continuing the dialog

As I mentioned earlier, Fran has sent me some of her exquisite stitched masterpieces, most on cloth and some on paper or without a material support. I've been puzzling over them, turning them over, examining both sides. Even the reverse sides of her samples are fascinating.

A friend of mine, "Scottye" Cohen and her husband, Larry, make wonderful art boxes in wood. A few months ago, I commissioned a box from them, with an inner window. I had been drawn to this concept by the art of another friend and accomplished artist, Audrey Phillips. But, unlike Audrey who seemingly whips out creations from highly imaginative worlds, I've been puzzling for months about what to put in the window of the Cohens' box. Since that time, I had ordered some unusual acrylics from a heretofore respected oil paint manufacturer venturing into a new medium. Well, when I spied two of Fran's stitched samples, I found my answer and incorporated the unique acrylic colors.

Here is what I've assembled. I think that this piece is getting close if it isn't already done. As I was painting the box (the overall dimensions of which are about 16" X 40"), I focused on the texture and line evident in two of Fran's stitched works. I kept touching Fran's stitches and glancing over at them from afar as I painted on an easel. I found the "reverse" side of one of Fran's little tapestries far more interesting than the "right" side and have decided to show the "wrong" side instead. For this Gardner-Zalisko collaboration, I was thinking of titling it Tree of Life.