In addition to continuing the Memory Series, I've returned to working on pieces from the Odds & Ends series I began in 2017. This series involves utilizing left overs from my past artistic endeavors to create completed works. Typically, these remainders are items like sample or test pieces that I've held onto for years and they've often helped inform my artistic process and direction. Unlike past works from this series, Black Blue Brown I is a 2-dimensional piece and is created from a Xerox transfer print, pastel, ink, and stitched cotton fiber. The finished work is stitched onto a paper base that gives it a finished dimension of 10in X 8in unframed.

Stain 29 is now on display as part of the Small Wonders exhibition at Fine Line Creative Arts Center. The show will run until October 9th, 2021. An in-person opening reception will be held on September 10th from 6-8pm. The show can be viewed online here.

Stain 36, the final work in the Stains series for the foreseeable future, is now on display on the back of the Rountree Gallery in Platteville, Wisconsin. The piece is a 5ft X 10ft mural and, like the other works in the series, was made mostly by spraying acrylic paint through a crochet doily. Usually, the Stains series are created using found antique or vintage doilies, but because of the size of the substrate, I crocheted a 5ft diameter doily using 13 strands of crochet thread and a size 7mm crochet hook. A couple of my 'studio supervisors' can be seen checking my progress. I generally don't need to block the things I crochet, but given the size, I thought I should this time. I accomplished that using some shish kabob skewers and my back yard.

For Stain 36, I ended up using acrylic spray paint instead of acrylic from a tube. I hadn't had much experience using spray paint in general and wasn't sure if the product I found was going to work for my needs, so I ordered some colors and began making some test samples, which also gave me a feel for how to handle the spray paint. I was happy with the results, so ordered the colors for the actual mural and whipped up a couple more test pieces to see how the colors layered and what order I should spray colors in.

Feeling confident enough to proceed, I moved on to the actual mural.

After the paint dried, I went back and outlined sections to create the composition.

Finally, layers of gloss medium were applied and the work was installed on August 13th.
Rountree Gallery is referring to these murals as Wide Access Art (WAA). The intent with WAA is to have art on the building that is changed frequently (as far as murals go) and so Stain 36 will be viewable at it's current location for about a year and a half.