Found Object Tidal Wave III

(Above:  Found Object Tidal Wave III.  Framed: 31 1/2" x 31 1/2".  Found objects hand-stitched to a section of a vintage quilt.  Too many objects to list.  Click on any image to enlarge.)

Many people have asked about my stash of found objects. They want to know where I find things.  (Thrift stores, flea markets, antique malls, auctions, and through donations from generous people!)

(Above:  Detail of Found Object Tidal Wave III.)

They want to know how I organize my objects. (In plastic bags and small containers ... scattered on several shelves and on the floor and in an antique butterfly cabinet ... think "flat files".  Honestly, there's very little organization.) 

(Above:  Detail of Found Object Tidal Wave III.)

Yet, there is "some" organization involved!  I have a separate area for things that just aren't working for a Found Object Mandala.  These are generally individual items that don't lend themselves to being a centerpiece.  If I only have "one", it has to be a centerpiece; otherwise, I need at least four of the same thing ... multiples.  Sometimes, I only have two or three of an item.  All these things get put in this area until it is overflowing.  When that happens, I know it is time to stitch either a "tidal wave" or a "tornado".  Recently, I opted for a tidal wave!  This is it!

 

(Above:  Found Object Tidal Wave III at an angle.)

There's something else about stitching a tidal wave or a tornado.  The quilt must be something to which I want to add plenty of stitching.  Why?  Two reasons!  First, there is a layer of bridal tulle/netting over the entire surface. It is laid down before any of the objects are stitched in place.  It protects fragile seams and threadbare areas.  Please remember, the quilts I use are OLD and never is perfect condition.  Thus, I have to deal with a large part of the surface where the netting and the quilt aren't other stitched together.  The separate layers are sort of obvious.  Basically, I quilt them together, and in doing this, the netting becomes almost invisible!

 

(Above:  Found Object Tidal Wave III at an angle.)

Second reason:  Balance!  It is difficult to tell in these images, but the hand quilting brings balance to the whole.  The tidal wave itself is very, very busy.  Without the additional hand quilting, the "non-tidal wave" areas fall flat.  With the stitching, there's a subtle sense of balance.  I liked this particular quilt because my stitching shows up nicely.  There's a pleasing amount of stitching everywhere!

Third Times a Charm

(Above:  Third Times a Charm. 27" x 27".  Paint and free motion machine stitching on canvas.  Click on any image to enlarge.)

I promised myself that I wouldn't spend more than a day on this hair-brained idea. After all, my only intention was to be supportive with regards to a SAQA (Studio Art Quilt Associates) regional call-for-entry.  I have no expectations that this small piece will be accepted.  There are so many other, much more talented art quilters whose work will undoubtedly be better than mine.  This was simply a personal challenge, a way to participate in my region, and to see if I could do something that seemed so unlike me!

(Above:  Minnie and Ernie playing on the three art quilts under consideration for the chopping block!)

I read the prospectus for this regional show ... called Trio ... when it was first issued.  Only 2D art quilts with fabric sleeves for hanging slats would be eligible.  I don't generally make such things. I simply ignored the call-for-entry. As the July 31st deadline approached, Facebook friends in the region urged me to apply.  So ... the challenge was on!  Spend only one day!  Enter something that is somehow or the other related to the theme "trio".  I brought out three art quilts made using painted canvas from a 2016 public art project.  (Click here to read a blog post about that weekend!)  Minnie and Ernie were very helpful while I considered how I might cut them into some configuration of "three".

 

(Above:  Third Times a Charm in progress.)

I stared at the cats and the quilts. My thought process started with the title of the public art project and the work I made using the painted canvas.  It was called Nike's Advice ... as in "Just Do It".  I generally don't paint; I certainly hadn't painted in public ... with the public ... for two days!  It was a risky thing to do. I kept telling myself, "Just do it" ... an popular slogan, an adage ... which reminded me of another common phrase:  Third Times a Charm.  That's THREE, as in "trio" ... as in elementary school multiplication tables: 3 x 3 ... as in a traditional nine patch.  Seriously, it didn't take long for me to know that only two of the art quilts were needed for a traditional nine patch.  The mostly yellow piece just didn't look good with the other two art quilts.  Eventually, it was rolled up and put away.  In minutes, I found my rotary cutter.  The other two were cut.

