Sneak Peek #4

Detail of second mask for challenge below.

Sneak Peek #3

Made for a mask challenge with Contemporary Fiber Artists of Louisiana.  Show opens Sept. 1 at Denham Springs, LA Library.

Sneak Peek #2

This is not the same piece, but will also be going to Breaking Traditions.

Sneak Peek

Detail of Breaking Traditions 2010 piece.  The exhibit will debut at the American Sewing Expo in Novi, Michigan this fall.

Artin' in the Garden

It rained a bit here...

...and the mushrooms sprung up like, well, mushrooms.  Pictures taken over 3 days.  They start out like balls on a stick, open up and start to decay.  Next rain will undoubtedly produce a bumper crop. 

Hangin' out in the Garden

QuiltArt Quinceañera

LEAF PARTY!

15" x 15"
Techniques/Methods
Handpainted fabric using Setacolor paints. Leaf Printed with Lumiere paint. Machine quilted.

Statement
I selected leaves from 15 different plants that grow locally (not all of them native), and sunprinted them using a background of 15 colors of Setacolor paint, and lots of kosher salt. I also overprinted about 15 leaves with metallic copper Lumiere paint, and machine quilted with rainbow cotton thread. The leaves look to me like they are having a celebration, including lots of confetti (made with the salt effect) and many bright colors. I have gotten much more interested in surface design and dyeing since joining the list about five years ago.




 Go to  QuiltArt Quinceañera  for the rest of the amazing quilts.

Not a beanstalk, but...

Daniel's giant 8 1/2 foot sunflower.  The flower is just starting to open.  For reference, the human is about 6 ft tall.  The tomatoes in the background have turned light green.

Global Warning, unfortunately once again

In the wake of the oil spill in the Gulf, I am pulling this quilt out again. Seems even more appropriate than when I made it a few years ago.  This is the second event with a major ecological impact in less than 5 years in the gulf coast area.

Artist's Statement:
Although Katrina missed my part of the state and Rita did not leave much physical damage, both hurricanes had lasting effects on the entire state, both financially and emotionally. Scientists have linked rising global temperatures to increasingly violent storms. Who do we blame? The phrases in red list a few likely culprits, but the words in green are the underlying causes: the seven deadly sins and a few extra. Will civilization change its ways before the entire planet is devastated?

Tell all the Truth but tell it slant
Success in Circuit lies
Too bright for our infirm Delight
The Truth’s superb surprise

As Lightning to the Children eased
With explanation kind
The Truth must dazzle gradually
Or every man be blind—

Emily Dickinson c. 1868

Phrases in red on background:
pork barrel politics                        carbon dioxide
gas guzzling vehicles               corps of engineers
inadequate leadership          excess emissions            fear
diverted funding                       polluter tax breaks
faulty evacuation planning           ozone layer hole
fossil fuel dependency          vanishing wetlands
excess oil consumption         coastal erosion
toxic byproducts                  shrinking polar ice caps
incomplete ecosystems                dead zones
The poor will always be with us
Tell all the truth but tell it slant

green words in the red area:
selfishness
intolerance
arrogance
extravagance
vanity
avarice
gluttony
sloth
hubris
envy
Other ecologically-themed pieces:

Vanishing Wetlands: Legislative Compromise

materials: 434 adhesive bandages, corn pad, gauze, adhesive tape, spanish moss, netting, cotton fabric, acrylic paint

Endangered Swamp: Fade to Black
(note how the wildlife is missing from the pictures)