Not Entirely Unfamiliar, 60 x 18 inches. Reclaimed cotton and polyester sheets, found papers, thread, ink, acrylic paint.

A short post today to show some recent work. I’m inspired by my collection of materials from various library and other used book sales. I’m also trying to use up old things I’ve had in my fabric stash and in the house generally that would not be of value to anyone. I brought out some old sheets from the closet and tore them into strips. They’re very soft and worn, and they take paint beautifully. The tearing process leaves lots of loose threads, and I’m loving those, too. 

I’ve been thinking about how to combine fabric and paper for quite awhile now. My process for this particular work started out spontaneously; just taking all these things on the table and starting to put them together, then follow where it leads. I’m thoroughly enjoying working with a collage process and limited palette. I have no specific end in mind whatsoever, and that’s always fun. I like to follow the unknown road.

A lot of the paper came from this Japanese book (I think it’s a novel but would appreciate any further insight):

 

Here are some detail shots: