Tag: collage

Janet Powers

Inspiration comes from everywhere…sometimes in small doses, other times in overwhelming waves of glory.  The latter came in a funeral home.  Well, what once was a funeral home – now it’s the Gallery on Newcastle.

View of gallery from Janet’s studio

We were on our way home from a glorious few days on the Georgia coast and my mental sketchbook was full of images: of skies, driftwood, fences, moss-draped trees, architectural elements, and more.  A stopover in Brunswick, Ga led us through neighborhoods of beautifully restored homes, shopping areas broken by delightful parks, and some interesting shops.

Behind this double door is the bay where ambulances would arrive with bodies to be prepared for burial

I loved all the shops, bought things in a few, but when we entered The Gallery, I knew I was somewhere special.

This wall filled with beauty included a patchwork quilt…of oil paintings of the marsh

The entry was intriguing with a display including a beautiful book of portraits of marshes.  I knew immediately that would be a purchase.  Jimmy G and I had just been talking about the serenity that comes with a view of the marshes while the marshes themselves are constantly changing.  

A greeting, an exclamation of wonder at all this building held, and then the realization that we were talking to the artist.  The ARTIST in this place.  Janet Powers had not only painted the oils inside that book, but she had made the assemblages and the sculptures and the mixed media paintings that filled the space.  There were pieces by another artist or two; but by and large, the work was hers.  

Janet and her mother made this banner from textiles that held personal stories
One of many assemblages in a reclaimed glass

The most intriguing pieces of Janet’s work that drew me in closer were her houses…well, that’s how I saw them.  I’m not sure she calls them houses, but they are magical boxes with doors and drawers and curtains and filled with fascinating things.  Some found objects, some past sketches, some reworked pieces of art exploration.  And each one tells a story.  And each viewer sees her own story in them.  At least this viewer did.  

Three of what I think of as houses with delightful interiors
This box contains pages from one of Janet’s sketchbooks
Beyond the sketchbook pages are more treasures, behind curtains and in drawers.
This box holds items collected on beach walks. I love the shark swimming through.

As we toured the massive space, Janet answered my zillion questions and quickly saw what intrigued me and filled in details.  She allowed photos and gave me permission to share the visit with you.  My words and photos will just give you a taste of her fabulous work.  You must plan a trip for yourself!  

In her studio (formerly the room where bodies were prepared for burial), I saw the usual fascinating array of easel, paints, and brushes.  And on the wall, I saw Italy.  Those paintings were done when she was teaching there in the 90’s. 

Sculptures and paintings in her studio (formerly the room where bodies were prepared)
Paintings of Italy.

I asked about her beginnings as an artist and learned that she trained to be a nurse, then explored drawing and painting.  Some of her first work as an artist was designing cross-stitch patterns.  She had some of her leaflets and worked samples on display.  I’ve done my share of counted cross-stitch, and let me say these are stunning!  It’s easy to see that Janet had an understanding of color from the beginning.

Some of Janet’s cross-stitch design leaflets and stitched pieces

I couldn’t absorb all the inspiration that the gallery held, but I did love soaking in what I could.  

Janet has done several pieces using textiles, some are pictured here, yet others are in the gallery. Of course, you know I was drawn to those, but it was her mixed media pieces, the dimensional collages in glasses and boxes that raised my heart rate.

Detail of a massive textile collage Janet has created.
A table in the center of the gallery displaying boxes and more…
This is part of a series of works lamenting the cultural shift that is robbing little girls of their childhoods.

I found everything Janet has made to be rich with its own story. But talking with her and sharing our enthusiasm for communicating through art was really empowering. I know the visit will make a difference in what I create and how I think about making. You just never know what encounter will change you.

Janet’s website is https://janetpowers-artist.com. There you can learn more and be inspired yourself. But there’s nothing like a visit to see her work in all its detail!

Blue and Brown

I love blues and browns and I especially love them together!  

Mother Nature loves blues that go to brown, too.  Look at this hydragangea in different stages of its blooming life this summer.  The final brown bloom hanging on is just as beautiful to me as the most cobalt of blues!

I recently made a slow stitched study in blues and browns.  

It started when I made this notebook cover as a gift.  The colors were so rich and entrancing that I wanted to use the leftover bits in another project.

The linen background came from some yardage a friend brought to our quilt guild from her mother’s stash.  The mother was downsizing and moving – we benefited from the clean out!

The bits of blues and neutrals were from my collection of old and new bits of fabric and lace.

The hexagons led to a bee theme of sorts.

I experimented with various weights and colors of thread, added beads and buttons.

