Bundles
Winter – a season of a gathering energies and bundling up. But what happens when we free from them, too?
Some days feel so cold and grey (like the other day) and others are sunny and inviting (like today!) and within it all there seems to be a gathering of energies, of bundling up, and of staying close. So the timing to explore bundles in my artwork seems apt.
For a while I kept coming across images of bundled art objects on Pinterest. Or rather, they kept coming up on my page. They were bundles of things wrapped and tied and strung together – random cloth scraps, an assortment of papers, a collection of found objects, a handful of sticks, and bundles of things I didn’t know what.
I was inspired to try making bundles with my own collection of things, from the many sticks I have and the scraps of Lao fabric and thread.
Here are a couple of early experiments:
It started with a sketch, too. The bundles I was imagining were like expressive mark making to me.
So I spent a day earlier this week creating these five bundles, one for each of you in the Collection Tier. They are all slightly different, but all have the same quality.
The sticks are from an oak leaf hydrangea and kwanzan cherry tree in my front and back yards (photo below), which I then snapped into smaller lengths (the following photo, center).
In the photo below, the driftwood is from what I picked up at Haines Point in DC a couple of years ago (bottom right).
The thin paper bark is from a river birch tree on my side yard (upper left).
The indigo fabric and thread is from the Tai Lue ethnic group in Northern Laos (bottom left).
I so wanted to use the bright yellow ginkgo leaves for its sheer joyfulness, but I couldn't quite make it work.
Making the bundles wasn’t hard, but finding a way to keep the sticks from falling out from the center meant weaving and tying them together underneath.
I have to say, I really like how they all turned out.
And then I wondered, what if I used the bundles as prompts for expressive mark making?
And so I did!
I used a graphite drawing pencil for one series, then water soluble graphite for another, then dipped a couple of remaining sticks from the bundles in traditional Chinese ink for the last.
I loved the dynamic and spontaneous marks each of the materials made. It reminded me that I must do this more often. They were so freeing to do, and a reminder that it’s okay to free from our bundles of this or that sometimes, too.
“Bundles” was originally published as an exclusive post to my Patreon supporters in January 2021. Now it’s public and available to you, too!
And I’m excited to announce that since December 2022, I’ve switched to Ko-fi!
Ko-fi is also an online creator platform and makes it easy for fans to financially support creatives with either a one-time donation or signing up for a monthly subscription. It is where I share early access and exclusive content of my creative process, original stories, and inspiration. My work explores fiber arts, nature gathering, mark making, photography, and writing.
Want to join me and other supporters on a journey? By joining one of my monthly membership tiers, I get to show my appreciation to you by offering benefits! Depending on the tier, the benefits I offer are behind the scenes, works in progress, personal stories, early access, exclusive content, and mailed packages of my art, experiments, and/or Lao materials.
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A big shout out to my wonderful supporters! Thank you, each of you, for supporting my ongoing creative work – Julie B, Sharmila K, Sushmita M, Kori J, Marga F, Kara B, Kristina L, Laura C, Louise B, Beck C, Skip M, Chris Z, and Richie M. It means so much and I am grateful. I think of you as create these posts, what I write about and share, and I hope that it offers you insight and inspiration along the way.
