Lee Thomson

rich in thread

October 5, 2011

I ordered a lot of new threads because I was feeling the need for something different. I love variegated threads because the changing colors help the piece work, and add depth without quite so many spool changes. These are various Valdani threads. (Aren't they lovely?) I've heard from friends that they are slubby and break, but I have enough other issues with needles and breakage I'm not sure I can attribute it to anything other than my own bad behavior.

These are leaf, pine tree and mossy greens, and a set of the Most Gorgeous Blues. I don't know yet what I'll use them on, but it will be something wonderful.

And I started the next piece. It doesn't look like much yet, but you can see the sky, and the hillside the tres are on, and the puddles of fallen leaves under the trees. It will become clear!

Summer Pond (with water lilies)

October 2, 2011

Done.

I thought about water lilies, but I didn't like any of the things I made, so we have lilypads and it is fine. I keep thinking of other things I want to do, in the same way that house cleaning can be a distraction from a larger, worser task. But I really have to make another of these sized pieces, and do some moderately good photography of them and get prints…

the pond part

October 1, 2011

I think I got used to smaller projects, that get done faster. The time this one is taking is not what I expected at all. Although if 8×10" takes about a couple days, then 12×16" can reasonably take longer. And take a lot more thread.

I find myself composing smaller parts of this piece, as well as looking at the whole thing. I have more work in the upper reaches, but this part is coming along well. I would like another green-with-touches-of-red multicolored thread to work in the lily pads, and I need to dye some silk PINK for the water lilies.

foreground trees, little ones

September 29, 2011

You can see how more layers get added in. Here are some skinny saplings sketched in with heavy thread, worked from the back. The balck at the bottom of the picture is silk organza, dyed today, ready to be stitched in for the pond.

bring me a shrubbery!

September 28, 2011

Still thrashing – this piece is harder than I expected. Or I am working harder. Or something.

Happy day

September 27, 2011

Al and Alice and Aerin made me a cake (sour cream spice cake with orange butter cream frosting) and figured out how to write 51 on it (in Roman numerals) and it was wonderful.

Alice has also been making birds:

including this rather lovely raven.

It is true, I will nevermore be 50.

And a happy Mother's Day to my mom, on the anniversary of the birth of her first child.

laying in the trees

September 26, 2011

Which sounds like "Bringing in the sheaves" but isn't. In which we start putting down trees and leaves (and some pine needles) that will form the background of the finished piece. The deeeep background.

silk sky

September 25, 2011

I use silk for sky these days. I used to use various painted cotton fabrics, then sateen which is nicely shiny, but silk has a luminosity that can't be matched. I have several different weights, from sheer organza to nicely slubby noil and even some very heavy, drapey satin weave.

I have to dye the colors I'm looking for, which isn't hard. I have a handful of Colorhue dyes which are very easy to use. They work without chemicals, mix easily, dilute easily and produce brilliant colors. This piece though, I used Inkodye which comes out of the jar a gluey, muddy color that develops in sunlight.

If I wanted some control over results, the Inkodye would drive me crazy. But I like the surprise of the process, and the colors are always interesting.

This is the beginning for a pair of pieces.

Follow (Andy’s) River

September 19, 2011

I know – it has been a lot of family stuff. I think that is part of starting school and getting all the extra-curricular things restarted and slotted into place. But I'm back! With news!

I'm so pleased! Because Follow the River posted their list of artists for October.

I am listed as an area artist (which is true) and a fiber artist (which is true) and my work will be up in Forbes Library (again) which is lovely. How awesome is that?

monstrosity

September 11, 2011

Alice has sharp knees. And because she grows slowly, they wear away at the pants longer in one place. So I've gotten creative mending her pants, because she doesn't outgrow them fast. She's had pandas, cats, dolphins, and a spiderweb that said "some pig".

When I saw these monsters on a friend's page, I knew Alice needed one.

These have braces too, out of silver thread. Because even monsters need to have nice, straight teeth.

fabric, fiber, stitch: art