Thursday, June 23, 2005

Finally, as I promised...

Prodded by an inpatient reader, I have finally gotten around to taking pictures and posting some of my pieces from Fran Skiles' class. While I don't plan to forsake fabric and stitching, I do want to incorporate some of these techniques into the surface design that I do. Not exactly sure how that's going to happen. So here are some pictures:


Small, 12" x 12"

This one started off as part of a larger piece that I didn't like so I cut it into several pieces. The cheesecloth is glued down with lots of gloss medium.


Small, 12" x 12"

This one started out as a test piece where I could practice with a technique before using it on the 'real' pieces. Then I began to like what was happening and added more to it.


Large, 24" x 30"

The theme of this one started as windows and gates, but that sort of got lost with all the other stuff added on. The large green circles that span the upper half were done by cutting a stencil out of sticky back contact paper and putting that onto the back of a piece of pellon, then screening through that. Because some of the screened image was onto gloss, which is very slick, the paint tended to smear. But you can only see that up close, and besides, it's not intended to be a perfect circle.


Small, 12" x 15"

The hotel gave the class a large roll of heavy duty, sort of waxed paper that we were using as drop cloths. In an experimental mode, I adhered it to a leftover from the cut apart piece to see if the paper would be transparent. The answer is yes. You can see some background images, and the paint transfer from the cheesecloth. This made a very rubbery surface, and the piece is very stiff.


Large, 24" x 30"

I was getting tired of the gold/yellow/red color, so this one I painted green. It's in a sort of grid pattern, but also had painted swirls done with a syringe.


Small - 15" x 15"

I can't decide if this one is finished or not. It's got alot of the gloss medium on it so it's very stiff and shiny.

After I unpacked all my stuff back into my studio and started feeling very claustrophobic. There was just way too much stuff and no room in which to work. So I have begun a major cleaning out and rearranging. Lots of stuff going to Goodwill, and lots more to the dump. Everything is getting putting away (where I will probably never find it again), and I'm planning on setting 2 tables side by side to get a 60" x 72" work area that I can walk around. Right now the place is all torn up, but I am making progress. Stay tuned for more reports.