Artist Archives

Rust dyed fabric; discharged black fabric that was overprinted with vat dyes & commercial fabrics. Fused & machine quilted. The moon plays a strong role in controlling the tides. I imagine it also has an effect on the life cycle & spawning of fish. While playing with these fabrics I felt like these went togetherContinue reading “Lunar Tide

Cathy Mendola

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Chinese paint stone & petrified palm wood cabochons, beaded & attached to a deer antler. Hangs from a leather necklace. I found these cabochons on Etsy & fell in love with the Chinese painted stone. It really looks as though someone painted a landscape. I hope I have done it justice.

Free form pieced using the small piece of driftwood in the center as the catalyst for the design – machine embroidered, I started this piece in a workshop and only intended it to be a small 8 x 10 practice piece. It continued to grow and I really like the result.

Leather, ultrasuede, bead embroidery, chain. I took a leather purse workshop at Chicago School of Shoemaking & this was the leftover leather from that purse. I beaded the mermaid & she fit perfectly on the uneven edge of the flap.

Center squares are raw silk with painted wonder under & paper towels fused down; embellished with painted tyvek, hand embroidery & beads. Squares are mounted on background of chiffon/netting with machine stitching, The first square was done to try out a new technique. I was so happy with the spontaneous, organic nature that I decidedContinue reading “Flotsam & Jetsum

Cathy Mendola

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Photo that was manipulated in Photoshop then printed on fabric. Hand & machine quilting along with beading. Backing & binding is hand dyed silk. [Part of the Chicago Icon series]

The canvas was painted, inked, printed & had hand painted paper towels applied. The central design is dyed silk that has been embellished with painted tyvek, hand embroidery & beads, I painted the canvas first, with no preconceived idea about what I planned to do with it. I went through my stash of dyed silksContinue reading “Tidal Pool

Cathy Mendola

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Central piece hand felted using alpaca fibers, silk & silk organza; heavily embellished with hand embroidery & beads. Attached to painted, collaged canvas & framed, My love of the ocean continues to surface in my work. I began this piece with no ideas and it just morphed into what looks like an underwater coral garden.

Center is decorated fabric gessoed, painted, inked, heavily stitched with metal ‘man’ attached. Borders pieced & machine embroidered, The center fabric was just an experiment at creating my own fabric. I love a very textured, layered look so that was my objective with this piece.