Textile Art & Fine Craft
Commissioned work in progress, February 2024 Studio Three 17 is shifting focus from an art business to an art practice. I have worked with fabric and clients for over five decades. I began with clothing repairs, alterations, and construction. I progressed through crafts, home decor and furnishings, and finally to fabric art. During the pandemic … Continue reading Shift Happens
Fabric artists and quilters often point to a fabric in a piece, naming it as the inspiration, the starting point. My work usually begins in a conversation with a client or in an a dialogue that has a bit of friction to it. I have struggled with getting started on works I want to make … Continue reading Fabric as Inspiration
Spring is nature's way of saying "Let's party." --Robin Williams Trio of Dancers was joyously created several springs ago from remains of three other projects: the pieced background, the triangle screen print, the three-dancer design. Context, pattern, and design. Sounds like an art party to me. About Call / Response: Quote-a-day calendars infuse my day … Continue reading Call / respond week 21
One of the lessons that I grew up with was to always stay true to yourself and never let what somebody else says distract you from your goals. --Michelle Obama I added this quotation to my collection this past year, pairing it with the artwork, Collect. Most readers will see that title as a verb, … Continue reading Call / respond week 19
The only questions that really matter are the ones you ask yourself. --Ursala LeQuin This diminutive piece (3.5 x 5.5") resides in our library as a tribute to my love of good questions, which I learned from my father. I made it long before I encountered the quote from Ursala LeQuin. Those words are being … Continue reading Call / Respond Week 4
Three handcrafted wooden stools work in our home. Today they tell me to choose a summer that is a mix of work and rest. I struggle to overcome pandemic inertia; canceled events cleared the calendar of interaction but I have commissions to complete. The white stool was made by my grandfather when I was a … Continue reading Summer Solstice: Three Simple Stools
My fabric career spans decades, serving clients from Hawaii to Puerto Rico. I have worked on the dining table, in a spacious bedroom, down in the basement, and from the kitchen counter. Soon I will practice in a studio made just for me! Originally a two-part wooden door opened to the work bench / potting shed of … Continue reading Create A Space For Creating
I use different scissors for different tasks in the studio just as I use a variety of knives in the kitchen. Practice informs me which tool works best for a particular task. Experimentation increases the scope of usefulness for each tool I own. Recently, I have begun to regard my screen images as tools. This set … Continue reading Hone: Knowing And Maintaining A Tool
The conversion of garage to art studio began this week. I tiptoed upstairs to see the progress during lunch. The framing confirms that I like my plans; it assures me that the end results will work. The craftsmanship also informs me about my own work. I have been complimented over my years of custom sewing, … Continue reading Origins Of A Crisp Finish
I led my first dyeing workshop this month. 10 good women braved a cold night to gather in a pottery studio to put their hands and minds to dyeing silk scarves. After I demonstrated three fold and tie patterns, each participant received a scarf to manipulate and then color. Here are their results. I discovered … Continue reading 3 Patterns, 7 Colors, and 10 Women