Texas Original

I'm back on line. And out on a line, too. Speaking metaphorically, at least. Seems that getting one's hard drive back in order, with scattered (or nonexistant) backup files is enough to tangle my very cockles. Good thing Real de Catorce was as wonderful a trip as I can imagine. (See the next post.)

Meanwhile, catching up with events in the etherworld and the real planet is the day's challenge -- and probably tomorrow's, too. And here's one of the happy notices in the inbox, an official notification and an accompanying press release that I have been selected as one of this year's 38 craft  artisans to be part of the Texas Original program. Check the website "SHOP" page for the others, last year's and this. Of the fiber artists, Kim Ritter is another quilt artist selected for 2006-07.

AUSTIN, Texas – Nov. 15, 2006 – The Texas Commission on the Arts (TCA) has selected 38 of Texas’ most talented craft artisans to be part of its Texas Original (TxO) program. The skilled artisans represent 22 different cities across the state and they work in a variety of mediums including glass, fiber, metal, wood and stone.

 

The 38 selected artisans were among nearly 1,500 craftsmen from across the state invited to participate in this year’s TxO program application process. TCA chose the artisans based not only on their ability to create high-quality, authentic and original works, but also on their high business and artistic standards.

“Each of these artists embodies what it means to be a Texas craft artisan and we are proud to promote their work,” said Rick Hernandez, executive director of TCA. “The TxO program taps into Texas’ flourishing industry of arts and crafts and we hope that, as the program grows, so does the visibility of the craft arts in Texas.”

The TxO program, in full swing after a successful pilot period, aims to preserve Texas’ unique arts and crafts heritage by promoting Texas craft artisans and their original works. To assist TxO artisans, the TxO Web site, www.txoriginal.com, functions as an opportunity for the artisans to successfully market their products, supporting each individuals’ career in the arts. Through the Web site customers can link to member artisan’s sites where they are able to purchase original pieces and learn about the cultural influences that shape each individual’s work. TCA will promote the TxO program with coordinated studio tours, through participation in existing craft festivals and galas and by organizing special events featuring TxO artisans.

 

Computer Woe

My hard drive died a sudden death. So until I return from a Thanksgiving holiday to Real de Catorce in the middle of mountainous central Mexico, you won't see anything new on my blog. Fortunately I have a wonderful cat-loving computer guru, Cirby at MacStuff, who takes care of the hardware, and we just have to wait for the brand new, faster, more gig drive to arrive. My backup is about a month old, which is good for me, though not good enough, so I am scrambling to recover versions of stuff I've sent around the planet!

One of the casualties was a set of photos taken this weekend at Lost Maples State Natural Area (see link at end of this post, I can't edit correctly on this computer). We took a splendid 5 mile hike through and above the maples, all gloriously gold and pink.I wish you could see the pictures. And now, they are, relegated to memory for me, which sometimes is even better.

I have been working long hours in the studio, and have two mermaids ready for an exhibit at Galeria Ortiz, a group show that opens next Thursday. All of us in the exhibit were partners or otherwise involved in the running of Textures, a fiber arts partnership gallery that we closed last January. Here's the second of the two -- she's a Garden Mermaid, the siren who longs for the earth and green plants.

Lost Maples State Natural Area

Fabulous Fiber Arts Sale

 Want to see more fiber art work for sale ?--click here.

 

Fiber Artists of San Antonio held a first ever holiday sale on Saturday in a private home in Alamo Heights, one of San Antonio's distinctive bedroom cities. For a first-time effort, put together very nicely by secretary Carolene Zehner and other members on a short time line and tiny budget, funded by those members who participated, the event seemed very well received, with respectable sales for many, good conversation and exposure for all. I enjoyed being part of the event as much for the opportunity to see wonderful work by members of the group, as for the chance to show and sell.  In order of photos shown: Liz Napier and scarves (she arranged for the wonderful space); Amy Jones and her whimsical creatures; Stephanie Stokes' wearable, felted work; Rita Crosby's hats; Sherry Tolar's Wild Women; Lisa Mittler's art quilts (just 6 of the 20 plus artists who participated):

 

 

 

100 Ways to Make Your Mark on Fabric

Teaching a class with this title at the Southwest School of Art and Craft, I challenged myself to come up with 100 ways that one could “make a mark” on fabric. This list is by no means complete – and we certainly didn’t make it through all the techniques in the one 8-session course of study, but I also figure that most of the methods can be used with three different media  -- acrylic textile paints, dye and discharge chemicals, so many of the techniques listed are three-in-one. I made the list to serve me (and those artists who take my courses) as a reminder – a tickler – a spur to experiment and stretch. We all get dependent on a few tricks and forget that a whole bag is waiting to be investigated.

I certainly don’t claim ownership of any of the methods or techniques here listed. You’ll find many of them in any good surface design book – I give credit to Jane Dunnewold (Complex Cloth)and her ArtCloth Studios courses for most of my own technical experimentation and any mastery that I may have developed to her encouragement.

