Circles Circles Everywhere

Am working on a series and feel like I'm going in...

Shapeshifting Diptych

This is a piece that I started when I was up in NC and finished a few weeks ago. I went back to my flowing lines and integrated some of the round/bubble elements. I'm pretty happy with it...

Pollination Cycle

Finished a series of 7 pieces when I was in North Carolina.  Pretty happy with them... all part of a continuing Pollination Cycle...  Also very happy to have found a mill that prepared circles for me that are very nice -- good plywood and easier for me to attach the veneer along the sides. 

These are the first 3 in the Pollination Cycle... they are 18 x 24"

Moving Forward

Feel like I've been in a state of overwhelm for the last month but am surfacing... swimming toward air. Just had a good meeting re: my exhibition and we leave for two weeks in NC on Sunday.  I really find that I can be creative there -- lovely environment and not so many distractions! 

I'll be focusing primarily on pieces for the walls and will do a series of circular pieces titled Water Rising.  The circular elements will be grouped to mimic water molecules. 

TUNNEL VISION

I've done a series of tunnel books for the exhibition -- they are titled Sometimes, Always and Never.  I made them on the computer using photographs I had taken, scanned artwork and Photoshop.   I learned the tunnel book process at a wonderful workshop with Carol Barton and have made several since then. You really can't enjoy the book unless you there, with you eye up to the peep hole. 

Shibori!

I've been playing with silk and dyes for the past few days. Inspired by Jen Beauchamp's wonderful tutorial on shibori  (http://tomoebookarts.blogspot.com), I have been reliving my textile and fiber arts days at Scripps with the wonderful Neda Al-Hilali. She was such a great teacher and her work so strong.  The following is my 2nd try:

I started this process to make book cloth  but I don't think I can bear to cut this up -- I wore it today as a shawl/scarf! But I need to figure out how to incorporate shibori into the exhibition. I'm really loving the process...

Alphabetica of Angst

Earlier this year, I created a book titled Alphabetica of Angst or How I Purged My Fears.  

It is an ABC book that lists, alphabetically, some of my fears and anxieties.  The process of creating the book was freeing and fun --  I think it is a healthy thing to take a look at the things that cause us to feel queasy! I entered the book in a nationally juried exhibition of contemporary artist books, Secrets and Lies at the Sandy 23 Gallery in Portland and was happy that it was accepted. This is a link to the online catalogue for the exhibition.  I realize that I need to enter my work into more exhibitions -- put myself out there. Funnily enough, this is one of the things that causes me anxiety!  Hmmm....