I’m so excited to currently have artwork exhibiting at InLiquid, a gallery in Philadelphia at the Park Towne Place Art Studio. I contributed “A Stitch in Time” in November to the USPS Art Project revolving exhibit.
All of the art is for sale by the gallery until the end of the exhibit on January 17. Feel free to browse the collection on the InLiquid website.
About the Artwork
My mother-in-law was born and raised the youngest of 17 children in the small yellow house. The entwined generations of her large Louisiana family are threaded and collaged in the layers of this nostalgic piece. It’s an exploration of the mythology of legacy, the defining influence of a mother-in-law’s humble upbringing, the environment that shaped her, shaped the family, and shaped her family’s legacy. It reveals the limitless, boundless possibilities that exist through our ancestors and her now expansive and unencumbered spirit.
The Process
Collaboration
All of the exhibit pieces are collaborations. Paula Vining sent me an inky, blotted start for this piece. I rotated it several times to determine what I might make of the cool colored starter art.
Cropping
I set the goal of submitting the finished art to an exhibit and saw that several of them has size guidelines of 12×12 or smaller, so I started by cropping the original down to an 11×11 square.
Sky & Ground
Collaging assorted washi tape pieces blended Paula’s inky ground layer and raised the horizon line higher to the bottom third of the composition. Then, to add color, but not obliterate the contributed marks in the sky, I pounced and blended watered down acrylic ink.
The House
My mother-in-law grew up in the small yellow house. I printed the house in 3 sizes previously when I made a similar artwork in a small art journal. I found this bit leftover on my art table, glued it to some cheese cloth, and stitched some details on it.
The Tree Trunk
The tree was created with Stabilo All pencil, graphite, and paint. After sketching it in Stabilo All, I activated it with water and then added paint to deepen the color. I created shadows with graphite. Gesso created highlights, and then ultimately, I put it into the sewing machine for some thread sketching of the bark patterns.
The Finishing Details
The leaves of the tree were stamped in using Q-tips bundled and held together with a small rubber band. The background shrubbery was added with a darker paint for more depth. I created the tree blooms by embroidering French knots in yarn. Finally, I added the swirling swallows from a stencil and glued some ribbon down on the ground below the house for added interest.
About the USPS Art Project
The USPS Art Project is an artist collaboration project created by Christina Massey, free and open for anyone who wants to participate. The goal is for artists to create unique collaborative artworks, while helping the USPS by sending and receiving packages. Artworks are shared online on the USPS Art Project social media channels.
Instagram: @uspsartproject
Facebook: @uspsartproject
Website: https://uspsartproject.com
GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/usps-art-project
Founder: http://www.cmasseyart.com/
Hundreds of artists have joined in the project, creating sculpture, paintings, drawings, mixed media, fiber art and more. For more information, including how to participate, see my previous post, “USPS Art Project.”