Many of these printing/mark-making techniques can be used with textile inks (screen-printing type –thick or medium density, such as Setacolor, or thin, like DekaSilk), with dye thickened with sodium alginate or commercial dye thickener, with dishwashing gel containing bleach for discharge, or one of the commercial discharge pastes.

Most supplies (dyes, paints, chemicals, thickeners) can be purchased at Dharma Trading Company. Dyes and chemicals are also available from Pro Chem.

Procion MX dyes are to be used on natural fibers only and need batching  (sitting damp in a warm place) generally in order for the chemical reaction to take place. Most textile paints MUST be set by ironing after dry or other heat-set method. Do not iron until dry in order to avoid toxic fumes.

PLEASE follow safety techniques including gloves, dust masks and respirators as needed. This list is intended as a tickler list for surface design artists – not as a manual of detailed instructions. Consult technical manuals for dye recipes, specific techniques and how-tos. But if something really intrigues you, add a comment and I’ll try to give more specific instructions.

STAMPING
1.    Erasers (art gum or white artist erasers) can be carved with relief shapes using Xacto knife
2.    Eraser stamps can be carved, then ganged together by gluing to plastic or wood block (use E6000 glue or similar) to make a mosaic of patterns
3.    Speedy Stamp blocks or other carvable material, carved with lino cut tools (material available from Dharma or Dick Blick or similar art supply site)
4.    Styrofoam plates or meat trays “etched” with design using pen or sharp stylus
5.    Styrofoam plates or meat trays cut into shapes and mounted on wooden blocks
6.    “Fun foam” precut shapes (the stuff of summer camp projects) glued  (or use self adhesive stamps) onto blocks – double-thick for best results
7.    “Fun foam” cut into original designs and mounted on blocks or plastic corrugated board (double thick again, best for ink impressions)
8.    Adhesive sheet craft felt cut into shapes and mounted on printing blocks (both poly felt and plastic textured “felt)
9.    Compressed sponges cut into shape while dry, then wet with paint or dye to make sponge printing blocks
10.     Natural or poly sponges torn or cut for rough texturing stamps or overall texturing
11.     Foam rollers carved or impressed with string or rubber bands to make rollable texture stamps
12.     Cut packing material into large shapes for printing or use “as is”
13.    Print with found objects (kitchen utensils, plastic plates, bubble wrap etc)
14.    Stamp with vegetables cut in flat sides or in shapes (ie potato prints)
15.    Stamp with hands, feet, body parts
16.    Make leaf prints by thinly rolling leaves with paint or dye on the vein side, burnish on fabric to print
17.    Make printing plates with layers of corrugated paper cut in patterns and stacked and glued, Coat with polyurethane to make permanent.
18.    Use moldable foam stamp material to make heat-set designs (from Dharma)
19.     Carve linoleum blocks to use for printing
20.     Use “tjaps” from India or Indonesia for stamping paint or dye (wooden or metal)
21.    Use modeling clay, play dough or polymer clay to make stamps – use either soft or hardened –make an imprint with a textured object or shape, brush on a textile paint or thickened dye
22.    Commercial stamps from hobby and craft store – foam, rubber, wood, etc.

MONOPRINTING
23.    Spread or brush paint or dye on large plastic plate or plastic drop cloth. Monoprint with fabric yardage
24.    Brush paint in designs on textured surfaces such as bubble wrap, textured grids for ceiling lights, etc.
25.     Adhere freezer paper in torn or cut designs by ironing to fabric, Brush, spray or roll on paint, dye or discharge
26.    Cut large shapes from corrugated paper (single corrugated that has ridges on outside of sheet) Use to monoprint
27.    Spread paints or thickened dye on a textured plastic surface
28.    Brush dye or paint on plastic lace tablecloths, lay fabric on top of it and press to monoprint

STENCILING
29.    Cut stencils with freezer paper and adhere to fabric by ironing
30.    Cut stencil design from magazine art, using the picture as your guide, coat with layer of clear packing tape on both sides to strengthen
31.     Use commercial stencils and parts of stencils overlapping with one another to add interest, cut up commercial stencils and recombine with clear tape
32.    Cut your own stencils from poster board or old file folders. Coat with clear plastic spray to make more durable
33.    Use found objects – plastic lace, grids, wire mesh, etc – as stencils
34.     Use spray paint  -- water- or enamel-based -- with stencils
35.    Use spray misting bottle filled with dye for stenciling
36.    Use spray misting bottle filled with bleach for resist stenciling (USE A RESPIRATOR AND PROTECTIVE CLOTHING , WORK OUTDOORS – bleach in the air is very dangerous to your lungs)


MARK-MAKING/DRAWING

(These methods use the drawing instrument, not dye or paint unless noted)
37.    Paint or draw with thin and/or thickened dye on damp or dry fabric
38.    Paint or draw with silk paints or thinned fabric paints on damp or dry fabric
39.     Use salt on thin washes to develop textures
40.    Draw with fabric markers (iron to set)
41.     Draw with permanent markers such as sharpies (iron to set)
42.     Draw with crayons (iron to set)
43.    Draw with transfer fabric crayons on paper – iron onto fabric to transfer  (ON poly fibers only)
44.    Draw with oil pastels, iron to set
45.     Use crayons, oil pastels or crayons with stencils or as rubbings over textured objects or plates
46.     Use water soluble crayons (caran d’ache) on a silk screen, and then screen with polymer medium
47.     Stretch fabric on frame and paint with gutta and silk paints (see Dharma catalog for instructions)
48.    Draw directly on fabric with India Ink
49.     Use Setacolors to make “sun prints” (see manufacturers instructions)
50.    Crumple or fold fabric and apply dye with spray misting bottle, leaving patterns through creasing and wrinkling.

