Tuesday, December 27, 2005

Every Day Matters



As if I don't have enough to do in my life, I have taken up the challenge of Every Day Matters on Danny Gregory's site and have done my first recent contour drawing of spools of thread and then did a drawing of the thread, looking at them.

I've needed to get back in to the challenge of drawing again and back in to the real art world...the other yahoo group that I am in just doesn't seem to offer what I need.

Feeling Good

My son has just left us on his way back to Ohio. Five days is not enough but we spent a lot of time with my daughter, son-in-law, grandson and son and had a wonderful time. It was really nice not share my daughter and her family with her in-laws this year...just somuch more relaxed...last year they flew to PA and flew back on Christmas day so they were tired and everything seemed so rushed. Much better this year.

I am so excited! My first article for Quilting Arts will be in the spring issue so this month has been spent getting the article written, doing the art work for it, documenting it as I go, etc. It's there...they are doing their editing and I can hardly wait to see what it looks like when they finish. It is an article about the ART of art quilting and is abouting creating an abstract piece that is somewhat representational. I'm going to do another article on doing an abstract that is non-representations. The first article discusses the elements of design; the second will discuss the principles of design.

This is way too much fun! Hard work but really neat.

Goals for this year:
continue entering as many art and quilt shows as I can
find an art consultant
get my work on the east coast
set up one woman show
create, create, create

That should keep me busy!

Tuesday, December 20, 2005

Busy, busy, busy

I can't believe it has been so long since I blogged. Just too much going on.

I've finished an article for a magazine, got the art work completed, got all the other pictures that went with it done, and shipped off other work to be included. I've been working on this for three hard weeks and I'm really glad to have it out of my hands. Now I am waiting for the final word from the publisher.

Meanwhile, got all those new quilts off to be photographed, picked up the slides and CD disk for the digitals and dropped off the slides for duplication. Now, I just have to come up with titles for all those new things, catalog them and get them on my website, along with pricing.

I've being told that my prices are too low. Way too low...I guess in January I will have to go through everything and take a serious look and consider raising some prices. Have had a couple of small sales this month which helps but sure would like some more!

Last week my dear priest suggested that he could buy some purple fabric and maybe I would hem it for him for the altar frontal. Oh, he knows me so well...knows I would not be satisfied doing something temporary like that. So out came the white silk fabric, the paints and I cleared off the table and painted the beginning of an Advent frontal. It goes from rose to purple to blue from the bottom up. Put it up on Sunday last, took it down after service, took it homel, painted a big black movement of silver and then returned it to the altar. So, tomorrow it comes down for the other frontal I made to go up for Christmas and then I will continue to work on it during the year until Advent again...at least now I have time to do the rest of the stuff like the chasuble, veil, stole, etc. I've wanted to do an Advent one so I guess he just lite a fire under me.

Almost finished with his sheppard's costume for our Christmas pagent...first time we are doing one in years and years so we don't have a collection of appropriate robes for Mary and Joseph and all the others so people have been busy...I got to do the priest's stuff. Pretty plain!

Advent has been very special this year. It is a time of waiting and anticipating and thinking. I have been more in to the Christianity of Christmas this year than all the decorating and gift buying. I know on Thursday I will go absolutely crazy when I realize Ihaven't shopped for Christmas dinner and still have presents to get. But I have been working on my cards and Christmas letters and am almost ready to get those sent out...didn't get around to it last year!

Well, got to do the hem on this sheppard's robe....see ya!

Sunday, December 11, 2005

The Rest of the New Work





Well, I have finished all the pieces of "Where Have All the Children Gone", at least the ones I had already started. So I will post them:

I have no idea why these are appearing into the last posting...it did this before...

Monday, December 05, 2005

Work Coming Home

I had three pieces returned from the Grant's Pass Museum of Art show The Fibers of Your Life. Two of the pieces had to be immediately shipped off for the Art and Soul of Quilting so they made it home just in time! In fact, I was on my way out the door to go ahead and ship off a big piece to Art and Soul when the UPS guy pulled up with the other quilts that needed to go out.

When I opened the box from Grants Pass, there was some paperwork rolled up next to the quilts...it was a poster that they had used in all of their advertising and one of my pieces was prominantly displayed. They also sent a CD of the show which was very nice to see. Almost as good as being there! They do a really nice job of displaying stuff...this is the second time I have had work there in shows and I have been impressed with how they do it each time.

Will have more of the new pieces up tomorrow...then off they go to the photographer's!

Friday, December 02, 2005

Another just finished


This is part of the children series...where have all the children gone. It is hand dyed, silk screened, photo transfered, screened with glue, discharge via silk screen and who knows what else. It is part of a group of 7 pieces that I did at Charlotte Yde's class at Art Quilt Tahoe.

Another new piece just finished!


