New Artwork: Woven Thresholds

I’ve been painting red flowers lately, and I intentionally chose to continue that trend since I was building around a component I planned to use from the start: a jacquard folk pattern trim I picked up at Karnaluks OÜ in Tallinn. Once I saw a stand of vivid tulips, the rest of the composition came together..

The process differed from Between Worlds. Here, I painted the floater panel and tulips first, then laid down plastic and painted the lace pattern on top of it. After removing both those layers, I worked through a wide range of compositional options before settling on this angled, mirrored lace overlay. From there I secured the lace, added the trim, then cleaned up and secured the back. This was the second piece I started, but the third to finish! The delay was due to the sequential steps I needed to complete, each of which involved drying/curing periods.

Iconographically, tulips function as shields, threshold filters, and barriers across multiple traditions, a symbolism rooted in their nyctinasty: they close their petals tightly at night or on cloudy days, sealing their core away from cold, damp, and nocturnal threats. That self-protective habit is part of why tulips are believed to draw in positive energy while keeping poverty, bad luck, and hostility from crossing into the home, and why they carry associations of safety within oppressive environments. The lace adds a further veil over the tulips, while the mirrored, overlapping composition contributes a sense of movement and dissonance.

The outer border carries its own layer of meaning: it is a traditional Baltic woven band steeped in regional folklore and protective symbolism. Its color scheme has historically represented life, fire, and an active shield against negative energy. The pattern combines two ancient Baltic symbols: the Cross of Māra, tied to the Latvian goddess of earth and home and read as a sign of grounding and stability, and the hourglass motif, which represents the rhythm of time and the meeting point of the spiritual and physical worlds.

This is Woven Thresholds, acrylic, lace, and jacquard trim on wooden floater panel, 14x11x.5”, 2026.

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Shelby Prindaville’s mixed media lace painting of tulips on a floater panel with Baltic jacquard trim.

Riga's Applied Arts Fair

I knew I wanted to visit the capital of Latvia while I was in the area, as it’s about 2.5 hours away from Pärnu so it’s a doable day trip. When I learned that there was the best traditional crafts fair of the year happening in Riga at the Ethnographic Open Air Museum of Latvia during my stay, I bought my bus and fair tickets right away!

Though Riga is 2.5 hours away, getting to the museum took another 45 minutes or so of waiting and transit, but then I arrived! There were around 150 vendors of various types - basket weavers, woodworkers, ceramists, toy makers, farmer’s market stalls and bakers - and I would estimate maybe 90 of the vendors offered woolen goods including cloth, belts, clothing, mittens, socks, hats, and other accessories. In addition to those stalls, there were three major refreshment areas where attendees could buy food and drinks and port-a-potties were stationed nearby.

The fair was so big that I had to carefully section it as I went through, and it took me about three hours before I was confident I had seen each vendor. A handful of stations also had live demos, and there were also musical performances and a Latvian children’s play happening on a nearby stage.

Though I didn’t buy much due to a combination of minimal luggage space, costs and size of offerings, and the fact that I don’t tolerate wearing wool directly on my skin, I really enjoyed browsing all of the wares. Afterward, I wandered through part of the Ethnographic Open Air Museum. Then I headed back to central Riga by bus, and by the time I arrived, it was already after almost all the museums and shops had shut. I got dinner at a nearby mall food court (a surprisingly delicious meal!), and then hopped on my bus back! I do plan to return for another day trip, since I didn’t really see much of Riga overall beyond the Ethnographic Open Air Museum.