To say that my week at the Vermont Studio Center was amazing is beyond an understatement.

First day, empty studio

I had plenty of room to spread out — loads of wall space, two long flat tables, and area for my easel, drying rack, and bins of supplies without any fear of tripping over something.

Quite the view out my studio window

It’s hard to describe the euphoria of spending a series of unimpeded days in the company of over 50 visual artists and writers, each as thrilled as I was to be immersed in the freedom of having the better part of a week to work through any and all artistic impulses with no other worries, let alone the daily responsibilities which tend to constantly interrupt ideas and progress.

©2018 Elizabeth Fram,  Stitched-resist Dye on Silk, 16 x 21.5 in.        Each of the following pieces are dyed with stitched resist, making for wonderful and new (to me) patterns.

©2018    Elizabeth Fram, Stitched-resist Dye on Silk,  32 x 24 in.

©2018    Elizabeth Fram,  Stitched-resist Dye on Silk, 13 x 22 in.    By layering organza over raw silk, each dyed separately with different stitched-resist patterns, a wonderful holographic-like effect was created that is difficult to capture in a photo.

©2018  Elizabeth Fram,  Wrapped and Stitched-resist Dye on Silk,  23 x 16 in.

Our studios were accessible 24 hours a day, the food was plentiful, fresh, and delicious, and the ready conversation was intriguing and warm. One could work for hours on end in solitude without thinking about anything but art, yet find instant connection and camaraderie across the table at every meal. Companionship was readily available when sought, but there were no overtones of rudeness or guilt for choosing to hibernate in one’s studio in order to keep working.

©2018 Elizabeth Fram, Wrapped and Stitched-resist Dye on Silk, 10.5 x 20 in.

©2018 Elizabeth Fram, Wrapped and Stitch-resist Dye on Silk,  10 x 20 in.

©2018 Elizabeth Fram, Stitched-resist dye on silk, 14 x 11 in.

The scope of work being made was wide and inspiring, as anyone who attended the Open Studios on our final day certainly experienced. And it was a gift to have the fresh eyes and vibrant conversations that public visitors brought with them on that afternoon. It was a week of experimentation and exploration for me, testing and mixing new and diverse shibori patterns, with the goal of discovering new frameworks for future stitched imagery. Many of us don’t often have, or necessarily want, input on work that is so early in its progress, but I was grateful for the fresh insights that cropped up during the studio visits.

©2018 Elizabeth Fram      1. Stitching a big circle.   The following images represent steps of a process, leading to the finished piece. I didn’t get as many photos as I should have along the way, but these show the major stages.

©2018 Elizabeth Fram      2. Folded cloth.  I didn’t realize I’d forgotten to take a photo of the finished dyed circle until I’d gotten this far in the folding process – and couldn’t bring myself to go back.

©2018 Elizabeth Fram      3. Stitched again, then dyed.   It was hard to know whether or not the central circle that had been dyed first would be obscured by the second application of dye

It wasn’t surprising that many experienced hills and valleys within their  work during the week. If you spend any time at all talking with artists, hurdles are a subject you can count on surfacing. Collective experience and the gift of time brought quick turn-arounds, but knowing how pervasive self-doubt can be, it seems both timely and appropriate that Nela Dunato Art & Design’s latest blog post deals with this issue. Check out what she has to say for a refresher that suggests ways to work around this very common stumbling block.

©2018    Elizabeth Fram, Stitched -resist dye on silk, 34 x 32 in.    4. The finished piece.   I’m thrilled the circle wasn’t entirely overdyed. Now to keep going to see how I can fine-tune this process.

I can’t say enough good things about the week.  And as is often the case, the best part was the other people. We arrived for the most part as strangers, but I think everyone left feeling more connected and uplifted by the sense of togetherness the week offered. It really did feel like being part of a tribe.