Virginia A. Spiegel

You will notice comments are allowed once again. New technology for screening spam is supposed to help. I’m giving it a try. It has been awhile since I reported on what’s up in the studio, so let’s jump right in.

This is how far the series (more than 30 small artworks) for a possible Quilt National entry reached and then I was done. I think, with my summer schedule, that a QN entry won’t be happening this year. The collages in this Third Thoughts series were interesting, but they never developed the cohesiveness or, perhaps, the inner compulsion, that I require in any long-term series.

I have found several small pieces that I might want to expand into their own series. Although I can’t say more at this moment, you will be seeing more of these unique artworks in a interesting venue. If you missed what this series is all about, here is a blog post about them.

So what have I been working on? Something that still hold sway over my creative life - the Boundary Waters series. I finished Boundary Waters #31 and then …

Boundary Waters #32 (Fault Lines) - Detail of work-in-progress

started a nice big piece - Boundary Waters #32. This piece is related to the two Boundary Waters cliff pieces, but it much more abstract (and colorful). It is about the great fault lines in the rocks that caused the impressive cliff faces and jagged shorelines of the Boundary Waters lakes. Just finishing touches remain.

Shrine of the Planting Moon
Collection of Jane Davila

Fibre&Stitch’s third issue has just been released and includes my article, From Studio Journal to Art Quilt. This article focuses on the way I researched my Moon Shrine series, sketched out ideas and developed a series. Fibre&Stitch is an innovative online zine. Each issue is HUGE; this latest issue has 70 pages of mixed-media projects. Sharon B. of the comprehensive textile blog “in a minute ago” has an annotated summary of this issue here.

My studio journals are a continuing record and treasure house from the time I first stepped into my studio full time ten years ago. They, and my Boundary Waters’ journals, are the only ones I have kept consistently, although I have tried and failed with many formats.

Here are two page from my current studio journal:

You can see I USE the journals - trying out my materials, thinking, doodling, working.

Still working away on what I hope will be a new series with seventeen small pieces done. Since I can’t show finished pieces at the moment, I thought I would share some of the materials I have out and about which I am thinking.

The funny part about this is that I could walk on over to Studio B (newly transformed) and paint away. But, no, I have to paint on my ironing surface on top of my good Teflon pressing cloth using the top of my distilled gallon of water. The hardest part of these new works is translating words cut from magazines into something decent looking. I am mainly using two pieces of Stitch-N-Tear laminated together with Misty Fuse and then tracing the words. The print is a linocut.

Raw materials - painted and screenprinted fabric.

Next step: water soluble wax crayons, colored pencil, ink, and graphite.

I am still quite interested as each piece is a challenge and I am finding a theme running through the artwork that I hadn’t expected. My working title for the series reflecting this theme is from one of the source collages, “Like You Give A Damn.” Hey, I do.

Haven’t I already written this post about seven times already? The quest for a collage/paper artist is always about finding a way to organize all the really, really necessary stuff. Well, here goes this attempt.

This attempt begins with flat files. I’m not sure that’s what these drawer units from Ikea really are, but they are just what I wanted. I have found deep drawers are not good for organizing stuff. I want to see what I have. Mat board and foam core are wrapped in plastic and stored securely behind the files. Before I had them behind the door and they would ambush me all the time. Not good. I stole the paper storage box with little shelves from our office. Dremel tool and Xyron machine are out so I don’t have to stop and dig them out of the closet.

The other key is to label what I have. I notice that sometimes I’m optimistic. I only have five stamp pads so far, since I almost always use Createx multipurpose paint instead, but I saved a whole drawer for them. Ditto watercolors. I haven’t done a lot with them, but I bought some quality paints finally and they are on my agenda.

Mini-clips hold lightweight posters and drawings that can be changed out at will. Magazines in notebooks. A basket for all the postcards I receive for shows, etc. A bench my Dad made to hold notebooks that I am looking at or magazines to be filed. Notice I am not showing you the closet. Another whole project.

This dresser was on its way to the thrift shop, but I swapped it out for the white Ikea dresser I had here before. Again, shallow drawers good. Thermo-fax supplies stored in the drawer right below it. Typewriter out and ready to go. I’m not crazy about the dark bookcase, but since I don’t have to look at it face on, I can live with it. The cheerful lamp is by Laura Osbun and I will have more about that tomorrow. Lutradur and paper rolls in the corner. I bought a roll of butcher paper at a restaurant supply house and use it to cover my tables.

The plan is to keep two tables for working and the back one for cutting and everyday supplies. I really wanted to be rid of all the plastic storage bins, but that is not going to happen.

I made the 60 ATCs for Collage Mania on about a foot square of table. That is what prompted this attempt to be more efficient with my space. I will let you know how it goes.

I walked right by this at a church garage sale this month. But my sister, eagle eyes, said, “Wait, look at this” Any guesses?

Yes, that’s right. A mint-condition vintage Olivetti-Underwood typewriter made in Barcelona, Spain. I can’t believe my sister let me have it. Of course, it didn’t look quite so pretty when I brought it home. But a little vacuuming, a little scrubbing and what a beauty!

Now, why would this be such a hot item? Aside from the fact that I just like looking at it, it will be the source of ongoing art experiments. Let’s see - type something and run it through the Thermofax. Screenprinting bonanza.

That sounded so good that I had to go give it a spin. Not enough carbon and too small to make a direct screen. Scan it, blow it up, print it out.

Original typing and screen made from manipulated type. My thought on any kind of typography is that what it says isn’t as important as the graphic element of the type itself. So I typed as I write on artwork - stream of consciousness, let the errors stand.

Two small trial runs of the screen. Trial runs are a pain as the paint is never quite right - the bottom one, the paint was too heavy; the top one a little too light. The way to really achieve good screenprinting is to lay out plastic, a whole bunch of painted fabric, and just go from one piece to another screenprinting parts of screens using a foam brush.

Having said that, I will use both of these pieces of fabric. I’ve just added one more layer of interest.

I’m also thinking about typing on a couple of layers of tissue paper and then gluing the typed top layer on a collage with a little gel medium. The tissue paper will drop right out. I’m off to do more typing right now.

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