Crossover art

I've been making fiber art for decades and have a pretty good chance of being juried into any show I choose.  Not guaranteed, of course, but my success rate is good enough that I feel I'm always in the running.

Non-fiber art is another story.  I've been working with paper in various forms, and with wood and found objects, for a few years.  But until this month none of my non-fiber work had ever been selected by a juror.  That changed when a collage piece was juried in to the annual Mazin Art Exhibition at the Patio Gallery in Louisville.  

And even better, it won an honorable mention at the opening this week!

Caravan, 2013, 13 x 17" (detail below)

I made this piece for the show I had early this year, incorporating junk that I have picked up on the street in my walks.  The major material, you will probably recognize, comes from Camel cigarette packs, mounted on a collaged and painted background.

The "desert" in which the camels are trekking is a map of the Sahara, and the sky/sea is made from almanac pages giving info on several desert countries.

I'm probably prouder of this recognition than of some of the awards I've won in quilt and fiber shows, simply because this is a new field that I am just beginning to work in.  I don't plan to give up the fiber, simply because it represents a hard-earned body of skills and reputation.  But I would like to do more with the paper, and this show gives me a nice adrenaline jolt to go make more work.  Wish me luck!