The class that I have been enrolled in for the last year or so is a critique class. Basically we all work on our pieces each week.  But once a quarter, if we choose, we can have a critique.  I really enjoy this process – especially when I am in the midst of trying something new as I am now.  Last night I had my critique, which of course means the past few nights I’ve been putting the finishing touches on my pieces.

I’ve been printing on dupioni silk.  I have four plates that I’m working with and I print them on different colors of silk and in different combinations.  These then get cut up and recombined.

Once they are stitched the way I like them, then I embellish them with beads, smaller pieces of silk, sequins, whatever I have handy…

I tried some very simple versions, one plate, minimal embellishments.  Derick really liked these.  But on one piece I did a lot more “cutting and pasting” and the class liked these.

I had planned to mount them on canvas but overwhelmingly the class agreed that, although more expensive (sigh), these would look best floating on matt board in a frame.  I agree.  There is something about seeing the raw edges and the blank space of the silk around the image that really brings in together. ‘

I’ve much more work to do with these, which makes me quite happy.  The plates are almost done though, the stitching on them is starting to lose it’s sharpness and one plate got caught in the blankets and has a small groove in it.  Their way of telling me, just a few more, then I’ll move on.

I’m just not sure I’m ready to move on yet…