Working Through the Pile of New Work

Wow! When I unrolled the pieces that were slumbering on the cloth storage beam, there were 20 of them, plus several samples. A couple I'd completely forgotten about, so it was fun to meet them again.

It's been two afternoons' work to zig-zag the pieces so they don't fray during wet finishing, cut them apart, and then run them through the washing machine (delicate cycle) in groups of similar colors. Today, I began giving them a hard press, and took time out to snap quick photos of each one as it came off the ironing board.

I'm very pleased with the two images of the sycamore tree at Santa Margarita Ranch. Timing is everything - today was the day we had scheduled to go to the Ancient Peaks winery to pick up a wine club release, so while there I mentioned to the tasting room staff that I had just woven two hangings based on photos taken at the ranch (the ranch and the winery are under the same ownership), and thought it would be a courtesy to offer them to the owners before starting to exhibit them publicly. So now I have the owners' names and contact info, and as soon as the pieces are hemmed and/or mounted, I'll get in touch to see if there is any interest there.



The image of the upper part of the tree is about 16.5" by 19", and the image of the root of the tree is about 16.5" by 20.5".



I've still got 5 pieces destined for pressing, and then there's the hemming or mounting, so my work for the next few days will center on these tasks.

I think I've chosen the piece(s) to submit for the HGA Small Expressions exhibit, but I need to download the application forms and review the rules to be sure I've got the size restrictions right. Then those will need to be mounted and photographed for the application.

The curator of the Olive Hyde Art Gallery in Fremont, CA, has advised me that I'm in the Textile Exhibit. Because the deadline was extended until the 27th, I still don't know how many pieces, or which ones (I submitted 5 or 6 for consideration) but at least I'm in. So that's good news.

The next application on my list with an upcoming application deadline is called "Elements: Earth, Wind, Fire, and Sea" at a gallery in Thousand Oaks, CA. I still need to choose a piece for that, but I think it might have to be this one, don't you?