Missing in Action

The summer is flying by and our show (in March) feels like it is zooming towards me in fast forward. I've finally gotten all the various parts completed and assembled on some pieces that have been hanging around the studio for a while. The "pieces" of these pieces are becoming more and more complex, I think of them as various voices having conversations.

Areas of the pieces are becoming highly decorative (I read several books by Carol Goodman this summer and in one she writes about the work of William Morris) so I started integrating this type of printed pattern in the stitchery sections. Here is one in progress.

The overall piece has six panels. Here is how they are configured (at this point), that could change.

And finally, I completed this very RED piece and I am quite happy with it.

art therapy

Art is life for me. It is my therapy, but also often my frustration. Have you ever struggled to find an answer to a puzzle or the secret ingredient in a tasty dish that you're trying to duplicate? It's elusive, but once you think that you've found the answer, you savor that small victory (at least until the next challenge comes along).

A case in point is this painting. I started the usual way: by writing, responding to music (in this case, some wonderful Ukrainian ballads about Spring and Summer love), and working into a compositional format. I thought of the luscious colors of June and July, and selected a limited palette. I started painting into my words, some of which were lyrics from Cheremshyna. Two colleagues in my communal studio felt that I was painting a bouquet, hardly something that I would normally paint. But they seemed to have something there, so I went with it. When nearly done, a few colleagues pointed out that the vase containing the flowers seemed to be "floating." Thanks to my pals and mentors, Melissa Mason, Fran Gardner and Peter Cerreta, possible solutions were developed and this painting resulted. Reluctantly, we have to brand it a "still life." But here it is for now: For You.