On My Bookshelf

I am a Library Fanatic. I read extremely fast and often; multiple books a week. I love cozy mysteries, FBI/Forensics/Serial Killer Mysteries, Sherlock Holmes, Gardening, Cookbooks, and many of the books from High School or College Reading Lists. I have to read books of a series in order. So, I maintain a spreadsheet sorted by the author with the last book I have read in each series. Sadly, I have checked out and returned so many art books over the years that I have not kept track of which were good, bad, or just ok. I have found, however, that I am an art book snob. Most instructional art books you find in bookstores are written for the beginner in every form of art or are projects to complete. The library shelves are the best place to find Specialty Topics, Intermediate, and Advanced Level books. I detest dusting, so I only purchase a few books for my personal reference collection. Generally, I buy art books that I have already checked out multiple times from the library or ones that I can’t get from the library. Welcome to my bookshelf.

HIGHLIGHTS

Dyeing:

Color by Accident - Ann Johnston

Color By Design - Ann Johnston

Fabric Dyer’s Dictionary - Linda Johansen (I bought the e-book version. It is a pain to flip through to look for a specific color on my IPAD. I need to buy a used copy as it is out of print)

Surface Design:

Art Cloth - Jane Dunnewold

The Surface Designer’s Handbook - Holly Brackmann

Visual Texture on Fabric - Lisa Kerpoe (Resist Technique Options)

The Painted Quilt - Linda & Laura Kemshall (Short Overview of Techniques but visually appealing for an older book)

Digital Fiber Art - Wen Redmond

Quilt Related or 3D Fiber:

Disclaimer: I have never been a traditional quilter so have a few just to flip through or loan out

Journey to Inspired Art Quilting - Jean Wells

Visual Guide to Working in a Series - Elizabeth Barton

The Uncommon Quilter - Jeanne Williamson

Exploring Dimensional Quilt Art - C. June Barnes

Stitch, Fibre, Metal & Mixed Media - Alysn Midgelow-Marsden

Three - Dimensional Embroidery - Janey Edmonds

Stitching:

The Intentional Thread - Susan Brandeis (Written by my college professor so I may be biased, but I learn something every time I pick it back up)

Connecting Design to Stitch - Sandra Meech

Drawn to Stitch - Gwen Hedley

The Geometry of Hand-Sewing - Natalie Chanin (Variety of stitches shown; images are not annoyingly cutesy or crafty like most embroidery related books)

Poetic Cloth - Hannah Lamb (I’m not sure I learned anything new from this book, but I like flipping through it. It is visually soothing, like visiting the spa.)

Chapter 3 Exercises

I am behind on posting images for the Dye Support Group. Life seems too busy some days to take the time to blog about my life. Rewind a couple of weeks to my first attempts at exercises from Chapter Three of Ann Johnston’s Color By Design. I learned a lot from each exercise and need to revisit several at a later date to get accurate results. I enjoyed working for my sketchbook only and had some happy accidents along the way even when I missed the mark.

Paint a Color Wheel - My first and second attempts. I need to go back and try a third time especially in the red variations.

For green, I started with an equal amount of yellow and blue and then added yellow incrementally. I approached the exercise mathematically. I thought if I started with equal amounts, I would get a base color to work from. In the future, I think I should start with yellow and add blue in small increments. The blue was dominant and it required much more yellow than I anticipated.

Lessons learned - pay better attention to painting straight so as not to overlap lines next time. I added blue to yellow this time but only in 1/4 tsp increments. I need to start on a larger piece of fabric or adjust my increments so I can get from yellow to blue.

I need better lighting in my laundry room. When wet, it appeared I was achieving black. Once dry and in better lighting, it was obvious that I need to try again. Or, stick with using the premixed black dye powders I generally use until I can try this exercise again. I really like a lot of the colors though so am keeping these pages for future reference.

I really should have started over and done all of these another time. However, I’m impatient and wanted to get to the next Chapter. So, I am working out some of the issues I had here while working on future Chapters.

Dyeing Support Group

Do you feel quarantined, lonely, and still experience a desire to dye? If so, some of my friends and I are starting a Dyeing Support Group. I love to read art books, grab a couple of tips from each, but fail to ever complete the exercises. I am challenging myself to work through all the exercises in Color By Design by Ann Johnston. My friends and I are going to work at our own pace, as we all have other things going on even if we stay in our pajamas all day. All of those 1950’s photos of women wearing heels and a dress in the kitchen were obviously staged. Through zoom and email, we will cheer, curse, and share our experiences with each other. The book is our guide and as long as we all work in the order of the exercises we should be able to support each other. We have to get creative to find ways to stay creative and motivated to reach new goals.

Day 1

Dye Mixed and in the Fridge: Warning Sign for Kids that hang out in my basement

**My Studio Assistant, Indie**

It looks like she didn’t read the sign, but I promise she didn’t drink the dye.

Happy Dyeing!

Legacy Mount Hood Hospital Commissioned Art

During the COVID-19 lockdown, I have completed a commission for Legacy Mount Hood Medical Center. Many of you have asked to see photos of the completed piece. However, I have been unable to safely schedule a photoshoot with my photographer. While awaiting a professional photoshoot and installation at the hospital, I will share a few photos of Solace shot in my studio. The background white areas include hand stitching with various white theads. Unfortunately, without proper lighting, my studio photos are too dark to capture all of the tone on tone stitching. Solace is 3 feet by 6 feet. I will post proper photos by my photographer after the lockdown.

Solace ©2020 Amanda Snavely — *Solace* ©2020 Amanda Snavely

Sanctuary

I am excited to announce that my piece, Sanctuary, was juried into the SAQA Oregon Habitat Exhibition. Habitat, is currently scheduled to show in six galleries throughout Oregon. It will then travel to be shown in a gallery in New Mexico.

*Sanctuary - Detail 1*

27 w x 41 h
Hand-dyed fabrics, commercial fabrics, various threads

Hand-dyeing, silk-screening, hand-stitching, machine-stitching

*Sanctuary - Detail 2*

Early in the morning when the neighborhood is just waking up, the smell of blooming star jasmine greets me. A bird hops along over the soft carpet of moss searching for breakfast while a breeze rustles the tree leaves. I am always welcomed and comforted by the embrace of my yard. Here I can finally breathe, sit, and be myself without judgment. Even when neglected, it never judges and waits patiently for my return. With time, love, and attention we heal each other. *Sanctuary* - A culmination of the shapes, colors, and shadows of the yards I have created and loved.

Amanda Snavely

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