Inspiration Struck- No Joking

I was so amazed that my suggested theme, Deck of Cards, for the new round of trades for Postmark'd Art was embraced by more than half the members! This round we are doing the suit of hearts with a joker added. I got the joker! I was so excited because I knew instantly what I wanted to do.  I bought this rubberstamp by All Night Media, Inc. more years ago than I can remember. It took me a while to track it down and I am not even sure the company exists anymore. If I remember correctly Plaid Industries bought them Anyway, inspiration struck and I answered! I am happy with my postcard and it feels good to be done just a couple of days into the trade. Hopefully my playing card will make those who receive them happy. I like the message too! I certainly have had moments lately where I have needed to lighten up. How about you?

I have been asked often why I like making small art. This is especially asked by people who cannot imagine being able to create anything interesting that is small. I think any time we do something often, we get better at it. For me, it is not just about creating but being able to share. By sharing/belonging to exchange groups, I am also exposed to new ideas and different styles. Creating small art is fun, doesn't take a lot of time most of the time and it keeps my creative juices flowing.

This is my contribution to Off the Wall Fridays.

It's a Go Figure

I was fortunate to live on the island of Aruba for three years in the mid'80s. The island was full of goats. I have always loved bones and skulls and secretly hoped I would come across a goat skull as a souvenir. As the date to leave got closer and closer, I gave up hope. Then two days before our things were to be packed up for shipping back to the States, I was climbing on some rocks and there was the carcass of a young goat who had broken its leg. I was filled with both sadness and glee. My husband could not believe when I quickly snatched it up, along with a few other bones and rolled it into the bottom of my shirt.

I was looking around for inspiration when I remembered the goat skull and decided to use it as a stepping off place for a mask. It turned out much better than I had anticipated but I never thought I would get the response it when I brought in the finished mask. Five people said that they wanted one! Jeff was the most impressed and asked how much I would charge. I asked if he was willing to trade because I love the things Jeff makes and his curmudgeonly ways. Having a piece of his work would be a wonderful reminder of him.

I am going to digress here for a moment and share the International Society of Curmudgeons' definition of a curmudgeon to give you a better idea of what Jeff is like:

A curmudgeon often has a black sense of humor. They don't just complain about things, they do it with flair, style, panache, satire, and a sardonic view of life! That's what makes them memorable. They also, deep down (very deep down), believe that by saying something about it, life will change. Saying even more about it will hopefully make life change faster and sooner.

Jeff brought in several pieces of his artwork for me to choose and I selected this wonderful turquoise pot which sits on a table in my family room. Jeff felt he got the better of the deal and I thought I got the better of the deal. Who could ask for anything more! Of course, I am still trying to figure out why my goat skull mask was such a hit. When I asked people they just said that it was "different" and "cool." Since many of them watched me create the mask while having the skull in front of me might have contributed. I guess I will never really know and no, I am not making more goat masks.

Your thoughts on why so many fell in love?

This is also my contribution to Off the Wall Fridays.

Gathering Stillness

What does gathering stillness look like to you? It took me a while to figure it out and while doing so I created a huge mess in my studio and went for lots of walks around the block. It wasn't until I started playing with lines and circles on a piece of paper that my idea came together.

The circles are dupioni silk that I dyed. The large one is hand appliqued, the smaller ones are fused. About half way through cutting out the circles, I had a "what was I thinking" moment. I am happy I kept cutting them out. The quilt is 27" w x 44" h. It will slightly overlap when sewed to the clay part.

I have also dipped the clay piece in the indigo vat a couple more times to get her bluer. In the photograph, she is sitting on a piece of light brown raw silk that I over dyed. I can't believe that I was able to make the silk such a great color blue without doing anything to it. It was dipped twice.

The next step will be sewing the quilt onto the clay piece then seeing if it can hang for a wall. I am also going to create a stand because it might be too difficult to hang in the gallery.

"Gathering Grief" is next. The clay part is dry enough to to be fired in the kiln. I have an idea for the quilt and am anxious to get working on it. The head part came out larger. Sculpting it was much more difficult than I thought it would be. Looking forward to also creating "Gathering Joy." What are you gathering in your life?

This is also my Off the Wall Fridays post. I do love seeing what other people have done with their week.

More Houses to Honor Carolyn

I wonder when I will stop thinking, "Oh, I need to tell Carolyn...."  Making quilts for The House Quilt Project is helping. I finished two more. Blue was Carolyn's favorite color so I had to make a blue quilt. I can tell my mood is lightening because the next quilt was colorful and fun. I don't want Carolyn's memory to be quilts that are filled with sadness. I cannot make anymore quilts until I find some more American flags (a requirement). So if you know of any sources, please let me know. My local quilt shop closed and JoAnn's did not have any fabric that had useable flags.                               

