More Earth Tones, Please

I’ve been dyeing lots of fabric while I’m waiting for my new big forms to come back from the welder. About 26 yards, as a matter of fact. I’ve been working with a palette of five colors and three techniques: low-water immersion, pole wrapped shibori, and flour paste. I set the flour paste up over the weekend. I applied the flour to one two yard piece each day because of space limitations. By today I had three pieces dry and ready for dye. Tomorrow I’ll dye the last one and have the dubious pleasure of washing out the flour. It’s a messy task but worth it. I sure do love the organic crackly effect I get from it.

Growing Tall

Okay, these are definitely big!

These are the large versions of the maquettes I wrote about in my last post. And the lesson learned is that, no matter how much you think you’ve got it figured out, it’s just not easy to scale up.

My process was to trace the patterns of the maquettes, reduce them at the copy shop, transfer them to transparencies, and then enlarge them with the overhead projector. Simple, right?

Well, actually, no. It’s taken me much longer than I thought it would to get the patterns to fit right and to look like the maquettes. And then, even though I kept trying to ignore it, I finally had to admit to myself that the small one needed to be bigger. Grrr! More cutting, adding, and taping and I still don’t have it quite right.

I’m getting close, though. Anna and Paul, my studio-mates, took a look today and gave me some good suggestions for tweaks on the shapes. I’m hoping to get these full size models done tomorrow. Then I’ll take them apart, make new paper patterns, and tape them back together. Then I can bring them to Steve so that he can start working on the welded skeletons.

Even though it’s been a bit frustrating in the studio the last few days I’m actually really happy with the way these are turning out. They certainly fill the room and the negative spaces they form are pretty compelling. I’m glad that Jessica and Phen at Foster/White gave me a push to explore working at this larger size.

It feels like the start of something big.

smaller form before it grew 2 inches

Starting Small

A couple weeks ago I stopped into Foster/White Gallery to pick up a piece of art that I was shipping to Wayne Art Center for Craftforms 2011. The pieces for the Stone Series are going to be in their January group show and while I was there Jessica asked me if I could make some big free-standing pieces for the show.

“How big?” I asked.

“Oh, about this big,” she said holding her hand about 4 feet off the ground.

“Hmmm . . .” I replied.

I’ve been thinking about working bigger for about a year but have been limited by my materials. The peltex I use just won’t hold up to gravity at that size without being held up by something else, like, say, the wall. I’ve been thinking about taking a welding class to learn how to make steel frameworks for pieces. But getting a piece or two done for January does not include learning how to weld.

So, I called my friend Steve Anderson. Steve is a great guy, one of those gentle giants who can turn hard steel into graceful shapes. We met and I brought him two maquettes, each about 18 inches tall.

“This one will be four and a half feet tall and that one will be six feet tall. Can you do that? How much? How long will it take you?”

Once I heard details from Steve it was back to the gallery to find out if they think they can sell the pieces if we raise my prices to cover the welding. So far, so good.

It’s exciting to be embarking on this new journey of discovery. And with a short deadline during the holidays, of course, just to make it extra exciting. But it keeps me going back to the studio. It’s good to shake things up now and then.

The Last Nice Day of the Year

I’m looking out at my cherry tree, bare of all but a few last wet leaves, as I sit here at the computer downloading photos. I had forgotten about my trip to Golden Gardens Park a few weeks ago on what was, most likely, the last nice day of Fall before the rains came. This grove of trees at the water’s edge has such a sense of place, the strong verticality of the closely set trunks contrasting with the openness of the water, sky, and mountains. They set off the brilliant color of the leaves on the bluff that sets this long strip of beach from the rest of the city. The long angled light of Fall highlighted the patterns and textures of the bark nicely for my camera.

I feel fortunate to live in a place so filled with natural beauty. I appreciate the change of the seasons here. The storms of Winter come early along with the dark. Our Northern location give us short days and long nights this time of year. It’s a time to cozy up inside, work intently at the studio, and find time to celebrate the holidays with friends. And time to look for inspiration through my photos from the warmer, sun-filled days of the year.

Fall Color

We’re having a beautiful Fall here in Seattle. Through some mysterious set of climate circumstances, we’re having much more vibrant Fall color than usual. We had a few days of sunshine and blue skies and then some gray and stormy days, each one setting off the colors in different ways. And the colors change from one day to the next it seems. This Japanese Maple in my garden went from deep red to brilliant yellow/orange over just a few days. And we’re only one blustery storm away from them all being on the ground.

Archaeology

We’re are doing a small remodel at our house. I say small but, really, is there such a thing when it comes to remodeling? Even though we’re not doing any of the work ourselves the project has expanded to fill all of my time. Between decisions about tile, paint swatches, and bathroom hardware I haven’t been spending much time at the studio.

But one thing I love about any remodel project on an old house is discovering what’s beneath the walls. Our house was built in 1906. These photos show the remnants of old lathe and plaster walls with layers of wallpaper just before they got covered up with smooth, new sheet rock. I love the unintentional abstract compositions and the way they show the layers of time. Each person putting their mark on the wall, making choices about the way they want to live in their home, just the way I’m doing now.

A New Toy

I’ve recently inherited an ipad first edition from my husband. He, of course, got the ipad 2. I don’t care what edition it is, I’m loving it! Beside the fact that it’s a pleasure to look at and use, it’s been really helpful to have in the studio. I loaded my photos from our Southwest trip and I’ve been using it while I work. We have wifi at the studio so I also have internet accessibility. I don’t normally carry around a laptop so I’ve really been enjoying it. And no, I’m not sponsored by Apple.

Seward Park Madrones

Madrones are one of my favorite trees. I love the way they twist out of rocky soil, their sinuous branches covered with a combination of smooth inner bark and a cracked and peeling outer layer.

This morning I went for a walk around Seward Park with Jim Demetre. He writes about art (among other capers) and has set aside time to walk and talk with artists. He laughed when I asked him if he had an agenda for our discussion. We had an interesting conversation about trees and food, art and family, remodeling and the pleasures of a good down jacket. He’s a charming tour guide and very knowledgeable about native plants.

We stopped along the way in a small grove of Madrones. Some of them are quite damaged by age or the weather but still growing around their scars. Now there’s another topic for conversation.

The Next Step

Here are the panels for the new series, as yet unnamed, all glued up and ready to go. Below is part of the audition process. This series is responding to my trip last Spring to the Southwest.

I’ve really got to do some writing and thinking about these forms to get to their meaning. I can feel it but I haven’t found the words yet. First things first, I’ve got to get them done and to the photographer by Friday and it’s going to be a stretch.

October Sunset

We’ve been having the most luminous sunsets lately. I can’t resist putting up this photo. Wouldn’t you love to get that color range and intensity in a piece of fabric?