life gives us gifts

I just read that phrase somewhere: life gives us gifts. The trick is being able to recognize them and then being able to open our arms to accept them. Life gave me a gift this week. Not a FREE gift, mind you. But a gift nevertheless.

At some point, there will be walls where the blue tape is on the floor. And this will be 550 sq. ft of studio space I will be sharing with another artist.

The building is in a complex dating from 1880 and this space, being sub-divided by one artist for other artists, fell into my lap as a result of mentioning I was looking for space when I was at last week's artist crit group. The painter was at the same meeting, also looking for space, and we went to see this sunny, airy loft yesterday. Hope to sign the lease next week and move in at some point next month, if it is ready.

I am already wondering what effect this space will have on my work, once I settle in. The painter is also going through a creative transition, so it should be interesting.

Even if I had not been sure the moment I saw the interior, I would surely have known that I belonged here when I saw this wall adjacent to the exterior door. Another gift.

This is uncannily similar in feeling, if not in fact, to some photos I took in London several years ago and to many other pictures of graffiti and old walls that I've taken over the years. Layers of time...

Now I should go take advantage of the gift of time. I don't have to get up early tomorrow, so I can work late tonight if I choose to.

more on gelatin, etc

Last night, I decided to cut my gelatin plate into shapes. But before I got too far, it decided to break apart all by itself. So much for having control over your art! During the week in the fridge, it had developed pock marks -- added texture that made it even more interesting to work with. Kinda cool, huh?

Here is the ugly piece of fabric I decided I needed to put another layer on. I had batik'd it and was underwhelmed with the results.

This is what it looks like now that I've introduced it to gelatin printing.

Right now it is on my design wall, looking like this.

We'll see what it says to me tomorrow morning.

crit groups and crit groups

Earlier this week I attended a crit group meeting. Not my usual textiles art crit group, which is dear to my heart, but a meeting of 9 artists (out of 16 in the group) who work in mixed media, sculpture, photography, ceramics & glass, fiber, and printmaking.

I felt like the least talented member of this awesome group, but it was interesting that everybody has the same uncertainties: how to price, how to get the work "out there," how to market; how to shift creative gears...it doesn't matter what the medium or how spectacular the work -- we all have common ground. And it was a great forum for networking!

The phototographer, who is doing some cool digital work, is quitting his photography group after umpteen hundred years because they told him that what he is doing is too abstract and too much like ART, not "real" photography. DUH. One member has been painting landscapes for years and has decided she will shift gears and is trying to work more abstractly. She's just beginnng to experiment with something new. Getting input from people who are not familiar with each others' work is a vital and valuable thing -- and those of us who brought work and asked for feedback came away with something to think about in terms of where to go next. I brought the piece above because I am not completely happy with it. In the meantime, check out the websites of a few members of this talented group. Keely McCool Susan Lisbin Lisa Westheimer

I can hardly wait till next month's meeting.

replies, etc.

Tonight, I wanted to repsond to the rest of the comments and answer some more questions - so here they are. Anonymous Diane said I would use it to create a piece of jewelry--a truly unique piece, no doubt!Happy Chanukah. Looking forward to making latkes with your recipe from last year.Diane in PA I thought about creating a piece of jewelry with the fossil - but it's about 5" SQUARE. Veddy dramatic - and too big for me. We'll see. I'm keeping an open mind. Latkes. Diane, you reminded me that I had posted my recipe last year (good grief - where has the time gone?) so I printed it out to take with me. We're going to my daughter Hilary's tomorrow so I have to take all the ingredients there and use her Cuisinart to shred everything. Karoda said... until i read the answers, i was gonna say hardened wax. i also had a question to ask but not i forgot...oh, does discharge paste and thiox discharge differently...i can't use bleach at all but the discharge paste doesn't bother me one bit...does the thiox smell worst than the discharge paste? Frankly, Karoda, I think discharge paste smells worse - but they are pretty much the same smell. I have done experiments and sometimes they discharge differently and sometimes not Depends on the fabric. The chemical makeup is different - although Jaquard does not list ingredients on their bottle. Liz said... Is this the same as the Jacquard discharge paste? I really must have a play with mine - I bought it over a year ago, hope it keeps!! Yes, Liz, discharge paste keeps. Thiox, once mixed, does not keep as well but will stay in the fridge for about a week. I only mix up what I think I can use up at the time - and you can mix up small batches, so that's good. When you use your discharge paste, wear a gas mask or do it right in front of an open window. With either one, I like to hold the steam iron just above the fabric rather than ironing it; it is a bit more gradual but gives me more control. Fool around and see what works for you.

So much for the replies -- now for the etc. Yesterday, I gelatin printed a piece of muslin (I love muslin) using a bunch of washers and other random objects. Today, not being especially enamoured of the piece of fabric, I screened one of my trees on top of the gelatin prints.

If you click on the image, you can see it larger. Not quite sure what will happen to these prints, but I will probably add them to the pile of other random prints.

