I have had a busy year so far.
I completed my show at the Blue Hill Coop in May. It was very cool seeing my work to date all on the wall. It seemed a bit surreal to me. I have always done a piece because that was what was in my nature to create. I never thought about how it would be perceived by others or if it would sell. All I cared about was portraying my work in the most authentic way possible.
I have always considered myself a fabric artist. In a way, that is my foundation. I learned to sew in Home Ec at GlenOak High School in Canton, Ohio. As soon as I entered the room, I felt I had a place there. Everything was exciting to me, but the best part was when we sewed our own clothes and projects. I thought that was magic. So, not to tell my age, but I’ve been sewing for around 50 years. I have always been in the process of making something. I can’t imagine my life without being able to think creatively and the ability to make the creations come alive.
Recently, particularly with the resurrection of the Snow Queen, I have been thinking of myself more of a Mixed Media Artist. I never really liked that title because it seems to imply that the artist can’t make his/her mind up about what medium to use. But now, I think of mixed media as a way of expressing what you want to create. So, the material is secondary in this process. The image of the piece and how it needs to be portrayed have to be a forethought.
My Snow Queen is an example. I created her 23 years ago. I beaded her on a thin muslin with a thin batting behind it. For the most part, each bead is attached separately. I had no idea what I was doing, I just knew that I loved what I was doing and this queen needed to be majestic. The poor Snow Queen stayed in a craft tote for 23 years until her match was found. Ron, my husband, found this mirror on Facebook marketplace. It fit her perfectly. Not only did it fit the story of the Snow Queen smashing the mirror into little pieces, it also shows the reflection of the person looking at her. Perhaps, we all have a little Snow Queen badness in us. : ) The only problem was that her face didn’t really fill the inside of the mirror. I luckily still had some of the beads and found others that matched and proceeded to glue everything to the mirror. I tried different glues, but Gorilla Glue seemed to be the best for this project. The Snow Queen is currently hanging in the Artsworth studio in Ellsworth. It is part of the Oh, My Goddess Show.
I am in the process of rethinking how I create things. Before I just left everything up to chance. I was using materials I liked to work with, but I wasn’t really focusing on the type of artist I was. Since I let the work dictate the material, I am proudly able to call myself a Mixed Media Artist.
I am currently taking an online gel print workshop. I am a newbie to this process, but after I worked with a local artist to create Lady Sun, below, for a show at the Gallery Within and sold it, I was hooked. I have discounted all of my past work in the shop and will begin taking my art in a new direction.