I am frantically trying to get these nine new pieces done...facing done on this one, and almost done on another one, facings to add to a series of four and then one last one to do...I think that adds up to 9. Then I can get on to working on the Running Fence project...

This piece was created at Houston in Rayna Gilman's workshop on printing with found objects...I went in for a play day and to finally meet Rayna and had a great time...stamped, silk screened, rubbed, etc and then just finished the quilting.

Thursday, December 01, 2005

What Have I Been Up To?


It seems like forever since I have added to my blog...I guess in blog time it has been. I have sort of kept up with what is going on with other people and am just amazed at the work coming out of Sonji, Melody's stuff she is doing for herself which is really good, Gerrie's new work, Claire's new work, etc. It is so inspiring.

I have been busy for the past two months doing a lot of art. However, I am just getting nine pieces quilted and have two finished which I will show you now. I realized that I have really been dwelling on the fate of children in our world and have started a series about Where Have our Children Gone? I haven't wanted to use graphic photos so I have been using old photos to represent the innocence that is missing from so many children. The children who have gone through the hurricanes and have been uprooted, the children who have lost everything, including parents in the tsunami last year, the children turned in to soldiers and sex slaves in Uganda and other parts of Africa, the children who are living in constant warfare in Iraq and Afganistan. I can make myself silly over the politics of it all but have just decided that I can only point to the children.

And then on a positive side, my grandchild, loved, protected, happy, exploring, funny, silly, serious, everything one could want in a child. And, oh so innocent. I have not posted photos of him before but now much add them to share. Gerrie and I can argue about who has the cutest,ect. but I think all of our grandchildren are so very fortunate.

I spent a lot of time thinking about this during the Thanksgiving week. We had turkey day at our house and then went up to our cabin in the Sierra mtns on Friday and on Saturday we had a left over Thanksgiving turkey. The kids all left on Sunday and my husband and I stayed until Tuesday. I stayed up until 3am reading a mystery, worked on a jigsaw puzzle, and just watched the rain and played some computer games. I have not had that much relaxing in a long time. I knew it was time to return when I kept having dreams about new work.

I have come to realize that my work goes in stages...I will get an idea and let it percolate in my brain for some time. Then I am ready to do what I have been thinking about. Then the physical process starts...the fabric, surface design, fusing, whatever I need to do and the piece starts to come together. At that point I always feel a little disappointed until I remind myself that I still have all the sewing to do which finishes the piece. And then, the paperwork...photographs, labels, data entry, website and all that junk. Here, on my blog, I just take a snapshot and put it up! Instant gratification.

Now, when you look at the pictures of my grandson you have to be properly appreciative and say "Oh, he's so cute!" I'll know if you don't!

First taste of cranberry sauce! But he kept on eating it and each bite he would pucker up, stick out his tongue, eat it and go for more. The last picture is a very satisfied Jacob after eating his third Thanksgiving dinner!

Sunday, November 20, 2005

A few pictures from Art Quilt Tahoe












Sunrise out of our window












Carol Suto, my room mate buried in pillows












out the huge window in the lobby of the resort












Sunset











frost and spider web with frost on my truck mirrow.

I am including some pictures from Art Quilt Tahoe...none of my work...that will start getting finished tomorrow.

Tomorrow...I can hardly wait...I actually have a few hours of my own time! Ever since I got home that has not happened, plus I have been suffering from this darn cold and now I am starting to feel better. Sandwiched three pieces (one from Rayna's class and two from Charlotte Yde's class) so that I can get started on the quilting part and see what it really looks like!

Thursday, November 17, 2005

Something Wrong Here

There is definitely something wrong here!

I woke up, had my shower, and there weren't two shower heads gently washing my body...only one.

No one put out clean towels for me.

No one put out nice little bottles of shampoo and lotion for me.

I went downstairs, and there was no breakfast buffet waiting for me...no tempting sweet rolls, no cooked bacon or sausage, no melon cut, no pineapple, no berries, no salmon, no special egg dishes and most of all, NO OMLET MAN waiting to take my order for my own personal omlet! In fact, there weren't even any eggs in the refrigerator...so it was cream cheese on Triskets for breakfast.

And instead of spending the day working away in my studio, I am washing clothes, unpacking, taking my Dad out for his weekly errands, and then maybe I can do a little work...

And then, tonight, I get to watch the videos of my grandson's first birthday which I missed while I was in Tahoe. The weather was so beautiful there and I have come home to spring-like weather here...oh, this is why we live in the San Francisco Bay Area!

Monday, November 07, 2005

TAGGED! I'M IT!

Well, I'll be darned...Claire Fenton went and tagged me for the 20 list...had to go through other people's blogs to see just what I had to do...Claire wrote lots of stuff but then I looked at Gabrielle's list and it was much shorter. Must say I had noticed these and had read them but didn't realize that one get's tagged! See how out in left field I am? Just don't have all this protocol down!

20 things about myself.