In the meantime, I have to peel 5 lbs of potatoes tomorrow morning, so I'm off to bed to store up all the energy I'll need. And oops - my houseguests from Pittsburgh are also arriving tomorrow later in the day. This promises to be one of those weeks.

Thiox and stuff

Animal, vegetable, or mineral?? While you are pondering the answer, here are some things about Thiox... 1. Its real name is Thiourea Dioxide and it is a color removing agent. 2. I buy mine from ProChem and there are directions on the jar. No doubt, Dharma sells it also. 3. It does not destroy fabric so you do not need to treat it afterwards. 4. Unlike bleach, it is safe to use on silk. 5. It is activated by moist heat and does not smell till you steam it. 6. When you steam iron it or boil it (thiox bath), it smells rather vile so you will want to wear a respirator and/ or do it near an open window or outside. 7. It smells similar to discharge paste but is chemically different and may discharge differently. 8. Not everything discharges with Thiox. Some things only discharge with bleach. 9. Bleach and Thiox will discharge the same fabric to different colors. 10. If you steam iron the fabric, you can control how much discharge you have. I boiled those shirts and fabrics from yesterday in a discharge bath, but most often I use it the way I use discharge paste. I'm sure you'll have some excellent guesses as to what the picture above is. I will check back tomorrow.

on the surface

It was warm and rainy today. After I spent the morning at Barnes & Noble and Toys R doing the last of the Chanukah shopping (well, almost), I rewarded myself with an afternoon of sheer play. I set up my $5 garage sale hotplate outside under the deck (and btw, that's all it is worth, since the dial doesn't turn to the hottest setting).

I put up the Thiox bath to cook, and dumped in a couple of yecchy black cotton shirts to be revived. You know the kind; cotton knit, washed umpteen times, and mostly faded to sort of greenish black except for a few still-black spots that didn't and look like grease. One of the shirts had some paint on it and still does, of course. I'll print over those spots -- I think. Anyway, now I will be able to wear them without feeling like a complete slob.

I love the unpredictibility of this process. Just out of the bath they looked like they were a soft green. Once they were washed - grey. But that's ok. I could overdye them...

SHIRT A (paint not in picture)

SHIRT B

While I was at it, I threw in some Kona black to see what would happen. I had some sitting around that had already discharged a while ago to a lovely pink. Today's fabric -- from the same bolt -- discharged to a beautiful light purplish-blue. Here are both of them.Interesting, huh?

Here's another piece I printed at the museum last week. I then painted Thiox paste into the spaces. At the time, they looked lavender and were great next to the green. But again, after washing, they ended up off white. I may paint back into them with thickened dye. Or not.

Sometimes it just pays to shift gears: the discharge was a much-needed change of pace. Tonight I went back to the gelatin printing I've been doing off and on for a week;finally, the plate came apart and I was able to print a piece of fabric that speaks to me.

Past my bedtime.

gelatin and more

I have finally had a chance to mess up my print studio again by spending some time there. I haven't played with gelatin for a while, except for when I am teaching it, so I thought I would work with it for a change. Here is my gelatin plate after a long afternoon of printing. Actually, the plate is more interesting than the fabric, but I did get a few results I am happy with. I won't show you the picture of what a plate looked like after I forgot to put it away in the fridge and it sat on my table for a couple of days. Eeeewww. This one, however, is going strong and seems indestructible. Just when I am eager for it to break apart, it refuses to budge. I'll just keep working till it self-destructs (or till I do). In the meantime, I'll just keep playing and see what happens. I did this next one with strips of paper randomly arranged on the plate.

This piece was randomly printed with some found objects. It needs another layer. But doesn't everything? Then, tonight I went back to the process I have been playing with and overprinted on some ugly fabric. A definite improvement - believe me! And the fabric is not even dry yet.

It felt good to get back into the print studio. Tomorrow morning I have to finish my gift shopping and then, hopefully, I can go back and do more work. I have so much fabric sitting around that it is insane to be printing more. But that's the way it goes.

an opening

Quilts for Art Sake IV, I think it was, opened last Friday night at Gallery 214 in Montclair, NJ. Here are Patricia Malarcher, Rachel Cochran, and Barbara Conte-Gaugel having a serious discussion aboout something appropriate to the occasion. I joined the discussion and if I remember correctly, it was about the challenges of jurying and the wish to see fresh work submitted rather than pieces that are similar to those submitted to previous shows, or that have "made the rounds." I will be one of the jurors for Art Quilts Lowell '07 - a national show - for which the organizers hope there will be fresh and interesting work submitted. It is a relief to know that I am not submitting to this show because I do not, at the moment, have any fresh work. But, back to Gallery 214... This is the first time the annual show at 214 has been hung so you could see every piece. In previous years this show was juried and accepted so many pieces that they were hung salon-style, which made for a highly overcrowded exhibit. This year, the show was an invitational and the work was more even in both size and quality -- and was hung more more effectively because there were so many fewer pieces. Rachel and Barbara each had pieces in the show (Barbara's is the large orange and green canvas) and there were pieces by Carol Taylor, Denise Linet, Dominie Nash, Diane Savona, and other artists I can't recall at the moment. Why? Because I had such a terrific weekend that it sent everything else out of my head.

