![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbpjAIZpqbfCR0mKXPzHYLPp3DunIGgzVClnqbKDtrRLDD8Zsnu2Ye7i8SMHzhTVlSWIf6IydtcuPNSYHn42g1ErZim-i0EGmTlJVnjQnRnFXVCfXxldMBkqvBHEHS9x8ce5KzF2KAQN4/s400/hosta500.jpg)
Hosta (2009) 7-1/4" x 9-3/4"
Cotton fabric, acrylic paint, cotton and rayon thread, cotton batting.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij9L5C0eoaGehyphenhyphenxo6NGTvcB_wDZg8hspcufmdgHYgIcWox9611qmFMyAG32BJfVtnnqWv_fXfxskLuc1AZfs6gd6DCSi7mWWPn_jha1lRqXGInuGpU8n02wUSnZWG1JRQkprf60GCYtVE/s200/SAQAvisioningLogo.jpg)
After much thought, I settled on this goal: To work in a series and produce at least eight pieces in a unified body of work for a solo show.
With everything else I have going on in my life, this is an ambitious goal for me. But it is an important one. For several years, I’ve wanted to work in a series, to find my “distinctive voice” and to pump up my production and my commitment to my art. I think the Visioning Project will help me do that.
One of the first things I have to do was to decide on the subject matter and a technique I want to use for the entire series. Toward that aim, I made the small piece above (“Hosta”) yesterday. It is just a study, but it helps me resolve some of the issues in my head that I need to move forward on the series.
Here is the photo on which the piece is based:
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBh72VFRIe7IuSk5jwYF2ukSOtCG1yeAOsMMhvSTTFFfcwzRMoOMzCjgBRErto4hY6dOp45x-MKrAN9cJghUGq-c_PPbwXnH6V_HFPKFjBhovv8dqwxK9fAfXc0uMifIuRjWCqFLgaeBY/s400/hostapic.jpg)
It is of close-up shot of a hosta I keep in a pot on my back steps. The leaves are starting to show signs of disease and decay, and the normal decline brought on by fall. I thought the pattern created, combined with the lines of the veins of the leaf, was really beautiful.
I started with white Pimatex cotton fabric, a combed cotton poplin fabric by Robert Kaufman. I had used Robert Kaufman’s Kona Cotton before, but I discovered that I like the Pimatex better for this kind of work. It is very fine and smooth, and much easier to draw on with a pencil.
After sketching the lines on the fabric, I painted using Liquitex Soft Body Artist Color mixed with Liquitex Fabric Medium. Then I did thread work on the surface before quilting it. Here is a detail shot:
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7eS5IzqrRB9Ia8iPHQiqUK13ph-Kv9fxccowXRXGI91Gd8BPi4EZWY4MmmTbbQ5GaRcJhxmlEaIzXO_jVJr5K0mdb48BVJzLlRgTde3J4mLvKB3hVqk7GuDwlMF3RSlbvhNDU7VRZBsE/s400/hostadetail500.jpg)