 

(Above:  Third Times a Charm, detail.)

 

A red, white, and blue variegated thread was in my stash. It took less than an hour to zigzag stitch the nine pieces together.  My statement (which I had to shorten due to a strict word count) is below.

When the prospectus for Trio was first released, I had no intention of applying. The exhibition's parameters excluded three-dimensional or custom-framed work. This limitation seemed incompatible with my practice. Traditional wall-hung formats rarely suit my approach to the creative process.

As the deadline approached, however, multiple friends encouraged me to reconsider. Their persistence prompted the question: What might I create that meets the criteria? I recalled yards of painted canvas made during a pre-pandemic public art project. The material was later transformed into two-dimensional art quilts, rarely exhibited due to COVID-related cancellations.

This reflection led me to imagine a third iteration, something more aligned with traditional installation expectations. What could be more classic than a nine-patch quilt? Three rows of three. I revisited two of the earlier quilts, reworking them into this timeless configuration. Perhaps, in this new form, the work finds its place. After all, the third time may be the charm.

 

Two more hand-stitched In Box pieces

(Above:  In Box CDLXI.  Layers of polyester stretch velvet fused on synthetic white felt, hand-stitched with 100% cotton floss and subjected to my melting technique. Click on either image to enlarge.)

It's been over a year since Steve and I moved to Cateechee.  Many blog posts were written with promises to figure out a routine for blogging.  Yet, that really hasn't happened.  Why?  Well ... I was always rather productive.  Now I seem to be "super productive".  Plus, the computer is "upstairs" and the studio is "downstairs".  I know that's silly ... but ... once in my studio, I tend to stay there.

 

(Above:  In Box CDLXII.)

Before moving/retiring, we were always busy with our custom picture framing business.  We placed weekly orders for supplies and needed materials.  Now, the only things we frame are my artwork.  Right this minute, there are four pieces already mounted on acid-free mat board waiting for frames that haven't even been ordered ... including these two pieces!  There's really no hurry but this sort of schedule is still playing havoc with my blogging!  Forgive me!

Mandala CCXLII

(Above:  Mandala CCXLII. Custom framed: 22" x 22". Found objects hand-stitched to a section of an antique quilt. Objects include:  A green, metal trivet with a small, hand-painted wooden disc; five plastic bridesmaids and groomsmen; leaf-shaped mint containers; green golf tees; external toothed lock washers; drawer hinges; green bottle caps; prisms; copper UK pennies; small, plastic crowns; assorted buttons and beads. Click on any image to enlarge.)

I laid out this mandala at the same time as I designed Mandala CCXLI.  Both used a section of the same antique quilt.  When auditioning objects, I tried them on one and then the other substrata.  The challenge with this piece, however, was in the need to cut away the entire back portion of the bridesmaids' dresses.  Fortunately, my Dremel tool did the trick.

 

(Above:  Detail of Mandala CCXLII.)

The other challenge involved the spoons.  They are not all identical.  In fact, some were regular spoons and some were long iced tea spoons.  My bolt cutter came in handy for that situation!

 

(Above:  Mandala CCXLII at an angle.)

 

Otherwise, I used my grinder to remove the feet from the metal trivet and drilled plenty of holes in various objects, including the hand-painted disc attached to the trivet.  Creating these mandalas is almost always an exercise in "fun with tools"!

Mandala CCXLI

(Above:  Mandala CCXLI. Custom framed: 22" x 22". Found objects hand-stitched to a section of an antique quilt.  Objects include: A wooden trivet; dominoes; corn-on-the-cob holders; felt-covered piano hammers; gold belt buckles; JFG vintage jar lids; aluminum pull tabs; antique orange juice corrugated lids; external toothed lock washers; colorful paper clips; small forks and spoons; yellow game pieces; assorted buttons and beads. Click on any image to enlarge.)

