Blogging News

Regular subscribers will note a sleek new appearance to this blog.  It matches my updated website which took me only two years to finally redesign.

In time, I will move all my blogging activities over to the new website, marypaldesigns.com, but I will retain this blog for now as I figure out all the bells and whistles of the new one.

I understand that the busy, image-jammed online aesthetic is very outdated so am trying to keep my finger on the pulse and simplify. Any viewer comments greatly appreciated!

I have been working on a journal to accompany my submission to the Radical Elements exhibition. It is so named because we were to create works, based on one of the elements in the Periodic Table of Elements, that are suggestive of quilts yet not using actual fabric or thread.  (!)  My element was Einsteinium and in my research of this element, I discovered it is radioactive (though we aren't allowed to incorporate actual radioactive elements for obvious reasons!) and was discovered as a component of the debris of the first hydrogen bomb explosion in 1952. It is named after the great thinker but he was a peace-loving man who would want no association with the threat of world destruction that this particular element might be associated with, so I used that as my theme for the piece. The selected artists are not permitted to post full pictures of their final work, but this is a sneak peek of the cheesecloth sculpted portion.  The full piece is 36 x 22."

I am also working on my submission to the Earth Stories exhibition, though the images are not due until the end of October.  But it is six feet square (!) so that adds all kinds of challenges. Thankfully, I am able to use my regular medium of fabric and thread, so I am happily working out much simpler challenges than Einsteinium presented: like how to make lutradur stick to packing foam!