A New Exhibit and A New Way of Working
Knowing (Boundary Waters 52) Photo by Deidre Adams.
48×36″
White cotton fabric, acrylic paint, felt, cheesecloth, upholstery fabric, black duck cloth, polyester fabric, silk fabric, recycled pieces from artist’s art quilts, oil paintstiks, thread. Hand-painted, stamped, screen printed, burned, hand-dyed, hand and machine stitched.
I am very pleased to have Knowing (Boundary Waters 52) juried in to Beneath the Surface, a special exhibit at the International Quilt Festival in Long Beach, CA from July 22-25 at the Long Beach Convention Center. The exhibit is presented by the Dinner at Eight Artists and sponsored by Moore’s Sewing Centers and Brother International.
Why did I agree to enter this juried invitational? Two reasons. I liked the theme as it easily fit my current body of work and I respect the professionalism of the Dinner at Eight Artists, including co-curators Jamie Fingal and Leslie Tucker Jenison.
My artist statement for this artwork:
The first time I went to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, I saw rock, tree, water, sky. But curiosity and necessity have forced me over the past five years to fill my library shelves with books on the botany, biology, ecology, meteorology, geology, geography, ornithology, and mycology of the Boundary Waters. Lying beneath the surface knowledge of just this small part of the world is detail built upon detail, layers and layers of knowledge — interwoven, timeless, and infinitely complex.
From the beginning I knew I wanted to do something different for this artwork. Do you remember this in-progress photo from back in November ’09?
The artwork was collaged (by stitching, not fusing) in earth/sky/rock/water fabrics (with a great variety of textures such as velvet, duck cloth, upholstery fabric, etc. – all hand-painted, and/or screen printed by me) and then I heavily stitched over the entire artwork with variegated rayon thread. Then I screwed my courage to the sticking point and went at it with oil paintstiks. The result:
Knowing (Boundary Waters 52) - Detail. Photo by Deidre Adams.
It’s definitely the kind of artwork (well, that would be ALL my artwork really) that needs to be seen in person to really appreciate the depth and texture. I am admittedly in love with it because it is a perfect manifestation of my intent, my message, and my theme.
TWO SPECIAL NOTES:
Now that I think about it, this artwork is, in a way, very similar in technique.
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Dear Maggi and Anna, Thank you for stopping by and for your kind comments. I’m never quite sure WHERE my artwork wants to go, so I try to be open to change (and continuity). V.
Virginia-
This piece is just beautiful. I love the direction you are going in your work; and yes, it is very similair to the referenced piece of 11/2009. I love the depth and texture, so very much like painting. Looking forward to seeing more of this direction in your work.
Best regards,
Anna Rice – Tampa
Congratulations on being juried in. A very interesting artist’s statement and the piece is beautiful.