TRANSFERS AND FOILS. PHOTOTRANSFER
51.    Transfer illustrations or text to fabric using polymer medium – apply wet in patterns, burnish papers to wet medium, let dry and wash away the paper leaving ink
52.    Apply polymer medium with stamps, stencils etc to fabric. Let dry, iron on foil (shiny side up)
53.    Cut shapes from WonderUnder or other fusible webbing and iron on, remove paper, iron on foil
54.    Print image or design on BACK of foil, let dry, iron on to fabric
55.    Use commercial transfer paper with an inkjet printer, iron to transfer
56.    Print directly on fabric – commercial product or sheets you make by ironing smooth fabrics to freezer paper, fuse or stitch to larger fabrics

RESISTS
57.    Use washable school glue to paint on a resist before dyeing
58.    Use commercial resist (PRESIST) to paint on before dyeing
59.    Fold, clamp, rubber band your fabric to make a physical resist
60.    Stamp, stencil etc with polymer gel medium. Let dry thoroughly then dye or dye paint. Dried polymer gel medium acts as a resist.
61.    Use flour paste to block areas of fabric
62.    Use rice paste to block areas of fabric
63.    Use hot wax (traditional batik method or soy wax) – stamped, painted, etc.
64.    Stitch patterns on fabric, pull to gather tightly, then dye or spray with thinned paint, stitching forms the resist

THERMOFAX and SCREENPRINTING
65.    Use natural objects to make a screen by photocopying it (leaves, sticks, etc)
66.    Use manmade objects such as lace, fabric with thick texture, etc to make a thermal screen
67.     Draw a picture and photocopy it to make a thermal screen
68.    Make a collage for a thermal screen
69.    Make a stencil on the back of a screen by ironing (carefully) on freezer paper
70.    Cut a screen stencil from contact paper
71.    Use hot wax or soy wax to make a screen stencil
72.    Stamp some of your favorite stamps in patterns to make a thermal screen
73.    Using the same design, enlarge, reduce and make multiples to design different screens –make a family of related thermal screens or traditional screens
74.    Use drawing fluid to draw a design, then coat with red screen filler, wash out drawing fluid to leave your design as a stenciled screen
75.    Apply a thin layer of flour paste to a screen. Let dry and etch a design
76.     Make a photo-emulsion screen (instructions in books and on the web)

EMBELLISHMENTS
77.    Add beads in patterns or randomly
78.    Stitch by hand or machine – fancy or plain embroidery stitches (This could be 100 ways all on its own!)
79.    Piece torn strips of fabric, seam out
80.    Piece cut fabric squares or other shapes
81.    Appliqué fabric shapes and designs
82.    Sew on found objects, such as keys, chains, paper clips etc
83.    Using fusible webbing, adhere photos, paper, fabric, textures, leaves, plant material etc
84.    Collage using polymer medium and layers of fabric, texture, etc
85.    Coat fabric with layers of beeswax to make a fabric encaustic
86.    Stiffen fabric with starch or polymer medium
87.    Iron on interfacing to stiffen
88.    Fold or crumple polyester fabrics and drop in boiling water to make creases permanent
89.    Use safety pins, studs, snaps or buttons as decorative embellishments
90.    Use zippers as embellishments

OTHER
91.    Rust fabric by layering it with iron objects, spray with 50/50 vinegar solution, leave wrapped in plastic in the sun for several days
92.    Rip, tear or otherwise distress fabric
93.    Burn edges or areas of fabric (BE CAREFUL)
94.    Compost fabric by burying it for several weeks in soil or organic material
95.    Coat fabric with colored clays or mud to stain it (Mud cloth techniques)
96.    Tear or cut fabric in strips and weave it back together.
97.    Tear or cut fabric in strips and braid it, knot it or twist it into shapes.
98.    Quilt by hand or machine, layering fabric and batting, traditional or experimental.
99.    Fray the edges of fabric, fringing all the sides or just the ends.
100.    Pull threads to make patterns in your fabric.
    

Color Waves

Working on a companion mermaid today, I thought almost obsessively about color. How this one is different ... how to make the pinky rose sea dance with another jade set of scales? How to make them work, if needed, on one wall together, but also swim alone? What little strip will make the whole composition pop? The story is always important to me; but color still comes first when it comes to putting it on the wall -- then shape and space running close on color's heels.

