Back in the Groove, Finally

I am almost done with this stupid bronchitis.....took all the antibiotics, and then broke out into some sort of strange rash with all-over body itching that drove me crazy. So then I was on Benedryl which put me to sleep...finally I am no longer itching, no longer sleeping most of the day and almost not coughing.

I even spent the day, for the first time in three weeks, down at the studio working. And then came home and worked some more. The only thing that has kept my sane was working on collages.

Anyway, here are some pictures from the opening night of the show at the Adobe Art Center. Below are three of the larger pieces I have just done.

A small group, one of which sold that night.
A couple of Marion's pieces:
some more of mine....they are mounted on unprimed stretched canvas:
Marion and me...
another one of Marion's
and another one:
and two more of mine:
and two more:
and the smaller ones:
and California Dreaming:
My daughter and Jacob:
people chatting:
More people chatting:
some of Sue's work:
I went home half an hour before the reception ended as I was just really sick.

Tomorrow I will finally get to do some machine quilting demonstrations as artist-in-residence at a local gallery for a couple of hours. I was supposed to do it each Saturday this past month but have been way too sick to do so....

well, onward and upward! I have work to do!

Things are Happening

I received word the other day that my piece, Fargo, has been accepted into the special display of film quilts for the Long Beach Festival.



I also received a picture of my piece, Life Circles 2, from the show, Artist as Quiltmaker in Oberlin, OH. The grand opening was this past weekend.And here is a picture of part of the crowd that was there.



Well, tomorrow Marion Coleman, Susanne Scott and I open at the Adobe Gallery...will post pictures of that on Friday. Wish us luck and I hope to see some of you there!

On Dreams and Dreaming

I have always had a very rich dream life. At one point when I was a probation officer and had 7 teenagers in juvenile hall for homicides, my dreams were very disturbed, dark and unpleasant but they served a purpose. I was able to work out various feelings that I had...sometimes against the perpetrators whom I was to get to know and write about what they did and why. Things that I could not give voice to came out in my dreams. I would frequently remember them in great detail.

I always know when creativity is at it's best because my dreams start becoming very vivid. I am practically producing movies in my sleep. They become long, convoluted stories. If I am not happy with the way things are coming out, I seem to come up a level in consciousness, realize I am not pleased with the way things are going, and then drop back down to resolve the story in a more pleasing manner.

When I was at UC ( as a psych. student we had to be guinea pigs for graduate students) I found out that I had the ability to retrieve dreams on successive nights. I have several different locations that repeatedly come up in my dreams. These are not real places but they might as well be as they have become embedded in my thoughts. A house on a street, with great detail, about the streets around it, how to get to it, what the entry way is like, the four different living areas, the strange kitchen that had huge old appliances and a strange basement with various little rooms that I was trying to figure out how best to use. I can still describe in great detail the various living areas, including the downstairs beauty parlor and spa. I can describe the bathtubs, tiles, etc.

And then I have action movies. Very involved stories that would rival Frances Coppola...vivid, detailed and interesting.

Sometimes I have dreams about resolving issues in my art. A clear image of how to do something. A clear sense of where I need to go with an idea. A way of completing a piece of art. How to construct something. In my dreams I will go through the entire process of creating a piece of art, troubleshooting as I go.

I know when I am healthy because my world becomes enriched by all this dream activity. I am very fortunate that I am able to remember at least the basic ideas and sometimes much more from these episodes.

I have been having lots of dreams lately....

Barely Going

This entire week has been enforced rest....I have a very difficult time doing nothing, and I haven't felt up to reading, and TV gets tiring immediately. I move from the recliner to the bed to my computer...you know I really don't feel well when I don't even play solitaire on the computer...

I have barely been able to keep up with my class and will be starting critiques today.

And to top it off, we are in a real heat wave...last week it was in the high 60's and now it is in the high 90's.

I don't do sick very well and I really don't do heat well.

Thank goodness for friends and family...between my husband and my good friend Carol Suto, I got everything off for the show for next week...it is right here in town. After we got it all together, inventoried, etc and delivered, I came home and collapsed.

What has been interesting is that I find myself free associating all over the place. My mind has problems focusing so when I lay my body down to rest, my mind just goes from one subject to another. Sometimes this is really creative and I am spinning involved stories, other times flashes of brilliance in art, etc. Unfortunately, I can't get up the energy to write any of it down. So I let my mind wander.

