I have been making these scarves and shawls from digital images and photographs. I get them printed digitally in small runs in North Carolina and finish them here in Washington DC. I’m hoping these will help me pay my studio rent and keep the fine art going. Below the images you can find the descriptive texts for the two series I have so far: Tree Hugger and Little Vatican. I have been promoting these on my Facebook page so go there to see even more images and information. Or better yet, come to my studio!

Tree-Hugger Scarves and Shawls

This is the science of the particular: the close examination of individual things, outside of a search for general principles. In my art I privilege this quiddity by capturing and enlarging on details using photo-digital imaging. General principles arise by themselves and of themselves.
These scarves are part of this artistic practice. In the Tree-Hugger series each design is based on particular trees in my neighborhood in Takoma Park. Every day I walk my dog and absorb the details around me. I photograph trees and collect the things they drop. I use a scanner to make highly detailed images of their leaves and seeds. I make designs that pull together all these elements.
It is possible now to make small print runs from digital images onto fabrics. The technology allows for highly detailed photographic imagery printed in large panels instead of in smaller repeat patterns. I use this technology to create scarves and shawls that drape the wearer in detailed arboreal particularity.
All these pieces are printed & sewn in the USA. As I honor the trees that lend themselves to my designs, I also honor the relationships between people and the things they make. I have a relationship with the printers of these works and I know personally the woman who helps me sew them. I sew them and bead them with my hands as well. This adds a monetary cost to these scarves, but it saves in other ways. Because although a particular thing is essentially itself, paradoxically it is also connected to everything else.
Now this object can be yours. Enjoy!

“Little Vatican” Scarf and Shawls

This neighborhood is sometimes called the “Little Vatican” because there are so many Catholic institutions around here. It is not uncommon to see the Dominican nuns watching the music we have on the Arts Walk on Thursdays during warmer months. Priests and monks walk by every day. Recently Pope Francis was in the neighborhood. (Boy, did that cause some traffic issues!)
I created these “Little Vatican” designs in honor of the Pope’s visit. They are perfect for covering up at mass. But anyone can wear them.
The “Dove Shawl” is based on a digitised collage of handmade papers and depicts the symbol of peace and spirit. There is also a wall hanging of this image available on canvas.
“La Guadalupana Shawl” and “La Guadalupanita Scarf” are inspired by the iconography surrounding the Virgin of Guadalupe: the starry mantle; flames; orange light; clouds; and the roses that tumble into the campesino’s arms.
The Process
All these pieces are printed & sewn in the USA. In the spirit of Pope Francis, I honor the relationships between people and the things they make. I have a relationship with the printers of these works and I know personally the woman who helps me sew them. This adds a monetary cost to these scarves, but it saves in other ways. Because although a particular thing is essentially itself, it is also connected to everything else.
Now this object can be yours. Enjoy!