This Found Object Mandala started at the celebration of life for a dear friend's mother who died right before her 105th birthday.  At the event, people were invited to take something home with them from several shelves of things this wonderful woman once owned.  I selected the wooden trivet and asked my friend if she minded me using it on a mandala.  (The friend owns one of my earlier mandalas.)  My friend thought this was a wonderful plan.

 

(Above: Detail of Mandala CCXLI.)

It took me several weeks before the piece came together but I'm very pleased with the results.  Some times I have to just look at my stash before the combinations make sense!

 

(Above:  Mandala CCXLI hanging on my ProPanel booth walls.)

I'm currently using some of the panels of my booth to display my artwork and for taking photographs!

Mandala CCXL

(Above: Mandala CCXL. Custom framed: 32" x 32". Found objects hand-stitched to a section of a vintage quilt. Objects include:  A metal sun stitched to both a black and a red 78 record; beer and soda bottle caps; keys; dominoes; drawer pulls; four, red 78 children's records; slides; Mardi Gras doubloons; toy car wheels; kitchen drain strainers; Peter Pan peanut butter lids; copper U-clamps; paint scraper attachments; laminated air mail stamps; assorted buttons and beads. Click on any image to enlarge.)

Sometimes, the challenge facing a mandala is the centerpiece.  I knew I wanted to use the metal sun that I found at the Pickens County flea market.  I started playing around with it, auditioning it on top of the black 78 record and then the red one ... until I decided to use both!

 

(Above:  The centerpiece.)

The process involved drilling lots and lots of holes in the black record. This provided a way to stitch the sun to the black record.  Then, more holes were drilled around the edge of the black record ... straight through the larger red one.  Stitch, stitch, stitch!

 

(Above:  The back side of the centerpiece.)

Finally, even more holes were drilled ... along the edge of the red record.  These holes were how I attached the centerpiece to the middle of the quilt section.

 

(Above:  Detail of Mandala CCXL.)

Another task involved laminating all the air mail stickers.  I don't think air mail stickers are used any more but I remember them well from my youth.  I also remember aerograms!  Another thing from the past!

 

(Above:  Detail of Mandala CCXL.)

I'm really please with the way this Found Object Mandala turned out.  I've had the blue and white quilt for more than a year but was afraid that the contrast was too stark for a mandala.  It worked though!

Mandala CCXXXIX

(Above:  Mandala CCXXXIX. 16" x 16". Found objects hand stitched to a section of a vintage quilt top layered on a piece of canvas. Objects include:  A lusterware saucer with a pewter coaster, gold belt buckle, and the face of a pocket watch; four, glass bobeches (candle drip rings); white frog closures for winter coats; bottle caps; drawer pull plates; ornamental plastic pears; brass findings for earrings; felt hammers from a piano; assorted buttons and beads.  Click on either image to enlarge.)

This is the first mandala I've stitched using a piece of ceramics through which I successfully drilled holes!  By no means am I an expert in the use of my new, diamond-tipped drill bit but this did work.  A small souvenir from the 1996 Atlanta Olympics broke.  Oh well.  I've already acquired other pieces of china and ceramics to try.  The substrata was not much larger than this mandala.  It wasn't quilted.  Amazingly, the hexies were all expertly hand-stitched together and were in such great shape that I didn't even put a piece of bridal tulle/netting over the top.

(Above:  Mandala CCXXXIX from an angle.)

Lost & Found XVI

(Above:  Lost & Found XVI.  14 1/4" x 18 1/4".  Found objects hand-stitched to a section of a vintage quilt.  Objects include:  A wooden fan; four, red toy chairs; 10-cent food tokens; two metal nut crackers; Earth Day pins; people for a miniature railroad scene; two decorative pears; two, green game board pieces; bright aqua and black vaping pods; beer and beverage caps; dice; peace sign charms; clear, plastic birthday candle holders; garter hooks; bright green plastic from a beer yoke; assorted buttons and beads.  Click on either image to enlarge.)

This piece was inspired by both the fan and a scrap of a vintage quilt that was roughly the same size.  There was a challenge too!  I wanted to use the little railroad scene people who would ordinarily be sitting on a bench.  Since I didn't have a bench, the edge of the fan along with the nutcrackers were used.  Stitching through the thin wooden fan was also a challenge but I'm pleased with the results!

