Sue Reno
Sue
Reno is a fiber artist who draws inspiration from her surroundings in
beautiful Lancaster County, PA. Her current work focuses on
images from nature, using plants from her extensive organic garden and
from the fringes of cultivation. She employs cyanotypes, heliographic
prints, and image transfers as the basis for works that also incorporate
unusual fabrics, hand and machine stitching, and beadwork. Her goal in
creating art is to capture the splendor of small details in textures and
shapes, and to bring a sense of joy and happiness to the viewer. Her
work can be seen in national shows and exhibits, and will be featured on
an episode of Simply Quilts on HGTV later this year.
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The Cul-de-Sac
39"h x 63"w
2004
NFS
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Artist Statement:
A mature wooded area at the end of my street was
cleared to install a cul-de-sac. I have been fascinated with the plant
life that colonized the bare ground. The pictures and prints in this
work were taken during the second year of growth. Plants represented
include sycamore, mile-a-minute vine, moth mullein, locust, tulip
poplar, raspberry, sumac, Virginia creeper, ragweed, white campion,
locust, and poke.
Materials and techniques:
The central image is a cyanotype on cotton, using actual plant
material. The borders are altered digital photos printed on pima
cotton, and the side panels are heliographic prints of sumac. I couched
down hand dyed threads, and did extensive machine stitching.
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Poke Salad
37"h x 53"w
2003
NFS
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Artist Statement:
I am fascinated with the poke plant; although it is a weed I assiduously
remove from my flowerbeds, I eat the greens in the early spring (the
mature plant is toxic), and I greatly admire the beauty of the berries
in the fall. The plants represented in this work were gathered in the
midst of a terrible drought—poke is a survivor.
Materials and techniques:
The central image is a cyanotype on cotton, using poke, alpine
strawberries, locust and painted fern. The border is pieced from Mysore
silks brought back from a trip to India. It is hand embroidered,
machine stitched, and hand beaded.
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Diana
12"h x 12"w
2004
$325
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Artist Statement:
When the Rose of Sharon shrubs bloom, I know that high summer is past,
and fall is inexorably creeping closer. The cultivar “Diana” has large,
single white flowers that glow on a moonlight night.
Materials and techniques:
I began with a digital photograph, which I printed on a transparency and
used to develop a cyanotype on cotton. The borders are silk. It is
hand embroidered, machine stitched, and hand beaded.
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Cape May: The Jetty
20"h x 20"w
2004
$350
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Artist Statement:
This is the first in a series made to celebrate a trip to Cape May, NJ.
I rose at dawn and walked the deserted beaches taking pictures of the
sunrise. In this piece I wanted to capture the moment when the waves
crash against the stones of the jetty.
Materials and techniques:
A digital photograph was altered and printed on pima cotton. The
borders are pieced from silks. I used hand and machine stitching, and
did beadwork with seed beads and small shells.
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Sweetgum in Autumn
54"h x 47"w
2004
NFS
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Artist
Statement: The sweetgum tree is unique in its fall coloring—the
leaves turn various shades of yellow, red, orange and purple, all on the
same tree. I wanted to capture some of its fleeting glory on a mellow
autumn day.
Materials and techniques:
I started by pruning an entire branch and using it make a cyanotype on
cotton. The inner border is an ethnic indigo cotton and the outer
border is pieced from Mysore and duiponi silks. It is hand embroidered,
extensively machine stitched, and hand beaded with glass beads and
semi-precious stones.
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