I think I need a lot of...

these.  These squares were hanging on the wall at my exhibition "Stitch and Rend."  Each square was actually suspended by different length stitches that ran from the square to a nail and back again.  When it was time to come down, I asked my friend to cut the threads at the nails, and send the squares back to me.  I just love how the thread becomes hair like from the hook and eye scab.  I think I need to make more.  Many more, that then might be attached by hook and eye to one another, quilt like, hanging on a wall.  

Stephanie Metz....

I don't remember how I first found her images...maybe while googling "contemporary embroidery?" I am so excited I did.  Stephanie is a fiber artist working with wool and felting techniques.  These drawings make me shiver....

"Bird Leg Gesture 1"

"Blackbird Chorus" detail

These drawings are made on paper with the wool fiber as the mark.  Stephanie pokes the fibers through the paper with a felting needle, layering and anchoring the fibers to create her value system.  The edges of the shapes are just so lovely.  

More recent work includes these felt objects with porcupine quills.  They are wonderfully animal like, with strange gestures and odd personalities.  

"Calamus plicatus"

"Calamus eris"

"Loricae"

"Loricae" detail

And this piece is a part of a series with chain mail.  Check out her website for some other fabulous work.  

what I watched....

I watch television on my computer while I stitch. And I listen to archived episodes of "This American Life." I have spent a lot of time stitching over the last couple of weeks...and we dumped our cable and subscribed to AmazonPrime and HuluPlus. I rewatched the first four seasons of "Justified" with Timothy Olyphant and Walton Goggins. It is brilliant television based on an Elmore Leonard Character, Raylan Givens. The second season with Mags Bennett as the big baddie has been the best of the seasons. I plowed through the first season on "The Good Wife."  I have no idea why I never watched it before. I fell in love with Agent Coulson on the first season of "Agents of SHIELD." (I am not doing the periods, I know.) I got caught up on the second season of "Arrow" and decided I really need to learn to fight like Mr. Queen.  I need a new project...I have another four seasons of "The Good Wife" waiting for me.  

all done!

So I am so excited to be done with my installation at the Minnesota Center for Book Arts. I finished last night at 6 pm and treated myself to some Thai before driving back from the cities.  I am so pleased with the results.  This is the first time I have created a site specific piece and I think it worked out well.  The center has just completed a major site renovation which has moved their retail space to the front window.  At the end of this space is an approximately 16x4.5x5 foot space that, although had a beautiful floor to ceiling window, was used as storage.  The director, Jeff Rathermel, decided to repurpose this space as an installation gallery which would change four times a year.  I  am the first artist to use the space.  Jeff put in a faux floor that was painted white so I could drill into it to secure the hands.  He was kind enough to help me get the panel attached to the wall before I started with the hands (I am not a fan of ladders).  Each hand is secured on a small dowel drilled into the floor.  Then I made stitches from the eyelets on the hands back to the panel, or between hands.  I was concerned about keeping the tension of the stitches from the hands to the panel, but it was nothing that a little double sided tape and carefully placed brads couldn't take care of.  I was also concerned that the piece wouldn't engage enough of the space, but I was able to get thread to about a height of six feet on the panel, with stitched hands coming out at varying depths from the panel. I couldn't get it all with my iPhone, but hopefully my talented photographer husband can.  I used 15 hands in total, and only had one finger break.  It was fun to realize someone was watching me while I worked and turn around to see their reaction.  One young lady gave me a big smile and then came in to ask about it.  She said "It really was so beautiful to just stumble upon, and at first I thought I would take a picture.  But I realized I want to come back and see it some more."  What a lovely thing to say, and I am so lucky to have this opportunity!  Here are some pictures from when I finished the install.  It was dark, snowing and blowing when I finished, so I have yet to get an image from the sidewalk outside the window.  Hopefully soon!  I did drive by and it was beautifully lit.  If you are in the cities and have an opportunity to see it, please let me know what you think.  There are also two book shows opening in the space on Friday, 1/9/15 as well.  

I am still deciding on a title.  I am the worst at that.  I did ask  a dear writer friend for thoughts and he suggested "Hand Job."  I know.  I've still got tonight to decide.  And now I am going to work out and then eat some holiday M&M chocolate biscotti I just made.  Happy new year!

halfway...

I have not posted...or exercised...or read the New Yorker...or vacuumed...and I only cleaned the bathroom when it was too gross not to.  This is what I have been doing:

It is a horrible iPhone photo, in a dark house and there is no where for me to lay the whole thing.  But it is 12 feet long.  And painted.  And nearly stitched.  I still have one last thread mass to sew on at the top right.  But I can see the end.  

Another terrible image, but still.  Each of the thread masses are between 8 and 13 inches.  I think there are twelve masses.  Now I am on to this:

I have four different hand gestures and five of each hand.  They are plaster and painted with an acrylic wash and then I add the pattern paper on top.  I won't be painting the paper...but I will be covering portions of the fingers and hands with masses of hooks and eyes.  You can see a couple at the finger and thumb ends.  When the hands are finally installed, there will be thread masses stitched between the hands.  There is still so much to do in two weeks, but I am beginning to feel like I can pull it off.  

Can't do it all...

I realized just before Thanksgiving that there was no way I could get panel done, make molds of the hands and then make the positives.  I am so happy to have found the Anurag Art Studio in Stillwater, Minnesota!  I drove my plasticine hands up there a couple of weeks ago and left that responsibility with them.  I will have 25 hands for the installation when they are done.  I can't wait to pick it all up.  There will still be more work in attaching the hooks and eyes to fingertips, but I feel like I am getting close!

just working....

and stitching.  I love it.  It is my absolute favorite thing to do.  It is not very balanced in my life right now while I am trying to get this panel done.  But hopefully there will be time for other things after this goes up.  I have my helpers...

who are determined to be exactly in the place I need to be.  I have nearly ten feet now.  

I started this brighter pink thread in this one, but I am not loving it.  I have run out of two colors and needed something in a light-mid value.  This is too bright I think.  Now I am off take the orange cat to acupuncture.  LONG STORY.....

mr.xstitch....

I am so happy to be featured on one of my favorite art embroidery sites...mrxstitch.com!  I have found so much exciting contemporary work on this site...it inspires me to keep making.  Please take a look at it and browse the archives.  You won't be disappointed.  And thank you Jamie Chalmers for including me!