Eden-Day Two

11"x11", burlap, printed cotton on gelatin plate, wire mesh, seeds, old coat button 1930's.
I've never cared much when (we) became wanderers or when (we) looked to planting fields and tending orchards. Using Eve as a turning point to the beginning of all the above....I have gifted a knapsack of apple seeds in her name! A find of something lost? I spent a good deal of time printing all sorts of  fruit with the gelatin plate not knowing what to do with them all so this was a good choice for me. I've had fruit trees in my yard in the past and watching the cycle of blooms to fruit...is a time full of grace. Nothing sweeter then fresh picked fruit. I added this old coat button of my grandmothers as she loved her garden. Warm memories still of walking in the garden with her checking on the flowers and fruit trees.

This fabric business is an interesting world of printing, sewing and such. I'm always an artist and choosing this method for these seasons opens up so much discovery. I finally received my neutralizer for the bleaching method and I have finally gotten out my sewing machine instruction book...!! Entering November with so much still to try! Happy Halloween!

Charting the Moon

6" x 12" printed cotton, black jets & crystals, stencils, metal hook. I hadn't realized how formal this piece was becoming but its understandable as I began with this square of rows of circles. I am still gathering pieces I have stamped, printed and such using the gelatin plate. This is the third sample in combining these prints.
In terms of my series "ancient memories", I couldn't help but think of the importance of charting the night sky. This piece represents a hanging chart to track the moon phases. It must have been so important to observe the skies for direction, location, omens, rituals, stories and proof of the living heavens. With a dark sky can you just imagine the power and movement from above?!! Again I created this piece thinking of the art in everyday life, beads and stitching all to make ordinary objects feel sacred.

Serendipity: Whenever I begin a new series books start falling off the shelves! Really, I'm drawn to this one or that for example: I'm rereading "Picnic,Lightning" by Billy Collins "Masada" by Yadin and enjoying a  Biblical Archeology magazine which my husband found at the post office bin and brought home to me. It has been recommended to me to read "The Places that Scare You" by Pema Chodron and "Sacred Contracts" by Caroline Myss. I received an email announcing our congregation is having a read-a-thon with the book "Walking the Bible" by Bruce Feiler (I think he had this series on PBS) All this and books on silk screening, embroidery, etc....! I couldn't ask for more support.

"Minoan Tea Cloth"

7" x 12" cotton, printed  mint leaf images and glass-like beads. Sample 2 is composed of printed leaves that I had printed and posted on Oct. 3rd. In creating this piece, I rediscovered the blanket stitch and used it on the leaf shapes and all around the piece. Its a great stitch, easy with a nice little line. What I've noticed on museum sites and research magazines is the beauty (now faded and chipped) of ordinary, everyday use items of ancient desert people...fascinating!
 I have plans to bleach some of these samples but before I can do that I need a neutralizing agent to stop the bleach process and my art store is out of stock. This is going to be a busy time as I have a long list of 'things' I want to try!

True Indian Summer weather, cool in the morning, hot in the afternoon and dark and chilly earlier in the evening! Along with the great weather has been a not so interesting aspect ... allergies...my eyes are watering like  faucets...oh well!

"Pocket of Cures"

measures approx. 5"x10", block printed muslin stitched to felt, green silky remnant found in fabric box, assorted beads and wire. One of my first efforts in creating a complete fabric piece. The X printed section was taken from my sample pile featured in the last post photo...far bottom right. I stitched around the X's and then added this green fabric. It is important to me that I stay connected to my journal writing and exploration of biblical archeology so you might say this is my first and very own 'artifact'. My work table is an amazing mess...what with the paints, prints and then the pins and thread all piled high with fabrics.

Our neighborhood had a joint car port sale this past weekend and I wandered around and found a book on all matters of stitching and quilting etc...I believe it will be a great reminder on some of those tricky stitches! I have planned to try  applique and continue to sew beads which I need a new pair of eyes to thread the needle. My father had a big magnifying lamp but I gave it away because I Never thought I would need it?!

2nd Sample set

I'm learning so much and having fun too. These are a sampling of second day in the studio where I focused on more block printing, stencils and using a gelatin plate. The dark cloth above has a faint row of prints and I have since printed two more times. The leaves on the left are mint leaves printed and the little circles below are from a plastic stencil. I'm taking notes as I work so fast and can hardly remember if I painted dark over light, light over dark or light over light??? Plenty of muddy pieces too which probably is the result of cutting corners and avoiding complex instructions. I see where David Smith is carrying a "Gelli" printing plate but I prefer making my own as I can control the size. It is easy to mix up and recipes are all over the Internet .I plan on a few more days printing with a gelatin plate and then I will try silk screen. How I put these pieces together is my 'real' challenge as I don't want to create a quilt and yet I do want to do some sewing.  I'm also keeping my journal and researching some areas in biblical archeology...fascinating what has survived.

We finally had two days of scorching heat and then this morning the misty fog rolled in...we might get a couple more days of heat before Halloween but fall is definitely here.