DAY 5

today Virginia began painting and had an orange day.

Then she moved into the AIR studio and started ironing and putting ideas up on the wall. She also spent time laying out her solo show coming up and is now relieved as she knows she can accomplish what she needs to do.

It is really fun to watch her doing this...a very different way of working

here you can see knot holes in the foreground and water/sky/trees in the background. Of course there is much work to do and many more layers.

I started quilting my palm trees which has become "when the waters came". I am using cheesecloth in this for part of the water. I like the way it is coming. Very different for most of what I have done before.

Piece #3 of my little series. I have spent half the day doing three of these to go with the other two. It has been a great warm up exercise but I have finally come to understand the meaning behind my fences. It is all about boundaries and borders...that thing that keeps you from growing, that thing that keeps you in one place, etc.

Piece #4 Again, these are all 8 x 10

Piece #5

And here you can see the entire series so far.Don't know how many more I will do...maybe until I run out of the yellow and purple fabric with the circles. I don't have too much left.

Then today I painted a canvas which is much bigger and is a swirl which is going to be part of a series on death and caring for people dying. If you spiral in you are shutting down, if you spiral out, you are going crazy. Happy thoughts! Will start working on it tomorrow, some more.

Last night was really interesting. There was a lot of cloud-to-cloud lightening which made the sky light up like a strobe light. I also found myself doing a lot of very creative dreaming. Long, involved dreams...the kind that come up for me when I really start functioning in my right brain. All my dreams are images...like watching movies which seem to go on forever and have very complicated story lines. I know I am getting in the groove! The heavy duty dreaming is back!

Today started out warm and very humid. it was around 72 degrees until sometime mid day when the temperature really started dropping. We had lots of lightning and thunder all day and then it really started to rain. It was really cold coming down from my studio in the creativity center to the guest house...I was having major Virginia envy as she was happily ensconced in the same building. She also has a full design wall and I am working without one. However, I do get more exercise this way so I don't feel so badly about not going on the walks that she does.

Tonight we went out to dinner with Karey and her husband, Maurice. They are both so delightful and fun! Had dinner at the country club but this is LaGrange so Maurice was wearing his work boots and jeans and a nice denim shirt. Of course, Virginia and I were also wearing jeans but Karey looked really nice as usual!

To tired to get back to the studio tonight so will call it a night and be ready for a full day after church tomorrow. LaGrange has a wonderful Episcopal church so I will be going there tomorrow and then hit the studio good to go!

Day 4

Instead of spending all the time and aggravation to sort things out, I have decided that you are going to see these in whatever order they come up.
this is a piece that I had dyed or painted, I can't remember right now, and then did silk screening on it with my new weeks screen. I really think it will be fun to do something with this fabric. still thinking about what.

This is another weeds piece, this time with just one weed.


Here you can see the other end of my single weeds piece...palm trees...Have to figure out what I am going to do with this fabric.

Now, I know what I am going to do with this piece! Will put it together as a quilt tomorrow and start quilting my palm trees. I painted the fabric yesterday..

This is what I did first think this morning...I organized my own studio space...I started doing sc`reen printing on the cutting table (covered, of course) which is just the right height, and then they can go down to the floor to dry.

Then I started ironing fabric and fusing. Brought in the ironing board and put it at the right height to sit down and work...what a relief!

This is in Virginia's studio...she started ironing fabric this afternoon and started putting things up on the wall and now has a pretty good idea of what direction she is going in. She needs to get larger work done for a show.

Meanwhile, I warm up doing what I like to do...fences...it got a little washed out with the flash. It is 8 x 10

Here is the second one...it wasn't until I was done that I realized that it is a head with two eyes! it, too, is washed out from the flash. it is also 8 x 10

so here is the big ironing table with my set up for fusing. I have three yards of teflon from Valerie Hearder so I lay out the misty fuse, lay down the fabric, top it off with the other half of the teflon and iron the fusing to the fabric. You can't quite see it but there are several pieces of fabric under the teflon

And now you can see my studio area after I have been working for a little while. Beginning to feel like home only much bigger and less messy!

Oh yeah, and some more of Virginia's fabrics...trees and water and things.

Thank you all for the advice...I did what I need to do. Took time out, did what I wanted, and then started playing. Virginia is on a different track than I am. I am doing a few small things for fun, then will start working on my palm trees and then will start on my doors series...maybe...I still need to dye paint but that will happen in a few days. had to order batting so that I could do the pillow case backing and get going on things. I feel good, satisfied and on a roll. Virginia gets up early and I get up later and then she is in bed way before I am so we have worked out a great system.

