Fossils Series - Details

Here are some detail shots from a recent piece. I won't be showing the full view.
At least, not yet.

Fossil Series - Starfish and Trilobites

This piece is 15" square.

Fossil Series - Design Wall

Here's what's up on the design wall. Just strips of fabrics I have hand dyed and screen printed.

I have been auditioning fabrics for a new piece. I hope to represent the layers of organic deposits that have become fossils.

I am messing around with different combinations and different configurations.
I need to make a decision soon because I have a deadline looming.

Fossil Series - 3 Fish

This piece is 12" square.

Mixed Media on Panel

Mixed Media on Panel
12 x 12"
$140

Mixed Media on Panel

Mixed media on panel
10 x 10"
$100

Mixed Media on Panel

Painted, screen printed panel
10 x 8"
$80

Mixed Media on Panel

This 10 x 8" panel is collaged, painted with fluid acrylics and screen printed.

$80

Mixed Media on Panel

This is another in my mixed media series. The hardboard panel is collaged with pages from a telephone book and painted with fluid acrylics.

12" square
$140

Mixed Media on Panel

For a while, I've been yearning to explore new mediums.
Last fall, after I got into collage, I ordered a quantity of 1/2" hardboard panels.
This piece is 12 inches square.

It is collaged, painted with fluid acrylics, and screen printed.
Collage materials include phone book pages and thread.

$140, postage paid.

Free Motion Quilting

Here's what I have been working on lately. Bit by bit - I try to do a little each day.

Natural Bridge on the Boulder River

The Boulder River rushes from the Beartooth Absarokee Range year around.
In the Natural Bridge area, the river has cut a path underground where the rock has dissolved over time. Above, you can see the water disappear underground.
Below, you can see the water rushing out of the underground passage.

A couple more pictures of the icy river from different vantage points.

Visual Journal Page #19

You may notice that these pages were created a month or so ago.
I can't really bring myself to post them when they are so fresh and feel so personal.
After a while, I seem to lose my personal attachment and it seems OK to share.

Fossil Series 12 Inch Square

Finished piece - 12 inches square.
Hand dyed, screen printed cotton, molded polymer clay fossils, pearl cotton.

Fossil Series - Auditioning Embellishments

I have been working on a 12" square. Now I am auditioning the embellishments.
Once I settle on an arrangement that suits me, I will most likely attach with "The Ultimate" glue, followed by stitching over the top of each embellishment.

All of the fabrics are hand dyed and screen printed. The piece has been free motion quilted.

Fossils Series - Polymer Clay Embellishments

Here are some of the molded fossils I made using my own collection as originals to create the molds. I am quite delighted with the way these have turned out.
Next, I will seal the Pearl Ex pigments in place, and then will rub on a darker shade of acrylic. The darker shade will fill the depressions to emphasize the dimension of these pieces.

Fossil Series - Making Molds

I searched online for interesting fossil specimens to attach to the quilts in this new series.
I was a bit overwhelmed by the price of nice specimens, so I decided to try using the fossils I already have in my collection to create molds so I could make my own embellishments of polymer clay.

I've never done this before, but I did find this mold making clay at Hobby Lobby. I dusted the fossils with corn starch before pressing them into the "Mold Maker" (a Sculpey product).
The molds are baked in the oven for 20 minutes and they come out flexible yet firm.

When molding with polymer clay, I dusted the mold first with these Pearl Ex pigments, which created a nice sheen on the molded pieces, but also helped them release nicely. I'll show my results tomorrow!

Ammonites

I have been working on a Fossils series. My screen printed fossil fabrics have been featured in previous posts. For the finished pieces, I want to embellish with real fossils, so I began searching for nice specimens. I found this group of 25 sliced and polished ammonites on eBay. They were shipped from Madagascar and arrived within a week of my order.
Aren't they lovely?

I

Yellowstone Art Museum Auction Opening

The Yellowstone Art Museum auction is the primary fundraiser. This is the 42nd annual auction. The final gala and live auction will take place on March 6.
Joe and I attended the opening reception. I was delighted to find my piece hanging prominently in the first room of the show!

We arrived early so I would be able to take a picture of my piece before it got too crowded.
The newspaper indicated that over 400 people attended the opening reception!

According to the newspaper, they received 600 entries and juried in 200 pieces.
These two pictures show some of the other works in the silent auction.

I am delighted and honored to have my work included in this event!

More Finger Painting on Fabric

These are some finger paintings (actually monoprints, but I did manipulate the paint with my fingers)

These have all been quilted and trimmed, but not yet bound.

I am still thinking about how to finish them off. A binding? Faced?

Still undecided, but I am sure I will figure it out eventually.

Fingerpaints

I've been monoprinting again.

Last summer, I met a man who's mother invented finger painting. Well, I looked her up online and she is indeed described as the mother of finger painting. She was using it therapeutically for adults. Anyway, I did quite a number of finger painted pieces using a gelatin plate - that was last summer. I have a large stack of those . . .and I know I need to take them further at some point.

Thinking about the process . . .I thought I would try it with a glass plate - and here are some of my results. It worked OK too. I was able to get a single good print with the glass. When I finger painted using the gelatin plate last summer - I was able to get several prints - the gelatin keeps the paint moist longer.

Anyway, I am thinking about different was to approach the finger painting on fabric thing.
I painted these using Setacolor fabric paints.
I would like to be able to find some actual finger paints so I can try a few of my other ideas.

Screen Printed Fossil Fabric

Here are some more of the pieces I have screen printed with fossil images.

Thermofax Screen Printing Fossil Series - more

More screen printed fabric.