Tuesday, August 30, 2016

Building Landscapes

Fall shows are coming up and I'm working away at getting some new work done before deadlines loom too ominously! Right now I'm working on stitched landscapes, including this one with a lacy tree.


I took a few types of lace and painted them with acrylic paint, then cut out motifs and pinned them in place - a long process. I'll run over all of the lace pieces with a loose machine stitch in a color which I hope will more or less disappear. You can see a bit of the trunk in the next photo and the fact that it is made from many strips of different colored fabrics. All in all, this is a very labor intensive piece and, so far, I'm not in love with it. Hopefully, adding more contrasting colors will make it come alive.


I usually set up my landscapes by pinning fabrics to a piece of foam core. The fabrics are culled from the numerous disorganized boxes of fabric which are piled in my studio, which is right now more of a storage room.  My dream is an organized, peaceful studio - will it ever happen? Not at the moment, that's for sure, as I have too much on my plate to attack it. Maybe I'll give myself a Christmas gift of hiring a helper/organizer to do it with me in the winter months. Anyone interested?


The above piece is shaping up. I'm picturing some strong tree shapes in silhouette. I'll cut some out and see how they look. Hanging below the landscape is some great wool embroidery thread I'll probably incorporate also.

And, of course, as I work on the porch, Rosie is curled up near my feet. When we had our porch rebuilt years ago, we actually chose extra windows near the floor for our cats' viewing pleasure.  The things we do for our furry friends!



And, if you should remember the new blog header I was so excited about making awhile ago - it's still in process. I'm just a little bit scattered lately but it will get done eventually.

I hope that everyone who reads this is having a fabulous week. 

Enjoy these last days of August!



5 comments:

Simone said...

I thought that was your new blog header Judy! It is beautiful anyway! I love to see all your works in progress and am fascinated with the lacy fabric leaves. You were so kind to think of your cats when getting new windows with a view!!! x

Karen L R said...

I love process pictures so much! Thank you for sharing!

sharon said...

What a marvelous approach to trees… love the painted lace idea. Your colors are so unique to you, Judy. So restful and comforting. If I stare a while I can put myself right into your landscapes, wrapping them around me like the softest shawl.
And to second Karen, I so enjoy seeing the process.
Nice to see Rosie. Mya and Dovey send their love.

fromyourmindseye.com said...

I can't wait to see the finished tree. Lovely, Judy.

Anne Butera said...

I always love seeing your process, Judy! And your sweet Rosie. :)