How I spent my summer…

I know that summer isn’t over, but the way time flies I’m sure it will be before we know it! As you’ve possibly learned from previous posts, I’ve been taking part in a summer residency at a local art college since the last week of May. I want to say I’ve worked at it, but I’m having too much fun to call it work. (my body might disagree) My time has been spent creating images to silk screen on fabric – fabric for use in future quilts and art projects. Most of the fabric that I print on is commercial prints sold for quilting and I am delighted with the effect of my “over-printing”. Sometimes I am able to imagine the finished print, but many times it is a surprise to see the effect of different screens.

Even though summer is not over, I only have 1 week left in the studio. I am getting frantic. No wait – I’m always frantic about printing. I need to create images for 7 or 8 screens, and hopefully print some of them.

I made and printed a table runner for my daughter’s wedding – just a few days before I left for the wedding.  I tend to work better to a deadline – how about you? The table runner took several days and was a great learning experience. I cut and stitched a runner while I was out-of-town and spent a day printing it. There were a few images that were less than perfect and that wasn’t good enough for the head table of a wedding! I cut 2 more runners and spent another day printing them. Both were an improvement on the first one so I chose the best one and hemmed and finished it. Whew. I spent another day printing some napkins with images from the table runner. Thought they would make nice gifts for the bride to give away.

Contextural is the group that organizes the summer residency and we are able to put up a show at the end of the summer to showcase our work. Fortunately we have been offered more exhibit space this year and I hope we’ll be able to take advantage. I’ve printed a couple of ten foot panels to exhibit the variety of screens that I’ve made this summer, and I plan on framing some of my printed pieces to show the effect of my over-printing. That means that in my last week besides making screens and trying to print, I’ll be hemming panels and stretching fabrics to frame. Sleep is not on the schedule.

Here are some photos of some work in progress. I’ll post some finished work after our show – assuming I get it finished in time.