I always start with color. It's my strong suit, and the card I tip most often. Maybe it happened in 1958 (I was 10) with that first box of 64 crayons. Heaven, right?

Lurking around on the internet during rest breaks from sewing Sunset Sirena #1, I found a multitude of sites about color, color theory, more color theory, color in all its screaming and whispering hues, color trends on the horizon, color sorted by Flickr groups, color used in marketing and selling to sort and organize, on and on and on. (See what you think of these and tell me about others that make you squeak-- I'm planning a color workshop in March.)

(And how about those "silent density," delicious palpitations," "sulphurous infusions," "precious blacknesses"?)

Just as I was finishing the studio workday, I looked again at the photos I took this weekend -- just to find nature's perfect use of complementary color.

Dark/Light

The next workshop here at El Cielo is set for Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 2-3, 2006. Here's the workshop brochure (you can find it after today on the page "Coming up: Workshops," a link on the righthand  sidebar of this site).

Artists Journey: Dark into Daylight

At El Cielo Studio, Pipe Creek, Texas

With fiber artist Susie Monday 

 

The days are dark: literally --as the light wanes toward Winter Solstice -- and politically, as peace on earth seems quite distant. This workshop retreat will give participating artists a chance to explore the movement and balance of the dance of light and dark, of war and peace in our lives and the lives of our planet. How in design, images depend on their opposite to give meaning and beauty, and how, in life, light and dark are both part of the cycle of creative growth. A chance to look at our own stance in the ongoing struggle between war and peace –in our emotions, our own homes, our everyday interactions. To ignore the shadow is tempting, but some of our most meaningful and most generous work as artists comes from paying attention to the darkness in our souls, the paths through pain and loss.

We will journey through techniques that allow work from dark and light opposites, and have the joy of doing so supported -- exploring shadow/light, darkness/daylight and the spiritual traditions that are part of this season. I am not a trained therapist: this workshop is not for deep psychological work, but the small group format insures a safe and confidential environment to explore dichotomies through journaling, conversation and creativity.

On the technical, art-making side of things, we will cut a plethora of Notan expanded squares and experiment with other Notan exercises (NOTAN is a Japanese word which means "dark-light". NOTAN as it relates to design is defined as the interaction between a positive and a negative space. ...). We will make fabric art quilt peace flags to send to an international collaborative art project. All the while playing with contrast as an element of design, and manipulating photographic images with software to create high-contrast images suitable to silkscreen and thermofax production.

WHEN:

Sat. Dec. 2,  9:45 am - ?*
Sun. Dec. 3, 9:30 am – 3:00 pm*
*Supper will be prepared by the group about 6 pm. We’ll conclude the day’s work with favorite poems, and time in the hot tub, with hillside walks, amazing vistas and a nurturing environment. Call 210-643-2128 for more information.
Or email susiemonday@sbcglobal.net

We’ll share meals (bring a sack lunch for Saturday, Saturday supper and Sunday brunch are included in the fee), vistas from the deck and strolls down the country roads or into the cedar as the weather permits, as well as participate in a variety of fun and meaningful exercises using simple materials, most of which are included with the tuition.

FEE, including meals: $145 per person. 10% discount for registration before 12/1/06 ($131.50). Limited enrollment. Overnight accommodations are available for a modest fee ($15-$30) per night. Supply List: your favorite kind of journal or notebook, assorted pens, 1 -2 yards of black dischargable fabric, scissors, favorite poem about dark/light.

Susie Monday has taught adults and children for more than 30 years. Her art cloth and quilts have been included in international exhibits and private collections. Recent teaching credits include Gemini Ink, Southwest School of Art and Craft, University of the Incarnate Word, King Ranch, and McNay Art Museum. See her work on-line at http://monday.myexpose.com

As with all my workshops, both beginning art cloth and art quilt makers and experienced practitioners are welcome.

No Back Splash

I promised myself a day of work on a new quilt, even though the iggly piggly little nits and bits that plague the self-employed are heaped high on the desk. But My Artist Self is just a little kid, and if she doesn't get to play, she gets very ornery.

 So today, rather than great words of wisdom, we all get play time with color.

Not that the play is completely fret-free. This large Sirena has been hidden in a stack of dyed fabrics, scraps of embroidered dresses and a batt of cotton already top-coated with a layer of WonderUnder and she is a little cranky about showing up. I spent most of the day trying one shape, one pattern and then another, rescuing, undoing trying to balance the rather tricky orange and aqua. Being fearful that this was a big giant waste of good cloth -- boy. where does that come from?

This is one intermediate stage (note feet of The Artist standing on the cutting table):

 

And here's the next one --

 

I sure hope I don't decide I liked the larger pieces of Guatemalan belt better -- as you can see, what was a nice bold set of stripes is now a mosaic of little squares. This mermaid  is boating through a coral sunset, juggling the rising moon, and I wanted to get the sense and movement of reflection on water when the ocean turns pink and aqua, silver and gold.