This format, the rolled up collage, is a favorite of mine.  I used a thin layer of batting under the brown linen while doing all the stiching.  For a backing to cover the messy seed stitching, I added a bit of an indigo overdyed linen sheet.  I attached this with a tiny seed stitch with a fine thread; going only through the layer of blue and the batting.

Garden Dance

Tawanda made an appearance in my last post.  I referred to her as my outdoor spirit doll.   Now she’s an element of an art quilt.  

We’ve been sheltering in place now for several weeks with no antiquing adventures to replenish my stash.  But, oh, how my collection has grown.

Since friends are at home, they’ve been cleaning closets and drawers and I’m reaping the rewards. One day the mailman brought a box from Alabama.  Susan had sent a box of tea towels, doilies, and dresser scarves her grandmother had passed along to her.  She kept the one she and her daughters would use, but sent others to me.  

This hankie’s image looks like the clematis blooming on our fence.

A friend is moving to another city and won’t be taking everything she has acquired over the years. She thought I could use a collection of women’s hankies. Oh, yes, indeed, I can.

This pile of blue from the fabric samples made my heart skip a few beats.

And Helen had a box of discarded drapery and upholstery samples.  Silk, linen, cotton, and wool.  Yes, wool.  I was amazed, too.  Lovely, lightweight, sheer wool.  I can’t wait to see how that behaves in the dye pot.

More drapery samples sorted by color…inspiration for a red quilt, I think.

And Joyce, a new friend who was at the last guild where I lectured has a box waiting for me filled with beautiful linens.  She no longer quilts, having moved on to a new focus in sewing, but has acquired beautiful pieces.  Once Joyce’s friends saw that she could give new life to their linens stored away in hiding, they shared with her.  “More than I can use in my lifetime,” she says.  So she is sharing with me.  Now that’s something to look forward to when this stay home order is lifted – a drive to collect that box!

Garden Dance celebrates Tawanda’s exuberance with Spring and all the treasures I described.  I sketched her image, transferred it to fabric, then collaged bits of embroidery from one of those silk samples I mentioned, vintage crochet, some recycled denim clothing.  A few buttons, and a lot of hand stitching brought it all together.  That pop of color at the top right is a piece of trim I bought in Paducah one year.  It was a dusty bolt of unused drapery trim, stained and hopeless looking – and containing some polyester, I’m sure.  But for some reason it spoke to me; maybe the many, many yards of something for little money.  But it loves new color.  I’ve painted some of it and the bit you see here has taken a dive in the indigo dye pot.

Tawanda is a sculpture made of rebar and cement and she’s nearly 20 years old.  She was one of those purchases that I thought, “I shouldn’t spend this much money on yard art, but I really want to take her home with me.”  She was at a local garden center and I think I saw her dancing there on a couple of visits before I succombed to her charms.

As is often the case, I used an old quilt remnant as the base for this collage. Notice the patch some previous owner had made – I was thrilled that I found a place to include it.

She has brought a smile to my face on countless days over these years and I’ve never regretted that expenditure. It seemed it was time to memorialize her in a quilt.

Her name, Tawanda, comes from the movie Fried Green Tomatoes.  if you are familiar with the characters in that production, you understand.

The quilt finishes at 12″ x 16″. Here you see the label attached to the “front” of the old quilt which is now the backside of Garden Dance. The faded homespun backing is one of my oft-used vintage backgrounds. I wonder if the woman who made this scrappy quilt years and years ago would approve of my use of her work. If she was a Tawanda herself, I think she would say, “You go, girl!”

Papa’s Girls

This photo was taken around 1920, the girls with the man whose name peppered lots of stories.  His daughters called him Papa, one calling that name in the days before her death.  “Papa is waiting for me.”  

In this photo is Papa with two granddaughters; Cleo was born in 1914, Corine in 1916.  Their mother died in 1918, giving birth to their little sister.  Their father was in the Army, then a traveling photographer, so he was not around to parent them.  They lived with this grandfather, spinster aunts, and an invalid grandmother.

The photo is printed on a fragment of vintage linen fabric, layered with wool batting, then collaged with bits of vintage lace, rickrack, beads, ribbons, hand and machine stitching.

The green background is a heavy linen fabric, frayed on the edges.  I try to channel the little girl in me when I’m playing this way.  One of the things I loved to do when I was a child was to pull threads on the edges of linen fabric to make a fringe.  I see I still have that skill.

The heart in the top left is a bit of a silk log cabin quilt that was deteriorated to smitherins.  I’ve used bits of it several times, but this time the edge seemed a bit too raw.  So I couched a twisted black and white cord around the edges.

I layered all of it on a bit of new commercial fabric that looked old to me, then used freemotion quilting in a heart strings design to make the many layers one.

The backing is another commercial fabric that reminds me of a dress my grandmother wore.  The label is becoming my go-to; handwriting on a vintage doily.

