Knit knit

Sorry, I have been neglecting the blog since I have been back in California. My computer chrashed, I have no access to any of my files and I lost my camera a while back. Not good.

But, since I have been home I have been knitting lots. It soothes me, which is exactly what I need after the whirlwind of a quarter I just went through.

I recently did some watercolor floral pieces that are up for consideration as a part of SCAD working class studio. If I got it, they could be cashmere sweaters in Fall 2008 at Henri Bendell in NYC. Exciting. We will see if anything come back. But it was fun to do if it doesnt. Josh imposed the paintings on a sweater image to see what it might look like…

Sewn felt topography

detail

details

States of mind

I’ve been thinking lately about childhood stuff…the way we learn as children, ways to learn as an adult. Memory and states to be exact. Its amazing how ignorant we are, as a people, as to where things are located in this country. I found these flash cards and arranged them according to general location but since each state is not a sqaure it doesn’t quite work out. Its not done but I am sewing over it and will be painting on it too.

(sorry the orientation is off).

The backs of the cards were equally as interesting for the sayings or mottos that each state has.

To name a few odd ones:

Maine= “I direct or I lead”

Maryland = “strong deeds, gentle words”

Indiana = “the crossroads of America”

Wyoming = “Equal rights”

Alaska = “North to the Future”

New York = “Ever upward”

Virginia = “Thus ever to tyrants”

Colorado = “Nothing with providence”

Idaho = “Let it be Perpetual”

Washington = “Bye and bye”

California = “Eureka!”

Oregon = “She flies on her own wings”

New Mexico = “It grow and as it goes”

West Virginia = “Mountaineers are always Free”

Where did these come from? I think they are interesting to investigate as a subverted message in recreating maps.

sewn paper topo landscapes

You must click on the full sized images to appreciate these pieces in their subtlety.

white on white with grey road detail

backside of same

white on white with half painted blue

detail

detail of white

brown on white

detail

detail

with paint

detail

detail

back of painted

detail of back

p1010067.jpg

felting and hand stitching

I am the cartographer of my invented landscape… contour lines found with thread. Slow art.

bath tub attempt piece

Rivers, valleys and roads. For this I combined machine stitch to make the road (a man made element) and the bridge, and I hand stitched the river (a natural element). Used the drum carder to mix the wool roving for this.

daily maps, plans and scemes

a new set

early treehouses

suburban maps

the beginning of tree + house collage

map of the shore. St Simons Island, GA

childlike tree house plans

topo..blue print like

this began a who new way and speed of making topographic lines. I like how the ink soaks and reacts with the thread differently than it does with the paper

Another, but this time it is sewn backside and combined with marker ink

just altering a map…which way should we go?

Chinese painted tree… imagine the house in it. I bet it has good chi;)

below: map of my sewing machine…

“get lost to find your way”

felting fun

more felted explorations in topo mapping

daily maps

I am doing a map a day…all kinds of maps and sorts of thinking about maps. Here are some highlights from the summer

topo felting

Here is a new felted piece I did. Its done wet then I embroidered my own discovered contour lines.
Doing more like this soon…

new at this…

So Ive decided that I am no good at this whole blog writing thing..new goal for the summer: get good at it and keep up. So I think most important is for me to just post post post pics.

I learned how to felt last week and I think it rocks! I want to do more and in different ways. I keep on bringin the stuff to social events and sitting in the corner punching away at it. Good that Im producing, bad that Im anti-social:)

Im doing topo maps and trying to make things dimentional.

here are a couple…