With Deepest Gratitude

Good things keep arriving in the mail. Today came a check for $500 from the Northern Lake County Quilters Guild  to help with my Georgian Quilt Group. I gave my lecture "Connecting Cultures:An American Quiltmaker's Pilgrimage" at their May meeting. They were a delight and engaging group and now they have a piece of my heart. Thank you!

The End of heARtist but Not the End of Small Art

The final trades of heARTist Trading Cards is complete. The trades were map ATCs and a flat Santa or Angel (taken from the Flat Stanley books of the 1960s). It is always sad to see the trades end especially since it was such a wonderful group of people. Life has changed for the people in the group so we are ending on a high note instead of fading away.

For my maps ATCs, the saying "wherever you go there you are" was my inspiration. I also wanted to play with a different kind of layering. So travel inspired tags were added with a brad holding everything together.

Since I had already done a flat Santa for a previous trade, I decided this time to do a flat Angel. I combined fiber and paper. I used Timtex (a stiff interfacing which is no longer on the market) and fabric for the wings. I added some dimensional paint dots for interest. Painted tissue paper was used for her halo and paper with colored pencils for her face and body. Dimensional paint was used for her necklace and I added glitter around he edge of her hair.

For the final component, I created cards with the Blue Angel, an amazing fresco from a church in Georgia. Artists painstakingly removed the paint that covered it during Soviet times. When I stood in the church, I was truly moved. I can also tell you that the monks from the region where the church is located are incredibly handsome- tall, dark curly hair and piercingly blue eyes. We all joked with the unmarried women and girls with us that it was too bad that they had given up women because even if they weren't great husbands at least it would be nice to look at them. I have such wonderful memories of my times in Georgia and miss my friends. Hopefully I will be returning next year when the 30th anniversary of the Georgian Textile Group will be celebrated.

So I am a little sad and happy to have this opportunity to share. While this is the end of trading with this group, it is not the end of creating small art. The wonderful thing about making art is that you can always make more. Happy creating!

Running Full Speed with an Idea

An 8" x 6" journal page for a journal exchange, created a desire to explore using the image of Mother Nino (I've never heard a Georgian refer to her as St. Nino but she is a saint in the Georgian Orthodox Church and I have visited her grave.) in more art. I'd like to thank Helen Lindton for causing this journey. I don't think I would ever have created any of this art if her journal had not been about icons. And while I love icons, I've never created any art using them.

Part of the reason I wanted to continue to explore was I was not entirely satisfied with the journal page. That's what I get for not entirely planning things before I start gluing!

The next step was to create a 6" x 4" postcard.  I have joined Shannon Ganshorn's International Postcard Swap V 3.0 (encouraged by my friend Marie Z. Johansen). We have to make 10 postcards and mail them to 10 different people. I love the idea of being exposed to art created by other people. I'm particularly interested in art being created outside the US. I thought if the postcard worked out that I would have one less postcard to make. By the way, there's still time to join in the fun! They just need to be mixed media creations.

Next I created a 2.5" by 3.5" ATC (artist trading card). Arts in the Cards theme for our January trade is verdigri. The background of the ATC is from a photograph of a patina part of a building that I took in one of my trips to Georgia which seemed perfect on so many levels. I love the way this background works for both the theme and the card. I'm a very literal person so being able to come up with art that is not literal to the theme makes me very happy. Also I'm done early so less January stress! Of course, this is creating more December stress but I truly believe one needs to listen and answer the call to create when it happens (if at all possible).

Last night I became inspired once more. This time I made a small quilt (7" x 9").  The transfers were printed on silk habotai. Georgia was part of the silk route so I thought this was appropriate. It was the first time I worked with using silk habotai for transfers. It has a great hand but the background colors bleed through. For the most part this was okay except for the image of her head covering around her shoulders. This presented me with the challenge of fixing a problem. I'm actually quite happy that this accident occurred! I like the look I was able to achieve.

So which one do you like the best?

Don't forget to enter my blog giveaway! (see below)

I have gotten a glimpse of some of the 12/12/12 Project quilts and all I can say is "Wow!" I am going to have to definitely step up my game! Thanks! You still have time to join in the fun. Details are here. Make it a creative day!

What September Means to Me

Ideas of Inspiration's is a blog that uses images to express a theme. This month we are to share images that show what September means to us. Most people are posting photos of changing leaves and while that is true, it doesn't work for me and yet I can't come up with an image that really works for me. More than ten years ago, I decided that September would be the month that I would put stretch marks on my comfort zone. In other words, I would do at least one thing that made me uncomfortable. Why September? Partly it has to do with the seasonal change and my struggle with seasonal depression caused by Chicago's long, grey winters. I feel the downward pull starting in September. On a more positive note, my first child was born on September 27th and my world was never the same.

My first trip to Georgia (country not state) happened in September and I returned each September  three more times. I hope to go again next September. This year I've taken up pottery. I'm learning to be gentle with myself. Not only are the classes on Monday nights a challenge but I'm making myself go to open studio where all the world can see how clumsy I am. Yesterday I went alone (Barbara had to work.). I discovered that the room was filled with people who had mastered the art of throwing clay. The person with the least experience had been doing it four years. You could hear a pin drop it was so silent with everyone focused on their tasks, but curiosity has always gotten the best of me so I started asking questions and before I knew it, I had a room full of new friends who were actually sad to see me leave. I also want to share that I successfully centered and threw three pots in 1-1/4 hours!  This was after not even being able to center any clay on Monday night and leaving class feeling quite defeated. Now I am not saying that they are good pots, but they are pots! I plan to stick with it until I can successfully throw a pot consistently. I may hang it up at that point or continue. I'm being open. While I love pottery, I'm not sure I'll ever be a great one, but that's truly not the point. I'm not seeking perfection.