For someone who needed to be in control all of the time, and has now moved to being extremely comfortable staying in her right brain for extended periods of time...this is really strange...interesting...but strange. Well, I guess I have to go lie down again so I can find out what my mind will come up with next...

I am starting to feel better, I don't cough as much and not as hard, but there is no energy anywhere in my body. I have a shower and have to rest afterward....Oh well....I will get there yet!

I am Still Alive!

The drive back from Cambria took a lot out of me. Being sick is not fun. I hit the bed when I got home and did nothing. Finally on Monday I faced the music that I wasn't getting any better and shortness of breath and chest pains sent me to get checked out for any heart problems (none) but also to a doctor who listened to my lungs.

For the first time in my life I have come down with bronchitis. At least that is something that will respond to medication and I have been put on a round of antibiotics along with an inhaler to help open my lungs. This is not fun! I have things to do!

Well, during the night when I woke up coughing and needing to go to the bathroom, I realized that I was doing better...

I work up this morning knowing I was still happy to be alive and that the world was not going to end with me in bed or on the lounge chair in front of the stupid tv.

So, with guarded energy, I will get work together for a show I am doing with two other very talented women, Marion Coleman and Sue Scott. I tried to sew pieces to my unprimed canvas but only got four done...is that every slow.

So, today, back to needle and thread, get some wire for hanging, pull quilts for the show, be sure I have all the hanging slats and make that list to take in tomorrow...that should wear me out pretty soon.

My on line class has started up again with 11 students. This is a very workable size for me. I certainly never want to go past 20 as that is just way too much work.

Oh well, back to the grinding stone with lots of rest periods...

The Drive Home

Leaving Cambria, I had two choices...returning via a short connector road to US101 or going up US 1. I let the navigating system tell me which way to go...I went up 1 which is a curvy, winding road along the beautiful coast. Not really a good idea since I was not feeling very well. I had to stop several times to just rest and at one point pulled along side the road and had a quick 20 minute nap. Needless to say, the drive was much longer and harder than going back up 101.

But I would not have seen these fellows practicing for the big time!

Young bull elephant seals...you can tell they are young because their nose is not all bulbous and their bodies aren't all scarred. They duke it out for mating rights but if I remember correctly, these young guys won't have a change when the big guys come in....it's like a light-weight fighter versus a huge sumo wrestler!

this one got a nip in....

Facing off with lots and lots of noise
there were about seven or eight right in this immediate area and they would take turns with each other....

Heart and Hand Retreat with Sandy Turner

Yesterday I returned home from Cambria, which is just a little north of San Luis Obispo. I had driven down on Sunday where I joined Sandy's retreat. There were four teachers and we had a grand time!

I had eight wonderful students in my class, Better Art by Design. I was a slave driver and made them create masterpieces in just minutes! They moaned, and they groaned, but they all did it.
We had a delightful three days working on the elements and principles of design. Half of one day was spent just on color. Each day they added more and more tools to their tool box. We finished up with the students doing the critiques so they could go back to their small groups and start something new for support. What fun!

Nancy with her board:
Sue with her board:


Joyce with her board:

Ann with her board:
Christine with her board:
Eileen with her board:
Joan with her board:
Lora with her board:
And then pictures of the two groups doing their critiques!
This class very graciously put up with my cold....I have had a return of the monster cold which I had in January and Feb. which lasted a month. I am now entering my third week of this...of course driving for two days and teaching for three days did not help...I came home and collapsed in bed...But they put up with my coughing and coughing! Thank you all!

Over $13,000 Raised!

Collage Mania started on Monday and closed on Tuesday. I am so happy to report that my ten collages earned $880 for the American Cancer Society through Collage Mania! What a great way to support a great cause!

I can hardly wait to see what Virginia comes up with next!

Tomorrow

tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow is only a day away...

Collage mania!!! Here we come!!!

Only 2 More Days

Only 2 more days to Collage Mania...

Since I will be in Cambria teaching a class, I spent today looking at the 21 pages of collages and made my list.

Oh no----my list has 14 pieces on it....I can't afford that much at $80 each...that is the first day.

But then, if I don't bid on them the first day at $80, who knows what will be left the next day at $40?

What am I going to do?

I had already figured that I would get the email all ready to go to Virginia Spiegel and save it in my drafts folder.

But 14 pieces?

Of course I have no idea if I will get all 14 or just a few, or lots of them. I have no way of determining how many I will get and ultimately, how much it is going to cost me. This is the second biggest cause I give to and I have supported the American Cancer Society for years.