These three luminous young women treated me (and themselves) to a spa weekend at the divine Short Hills Hilton.L-R my daughters Hilary & Jessica; my daughter-in-law, Anne Marie. My brithday present as I enter official decrepitude - was this wonderful mother/daughter escape and pampering that was the BEST. Hil, Jess, and I checked in for the weekend and Anne came for an afternoon in the spa on Saturday. This was the first weekend we could coordinate our schedules.

What could be bad? Massages,manicures, pedicures, facials, drinks and hors d'oeuvres in the Executive Lounge, dinner at Legal Seafood, plenty of laughter and heart-to-heart discussions over dinner, more laughter, and then today - a lavish brunch (ah, the caviar & creme fraiche) and shopping at the Mall at Short Hills with no husbands to look annoyed that we were taking too long. Pure luxury: time together with no agenda other than pleasure. We had so much fun that we decided we should do this once a year.

Tomorrow: back to real life, groceries, bills, and I need to go back to the mall all by myself to do my own shopping for Chanukah, which starts at the end of this week. Everybody is coming next Sunday for latkes and to exchange gifts.

I know I have been missing in action but I have needed to take a break. Will try to get back on track: I haven't had time to either write my blog or read anyone else's. But don't give up. I'll be back to a better schedule soon

at the museum

After a long period of creative inactivity, today was play day. Studio Six - the seven of us who depend on one another for support, advice, critique, and general group therapy - -- met today at the museum. We are lucky enough to have a studio to use one Monday a month and we feel so lucky to be able to work 'en groupe.' One of our number was missing, but we'll see her in two weeks: the first time we will all have been together in eons. As usual, everybody was working independently. Here is Diane Savona, making felt, after which she switched to doing wax resist on cotton. I didn't get pictures of Judy Langille screenprinting and discharging, or of Randy Keenan who was busy making Thermofax screens and doing deconstructed printing. Next time. But here is Rachel Cochran concentrating on some multi-layered process that will undoubtedly yield an exciting piece of orange fabric.

Here's Joanie San Chirico, looking happy to be here and pleased as punch with the results of her discharge experiments.

Me? I was experimenting with something new and am very pleased with the results.

Blogger won't let me upload any more pictures - sigh. Guess I've reached my limit for the day. Will try to be more diligent about posting, but honestly, you would die of boredom if I REALLY told you what was going on. So -- unless I decide to make stuff up, I'll be back when I'm back.

back on track

I've been away so long that Blogger made me sign in tonight. Burrowed, getting ready for the solo show I hung today. Temple B'nai Jeshurun in Short Hills, NJ, has a gallery and every month they invite a different artist to have a solo exhibit. Last month it was a very well known NJ artist who makes her own paper and does beautiful work. This is the first time they have had textiles. When the cantor walked through as we were hanging, he asked how I would like this art to be identified, in case anybody asked what the medium was. "Is it batik?", he asked. I replied that some pieces were - but that it was mixed media on fiber. "Ah, fiber. Thank you," he said. I smiled. Twenty pieces: three of them just didn't work with the rest of the exhibit, so I ditched them. I had help from 3 volunteers who, in the end, moved things around a bit so they worked better. When I left, there were stickies on the walls where the labels would go. Moveable walls - partitioned. Far from ideal (you can see the Walker system rods hanging) but it will be fine. I did straighten out that one piece after I took the photo and I'll stop back before the opening to make sure they look okay.

Meet the Artist a week from Friday and I will be interested to see what kinds of questions I get.

In between redoing sleeves for this system, I have been spending time in my print studio, mostly experimenting and mostly not getting anything I care to post. But that is ok because Blogger won't let me post any more photos tonight:i guess i've used my quota. Anyway, the spot just below my neck is tingling so I think I should get off the computer.

the blues

Blue is a color I rarely use in my work, but lately it has been cropping up in my surface design. In another feeble attempt to clean up the studio tonight, I came across this piece of batik. The good half was sold at QSDS last June, but this isn't bad, either. As I recall, it was quite a time-consuming process and the piece turned out completely differently from the way I had envisioned it. That'll teach me to envision things! Then I found a piece that I printed as a demo piece when I taught soy wax batik with dyes recently at the John C. Campbell Folk School. Not bad for a demo piece and believe it or not, these two look pretty good together on my wall. But that's enough for tonight. The pecan and apple cranberry pies are done and ready to make the trip to Brooklyn tomorrow. The cranberry-orange relish is in the refrigerator, the flowers are bought, the bridge table is ready to go out the door, and I am going to bed. Wishing you all a sweet Thanksgiving!