1. I was born in Texas and consider myself a Texan although I have only lived there for two years when I attended Trinity University in San Antonio.

2. I am a honest to gosh red head whose hair has gotten darker over the years and I don't color it...there really is grey in there if you look hard enough!

3. My father was in the Navy and we traveled all around the outskirts of this country....not very many Naval bases in the midwest, although we did live on an Army post at Ft Campbell KY for a year...that was fun during the Army-Navy games...we had a beat Army sign in our window!

4. I lived in Japan in 1957-59 and 1961-63.

5. I taught English conversation to a group of students at Waseda Univeristy in Tokyo where I was able to hold my own when they discussed intergration in the US (I had attended a middle school in Virginia just after the public schools were reopened after being shut down for two years in response to the order to desegregate them)

6. I graduated from High School in Hawaii...from Waianae High and was one of a very few haolis at the school.

7. I majored in art for two years and for 1 1/2 of those years, my roommate was also an art major and we would stay up late at night pulling prints from our woodblocks...had clothes lines strung around the room with prints hanging from them...didn't get to sleep until 4 am.

8. Went to my 8 am class the day after in my babydoll pajamas under my trench coat...the private Presbyterian school did not allow the women to wear pants on upper campus where all the classes were...and my 8am class was a religion class...

9. Rented a house in the community of the school with a group of art students and music and drama students so we would have a place to hang out...everyone not a senior had to reside on campus and we had curfews, etc. Lots of interesting things went on at that house...I built myself a stone carving table and would work on carvings with my hammer and chisels outside. Parties at night.

10. When I left Trinity to go to the University of California at Berkeley in 1967, the dean of women told me she felt I would be much happier there...I wasn't.

11. Attended UC Berkeley (Cal) during riots. Changed my major to social work as the art department and I didn't get along very well...surprisingly, Trinity had been much more open to differences in styles of work. The best thing I learned from Cal was how to weld.

12. Met my husband at the shooting range where I was quite proficient with a rifle.

13. Although my mother outfitted me in a wonderful trousseau, I spent my honeymoon in blue jeans, tee shirts and boots as we wandered around Yosemite in the fall.

14. Art has always been a very important part of my life, even when being a mother, probation officer, wife, Girl Scout leader, etc., etc., took up all of my time.

15. As a probation officer I specialized in working with sex offenders...both adult and juveniles. I know just about everything that can be done to a person and how ugly people can really be.

16.The balance of my case load was usually women drug and alcohol offenders who, surprise, surprise, had been victims of sexual abuse in their childhood but never told anyone before they got to me...

17. I am very glad to be away from all that!

18. I stay away from a lot of political statement making because I have been around a lot and have seen both sides of everything and I just don't want to...my head is not in the sand, but I can't do much about it myself so I work one-on-one to create change where I can.

19. I am an extremely spiritual person but did not feel good about organized religions until I joined an Episcopal church and found people seeking answers as much as I was.

20. I cannot go through a day without doing some type of art.

Friday, November 04, 2005

Here I am!


Linda Minton took a great photo of my while at Houston...thought I would share it with everyone so you could see the "real me". Actually, I think this is one of the best pictures ever taken of me...I can hide a lot behind that fabric. Actually someone had purchased the fabric to use as a table runner since it had the beads on both ends...being the fool that I am, I decked myself out!

So, for those of you who have lots of self portraits showing up on their blogs, I now have my very own portrait...of course, it isn't a self portrait but it will have to do!

Saturday, October 29, 2005

Saturday in Houston

Well, things are beging to wind down although the noise in the Hilton lobby sure doesn't seem like it! I'm waiting for a table for dinner a lone...a chance to just reflect and think about all the things that have been going on and all the people I have been meeting. What an eventful week!

The quilts are all beautiful. I am so impressed with everything here! I have a piece in Tactile Architecture and a piece in Small Wonders, which I hadn't seen since the spring when it went off to Chicago. I guess it comes home now and Holes in the Castle Wall travels for a little while.

All of the shows here are stupendous. Men of Biblical proportions...with Tristan's piece along with several other names I recognize from the list. There is a wonderful show by an Isralie woman whose work is just staggering...have to get her name down and add it to this list. The I Remember Mama show is wonderful and I got my book which has all three years in it, so it includes my piece from the first year. Katie Pasquini Mausupust's show of her work over the spread of her 30 years of quilting...really impressive. So many things!

Laswt night I went out to dinner with Lisa Chipetine, who is now on the board of directors for SAQA, and several of her friends and went to an upscale Mexican place which was, as they say in Houstonk, Mex-Mex, as opposed to Tex-Mex. That was lots of fun as I haven't seen her for two years.

Spent time down at Art for a Cause where Virginia Spiegle and her sister Nancy are covering the postcards that have been for sale. It is really impressive to see how many have sold and how much money they have made for the American Cancer Society.

