Searching for Roy G Biv II - Yellow update 1

Yellow is a color I will forever associate with spring because of the jonquils and goldenrod that seem to explode from the ground once the temperatures begin to warm. 

Yellow is present in small splashes around the house and in my studio as well. From the collage made by friend and Torpedo Factory artist Jeanne Garant, to my trusty measuring tape, to the fringe of a scarf Deb brought me from her India trip. And then there's a sight we see everyday...a simple yellow line painted against a black textured background.

Among the yellows around the house are photos taken by me in 2008 when my husband and I went to China to bring the little urchins home. Yellow, in all its variations, was as prevalent a color as red and the two were often found in combination. Alas, I never stopped to inquire why or what meaning the two had.

The middle photo gives you an idea why not and what our days were (and still are) filled with. That's Grace happily chewing on a fabric duck while Ellie stretches to reach the alphabet cube.

For more yellows, take a stroll over to see what Julie, Maya, Fiona and Deb have found this month. Do you have yellow?

Lisa and Kim answered the call for yellow. And they are delightful!

Serendipity

 Saturday morning found me

waiting to catch the train

to New York City to do a bit of exploring.

My first new find was Treasure and Bond

which features New York artists and

 has an admirable philosophy regarding profits.

Not to mention 2 wonderful ampersands 

in the store's name in the front window.

So...I wandered and roamed the streets of Tribeca using what seems to be an outdated list of stores printed from the internet all the while waiting for a phone call from a friend.

You see, I posted Off to NYC this morning to explore Tribeca on my Facebook artist page early Saturday morning and received this comment from my good friend Deb in DC. 

No shit. Really? I'll call you when I get there. Don't know today's schedule yet.

We were posting simultaneously so the messages went back and forth fast and furious. Deb is a member of Batala Washington, an all woman percussion group that performs at various events including the Dominican Day parade in NYC this past weekend. Usually, after taking the bus up to NY, the group does guerilla performances across the city before taking part in a parade on Sunday. 

The serendipity fates-that-be were smiling on us both on Saturday. Batala Washington had a rare Saturday afternoon free, I was on my way into NYC and we both were on Facebook before leaving for our journeys.

photo by Deb Jansen

[I'm the short one in case you're wondering.]

We enjoyed a few precious hours together, wandering the streets and exploring shops well above the Metropolitan Museum, chatting all the while to catch up with our lives. All too soon, it was time to part ways.

Being that I was 50+ blocks away from Grand Central Station, a taxi was hailed...but halted when black and red and white polka dots were sighted, but that's for another post.

Tea time, part 2

Does art have seasons? If so, winter is definitely my season to rust. It's so easy. Soak something in vinegar or water. Put it in a baggie with a bit of rust. Leave it to work its magic...in my case, go to Kansas for a few days. Come back and open up the bundle.

This piece was in the baggie for about a week. I opened once before leaving for Kansas,  liked what was happening and repositioned a few of the washers. Just took it out yesterday.

You can't tell from the mosaic, but the fabric - more of Deb's wonderful gift - measures approximately 8.5 inches high by 16 feet long.

Part of me yearns to leave it as is. Part of me sees cutting it into 8.5 inch squares. Hmmm...that would be...22 squares. What do you think? Which should it be? Long and lean or a bit square?

Tea time

In May of last year, a mysterious box arrived from Deb, a friend and fellow fiber artist.

 Opening the box was like finding an unexpected treasure

for inside was lengths of cotton that Deb had used 

in making her shibori scarves.

 The steam set folds and pleats were sensual.

Not daring to risk destroying the beauty of the gift, 

I put the cotton away and waited for the muse to whisper.

And whisper she did, just before I left for Pam's.

 

Remember this?

After soaking in a tea and vinegar mixture for a week, 

I wrapped the rusted ring with Deb's cotton

and left it to transform while I was gone.

And transform it did. Seems tannins + rust = gray. 

And if left long enough, the rust becomes...well...rust.

Thanks Deb!

Don't you love receiving unexpected gifts? I do...especially when it's something as wonderful as what my friend and fellow fiber artist, Deb Jansen, sent.

Actually, Deb's gift wasn't totally unexpected. She'd let me know that she'd sent a gift for my daughters and that there was a little something for me in the box as well. Her only clue as to what it was was a comment about preferring it wrinkled.

Wrinkled, huh? Hmmm... I admit to being stumped. Considering that Deb works with silk and sometimes creates scarves after dyeing, painting and embellishing it...well...you can see which direction my thoughts took. When the box arrived Monday, I couldn't wait to open it and see what wrinkly gift it held.

Wondering why there's photo of fabric spewing out of a box? That's my wrinkly gift and I love it! As Deb explained, this is the remnant of the fabric her silk is wrapped in, or around?, when she steams it. The cotton is luscious...a very pale cream and so soft it's sinful. 

Can you believe Deb sent this expecting it to be wrapped around rusted elements and left outside for nature to play with?

She did and I'm going to, but first I just had to share its wrinkly lusciousness with you.

If you're ever in Alexandria, VA and love art, stop by the Torpedo Factory Art Center. For a real treat, venture upstairs to studio 344 and say hi to Deb. Ask her about paint markers while you're there. And Catharsis & Karma and Windows and....