Indigo Sky

7"x8", assorted painted cloth with paper and mostly hand stitching with some machine stitching. I'm loving the indigo and I'm still persevering on the slow stitching. This piece was much larger but I kept trimming back and making late decisions on placement.
I'm already back at the work table sorting through my piles of cloth treated with indigo as well as some rust treated cloth. Keeping my eyes and heart open to those dawn and dusk memories...the kind that leave you breathless at the everyday quality of extraordinary beauty...we are so lucky to be alive no matter the circumstances! (my bit of hard won wisdom)

Wilderness Lamp

7"x15", muslin, cotton, suede, satin ribbon, trim, newsprint, embroidery, machine stitching, copper beads.

I began this piece with stitching together leftover stamped fragments on this rose/pink cloth. First the stars, moon and sun and then machine stitching. Started to look like a center part of a lantern (I like lamp shapes) so I added this suede cloth for the top and mottled brown for the base. I bought the suede way back 25 years ago so this became a perfect choice to finally use it. After adding beads and ribbon it felt complete to me. I see this lamp as a metaphor for lighting my way into new work. Below is an excerpt from my journal that speaks of this internal lamp:         Could this be my needed lantern? Not a direction but a companion for travels unknown to me. I'm facing new places, lists, templates and fabrics. Maybe now spirits can be lifted and I might move forward. The fool is met and guided. The lonely heart is held once again and hope returns.    I'm challenging myself to 9 or 10 larger pieces with a strong ancient storyline...so I'm pleased about beginning!