After Irene

It's been a while since I last posted. There was the fabulous trip to the big skies of Montana. Then some serious studio time before Hurricane Irene landed in Vermont earlier this week. Life is not quite back to normal, but it is moving in that direction.

Before I left to go out west I worked on a canvas piece with some wonderful envelop tea bags called Tea Sacs that the local Mon Vert cafe is saving for me. I don't feel like it's complete yet, but here's the first layer of work:


I've also been preparing for hanging my solo show "The Art of Tea" that will go up next week in the main rotundra of Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center. I made a smaller version to fit in the display cases of a favorite piece, "Fragilitea" (which I have titled "Fragilitea 2"). I really enjoy the process involved in this particular technique where it almost feels like I am painting with the tea paper.



"Come Round for Tea" is now complete. This is the third version, a permanent one.




Now I have to work on writing my artist statement and hanging details. It's quite exciting to anticipate a new show!

Staying Busy During Storm Irene

While the storm raged and later when there was no electricity, phone, or water I had to stay busy in order to stay calm.  Here is a sample of what I did by candlelight for the past three days:

This is one of the 12 ribbonwork pins I made. See the rest of them on my art blog HERE.

One More to Go....

It has taken me much longer than I thought it would to create twelve finished prints for my floral calendar.  Buying one house, selling another, moving from place to place and then painting and renovating is very time and energy intensive!  

But I am now working on the last month of the calendar, involving roses, and here is the latest print, for the month of January. 

"Amaryllis and Paper White"

linoleum print - 9"x12"

"Amaryllis and Paper White"

hand colored linoleum print - 9"x12"

It is just wonderful to have time to work in my studio today and I look forward to more of it in the days ahead.... 

Making a Kirigami Mandala

I've made a new papercutting and I thought you would like to see the process.  This is a combination cut (multi-fold forms the outer edge and a bifold in the center.)

To begin, I first took a large square of lightweight paper, folded it diagonally, then diagonally again, and then once more.  Thus I was cutting through eight pieces of paper. (That is why you can't use tiny, delicate scissors for this kind of kirigami. You need tools substantial enough to cut through several layers.)

First I determined the dimensions of the edge design and made some cuts to guide me.

Next, I began cutting out a floral design.  If the client wanted particular motifs in the papercut, I might add them at this stage. This is how it looks as I am cutting:



And here it is partially opened:



Next, I created the center to make it a "combination cut." That means that the outer edge exhibits radial symmetry, each motif repeating four times, while the inner part is a bifold.   So, instead of folding it back up all the way, I will leave it folded only once so that the design in the center will be a bifold, or mirror image.

Since this is a papercut for a gardener, I wanted to have leaves, flowers, and fruit trees in it.  First, I cut the basic shapes out, leaving connections to the outer edge.



I cut the details out of the tree . . .



And then began cutting a basic human shape.  I always make the woman first, as she is depicted with more flesh and hair.



Then I opened the whole piece up and cut off some hair on one of the figures to make the male.  With an x-acto knife I cut details to distinguish their outfits and... Voila!

A Spring Flower Print

It's been a busy summer with not much studio time.  We've had a great vacation on the Cape, a wonderful visit from our son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren, lots of work on the house and normal, fun, summer activities. 
Here is a spring flower print, perhaps March....  I think the little bee in looks suspiciously like "Flying Piglet" and that entertains me!

"Daffodil and Crocus"

linoleum print - 9"x12"

"Daffodil and Crocus"

hand colored linoleum print - 9"x12"

Unbound

The end of July was all about the final stages of putting together the Book Art show at ArtisTree Gallery, Unbound. We have been working on this collaborative exhibtion (between Pentangle and ArtisTree) since November, so it was quite a relief to have received the entries, had the work juried, and figure out all the logistics of hanging the show.

The result is a wonderfully diverse and interesting show of 40 artists interpretation of book art. The four small rooms of the gallery provide an excellent showcase for the mostly intimate work.



I have two books in the show, both made of tea bags:






Now I am back in my studio, finishing some pieces and beginning some new "experimental" work. I continue to find new ways to use the components of tea bags.

Sizzling in Vermont

These long, hot summer days haven't lent themselves to posting. I'm in the studio not quite as much as I'd like to be, but some pieces are in process. I've been working on an old 3 by 3 foot canvas, covering it with tea tags. It is a time-consuming task requiring patience and a huge number of tags. It's difficult to knowat this point if it will be successful in the end. Here's an image from last week.....it has progressed since then:


At the local church fair last weekend I found some interesting odds and ends that may become part of the series. I've played around with filling a shallow round basket with still full tea bags. I don't think I like all the strings hanging down as shown in the photo, so have tried it without the strings. The jury is still out.


I've also been working on the exhibition UNBOUND that is opening next Friday. It's going to be a fantastic exhibition of book art from all over New England that Pentangle and Artis Tree Gallery are sponsoring. I can't wait to see the pieces displayed as a whole.

I'm also pleased that my tea bag swimsuit made it into the AVA Summer Show and won an Honorable Mention. On these steamy days I imagine gallery visitors will be amused to see it there.