We enjoyed wine with Maurice and Karey at the gazebo, with great wine and cheese. Tomorrow we will join them for dinner at the club...I'm not sure what this means but we don't have to get dressed up...just out of our painting clothes!

DAY 3

Aren't you impressed...here is Virginia in the Creativity Center cleaning up to start another painted piece of fabric. She was on a major roll today and got lots done.

Here you can see Virginia's work on the right and mine on the left. Later she did a lot of pieces with browns and reds but at this stage she was still in the trees and water. I did a bunch of various pieces, none of which were really exciting me. However, I was also doing discharging on black fabric and some of those are really neat!

This is one piece which was just rolled on to the plastic and it would separate and pull away due to the amount of water and the black plastic I was working on..fun.

Virginia kindly took a picture of me working on another piece of fabric.


This is a painted piece that I did on Day 2 which is a full yard of fabric on the ironing table...pretty nice, huh?

Afterwards, we went out for dinner with Karey for Mexican food...the price was very reasonable and the plates were huge! Oops...forgot to take pictures of our food!!!


So, now I think I will share with you some of the creative process that has been going on with me.

Day 1 was spent getting there.
Day 2 was spent getting set up and doing a little bit of painting.
Day 3 was a full day to devote to art.

I watched Virginia really get in to the grove and I did some discharging and some painting but nothing was really exciting me. My legs got tired of standing so I would take breaks and look at some of the books that Karey has...meanwhile, Virginia was working away.
Spent an hour fixing lunch and relaxing with a book wondering why I didn't feel happy with what I was doing. Then I spent time wishing I had all the things that Virginia had brought with her and what I could be doing if I had them.

So, time to sit down and figure out just what is going on with me.

30 days in the studio...I have to make great use of that time and create great things!!!
Right!!!
NO
By sorting out how I was feeling I realized that I was putting pressure on myself to do things that I really didn't want to do. I was getting real tired of painting fabric but Virginia was still at it so should I...wrong. Tomorrow I set up my space in the Creativity Center so I feel that I actually have a studio like Virginia does. I will surround myself with the ironing table, the cutting table and a table with the sewing machine. I will start cutting fabrics that I had brought that were already dyed and start fusing them and laying out some of my door series. I will also order batting because I will be working hard and fast and completing things in my process so need to do that pillowcase method and need the batting for that.

I will also mix up dyes and start dye painting, which is what I really want to be doing. I can alternate between that and working on my new door series.

I took time to contemplate the clouds, watch the birds, go back to WalMart looking for the paper I need to do gel transfers, etc.

Now, I am feeling ready to work...just really a mind shift. I don't have to create the best work there is, I just need to allow myself some space and the freedom to create as I want to. I came without expectations about coming home with great work (although you know I am not telling myself the truth!) but did want to work on those doors. I did bring some smaller pieces of tim tex and expect to do some smaller, fun pieces as well as postcards for Karey's heart to heart program.

And that is all I have to do. I can take breaks, I can read, I can spend time looking at my Art News magazine (which has some really great art this month) and I can wander around. When the sun comes out again I will go to the cemetery and take neat pictures. And I will enjoy myself and the process I am in.

Day 2

Day 1 I leave San Francisco and head to San Antonio. Once there, I meet up with Virginia Spiegel at the airport in San Antonio at the car rental place...we both got there at the same time
and then finally got into our rental car and headed to LaGrange, about 130 miles away. Stopped for a quick bite to eat in a Dairy Queen, found LaGrange, stopped at HEB (the supermarket) for some very basic food, like breakfast, and then, with Karey calling to see if we had gotten lost, we finally arrived at the franch. Karey's ranch is decorated in French Provencal...and what a spread it is.

Day 2 The first picture shows our guest house with two bedrooms.
Virginia immediately claims the blue room which you see with also a little dressing table.

Which means that I get the green room, which is actually a little bigger with two dressing tables.

We are quite comfortable.


Attached to the right of the guest cottage is the artist in residence studio. Generally, the AIR would stay in the studio...it has a bathroom, kitchenette, and very comfortable day bed and studio space with a large design wall, sewing and cutting and ironing tables. Virginia decides that she will be nice and give me the bigger space in the Creativity Center. This means that I will be getting a lot of exercising walking from the guest house to the creativity center, which is just fine.

