playing

With plastic in my case. Hi, Natalya here to declare that I have fallen into a deep dark hole that is called experimentation. What if I try this? What if I now do this? What if.......

You would think that after playing around with a material for a while, let's say a year, you run out of the "what if's". Not true in my case.  At least not with the recycled plastic shopping bags. Or dryer sheets for that matter. Here are few detail shots of my recent experiments:

layered with packing material batting, stitched and painted with acrylics

dryer sheet painted with gesso

plastic drop cloth, drawn on and stitched

translucent plastics layered and machine stitched

layered, stitched and sponge painted with acrylics

It's a good thing that there are some deadlines looming, as they make me finish my experiments and draw conclusions. But the experimenting goes on even with the deadlines, it's so much fun I can't help myself. I must find out what if.....

What are you experimenting with?

Monumental Art

As some might have noticed.. I am attracted to huge recycled artworks. Natalya here, reporting this time from MASS MoCA in North Adams, MA. I have heard about this old factory turned museum for years now and finally made the trek to see what's it all about. What enticed me to make the drive? The Phoenix by Xu Bing. Was it worth it? But of course.

The museum itself is a wonderful collection of old factory buildings interconnected to form huge gallery spaces, a fun museum shop and a restaurant. It would be interesting just to wander through even without all the great art. There is a Sol LeWitt retrospective there that I didn't get a chance to see, but no worries, it's there till 2033!

But the Phoenix, actually there are two Phoenixes and they are breathtaking. My pictures do not do them justice, but here's a taste. You can see them at MASS MoCA until October 27th, after which they travel to Cathedral of St. John the Divine in NYC. I am so looking forward to seeing how they will be displayed in such a different space.

to judge the scale look at the tiny 5"2" person in the right corner taking a picture

tail end of the second Phoenix with people for scale

talons of the Phoenix

tail feathers

paper model was so delicate

and made cool reflections in the glass case in a black room

A nice surprise was discovering another installation by Xu Bing, 1st Class. We haven't had a smoker in the family in decades, but boy, was the smell of cigarettes familiar, and I knew what was going to be at the top of the stairs immediately, while my daughters wanted to know what that smell was. The surprise for me was seeing the cigarettes arranged on the floor to form a huge tiger skin that changed shades as you walked around it. It's part of the Tobacco Project exhibit which explores some very interesting ideas.

there is the person for scale and the shades changing in the light

Reduce reuse recycle!!

the hard stuff

It's hard to believe that metal can lids and bottle caps can be so textural and sculptural. Natalya here, I finally had a chance to see the El Anatsui exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum and I was blown away! Hurry it's only up until August 18th! Talk about such a different take on stitching..... 

I must share, as I have already shared on Facebook and on my own blog, this quote that just spoke volumes to me: "The process of stitching, especially the repetitive aspect, slows down action and I believe makes thinking deeper. It's like the effect of a good mantra on the mind."

Enjoy the images that I had a hard time winnowing down, I wanted to share all 80 or so...

That last image is a stunner. The metal manages to look light and ethereal too!

finding inspiration

Natalya here. I am currently in a bit of a slump. Nothing to worry about, just sort of stuck on how to begin a piece. I know where I want it to go, just having trouble starting. So I am procrastinating. One of the ways I like to procrastinate, besides organizing some pile (did that yesterday!), is by looking through my photos. I consider that inspiration in disguise.

Every now and then I find some forgotten gems, like these below from a visit to the Met this past spring. I went to see the Matisse exhibit and on the way out or in stumbled upon these wonderful textures that I just had to photograph.

Alquimia XIII, detail of a wall hanging by Olga De Amaral

Alquimia XIII, detail of a wall hanging by Olga De Amaral

Gorgeous wisps of thread drew me to this huge piece. I just adore the delicacy of it and the gentle yet vibrant color. And am fascinated by the materials: linen, rice paper, gesso, indigo red and gold leaf. What is "indigo red"? I'll have to investigate, and where on the piece is it?

Between Earth and Heaven, detail of a piece by El Anatsui

El Anansui's work has attracted me for years. To make trash look so gorgeous is a gift! I must not miss his exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum this summer.

Ceremonial wrapper from Indonesia, 19th or early 20th century (detail)

Indigo dye at its best, no? That delicate wisping of color....sigh...

Ceremonial wrapper from Indonesia, 19th or early 20th century (detail)

Same wrapper, just the other end of it with gold leaf doodles. If you look carefully at the reflection (this was behind glass) you can see the huge panels on the opposite wall and that'll give you a good idea of the size of this wrapper. What or whom did they wrap in this beauty?

Dartahal (1995) by Gedewon (Ethiopian 1939-2000)

Now these are doodles to impress! Ball point pen, lead pencil, graphite and ink on paper. Absolutely stunning detailed drawing... And what's wonderful to me about this, is that this is "talismanic art", meaning it's considered healing and is drawn for individual patients. A fascinating tradition of Ethiopian Orthodox Church.

So I have found these photos in my photo stash, now what? Well, just the act of looking at them and preparing this blog post has energized me. I feel inspired, I am itching to get my hands on some art materials and get to work! Off to the studio, I know what to do now!

challenging materials

Hello! Natalya here...
Lately I seem to be enjoying challenging myself with materials. I have always worked with recyclables in my art quilting, but mostly that has been vintage linens, dryer sheets and the occasional bubble wrap... This year I seem to have upped my ante without even noticing...

cut up and layered plastic bags

First I dove into using plastics. Within a few weeks of collecting plastic bags from various supermarket trips I had enough materials to create several artworks almost entirely of plastic.

mittens and twigs!

Then I invited my friends to contribute to my self-imposed challenge. I am currently making portraits of their homes and for materials using ephemera that they collected for me. What was I thinking?  Well... I was thinking it would be fun actually!
In the first portrait I made, I was given worn out wool mittens, twigs, tissue paper and dryer sheets. It was a fun challenge to figure out. Somehow the mittens made a perfect lawn and the color of the tissue paper was the same shade as the stucco house.

brochures!

The next challenging bit of ephemera that's on my work table currently is mostly paper. Brochures from various parks, house plans and ticket stubs. This home portrait will be completely different from the previous one. But will I be able to keep it all in my style? Sure hope so..

What challenging materials have you worked with?