Community Tree

The Healing spirit of Community

 I haven't posted new work in a while because I have been travelling.  Most recently I had an amazing adventure in India thanks to a wonderful yoga teacher, Indian tour guide, and sweet man; Vikram.  He took a few of us through the sights, sounds, and smells of Delhi, Agra, and a gorgeous retreat near Goa called Swaswara.

To Vikram, as a thank you, I gave this piece.  I thought he might appreciate that my intention was that we are all in the good hands of the 'spirits' or 'Gods' or whatever one might believe. And in positive community we can thrive in consort with nature. 

This piece began with white cotton. I dip dyed it after creating the resist design of the tree in wax.  Then dipping it in wax again, crackling it, and dip dyed it in blue, over dying half of it to create the green.

After layering it up the free motion stitchery created the faces and the hands.  I still felt it was a bit too monochromatic when all this was done so I highlighted the faces and hands with fabric paint.

I'll conclude this post with a picture of my friend and I riding an elephant up to the old fort in Jaipur.  (I'm on the left)  We had so much fun!