So, I'm still not sure, but with the larger pieces ironed down, I'll leave the little bits and textures to settle overnight, and hope that I'll either like it all in the morning -- or, as can happen, tear it apart and start  again. But one thing is sure, we had our swim.

Synchronicity's Ground Rules

Whirling dervishes, she said.

Or do I mean juggling mermaids? 

 
Whether  it's Jungian truthtelling, real-time verification of quantum mechanics, or simply anecdotal wishful thinking, I do believe in synchronicity.  This week, a number of loosely related happenings all arranged themselves into a vortex of positive energy: I spent two mornings teaching workshops at a beautiful Hill Country venue on the Guadalupe River, (with small sales at the event), a large art quilt was purchased at the Kerr Cultural Arts Center, and, tonight, an email from art biz guru  Alyson Stanfield let me know that she will feature one of my quilts in her Monday newsletter. Not to mention a friend's note that a book about creativity that we've been working on together has reached the proposal stage -- and, so far, looks good. And that another friend and I have just been selected  in a competitive bid situation to design a major  interactive children's exhibit for the San Antonio Botanical Gardens. Whew.

But synchronistic energy takes ground work - it doesn't spring from wishful thinking, but from "next best steps.

Sometimes. Like everyone. I don't KNOW what I should be doing. So I just keep moving. Experience has taught me that, even if I make a wrong move, I can undo it, or at least get past it, backtrack and start again. But if I freeze up in a stance of "what if"  or "where next" or "why me (or why not me)" I can almost certainly expect more of the same.

So, in that light:

 I started this blog, though I wasn't certain how to make it distinctive or interesting (I'm not certain yet, so tell me your opinions). I have noticed, that as others have observed, writing an on-line journal is as helpful for the writer, if not more so, as for any particular reader.

I've been taking Stanfield's Promotion on-line course, and from its 28-day curriculum, have enough work and thoughtful pondering to take me though 28 more, at least.

I puzzled out a new notion of community by poking around in the Hill Country towns nearby, especially Kerrville, which has a longstanding and well established artist network. 

I reconnected with Art Cloth friends -- and made some new ones -- by going to the Atlanta/Decatur meeting. 

I go into the studio every day possible, even if its just for stare, shuffle and sketch.

I move consciously, dance as much as possible, and keep my eyes open. When I move beyond known worlds, interesting opportunities tiptoe -- or tumble -- into vision.

This seems to work for me.

P.S. Check the link on the righthand sidebar for a new workshop listing -- this is for January 2007, but an even sooner December workshop is coming to this page soon! (OK, it's a bit cattywhampus, but I'm moving!)

All Natural - Not

OK. I can't do two things at once. Like take photos and teach a technique.  I forgot. Sort of. Anyway, here are three snaps taken during the rock-dyeing, with my examples, the rock and one teaching shot.

What we did:

Wrap and rubberband silk scarflets around different sizes and shapes of limestone rocks.

Paint each piece with low-water dye mixtures, using Procion MX dyes that are mixed colors -- rust brown, Chinese red,  bright green, rust brown were the choices I premixed with a soda ash solution.

Microwave for 2 minutes.

Unwrap and wash, revealing interesting shapes, textures and colors. 

 

All Natural

Living here makes it natural. This weekend I'll be sharing techniques that start with nature, both as literal material and content for making artcloth -- form and process. The occasion is two short workshops that are part of a fundraising event for the Hill Country Arts Foundation in Ingram, Texas, near Kerrville. The event: Art for Artists. I will be one of about 20 area artists who will lead demos and share work with supporters and community members. This workshop is primarily an opportunity for me to meet people in the area and to reach people who might want to attend one of my workshop retreats this next year.

 

Here's the rundown -- I'll post examples and photos thoughout the weekend,  creating, I hope, the first of a series of on-line demos and semi "live events." So check in when you can, and see if I have managed to pull it off.

 The demos and hand-on sampler sessions I plan for each of the two hour workshops are:

Using limestone rocks as resists for microwave dyeing

Printing fabric with pressed leaves using textile inks

Setacolor solar printing using natural objects and textures to develop imagery and layering of colors

So much for nature as content and medium-- but within this context, I want to remind the artists -- and myself  -- to look, listen and experience this thing we call nature, as if it were outside and objective, instead of the inner tide that is running the show.

 

This beautiful fall weather is time to connect, to own and be owned by wind and sun and earth. To be in and of the living beat of the world. All the techniques in the paint box, in the art store, in the schoolroom and studio don't turn us into artists. We become artists when we breathe.

More Moo

Moo cards came a few days ago and they are just as delicious as I hoped.

How shall I count the ways?

Moo cards instead of business cards: lots of choices, thicker paper, distinctive but not distracting shape, still fits in the wallet

Moo cards for hang tags: what could be easier to punch and string to the edge of a scarf or a table cloth?

