New work: Siesta

Siesta, 45 x 33″, Tsukineko ink and stitching on cotton.

Every few months, I sit down and plan my activities for the next 4-6 months. Projects, development, shows. Experiments which beg to be tried, skills I need to hone. Then I tack the plan up in a nice prominent place, maybe get through step one, and do something else entirely!

That’s a long-winded way of saying that this piece is not at all what I meant to be doing this spring. I meant to do experiments with watercolor on soy-resist cloth. Then I ran across this napping raccoon and was struck by the contrast between its soft fur and the hard driftwood it’s using as a bed. I vaguely recall coming home, opening a drawer, and taking out a pencil and a length of seductive, snowy fabric. My next clear memory after that is jabbing myself with a hand sewing needle and finding a big pile of bumpy, thread-encrusted fabric on the table in front of me. The sides of my hands were covered in ink, the sink was full of purchased hummus containers which had been licked clean, and the calendar said that several months had gone by. “Oh, you’re back!” said my husband, when he saw me inspecting a ring of fur visible beneath my pants cuff, “I hope you don’t mind, but I went ahead and put away the Christmas tree.”

It could be worse. Some folks go on benders and wake up with tattoos or strange piercings. I merely go off the rails with chunks of cotton.


Now, I’ve taken some artistic license with Siesta: in real life, the driftwood was much closer to the color of the raccoon’s fur, so close that the two were harder to distinguish. That could have made an interesting study, staying in a narrower range of hues and concentrating on texture and line. However, I opted to make the wood colder, even introducing some blue, so as to make the raccoon seem more vulnerable. I’m not yet sure what I think of it.

It was fun, but I’m oddly drained and eager to move on. I think I hear some soybeans and some watercolors calling my name.

Stay tuned.

Tags: ,

14 Responses to “New work: Siesta”

  1. Rachel says:

    Wow. I want to stroke his fur. This is an amazing piece. I also loved your description of its creation. Thanks for making me smile.

  2. WOW. T, you are really rockin’ the threadz! This is gorgeous, I really wanted to reach out and touch his fur. AWESOME!

  3. I love how the racoon is tucked up into a ball. Beautifully captured.

  4. The raccoon and his surroundings are perfect–the contrast of hard and soft, the shading of the almost-monochrome, the feeling of a chance encounter. But the description of his creation is something every artist will recognize–of being in the flow. So many artists would have whined. This is a wonderful piece of writing! Oh, and so is your planning ability.

  5. Wonderful piece and a great story!!
    LOL — talk about being in the zone…

  6. Linda Vandiver says:

    Absolutely AMAZING! You can almost hear him breathing softly in his sleep.

  7. norma says:

    Just beautiful and your threadwork is amazing! You must have a patient husband, but it was worth it.

  8. Sandy says:

    This is a great picture and beautifully executed but it is so hard for me to see these creatures as “darling.” We live on a ranch and, in a little more than a decade, have trapped and hauled over nearly 300 of these creatures…they eat the dog food, the cat food, the deet food, etc. but still a lovely piece you have created!

  9. Laura Krasinski says:

    Wow… this is sooooo neat.. and lifelike.. You did a great job…

  10. Betty Busby says:

    You just feel you could reach out & touch him!
    Love it!!

  11. Christine Bell says:

    Beautiful – congratulations this is a gorgeous piece of work, like others have said I want to reach out and stroke him; he looks so soft and gentle.

  12. jazz says:

    Wow… just…. wow

  13. Linda Steele says:

    I loved your story and your wonderful piece. You are very talented.

  14. Amazing detail…it really makes you want to pet it.