a deer and a mouse....

in progress.

Look at these....

One of my friends and former students posted a link to her ex-husbands new work recently on Facebook.  It is astounding!  My husband and I knew Todd and my friend when we were graduate students at the University of New Mexico.  Ashley had been in my Printmaking class, and Todd may have been in my husband's photo class.  We were lucky enough to trade work all those years ago, and I still have those lovely pieces on my walls.  I would give anything to have one of these.  Please check out his website, Todd Baxter Photography, and the spread in Fast Company Magazine.  

From the series entitled "Owl Scouts" by Todd Baxter. 

Look at the taxidermied fox and handmade merit badges.  

another new doll....

this one was made along with the other two, but it is in my exhibition in Bel Air, Maryland.  More information to come!

Installation....

I have never made a work specifically for a space, that lives only in that space and time.  For "Stitch and Rend" I created my first site specific installation.  

These are the same sewing pattern paper with eye closures attached.  As I was thinking about this piece, I hoped that the thread would be again sewn through the eyes and extend beyond it's borders to a needle in the wall.  I hoped the thread would pass through that needle and back to the paper.  As I got started I realized the needle did not have enough body to give me the tension I needed, and my old eyes and not so nimble fingers couldn't work through all those needle heads.  I went with #17 1 inch brads instead, and it worked great.  I pinned the squares to the wall, but hoped with enough tension and thread, the squares would float above the wall.  I really enjoyed working across the three.  I'm torn on the outcome.  I love the mass of thread in the 2-D pieces and really wanted to see that same amount of layering.  At the same time, it felt like these needed to be in the process of growing towards those other shapes and too much thread wouldn't allow for that.  But finally, there was only so much time and I still had other work to finish.  This piece is a real beginning for me, and I can't wait to see where it goes.  

The gallery director had not yet been through to adjust the lights appropriately.  I am looking forward to posting finished installation images when I get them.  

Publicity...

Here is the link for my exhibition "Stitch and Rend" at Harford Community College.  Please check it out!

"Stitch and Rend"

opened at the Chesapeake Gallery at Harford Community College on June 5, 2014.  I was out in Bel Air the week before finishing up new work, installing the show and visiting with my dear friend Jeff Ball.  Jeff is the art historian at the college and curates one exhibition a year for the gallery.  This year he was kind enough to ask me.  The exhibition includes nine dolls and three new two-dimensional pieces.  I worked right up until the last minute, but it was worth it.  I'm really pleased with how it all came together.  Remember this?

This was a little study I was working on along with the new dolls.  There are  two new ones that I am beyond excited about.  

Each of these is approximately 18x27 inches.  

All three are made with vintage sewing pattern paper fused to interfacing.  In both of the larger works, I cut the original piece into parts and sewed it back together.  You can see the top stitching in red.  Then I sewed on groups of eye closures and worked stitches of varying lengths and color through the eyes and back again.  Finally, I played with the measuring tape motif, much like with the dolls.  I can't begin to describe how much fun these are to make, and all of the ideas they have inspired in future works.  They are unframed and hang from the wall with needles at their corners.