Studio Good Stuff

Oh my goodness it’s been so long since I’ve posted here! So busy with teaching and surgeries and my new lovely canine pal. Thank you for all the new friends following my page.

I hope you can make it to The Makery to see this lovely accumulation of my skills! I shall copy and paste here for the info! Much love 💕

❤️🩷💚🩵❤️🩷🩷🩵❤️🧡💛💜💙
What’s on my mind? HAPPYYYYY!!! Barbara & I journeyed together the past few months creating an installation we wanted to submit to the “Wear Your Art” exhibition at (260 Los Angeles Street, LA, CA), opening April 12th, 1-4 pm. Thank you Lisa Tomczeszyn & A. Laura Brody🥳

I have scoured, mordanted, dyed and printed TONS of silk, testing dyes and leaves from the San Gabriel valley, some before the Altadena fires, and some after. Dupioni, satin, chartreuse, flocked velvet, noil, habotai…even swatches from Alma’s wedding dress (see front of Camisole)!!! All so beautiful!
So Barb became master seamstress as I tossed luscious handprinted fabric at her!!! 🥳😅 She deserves some kind of award for stitching beautifully the triple layered skirts and camisole!!! (She also made the moccasins!)

We made sure that everything “Xyla of the Woods” wore in this ensemble was handmade. Sabine made the earrings for me from eucalyptus gumnuts in Germany, and Karrie Harbart in Indiana made the felted bird for my head piece.

It has been truly a joyous journey that stretched my creative noodle when designing the head piece, and especially figuring out some sort of belt that also displayed silk swatches of local tannins I harvested in the hills of Altadena.

Please join us at the opening April 12 at the Makery, 2nd floor, 1-4 pm. I would love to see you.

Good Afternoon! I’ve been saving this treat while waiting for the Indonesian celebration to begin!

Last year Inen invited me to print yardage and draw up some designs and ship them to her in Indonesia so I am there in spirit.

I had to hustle and bustle once I completed the grant to scour, mordant & print the cotton jersey, and hope that the pigeons flew straight and efficiently!

And they DID! Here is my fabric transformed into the clothing by these amazing wonder women!!! I’ll never look as poised and statuesque as these beautiful photos, but I’m so happy, blessed and grateful that a piece of me is there. Grace will be flying home with my treasures. Big hugs and kisses to all my botanical sisters around the globe!

I love you # # #

Good Morning! The local Nature Center at Eaton Canyon has decided they want to feature local artists who work in and with nature. Since I completed a few significant pieces of work in 2022 depicting my personal journey, I decided to utilize two of these wall pieces to share with this unique mountain community.

The larger hand-stitched piece explores 4 years of driving the California coast from San Francisco to Costa Mesa, testing a variety of eucalyptus leaves on wool samples. I didn’t want to trim them and make it a nice and neat quilt, but rather show the story of my travels (with my dear Willow).

The shadow box piece, entitled “Sentinels,” contains 3 unopened bundles that became metaphors for my international sisters on similar yet separate journeys, connected by nature and love around the world. The 2 drawers are filled with local dye samples and a variety of gumnuts I have collected.

Ironically, I just heard Suzanne chatting with us this morning about the personal story and how it connects us to our lives and to each other. (Thanks, darling) xx

I wish you could all join me at the museum center in the foothills of the Angeles National Forest when I present my Artist Talk from 3-4:00 pm today.

Many folks have wanted a 3 consecutive day class printing and designing the lovely blooming, goddess bags! And ta DAH! Dear Annie has offered up her studio which is a few blocks south of me so it’s perfect!
A few California venues were scheduling 3 Saturdays in a row and it didn’t work.
Hope this works for some of you! Let me know if you have any questions! Thank you ❤️🍃🍃