Imperfectly Perfect UFO

I dug out another UFO. I cannot remember when I made it, but it is more than 15 years old. It did not take long to realize why I did not finish it. I appliqued one of the funky leaves the wrong way. Ugh. I must say I did a nice job with the applique so I do think this is worth finishing. The question is how. I do not want to take the leaf off and redo it. I'm afraid the fabric will not hold up and I no longer have any of the fabrics. The blocks are not square but 10.5 " by 11." Originally I was going to make it into the square arrangement. I could put them in a row (second photo). Thoughts?

Thanks to everyone who wrote me and said that they were going to embrace being "imperfectly perfect"! You made my day.

Incubating Ideas and Feeling the Fear

For nearly two years, I have been thinking about creating a crow painting to honor the female crow that has adopted me.  Saturday after open studio at Clay Space, I decided that I needed to just do it! No more thinking about it. No more kidding myself that I was letting the idea incubate. It was way past time. If it did not work, I would not have to let anyone know. I used Golden fluid acrylics and once I got started it just flowed out of me and it felt so good. That less than an hour had passed when I finished was truly a shock.  The painting is going to rest for at least another day then I will decide if I want to tweak it. It will hang either in my office or studio until it finds a new home as many of my artwork does.  Every time I face something that frightens me, I feel empowered. Whenever I let go of trying to be perfect, I feel better about myself. Perfectly imperfect. That is where I am and where I will stay.

Acquiring some understanding of why we do things is often a prerequisite to change. I am still trying to figure it all out and in the mean time, I am going to create more art! I hope you will join me.

Found Objects and Sharpie Pens

I've been pondering why I love found objects so much. I think it must be the thrill of the find. It is always an unexpected gift. One of my favorite finds is feathers.  The only time I am not happy about finding lots of feathers is when it is evidence of the Cooper hawk's dinner, then I am just sad even though I know this is how nature works.

My particular love of feathers has moved into my pottery work. I can't wait to share with you my crow mask. Be patient. The first one fell apart. It's a live and learn thing. I am still finding my way.

On Saturday, I bought a package of colored Sharpie pens (fine point). They were on sale at Staples and I couldn't resist. I'm a sucker for pens. The packing said that they would not run so I tested by using them on the last page of my journal.  I drew the feathers and of course, wrote with them then used water colored over it. Thrill of thrills, it worked! I am so excited. This opens up such wonderful possibilities. Am I the last one to know this?

Thanks to everyone who has become a new follower. I am overwhelmed with the response to my silk giveaway. I promise to do it again. Wish I had enough for everyone.  For me it has been a grey, rainy day which is making the snow disappear so it not all bad. Happy creating!

Blog Giveaway- Sharing My Love Afffair with Silk

The wonderful Michele Foster is hosting another blog hop in hopes of chasing the winter blues away. I sure hope it works! I decided to share some of my silk from my travels.

The silk I am sharing today is from Kyrgyzstan, a small, poor country near China. I had the privilege of traveling to Kyrgyzstan to curate an exhibition of American art quilts and Kyrgyz patchwork.  The silk was produced during Soviet times. While silk use to be a major industry in Kyrgyzstan, that ended when the Soviet Union fell apart. There is a small effort being made to weave silk again in Osh, where I purchased the silk in an open air market. I've included a photograph I took of the women who were selling it (note the meter silk she is using to measure it). In addition, there is a photo transfer of postage stamps from Kyrgyzstan.

Each piece is approximately 9" x 28" and as you can see in the second photograph, you can use either side. I hope you enjoy owning a little bit of history.


Read Carefully:

1. I will ship internationally.
2. I won't be responsible if the package gets lost in the mail.
3. Winner will be announced on March 20 in honor of the spring equinox.  I will not track you down so make sure you either check back or leave an easy way for me to contact you so I can get your address. If I don't hear from you within 24 hours, a new winner will be selected.
4.  I love people who follow my blog and want them to know it so my followers will get their names put into the hat twice. My last blog giveaway a follower won!

Enjoy the hop!

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!

Zentangle Artist Trading Cards

I discovered Zentangles in 2009. I played around with it for a while, but it did not speak to me as it has done others. Lately, there has been a lot of talk about Zentangles especially in my pottery class. Postmark'd Art had it as a theme in the last round. I made a skull. heARTIST Trading Cards has selected the theme for May. I was too tired to do much on Saturday night so I decided to play around with making Zentangle ATCs. At first, it was tough because usually one works in a 3-inch square and Zentangles usually do not include color. The pieces just seemed to be screaming "color" to me and I like them so much better with color.  It was definitely fun to revisit this wonderful way to doodle. Not sure if I will make more cards or simply use these. Guess I'll decide closer to the trade. I will say it made me feel productive and creative during a low energy period. It most certainly helped me recharge. Now I can't wait for May to come around and see what everyone else in the group creates.

Creativity Lesson 7: Torn Landscape

Maybe at the root we are coils of possibility in constant rotation.  -Thomas Moore

When we walk to the edge of all the light we have and take the step into the darkness,  of the unknown, we must believe that one of two things will happen. There will be something solid for us to stand on or we will be taught to fly.  -Patrick Overton

 

Assignment #7 – Torn Landscape

In this assignment, “landscape” is used in the loosest terms. Remember the idea is to explore, play and be open. We will tear fabric instead of using a rotary cutter. I also recommend that you do this as quilt-as-you-go (all three layers sewn at once.) Cut your background and batting at least two inches bigger than you want your finished size (nothing smaller than 18” by 24” is recommended). You may also have a top fabric if you like.

Inning:  Instead of an outing, time to go inward. Identify one belief that you had when you began this journey and no longer have. I would love to know what it is if you are willing to share.

Suggested Reading: Original Self: Living with Paradox and Originality by Thomas Moore

My youngest son is beginning a new career in woodworking. One of the things that he is creating is signs that are different words- eat, laugh, create, dream, etc.. He gave me "create" for Christmas and I have not had the time to paint it. He is painting the ones that he is selling solid colors which he knew would not work for me. Anyway, I finally took some time to paint mine. He's happy with it and I love that this now hangs in my studio and it seemed perfect to share today. Happy creating!