So, why doesn't everyone tell me which ones they are bidding for and then I will know which ones I will get...oh dear, that doesn't make sense!

I had better figure this one out! Quick!

Count Down to May 5

Collage Mania is coming to town! Virginia Spiegel has raised money for the American Cancer Society. I am happy to report that I have been able to help in that effort by providing numerous fabric postcards for sale, a piece in the reverse auction, purchasing other's works and now, Collage Mania.


Collage Mania

Monday, May 5, 2008 starting at 9 a.m. CST
All collages available for a minimum donation of $80.

Tuesday, May 6, 2008 starting at 9 a.m. CST
All collages available for a minimum donation of $40.

Information about her efforts over the years are as follows:

Fiberart Raises Record Amount for American Cancer Society

Fiberart For A Cause, an international effort by fiber artists and patrons, was recently recognized as the #2 fundraiser in the nation for the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life in 2007. Fiber artist, Virginia A. Spiegel, notes, “When I founded Fiberart For A Cause (FFAC) in 2005, my goal was to raise $90. We have now donated over $135,000. A great deal of our success is due to the personal involvement our honorary chair, Karey Bresenhan, Director of International Quilt Festival – Houston, Chicago, Long Beach.” Fiberart For A Cause continues to raise money through annual fiber events such as the Invitation Reverse Auction of Fabulous Fiberart and Collage Mania as well as the online book, Art, Nature, Creativity, Life. Spiegel fundraises for the American Cancer Society in honor of her father, a colon cancer survivor. For more information, visit http://www.VirginiaSpiegel.com

I have to make my list of those pieces I want. I won't be in town and I know the emails will be flying when the time is right on Monday so I have to be prepared to get it all off immediately when the time comes! I have a few pieces that are listed on page 8 if you are so inclined.

My mother died from cancer, as have a number of friends. This is the one medical cause the I fully support!

Please join us!

To get all the information about how to buy the collages you would like, go to Collage Mania.

Just don't try to buy the pieces I want to buy!

A Day on the Computer

the joys of trying to be a professional artist....
spent most of today getting images resized for uploading onto the Call for Entry site which our county uses for their public art calls for entry. What a pain in the patueeee...now I have found all sorts of things that I need to photograph (most of my newer work) and then get it uploaded.
And of course, to put it all on my website, things have to be resized again that that spot.

Did get the edges done on one of my new Color Block pieces..I now have three that are larger and am working for more.

I have a three person show coming up May 23 to June 25, 2008 at the Adobe Art Center in Castro Valley where I live. I'm working to get stuff done for that show.

Then the local arts groups asked me to be the artist in residence for three Saturdays in May...be there for two hours at the gallery and talk or whatever. I have decided that I want to do demonstrations and activities that children can also do and take home with them. All with little space to do it...can't decide if I want to do printing with found objects or making little postcards, or what...I have a couple of weeks to figure that out.

Got a call today from Macuso Brothers about adding me to the PIQF studio tour which they have during the show in October in Santa Clara...not too far from here. I said ok but would really prefer that they came to my Oakland studio as I couldn't get 30 people into my studio at home...and then, as we were talking, I was offered a one-woman show at the PIQF show in 2009!

2009 is going to be a busy year! I will have a 2 person show at the Galesburg Civic Art Center from Oct 9-Nov 7, 2009 and at the same time will have the show with PIQF which will be Oct 15-18. I want to fly back to Illinois for the Galesburg opening and to take my work...and then fly back to do the PIQF show....man...I am getting busy! What fun!

I really like the collection I have going of the Color Block pieces! I feel they are all clear, good designs with great color and I love doing the sketchy stitching around the shapes.

My new class on line starts on May 12 so I have to start doing the publicity for that...

Publicity Alert!

Enroll now for the next on line class of Better Art by Design which begins May 12. Payment of $225 can be made by credit card or Pay Pal using Pay Pal on my website. Join us for hard work, great art and an experience in creating abstract art.

So, how is that!?

Also it is just a a week and a half before I head down to Cambria....I only have next week to get so much done on my art....gotta keep running!

My Goodness! Where Have I Been?

I seem to take these little stretches of time off from blogging...not because I don't have anything to say (that never seems to be the problem) but usually because I don't have pictures to show you. I know I like the pictures on blogs, even tho' I know we all read what is written also. I have been busy working on stuff but just haven't gotten any pictures yet!