Visited with Laura Cater-Woods and chatted about about how her sale of Art for a Good Cause was going...found out she had bought a piece or two of mine...

Took a class with Rayna Gilman, just so I could have a play day and had a wonderful time. Went to lunch with her one of the days.

Met up with Pamela Allen in her Presidential Suite and had wine and chatted and got to know each other in person.

Went to the Tiara Parade and had a blast...descided that mine was about as close to wearable art as I would get. I'll post a picture later.

Went out to lunch with the crowd for Chinese food after the parade.

Met Lirick Kinard, Larkin Van Horn, and tons of other people that I just know by their word and chatting on line. it is so wonderful to be able to connect faces with all these people I admire so very much!

Tomorrow we were leasurily stroll through to see what we have missed with the vendors. This place is so huge...the convention center fills at least two blocks so if you are at one end, it is a long hike to the other end. Glad we are here and can take time to rest up in the afternoon before heading back out!

Tuesday, October 25, 2005

Houston

I can't believe that I am really here! Took the day to get here but I'm here!

Every TV in the lobby and bars are tuned to the baseball game and people shout and hurrah at the top of their lungs. Just adds to the excitement.

Tomorrow my best friend, Carol, receives her award for second place in I Remember Mama...so will take pictures and try to get them up.

Preview is tomorrow and then the fun begins!

Monday, October 24, 2005

goin to Houston

I am really so excited! I head off to Houston tomorrow! Am getting everything ready on my laptop so it will travel. My good Friend Carol will be recieving her second place award for I Remember Mama, I'm taking my camera, can blog in the Hilton lobby and have an extra suitcase inside my suitcase. What more could I ask for!

This is my first trip and I am so looking forward to meeting people in person that I have only met via internet. WOO HOO!!!

I'm leavin on a jet plane...don't know when I'll be back again...

Well, actually I do, I return home on Oct 31. Look for posts from the action scene!

Wednesday, October 19, 2005

A Really Cool New Project

I responded to a woman who was seeking textile artists to make art out of some of the panels that were the fences that Christo put up in Sonoma County in 1976. I get my 9' x 6' piece tomorrow. The fabric is fascinating...heavy woven nylon with a grid type weave on it...not ripstop nylon but much heavier. You can pull threads in it, cut it with heat, paint it, and do all sorts of things to it. I have so many ideas floating around in my head about this that I can hardly wait!

Once I finish my projects, the work goes to her and she then sells it with certificates of authenticity, a picture of the fences that Christo did, and info about the project. Then when the art work sells, we split 50/50. I do the art--she does the marketing. She alread has one artist who has done five three dimentional things that are really neat.

This is really exciting! She's bringing it over tomorrow after I take my dad out for his shopping and errands...what a reward for being a nice daughter!

Tuesday, October 18, 2005

Working and working

I got home late last night and checked my email to find two emails of great interest.

The first said that my piece "Night Fire" was accepted into the SAQA show "On the Wall: SAQA @ Colorado Springs.This is the first time I have actually gotten into a SAQA show.

The second said that my piece " Distant Views 3" was accepted at Form, Not Function: Quilt Art at the Carnegie. After being declined before, it's nice to get in, finally!

Then today I got an email from a company that sells art in various methods and they indicated, in response to my interest, that they felt my work would be a "great addition" to their sales pieces (of which none are fiber art). So I have the contract to review and to get a CD done and discuss which pieces they will get their hands on.

This coming Saturday I'm off again to Nevada for the "Meet the Artist" at the gallery there. I also have to get a bunch of my finished post cards and 6 x 8" pieces mounted on black cotton duck and stretched onto the stretchers so I can deliver them to Artinsan's International.

The the following week I'm off for my first trip to Houston for Festival.

The day after I come home, I'm off to Modesto for a reception with two other fiber artists, at a gallery at a Catholic High School. I also need to deliver some new work to a gallery in Modesto that has some of my stuff from a long time ago.

And then a week and a half later I get to go off to Art Quilt Tahoe to study with Charlotte Yde. That should be lots of fun! The only down thingy is that I will miss my grandson's first birthday but I figure so many people will be there that he won't know and I will see him a couple of days later.

So, in between everything, I am sewing up a storm, ordering disperse dyes because I want to use them, ordering lutradur so I can play with that, ordered a couple of pieceing of clothing for me to wear to Houston and whatever else I can do. I sure sleep well at night!

Wednesday, October 12, 2005

new work

I mentioned mounting my pieces over stretcher bars. These pics show how they look...however, my caveat, the photographs are horrible...If I used a tripod and did it right then maybe I could get them squared up right and the lighting right. Oh well, these are just quickies and I can't get them to the photographer because Bronwyn from Artisan's International just took them right after I had finished them. They are mounted on a black quiltlet which is then stretched around in a gallery wrap to the back and have screw eyes and wire so are ready to hang. They make the presentation of smaller work look really good.




















