Spring on The Des Plaines River Trail

Riparian Zone Process: Update 2

Samples on the studio wall

In the Riparian Zone and in art, edges matter. For example in natural riparian zones, trees shade the stream edges controlling water temperature so young fish and invertebrates have just the right environment to develop.  Healthy soils that border the streams and rivers help support billions of microbes that are the foundation of life.

How will I transition this project from drawings to textiles? You can see planning sketches HERE and the first post about the process of transitioning from sketch to textile HERE.

In art, edges matter too.

Attaching my embroidery hoop with small "C" clamps allows me to embroidery 2 handed.

Smooth edges convey a feeling of order and structure. 

My trusty thimble helps to cut down on the blood letting involved in hand stitching.

Fuzzy edges express more natural processes found in nature.   Our rivers, lakes and streams are completely bound up in human endeavors and engineering so for Riparian Zone, I want to express this connection between the build environment and  natural processes.

My washing machine creates this wonderful disordered edge.

My inspiration for edges comes from a reproduction from  J.M.W.Turner's painting  "The Fighting Temeraire Tugged to Her Last Berth to Be Broken Up".Turner uses soft and hard edges to direct our view to the two boats but the turbulent clouds in the background hint at the monumental changes wrought by the replacement of wind power by steam power in England's navy.

Grids, grids and more grids = expression of city maps.More next week on doings in the studio!

Riparian Zone Transitions From Sketches to Textiles

Every morning, I enter the studio with a pot of coffee and write in my studio log what I'm going to work on that day. It is very rare for me to skip a day in the studio. Even if I can only work for a hour, I record the day's activities.  Today I was thinking about transitioning my Riparian Zone project from paper to textiles. You can see more work HERE.

I love watching BBC documentaries and the one I watched yesterday was about  ancient Roman Art. Watching this video inspired me to think about creating work that is the artifact of "tomorrow". Sounds weird but I love the mystery of ancient mosaic art that is missing information but hints at what this missing part can be. Don't know for sure how this will work itself out, but I'm excited about the possibilities!

Riparian Zone

Riparian Zone # 1

The biologically distinctive area that borders rivers, streams and creeks, the Riparian Zone, acts as a protective buffer between land and water.  Large undisturbed Riparian zones filter our water, mitigate flooding and provide protection for the diverse life forms that live in, on and near our waterways. “Riparian Zone” celebrates this natural zone and expresses the pressure urban development places on these fragile pieces of land.  

You can see more work here

Riparian Zone # 2

Riparian Zone # 7

Riparian Zone # 10

Riparian Zone # 12