Carolyn would love the quilts and would have been touched that this was the way I choose to honor her memory.  She would have also told me that it was not necessary, but it seems more meaningful than writing a check. She meant a lot to me so well worth the time and effort even if she would not have thought so. Why do we value ourselves so little?  I hope the people who will eventually own them feel the love that went into making them.  They are on my mind too. Because my friend Marti is always reminding me that I need to share the size- each quilt is 12"w by 16" h. I encourage you to visit the project and make a quilt for a wounded veteran. How have you dealt with grief? Has creating something helped you heal?

Connecting again with Nina-Marie Sayre and her Off the Wall Friday.

Progress

While I am making progress, I do not have a clear vision on how to finish which is getting frustrating.  "Look Deeper" has not been sewn down as I am not sure if those are the words I want to use. "Look Deeper" is from a photograph taken while standing in line to get into MOMA in San Francisco. I looked down an alley and there were the words on a door.Anyway, I want to get this done soon so I can begin working on the discharged feather on black. Thoughts? Is it time to just stick a fork in it and call it done?

Once again participating in Nina- Marie Sayre's Off the Wall Fridays.

Serendipity Strikes Again!

It is my job to betray people's expectations. - Koie Ryoji, master and "rebel" Japanese ceramic artist (born 1938)

The side trade for heARTist Trading Cards this month is to create spring themed thrinches (called because they are 3" x 3").  The last three years spring has meant a relationship with a female crow so I used her as my inspiration. I love thread painting which I have not done in quite a while. My first attempt was too small. At first I was discouraged until I realized that it fit perfectly on top of a box (3" x 2.75" x 3") I had created just for that purpose! Serendipity again. Rejoice! I want to continue to explore ways to combine clay and fiber (beads, wire, buttons, etc. too).

This was my first time creating thrinches. After spending so much time thread painting the crows, I decided to keep the backs simple. I thought using the words "Expect Magic and Miracles" was perfect. Spring is a magical time and the rebirth of everything always seems like a miracle to me. I hope the people in the group enjoy them. I know that I love the treasures I receive from them each month always brightens my day and challenges me to be a better artist. When people ask me why I participate in these kinds of trades, this is my answer. Besides, who does not like going to the mailbox and finding a treasure? With Nina-Marie Sayre's Off the Wall Fridays, it has more to do with accountability and supporting another person's efforts. What motivates you?

Feather Quilt- Opinion Needed

The first thing I want you to know is that it is square. I just threw it quickly on the design wall to photograph and did not take the time to straighten it. I often photograph my quilts because seeing them in a photo can often make me see things I do not see when looking at it in person.

The first photograph show what I have put together as of last night. I am vowing to push this quilt as far as I can take it so remember, this is just the beginning. I plan to add words, more texture, etc. I had a piece of fabric I am considering sitting in my coffee cup all night so that it would be less white. My son did not even skip a beat when he watched me take it out this morning before refilling it.

My vision for  this piece is to make it be about loss and rebirth.

I would really like to include the linen indigo piece (see photo 2) but I am not sure it works. It might be a case where I want it to work, not that it does work. Would love to hear your thoughts.

Joining Nina-Marie for her Off the Wall Fridays.

Hope, Gratitude and Clay

Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul- and sings the tunes without the words- and never stops at all. - Emily Dickinson

The older I get the more friends I have that seem to need comforting- health problems, deaths, divorces, broken hearts. For a while I sent my little "Mending a Broken Heart" hearts. Now I have feathers which I have been sending. Just small reminders to let people know that there is hope and I am thinking of them. My youngest son insists (daily lately) that I need to sell them so I am now in the process of setting up an Etsy shop. This is more of an undertaking than I realized but I hate to disappoint him. He is such a great cheerleader and he loves what I am doing. I know that I will get asked so here's the scoop and maybe you can share your thoughts with me. I am thinking about selling the larger feathers for $10.00 each or 3 for $25.00 plus shipping. The feathers are individually made and approx. 7 inches long so no two are alike as you can see. They are light enough to ship first class which will keep the shipping cost down. I have also considered including a small card with the Emily Dickinson quote on it. Thoughts?

Wednesday was a tough day. It was one of those days that started out full of promise and quickly turned into a day where nothing seemed to go right. That is until I arrived at Clay Space and found a bowl from Ken on my shelf. I didn't think he was serious when he said that he was going to give me the bowl. Ken is a new friend. He and I are totally honest with each other which is so refreshing. We can critique each others work. We both love the positiveness from the people from Clay Space but we both want constructive and honest feedback not just cheer leading.

