SOLSTICE CREATIVITY
June was a time of several new beginnings for artworks. This is my design wall with June creations in process. These artworks will be a part of three different shows in 2012.
I found out at the end of May that I will be having a solo show in September 2012 of my new series, “A Constellation of Galaxies.” I was invited to participate in two group shows in July 2012. This meant I had one month to make new work for “The Fan Show” and “The Game Show”!
Hopscotch came to me right away. I loved this game as a child. A little research revealed this is an international game with names such as: Peregrina, Sotron, Stapu, and Skolica. Scotches is a line drawn on the ground. I started with fabric from Japan of typewriters. This establishes the time-frame of when I played. I selected hopscotch squares of hand-dyed fabrics, edged them with oil paintsticks, and drew the numbers with Cray-pas. A stone bead landed on on square number one. I stitched magazine photos and fabrics representing several ethnicities. This artwork is 12×12″and is called, “Scotch-hoppers.”
I came across a child’s kimono someone gave me when I was looking for something else. I saw the fan print and decided to try and create an artwork for “The Fan Show”. This was a journey/process. I would get an idea, do it, and then see what I wanted to do next. Kimonos are meant to be straight with simple lines. I began the project by manipulating the fabric with hours of sewing tucks and creating new seams. Then I decided to cut up other Asian shirts and jackets to make non-matching plackets and to extend the sleeves. A traditional fan block with hand-embroidery for the back. Yo-yo’s add texture and color (circles gathered to create a puff).
One time in history the Japanese layered up to fourteen kimonos. I decided to put one extra layer – a child’s vintage shirt with golden thread dragons. I added a scrap of silk for a lining. Then I painted Japanese patterns on scraps of the blouse. One shape looked like a pocket so I added a pocket to the front. I found cards and an envelope from Japan to fill the pocket with treasures. This piece hangs on a bamboo stick. It will hang in the air in the art show so both sides can be seen. It’s 35×48″. Almost all of the components of this artwork are upcycled.
