Natural Selection at By Design Gallery--show images

I apologize for being away so long...the holidays and some personal family events became a priority, but I couldn't let too much of the new year disappear without posting images from the Natural Selection show that comes down this week.  Below is a shot that includes Erin Cork's felted and stitched pieces in the back corner of the gallery. 

The gallery at By Design in Alton offers a long narrow space with some unusual traits.  The building was formerly the Mississippi Lime Works.  The floor is concrete and slants toward the street and along one side you can see the floor curves up forming a narrow ledge.  It proved to be a challenge to display my art there, but with my cast iron and pipe banner stands it worked out OK I think. 

Above: Both of these pieces are rusted organza layered over black raw silk.  The one on the left is Key to the Moon and was rusted from an arrangement of objects.  The other piece is Fault Lines done in the shibori rust method.

Ron Vivod's manipulated digital photos look great on the old brick wall.  I'm trying to talk him into setting up a blog of his own where you can see his work in detail.

I'll have to check with Ron on the title of this butterfly piece.  I think it is stunning.   Just had to use this shot as the gallery shot can't do justice to his work due to angle I was forced to photograph from.

   

Above:  Two close-ups of Erin's beautiful manipulated, felted and stitched work.  A few of the pieces include Erin's own hair. 

The door to the gallery was open and a puff of wind was moving the two pieces on this stand. Both were done by the shibori method on silk dupioni. On the white door you can see one of the pieces I've done by stretching the shibori rust silk over a ready made canvas.  I stretch a layer of felt and staple it to the canvas first so that I can pull the silk to the back and stitch it in place.  The felt provides a needed cushion for the silk over the rough canvas and sharp corners.


The piece on the left is actually a shawl.  At 90" long it looks great hanging as well as wearing.  When I picked up my work today, I left it behind for Lillian to sell along with my scarves and other wearables.    Lillian told me today that the other shawl I'd left with her--stained with elderberries--became someone's Christmas present.  Hope they enjoy wearing it.  The large piece on the right is Free Association.  I used sueded crepe de chine which despite its drapey quality hangs very nicely. 

New direction

New work is actually old fabric, created through composting way back in 2006.  I haven't done any composting since then that I can remember but I have many many pieces of silk that were composted -- some whole cloth, some in pieces that may some day be dealt with.  The silk below so reminded me of the recent oil spill (I hate that inappropriate word) that I felt compelled to work with it for the group show Elements at Main Street Art Gallery.  

I have been making free hanging silk pieces since 2001.  In 2008 I began a series of quilted/felted collages but for this silk I needed a different way to present it.  I did not want to embellish the silk which I felt would take away from the exquisite patterns left in the silk from the composting process.  In the end, I purchased ready made canvas stretchers, covered them with felt and stretched the silk over all and stitched it in place on the back.  I'm a little concerned about the wrap around edges, but I think the pieces turned out well.  

Nevereverland c2010 is 36 inches square. 

Moon Garden c2010 measures 24 x 30 inches.  

Gold Coast c2010 measures 40 x 30 inches.

Frond c2010 is the smallest at 14 x 11 inches.