Moo cards to put out at exhibits and openings: small, easy, relatively inexpensive

Moo cards to tuck inside thank you notes and correspondence

Moo cards to hang on my Christmas Tree

Upload another set, put a Christmas greeting on the back and send as the world's smallest greeting cards. OK, I know I have to put them in a bigger envelope for the USPostal Service, still it's a tiny surprise inside.

Make a family photo set of images to send to all the sibs -- I could get two fun gift sets out of each package of 100

Make a miniature tarot moo card set, with my own designs

Invitations (gallery show, sale, studio open house, party with the right 5-line invitation) Slip them inside mailable sized glassine envelopes with a sticky address label on the outside. Different, more noticeable than the standard postcard.

HeArtCloth Quarterly

The fourth wonderful issue of HeArtCloth Quarterly has been posted at Art Cloth Studios. This subscription-based magazine/journal/communize from Jane Dunnewold is on my must-have list of studio resources. Jane's teaching style and generosity come through with grace; the articles by other contributors and gallery sections of guest artists always introduce me to someone new, something intriguing, some way to look at the work I do differently. I get to know a burgeoning international community of those who love to make beautiful fabrics  --- all on one or more of the 50-odd pages that make up each issue (by the way, advertising-free). 

Jane always also includes work or words or both by least one YOUNG artist  -- sometimes I feel a bit stranded in my own generation and these features from art schools provide refreshing voices and also help me to feel that while I may be aging, the work I love has connection and relevance to artists of all ages -- and that there are still people coming along who want to work with their hands, hearts and the one-of-a-kind tactile art that gets me going.

 So, if you buy  only one fiber related book a year, this would get my vote. Click here for a few sample pages, and subscription information -- and while you are at the site, don't forget to check out the other offerings, essays and information.

Creative Success

Artist Lisa Call sent me via blog to marketer and cartoonist Hugh McLeod's site where I found his most popular page "How To Be Creative".

His compilation of a series of posts about creativity and marketing one's creative products is worth more than a casual read. MacLeod seem quite on target to me, but I wondered if I could come up with my personal top 5 "How To Be Creative" rules. Today was a perfect opportunity to keep a little thread going in my back brain, since much of the front (as well as hands and feet) have been devoted to a much-needed house cleaning (the studio still awaits).

Here's what I came up with:

1. It helps to narrow, not broaden, the field.

My most creative and interesting work has come after erecting some interesting parameters and staying within them. I could only develop a "body of work" when I made some decisions to focus on a personal vein of expression that could be mined again and again. Skipping around between media and content was, for me, a way to avoid getting beyond the facile.

2. Persistence is more important than inspiration.

And persistence means getting my hands on my work as many hours, as many days each week as I can. No excuses. No waiting for the muse.

3. When it's not working, back off.

While this sounds like the opposite of #2, it's actually a call to have more than one project on the table, more than one stage of the process in process. If I let something sit around on my big table in the studio, at what ever stage it starts feeling forced, eventually something shifts and the next step appears. Meanwhile, I can keep keeping on with another project that's in another stage of development. This is one reason I like dyeing and printing fabric. I can ALWAYS go mix up a bucket of dye.

4. Don't scrimp on the good stuff.

Eat beans and rice if you must, but don't expect to make art without the stuff of transformation necessary for your creativity. I gotta have dyes, paints, thermofax film, lots of fabric, WonderUnder and batting. Fancy tools and materials may not make the artist, but if you don't have the things that are essential elements for your art, you won't make any. Know your basics and keep them stocked. Do without the rest if you must. I still use a 1950s sewing machine because I haven't been able to justify the expense of a new fancy one, but in truth, it does the job, and I'd rather know I have the cash for new batch of dyes, a bolt of silk noil and -- OK -- a trip to Italy next May.

5. Know what works for you. Honor, protect and defend it.

I think the creative process is different for each of us. We each need feedback and interaction with others at different times in the process; we might need solitude and quiet, or raucous hubbub and a loud stereo at another point. Maybe you start with with your hands or maybe your ears or a swatch of red muslin. You might need a grand map and a fountain pen. You might need three days alone or five minutes looking out the window and the next four years collecting images and facts. Whatever it is you need, you better have it tagged and sorted. Know when to hold, to fold, to keep it very, very quiet.

This isn't as easy as it sounds, because it requires a good deal of self observation and tolerance for your own foibles. I've been fortunate. From childhood -- even professionally -- I've been nurtured by a culture that honors self-knowledge in the realm of creativity -- something quite different than personality, by the way. This culture of nurturnance of creative work and individual process is what I strive to shape for the workshops here at El Cielo Studio.

Tooling Around

I guess you could say it all started here:

cuneiform writing and hieroglyphics

Both images from art in the collection of Emory University 

I've spent the morning playing with the Squarespace tools creating a special members-only area on this site for the ArtCloth Network (you'll see it at the bottom of the right sidebar). As with any endeavor, learning to make use of the powerful tools on this host site is both frustrating and invigorating. Now that I have made one area for a special audience, I think it might be fun to make another -- perhaps for participants in El Cielo Studio workshop retreats and/or those in my other classes, both in SA and around the country. Several students have commented that they wished they had an easy and fun way to stay in touch with each other -- including visuals --they just don't work easily as email-- and with interactivity that has a degree of intuitive communication.

