I was thrilled to join such a great group of artists at The Barn on Berme in Kerhonkson, NY for Upstate Art Weekend 2024. I showed new sculpture and 2D works, and launched, “River Deities,” my first clothing collection in the #UrbanFey line of wearable art / art fashion pieces. We had great weather, even with one day of sudden storms, and so many wonderful visitors over the four days. Thank you so much, Manju, for inviting me!
The sculptures in both my oracles and mystic’s hand series are inspired by recent visits to Pompeii, Florence, and Rome. Working entirely by hand, I drape the small pieces of fabric directly onto the repurposed display forms, and then hand-stitch the pieces together, adding beading and sequin embellishment, also. These works reexamine gender and art histories and consider the role of the artist navigating the tensions of societies under duress. These new fiber art sculptures embody protective talismans as structures of support for community-engaged rebuilding.
One of the highlights of the weekend was launching, “River Deities,” my first clothing collection in the #UrbanFey line of wearable art / art fashion pieces. It was so wonderful to see people wearing my clothes, and two special garments went home with the perfect collectors. These garments are one of a kind, handmade from a small batch-printed original textile designs with my embellished beading, sequins, and embroidered details. Big thank you to my collaborators on these pieces: Kim Griffin, Stitcher, and Ashley Kong, Textile Design Collaboration. There’ll be more clothing coming soon!
In addition to the clothing, I had available for the first time small textile collage “patches” with hand-stitching, sequins and beading that are intended to be added to the back of a jacket (or framed). Their titles come from poems and song lyrics about the ocean: A Deeper Love, The Tide Is High, Promises, Ocean Deep, Ocean Eyes, and “The sea can do craziness…” (Thank you, Mary Oliver).
We got nice press in both Hyperallergic and Two Coats of Paint – Karlyn Benson’s recommendations list included an image of my “Green God’s Midlife Rites of Passage.”
threadsofapatientspider 