Women Who Broke All the Rules- Denver

I started Crossing the Line: Artists at Work (CLAW) because I wanted to educate people on the power of quilts. For more than a year, I have tried to get into university galleries with no luck. It has been a major frustration. It goes to show how much work still needs to be done to get people to understand that quilts are not just for the bed.

Women Who Broke All the Rules was at the Denver Quilt Festival IX (May 1-4). The Daily Blog (Alex Anderson and Ricky Tims) had a slide show about the show. The sign for our exhibit is the first image which I find confusing because only two of the quilts were shown- Kathy Schmidt's "Bloomers" and Vivien Zepf's "Behind Barbed Wire"were shown and at the end. Regardless, I am thrilled that Lilo who reported on the show like our exhibit which deals with women throughout history who made a difference. If you know a place that might be interested in showing these quilts, please let me know.

Struggle, Struggle: Eva Hess

Simple drawing is almost like meditation for me. Unfortunately, it did not accomplish what I had hoped which was inspiration for a quilt on Eva Hesse (1936-1970). This is for an exhibition with my group, CLAW (Crossing the Line: Artists at Work), and as the "fearless leader" I can't not create something at least interesting. There is no one to blame either.

I discovered Eva while in college. I was creating a lot of art that dealt with motherhood and abortion (not legal at the time). I had a couple of friends die from illegal abortions so it weighed heavily on my mind. It was such a struggle because I so strongly wanted to be a mom.  Anyway, my professors (all male) hated my work- "too female," "no one will take you seriously," etc. Eva was my savior.

While Eva used unconventional materials, she also incorporated weaving, wrapping, sewing and knitting, all those things considered "women's work," into her pieces. There is a sense of playfulness and wit in her pieces. She called it "weird humor" which relates to her view that life is absurd.

I did find a quote that I think I would like to use if it works: "I want to be surprised, to find something new. I don't want to know the answer before but want an answer that can surprise."

She also did not come into her own until she was separated from her husband and met a group of artists who rallied around her. For the first time she felt accepted as an artist.  Isn't that something we all can relate? It is then that she began to produce an incredible body of work. Unfortunately she died from a brain tumor at 38.

So I clean. I draw. I read about her life.  I play with clay. I take long walks. All the while, struggling to find the place to begin. What do you do when you are struggling to find a way to express something important to you?

Connections, Memories, and Sadness

The Internet is a pretty amazing when it comes to connecting people. This afternoon after returning from International Quilt Festival in Chicago, I got an email telling me that my friend Carolyn had died yesterday. I "met" Carolyn while working on the oral history project Quilters' S.O.S. - Save Our Stories. She never made a quilt. She did love them, history and the Daughters of the American Revolution. We talked almost daily, argued sometimes and grew to love one another even though we were so different.  I will miss her.

"Columbine" by Sue Reno

Today I met up with three women who belong to my group CLAW (Crossing the Line: Artists at Work) while enjoying Festival. Again therese were people I had not known except through emails. I loved Laurie Ceesay's wonderful funkiness, Giny Dixon's enthusiasm and Colleen Ansbaugh's kindness. I think I could have easily spent an entire day with these women. I also ran into people I had not seen in years.

Festival was okay. After experiencing Festival in Houston, these pilot shows don't stand a chance as they have less of everything. I noticed that adding crystals is still popular and for me, seem wildly out of place on traditional quilts. I was disappointed to see that the Rituals exhibit did not make it but thrilled to see quilts by people I knew in Houston and especially to see Cynthia England's 2000 Best of Show quilt "Open Season" again. I remember the glee on Cynthia's face as she stood in front of her quilt and yelled to me, "Karen, can you believe it, I won!"

I did interviews of many of the quilters from the Healing Quilts in Medicine exhibit. I did the interviews over the phone so I never got to see the quilts in person so that was fun. The yurt was fun as was the Chicowgo (funky cows) exhibit.  It was a pleasant surprise to turn the corner and see Sue Reno's quilt "Columbine." Sue and I had the best time at the National Quilt Show in Columbus, Ohio, a few years ago. I liked the solar printing on Polly Bech's untitled piece that hung just a couple quilts down from Sue's quilt. They are both from Pennsylvania so I wonder if they know each other.

Untitled by Polly Bech

Unfortunately, between the "No Photo" signs, lighting issues and people, I did not take a lot of photographs. Today was a day of good memories and new friends. The one thing I wanted to do was share it all with my friend Carolyn. She would have loved them.

CLAW- Crossing the Line: Artists at Work

The world needs dreamers and the world needs doers. But above all, the world needs dreamers who do. - Sarah Ban Breathnach

I am a woman with a mission. I want to change the world for the better with quilts. I do this with my artwork, my travels, my teaching, my lecturing, my curating, my writing and now with a new group Crossing the Line: Artists at Work (CLAW). The deadline for getting me the work for our first exhibit is fast approaching (August15) so packages are arriving. It is so exciting and inspiring to see what the members of the group have created for Women Who Broke All the Rules. The next couple of weeks I will be spending my time trying to travel the exhibition so stayed tuned for exciting news!

As for the dragonfly, I discovered him when I went outside to investigate a funny noise. Never did figure out the noise but finding my visitor was well worth it. No pesticides which makes it difference too.

Pencil Roll and the Land of What Was I Thinking?

I find myself in the land of "what was I thinking" more and more. I've been having sinus problems and a call back for my mammogram (ultrasound on Tuesday) so I've been distracted. I decided to work on something that I thought would be mindless and get a couple of gifts off my Christmas list. These pencil rolls are for my great-nieces whom I adore. Of course I had to purchase the cool metallic pencils, not thinking about how difficult it would be to find matching fabric. It wasn't really all that difficult, just time consuming. However, I successfully did it without shopping! I do love my stash. I want a set of the metallic pencils now too!

It takes courage to step out of our comfort zones and open ourselves to opportunities. I decided to start my own group based on women and social issues. The group's name is "Crossing the Line: Artists at Work" (CLAW). I am really excited and cannot wait to see the quilts! I am limiting the group to 20 members and there are only a couple of openings. I am asking for a real commitment.  If you are interested, please contact me and I'll send you the information on our first exhibition which is titled Women Who Break All the Rules.