We are entering yet-another next-generation era of electronic conversation --  Yahoo group memberships seem clunky and not very visually satisfying to someone like me, who listens with her eyes first. I have such a problem with the visual clutter of Yahoo Groups that I get frustrated before I begin. Blogging is wildly colonizing the ether between us, and blogging tools and software are getting better and more flexible. (I highly recommend Squarespace if you are willing to pay a bit more to get a whole lot more -- and, no, they are not paying me to say this!)

Of course, the downside is that most of us are probably spending too much time on-line and not enough time on-life these days! At any rate, I think I have had my fun for now, but if any of my former class participants are reading this, let me know if you would like a "members-only" area where you could post work in progress, brag on your accomplishments and get feedback on the art in your life and the life in your art. Leave your comments by clicking on the subtext below this post.

Art Cloth in Atlanta

To be more specific -- Decatur.  This once-upon-a-time small southern town is in the eastern part of the greater Atlanta sprawl, on the MARTA line, so still quite linked to the Peachtree heart of the city. Still, squint, and you might just be in one of Carson McCullers' stories. The old courthouse (now a history museum) governs the square with a sense of proper Southern decorum, and a passel of cafes and interesting shops gather round her skirts.

The ArtCloth Network met here this weekend with 15 women artists of the 27-member group on hand: Sharing work, eating, walking, lives, trading resources and sources -- a generous gathering. All of us are, in one way or another, dedicated to the idea that fabric yardage, created through various surface design techniques, should be considered art in and of itself. without having to be quilted (even as a whole cloth quilt), turned into a garment, pieced or stretched or displayed in an installation. Not that many of us don't do one or more of those things upon occasion, or even often. However, as espoused by this group and other artists in the field, cloth as art can be just that.

One would think that with so many anecdotal stories about cloth that is "just too..." to cut, stories one hears about almost any fabric junkie's stash, that such an art form has earned validity. But many exhibition venues, jurors, curators and even other fiber artists devoted to their particular art forms don't agree on this. The Art Cloth Network is just one such gathering of fellow travelers interested in promoting this idea, through education, exhibition and discussion. So, what do you think? Can artist dyed/screened/embellished/textured/painted/etc yardage be art or is it still unfinished until utilized in another art form? What makes it art?

Whatever the debate's outcome, here are a few snippets of images and ideas from the weekend sessions, in no particular order. (My photos were erratic at best, so pardon to those in attendance for quality and/or missing your piece/s.) ALL artwork is copyrighted by the artist and images should not be used without permission.

Lynn Harris's felted stitchwork and recycled tablelinens

 

Rayna Gillman's found-object soy batik

 

 Wrenn Slocum's pixilated woods, fashioned from one-inch squares of acid dyed silk, flowing like water


 

 

Katherine Sylvan's dashingly sensual silk art cloth and scarves, using vat dyes, and also imagery based on arial view landscapes

  

Linda Campbell's weaving experiments, and her plans for folded fabric art cloth

Susan Ettl's desert inspired dyeing and art quilts using art cloth 

Maggie Weiss's layered cloth with images that visually produce the sound of water over river stones

 

 Sue Copeland Jones' deconstructed screenprinting with oak leaves, and sewing rediscovered

 

Peggy Sexton's dangerous plants and dangerous women installation ideas

 

Darcy Love's natural histories on cloth 

 

Jan Giroud's color studies

 

Judy Langille's strong compositional studies, layers upon layers of torn paper shapes and dye printing

  

 We worked on future plans, tied up the ideas for a couple of exhibition proposals, and traded stories about our lives as artists, business owners, students and teachers, mothers and daughters, wives and lovers. Stories tie us together and keep us sane, with the knowledge that we are not lonestrangers, but community in the making -- even when it happens in fits and starts, with disappointments and discouraging news, with jurors who don't get it and exhibit proposals that don't get accepted, members who move on leaving gaps, new members who haven't quite checked in. Still, we humans seem to need and heed this kind of coming together, and isn't it nice that in this time and with these women, the comings and goings are so broadly defined, so geographically and culturally rich.

Limestone

As a dyer I  depend on sodium carbonate to activate the Procion dyes I use. And as I looked through my photo collection today it was easy to see how dependent I am on the inspiration of limestone -- calcium carbonate. My chemist father would be proud of me for noticing the familial similarity.

"Sodium carbonate (also known as washing soda or soda ash), Na₂CO₃, is a sodium salt of carbonic acid. It most commonly occurs as a crystaline heptahydrate which readily effloresces to form a white powder, the monohydrate. It has a cooling alkaline taste, and can be extracted from the ashes of many plants. It is produced artificially in large quantities from common salt." (from Wikipedia)

"Calcium carbonate is a chemical compound, with chemical formula CaCO₃. It is commonly used medicinally as a calcium supplement or as an antacid. Calcium carbonate is the active ingredient in agricultural lime. It is a common substance found as rock in all parts of the world and is the main component of seashells and the shell of snails. It is usually the principle cause of hard water." (from Wikipedia)

 Here are some examples of the latter:

 

 

If you have a great photo of limestone in nature or limestone in architecture, send it to me at susiemonday@sbcglobal.net and I will include it and a credit for your photo in a followup post.

