In all these years, I've never actually done anything for myself. I needed a special project that I could display in the front of my shop so I would feel like I hadn't been left out completely. Since our decor is Santa Fe style, I chose a photograph by Ken Gallard that had appeared in New Mexico magazine several months before. With his permission, I used his photo for the basis of my work.
It's made up of a lot of things I already had on hand. Cowhide, lamb suede, chamois skin, feathers, wool fiber, rabbit fur, and copper tubing wrapped in string. All of these pieces had to be placed while the machine was running...a very scary experience. My luck held out and I didn't stitch a single finger as I was holding them in place. A very good sign.
When I finally had the piece finished I decided to send it to Atlantic City where it would be judged as an entry in the spring 2003 industry show. I nearly fell out of my chair when I heard that I had won the Grand Prize, the People's Choice Award, and the Digitizing, Artistic Merit Award. It took awhile for it to sink in that this was really true. :-)
Below is an image of the wall hanging that went to the show. It's now hanging on the wall in the front of the shop, just as I had planned.
large view - (warning... large file)