Reasons for Tears, a vintage handkerchief installation

 

(Above:  Me installing Reasons for Tears, a handkerchief installation expressing grievances due to the current socio-political climate.  Click on any image to enlarge.)

From the moment I started the free-motion machine embroidery on these 120 vintage handkerchiefs, I was looking forward to "installation day".  My mind's eye could see them criss-crossing the hallway at Stormwater Studios in Columbia.  The vision was so strong that it didn't surprise me at all when I had exactly the right number to fill the space.  If I can say so myself, it looks perfect.  (Click here for a very short video on You Tube!)

 

(Above:  Reasons for Tears at Stormwater Studios.)

While this installation is "perfect" in my mind, it hardly represents anything else one might consider ideal.  Every one of these handkerchiefs has a phrase expressing some grievance regarding the current socio-political scene.  There's nothing ideal about the actions against marginalized communities or the roll back of DEI iniatives or the number of government offices shuttered or the research grants that have been cut  There's nothing ideal about misinformation.

 

(Above:  Reasons for Tears at Stormwater Studios.)

There's also nothing perfect about the installation in terms of its scope or completion.  I didn't mention things from Trump's first term or the four years between the two terms.  Some grievances couldn't be adequately condensed to fit on a handkerchief with letters that might still be legible when hanging on an overhead clothes line.  So, they weren't included.  I had to stop at some point long before the insults stopped.  After all, this exhibit had a firm deadline!

 

(Above:  Reasons for Tears at Stormwater Studios.)

The exhibit, presented by Jasper Project, is a short one.  It goes only through the coming weekend but it includes a poetry protest, an activism postcard evening, a drum circle, other musical performances, and both an opening and closing reception.  The exhibit also includes two of my other artworks:  Nails in a Coffin and The Locks Have All Been Changed.

Mandala CCXXXVIII

(Above:  Mandala CCXXXVIII.  Found objects hand-stitched to a piece of a vintage yellow tablecloth over canvas.  Custom framed:  20" x 20".  Objects include:  A blue faucet wheel handle; a Sesame Street color wheel; pewter coasters; Cinderella figurines; tiny bells meant for ringing during a wedding reception; a braided coil place mat; six, yellow toy chairs; four, green cog wheels from a kid's building set; laminated grocery saving stamps; bright aqua plastic tops of vaping pods; vintage capacitors; orange and blue plastic lids; assorted buttons and beads. Click on any image to enlarge.)

I approach each mandala as a challenge.  This one had more than one!  First, I really wanted to use the braided coil place mat but it was thick ... thicker than I wanted to use with a quilt base.  Thus, I stapled a piece of a yellow table cloth over a piece of a canvas apron to a stretcher bar instead of using a quilt.  Next, the Sesame Street color wheel looked very balanced with the place mat.  I went from there ... adding the coasters and lids ... but needing "something" between them.

 

(Above:  Detail of Mandala CCXXXVIII.)

At that point, I knew I needed to bring the yellow onto the place mat.  The toy chairs worked well but weren't really tall enough for the space.  I kept eyeing the Cinderella figurines.  They weren't really right for a mandala because the dress stuck out fully in the back.  My challenge was to cut away the back with my Dremel tool without cutting myself or breaking the figure.  It worked!

 

(Above:  Mandala CCXXXVIII at an angle.)

By this time, I knew I wanted the perimeter to be a row of colorful buttons ... but not yellow ones.  Yellow buttons wouldn't stand out against the yellow background.  The final challenge was the space in the corners.  It looked empty ... but I wanted the overall perception to be "yellow".  Thankfully, the laminated grocery stamps did the trick!  I might not ever use another tablecloth but this time it worked out well.

 

Mandala CCXXXVII

(Above:  Mandala CCXXVII.  Custom framed:  13 3/4" x 13 3/4". Found objects hand-stitched to a section of an antique applique quilt. Objects include:  An orange strainer; six, blue plastic toy chairs; heart-shaped rabies pet tags; peach colored tops to insulin syringes; purple bottle caps; dice; blue and white plastic lids; neon green horseman figurines; assorted buttons and beads. Click on either image to enlarge.)