A week and a half ago, I did a demonstration for the East Bay Heritage Quilters, one of the two guilds I belong to. It was our show weekend. I had failed to get any work submitted by the due date so didn't have anything up in the show except for our California Fiber Artists group that had a special showing there. Anyway, back to demonstrating...I took along my box of tricks and wowed everyone with all of the things one can find around the house, hardware stores, plumbing supplies, etc to get great images on fabric. Even printing with little things such as the eraser end of a pencil or the cap end of a felt tip pen...they all produce great things to be used in combination with other great things. I have quite a collection of drain covers, potato mashers, etc.

Then the next morning off I went to pick up my friend Carol and we headed down to Asilomar for several days with an Art and Soul Retreat. Now this is a true mixed media event without any sewing machines on site. What a difference it was not to lug the sewing machine off somewhere! Well, we made up for it with paints, and lots of necessary "stuff" that we have collected. We both took three different classes with Ann Baldwin, a painter and collage artist whose work I have admired for years. We did cut out paper collages, made our own paper with paint on magazine pages (the cheapest paper around!), used lots of matte medium and gel medium, etc and had a grand ole' time. I came home with several collages that I am quite happy with. I will get photos taken of them to share. I was able to use a lot of the things I print on fabric with to make marks in the paint on paper. Lots of ideas which will translate back and forth between paper and fabric!

I've gotten three larger quilts (well, a little larger, about 20 x 30 and 30 x 40) together in my new style and am quilting them at home. I have used lutradur on the back to make them fairly stiff which I like. On Wednesday when I hit the studio again, I will put a backing fabric on and then stitch around them to finish.

I have to make the most of this week and next as I will then be heading out again for several days in Cambria Pines for the Heart and Hand retreat where I will be teaching for three days.

Also next month I will be doing demonstrations at one of our local art association's gallery each Saturday showing something about fiber...have to figure out just what I will be doing...probably stamping on fabric or something. Then I have all summer to work and I don't travel anywhere until November.

I will be busy tho'. I have a show opening with two other artists, Marion Coleman and Sue Scott, at the Adobe Art Center in May. In addition I will be starting my next class of "Better Art by Design", my on line design and composition class. I still have openings!

Well, back to work...

Student's Work

I am just so proud of all the hard work my 21 students did Thursday and Friday. They had a lot of information to take in and did a grand job! These are little 4 x 6" studies that they did as complete compositions at the end of the second day. Each student did four pieces during the time allotted and then chose two for us to put up on the wall to critique.

I think the students get the most out of critiques. All too often we don't have anyone to turn to to give us an honest critique. A critique isn't about if you like a piece or not or if it is good or not...but I like to name what is happening in the piece of work itself...what is the color scheme, what are the elements doing, is there repetition, is there unity, is there a focal point, is there contrast, etc.

And of course, I am quick to tell everyone that for every art "rule" someone has successfully broken it. But, bottom line, we need to have an idea of what it is that we are doing. Understanding composition, and the elements and principles of design are about problem solving. If something isn't working in our piece, how can we solve that problem?

So, here they are....













I think that there are so many delightful compositions in this group! I do hope that some will become actual quilts. The pieces are a little "rough" as we are just cutting out scrapes of fabric and then gluing them down so nothing is finished.

Now, on to getting some of my stuff taken care of, like my taxes and my dad's taxes. Then, maybe I can do some art work. I did spend time on the plane and in my hotel doing small compositions so I have tons of ideas. I also need to spend time ironing on fusing as I want to start doing some work that I have been doing, a little larger. Also, three big boxes of unprimed stretched canvas arrived while I was gone. Oh Boy!

And a note about blogging and readers. Yesterday I had over 200 people come by my blog...no one even said hi! After a long time of wondering if anyone every sees what I do or write, I got a site monitor and now I am actually amazed to see where all the people come from and that there are actually people out there reading!

The Rest of the New Work

Well, it just took me a week to get the rest of the new work up on this blog! I have been in Cape Cod since Monday, working with a lovely group of women. Their guild, Bayberry Quilters splits into two meetings, one in the evening which I did on Tuesday night and one in the morning which was on Wed. morning. Then we spent two days doing my design and composition workshop. We finished today and now I am packing to leave tomorrow morning....I will post their pictures of their work tomorrow...

Each of these fabric collages are 6 x 8 inches...and what is left of them sells for $75.








And Bayberry Quilters working on the orange valuesand another group working on the green gradations

and doing their work exercisesand trying to find the right color in the pile:


and creating the blue gradations:and working on the red gradations