Overgrowth In Artfields

My installation, Overgrowth, which was constructed during my residency last summer at Contemporary Craft, is on display in Lake City, SC as a part of the Artfields competition.  I drove up yesterday with my lovely assistant Lysa to install it in a really great space called Emerson Row.  The shop is full of beautiful pieces selected and often refurbished by owner Emily Richardson.  It was a great fit for Overgrowth, which grew down the brick walls and onto an antique hutch.

Artfields is an art competition in Lake City, South Carolina, which runs from April 25th until May 4th. If you in the are stop by and check it out!

New Embroidery in Progress

A detail of a new embroidery in progress.

New Studio Explorations

After finishing all the work for my thesis this fall I've found myself a bit at loose ends, which is a good thing, as it's allowed me time to explore several different directions.  I've been doing some more weaving, using similar imagery that I used in the rusted work, but using naturally dyed yarns instead.  Here is a small sample I wove using some wool I dyed at the end of the summer in Pittsburgh. The green comes from goldenrod treated with Iron.

Dappled (Green), Wool, 14" x 24"

Dappled (Green) detail

  I've also been working on more embroidery on paper pieces, completing a couple larger ones. 

Emergence I,  Embroidery on Paper,  20" x 16"

Emergence I detail

Emergence II,  Embroidery on Paper,  20" x 16"

Emergence II detail

Finally, I've been going through some of my early rusted woven samples that are beginning to deteriorate past the point of being able to show or even move easily.  I've decided to do some rust printing with these pieces, essentially taking an impression from the rust surface.  The printed linen on the left below will survive much longer than the original woven piece on the right.  I think this impression will be the first step in a layered  piece, and I plan to experiment with some embroidery and applique on top.

Impression, in progress

Emergence

I've updated my website with images from Transient Structures.  Besides the woven work I also showed some studies for a new body of work I'm just beginning entitled Emergence, which involves embroidery on paper.  Using the long, chaotic floats and the abstracted natural imagery of my weavings as inspiration, these new pieces are more direct and immediate since they aren't restricted to the grid of the loom.  There is a lightness to this work which makes them seem as ephemeral as my weavings, even though they are constructed out of much stabler materials and will far outlast the rusted work.