Follow the Thread

December 2023

It is exciting to find a thread between the series I make. The latest thread was quick to see even with all the movement and vibrant colors. The 10x10 collages created this summer were fun to make using origami papers and scraps of old paintings. I would rotate the square until I saw (and felt) a balance in this M.S. Escher-like landscape. Also, these works could be rotated and work well in various orientations.

Above: Evolution of Mountains, 2023; Natural Bridges, 2023 (Sold)

It was through the collaging practice that I found new shapes and forms. True, the mountain form has always been in my work. Although here, the form was created from the abstract colorful background and the masking of the solid colors on top. I didn’t tape off! I started to play with positive/negative space, silhouettes, and textures. The mountain silhouette was laid out and then hand painted. I also found many of the paintings could be rotated and still had balance in their forms. Which reminds me of another series from 2012.

Above: Details of Charting Seafloor Mountains, 2023; At the Edge of the Deep, 2023. These and more are on view at Remedy Coffee through December 2023.

Ghost I, 2016

In the Canyon Series, the solid top color was the mountain, or canyon in this case. Each layer was hand painted, the colors were chosen as I went, and created depth with the color choices, yet still looking flat.

Over the past eleven years, the thread has worked its way through new drawings, paintings, and collages. I love seeing the thread meander, get stuck, reject the needle, and naturally move through the fabric. I could take it all the way back to 2000, but I’ll spare you!