Temperate Kitty, Random Projects, & Seattle

Temperate Kitty is pleased with the current state of the climate. She doesn't always stay outside as long, but requests Balcony Patrol on a more frequent basis, thus giving her human more butler practice. She deigns to signal vocally for re-entry on a more frequent basis, judging that the speedier response is worth the extra effort, since her human's telepathy operates in an irregular manner (precognition is somewhat better, but still not entirely reliable).

Two Projects from about two years ago. I made them late 2005, and they were in a show at Sixth Street Gallery the next summer.

This was going to be a book, but it turned into a satisfyingly dysfunctional labyrinth. It is handmade abaca paper, formed to create irregular edges and interior holes--each "sheet" was thus made in one step, not altered afterwards. I "bound" it and applied various stitchery, including needle lace. The sheets are about 3.5"/45mm tall. It was creepily like sewing dried skin.

These are plant-like to me; maybe the kind of plant that could eventually walk around. Abaca paper over birch twigs--wonderfully flexible, shed naturally by the tree during winter storms--with needle lace. There are three more related pieces I finished early last year, but don't have pictures of yet. (tsk tsk) They were in an alumni show at Oregon College of Art & Craft, and are the same materials, but each constructed with a "skeleton" of three twigs, so it looks like they are ambling about. I finally found a place to put them where I didn't knock them over--they are very lightweight.

A day or so ago I did the last bit of the languishing binding for Natura Exenterata. It's done with tackets (those twisted bits of hemp string) which tie the signatures to the cover.





Status of the white embroidery as of midday Sunday: