More Experiments: Painting Lace

A selection of paints on hand to try: Jacquard Dyna-Flow, two Pearlescent liquid acrylics, Deka Perm-Air paint, and a pearlized Createx airbrush paint.

My daughter is getting married in late spring. This is a joyous occasion, of course, and has presented me with some new opportunities to experiment in the studio. How are my studio experiments connected to a wedding, you ask? It started when my friend Susanne Gregg agreed to make my daughter's wedding dress.

My daughter is not a traditional woman, and this will not be a traditional wedding dress. It will be blue, and it will be in a sumptuous knit fabric. This is where Susanne comes in: she is not only a terrific fiber artist, she is also a fabulous seamstress who has way more experience than I do in working with knit fabrics. (Plus, she has a serger!)

The wedding dress design is floor length, and sleeveless. Over the sleeveless dress will be a fabulous sheer and lace jacket that curves its way from front to back, and has long, bell-shaped sleeves. Susanne has already measured, done a fitting, and created the patterns. Because my forte is combining multiple fabrics, I will be designing the jacket once the dress is sewn.

At $28 a yard, this gorgeous silk is worth every penny.

The dress design we came up with utilizes a gorgeous puckered silk in the bodice. The challenge presented is that the silk is a creamy white, and provides too much contrast against the blue body of the dress. It could be, and may well be, covered by an overlay of some of the laces from the jacket. It could also be dyed, but I don't have a large selection of dyes around the house. This is where paint comes in to the "what if" discussion.

I pulled out a selection of paints I had on hand in the right color-way, and decided to experiment to see how the colors looked, and how the body of the paint worked with the fabrics and trims selected. Along with a snippet of the puckered silk, I cut small pieces of pre-washed laces and trims for a test. These are samples of fabrics that will be used in conjunction with the main jacket fabrics, shown below.

I laid out the snippets, stapled to a foundation paper, and grabbed my paint brushes. Across the top, I wrote the brand and color name of each of the paints I wanted to try.

I worked with dry fabrics, because I wanted to see the intensity (and body) of the applied colors. Within those parameters, I experimented with both dabbing and brushing the paint. On the silk, after brushing the paint on the left, I used a sea sponge to dab it on the right side of the swatch.

I had expected the Dyna-Flow paints to give the best results, but that was not the case. Maybe it was the color I chose, but it was a bit "clumpy" on the multiple textures of the lace. My favorite turned out to be the Pearlescent acrylic inks, with the "waterfall green" (shown in the center of the paint swatches) seeming to offer the perfect way to pick up the light aqua color my daughter wanted to include.

Again, stay tuned. I will show you the dress and jacket as they develop. Oh, and I will be adding pictures of my Galway Circus Poster piece as I get them uploaded.

Old Friends and Art, Part II

Some of the Ohio Designer Craftsman Best of '09 artists

Friends and mentors are rare gems. Friends and mentors who are also artists are the jewels in the crown. Because the work of an artist is done in isolation, friends and mentors who understand are crucial.

I had a chance to spend time with both at the Ohio Designer Craftsman Best of '09 exhibition opening on Sunday. Although Deborah Melton Anderson was not in the show, she came to the opening. I hadn't seen her since before her husband passed away. In addition to being one of the sweetest and kindest people I know, she has also been a mentor to me, perhaps without even realizing it. When I first joined the Art Quilt Network, in the course of listening to the other artists speak about their processes, I learned about image transfer techniques from Deb. I had learned to do chemical transfers and cyan printing in college, but hadn't tried transfer paper. I didn't know how to use it, where to get it, or what I could do with it. Deb, an early pioneer of the process, was so patient with my questions, and provided me with all the information I needed. I cannot imagine my artwork without the layering process of photographic transfers. I am grateful to Deb for her sharing spirit.

Mary Helen Fernandez Stewart, Susan Shie, Gayle Pritchard, and Deborah Melton Anderson at the ODC opening. Photo by Susanne Gregg

I also first met Mary Helen Fernandez Stewart at the Art Quilt Network. Another kind and gentle soul, Mary Helen could always be counted on for encouragement and a joyful spirit, despite her own health struggles. An amazing artist, she organized an international traveling exhibition in which I took part, and made sure to share with me that the prime minister of Australia had commented on and enjoyed my artwork. She had an amazing piece in the ODC exhibit, inspired by her Australian travels.

Australia's Kookaburra, Mary Helen Fernandez Stewart

I met Susanne Gregg a few years ago, through Susan Shie. My husband and I had moved to Florida five years ago, because he was unable to find work in Ohio. Ultimately and fortunately, we were able to move back to Ohio, into our same, unsold house. At that time, Susan, whom I have known since we were both students at the College of Wooster, was nanny to her newborn granddaughter, and living in the Cleveland area during the week to do so. When we moved back from Florida, she invited me to participate in an artist's group she was part of. Susanne was in the group as well, and we all hit ot off when we met. Luckily, Susanne lives nearby, and has become one of my dearest, most supportive artist friends. Her artwork is an inspiration.

Detail, Apothecary, by Susanne Gregg. Photo by John Seyfried.

I met Susan Shie on my first date with my husband, back in the late 1970s. He is a musician, and he brought me to the Needle's Eye in Wooster, Ohio, a Friday night musicians' jam session. The Needle's Eye was the communal house Susan lived in at the time. We have stayed in touch over the years. Like many of you who have had the privilege of spending time with Susan, I always feel supported and encouraged by her. A lifelong group-maker, she has a magical way of bringing women together, and helping them to find their way. I cherish her friendship, and her artistic mentorship. I have never met anyone with a truer voice, or a more committed work ethic. I was so proud that both she and Susanne won awards at yesterday's exhibition.

Susan Shie with her award-winning piece, Food Scales. Photo by Susanne Gregg.

At the opening, I reconnected with artists Carole Pollard and Sue Cavanaugh. I met Tom Muir, another award winner at the show, and a metals professor at Bowling Green State University. I also made a new artist friend, Laura Barnhardt Corle. Both Tom and Laura know a mutual artist friend, Steve Smith, a professor at Findlay College. He and I went to the same high school, and he was a friend of my older brothers. When our high school art teacher, Jane Diller, retired, we participated in an exhibition in our native Van Wert in her honor, in which all of her former students who had become professional artists participated. Laura also knew my high school friend and fellow fiber artist, Tracy Ruhlin, an active member of Ohio Designer Craftsman, and art professor at Findlay College who died a few years back.

I know this post is full of names and links and memories. I think it's proof positive of my point: the network of artists and mentors are a close-knit group, even if that is not apparent to the rest of the world. As for me, and I honored to know all of you, and grateful for all you do.

Old Friends and Art Are a Great Combination

Susan Shie with her award winning piece The Food Scales / Justice: Card #11 in the Kitchen Tarot

I spent today in Columbus, Ohio attending the opening of the Ohio Designer Craftsman Best of 09 exhibition. I drove there with my longtime friend and fellow artist Susan Shie. We had arranged in advance to meet another friend, artist Susanne Gregg and her friend, Carole at the opening. Since both Susan and Susanne had artwork in the show, and both were award recipients, it seemed the perfect day to attend with them.

Several other artist friends were in attendance. Some are acquaintances, other artists whose work I have followed over the years. Still others are long-time friends. Not all had work in the show. In our field, it seems that artists come out just to see the work, and to be supportive.
It was a long day, so I won't write a long post tonight, but will fill you in later. It's an exhibit worth seeing, so check it out if you can. The show will also be traveling to other sites around Ohio, maybe to a location near you.
Susanne Gregg with her piece 7:35 a.m.