Journeys and Journeys

 

Inner or outer? This recently completed art quilt is called "Floating above It," inspired by the Talking Heads song "And She Was."  She is one of those inner voyagers that accompanies me through life, the one who wants to float away, leave it all behind and simply soar above it all.

The Kerr Arts and Cultural Center is sponsoring my Art Quilt Journey on November 30 -December 1, 9;30 to 4:00 each day. This is a fast and furious workshop that takes participants from a personal collection of postcards, journal entries, photographs and other memorabilia through creation of a small art quilt inspired by the collection -- you got it all: design, technique for a fused art quilt, production. The techniques are fast and easy to accomplish, the design and thought-process is really the meat of this workshop. I've taught it several times and the outcomes are always exciting and different. Sometimes people come with inner journeys in mind, sometimes it's a chance to turn that vacation of a lifetime into a unique and beautiful wall piece. We've made journal quilts and Christmas gifts, wonderful nostalgic works and pieces that sing a song completely new.

If you or any of your friends live in the Kerrville area -- or you'd like a weekend outing to this beautiful part of the world, contact the center for registration.

More Arizona Inspiration

 

While the Artcloth Network conference was a feast of inspiration, support, laughter, hard work and all those concommitant issues that come with organization, the Arizona landscape was a delicious appetizer of dark and light, spine and sticker, beautiful harshness and harsh beauty. More than any other landscape, the bones are so there - the physicality of shape and form in each plant, in each vista. And the presence of such an extreme climate always calls up wonder at our human adaptability -- for good or for ill. To live here comfortably takes all the technology available. To live here and keep the desert healthy is an enormous challenge. This is where we other Americans get our copper, our tin, our mercury -- where we want to stow our radioactive wastes. And, yet, look at this landscape. It is far from bare, far from unpopulated. I wonder at its fullness, its abundance, its other kind of lush.

 

Most of these were taken at the Sonoran Desert Museum, where Susan and I spent 3 hours walking and shooting pictures after I arrived. It was a day of dramatic thunderstorms, and the most amazing sunset tinted rainbow  -- wish I had
been able to capture that photo!

 

Arizona Artcloth

Just a few pics -- general to show the set up more than the specific gorgeous art. I suggest you go to the Artcloth Network site to see good images of the art cloth from the members. The show did hang beautifully and the gallery looked splendid. From left to right, you'll see work by these artists ...

 

Carol Larson, Sue Jones (2), Lynn Harris, Darcy Love (2), Barbara Schneider, above. 

And also:

From another angle, adding Katherine Sylvan, and out front, my "Mended" piece.

 

"Mended" again, then one of Wrenn Slocum's pixilated pieces, and a corner of Susan Ettl's "The Devil's Highway"

Below, a better shot of Susan's piece. 

 

 

This is a shot of my installation of "Desert Fence."  Drat, trying to get the light right on these three pieces of cloth was a challenge unmet!

Altars

 

The Celebration Circle Altar show is up at the Bijou Theater in San Antonio, and judging from Gary Smith's wonderful photos, it's the best show ever. Click over to the photo sharing site to see how the participating artists have interpreted a simple wooden shape with not so simple concepts and spiritual lessons. It's a fundraiser for CC, but artists can choose to retain a percentage of the winning auction bid -- a great policy even though I choose to donate my piece (above) entirely. If you need to cantact the artist  (he obviously does great photos of art) here's the contact info:GaryO@satx.rr.com.

I'm still in Arizona enjoying the desert air, birds and my ACN  meeting -- more on that later when I can download the photos. 

Archetypes in Arizona

 

This is a drawing of my Teacher/Guide archetype -- heading off with mouth aflapping, riding down the path on a strange magical beast, covered with tattoos of vines, hoping to bear fruit. It was one of the workshop exercises -- the challenge of using an unfamiliar media or one that isn't in one's comfort zone. I had a great time just using black ink and wash, and think I should do more of this! Wonder how it would look printed on fabric?

Monday I facilitated a workshop (the first of two days) -- Calling all Archetypes -- in Green Valley, Arizona. Organized by my friend and sister ACN artist Susan Ettl, six of us took a path guided by exercises adapted from Julia Cameron, Clarissa Pinkola Estes, Caroline Myss. Taking their written and meditative processes into visual form -- collage, drawings, cutout and art quilts, we explored the inner facets that drive our doing, organize our days, stop us in our tracks -- and with luck, keep us on our paths. Coincidentally, the goddess figures on Chris' table were by Austin artist Sharon Smith.