When I finally ran into ken to thank him, he said that I could throw it in the dumpster. I have to say that at first I thought the bowl was a hot mess but on closer examination I found the shape of a tree. The bowl went from ugly to interesting. Ken was thrilled that I have seen the tree and happy when I called it a "hot mess." I am keeping the bowl as a reminder to not be afraid to try new things (Ken was playing with wax on this piece), friendship, kindness, and gratitude. Do you have something that reminds you to focus on good things?

I am making this my Off the Wall Fridays post.

UFO Done and Perfectionism

My applique leaf UFO quilt is done! Thanks to everyone for their suggestions and kind words. I tried to find something to use as a sashing and could not find anything in my stash that worked. I have vowed not to spend money on fabric to finish my UFOs. I realized that I was beginning to over-think. When the over-thinking mode happens, I start to spin, feel tense and nothing happens. I can be my own worst enemy. The realization that over thinking may be a form of perfectionism also occurred to me.

Perfectionism is a killer to creativity. I have watched it happen with friends and students. I have experienced myself. Just Monday night I was talking to the intern in my pottery class. She never finishes any of her painting because she is worried that she won't get it "right." Yesterday I talked to a former student who shared that she could not create "serious" art until she had the "perfect" studio. It did not seem to matter to her when I shared that for years I created on a small rickety card table set up between my washer and dryer. Or that I always travel with handwork of some kind.  I wish I could have made her believe a little more in her abilities and less the need for the "perfect" place to create. Hopefully she will realize this sooner than later. Thanks to everyone who shared that perfectionism has been a problem too. It is good not to be alone and have support.

Julia Cameron in her book Finding Water: The Art of Perseverance said it best. “Perfectionism doesn't believe in practice shots. It doesn't believe in improvement. Perfectionism has never heard that anything worth doing is worth doing badly--and that if we allow ourselves to do something badly we might in time become quite good at it. Perfectionism measures our beginner's work against the finished work of masters. Perfectionism thrives on comparison and competition. It doesn't know how to say, 'Good try,' or 'Job well done.' The critic does not believe in creative glee--or any glee at all, for that matter. No, perfectionism is a serious matter.”

Here is to gleeful creating with no need for being perfect!

And once again I'm participating in Nina-Marie's Off the Wall Fridays.

Fighting the Downward Pull of Too Much Winter

I thought I might have beaten the winter blues this year. Alas, I have not.  I have been able to keep moving even with the downward pull. Yesterday I finished a Java inspired mask that I created. I think the colorful nature of the mask reflects my need for spring with all of its wonderful greens and colors. Winter often brings out my most colorful work. How about you?

I love how I am pushing my pottery in new directions and using my arsenal of art supplies. For this one I used Viva Decor's Inka Gold in yellow green.  I have to say that I love it! Since it is paint that has a bee's wax base, it has no smell and it easily cleans up. I only own the yellow green so I will be adding more colors in the future. There are 19 more to choose. I also used Pebeo's Prisma Fantasy (one of the purples) which didn't quite give the effect that it does on paper, but I am still pleased.  And so I continue to work hoping the groundhog was correct and I'll get my early spring.

Decided to make this post for Off the Wall Fridays. Thanks Nina-Marie!

To Risk and "Be"

The realization today was the downward pull of winter. While I did not mind shoveling the wet and heavy two-inches of snow that fell last night, it did not help my mood. I really had intended to clean the paper work area of my office, but the small containers of bits started calling to me. At first, it was dosed with a large amount of guilt. Am I becoming the person with bits too small to use? To brighten my mood, I decided to make a small collage ( 6 x 4.5 inches) only using things I had in one of my containers of small bits. The background is from a card made by Marianne Hammett of Chicago. The silk piece was applied to the card so crooked that it made me crazy and I could never mail it to anyone. I think I did a good job of camouflaging the crookedness by adding the wave trim and cutting the card.   I don't know what she uses but I also discovered almost nothing sticks to the silk! So efforts to change it failed although if you look closely you can see some stamping that I attempted. I do like the way I was able to change the white around the silk. The image of the woman is from a card my friend Marie Z. Johansen created and has sent me several times. Love it! I added the cherry blossom to her forehead and her "halo." I will gladly gift "BE" to Marie if she would like to have it. The words are reminders to myself and were left over from test prints for my 12-12-12 quilt.

This does show me, once again, that sometimes a limited palette works and what is needed to create. Too many choices can be just as bad as too few. Of course, it did not make much of a dent in my small bits, but it did brighten my mood.

While working on this piece, my mind went back to several conversations I have had this week on risk. I listened to one friend give a list of endless excuses of why she cannot be creative and so much of it was fear-based. Does trying new things take courage?  Is trying and failing such a bad thing? I frequently ask people who are afraid of risk, "What is the biggest chance you have ever taken?" I realize that getting on a plane and traveling to an unknown place a third of the world away is foreign to most people. But something is lost in our obsessive concern for safety and security--the spirit of adventure. Life is a gamble in which we don't get to deal the cards, but we are obligated to play them to the best of our ability. None of us gets out alive. I would much rather take a risk and fail then to simply be safe.  On the flip side, I have reconnected with former student and friend Diane Fisher. She has asked me to help her guild be more creative/adventuresome. I am so honored and excited! So what is the biggest chance you have ever taken?

