More Glacier Artworks

I recently finished three works inspired by Glacier National Park:

Fireweed was in bloom all around Saint Mary Lake in Glacier National Park this summer. Its bright purple flowers thrive in open meadows, roadsides and forest edges. Fireweed’s name comes from its ability to grow rapidly in areas affected by fire. With seeds that spread rapidly by wind, Fireweed can dominate a meadow, bathing the land with vibrant color. I hope this stole captures the feeling of being surrounded by these blossoms. I plan to have the pattern available in the coming month. This artwork and pattern was produced as Artist-in-Residence at Glacier National Park.

The stunning turquoise at Grinnell Lake in Glacier National Park is created from the rock flour accumulated from Grinnell Glacier. Rock flour is very light, and stays suspended in the water. When the light hits the surface the silt distorts the wavelengths of light, reflecting back more of the green and blue end of the spectrum; making beautiful turquoise ripples when a pebble is dropped at its edge. And I plan to have the pattern available this month. This artwork and pattern was produced as Artist-in-Residence at Glacier National Park.

Beargrass is prolific in Glacier National Park where it lines up along meadows, bright white blossoms standing starkly against the blue sky. As a member of the lily family and not actually a grass, beargrass is also known as soap grass, quip-quip, and Indian basket grass and is a favorite of the bears in the park who use it to line their dens (but don’t eat it). Remember that picking flowers in Glacier National Park is prohibited! This artwork and pattern was produced as Artist-in-Residence at Glacier National Park. 

Thanks to my sister for the test knit on this piece.

Glacier Time Scarf

I actually finished my Glacier Time scarf that is a visual representation of my time spent during my artist-in-residency at Glacier National Park! (I finished it right after I got home but am just now getting it photographed). 

I mentioned before that I wanted to savor all the time spent at the Park in June 2023. This meant consciously looking, observing and being present for what I was seeing and doing. The result is a unique work of wearable art that has meaning to me. The other pictures show a few close-ups and a better view of the legend to read the scarf; which is read from right to left (the way knitting is worked), with my first day being the bottom ridge and my last day the top ridge. If you look closely you can see the little yellow bit in the middle of the night where I woke to a mouse being snapped in a trap and I had to deal with it at 2:30 in the morning. 

But you can also see a lot of wildlife that I saw and various activities I did during the month. The cool thing about the scarf is the overall patterns that emerge. I really tried to have good sleep hygiene and you can tell with the big block of blue on the right side. And that I usually ended my days with a lot of knitting and a bit of reading.

An Artist-in-Residence Recap

I have been back from Glacier for two weeks now and have been under water getting caught up from work. Hopefully my Instagram updates helped give a sense of what a wonderful opportunity was. I was able to experience so much of the park, hiked a lot, knit a lot, a got so much inspiration I will be knitting my ideas for years to come. 

I was able to finish four works while I was living in Glacier:

Thimbleberries can be found all over lower elevations of Glacier National Park. A member of the rose family, they look like raspberries but are smaller and very tart. Everyone loves thimbleberries, from sparrows to grizzly bears to hikers, they are treat to find on the trail. This artwork and pattern was produced as Artist-in-Residence at Glacier National Park.

Green Lacewings have little veins criss-crossing their wings which makes them incredibly flexible. The veins allow lacewings to fly forwards, backwards, and side to side. This dexterity makes them efficient hunters of pesky insects like mosquitoes and gnats. These delecate small hunters can be found all over Glacier National Park in the summer months, making outdoor life a little more comfortable. This artwork and pattern was produced as Artist-in-Residence at Glacier National Park.

The view of the Livingston Mountains Range from the east side of Lake McDonald is spectacular. The soaring green peaks at the height of summer are one of the most photographed vistas in Glacier National Park, with Mt. Cannon taking center stage. Be sure to wrap up because even in summer, mountain viewing in this part of the world can be chilly. This artwork and pattern was produced as Artist-in-Residence at Glacier National Park.

The Kootenai referred to Glacier National Park as Ya·qawiswitxuki, meaning “the place where there is a lot of ice.” Although the park is named after its famous glaciers, with global warming, all these glaciers will be gone within our lifetime. Jackson Glacier shows more signs of shrinkage every year with scratches of brown earth seen coming through the thinning ice more and more. This artwork and pattern was produced as Artist-in-Residence at Glacier National Park. 

And I have started so many more. Here are just a few:

Concept for Lake Macdonald Shawl

A swatch for Beargrass Stole

Glacier Time Scarf: A data visualization of what I did during my residency. I actually finished this the weekend I returned. I will post about it in the future. 

Glacier National Park Artist in Residence

I am so late posting on my blog but I have landed in Glacier National Park as Artist-in-Residence. I have been here about 5 days now and have another three weeks to go. I have already created two works and seen some amazing landscapes. I will keep trying to post the works I create but Instagram really is where the day-to-day stuff is posted. 

Circles of Influence Exhibition

Spring Puddle

I am in a new exhibition called Circles of Influence coming up this June. All work I created was within my genre of interpreting nature that can be worn or used. But the twist is that me and all the other artists are inspired by circles.

Here are some of the pieces that can be seen at the exhibition at the Main Salt Lake Library. Everything from a spring puddle to mirabilite mounds to seedpod vessels. All of the art pieces have patterns on Ravelry if you want to create one yourself. Or you can buy my pieces too.

Go and support the artists and exhibition at the reception on June 24. I won’t be there because I will be in Glacier National Park in the middle of my Artist-in-Residency. But all the artists in the exhibition are pretty amazing and unique. If you happen to be in Salt Lake City this summer, it’s a must see (and it will be on display during the Utah Arts Festival while you are already downtown). 

Circles of Influence Art Reception

Saturday, June 24, 2023 AT 4 PM – 5:30 PM

Salt Lake City Public Library

Artwork by Virginia Catherall, Sheryl Gillilan, Rebecca Klundt, Jaye Rieser, Kandace Steadman, and Camille Wheatley - Exhibit runs from June 23 to Aug 4, 2023.

Waterpocket

Mirabilite Mound

Seedpod Vessels 

Corn Moon Crescent

Buttercups

Sagebrush

Great Basin Sky

Wasatch in Autumn

Salt Lake City Cyanometer

The Spring Salon is on view now at the Springville Museum of Art. You can see my work there (which won an Award of Merit!). It’s a wearable Cyanometer called “Salt Lake City Cyanometer”. With it, not only can you determine the color of the blue sky, but the color and intensity of the inversion as well. Very handy during the winter months of smog in the valley. It is a variation on my previous artwork in the Utah State collection called Great Basin Cyanometer.  

 

#lakesaltknit #springsalon #knitting

My Year of Sweaters

Here is a recap of my year of sweaters using my personalized croquis from My Body Model. If you want, you can see the real sweater by scanning through my blog; but as you can see, I love playing with these paper dolls of my clothes. 

January and February

March and April

May and June

July and August

September and October

November and December

And my two bonus ones for the months of Sol and Thermador.

Next up is an exhibition in June I have with other amazing artists featuring artwork inspired by circles. I have until May to knit up some ideas that have been simmering all year. I will hopefully be showing you some works in progress for that exhibition!

And of course, stay tuned for June when I get to live in Glacier National Park as their 2023 Artist-in-Residence!