Above is Cool Waters on a Hot Summer Day...you have seen it previously but this is it mounted.





















This is one of two slot canyons, can't remember the title that I gave it. It includes hand dyed fabric, some of Lonni Rossi's commercial fabric (on the left) and then a piece of hand dyed that I silk screened...I really like this fabric!





















This is the second of the slot canyons...I started this design with postcards and really enjoy it and can see it going much better. These two pieces are mounted on 14 x 16 stretchers. This uses hand dyed fabric and commercial fabric





















Aspens in the Moonlight is also mounted on 14 x 16 stretchers. It is all hand dyed and surface printed fabric.

Got three pieces off to the Grants Pass Museum of Art for their show, got all my pieces off for PIQF, got my piece off for the second round of jurying at the Artist as Quiltmaker show at the New Union Center for the Arts (I've never done this second round jurying thing before where they accept the piece via slides, then you ship it in to them for final acceptance and then you find out if they take it and then it comes home only to go back in May for the show) so we will see how that goes. Got entries off for all the big shows coming up with deadline in October...that is, everything except Fine Focus 06. I've been in 02 and 04 but just did not have anything to send for this one...I've been so busy making postcards for the fundraisers that I just didn't get it done. Oh well, two more years and I can try again.

Saturday, October 08, 2005

The past week and artist's statements

This past week has been difficult for me as I have not had the chance to do much work. Monday and Tuesday and Friday I took care of my grandson who, at 11 months, now wants what he wants when he wants it and is very determined...as well as pretty strong! But he is so funny!

Wednesday I took my dad out and about and went through stuff in the basement and cleared out some but that took the entire day. The only day I had to myself was Thursday and boy did I try to get a lot done then.

Of course, when time is short, nothing seems to work right. I had picked up strecher bars on my way home from my dad's. Started putting them together with the idea that I would take some of my small pieces that I had done on timtex (which had then been sewn to a plain black quiltlet so that the piece would have more presence and decided to wrap them around to the back of the stretcher bars. Well, I had bought some tacks and that was a real pain in the rear and wasn't working very well. My husband brought up two different staple guns for me to use but I just don't have the hand strength to work those. Then he brought up an electric staple gun. The staples just would not go in all the way. Don't know if it was because I was doing something wrong or because my dh had purchased it at a garage sale and that is why it was up for sale.

So here I was with only one day to do some work and nothing was going right. Couldn't get the corners right, couldn't staple, couldn't tack them down and now I had a pile of stuff sitting around and nothing finished. Boo hoo is me.

While I was babysitting Friday, my dear husband spent a bunch of hours running around to find a pneumatic stapler. I am now the proud owner of my very own pneumatic staple gun which will shoot these babies out about a mile! Just one small pull on the trigger and POOOOOF! in goes the staple right where I want it. Am I a happy artist? You betcha! And, then my dh pulled out the air drill so I can drill the holes for the screw eyes real fast and with my pooooffffs of air!

So today I got them all done and really like the way there are. They have a large satin stitch border around the art work which is then on a quilt backing which is wrapped to the back of the frame (stretcher bars). It looks good. Will get some pictures posted.

I had also picked up some stretched and primed canvas with the idea of painting it and them mounting some small pieces directly on them. Next stop is to Tap Plastic to pick up some flamed plexi to mount small pieces on.

I also have a bunch of shadow frames from American frames which my husband has been putting together for me. I have been doing a bunch of 6x 8 pieces on timtex and them mounting them on 8 x 10 black mat board and then I put them in the frame...boy do they really look sharp! However, I am trying to decide if I want plexi on the front or not and if I don't, then I need to order some other metal frames that aren't the shadow box style. Also have to decide if I want to use UV protected plexi or nonglare plexi in them...I guess I could order some of both and see how they work.

Most importantly, I have been working on identification of parts of my artist statement. The work is broken down in to four different sections and I am just writing down the thoughts without making it in to a statement.

The questions are: 1. Who? are you 2.Why? do you make your art 3. How? do you make your art and 4. What? does it mean to you. It is really a great exercise, however, now that I want to find it so I can share the source with you and the other info on writing an artist statement, I can't find it.

It'll turn up and I will share some of my who, why, how, whats with you another day, along with some pictures of these things I have been doing.

TA-ta

Friday, September 30, 2005

New work


This piece has been in the working for a while. It is monoprinted and then has a lot of handwork (not at much as some people's) and machine quilting via the satin stitching. This is very different for me but something I have enjoyed doing.
Of course, the picture is not good as it is a snap shot but the colors are pretty true.


This is fun piece that pops right out at you! It is really interesting to walk in the room with dimmed lights and see this as the green really shows out. It is hand dyed cotton fused on to painted cotton which has a lot of surface design stuff and then has machine quilting and, of course, my seemingly present satin stitching. I am having fun with those organic lines!


