Constellation of Mold

Opened a dye pot that I had left in the studio. And wow . . . look at the gorgeous burst of colors and the amber beads that appear radiating like jewels in a circle above another. I find this very intriguing, and would enjoy recreating this in some way. Most definitely art that is one of a kind. Don't think I could make this happen again. This mold alive and growing, came after the crazy rain storms we had. The studio was very wet and cold. This is what I love about the process of creating, the surprises that come of their own fruition. Mold can be beautiful. Why not ?

Art Ark Gallery

It was a pleasure to be selected as one of fifty local artist to show work at the Art Ark Gallery this holiday season. It was the fifth annual salon style exhibition and sale. The Art Ark Gallery is located in San Jose, they have a mission to encourage artists and engage the community. Thanks to dear friends and family that came out to enjoy the music, food, art, and meet new friends. It was inspiring.

Wet felted pods with lights.

It was fun to design the installation using a
branch from our Persimmon tree.

Eco Printing on Fabric at The Tin Thimble

The Tin Thimble in Loomis California is a textile lovers dream. Located northeast of Sacramento, I highly recommend a visit. Yesterday I took a one day class, Botanical Imprinting on Fabric taught by Sharon Mansfield at the Tin Thimble. Sharon has done so much research with local plants and is happy to share her expertise, with step by step instructions and a positive encouraging teaching style her classes will not disappoint. She has another eco printing class coming up in the spring. The Tin Thimble has a great studio space for classes and a store front in a wonderful old packing shed. The store has all the supplies you need. Its like a museum, store, and school all in one. I am always inspired by the work they show, and they keep the merchandise fresh and interesting. We dyed silk, silk wool blends, and silk linen blends. All the bundles were gorgeous and we only used local eucalyptus.

I should also mention, the High Hand Nursery and Cafe next door where you will want to have lunch, and don't miss the potato chips they make fresh. Great coffee and cookies too.

Can't wait to get back to my studio and incorporate some of Sharon's techniques. The results were so beautiful, I can't stop looking at them. So many beautiful details. Thanks to mother nature and teachers/artists like Sharon.

A peak into the classroom space.

My bundles before opening.

Maiwa Textile Symposium : Tilleke Schwartz

Maiwa Textile Symposium runs for three months on Granville Island in Vancouver British Columbia. I had the pleasure of attending last week. Vancouver is a wonderful city so easy to get around walking, riding bikes, or using public transportation. The place I found to stay through airbnb was a condo that overlooked the boats, fisherman's wharf and Granville island. 

The workshop I participated in was taught by Tilleke Schwartz an artist from the Netherlands and master at embroidery. It was a three day workshop. And the topic was "Telling Your Own Story". Tilleke's sense of humor was a kick, and she shared what inspires her and showed images of other fiber artist that she admires. A highlight was viewing her work in person which I have to say is far superior to photos. The texture and tiny scale of her stitches are truly incredible. 

We did some drawing exercises to get us thinking about what we might design. Tilleke encouraged us to either go into the project with a plan or work as you go. I am excited to incorporate embroidery in my own work. 

I hope to make this an annual trip, the Textile Symposium runs September, October, and November. Registrations for the courses begin in June and they fill up within days.

My sampler, Tilleke suggests adding her trademark cross-stitched cat.

We flew in a small prop plane from Seattle to Vancouver.

View from the airbnb condo.

Each day the view changed, even in grey skies its pretty.

This is the walk I did each day to class.

Classroom above the Maiwa store.

Textile and book collection is incredible.

The first exercise was to create a collage to tell our story.

Details from my collage.

Couching with silk threads.

Another drawing exercise where you pass along a piece to another student.

Inspiration that Tilleke would use.

Walking to class on the last day.

Fourth floor is where I stayed. 

The Maiwa store filled with treasures for the lover of textiles.

An evening ride on a small ferry to watch the sunset.

Granville Island was at one time an industrial area,
now it is a place for artists and a public market that rivals any I have seen.
There is still a working factory shown above.

Looks like Wizard of Oz and the Emerald City.

So fun to ride on this small ferry.

Condos on the water.

Felted and Sewn Cap

The sewing group I belong to asked each person to make a hat to donate for adult & child cancer patients at Stanford Hospital. I decide to start with natural wool and very fine silk habotai. I created the plain white nuno felt and then hand stitched this skull cap. I added the details and embroidery. Hope it makes its way to a special person.

Thanks to Dana, a super cute model.

  

Silkscreen of Doris Duncan

This is an image I really love. The model is my maternal grandmother Doris Duncan, her maiden name was Urie. Her father was a photographer. There are some wonderful images of her as a child having fun in front of the camera. She was very comfortable and you can sense that she enjoyed having her father's attention, as he used her as his muse. I used this image of her as a young woman for a silkscreen project. It may have ben taken before she was married. I don't know anything about the hat she is wearing, it may have just been a prop and not really something she owned.

I silkscreened the image on cotton muslin, some of my eco dyed fabrics, and bristol board. The ink color is denim blue. Stay tuned to see what these fabric bits morphs into.

Black image before it was printed to film 

P

Ink from overlay

Proof on newsprint

Printing on eco dyed cotton