I’ve written more about these spinster aunts before:  https://sandygilreath.com/spinster-sisters/

And, did I mention that the older girl is my mother?  Oh, the wonderful Papa stories I’ve heard!  I remember more every time I see his image.

The finished quilt measures 26″ x 16″.

Emma Sue’s Work Basket

Emma Sue Emerson was born in 1930.  No, her parents did not give her that rhythmic name.  She was born Emma Sue Whittle, marrying Bob Emerson at age 20.

Bob and Emma didn’t have any children, but they would have been wonderful parents.  They gave of themselves to nieces and nephews and to the community as a whole.  Emma never worked outside the home much; in those days women weren’t expected to have a career.  Oh, she substituted at the grammar school when they needed her, sold a little Avon, and she sang in the choir at church.

Emma and Bob had seventeen nieces and nephews. Emma spent some time working on items to fill the nieces’ hope chests.  She embroidered linens, tatted edging for pillowcases, made some baby clothes when a new generation came along.

An accident at the canning plant in the early 1970’s left Emma’s right hand with some nerve damage and she could no longer execute the fine stitches needed for some embroidery.  She learned to write with her left hand and didn’t miss a beat with other day-to-day activities.  Those hope chests of the youngest nieces were filled with unadorned sheets and pillowcases (with neat hems done on the sewing machine), and copies of recipes handed down through the years.

An assortment of treasures from Emma Sue’s sewing basket came into my possession and I collaged them together to tell Emma’s story.

A bit of a stained and unfinished dresser scarf, a remnant of barkcloth (from draperies in the 1950’s), some lace, a tab from a linen shirt, and a collection of buttons reveal elements of Emma’s life.  A corner of one of her pocket hankies is held in place by a belt buckle from her sewing basket.  A large hook and eye like those used to fasten coats was included, too.

I wove a base from strips of cotton – some of which were in the basket, others I added from similar fabrics.  I attached it all to a bit of an old grain sack to give it a firm base, then used a quilt remnant to provide a backing and frame.  The dimensions of the finished piece are 16″ x 26″.

I hope the wall hanging will trigger fond memories of Emma Sue when viewed by those who knew her.  I love it when pleasant memories are not packed away in a box.

Dancing Hearts

Old spools, old quilts, old ticking, old buttons, memories in old clothes.  What’s not to like?

Put them all together in a new format.  Unroll to see fresh delight every time.

It seemed a perfect place to collect some old reds and make a Valentine’s project.

The old quilt was soiled and tattered, tan and white with red accents.  I love that the indigo dye subtly changed the backgrounds, but left the reds RED.  

The unfurled piece measures 7” x 30”.

I love the rolled format for story quilts.  The first one I did is the one above. And, I’m working on another one now. It has hearts on it, too.

In Joey’s Pocket

As a toddler, Joey loved to pull his elephant toy around the house. He pulled that toy until the wheels fell off and then pulled it some more once they were repaired.

Outdoors, he loved to climb trees and collect things. His pockets were always full of rocks and sticks and bugs. Once his mother found a lizard among the laundry. Joey giggled when she screamed, but he never admitted that he brought it in the house.

I used commercial fabrics, vintage fabrics, ribbons, buttons, and other treasures to tell Joey’s story.  The piece is mounted on a remnant of an old quilt and measures 19” x 16”.

Treasures were attached using both hand and machine stitching.

Kim’s Art Journals

Kim came to visit and brought some of her art journals.  Kim is an artist with talents in many areas; most recently she’s been focusing on various styles of journaling.  I had seen a couple of her junk journals, but these with her story characters are really exciting!

Here are photos of her angel journal, a project in progress.  The shot of the cover reveals that this is an altered book from a stash of rescued and repurposed volumes.

Kim’s imagination seems to know no limits!  She works with a variety of materials and resources, finding treasure everywhere and incorporating it into her collages.

 

 

Kim has stories to go with all her journals.  And look at her characters.  Aren’t these amazing creatures?  I haven’t heard all their stories, but just seeing the various pieces bring delightful possibilities to mind.

Here are the Bodeenses; bunny sisters who live with a human family and try to hide their ears.  When in high society, they get nervous and their ears “flop out” at inopportune times.  Is this the most delightful children’s story you’ve ever heard, or what?  I can’t wait until Kim gets the book finished!

The photo of this fabulous creature doesn’t do it justice.  You need to know that this head and its crowning glory measure 24″ tall!  Wow, it is stunning!

Kim is a master of paper and metal and matting and framing.  She wants to add textiles to her art and I know that will just add another level of richness to her work.  I have some ideas for her, and she helps me with the non-fiber details of some of my pieces.  What fun it is to collaborate and get new ideas!