EXPERIMENTATION

I never make New Year's Resolutions....ever....because I am too impulsive to keep them and then get frustrated at my inability to "keep on track". This year is no exception but I do have a couple of long term projects that I want to work on. First is a "book" of art quilts. I have been devouring a book called Stitch Dissolve Distort by Valerie Campbell-Harding and Maggie Grey. The book explains how to use your sewing machine as an art tool and on taking fabrics to new limits. So my plan is to work through the book by creating an art quilt each month...(Yes I know, I am already a month behind....see why I never make resolutions!) These mini art pieces are going to be approximately 8 inches x 11 inches. Here is the first one.

It is made of organza, used dryer sheets, cheese cloth and netting laid on a bed of muslin...all this has been painted or dyed. It is then stitched and a heat gun is applied to make the organza, netting and dryer sheets distort. Below is a close up of the organza flowers...they are made by passing circles of organza through a heat source.

The second experiment is keeping an art journal. I have kept a studio journal for a couple of years. It is filled with ideas for future projects. As well as plans for things I am currently working on with samples of materials I might use. And techniques....things I would like to try, things that worked and those things that didn't quite work out the way I wanted. I have always admired the artists who have kept art journals and shared them. So I am going to try and see what I can come up with. Here is my first attempt. "Moving On" is about getting over the hurt and moving to a place of healing.