I really enjoy this piece! It is monoprinted cotton, surface design with graphite, fused discharged cotton, fused kimono silk and machine quilting. Again the picture is not very good...these all have to be signed and then off to the photographer. But I thought I would give you a quick peak.


I have sent several things off for the 2nd phase of ArtDoingGood and will also have a number of postcards at the American Cancer Society fundraiser along with my postcard that will be auctioned off.

I have finished several other things but will post those another time. I finish things in batches!

Wednesday, September 28, 2005

Returning work with a bonus

UPS just stopped by with another long package returning home (just in time because one of the pieces will go off again in a week or so).

I pulled out my two quilts, Distant Views 2 and Be Still the Evening, and, along with the printed info cards that go with them was another one that said Juror's Choice Award. Now that was nice to see but which one did it belong to?

So on the phone I go to Gallery 510 Arts Guild in Illinois where the show had been. It was for Be Still the Evening...the director said the juror was really taken with the subtlety of the piece...oh, and she will be sending a check for $100 shortly.

Well, that just made my day!

And the $100 now covers four show entries that I have sent off today...(I don't know if I will ever made a profit!)

Tuesday, September 27, 2005

Busy, Busy, Busy

Sometimes I feel like everything is conspiring against me...I was checking out Gabrielle's blog and there was a discussion again about if everyone is an artist. I certainly do not feel that way and brought the subject up a while ago. However, when I tried to respond on the blog it wanted by user name and password and I'll be darned if the info I keep in my little password bookie thing would not work...oh well...here's what I was going to say:

I can't agree with you more Gabrielle! Everyone has the potential to be creative and I like to help people discover that. It does not mean, however, that they are artistic or artists. And, as you said, there is good art and then there is....whatever.
This all harkens to the belief that we are all equal in everything we do. I sure can't dance very well and I really don't think lots of instruction and practice would made a difference or make me an artist. I do enjoy moving to the music in my own way but not out in public where I would embarrass myself!
Some of our creativity needs to be kept private and some of our forms of creativity are great to share with the world.
But, not every one is an artist!


anyway...I have been really busy! Have almost finished the ten quilts I said I was going to do a long time ago (gee,only three weeks ago?), got postcards off to Carol Logan Newbill for fundraising on the Art2Mail site, have figured out a way to mount some of my smaller pieces on a background layer quilt for greater presence, got three show applications sent in, didn't get in to the SAQA at NOHO show (they only took 12 pieces out of the over 500 entered--bad odds), got through the first round of acceptance for the 12th biennial Artist as Quiltmaker (now have to send the piece in for further jurying...I've never done this before so don't know how my chances are...do most of them get accepted in?), send 10 more postcards to Houston for the American Cancer fundraiser (but still have to get my "special" one done for the auction), and I don't know what else I have been doing...but time sure is flying!

Hope to post some pictures of three brand new pieces tomorrow...larger than small but smaller than medium...

I am still thinking about the creativity thing. I firmly believe that our creativity is a gift from God and that we are responsible for finding it and using it. However, I don't believe that creativity is always in the form of art. It can be in how one does their job, how they parent their children, how they build bridges, etc. I give some workshops for my church on finding your creativity but mostly I help adults to allow themselves to play with paints and papers and collages and stuff without worrying about whether they are making art. Then they can relax, let the inner critic go away, and just enjoy themselves. One woman is having so much fun just putting paint on pages of her journal and then writing in it...she's being creative but she sure isn't an artist!

Monday, September 19, 2005

even more postcards


Peace $40 Monoprinted cotton, kimono silk,
machine embroidery


Red Canyon 7 $40 discharged cotton, commercial
cotton, machine embroidery


Red Canyon 10 $40 discharged cotton, commercial
cotton, machine embroidered


Oriental Moon 2 $40 hand painted cotton with
metallics, fused cotton lame, machine embroiered
with metallic thread


Oriental Canyon 5 $40 hand painted cotton with
metalic paints, kimono silk, machine embroidered
with metallic and other threads

More postcards



Orietal Sun 4 $40 monoprinted, handdyed, fused
cotton, machine embroidery


Red Canyon 6 $40 discharged cotton, commercial
cotton, fused, machine embroidered


Oriental Sun 9 $40 Monoprinted cotton, fused
hand dyed cotton, machine embroidery


Oriental Sun 7 $40 monoprinted cotton, fused
hand dyed cotton, machine embroidery


Oriental Sun 1 $40 Monoprinted cotton,
fused hand dyed cotton, machine embroidery

Saturday, September 17, 2005

Post card images


Urban Canyon 1 $40 photo printed on cotton,
monoprinted, machine embroidered



Slot Canyon 3 $40 Monoprinted satin, rubbings
with Neocolor I, Lonni Rossi fabric,
machine embroidered


Urban Landscape 5 $40 photo printed on cotton,
monoprinted, machine embroidered


Urban Landscape 4 $40 Photo printed on cotton,
monoprinted, machine embroidered


Urban Canyons 3 $40 photo printed on fabric,
monoprinted, machine embroiered

Friday, September 16, 2005

Postcards

I have been on a week long trip to Asilomar with a group of ladies from Sun City Lincoln and Sun City Roseville, along with some more ladies from the Over-the-Hill gang around Castro Valley and San Leandro. Quite a good time was had by all!

