Gaia- Making My Own Green

I continue to explore clay. For this one, I even made the glaze but she seemed a little too plain so I added moss, yarn, beads and tiny pinecones. The rock she is holding is a felted both by hand and with a needle. While gluing all the moss was a challenge, I do like the way she looks because I always envisioned her as being very organic. And spending time with something green seems fitting as our winter continues to hang out and St. Patrick's Day is just around the corner. She is approx. 24 inches tall.

Life, Judging and Art

Please forgive me for not posting. I do appreciate all the emails of concern. Today I woke to a winter wonderland, only it's suppose to be spring. It feels as if this winter will never end. My dad continues to decline. His end is slow, painful and messy. I would not wish this on anyone. He remains alert and hopeful.

I did make it to the opening of Clay3 at the Warrenville Public Library. As with all exhibits, some pieces spoke to me and others did not. I did question the juror and judge, Kurt Weiser, on his selecting multiple pieces by the same artist. Of the fifty-one pieces in the show, there were only 36 artists represented. I understand that more than 100 artists entered. I know the work of two who were rejected so my thought was "laziness?" Two of the pieces look like they were done by the same person but were not. I am told that they are very typical of a plate coming out of a soda kiln firing. I was thrilled that my friend Viki Dracopoulos got in. She began creating pottery six years ago at the age of 16. In just the short time that I have known her, I have watched her grow. She was like an excited little kid at the opening and it was a joy to watch.

I am a lover of hands and Jamie Bates Slone of Kansas City, Missouri, work was interesting but I did not think it deserved first place. The blue one is titled "Degenerate II"(the winner) and the aqua one is "Degenerate I." The artist statement which can only be found in the catalog did move me. "My work is an examination and reflection of the memories, emotions, and anxieties caused by my family's history with cancer with an emphasis on the relationship between human biology and human emotion."

If I had been the judge, I would have chosen Vijay Paniker's "Pan Co Safety Can" as the first place winner. Unfortunately, the lighting and crowds made it impossible to get a decent photograph. I encourage you to visit his website. You will not be disappointed. Vijay makes his sculptures look like they have been manufactured by machines rather than by an individual. It just goes to show how subjective judging can be.

Sunshine from Wanda

Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude.
                         --Ralph Waldo Emerson

I am blessed with the most caring friends a person can have in ones life. This tiny bit of sunshine made into a magnet came in the mail from my friend Wanda Shelton.  I cannot help but smile every time I see it. Thank you Wanda! This tiny act has lifted my heart. Who have you given some sunshine to lately? 

Mending a Broken Heart

I am so excited tonight I will be giving a lecture on the journey of my book, Quilts in the Attic, to Faith Circle Quilters Guild in Downer's Grove, Illinois. I will also be teaching my "Mending Your Broken Heart" workshop on Saturday. I always find it interesting how my workshops seem to go in cycles. I haven't taught this workshop in a couple of years and now it is being requested again. I started making these hearts more than 15 years ago when friends began having heart attacks, divorces, etc. I wanted to send something more than a card so "Mending a Broken Heart" came into being. I love teaching this workshop because people go home with multiple hearts nearly done (sewing down the binding). They also learn to put a complex binding on and they can use the embroidery stitches on their machines and I teach how to make fun rope so that they can hang on a door knob, hospital bed, etc. Looking forward to sharing!

Good Deed and A New Connection

On Thursday while at ClaySpace, a plea went out to fix a broken piece for Clay3 (a national exhibition/competition put on by ClaySpace). Stephanie Lanter's piece, "Invaders," was selected for the show's poster and Stephanie had asked for the piece to be fixed. Since I have been playing with lots of different glues and epoxies and no one else wanted to step up, I did. The piece had eight pieces that needed to be glued. I spent most of Friday working on it and finished today. Last night I had a delightful conversation with Stephanie. Her piece resonated with me since it is all about relationships (i.e. communications) with others and ourselves. When I went to her website and discovered that she is also combining fiber with clay, the connection deepened. Please check out her work. You won't be disappointed.

Several people told me that I was nuts to take on this job. Maybe that is true, but I was able to put it back together. I did this because I know that I would want someone to step up for me if the shoe was on the other foot.

In Search of Lost Time

Time flames like a paraffin stove / and what burns are the minutes I live.
                     ― Irving Layton, The Selected Poems


While creating my second altar, I thought it might be more accurate to call them shrines. When I looked up shrine in the dictionary, the definition was "altar." I think I like the word shrine better. This particular one deals with Robert Field, my father's legal guardian and his marriage late in life (he was nearly 60) to Rachel Knuth (she was 52 or 53 when they married). Ken worried that I am using "real objects" and won't I miss them when my shrines sell. They are just things. Most were things that I retrieved out of the trash when my dad was cleaning out their house. Things are not memories. Things aren't people. If someone purchases my shrines, to me it means the things have found a new home.

Next I am thinking about changing the title of "Secrets" to "In Search of Lost Time." As I go through all the things that I have collected from family members over the years, I keep thinking "if I only knew." So many questions will go unanswered.

Secrets One

Confront the dark parts of yourself, and work to banish them with illumination or forgiveness. Your willingness to wrestle with your demons will cause your angels to sing. - August Wilson

I marvel at how the universe can sometimes make it impossible for you to look away. That is my reality. My dad is dying and not in a nice way but slow and painful way. My friend, Ken Maloney, has asked me to join him in a show at ClaySpace that focuses on where we grew up. So to deal with all the issues/demons, I am making art. I decided to do a series of alters which I am calling "Secrets." This one is "Secrets One: The Adopted Grandmother." The alters are made from clay and the contents are from different people in my life growing up. Now that I have finished the first one based on my adopted grandma Rachel, I am anxious to continue. The healing has hopefully began.