accepted into Tangled, a Montana Fiber Arts Collective exhibition called Shelter. It was exhibited for the month of October, 2013 at The Purple Pomegranate, 222 Central Ave. Whitefish, MT 59937. 

 

Here was my artist's statement:

Trained as a biologist, I have a special interest in the living arrangements, good or bad, made between organisms. In The Gastro Guest House, small creatures peer out from their niches in the viscera of an unknown species. As guests, are they welcome, or not?

Fiber is the foundation from which I create my sculptural pieces, which I then embellish with beads, buttons, fabric, and found objects. Sometimes the goal is to express my odd sense of humor and hopefully make the viewer smile. I also like to remind the viewer of life's transience. In this regard, the haiku of Issa, who viewed insects and other small creatures with humor and pathos, is an inspiration.

Year completed: 2013

Dimensions: 22 inches wide by 31 inches high; 4.5 lbs.

Materials and techniques: Yarn, beads, felt, trim; crochet, loom knit, needle felt, hand beading.

 

 

 

Cat Face--A portrait in purple fabric of my long-hair cat.

I take a lot of pictures of my female cat PT, and I particularly liked this one.

I decided to make an art quilt titled "Cat Face" based on this picture. I thought it would be fun to make her fur purple and to enhance the green of her eyes. The finished piece measures 45 inches high by 46 inches wide. 

Materials and techniques: cotton and pearl organza, tulle, rickrack, thread; hand appliqué, machine quilted.

"Cat Face" was juried into the 2013 East Cobb Quilt Guild Show in Marietta, Georgia and won third place viewer's choice at the Heart in Hand Quilt Guild Show in Dawsonville, Georgia.

"Stone Lions"--Art Quilt Wall Hanging

"Stone Lions" measures  36.5 inches high by 31.5 inches wide and was completed in 2012.  Photographs of iconic lion statues in Europe and the U. S. served as the inspiration for this quilt. Can you identify Georgia's Confederate lion? 

This piece was displayed the month of November, 2013 at the Bowen Center for the Arts as part of the Heart in Hand Quilt Guild show.

Materials: Hand-dyed and commercial cottons, paper, cotton embroidery thread, beads, acrylic paint.

Techniques: Hand applique, hand embellishment, machine quilting.

Not Thinking--an art quilt that depicts The Buddha in a leafy setting

I bought a 4-inch statue of the Buddha in a little shop in Manhattan.  I photographed it in many settings until I found a leafy one that inspired an interpretation into fabric.  For me, the color green and the Buddha have similar associations--nature, peace, tranquility, and balance. 

The finished piece measures 34 inches wide x 38 inches high. Materials: hand-dyed and commercial cotton fabrics, tulle, embroidery thread, and glass beads. Techniques: hand applique, hand beaded & embroidered, machine quilted. The title is "Not Thinking."

This piece was exhibited at the 2012 (November)Heart in Hand quilt guild show at the Bowen Art Center in Dawsonville, Georgia. 

 

The Cat--A Portrait in Fabric Strips

Last year, I took a class from Esterita Austin at Empty Spools Seminars near Pacific Grove, CA. Students were supposed to bring to class a picture of a person to use as a template for a wall hanging. Instead, I brought a photograph I took of my female cat, "PT." It was a lot of work to cut all those fabric strips for her fur and to sew each one to a background, but I love the results. This piece, which measures about 35 x 22 inches has won two ribbons at quilt shows in Georgia.

Fabric Mandala--Astral Projection

This one measures about 2 ft in diameter and is made of fabric coiled around clothesline with surface treatments of applique (mola style) and lots and lots of beads plus paint.

Black & White Cookie Fabric Mandala

I am embarking on a new series of art quilts--mandalas of common objects elevated to divine status. The subject of my first mandala is New York City's black & white cookie. This high-calorie treat is one of my favorites, and eating one makes me immensely happy. What an ideal object for contemplation!

This mandala measures 24 inches in diameter. It is made of batting-stuffed coils of fabric attached to each other with zigzag stitches. The cookies, yin yang designs, and the Buddhas are paper covered with tulle netting and appliqued. Beaded crochet and sequins lend the final touches.

Wrapped fabric wall hanging--Aqua Vortex

Inspired by Susan Breier's book, It's A Wrap, I have taken her basic technique to construct a firm base onto which I created a design with applique, beads, and paint. This piece is titled, "Aqua Vortex" and measures 24 inches in diameter. It has been accepted into "Celebrating 10 years of Art Excellence" at the Bowen Center for the Arts in Dawsonville, Georgia, Sept 3-October 2, 2010.

Wrapped fabric Elvis bowl

I have spent July through August working on a technique that is new for me--wrapping fabric strips around strips of batting and then sewing them together with a zigzag stitch to create a background/platform for design and embellishment. This was inspired by a workshop I took in late June based on the book, "It's A Wrap" by Susan Breier. My first efforts were inspired by projects in the book, bowls and vases. Of course, I added my own twist and made a bowl dedicated to The King.