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Searching for inspiration at Cline's Country Antiques. 
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 While in Denver, Colorado recently I spent almost an entire day in the Denver Art Museum. I have been in quite a few museums and I have to say this one was spectacular. Not only were the exhibits amazing, there were hands on activities where children could learn about a specific piece of art and create their own, and comfortable chairs to sit and take in the art, there were also journals throughout the museum that allowed visitors to share their thoughts on the works. I cannot say enough wonderful things about the staff and the quality of the exhibits. If you ever have a chance to go and visit this museum, do it. I was so inspired by this visit, not only the museum but the city as well, that the next day I sat down at an outside café and sketched for several hours. Here are a few of the images from the museum that inspired me: I really enjoyed the indigo experiment and plan on doing another vat in the near future. Here is my favorite piece that came out of that process. It is this beautiful banana fiber yarn that I found at Darn Good Yarn. Be careful, that website is a feast for the eyes with delicious yarns.   Here are the images from my Indigo vat dye experiment. The four jars have been in the sun for about a week now. The changes are amazing. Looking forward to taking them out in a week or so. 
I have started to experiment more with natural dyes and eco dyeing. For my first experiment I soaked my fabric (cotton and different silks) in vinegar. Then I laid out various leaves, red onion skins, eucalyptus leaves, and berries on the fabric; wrapped it tightly and put the rolls in mason jars to stew.
 Red onion skins on a vinegar soaked silk.
 Now we wait.
 Detail from decorative metal door guard. Walking around Budapest for the last 2 weeks has pushed me further into my concept of layering. All around I see layers of some sort. Layers on the building from weathering, pollution, and construction. Layers of paint and rust on metal. Layers of history of this beautiful country and culture            I am currently participating in an amazing Artist Residency in Budapest. If you would like to follow along, please it out: Budapest AIR:
 One of my favorite places in this world is the The National Museum of African Art in Washington, DC. If you haven’t experienced this museum, you must go. Out of all of the museums I have been to, it is here where I am most inspired. I will just sit on those wonderful benches and take in all that is around me. I sketch, take photos (when I can), and just take in the history. Think about the people who used these artifacts, how they were used, when they were used... There is something special and magical about this place. Here are a few shots of what inspired me this trip. If you click on the images, it will take you to the corresponding page on the National Museum of African Art. 
Face mask 
Masquerade costume Date: Mid-20th century 
Koranic writing board Date: Mid-to late 20th century There was an exceptional exhibit of Lalla Essaydis' work. After I came home I did a google search and was rewarded with such beautiful images of her work and information on her art. 
 Fall has taken hold here in North Carolina. The last of my rust dyeing fabric bundles have been unearthed. In the spring I plan on adding plant material to the bundles to explore eco-prints in addition to the rust. Here are a few images of the process. I have this wonderful collection of rusted objects that I have either found or people have given me (rusted nails, wire, railroad ties, paperclips, etc.). You would be surprised at what people will bring you once you mention you like rusty objects. Here is the background for a new piece. Looking forward to experimenting with printing with my vintage wooden tjaps on top of this. 
I made this journal for a piece entitled "Debris Quilt." The leather / suede cover came from a journal cover that a friend of my daughters gave me about 5 years ago. I put old maps, foreign newspapers, vintage book pages, and other bits of paper ephemera in there. Wrapped the entire piece in twine and burned it with the blow torch for good measure. 
Whenever I pass this piece in the hallway I always smile at that journal and I want to create more. In the spring we unearthed a box of old architectural drawings and mylars in my garage. When I opened the box I immediately knew I wanted to create some journals out of these large drawings. So over the next week I will create some journals for my Archeological Remnants series. As always, I will post the progress along the way. 
The vintage hand-crafted wood tjaps are calling to me from atop of my bookshelf. Maybe I will do some experimenting with printing on top of one of my pieces. (There are a couple of copper ones up there to explore with the next time I have my beeswax out.) 
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Author / Artist:I am the Mom to three, Wife, Mixed-Media Artist, Contemporary Quilter, Art Teacher, and the forever home to Josey and Lucy. 
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April 2017
Josey and Lucy, the official dogs of Rebecca Aranyi Studios and One Blunt Needle.
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