Other Artwork

Another major art installation at the New Sherman Hospital in Elgin, Illinois is a series of sculptures located on the floor just above "Prairie Performance" (which is installed on the Lake Level).
These fish are positioned on pedestals in a way that makes them appear to be swimming in the geothermal lake seen through the two-story windows.
They, too, are created from scraps ... scrap metal pieces and findings.

Oooops! I missed taking a close-up photo of the cat fish sculpture.
There's another wall at the end of the curved windows. It's at the other end of the dining area, opposite to the one on which "Prairie Performance" is hung. This major art piece is installed on that wall.
A sculpture made of two 14 foot canoes. They are constructed of paper and a bamboo-like wood.

I'm sorry I cannot provide the names or titles of these two major art pieces. Eventually, there will be brass plaques with titles and names of the artists placed near all the art. Also, there is a book being written about the art and artists of the commissioned work for the hospital.

I'll leave you with an oblique view of "Prairie Performance" taken by our son, Kemper. That center panel in the foreground is his favorite.
You can get a closer look by clicking on the photo to see those soft edges up close. The framing can even be spotted in one area. We tried looking for evidence of the hanging hardware, but it's well concealed.

Another Visit to "Prairie Performance"

The opening day of the New Sherman Hospital, December 15th, was a work and school day for the younger members of my family. Yesterday we all met there so they could see "Prairie Performance" hung on the wall.
Each of them lived through the creation of it at the cottage this summer ... watching it grow from week to week. The grandkids measured it for me.
That's three and half kids wide. Another measuring was close to three "Mrs. Durands" wide.
This piece is installed on the wall at the end of this dining area that looks out on the geothermal lake.
We had lunch in front of it.
I'm glad to have had the dining experience in the presence of my art ... to see it in the way many visitors to the hospital will view it.

PS: The press conference at the end of the Grand Opening Day was televised by Fox in the Chicago area with "Prairie Performance" as the backdrop.

I Saw IT!!!!!

Finally, December 15th arrived! The day of the grand opening of the New Sherman Hospital in Elgin, Illinois. The day that I finally got to see "Prairie Performance" installed on the wall.
A number of friends and family members came to view it with me.
The day was unusually clear and bright. The sun is almost at its lowest point in the sky this time of year. Those elements combined to make strong shadows fall across the piece. I'm glad there are at least six applications of Krylon acrylic spray with UV ray protection in the mix.
The photo below was taken on a day with a cloud cover that is more typical for winter. My friend, Barbara Lardon, took it before the hospital opened when she delivered her art quilts that are now hanging in the birthing rooms.
Near the end of it's construction there was a constant nagging thought that I should arrive for my first viewing with a pocket full of pastels and request that a ladder be brought out so I could "fix it". Well, I didn't take any art supplies. In fact, it was a relief to realize in retrospect that the thought never even occurred to me.

I am pleased!!!!

Woo Hoo! Installation Time!

I just heard that "Prairie Performance" will be installed tomorrow. Filming AND photos will be taken during the process. Now I'm excited and nervous. I cannot think of anything more I could've done or that any vital information about where each panel fits into the whole was left out.
I not only drew diagrams on the back of all twenty-five panels to indicate where each is positioned within the arrangement, but included a sheet with written instructions and a photo marked up with the letter and numeric positions. I've got my fingers and toes crossed.

Click here to read a post about the art collection going into this new hospital. I'm honored and pleased to have made it through that selection process. I'll let you know IF "Prairie Performance" is presented on that link in the near future. Any photos of the installation that are sent to me will get posted here.

Woo Hoo!

Spirit Dolls In the Prairie Flowers

This past week my spirit doll returned home after making the rounds of SMQ Guild's Thursday bee members participating in this project.
So I've been working on her a bit. I stitched her hands together so she can hold the acorn gift that Susan Lenz gave me when I met her in South Carolina last January.

She gained breasts and a derriere made in the "yo yo" technique ... the gathered side placed up and decorated with wood beads for her top while they're placed down to give her a smooth bottom. I also lengthened her tutu skirt by dropping it down and suspending it with lengths of yarn from her waist. A layer of leaves cut from the piece I made for this quilt is sewn to her wings.
The other spirit doll with lovely hair is the last one passed to me. One of my additions was to lengthen her tutu by stitching silk flower petals to the hem. While I was at it, silk blossoms with silk ribbon centers were added for decoration.
She, too, gained a yo-yo derriere. Her skirt is parted to give you a better view.
I couldn't resist posing them in front of the two latest prairie flower mini quilts.

