Work in Progress: The Matriarchy

So, here's what I'm working on today.

Awhile back I saw a poster with a phrase I liked -- "The Matriarchy Is Coming."  I immediately wanted to steal that, and imagined it as the center of a delicate little embroidery piece, maybe an antique handkerchief.  But mulling it over, I decided it would be more fun to make it part of a small series of feminist textile pieces, mildly threatening in theme but nicely girly in execution.  I imagined that phrase in hot pink letters on a stark background with lounging, ghostly guys in black suits.  As I worked, however, I hated it.  Slowly it evolved:  the ghostly men in black suits became vintage men from old knitting catalogs and W Magazine.  Black images became sepia images, and then, unhappy with that, I started adding hints of color with watercolor pencils.  After trying out six (yes!) different letter colors, the hot pink (cheesy!) finally became light gray, barely visible lettering  And that's where we are now.  The fabric images are sewed/glued on the tea-dyed background, coloring is complete (I think) and I'm adding embroidery touches.  And maybe tiny buttons.  And...

Springtime

Bearded (Birded)

Work in Progress: "Dear Mary"

Last week the mail brought my most recent eBay purchase -- a batch of small college photos in little photo holders with different hand-written messages inside each one, all addressed to a girl named "Mary."

Dear Mary, It seems I've known you for ages

tho it's really been a short while.

I'll never forget our discussions and

little secrets in homeroom

and home-making class.  Love, Nancy

I'm altering each one with ribbon, embroidery thread, seed beads, ribbon, etc. to add some sort of mask or statement over each face (masks seem to be the essence of the high school/college experience!).  I plan to bind them together accordion-style to make a little artist's book to be called "Dear Mary."

Here are some of them:

Winter Exhibits

Several pieces on exhibit during these gray winter months...

River Triptych

(paper collage on old book covers)

On exhibit at the 2015 Annual Washington State Juried Art Show

January 24 - February 28, 2015

CVG Gallery, Bremerton, WA

 Red Rivers, An Embroidered Book Page

(red silk embroidery thread, paper) 

The Needle and the Sword, A History of the Early Women's Movement in 24 Hankies

(unique artist's book, vintage hankies & doilies, heat-transfer images, fabric & lace applique, buttons, beads, ribbon on calico and cotton fabric pages)

Both on exhibit at Women's Caucus for Art, St. Louis Chapter, "Contemporary

Women Artists XVII Reimagining Femmage," Feb. 20 - April 3, 2015

Foundry Art Center, St. Louis, MO

The Needle and the Sword

"The Needle and the Sword: The Early Women's Movement in Twenty-Four Hankies" is headed down to San Diego today to be part of the Fifth National Juried Exhibition of artist's books and other book arts.  Here are a couple pages:

The exhibit is hosted by San Diego Book Arts at the Geisel Library (yes, THAT Dr. Seuss...), located at the University of California, San Diego campus, and runs from May 4 - June 22, 2014.  It should be an outstanding exhibit!