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.

Sanctuary - Detail 3

Thread Selection

I have been talking with other artists about the importance of sharing our processes. Sometimes it is fun to peak behind the curtain, and see how an artist’s mind works. My mind is usually a tangle of thread. I attempted to be a little neater in my process this time just for your benefit.

I begin with a tray or box and start tossing in tons of threads. I try to add a huge variety of colors, thicknesses, and textures to my selection. Tossing the colors together, somewhat haphazardly, allows me to see color combinations that I might not normally choose. I use this same toss in a pile method for selecting fabric.

I place the tray next to the piece I am going to stitch. This allows me to get a feel for the color mixture. At this point, I weed out a few threads and/or add other thread choices.

I then check to see if I have enough variety in the color pallets I am considering for the piece. Many people think you should match thread to your fabric. I use the “matching” colors to ground the piece. But then, I add my traditionally non-matching colors. If you match all your threads, they disappear when your piece is viewed at a distance. The threads that stand out and catch your eye are the color shifts. These are the colors that work with your “matching colors” and support them in the overall effect of your design.

Now, it is time to begin stitching. Some threads will not be used and others will be added along the way.

Love letters

36 Questions You Can Ask Anyone to Fall in Love

I have just completed a piece for the upcoming 36 Questions Show that will be shown April-June in the Esther Building Art Space in Vancouver, WA. The show revolves around the idea of 36 questions you can ask anyone to fall in love. The premise is that you can ask someone these 36 questions and with sustained eye contact fall in love. For more info on the study check out http://bigthink.com/ideafeed/how-to-fall-in-love-36-questions-and-deep-eye-contact

While the theory is interesting, my husband hates questions and would have run in the opposite direction if I had asked him more than two questions in a row much less 36. However, maybe this show will lead to new loves in Vancouver. For the show my question to respond to is: What Is Your Most Treasured Memory?".

I dug way back in time to high school when my husband and I dated the first time. After rereading all his old love letters, I selected my favorite lines to scan and print on silk organza. Having the lines in his handwriting is important to the realness of the piece. These snippets of organza are a little frayed and lightly faded to represent how our memories evolve over time. Over many years, a long separation, and the roller coaster of life these letters have remained. The letters contain the memories I treasure most as they remind me of young love and the question of where our lives would lead.

Snow Day Art Project

During a snowstorm in 2015, I had the honor of collaborating with my 7 year old, Mazzy, on a project utilizing her preschool and kindergarten drawings and paintings. We had a towering stack of drawings and paintings that she had completed in preschool and Kindergarten. Due to the use of lower quality papers and temper paints, many of the pieces were deteriorating over time. She selected her favorite pieces to keep. The other pieces we photographed and then used in a collaboration called Mazzy's Sketches.

Mazzy cut her drawings and paintings into various geometric shapes. She then collaged them on to heavy watercolor paper using PVA glue. To preserve the paint and papers, I coated the collage with Matte Gel Medium. Once dry, I heat adhered silk organza I had previously dyed with fiber reactive dyes to Pellon 805 Wonderunder. Mazzy then cut geometric shapes from the Pellon backed silk organza and I helped her adhere them to the collage with a heated iron.

Gluing a layer of mid-weight cotton fabric to the back of the collaged watercolor paper added a more secure foundation to stitch through. Once the PVA glue dried, I then used a rotary cutter to slice the collage in to rectangles. We then arranged the rectangles in a pattern that we both liked. To add additional texture and further secure the layers together, we took turns using free motion machine stitching. The free motion stitching also connected the rectangles to each other in a panel.

I then hand stitched hexagons in a flowing pattern across the panel using a rainbow of embroidery threads.

I hand dyed a background fabric using fiber reactive dyes. I hemmed the fabric edges and added a rod pocket for display. Finally, I adhered the panel to the background fabric using smoky invisible thread and a stitch in the ditch quilting concept to hide the method of attachment. Due to the overall size of the project I have been unable to get a clear picture of the complete project. Therefore, all of my photos are currently of the panel before attaching to the background fabric. I will experiment further in methods of photographing large pieces clearly.

Collaborating with my daughter was both a fun and frustrating experience due to her young age. I am happy that we were able to create this piece together. Mazzy was thrilled when I displayed this piece in a show of my work. Perhaps at the end of elementary school we will come up with another project for her first through fifth grade drawings.

TextureScapes

Join us Wednesday, March 18th, at the next Hampton Inn Artist Installation featuring NCSU Artists Lidia Churakova, Amanda Snavely, Bethany Minervero, and Julianne Gonski.

Join BEST at Hampton Inn & Suites
for

TextureScapes: Artists from NCSU College of Design

ART by BEST artists Amanda Snavely, Lidia Churakova, Bethany Minervero, and Julianne Gonski

Come celebrate spring on Glenwood South at the Hampton Inn & Suites on Wednesday, March 18th for our latest BEST artist installation and reception featuring "TextureScapes: Artists from NCSU College of Design".

Join us from 5:30p-7:30p for a lively evening of flavorful bites courtesy of Sullivan's Steakhouse, complimentary specialty drinks provided by The Wine Feed, and live music by Tom Blazejack & Friends.

ART by Amanda Snavely, Lidia Churakova, Bethany Minervero, and Julianne Gonski
MUSIC by Tom Blazejack & Friends
FOOD provided by Sullivan's Steakhouse
DRINKS provided by The Wine Feed

Details

Where: Hampton Inn, 600 Glenwood South in Downtown Raleigh
Time: Wednesday, March 18, from 5:30pm-7:30pm
What: BEST artist reception featuring NCSU Artists Amanda Snavely, Lidia Churakova, Beth Minervero, and Julianne Gonski; Tom Blazejack & Friends singing popular favorites with vocal harmonies; Complimentary eats by Sullivan's Steakhouse; Complimentary sips byThe Wine Feed.
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