Often, my mandalas include a perimeter of buttons ... all the same buttons.  Occasionally, I sort through my stash for a variety of bright, colorful buttons to use on smaller pieces that are equally bright and colorful.  This is one of those!

 

(Above:  Mandala CCXXXVII at an angle.)

The thoughts running through my head when I designed this piece had everything to do with the mandala I'd just finished.  I've used the same antique applique quilt and the same moulding/frame.  Yet, the first piece covered up almost all of the appliqued flowers and didn't have a button edge at all.  I decided to use a totally different approach ... one that would allow the quilt to peek through the objects and one that would capitalize on the reflective quality of the moulding/frame's shiny, silver lip.  I think the results worked well!

Mandala CCXXXVI

(Above:  Mandala CCXXXVI.  Custom framed: 16" x 16".  Found objects hand stitched to a section of an antique applique quilt.  Objects include:  A bright yellow child's 78 Golden Record from 1950; vintage shears; drawer handles; copper colored can tabs; yellow casino chips; red and green plastic lids; green and blue rabies pet tags; pink fabric yoyos; blue wire spirals; heavy paper mustaches coated with acrylic gel; assorted buttons and beads.  Click on any image to enlarge.)

I only had one yellow record.  It came along with several others, all red.  I might not have used it but the song was The Owl and the Pussy-Cat.  How could I resist?  Alone, the six-inch record was just "too much/bold" for a mandala center.  I tried several other objects in my stash but didn't like any of them.  Some were simply too small.  Those that seemed balanced with the record covered up both the title and the cute characters.  The shears worked.  The owl and pussy cat peek out from behind the shears!

 

(Above:  Detail of Mandala CCXXXVI.)

As a child, I adored the poem.  The words are available HERE (The Poetry Foundation). Until a google search, I didn't remember most of the words.  I knew there was something about a pea-green boat that "sailed away for a year and a day" but the ending was always with me:  They danced by the light of the moon.  Even as a kid, I knew this was romantic!  The rest of the mandala came together easily.  The Screamin' Sicilian paper mustaches were coated with acrylic gel.  I'm in debt to everyone who send me things like them!  THANK YOU!

(Above:  Mandala CCXXXVI from an angle.)

Lots of new work finished!

(Above:  A composite photo of Lancet Window CCXXXIX on left and Lancet Window CCXL on right.  Each piece is layered shapes of polyester stretch velvet fused on recycled black industrial felt with free-motion machine stitching and melting techniques.  Each piece is custom framed: 31 1/4" x 11 1/4" and is priced at $395.  Click on any image to enlarge.)

Several weeks ago, I constructed the foundations for lots of new work.  Lancet Windows CCXXXIX and CCXL were among them.  More recently, I stitched them and then worked under the exterior vented oven hood in my kitchen to solder holes in them.  Outside (because the fumes are more than the hood can handle!), I subjected them to the intense heat of my industrial heat gun ... melting away the synthetic felt between the various foundation shapes.  Only the 100% cotton thread connecting the shapes didn't melt.  They held the pieces together.  Finally, I mounted and framed them.

 

(Above:  In Box CDLIX, a medium sized work in this on-going series.  Custom framed:  22" x 18"; $350.  Same materials and process as the Lancet Windows.  The difference is only in the way the polyester velvet shapes are cut.)

I also managed to stitch, melt, mount, and frame two In Box series pieces.  I make these in three sizes:  small, medium, and large.  These two are "medium" but I can create them in any desired custom size.  Right now, I have two more "Windows" and one large "In Box" waiting to be stitched and finished.  I'm also working on a group created on white synthetic felt.  In the past, I've only hand-stitched the ones on white felt but I think I might machine stitch at least one using a bright colored, variegated cotton thread ... just to see how it might look!  There's never a dull moment here in retirement!

 

(Above:  In Box CDLX.  Custom framed:  22" x 18". $350.)