Click on the image to see the full (and undistorted) exhibition announcement.

First, the South Eastern KY Tourism Board/Org is developing a tourism iPhone app that will feature SE KY artists – and I’m one of them. Don’t know how they found me, but if you download it (to be released in September), I’ll be represented by several images of my work. Something tells me they WON’T be using “Axis Mundi”, about prescription drug abuse. Just a hunch about that one.

Secondly, despite the horrible news of Byzantium Beads in Columbus closing about 25ish years – horrible in the fact that I loved the ladies there and their merch, and they had me teach a lot, which I much appreciated – plus my workshop @ Indianapolis Arts Center was canceled due to low enrollment (mer…..), I am taking cold comfort in the fact that I’m not alone in the sufferin’ from the recession, and that there are UPCOMING WORKSHOPS to announce . . . .

Winchester Opera House, Winchester KY
Mini Art Quilt Workshop
Saturday, September 11, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
$50 (includes supplies and lunch!)
Call: 859-745-0045

Upper Arlington Life Long Learning Program, Columbus OH
Mini Art Quilt Workshop
Saturday, October 2, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
All supplies included – bring brown bag lunch
For more info: http://www.ua-ohio.net/lifelonglearning

The Gateway Regional Center for the Art, Mt. Sterling KY
Mini Art Quilt Workshop
Saturday, October 23, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
$50 ~ All supplies included – bring brown bag lunch
For more info: 859-498-6264

The Gateway Regional Center for the Art, Mt. Sterling KY
Bead Embroidery Workshop
Saturday, December 4, 1 – 5 p.m.
$40 – All supplies included
For more info: 859-498-6264

Here’s the process and product from a morning at Mary’s house . . .

Before all else, safety first!

Mary has this amazing contraption she made out of a clear storage container that she cut two armholes into – this way she can mix the Vat Discharge dyes we will eventually use to do the second layer of dyeing. This is a paste-like mixture which needs to be prepped ahead of time and can be used like printing ink with a brayer (more on that later).

The dyeing process is two part: first, using MX dyes (which can be painted on like silk paints) . . .

Nuke it!

Samples drying . . .

After the mx dyed fabrics are dry, the next step is using the Vat Discharge Dyes (in paste form) that Mary mixed up earlier. I really liked this part of the process because it felt like I was right back in the printmaking studio @ CCAD! Here’s the set up with the silk, dyes, brayers and stencils. You can use things like bubblewrap, plastic doilies, corrugated cardboard and so on. The vat discharge dyes both burn out the color of the fabric you are printing on as well as print color onto the fabric, so it’s this interesting mix of burning out and adding in color.

After you’ve applied the dyes, you have to accordion pleat~wrap the piece of fabric prior to the final step of being heat set in the pressure cooker. Pressure cookers scare me, and the drama of the moment was heighten by the toxic steam escaping (hence the lovely respiration masks Mary and me sported!).

Examples of the finished product:

I love the fabric I made, and plan on using it in future embellished pieces. Most likely, however, I will not be going to the expense and labor of turning the garage into a dyeing studio as Mary has admirably done. If you haven’t tried this before, it is pretty amazing!

However, I will say that the best part of the weekend started when my friend Susan, an arts foundation director from CO, and I got together on Saturday night. Even though I see Susan infrequently, she is the only person besides my husband that I travel very well with – she’s fun, smart, and always up for something. Here’s a glance at what we did, or 24 hrs in Baltimore.

Next to NYC, Baltimore has my favorite Little Italy. Susan and I ate lobster ravioli at this place with a great bottle of wine suggested by our cute waiter Rocky.

After dinner, Susan and I went to Vaccaro’s, one of my favorite places ever. I’m not ashamed to say that when in Baltimore, I am usually able to reach my goal of eating at Vaccaro’s at least once daily.

Whenever I visit a larger city, I try to go to the most renowned Catholic church. This time, it was Baltimore Basilica of the Assumption, America’s first cathedral at approximately 200 yrs old. I lucked into going to their Latin Mass which I’ve always wanted to attend one, just was never able to (Latin Mass’s are pretty rare in the Bible Belt, go figure). Here’s some images of the church – I was really surprised at how it was Neoclassical in design rather than the Gothic that’s more standard.

After that, a very gracious lady gave a follow conference goer and myself a ride back to the Inner Harbor area (the Basilica is up from the Inner Harbor of Charles Street, fyi), and I walked around the area towards the American Visionary Museum. If you haven’t gone, the AVM is one of the best museums I’ve ever been to. One might think that I’ve had my fill of outsider art being in close proximity to the Kentucky Folk Art Center and all related outsider art stuff, but I love it. It probably doesn’t hard that there’s some affinity between style and content (mainly all things glittery with a tendency towards OCD) with outsider art and my own. Here’s some images of only the outside of the AVM (interior photography is unfortunately not permitted).

It’s a hike from the AVM back to the aquarium side of the Inner Harbor, but it can be done (I had that lobster ravioli to work off from the previous night . . . ) Some views of the Inner Harbor:

That afternoon, Susan and I met up and went to Hampton, the neighborhood whose patron saint is John Waters (the place was used as the location for at least one Waters movie – “Pecker”). If I moved to Baltimore, I’d be living here.

Cafe Hon!

Some other random Hampton sightings . . .

After the Hampton adventure, we went to Fell’s Point where there are lots of great restaurants and bars, and awesome people watching. Dinner that night consisted (rightly so) of hopping from restaurant/bar to the next, sitting outside to gawk. When you live in a small rural town, anything different to look at is downright entrancing.

Susan and I couldn’t resist the siren song of BAR even though it was supposed to be an early night (with an early flight the next morning). We ended up at Harry’s Bar (on a side street in Fell’s Point) – it nearly could be the setting for the next Jim Jarmusch movie.

All in all – Baltimore was a hoot. Pete and I will definitely have to go when there’s no professional obligation involved. Next trip is up to Columbus and Cleveland – Unknown Hinson is playing @ Ruby’s (Summit Ave, Columbus) on Friday, August 20th. It’s a must see!