As we all know, 2020 was a challenging year for all. As my world was reduced by COVID, my subjects changed in scope, too.
~ Click or Tap on any image to enlarge ~
Jerry
(size 21″x17″)
Jerry is a man with a history of adventure and adversity. I really like his personality and hope I have captured a little of who he is in my artwork.
Mostly hand dyed fabrics to enhance the saturated colors I choose. The photo was augmented in Photo Shop before being translated into my pattern.
Clay Pots
(size 54″x26″)
These started as a photograph of gray clay pots along a museum wall in Germany. I liked the repetition of them. Using Photo Shop, I pushed the colors into these vibrant magentas and purples. After I’d enlarged the image I started to experiment with different croppings. Enlarging each until they were the same height I wound up with 3 perspectives which I combined into one unit.
Spring Interrupted
(size 46″x29″)
Oh how the spring of 2020 changed everyone’s lives. One day I was enjoying this view from my living room window and the next the Corona virus descended on us. I have continued to watch the year unfold through the window but no one else can watch with me.
If you look closely at the quilting you will find the Corvid-19 virus lurking there. Barely seen but ever present. This is a year we shall never forget.
Amaryllis by Morning
(size 15″x23″)
A dear friend gives me an Amaryllis every Christmas. The flowers are so stunning that I can’t help but photograph them. I particularly loved this deep red one. While Photo Shopping it I got to the point where I had dropped out much of the detail in the background. I liked the affect so made this piece. What is seen in the background is my living room and dining room in basic shapes.
Clamatis
(size 22″x27″)
Using Photo Shop I simplified the design and intensified the colors in my photograph. I used mostly my own hand dyed fabrics and thread work.
Cat and Mouse
(size 19.5″x24)
This is based on a photograph I took of my cat Mimsie sitting on my desk playing with the computer mouse. Also in the picture is the monitor and mouse pad.
The Thoughts of Cat
(size 20.5″x25″)
This is another image of Mimsie (Covid-19 has narrowed my world and the images I have around). I was photographing her and noticed that, even though she appeared to be looking at the camera, she mentally has withdrawn. So I decided this was about her thoughts and gave her forehead the same color as the space her.
Refuge
(size 19″x21″)
This photo was given to me by a newscaster in Mexico. It appears that the boy is crossing a flood with his dog in a bowl on his head. He is spitting water. I loved the subtle muddy colors of the flood water and sky so used all hand dyed fabrics that expressed that drab mood.
Sunrise at Sea
(size 17″x 46″)
I acquired 16 pieces of recycled canvas’s that spurred my work in a new direction. Maybe it is the isolation of 9 months of Covid-19 that have pushed me this way. I just played with them.
After dying a couple in teal dye, I ironed them. In this one I saw a sunrise on the horizon. In all my decades of sewing, I don’t think I have ever done a piece with one line of stitching. Decorative thread marks the horizon. Crumpling the fabric below the horizon defined the sea. Thin paint enhanced the sun and it’s reflection in the sea and sky. It is so calm. What a change from my usual raucous multi-fabric work .
Manastash in Winter
(size 16″x46″)
This is the second piece I did using my recycled canvas. Like the 1st piece this canvas was hand dyed in teal. From there I reverse stitched a drawing based on my photo taken on Manastash Ridge a few winters ago.
To clarify the view I added pearlized white Paint Stik for the snow and then paint to darken the field. These new experiments are very exciting and I have no idea where this will go when I run out of the pre-cut canvas.
Zebras
Another canvas piece only this one is made with 2 pieces. Both were hand dyed before stitching them together. Additional torn natural fabrics were sown on to it before it was rolled and dyed in red. Most of the red is now on the reverse side of the piece. I drew the zebras in pencil and printed them onto Transfer Art Paper which irons onto the background, transferring the zebra images. Because of the varied fabric surfaces, the transfer laminated in different ways. This gave the zebras a more fleeting image. The frayed edges of the canvas were applied in different locations creating the grassland.
