INTRODUCING THE REAL PACIFIC MADRONA & ITS VERY PERSONAL STORY !

 THIS IS THE MADRONA IN OUR FRONT YARD THAT INSPIRES ME DAILY.  THIS IS IT’S STORY;-) REALLY ,REALLY, REALLY

IT DOES TALK TO ME!

“My name is Pacific Madrona because I live on the Pacific Northwest Coast of North America. I need sunlight, South-West exposure, dry rocky soils and proximity to the ocean.  

Because Douglas Fir are bigger and forest fire prevention is so efficient, I do not have much chance to re-seed. Worse yet  I am not being as protected as I need to be so my numbers are dwindling dramatically!  

My beautiful orange berries feed many different birds and  new shoots in the spring feed the coastal wildlife. I am used in fireplaces for heating homes as I burn very hot and  Fibre Artists use both my bark and leaves to dye silk and cotton. 

Although I have European & Canary Island cousins called Strawberry Trees I am much more dramatic in the way and colour my most beautiful,curling  bark changes from silver-grey  to  reveal a gorgeous,fascinating shaped copper bark underneath.This rust bark in turn explodes off me during the summer to uncover the most amazing green  bark underneath!  

My Beauty is renowned so when you visit the Pacific North-West come and visit me!”

THE REAL BARK CLOSE UP!
This is the Madrona bark that inspires me.  The green bark is the new bark with the rust layer getting “blown” off—-literally falling off the tree.  I collect this bark and use it to dye silk as I found it doesn’t work that well with cotton.  

This is my piece that was honoured by bring published on one of Kathyanne White's June newsletters.

www.kathyannewhite.com
Kathyanne has many websites but this will get you started.

Madrona #5 has returned from a  
Fibre Art Network (FAN)
 two year travelling exhibit.  To see the entire exhibit and more visit the website :

 www.fibreartnetwork.com

This website has all their gorgeous,inspiring,original shows including the current ones.  

MY FIRST MADRONA SERIES

This first Madrona series is all pieced cotton with the backgrounds dyed by me along with some of the fabrics for the piecing the trunk and limbs. 

BTW, I have limited myself to working with fabric in all 3 series.  

This first series is about the tree and it's bark. 

 I have composed these  as minimalist & abstract in design. I am proud to say the tree is pieced into the background not appliquéd!  That technique is not for the faint at heart.  Nancy Crow's workshops have given me the tools to piece darn well anything within reason!

MADRONA #7

The backgrounds are thread painted as I responded to the background fabric and added some detail according to how it" spoke" to me.

MADRONA #1

These pieces are 24' x 36" that have been shown in local galleries as well as several mainland galleries.    

HELLO WORLD. I'M BACK!!!

I am back after a very challenging year  struggling with a concussion and it's aftermath.  I seem to be coming out of the fog, well as much as I ever am anyway! I had a great deal of difficulty with my head position so having it down gave me terrible headaches.  After a wonderful physiotherapist got a hold of me I have been in her capable hands since November I am feeling so much better!HELLO 

I haven't done any new work as such but did explore screen printing workshops online (Susan Purney Mark) DVD's from Kerr Grabowski and Kathyanne White's website and tutorials have been wonderful stimulation! I could watch all three of these so very capable artists and teachers while standing up so nooooo headache then!  Whew!  Kept me sane, really. Well close anyway.

Well hear is a piece from my Bark Series that is just coming back from a 2 year travelling show of SAQA “BEST OF THE WEST” (12” square)

I am having trouble with my bloodspot site no doubt something I have or haven't done.  But I will post my new studio organization soon with the addition of my wet studio whose use has been  transformed from when I was trying out screen printing.