Kerrville

The day has ended as one of those brilliantly blue-skied almost October afternoons, surprising and glorious after a humid morning that couldn't decide its season. Just after noon a small group of us took off from El Cielo following the scenic route to Kerrville (Hwy. 16 to Hwy 173 north) for the opening of the Texas Invitational Art Quilt exhibit.

The show was hung in a renovated and repurposed post office, with high ceilings, good lighting and warm hospitality.

 Mary Ann Littlejohn, Houston, and Martha Grant, Boerne, were two of the other artists whose work marched around the room.

 Martha's piece, the puzzle-shaped one is titled "No border, no picture on the lid of the box, no box..."

Mary Ann's square of pieced original fabrics is "Neon Etude." 

 
Martha and Mary Ann both visited the studio  before we drove to Kerrville.

Here's what we ate before the opening -- a fritatta made with eggs from a local farmstead.  First preheat the broiler. Mix the following well:
10 beaten eggs
8 pieces of finely chopped sundried tomatoes
6 oz.feta, crumbled
2 T. chopped red onion
1/3 cup sliced fresh basil
salt and pepper
Melt 1/2 stick butter in a large oven proof skillet, preferably non-stick
Add the egg mixture and cook over medium hot heat, pulling away the sides to let the liquidy eggs on top flow under. When almost completely set, add about 2-3 more T of cheese, any kind, put under a hot broiler to toast and puff the top.
Slide out onto a warm platter, cover until serving and serve either warm or room temp.

And here's one of my two pieces in the exhibit. (I've been posting teasers, you notice!). If you'd like to know more about the processes that turn a stack of fabric into one of my art quilts, see this blog journal for Sept. 9.

"Our Lady of San Pedro." 2006 

Stamps

Have you bought your Gee's Bend stamps yet? These beautiful US Postal stamps transform every envelope into a work of art, and the story behind them is a counter-remedy for an entire network broadcast hour of bad news (at least). I assume those of you reading this as artists and quiltmakers know the storyline, and know that a new exhibit of Gee's Bend quilts is making its way around the country now.

The women who made the original quilts -- first elevated into the (capitol A) art world by collector and art historian William Arnett in 1998 -- have made new ones, and their children and grandchildren are piecing more still, some of the youngest generation using computers for design! The new October issue of Smithsonian magazine includes a lengthy and well written story about the quiltmakers and their journeys from poverty to museum walls, "Fabric of Their Lives," by  Amei Wallach. The story answers the questions many of us had about how the museum exhibits and acclaim have changed the lives of the makers, and provides insight into the creative process(es) that guide(s) their work. The article is not yet on the Smithsonian magazine site, it posts these articles only after a couple of months, it appears.

I've only seen pictures, and I did not get to Houston for the exhibit this summer, but I am planning a trip to Austin for the exhibit there. Reading the story of what this work has done for the women, for their community and for all of us, I am reminded of the work of the potters of Mata Ortiz. There, too, creative work, dreams and the longing of all of us for genuine and heart-true craft and art has transformed lives, brought change and new perspectives to the artists and their lives. Will the youngest generation's computer aided designs be as powerful as the original work denim and clothing factory scraps? Who knows? At least, with these powerful images, we see the power of creative work, of hands on fabric, of  the transformative power of individual voice and spirit.

Heads Up

If you are reading this and live within a recreational drive of Kerrville , here's a Saturday suggestion -- Two of my art quilts will be on the wall at the Kerr Arts and Cultural Center as part of  the "Texas Invitational Art Quilt Show." The opening is this Saturday, 2-4 pm and the exhibit will be on display through Oct. 22, Tuesdays through Saturdays, 10-4; Sundays 1-4 pm. Artists invited by curator Janet Ghio include  Ginny Eckley, Martha Grant, Sue Benner, Jane Bishop, Mary Ann Littlejohn, Carolyn Dahl, Kim Ritter, Susan Lewis Story and Vicki Hallmark. I made my very first art quilt in a workshop taught by Sue Benner, so I feel really privileged to be in an exhibit with her -- and all these other inspiring artists.

 

You are also invited to a celebratory brunch before the show here at El Cielo Studio, but send me a comment "RSVP" so that I can email directions to the studio (and have enough pan dulce, cheese grits and tequilla sangria on hand!) How's that for a bicultural menu? 

Changes

The seasons are blurring. Summer into something not quite summer. Fall is illusive elusive in South Texas, but a little cold front, and finally a little blessed rain, have signed their names on the calendar. This is our most poignant season, with all the beauty of spring, but the edges are ragged after heat, and, this year especially, the dry, dry, dry days of summer.