Thumb Area Artists Exhibit at Starkweather

The 2026 Thumb Area Artists Exhibit at the Starkweather Arts Center runs through September 25. I was fortunate to have two of my mixed media pieces included in this show. Juror Dr. Anita Bates curated a wonderful mix of art to create an interesting exhibit. 

Nectar of Life 

This mixed media book explores the relationship and connection humans have with bees. There is a dependency that goes unnoticed by most. 71 of the 100 crop varieties that provide 90% of the world's food rely on bee pollination. I took pictures of the bees that live in my area. The more I observed, the more fascinating they became. I learned many interesting facts as I researched and a page illustrates that one teaspoon of honey takes 12 bees their whole lives to create. 

The book is made from repurpose cardboard hand cut into hexagonal shapes, covered with gelli prints that continue the honeycomb theme. Gel medium transfers of the photos are attached to the pages in hexagonal shapes as well. The inside cover of the box is a representation of honeycomb. The "cells" are filled with an ink-dyed clear-drying acrylic glaze (Diamond Glaze) to represent honey. The same substance was used for the honey drips as well. 

 

A quote by Albert Einstein rendered on the inside of the box echoes the sentiment I was pursuing with this theme:  “If the bee disappeared of the surface of the globe, then man would have only four years of life left. No more bees, no more pollination, no more plants, no more animals, no more man.

Renewed Hope

 

Mixed media pages and found poetry create a narrative of how spring brings a sense of renewed hope:  "A melody of birds chirping, reclaim the silence from a frozen world, awakened out of snow and ice with a deep breath of fresh air, full of hope on the wisps of green treetops."

Exploring Shapes at the Grosse Pointe Artists Association

 

 

My quirky little book "Angling for Attention" was accepted in the Grosse Pointe Art Association's exhibiition, "Shapes". I wanted to explore angled shapes, so I created three 2-sided cardstock sheets painted with acrylic inks in blue, green and yellow palettes. The front of the sheets had strips of masking tape put down before inking. The white crossed lines created where enhanced with black shadowing to create some dimension. I continue adding details with stenciling, asemic writing, rubberstamping, stippling and embossing. The reverse side continues the color palette with the addition of vertical metallic lines across the sheet. Once the sheets were dry, they were cut into quarters and folded in half to create the signatures that were then bound together with a coptic stitch. Each page was folded on angles to create more texture and depth. The book is displayed fully open, in the round, so it can be viewed at any angle.  

The entire show can be viewed online here. The show continues through January 23rd. Stop by and have a peek in-person. 

 

Exploring Lines and Angles at Starkweather Art Center

This intriguing theme caught my attention and I created two new piece for this show. This exhibition will be on display from July 18 thru Aug 22 at the Starkweather Art Center in Romeo, MI. 

Angling for Attention

The first piece is a bound book created with angled pages. I created three 2-sided cardstock sheets painted with acrylic inks in blue, green and yellow palettes. The front of the sheets had strips of masking tape put down before inking. The white crossed lines created where enhanced with black shadowing to create some dimension. I continue adding details with stenciling, asemic writing, rubberstamping, stippling and embossing. The reverse side continue the color palette and added vertical metallic lines across the sheet. Once the sheet were dry, they were cut into quarters and folded in half to create the signatures that were then bound together with a coptic stitch. Each page was folded on angles to create more texture. The book is displayed fully open, in the round so it can be viewed at any angle. 

 

Growth Lines

The next piece is a wall assemblage using nine square pieces of suede. Each square is a frame for a single "line" of grapevine. I was interested in focusing on the actual shape of each curled vine. The lines are three-dimensional and sewn on to each piece of suede. The squares were created from repurposed suede clothing. Nature displays a sense of whimsy with doodle-like growth patterns.

Lawrence Street Gallery Summer Invitational 2025

 

Received The Above

This piece was created in homage to Joseph Cornell. I wanted to include a bird element as well as random found objects and ephemera. A small blue marble represents childhood play and adds an interesting light reflection. A vintage optometrist’s lens is positioned to highlight the small blue heart that is on the bird image. A piece of torn vintage paper adds a topographical element as well as the numerals printed on the box surface.  Multicolored elements on the right side were created from a mixed media collage that was cut down, folded and installed into the slats of the box to create rhythm and pattern.  In deference to nature and the habitat of the bird, small discs of a tree branch line the sides of the box and are used as a stand mechanism. A small acorn cap is attached to the top of the box. The back of the box is covered in handmade papers to continue the natural theme. 

The exhibit at Lawrence Street Gallery runs from June 4-27. Sunday, June 8th: Opening Reception 2:00 to 4:30 pm. and Sunday, June 22nd: Mid-Month Reception 2 – 4:30 p.m.