stepping stones

 I've finished a piece.

It's a significant piece for me in a couple of ways.  Most obviously because it's a wall piece, the first stone wall piece I've done.

 I've named it 'stepping stones' as both a nod to its design and to what it represents to me.

 All of the wool and thread I used is stuff I've dyed by hand from natural materials, much of it gathered from my woods.  There's tansy, strawberry leaf, bedstraw root, mushrooms, yarrow, wormwood, dock, cedar, St. John's Wort, onion skins, red cabbage, and more.  Those colors represent countless walks in the woods, countless moments of experimentation.

 

The wood is a piece of poplar, also from my woods, that I planed and shaped.  I gave it its grey color by applying the same iron mordant - a combination of vinegar and steel wool- I use for dyeing and a layer of strong black tea.  No stains or polyurethanes.  I left the holes and trails of the burrowing insects that once inhabited it.

 As I worked, I thought about these stitches I do, and how they represent my love of the small and oft-overlooked bits of nature.  I thought about how to make things that are meaningful and beautiful that are at the same time respectful of the very thing I love.

 Rather than gluing, I sewed the stones to the wood.  I rather like how it looks from the back.

I was nervous finishing this piece.  I was afraid that I would disappoint myself once it was all put together but now that it's done, and even though there are things I will do differently on the next piece, I'm happy with it.  It feels like the right next step.

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

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'Stepping Stones'
wood and wool
8" x 17"
2013