Accepted!

I'm thrilled to announce that my piece entitled 

'Midway Atoll Disaster'

has been accepted into 

Birds in Stitches

that will debut at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology in the Visitor Center 

*see below for details and s showtiimes

I designed this piece specifically for this show. 

(detail) 

This piece is 30"W x 29"L

It has been machine quilted, painted, hand embroidery and has been hand lettered. Some of the materials I burned holes into and the edges.  Cheesecloth was used and quilted down extensively throughout. (and no, that material is NOT fun to work with! LOL) The text are lines from the poem 'The Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner' as well as maps of the Atoll.  I also attached plastic straws, bottle caps, milk rings, and various plastic debris I picked up on just one 3 mile walk in my own neighborhood.  (believe me, I had more but couldn't include it all)

There are images of Layasan Albatross (adults and chicks) that were transferred onto silk and stitched down. The main image (bottom third near the right side)  is of one of over 2000 albatross chicks that died from starvation.  The chicks were fed regularly by the parents but they were fed on plastic refuse from the ocean. Since the birds were left where they were found you can clearly see what was in them, brightly colored plastic lighters, bottle caps, etc.  Given that the Midway Atoll is 2000 miles from the nearest continent this gives a crystal clear view of how our consumerism reaches it's deadly tentacles so far from our own suburban streets (that are swept clean of debris we habitually and carelessly toss out) .  

If you would like more information on this disaster please visit  This Site . 

I am so thrilled that this piece will be seen in a place where birds are so cared about!  

This is my favorite photo and he can be seen poking out of one of the holes I  burned near the middle.  

If you don't know much about Albatross, check out the wikipedia link.  They are incredible birds that spend 90% of their lives on the wing over the ocean (sometimes just inches over the water) gliding along four hours and hours at a time.  They are true masters of flight! 

Here's the info on the show.