All the spirit dolls will be brought to bee next Thursday. Come back then to see pictures taken of all these beauties at the "spirit" party.

More Mini Prairie Flowers

More mini quilts made with the pieced together cut-offs from "Prairie Performance" as their foundation have been created.
I position the main elements, such as the blossom, stems, leaves, and of course Elvis on the background first so I can determine a "point of view" or perspective. Those get removed so the background can be filled in with more scraps of thread and fabric. A layer of netting is laid over that and then it gets quilted.
Most of the flowers and leaves that are the focal point or in the foreground are machine appliqued onto the surface so they're dimensional.






That makes 12 of the 20 I intend to make. Five of my friends who've contributed scraps that were used in the prairie flower installation received their quilts after our SMQ Guild meeting last evening. One got hers last weekend when we were in the mountains. Tomorrow several more will get their's at Thursday Bee. Only 8 more to make.

PS: Did you find Elvis in each of those?

2 More Mini Prairie Flower Quilts

Featuring just a blossom or two was my initial plan for these 20 mini quilts that measure 8"x 10".
All the Violets leftover from those I made for "Prairie Performance" made it into this one . I consider it's a "bug's eye-view" perspective.
The scale of flowers that I chose for the first two mini's featured in my last post dictated big patches of Daisies and Cone Flowers in the foreground. They started out with just a few blossoms. More ... and more ... were added to each until they looked "right". My not knowing how each small quilt is going to turn out is what keeps me from getting bored ... the biggest factor that ensures all 20 will get finished.

Of course, you've spotted Elvis hiding in the backgrounds of the 2 new ones.

Mini Prairie Flower Quilts

I found a project. Making mini quilts that feature prairie flowers. I figured that I might as well do this while all the supplies from making "Prairie Performance" are not yet put away and I'm in the groove of working with them. It surprises me that I'm not sick to death of this theme. I guess those flowers are not yet out of my system.

Their foundations are made from the pieces cut off the 25 panels when I squared and trimmed them to their finished size of 23"x 24". Whatever else would I do with those trimmings? At any rate, I just cannot discard them.
Here are five sets laid out. The bottom one's strips are sewn together with a zig-zag stitch.
And here's the stack of twenty foundations cut from those stripped together pieces.
The first one I made features daisies. I was disappointed this favorite flower of mine was not indigenous to the prairies of northern Illinois. Consequently, there are none in the installation piece.

foundation strips finished piece

I'm making these as thank you gifts for my friends who've contributed scraps that most likely ended up in the BIG prairie flower quilt. I think they'll appreciate having these small quilts made of scraps and leftovers from "Prairie Performance".

"Cone Flowers" 8"x 10"

As you recall, Elvis was tucked in a number of places on the big quilt. Each of the mini ones will have an Elvis cut from this chiffon scarf hiding among the flowers.
Here's one. Can you find the other in the field of daisies?

Prairie Flowers FINISHED!

The prairie flower installation piece is FINISHED! Woo Hoo!!!!
The twenty-five panels are packed up and ready to be delivered.
That's 250 pounds of artwork!!! Each panel is mounted on a piece of MDF board that weighs 10 pounds.
The above photo is the back of one panel. As you can see, finally there's an official title ... "Prairie Performance". A big thank you goes to my husband for coming up with it. This title suits the piece ... all those flowers do not blossom at the same time in nature, but they're all "performing" their glory at once in my art. This was a big performance by me as well ... most every day for six months this is what I was doing ...
to get this.
This is the most could be laid out at one time on the living room floor to see how the flowers looked across the separate panels. I've been frustrated with not actually being able to see all it together at one time. Plus, the perspective of looking at it on the floor from a standing position is akin to my laying on the floor to look at art hanging on the wall ... not a normal perspective at all.
I can hardly wait to see it installed on the wall in the lobby of the new Sherman Hospital in Elgin, Illinois at the grand opening on December, 15th.

Sunshine

There's no shining sun outside my window ... out there it's cold, windy, and raining. The only sunshine to be found is in my field of prairie flowers.
This is the second to last of the twenty-five panels to get its detail layer of blossoms, leaves, etc. Just one more to go and this step is finally finished. The next part of the finishing process is to lay out the two rows down the right side to give those 10 panels the highlights and blending with the pastels, markers, and paint.

This panel was the last chance to hide Elvis's image among foliage. The last one yet to be worked is more or less a haze of flowers ... this picture would be too obvious there.
Well, back to work so we can get out of this summer cottage that is not meant to be occupied this late in the season.