Life Begins at the End of Your Comfort Zone

Reaching for the Boro'd Moon

I like storms. They let  me know that even the sky screams sometimes too.   
                                              - Alice James-Book

For more than fifteen years, I have made putting stretch marks on my comfort zone a practice. Whenever I feel I am getting complacent, I look for something that makes me uncomfortable. When Cathy Neri approached me at Fantastic Fibers and suggested I do an artist residency in Paducah, I was hit with an uncomfortable moment. Crap! I applied and to my surprise, I was granted a two week residency at A.I.R. Studio in Paducah, Kentucky. I begin on September 2 so the count down has begun and I will be sharing more about what I want to accomplish in the days to come.

A Woman's Work, A Woman's Story

But first, I want to catch you up since I have been terrible about keeping this blog up-to-date. I have been going through old journals. I had high hopes after a crushing 2013 with nine friends dying that 2014 was going to be better. Only it wasn't. It was a year of lots of rejection, my husband being laid off from his job and all the stress that it caused, and my dad died. Remembering these tough times makes me appreciate all the great things that have been happening in my life. I try my best to practice gratitude. I have had lots of successes the last 19 months to the point that I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop.  My work continues to be accepted into gallery exhibits. The most recent is Something Boro, Something Blue at the Brush Art Gallery and Studios in Lowell, Massachusetts. I entered two pieces and both got in! Not only that but "Reaching for the Boro'd Moon" was selected as the postcard image for the exhibit! To honor the Japanese tradition of boro I only used fabrics leftover from other projects that included a discarded print of my hand and arm and the indigo dyed dupioni moon. My other piece is a dress that is part of a series. It is titled "A Woman's Work, A Woman's Story." The opening is next month (August 11). Wish I could be there. If you get a chance, send me your thoughts.  Keep creating!