Paul Yanko: Tectonics

Paul Yanko
Originally from Ohio, now resides in South Carolina, USA

Green Shift Angle, Mixed media and collage on panel, 12 3/8"h x 12 3/8"w, 2010-2011

Social media can be a good thing. 
My friend, Terry Jarrard Dimond  whom I met on FaceBook and whom I have written about here, published an article about Paul Yanko the other day on her blog here.


Terry said that Paul has a show of his work at Proximity Gallery in Cleveland, Ohio.  Paul is formerly from Ohio and now lives and teaches in South Carolina where Terry lives. (Our lives our connected in such freakishly cool ways)


On Saturday afternoon, I stopped in to see the show and meet the owners, Beth Whalley and Alex Kelly. Two super talented and industrious artists, who had met while they were both in a drawing class taught by Paul when they were in art school (I love this story) and who became engaged to be married when they were installing Paul's work in their gallery.


I was thrilled to see Paul's work in person. I didn't realize that some of the pieces are quite small, while others are larger.

Detail, Paul Yanko (I didn't write the name of the piece down- sorry!)

The fractured shapes have a thin bead of paint that bleeds out from under (or around) the form. His solution to deconstructing the grid is to work a piece over time and to respond to what whats by chance. (please read about his process on Terry's blog.)

To me, his paintings evoke shifts of subterranean layers of rocks and gems.

Detail, Paul Yanko (I didn't write the name of the piece down- sorry!)

He may return to the gallery for a closing night talk. If he does, I will be sure to attend. And if you live in or near Cleveland, stop in and see this show. It is on view through September 1, 2012.


I've made new connections in Cleveland and hope to see more work at Proximity Gallery in the future.


Many thanks to Terry for the link and to Paul for the glorious work!

Veering off the grid

I wrote about this piece earlier here

when it looked like this:

 A few lines of stitching have been removed and added a few more lines of movement to reflect the changes occurring in my own life as is relates to my momma. There is no real straight line movement in life. It is dynamic and veers off into uncomfortable directions. 


There are a few loose thread in the upper right corner, but those will be sewn into the black  ground.

A few stitches I made yesterday from the start of this

Rags Rocks Water

I want to stitch on fabric using materials I have available within my home.
I'm also obsessed with Japanese Boro, many examples can be found on Sri Threads blog Here


My dish towels hold the marks of my kitchen life. I really like the soft cotton.

if you look closely, you can see where my momma repaired the edge of the striped cloth with a zig-zag stitch on her sewing machine.

Early this month, I had travelled up above the 45th Parallel to spend time with two good friends, Barbara and Shanna on the shores of the majestic Lake Superior.

White Fish Point, Michigan

I was transported to a place of beauty and returned to my life in the city with a refreshed state of mind.

Lake Superior is the largest of the Great Lakes in North America
I took this picture when I was at the library in Paradise, Michigan in the Upper Pennisula

Indigo Vat that Shanna made using Michel Garcia's 123 method

I dipped some of my vintage linens in the dye bath for a bit
We didn't have time for me to overdye to get a darker blue, but I love these colors.

Inspiration comes in many forms, I'm happy my trip was filled with time well spent with lovely friends and rocks and water

Artifacts found in the ground before Barbaras cabin was built
I love how she has them displayed on the wall in the cabin.

Barbara's kitchen window

Eggs raised by Scott Turner in Boyne City, MI. Shanna brought these for us to eat.

Figs from California that I purchased before I left Cleveland

Growing Dyes Amid the Sound of Busy Bees

View of Lavender Hill Farms on Horton Bay Road in Boyne City Michigan.

The green hills and blue lakes that are located in the state of Michigan are divine. My friend, Shanna Robinson, lives and works in a lovely area of that state.

Indigo and other dye-producing plants at Lavender Hill Farms

She is growing a natural dye garden for the North Central Michigan State College amid the blooming fields of lavender at  Lavender Hill Farms. 
There are indigo, woad, weld, hibiscus and a few other color-producing plants. What a grand location and a garden worthy of a visit.

Please visit her new blog here 

If you are interested in learning more, drop her a note on her page.

I did. 

And if you're in the neighborhood up in her neck of the woods, stop in!

If you stand near the plants you can hear the bees sing.

Little moves /room for a few more

Dear readers,
It's been slow going in the heat of summer here in Cleveland, Ohio. 

I've put a few stitches in here and there.

Putting stitches into an old USA Army blanket made of wool.

Adding stitches to an existing piece, veering off the grid...so to speak.

I'm going to visit northern Michigan next week to visit two friends and stay in a cabin on Lake Superior for a few days of connecting with my friends and stitching to our hearts content. 

I hope you're all having a grand summer (and winter if you're living in Australia!) 

There are still a few spots open for the India Flint workshops in Cleveland this fall. 

See my blog entry here send me an email if you want more information at cmauers@roadrunner.com


I'd love to meet you and have you visit Cleveland Ohio during the best time of year, that is FALL.