So today I got out some of the materials to pack so that I can play with mono-printing during my upcoming art residency.

I'm very excited about it!  Printmaking would have been my major had I continued to study the 'fine arts'.  But that was before I found out that textile design was a major, and then that led me to see the wider world of contemporary craft with the most amazing artists ever. There are endless possibilities and sources for inspiration....

Anyway, I just love the textures that are possible with mono-prints. They are very atmospheric, which is why I'm drawn to it and it's something I strive to create in my fiber pieces too.

The pieces below are created from mono-prints on paper. Some are layered with fabrics and have stitching, some have stitching and colored pencil, and some have all three...So a collage approach in the end I guess. 

I hope to bring enough of a variety of materials to work on these ideas a little bit there, along with working on combining my own woven or hand dyed cloth using other mixed media materials/techniques.  When experimenting, you never know where inspiration will hit... so when something unexpected leads you in a new direction, it's good to haven enough of your goodies to keep going with it.
....Yet at the same time, I don't want to bring everything and the kitchen sink...

Always the balancing act!

It's unbelievable how time flies!!
I'm so excited that my Artist Residency at The Quarry at Marble House Project in Dorset, VT is almost here! 

It's been such a busy summer between my farmers' market artwork and my design job, I'm really looking forward to having this time that is set aside for me to focus on my wall art.

The next couple of days I'll be gathering up some of my materials that I plan to take with me to the residency.  For now, I wanted to share a couple of books I'll be taking along with me. 

Even though I find Vermont to be such a beautiful place, I often get wistful for Pennsylvania, having grown up there in Bucks County.  This past Christmas, my guy Jim very thoughtfully got me this book: Pennsylvania Impressionism. It was co-published by the James A. Michener Art Museum & University of PA Press, and edited by Brian H. Peterson, who was the Senior Curator at the Art Museum for many years. 

It has some wonderful, inspiring images of painting by many of the of the Bucks County painters. They are all really inspiring....

...below here are a couple images of  William Lathrop's work that I'm really drawn to:

I'll also be bringing one of my fiber books along, The Art of Manipulating Fabric, by Colette Wolff.  I've had this book for years, and it's just an amazing collection of techniques to work with on fabric. And even though there are so many in here that I've never tried, I like to leaf through it, if just to remind myself that the possibilities with fabric are very unlimited. 

Since my residency will be time for me to experiment more with the mixed media materials and techniques I've recently been trying to incorporate more with my textile/fiber materials and techniques, I want to be reminded that experimentation is a very valuable part of every artist's practice.

And even though many experiments may fail, they still inform and then lead naturally to the next thing, which then hopefully leads to experiments that do work well and inspire works that go in a new direction.

For this residency, I hope to look towards the natural surroundings at The Quarry at Marble House for inspiration. And towards responding to them with my materials .... and just relishing in the generous amount of  time (almost three whole weeks!) to immerse and focus.

Very exciting! Here's hoping the next week goes well & I'm all ready!
:)