Thread Sketched Nude

I wanted to try some more thread sketching but didn't know exactly where I wanted to go with this attempt. So, this piece was a practice piece.I first found a sketch I liked then printed it out on copy paper. I layed muslin over the copy of the sketch and traced over the lines with a light pencil making some alterations in the sketch as I went along. Next I thread sketched the figure with black thread.

Seems my photos always come up too dark but you can see the sketch lines. Moving along. I decided I wanted to do something else to her so I used some acrylic paint to add some detail. Now, Im no painter so this effort is more of a trial for myself in what not to do. I forgot to add a texture medium to the acrylics that makes the paint suitable for fabric. Ooops!  I stitched the background and used some diluted setacolor paint to add color to it. Below is the finished piece.

Below is a close up of the sketch. I haven't named her yet.

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Let Me Remind You of Beginnings

I have been reading a lot about goddesses and their origins in history. The Dance of the Dissident Daughter by Sue Monk Kidd is about her journey to find the Sacred Feminine. I found When God Was A Woman by Merlin Stone at the library book sale which tells the story of the role the goddess played in Judeo-Christian attitudes toward women. It isn't fiction, its history. I have probably posted this sometime in the past but I wanted to do it again to go with a poem I wrote a few years back. I made this piece to accompany the poem. The photo doesn't show the whole piece but below the goddess is the poem I wrote which I transfered to fabric.

Let Me Remind You of Beginnings

Sisters, let me remind you of beginnings,
of the first warm blood that flowed
with the cycle of earth's fertility,
of those wild vines of passion that were
a prelude to your power of seduction,
setting you free to ecstasy.

Remember sisters, the awakening
of your woman spirit,
your rebellion against sameness
that sent your fire into the world
leaping and searing complacency.

Oh sisters, you were not born
to struggle for mediocrity.
You came from fire and ice,
from the belly of Nuit,
goddess of heaven and earth,
you erupted dauntless and shameless
your very breath igniting the cosmos
in the dark night of oppression.

In the beginning of the beginning
you spoke of wisdom and justice
from the mouth of Themis
to save us from the riotous throng
of prophets and saviors,
to lift us above obscure predictability.

Sisters, let me remind you of your true genesis.
You are the infinite mother,
heiress to the universe,
diviner of your own destiny.

Cultures Past and Present

This was my entry into the Texas Museum of Fiber Art exhibit. Sadly, it did not get accepted but it was fun to make and I experimented with some new techniques. Oh well, on to the the next one.

This is a close up of my interpretation of pictographs I have seen in caves in Val Verde county that were painted over 7000 years ago. They are machine and hand embroidered on silk fabric, layered on hand dyed and hand painted fabric.

The lower picture shows fabric weaving using hand dyed silk (upper left) and below that machine stitched symbols of our different beliefs.

The faces were machine stitched on silk fabric(sorry the photo is dark). Details were done with a micron pen. Strips of fabric were torn and cut then attached to wrapped pipe cleaners.

The hanging cord was painted then wrapped and knotted with yarns and threads.