I forgot my box of accessories for my machine. I had a walking foot on the machine and had put my big foot into another box that went with me but forgot the ankle for the feet and all the rest of the feet. So, I was dependent upon other Janome users to share parts of their machines when they weren't sewing. What a deal that was! Did I ever feel stupid. I also forgot my light and power strip but fortunately I could stop off at Ace Hardware for that!

So, I worked on one piece and got it just about finished except for the binding, and did part of the lay out for another medium size piece and then I started working on post cards....and more postcards....and more postcards....until I had 50 finished before I left Friday morning! Felt really good about that...sold one (these ladies are all pretty traditional so I am kind of different!), and gave three away...one to the very kind lady, Pam, who is my new best friend as she let me use her machine ankle and foot all day Thursday so I could get these finished. Two went to my older best friends.

I'm trying to upload pictures of my new postcards but I seem to be having problems...Oh well, will get it up eventually!

Wednesday, September 07, 2005

Work Sold

The website for Red Cross art sales, www.artdoinggood.com opened up today. Even though they are having some problems with it (had to download foxfire to see the site) work is selling quite well. I spent my $100 on one of Joanie's pieces and I am very excited!

My two pieces sold very quickly. It really amazes me that they sell quickly...my postcards for the American Cancer Society also sold quickly...is it only because it's for a cause? All my other sales have been pretty slow lately.

So, I have decided that I will go ahead and up load some new postcards on my website under small works (in a day or so) and sell them without the mat for $40...maybe I can actually make some money for me! What a concept! Since I don't do much of the lecture and teacher circuit, maybe it's time for me to do some focusing on smaller, more sale-able works.

We will see...

Tuesday, September 06, 2005

Donation Efforts


I have sent two small pieces to Laura Cater-Woods for the Phase One of Open Hearts/Helping Hands. These are both donated and all the money will go to the Red Cross.


This piece is called Spring Green and is hand dyed cotton with hand dyed raw silk which has been fused, along with commercial cotton batiks and a few beads with sequins. I believe it will go for $50 as it falls in their medium category.
The piece is 6 x 8 mounted on 11x14 matt board.





The next piece is called Autumn at Lake Tahoe...fall colors with the beautiful color of the Lake. (It also seems somewhat southwest, too)

Again, it is hand dyed cotton, hand dyed raw silk fused and commercial cotton batik. It has small turquoise nuggets on the yellow squares. Again, this pieces falls in the medium category and should sell for $50.

You can go on line to http://www.artdoinggood.com.
Things are not currently up but they have received quite a few pieces of art work and all should be on line shortly so keep checking.

I have also been working on ten twin and just a little bit smaller quits to donate for shelter use. All ten tops are completed and I am in the process of cutting batting and backing to go with them. Then they will get put together and then some down and dirty machine quilting to hold it all together. I had come up with an totally undoable deadline to have them in the mail tomorrow but that just isn't going to happen. Instead, as I was getting very tired (which leaves me vulnerable to my depression) I opted to slow down. The need will be there for a long time and me getting too depressed to do anything at all just won't work! (for any of us)

Gerrie Congdon at posted a nice picture of my quilt, Summer Fun, with it's big, fat second place ribbon on it. My other small piece received an honorable mention. Picked them up Sunday evening and then got Summer Fun shipped off to the Mancuso's for the PA Quilt Fest coming up.

Still doing postcards and trying to get some real work done which seems to have been set to the side while I commit to doing a number of fundraisers. I will have postcards at Houston for the American Cancer Society, a special one for auction, and a piece or two for phase two of the Open Hearts; Open Hands sale at Houston. Also do have to get my piece for Tactile Architecture sent off too.

Oh well, too much time on the computer!

Saturday, September 03, 2005

Katrina

I have so many feelings about Katrina and the devastation. I have not been happy with the way CNN has been covering this...too many questions about when the bodies will be picked up...how about after the live people are picked up? Too many questions about where are the National Guard and FEMA...they can't been everywhere.

I don't feel that people really understand the totality of the devastation and how massive it is. The Red Cross can't come in if they can't set up somewhere. Staging everything takes time.

CNN interviewed a woman from WI who was "trapped" at the Ritz Carlton. They were starting to run short of food and were rationing it and the plumbing was backing up. CNN asked if she had seen any National Guard or Fema at that point and she hadn't. Now, really, why would either be there? She had a roof over her head, a bed to sleep in, food and water although it needed to be rationed, and security. Why would FEMA need to be there when there is so much else to be done.