Here you can see the outside and inside of the creativity center with Virginia and I.


Here is one view of the inside of the creativity center...I lost the second picture so you will have to wait to see it until tomorrow. Anyway, there are five or six of the large tables you seen behind the cutting table, a huge ironing table, a sofa, tons of books and lots of outlets. Through the door you can get a glimpse of dorm room 1.

Here you can see part of dorm room one and door room 2 which is right next to it.

And here, you can see how we have covered those beautiful black and white floors and a couple of tables with heavy duty plastic to protect it from our painting.

Today I got a tour of the franch (68 acres) and Virginia fiddled around in the AIR studio and I fiddled around in the Creativity Center. We are both set up and ready to go full steam ahead tomorrow. Both of us will be painting and discharging fabric!

We ended the day with the perfect Texas dinner at a little cafe just down the road from Karey's.
We had chicken fried chicken, black-eyed peas, green beans, mashed potatoes, corn bread and cole slaw...I now am sure we are in Texas. it was delicious and we enjoyed chatting with Karey about all that is going on on the 27th! Boy, are we in for a party! Bring your walking shoes because there are wonderful places to walk around!

I'll let you in on a secret! Karey is a fantastic whistler!
See you tomorrow.

TWO DAYS TO GO!!!

Today I was teaching at the Pajaro Valley Quilt Guild on design and abstract art. After doing a bunch of various warm-up designs, then boring them to death with all the lecture part of the class, I finally let them work with little snippets of fabric on 4 x 6 card stock. The picture on the top is the exercise in symmetrical design and the one on the bottom is asymmetrical design. I'm ready to take a couple of these and turn them in to quilts. This was just great!

Here you can see some of the students diligently working away...I was such a slave driver...
hardly gave them any time to complete a task so that they didn't have time to think! The picture on the right shows some of the end of the day designs that came after all their hard work of doing 25 thumbnail designs and everything else! What great ideas!

Watching each student develop their sense of design is what is really fun about teaching. Being able to share what I know to help others make the break more successfully from traditional work to art quilting with some knowledge about the art just makes my heart sing! The AH-HA moment when each student gets it!!




Some of the students are well on their way. And so many were quick to tell me about who did such great work. And then the person who said she was encouraged to enter PIQF and got it! If we don't try things, we will never grow!

Two days to go before Virginia and I meet up in San Antonio. Tomorrow night I give a lecture and powerpoint presentation with trunk show, then head for home, do some packing, get some sleep and then off I go.

I do plan to document this trip as I go so keep looking for pictures and thoughts from both Virginia and myself about this project. It is just too good to keep to ourselves!

5 Days to go!

It's getting serious around here! Trying to get everything set up for my dad for while I am gone...all his bills are now on bill pay but have to run over there tomorrow to finish up some last minute stuff and also, I am hitting the hearing aid people to get checked for what kind of hearing aids I need...my back is beginning to hurt from having to lean over so much to hear what people say across the table and I am tired of going "what did you say?". Wish they could be ready before I leave but think I will have to wait until I return home...we'll see what the hearing aid people say.

Bought a new suitcase to go with my 24" one...this one is a 29" one and looks huge! I have the smaller one filled up with already dyed fabric and it weighs in at 43 pounds...got to keep it under 50! So, clothes and other assorted stuff that isn't too heavy will go in the big one. Wonder what they will say when they find my heat gun and all the other assorted things that will be in it!

Getting nervous trying to get everything finished. Still have to get my entry together for Sacred Threads...missed it last year and also my application for public art for the new library going up in our town...15 copies of everything! Fortunately, my little assistant was home for the holidays and pulled slides for me, marked them all, did the slide list, and this is for two different projects. Now I have to finish the artist statements to go with them, check the resume for corrections and updates, get copies of my articles included and then run off 15 collated, hole punched copies. And then get it sent off to the country...tomorrow! And mail off a box of thread and who knows what else I may find!

Oh yeah, and Jacob is coming over tomorrow night so his parents can go skiing on Saturday. Fortunately Doug will help out as Saturday I have to pack my clothes for Texas, pack my bag for overnight in Santa Cruz and pack class supplies and quilts to take with me.

Everyone is keeping a safe distance from me... for their own health!

The New Year

Today is the first day of the rest of your life.

I try to remember this each day and try to live that day as fully as I can. Not that I always succeed! But, it is my reminder that you never know what is in the future so you better do the best you can today.

So live today, enjoy today, be in the moment and be thankful for all that you do have.