Pilchuck Glass School

In July, I will be attending a two and a half week course at Pilchuck Glass School, located 50 miles north of Seattle. The self-contained school is located inside the 15,000 acre Pilchuck Tree Farm. Students are housed on the site, and classes are six days a week. I think this qualifies as "immersion" learning!

The course is entitled "Mastering Simplicity," and will be taught by two Australian artists, Jessica Loughlin and Kirstie Rea. Take a look at their work -- very serene, spare and ethereal. Lucky me to be able to study with them.

The image above was a moderately unsuccessful screen print on glass. She is still sitting around in the workshop, wondering what her fate might be...

the nature of things

 

Sanja and I went to the park very early this morning, as the air quality has been affected by the nearby Springs fire and it's at least clearer right now.  

I collected some more remains from park's the diseased and fallen pine trees (scanned images,above), grateful that we have those, and escaped the firestorm.

 This was taken from the front yard yesterday morning -- you can see some of the active areas of the fire in the center left of the photo. 

postcard girl!

Tra la, the image on the far left is mine! This exhibit at Studio Channel Islands Art Center opens later this week, and the reception is Saturday from 4 to 6.

I have one other work in the show:

stitching, interrupted

                                                                Stitching, Interrupted

The two outside images are details of the center image, "Stitching, Interrupted,"  which was just juried into the annual Dinner @ Eight exhibit that will debut at the International Quilt Festival in Long Beach. Curated by Jamie Fingal and Leslie Tucker Jenison, this 33 piece exhibit reflects the theme "exquisite moments."

The stitching took me a year and a shoulder surgery. The textile is five feet high and two feet across, which raises the question, "What was I thinking?" when I committed to this intense stitch work. But being able to resume the fine handwork after surgery really was an 'exquisite moment.' Gratitude abounds.

I created the image from a glass vase I had made:

I had wanted to experiment with long stitches...so far, so good. But I felt the stitches were a bit unstable, and decided to anchor each with a cross stitch. And of course, the cross stitch had to be a contrasting color.

And then, I wanted to vary the thread colors a lot to give the piece a lot of depth.

And then, I wanted to create movement with a separate line with these tiny stitches as they meandered across the long sinewy ones.

All this took an inordinate amount of time. I can't say I will ever do this large a hand stitching project again. but I am very grateful that I could do it at all.

a new Image transfer method for glass

I learned artist Carrie Iverson's method of image transfer to glass in a Bullseye Glass class earlier this year (road trip to the Bay Area, yes!). 

I love the ethereal nature of the image with the pine cone.  Different combinations of Bullseye glasses and powders produce a range of effects -- copper and sulfur and lead, oh my...

Here is another image (dear Sanjagirl the Puppy) that demonstrates a totally different result:

Easter with James

Easter update with James, my homeless friend...while some of us celebrate Easter with ham and fixins, James had another meal in mind. Rather, this is how it evolved. Resurrection also came to the fore.

James, can I get you anything from the grocery store? I was going to buy you a hot roasted chicken...
Well, I would really prefer some cottage cheese.
Great, will do.
Small curd, please, Jerseymaid.
(I curtsey) Order received and I'll be back in a few minutes. It's Easter, and I would like to offer you either a night in a motel, or a gift certificate for (his favorite burrito place).
Well, I would like the gift certificate; that would be great. It's already 3 hours past the motel's check-in time, so I have lost that time.
(I return with cottage cheese, a hot roasted chicken, and his favorite potato salad.)
Well, James, there wasn't Jerseymaid, so you will have to settle for Knudsen.
(James smiles with krinkly eyes. He knows I am playing with him.)
And here are a few more things to eat. I have put money in your account at (local coffee shop), so you can get an Easter meal there [note: James does not like to go to social services facilities such as Salvation Army, as he does not like the crowds].
Oh. Well. [contemplates all the food] Can I change my mind?
About what?
Well, I would like to have the motel room.
Oh, sure. I'll go check you in. [We make plans so I can find him after I get the key.]
(Important contextual note: The day before, I had found a letter written by my mother's best friend, describing my mother's suddenly being stricken with a fatal brain aneurism in 1971. I am raw from reading that, the words swirling just one layer below consciousness. My mother's compadre described my mom's transfer from Coronado Hospital to Mercy Hospital in San Diego, where my mom died.)
Motel clerk ( from India): Oh, yes, I remember you, you want a room for the homeless man.
Me: Yes.
Motel clerk: Why do you do this? Why do you do this for this man? Is he a relative?
Me: No. He's just a homeless man I know.
Motel clerk: But do you work for some agency?
Me: No, he is my friend.
Motel clerk: I know why you do this. Mer-cy. Mer-cy is why you do this.
Me: (the word mer-cy resonates, is searing) Yes...mercy.
It was a good Easter.

new work, for SAQA!

This is my donation to Studio Art Quilt Associates' annual benefit auction...one foot square. I created this design by discharging color from black cotton using thiox...the stitching is a hats-off to traditional kantha stitching indigenous to the Indian sub-continent. 

The auction will be held online in September.

seasonal treats

A digital camera allowed the capture of this moment of respite. I am not a fan of the spring-to-summer seasons, but the tradeoff is poppies and dragonflies, yearly denizens of the front yard. It's a good thing.

etching

 

I am going to do some printmaking tomorrow... I think the velvet blacks in solar etchings might make this one happy hummingbird...

crossover play

I'm playing with photos of my glass pieces, thinking of 'crossovers' to etchings and textiles.

This one came from this vase: