dimensions: 24″ x 36″
©Cathy Vaughn, Tracery 157
notes: Fig and butterfly bush leaves harvested from friends’ garden on their wedding day. A secondary exposure with catalpa leaves encircles the composition, representing the witnesses at the wedding.
What of the pleasures of doing craft shows is meeting new artists. Cathy Vaughn of Tracery 157 introduced herself, as we have Phoenix Handcraft as a friend in common. She came up from Richmond, VA with her copper art. Her booth caught my eye right away. Copper is a vehicle for orange in its most earthy beautiful forms. As additional pleasure, I learned a new word, Tracery:
medium: 1/2″ copper pipe and fittings with cold forged detailing and hand rubbed waxed finish. ©Cathy Vaughn, Tracery 157
The copper panels are a new direction, with botanical imprints leaving layered color and texture. The process can be guided, but there are surprises and happy accidents that motivate more experimentation.
dimensions: 24″ x 36″
©Cathy Vaughn, Tracery 157
notes: Two Tulip tree leaves composed along an abstract horizon, with white mulberry leaf roots. Fiery oranges and reds accentuate the landscape and sky.
Cathy Vaughn had purchased a 10×3 foot sheet of copper to divide up and test out, but she kept a bigger piece, 6×3 feet. She planned to cut up for a woven panel, but the botanical print revealed when she lifted the tarp was complete in itself. In person, the panels have a lovely glossy sheen from a coat of resin that protects the surface.
34″ x 46″
©Cathy Vaughn, Tracery 157
notes: This panel is my first fully-composed large scale etching. The leaves were harvested from a Red bud tree in Beaverdam, VA; the owner has suggested this was the highest and best use of those leaves. The leaves are arranged both vein-side and face-side down, and you can see that each way renders a different impression.
Check out more Designs in Copper at Tracery 157.
Margaret,
Thanks for the nice shout-out! Honored to be featured here. I’m so glad we were able to connect.
Cathy