A lot has happened in the last few months, most notably (and most exciting) is that my studio is finished! I also have updates and pictures from my trip to Washington DC, and a couple recently completed pieces.
Washington DC
To begin with- I took a trip to Washington DC last Fall and took in some museums. I saw many beautiful and inspirational things while catching the Metro from one destination to the next. Because photography is not allowed in most museums, the majority of my pictures are from the outside. In order to experience the collections and wealth of history our Nation's Capitol offers, I would strongly encourage visiting if you have never been. I don't think I could pick a favorite exhibition of the trip, but one of my favorites was the Pre-Raphealite exhibition in the national gallery- there were some samples of William Morris' wallpaper/fabric patterns, which as a lover of registered repeat prints, I found quite lovely. Also paintings by the other artists of the Pre-Raphealite Brotherhood which until this trip I had only witnessed in Art History textbooks. I also visited the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden.
I made a visit to the Renwick Gallery, an American craft Gallery just next to the White House. Here there was more wonderful artwork, an exhibition of art and craft done by Japanese Americans while in internment camps during World War II. The Renwick Gallery had a wonderful collection of textiles, wood pieces, glass, and ceramics.
The Textile Museum was a big highlight of the trip. Another astonishing collection. The main exhibition occurring at the time of my visit was of Central Asian Ikats. Ikat is a type of textile made by dying the warp or weft of a woven fabric prior to weaving. The yarns are measured out and bound up in certain areas to resist dye- then the unbound sections of the yarn (exposed to dye) are colored. This process is repeated until the warp or weft of the fabric has achieved the desired colors/patterns the maker intended. Once the dying is done the yarn is dressed onto the loom and the woven patterns that result are clearly the product of a very well planned design. Most of the examples of Ikat in this show were of garments produced in the mid to late 19th century and 20th century in Central Asia.
The final highlight of my adventure in Washington DC that I will share here was at the National Museum of Natural History. I must admit I came to this museum for one reason- I am interested in natural history, and I did spend some time exploring the rest of the museum- but what I really wanted to see was this...
At this exhibition I was allowed to photograph, however, I don't think that my photos can really do this piece justice. This is the hyperbolic crochet coral reef created and curated by Christine and Margaret Wertheim. It was really something to behold.
Wow.
The Studio
That was my trip to DC, now for the next part of this post- the studio!!!
It has taken a few months to gather everything and assemble it all into a workspace, but here it is all done!
I am so incredibly happy with this space to work- I would be content to never leave it. It is a one room studio with an outdoor area attached. Outdoors there is a drying line and an outdoor table to be used for dying and other aspects of fiber art that should really be done in open air (for safety reasons and also because dying can get messy).
Here is kind of a poor shot of my loom- it is currently being covered by a weaving I just cut off of it. The loom is a four harness Leclerc.
Here is a detail of the weaving. It is 100% bamboo yarn both warp and weft in an overshot pattern.
This is an exposure unit for silk screens. It has its very own table in one corner of the studio.
A 6'x4' print table with adjustable legs. The adjustable leg part means I can raise the legs higher when I want to use the table while standing and printing, but when I want to sit at the table and embroider I can lower it so it is the right height. Right now the table has a drop cloth on it to cover up the white top.
Another work table- this table is really neat because it has a light table built into the top of it to use for tracing patterns. Also on the table is my sewing machine, beneath the table there is a set of drawers for sewing materials and accessories.
The studio tour ends here with the closet- this is just part of it- stocked full of fabric, dye, sample books, powdered print paste, thread etc. All the materials to go with the equipment. So that is the studio! To finish up I'll show a couple pictures of new work.
New Work
This is a commissioned piece I did- it is the little sister of the piece Capsule which was one of the first fiber pieces I ever made. This piece is made up of many many fragments of pictures taken around New York City and stapled into this quilt.
Here is an in progress shot of the piece as it was being assembled (above).
This is a Joomchi piece, handmade paper drawn onto with ink and embroidered over.
Here is a detail.
And... one more detail.
That is all I have for now. I will continue to update periodically with new work/shows etc. I am looking forward to getting a lot of work done in the new studio now that it is all put together. It has been a very busy and exciting year. I am so grateful to the folks at the Center for Craft Creativity and Design for their support and the Windgate Fellowship for allowing me the opportunity to explore and pursue art as a career. Thank You so much!