And I'm making this my Off the Wall Fridays post. We all have to support each other!

A Love Affair- Not Quite Yet

Detail of Joomchi lace

I love learning about other cultures and like my travels, ignorance often provides incredible discoveries. I think if I had really read through the directions with the mind of determining just how much time I would spend passing a wet ball of paper between my hands and squeezing, I might just have run the other way. Creating joomchi is labor intensive. I do not like my first piece (third photo). I did learn a lot. With my second attempt, I made joomchi lace (two layers of mulberry paper-yellow for the base and purple on top). Now this I like, but when I tell you that it took more than five hours to create, do you think I am crazy? This could also be the reason that this traditional way of making paper is a dying art in Korea. Who has the time?  I wish I could hand it to you so you could hold the piece up to the light and see all the tiny holes. It's quite beautiful.

Hanji, Korean mulberry paper, is amazingly strong and the joomchi process makes it even stronger. "It's like life," says joomchi artist Jiyong Chung, "Through hardships we become stronger, as the paper does. In the process of breaking down and forming new bonds, the paper becomes stronger."  I definitely think that my hands and forearms are going it get stronger. Tomorrow may prove to be a difficult pottery day. I hope not. I can't say that I have a love affair with joomchi, but I'm not done yet. I want to try drawing on the paper, dyeing the paper, and stitching on the paper using the joomchi process.

So I'm connecting once again with Nina-Marie and her Off the Wall Fridays. She considers me a mixed media artist and I don't think I can disagree. There are just too many wonderful things to play with and explore. When you see a butterfly at rest, perched on a flower, spreading its wings, it is said to be "basking," pausing to gather energy for future movement. For me, trying something new that has nothing to do with my chosen media, quilting, helps me restore my energy. It makes me itchy to get back to it. How do you bask in your life?

Happy Dancing!

 Done! And in time for the Nina-Marie's Off the Wall Fridays. It feels good to have a UFO completed. My hope is finish one UFO a month this year. Of course, I have not checked to see how many UFOs I have so I guess that will need to be the next step. It feels good to have focus and a plan for the year. This also helps as winter seems to have finally arrived making spring seem far away.

I also posted on the Ideas of Inspiration's blog.  This month's prompt is "things that you love" in honor of Valentine's Day.  I chose "found objects" even though my list of things that I love is quite long.

"It matters not who you love, where you love, why you love, when you love or how you love, it only matters that you love." -John Lennon

So here is to finishing and love! It is a great day!

Louise's Journal and Reflections on Life

 Louise Kirby's theme for her journal is "nature studies." We were suppose to right about ourselves so I created a little book (first image) which I added to the beginning of her journal. Next I worked on a few pages. I decided not to finish anything (a recommendation of the organizer of the journal exchange). However, I loved the idea of creating something that connected to another page of the journal. I also wanted to play with words and finally after making lots and lots of lists decided on "grow" and "flow." This was so much fun and just what I needed. Jan's death has shook me up more than I realized. I keep thinking about all the things I wanted to share with her and didn't have the chance. When these things happen, I always look at them as a wake-up call. It makes me reflect on whether or not I am living authentically, doing all that I can to fulfill my potential, both for myself and for the world, am I having enough fun. These were my thoughts as I worked on Louise's journal. Hope she enjoys the pages as much as I enjoyed creating them. And while this is not Friday, Nina-Marie Sayre kindly gives us until Sunday to share in her Off the Wall Fridays challenge. Also if you want to see more of the journals, check out our blog The Sisterhood of the Traveling Journals. My journal is on its way and I can't wait to see it!

Birthing the Crone

There are days when I look in the mirror and think, "Who is that?" For the most part, I like getting older. I am becoming more comfortable in my skin and I care less and less what others think of me. I laugh loud and often! I say what I mean and I mean what I say. That said, I still have to deal with not being able to do all that I did when I was younger. Masks have been my things for a long time  so it seemed perfect to make one that deals with aging. She's not done yet but I wanted to share what I have been working oon  and to accept Nina-Marie Sayre's offer to join in on her Off the Wall Fridays challenge. What a great way to create support and accountability!

I also want to thank Pride of the Prairie Quilters for once again inviting me to share and warming embracing me. What a fabulous group of women! For the first time in my twenty-five years of being involved with quilt guilds, I saw a guild with multiple people running for board offices because they wanted to be involved and make a difference. It was amazing as was their show and share.