Stitching Things Together

One of my visual preoccupations is with stitching - actual or virtual, real or metaphoric. I like to see how things are connected. When things are collaged together, the challenge can sometimes be in seeing the connections. Crow, pumpkin, heart, beehive? Flight, fruit, flow, community? Magic, bounty, mystery, communion...?

Good Luck

I'm always intrigued with good luck symbols. After all, why does a four-leaf clover represent good luck or any luck at all? Yet, I've absorbed enough of a sense of the power of the symbol that I feel a little uplift at the sight of one - in a field or on a postcard. Maybe feeling a little lift is good luck enough?

Bottlecaps, Yoyos and Monkeys in a Barrel

I'm back to bottlecaps. I love the whirly, swirly effect of the bottlecaps and yoyos in this detail from a piece in progress. I've also been on a crazy search for a Barrel of Monkeys because I wanted to add some little red monkeys to the mix. I've learned that a lot of toy stores just "get stuff sent" to them without anybody in the store having any control or being able to place an order for a customer. I wonder who gets to decide? Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.

Nova Scotia Fishing Boats

Sometimes when I'm working on a collage, roads diverge and I'm not sure which road to choose. Sometimes it's absolutely time to stop. Sometimes something needs to be more fully developed. So, I started this series. Each collage is built on top of a copy of a previously finished piece. In these examples you can see parts of Nova Scotia Fishing Boats showing through Cats in the Vineyard. It's an interesting process that challenges me to wipe out, cover up and sometimes (gasp) just paint over images and combinations that had been carefully completed.

Crow at White River Junction

This piece is based on a photo I took in White River Junction, Vermont. The crows in the parking lot were curious but wary of me and my camera. Since crows like to collect things, I've surrounded her some goodies for her stash. I've been wanting to sew bottlecaps onto fabric for a while and finally worked out a process for making that work. The crow is bordered by silver beads.

The Journal Quilt Book

In each month of 2005, I made a small experimental quilt and reflected on my process in a journal. At the same time there were people from all over the US and in many other countries quilting and reflecting as part of the Journal Quilt Project. In 2006, this multi-faceted creative endeavor was documented in Creative Quilting: The Journal Quilt Project, edited by Karey Bresenhan. I was delighted to find a photograph of my very experimental paper and plastic quilt on page 253. It was great to be part of such a thoughtful and dynamic project and I like knowing that all of those other quilters are out there, stitching up the world.

Spirits and Shrines

I'm excited to have some work in a show at the Fiber Art Center in Amherst, MA. Small Works: Spirits and Shrines, includes an array of "fiber-related shrines, icons, talismans, amulets" and other mystical works. The opening is from 5:00 - 9:00 on December 7, 2006, during the Amherst Art Walk. Crow in the Mountain, pictured here, is one of the spirit altars I have in the show. There's information on future shows and classes at: www.fiberartcenter.com