The photo is from Georgia. We were walking down a street when I saw the chair and stopped to puzzle why. It took a while for my friends to realize I was no longer with them. Can you guess? It's a basketball hoop! I can't tell you how excited I was to figure it out. So in many ways, I think this photograph does a good job showing you want September means to me. What does September mean to you? How do you put stretch marks on your comfort zone?

ad astra per alia porci

My youngest son loved Latin in high school which made me more aware of Latin. Isn't it funny how once your eyes are opened to something you see it everywhere? John Steinbeck had a favorite saying, "As astra per alia porci." Translated it means "To the stars on the wings of a pig," or very loosely, "Aim for the heavens, though your equipment be meager." I am bringing this up because of a few emails I received concerning my creativity list. Sometimes having the right equipment/supplies can make all the difference in the world. That said, I have seen amazing pieces of art created with materials at hand. This has happened over and over again when I have taught overseas.  The photo is of fabric created in Tbilisi, Georgia, using very limited supplies--a few bottles of fabric paint, a few stamps and some paint brushes. Don't let not having what you think you need stop you from creating.

Valentine's Day and Foto/Fiber

Happy Valentine's Day! I had really hoped to have this sweet quilt done by this Valentine's Day, however, it didn't happen. Maybe by next year. February 14 was originally a Roman feast day celebrating the beginning of the mating season of birds (hence the association with love).

I must admit that I am in a little bit of a panic. My sewing machine is acting up. It has developed a clunking noise and occasionally turns itself off. I cannot image myself at this point in time without a machine. I tried oiling it. No luck. Think I will try denial just a little longer. Isn't that a river in Egypt?

Don't forget that Foto/Fiber begins tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. Central.  The goal is to add $7,000 to the $215,000 already donated to the American Cancer Society. There are 4 ways to win with this fundraiser - one of which is that 100% of the funds are donated directly to the American Cancer Society through Fiberart For A Cause. The other three are detailed on Virginia Spiegel's blog. If you want a jump on how things will work tomorrow, please check out http://www.virginiaspiegel.com/FotoFiber2012Directions.html. I still can't decide which photo I want! How about you?

Here is another on of my donated BONUSES. These are two pieces of Georgian silk (country not state) that are 9" by 36". Georgia was on the Silk Road and once produced wonderful silk. You will be amazed at the hand. Unfortunately, they no longer produce any silk. I purchased this silk in the open air market in Tbilisi (capital of Georgia). The employees were paid in silk at the closing of the production sites and sold to make money for their families. I never purchased any all white silk because I knew how rare and important it was to the batik artists in Georgia. I'm also including an embroider bracelet made by nuns to support their efforts to help unwed mothers (young girls) and run a hospice for the poor. Of course, it will all be in a box like the one I shared yesterday.

More Calendar Collage

I have gotten requests to see more of my collage calendar pages so here you go. I had to include on that had something to do with Georgia (country not state). When I am there I'm constantly stopping to take photographs of doors so one had to be included. The churches have amazing frescoes. I was at Barbara's house when I made this one and realized that the Blue Angel would have been perfect. Guess I'll have to save it for next year. I liked that I put the question, "What will I remember most?" The answer is "my friends and the times we spent together."

I finished 11 months without any problems but finishing the twelfth was tough. I had gotten out of the flow. Does that happen to you?

June

I've been asked how I will determine who gets which collage. Well, my children got to pick which one they wanted. Nathaniel picked his birthday month, June, which happened to have a pick up truck in it so that worked out well. Jeremiah allowed his wife Sang to pick and she choose her birthday month, May. I have no expectation that the calendars will become prized possessions. I know this surprises some but for me, it has always been more about the process then the end product. Please don't get me wrong. I want the end product to be nice. I take pride in my work. I also know that when you give something away, it should be given freely and with love. It's released. Does it kill me when someone sells one of my quilts in a garage sale because she is redecorating. You bet! But a quilt is just a thing and not worth ruining a relationship. Of course, I would never give her another one.
 

Felt Quilt

Feltmaking has a long tradition in Georgia (country not state) and I became fascinated by the process on my very first visit. Before making this piece, I had felted three times when I was in Georgia. With Inga (feltmaker from Holland), I made a ball. I also have a cube that she made me which I keep in my studio. With Elska (another feltmaker from Holland), I made a small purse. And with my good friend Maia, I felted a scarf I knitted. It took more than six hours and my hands became bloody. This is done by hand not with a machine of any kind. We decided that thinner yarn was the way to go next time!

To help me with my grieving over not going back this fall, I attempted felting again and this time decided to also make it into a quilt. I'm not sure I will ever make a great felter but it is fun to play. My house kind of disappeared but I was able to embroider it back in. The tree definitely came out different than I envisioned and I like it! I added beads to remind me of the incredible night skies that I have experienced while in Georgia. The moon is dupioni silk, another love of mine, that I had appliqued. It's 13 inches by 12 inches.

The buttons are from my trip to Maine. Georgia has these amazing walls made from black stones and I wanted to somehow to include them. Anyway, aren't the buttons cool? My friend Elizabeth turned me on to them. They are from a company called "Island Stone." kariska the artist who makes them says, "summer island living and nature's artistry are the inspirations for my work with hand selected beach stones I create unique adornments." If you would like some buttons, check out her etsy store--islandstone.etsy.com.

Feltmaking makes you slow down. There is just no rushing the process. It gave me time to reflect on the times and friends in Georgia. I would close my eyes and be transported.