slowly but surely...

So what have I been doing all this time? Well, my non-stop-addiction-level sewing still isn’t back, but I have made some progress. This (Below) is what you last saw:

And this (Below) is where I am now:

(Above) The fibulae have been fired, rubbed with paint & wax, and attached to the cloth. The central red section has been fully embedded with pins, buttons, etc. And - of course - some of the fibulae were repositioned - the 3 muses have been moved from the shoulder down to the collar, and the ironing ladies are down near the bottom of the circle.

(Above) Years ago, I found a bunch of highly oxidized copper at Dead Horse Bay (where the sea reveals that which was buried) and now I used it to create some fibulae-shapes:

I also stitched circular patterns around some of the fibulae.

(Below): The carders now have wires in their tools, and a twist of dark wool, which runs up from the sheep-shearers on the bottom up to the fates on top. The wool connects the figures visually and helps demonstrate each worker’s job.

(Above) The lower carder has a belt of small tools, which I’ve exaggerated into a copper loop of old pins.

(Above) the two dye workers - a smelly job - are positioned in the armpit.

(Below) although the blue/greenish threads show up in detail, they disappear at a distance. I’m wondering: should I thicken the levels of stitching to enhance the color visibility? Like this:

(Below) Here’s a comparison - current stitches on the left, and color-enhanced on the right. The finer lines create little Easter eggs to be found upon close viewing, but the enhanced stitching adds to the overall composition….maybe.

Meanwhile, I have started working on a new project, which you’ll see next week….but I can’t promise weekly posts. We’ll see how it goes!

Stay safe, stay sane

Diane

a conundrum

In the past, when artists and writers spoke of having writers block, I had no idea what they meant. My brain was always packed with ideas. My hands were itching to create. I called my art an addiction - something that I just absolutely HAD to do.

Well…surprise. My addiction is apparently cured. Over the last few months, projects were started, but then I lost interest in finishing. Now I’ve lost interest in starting.

Most probably, this is due to the lack of visual stimuli. My quarantined world isn’t feeding the addiction?

I have been busy cleaning out my studio, finding old projects left unfinished:

(Above) This one is from my Fossil Garment series. In the detail (below) you can see the tiny doll arms reaching out:

and a really old one:

Years and years ago, driving through a toll plaza, I noticed the long bright red fingernails of the toll taker. As I drove on, I realized that the fingernails were the only thing I could remember about this woman. So I sewed her portrait.

My studio is looking good, but I have no new art to share with you. This blog will remain on hiatus. Also, my gmail account isn’t working, so if you want to contact me, use Dianesavona@aol.com.

Stay well, stay sane.

Diane