Artist Village Project Blog Tour

Welcome to the next stop on the Artist Village Blog Tour curated by the amazing Kathy York. For this stop, we’ll head southwest to the Adobe Pueblo Village. When Kathy first asked me if I would like to participate in this project, she had mentioned that I might do something that reflected my artistic style. Looking back, that would have been more along the lines of a treehouse but instead I opted to create a piece from my past. Born and raised in New Mexico, I grew up with the blending of both Spanish and Native American cultural influences in which the predominant architectural style was and still is the southwest adobe pueblo. This contemporary adobe is reminiscent of the neighborhood in which I grew up. The color change from one structure to the next was intentional to reflect the addition of one home to another as was done in the past. I wanted this piece to be durable and consequently, choices with regards to materials used for structure and foundation were extremely important. The structural forms resemble styrofoam but are actually ethofoam, a product that when bent does not snap in two as would styrofoam. The walls consist of various shades of peach to brown southwestern fabrics that have been layered and quilted with fused turquoise trim for the windows and doors. Beads were used for the doorknobs. Red rug weavings hang on ladders that were created from twigs tied together with jute. Chili ristras were strung with small chili beads and adorn three sides of the pueblo which has 5 interconnecting units complete with hand cut vigas incorporated into the roofs in the traditional style. Pottery was added to create that warm southwestern feel. The finished piece is set on a twelve inch square base and is approximately twenty inches in height. When it was complete, I couldn’t help but wonder where were the trees?! When I asked Kathy about it, she replied, “Go for it.” Her support and encouragement led me to creating 3 dimensional fiber art trees, a direction I’m not sure I would have taken otherwise. Two 3 dimensional trees were made for this village from PVC, wiring, dyed batting, lace and doilies. This has been a very pleasant and rewarding experience as it has challenged me in new directions. Thanks, Kathy for inviting me to join in on this truly amazing and delightful village. Please join us on the next stop, tomorrow with Vickie Hallmark and her fantastic bird house! http://fiberartglass.blogspot.com/