New Work - Mixed Media

TIME unfinished (c)2010 Pat Dolan

The challenges of life's limitations often lead into new, unexpected territories. I've been somewhat of a purist when it comes to watercolor and fiber art - was never very fond of "mixed media" and less so of "collage." Yet now I find myself moving rather smoothly, albeit slowly, into both of the afore mentioned media as my shoulder is no longer able to sustain machine quilting on anything other than small pieces and my hands have become less nimble with needles and thread, beads, and other small objects. It's like being a child again - rediscovering the joy/fun of simply playing with whatever is at hand to create something new.

The piece above is above is set inside a stretched, primed canvas. The dark outer border is a rich, deep purple velvet. The background is a commercial cotton onto which I applied oil sticks using a cut glass plate beneath the fabric to create the starburst effect. Very few of the items are secured to the background at this time. I like to take snap shots of the pieces I'm working on to determine whether or not the composition is strong and well designed. This is one of those "preview" snapshots of a work-in-progress.

The one below is one I've been playing with literally for months. I have a whole series of snap shots with various compositions. This is one of the earlier renditions. I'm considering doing a series using old lace and other fabrics along with anything else that seems appropriate. It is 16" square on unprimed, stretched linen canvas.


"Wedding Lace," above & below, has been a great project. I get to pull out all the old lace I've collected over the years, use some of the printed old family photos, add some feathers (I love birds & have a feather collection, too), rust-dyed gauze & cotton (another collection), and other memorabilia (the largest collection of all!). The bride is a photo of Mom on her wedding day in 1937. She would now be 100 if she had lived past the age of 75.

WEDDING LACE almost finished (c)2010 Pat Dolan

It's interesting to note how many artists are using old photos, fabrics, memorabilia at this time in history. Perhaps, because our lives seem to be fast forwarding so quickly that we need time to reflect and remember our history...our story. Sharing our stories in any way at all preserves something special - perhaps unnamed, but special. Or so it seems to me...