What doesn't get discussed is all the work that is taking place. We saw some of the photos early on about rescues but they are still going on in massive amounts but we only focus on the looting, the dead bodies, and the large amounts of people stranded at the Convention Center. There are lots of people stranded in lots of other places but they aren't acting like fools. CNN cut off one person who was interviewed after he had been brought from the football stadium in New Orleans to the Astrodome...he was talking bout how people were volunteering and helping each other out while they were waiting for evacuation...but that wasn't interesting.

I do believe we could have done a better job at getting started. Those agencies that aren't government have been able to get started quietly and are working from the outside in, since there is where they can get to. But I have to stop listening to CNN and also reading much of the QuiltArt listings because of the negativity.

So what am I doing? I am working furiously on ten quilts to get sent off this week to Houston. I have made my donation to the Salvation Army, my choice for charitable agencies. I have committed to Laura Cater-Woods auction. I will donate postcards to the Art2Mail sale. Am I pray a lot for all of those who are going through such difficult times.

May we all keep our heads, focus on what needs to be done right now, not expect government to always bail us out, and help each other the best we can.

Wednesday, August 31, 2005

Got It!

The red one is simply, "Reaching Up" and the large one if "Beyond the Boundaries"

Thanks!
Liz
p.s. this really wasn't a contest because there wasn't a prize!

Monday, August 29, 2005

Contest! Name these quilts!

This quilt you have seen with a very poor photo taken by me...now I have photos from my photographer and it looks, oh, so much better!

I am trying to decide if I should just name this piece Fences #... or if I should come up with a better name. Of course, I pose this question as I really don't have a better name so I am asking you to help me. Suggest a name for this one and for the next one.


This piece is all hand dyed cottons which have been cut and fused. I then used Neocolor I crayons to add additional color and I love the way the red-oranges just pop. It has so much depth in it in person. I am really happy with this one.

















Now this is finally the picture of my bigger one. It is roughly 50 x 50 " or something or other. My photographer forgot to take two sets of slides for this as I have to send out a set tomorrow so he still have the quilt to retake and I can't measure it right now.

Again, Fences.... or something new and different. It really is interesting to see this photographer because of the size and the mess in my studio I have had a hard time seeing the entire thing at once or from a distance. The background fabrics are dyed cottons which have been fused and then crayon work have been done on them.

The bolder colors are dyed raw silk which I have also silkscreened with a sublte color. The stickts and other blue squares are all machine quilted with a matching metallic thread so it picks up some sparkle...a little difficult to see in the picture.

So, what do you think about a title for these pieces? Of course, they are in my Fence series for they don't have to be titled Fence # such and such. Give me a hand!

Thursday, August 25, 2005

Study in Red Postcards

Third time is the charm...finally got Study in Red postcards up...these two were done on monoprinted fabric and then I had a ball doing rubbings on my plastic mesh and then doing applique with commercial fabrics and then satin stitching. Did 14 of these, I think, for mailing to my Art2Mail group.

Where Have I Been?

This was a fun piece to do...different layers of paint and then swooshing through with a combing tool...lots of fun! Can't wait to cut it up!


I did a couple of pieces with reds and just really had a blast. This one above and the one below both have a piece of gridded plastic that is used over flourescent lights...just plopped it down and picked it back up!
This hot little number is not a monoprint but was painted in one of my surface design classes and I just came across it. Took my neocolor I's and did rubbings with my favorite plastic needlepoint canvas... I have two sizes of circles and they are both fun to do!
And then this is a final picture of a monoprint that I really like and am trying to decide if I will cut it up or use it and go from there...I'm thinking about cutting it and adding it to other collaged stuff.

It seems that I have this need to communicate with my group here...lest people think that I haven't been doing anything.

Well, I did take five days off and went up to the mountains where I read, worked on my art journal and cut down trees so that we will have a defendable area around the cabin. I also played computer games. What a change.

Came home Tuesday night and immediately started working on fabric!

However, the week before I was very busy doing monoprints! Those are so much fun that I have scanned a bunch and have posted them...each of these just represents 8x10" of the fabric.

So I have also been doing a Study in Red series of postcards which will probably go out to my Art2Mail postcard exchange group...or at least some of them. I used a monoprinted fabric, did rubbings and then added some commercial fabric sticks and then sewed...well, I have tried twice to put in two of the postcards but blogger is having one of those times...oh well.

Tomorrow I take off to one of Gerrie's favorite places...Bishop's Ranch...for three day retreat with members from my church. It is all about discovering our creativity and I take lots of stuff to help people unleash themselves creating art journals...it really is fun to watch people realize that they don't have to make "ART" and can just have fun with paint, paper, rubber stamps, etc.

See you all next week when I will have pictures of the finished big quilt!