Painting
Who doesn’t love the smell of oil paints and turpentine or the feel of the paint as it is put on a canvas? That’s a rhetorical question…..I can’t imagine a world without paint!
I am not a traditional artist. It’s not my thing. I paint what I feel. It’s ok to interpret my paintings any way you like. I know what I see in my paintings….you might see something completely different.
Below are two examples.
Some of my recent work focuses on the theme of “re-using” or up-cycling. The amount of waste in the world is mind-boggling. I try to re-imagine and create images that combine new and used items. The image below is a painting on recycled tissue paper, mounted on a vintage domino block. The block is then attached to the canvas magnetically so you can move it around to suit your taste.
Textiles
I love the look and feel of textiles also. You can “paint” with fabric in much the same way you can paint with oils. The benefit of using fabric is that you can create works of art that can be used every day, instead of just hung on the wall! I call these “art for the every day”. Why be boring? But feel free to hang these on the wall too. It’s ok.
This is a beautiful, reversible, and washable apron. With pockets, of course.
This is one of my clothesline bowls. I cover cotton clothesline with scraps of left over or vintage fabric. Then I sew them into various size bowls. Each bowl is unique… in size, shape, and color.
A stack of colorful clothesline bowls.
How about a quilt? I have a long arm quilting machine. I don’t create traditional quilts. While I appreciate the history and skill of traditional quilting, it’s just not my thing. Think of my quilts as “arty”. Always remembering that I believe you should surround yourself with art…… Art for the everyday!! Below is an example of one of the baby quilts I have made. It is 100% cotton, reversible, and machine washable…..completely practical for everyday use.
Who doesn’t need a pouch or two or three to hold and organize…well…anything you want to hold or organize. Phone chargers, earrings, knitting needles, whatever. These are some of my tetrahedron pouches, but I have other shapes, sizes, and, of course, colors. The advantage to the tetrahedron shape is that it is easily spotted in the bottom of a purse, suitcase, or backpack. I also make bright, colorful traditional shaped pouches.
These are just SOME of the types of things I create in my studios on Chincoteague Island.