 

This is an on-the-road adaptation of the workshop I've hosted at El Cielo a couple of times -- and made me realize how much I depend on the safety of my own studio space for work such as this. Yes, it's going well. Thanks to the generous spirits and open heartedness of the five women who are on the journey. But my inner critic was pretty loud and demanding, judging and whining about what I'd forgotten, what was clunky, what went too slow, too fast, tootoo,

Independent Study

From a previous workshop -- Text on the Surface -- at the Navarro Campus

 

The enrollment just made: my independent study course at the Southwest School of Art and Craft will start Thursday. There's rooom for 3 more students -- and this is a 'design-it-yourself" opportunity, within the great facilities of the school's Navarro campus. Since the group is so small, I will even consider "newbies,"  and provide you with a hands-on primer through surface design. My plan is to spend 20 minutes or so each class with a demo of a new surface design technique or approach that's come to my attention: soy wax, rusting, stitch embellishment are three topics I've already fixed on. Here's what's in the catalog. You can register online at www.swschool.org.

	2605 | Independent Projects for Surface Design
	Susie Monday
	Thu, Sep 27 - Nov 15 | 09:30 AM - 12:30 PM
	Surface Design Studio | Navarro
	Tuition: $210  |  Membership: $195
	Take advantage of the Design Studio's excellent facilities and the instructor's deep knowledge in a class that you design for yourself. Each student-artist will develop a plan of action and personal goals, and will receive active guidance in technical and aesthetic decisions. Tuition covers basic chemicals and studio tools, but students will purchase their own dyes, paints, fabric and other necessary supplies. Some supplies will be available for purchase. Prerequisite: Previous experience with Procion dyes and surface design of fabric.  (Or permission from the instructor, hereby granted)
	Enrollment is limited to 8 participants.

Color on the Table

 

The pictures speak for themselves. A fine time was had by all; everyone (including me) took away a better understanding of color and how to make it work. Can you figure out the exercises that guided the creation of these artist's postcards? (These are Val Grebe's, and the clearest of my bad photos from the end of the day! Diane Sandlin's are at the top of the blog post.Trust me , the colors were really better!)

 

 

 

Show in Cuero

 

 Small tablecloth with pomegranite print. 2006

 

Coming up next weekend and through October :

Courtyard Gallery, Cuero, Texas

September, 2007

Fiber Art and Fashion Show
Saturday, September 29, 2007
11:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.  

Featuring eleven top fiber artists and designers from San Antonio,
along with fused glass artist Ele Chew-Wright and Mine Creations jewelry line.
The wearable art will be seen on local ‘celebrity’ models representing
Arts, Economic Development, Education, History, Hospitality, Medicine,
Politics, Retail, and Tourism
 Reservations are recommended – seating is limited
Please call 361-275-9111 or email
courtyardgallerytx@sbcglobal.net 
 
Print this page for a 10% day of show discount throughout the gallery 
FEATURED ARTISTS
Jane Bishop
In this high-tech world, Ms. Bishop revels in the process of designing and creating textiles by hand.  Her art encompasses the use of dyed cloth, stamp art, silk-screen, stencils and drawings onto natural fibers such as silk, linen, cotton, rayon, and hemp.  These designs are then used to adorn interesting furniture pieces, including creating a “new look” with vintage furniture.
 
Dorothy Crues
 Ms. Crues wields a mean set of needles – knitting needles, that is!  She traded a career as a mathematics teacher at the University of Texas San Antonio for teaching knitting.  Many of her pieces are sold in shops around the country.
 
Sandra Edsall
Sandy lived in many countries including Greece, Singapore, and Malaysia and was able to travel extensively, experiencing a whole new world of exotic textiles and colors.  Today, she is able to continue the creative process of designing and crafting exotic wearable art ensembles that catch the eye and retain the integrity of the original fabric and tradition.
 
Angela Ehrenfried
Since 1985, Ms. Ehrenfried has taken her childhood fascination with color, light, and texture and transformed that into designing and producing beautiful pieces.  This has led her in a new direction of re-conceptualizing wardrobes.
 
Kathy Furukawa
Ms. Furukawa has been exposed to a variety of fiber arts, including weaving, papermaking, and surface design.  Her travels to Iran, Russia, Japan, and Germany have expanded her interests in multi-cultural expressions of fiber art.  Her use of interesting materials adds innovation and whimsy to her unique items of wearable art.
 
Martha K. Grant
Making art through the medium of textiles synthesizes Martha’s many loves from her career in the visual arts.  It has allowed her to indulge her passion for color, calligraphy, spiritual symbols, text patterns, painting, collage, and sewing.  Her work has become a kind of prayer and has led to an eclectic search and an ever-deepening spiritual journey.
 
Karen Heddens
Ms. Heddens has worked as a couture clothing designer for over 25 years, designing exclusively for private clients, small boutiques, and galleries.  She concentrates on creating simple, elegant garments made of fine fabrics that feel wonderful on the body and enhance the beauty of the wearer.  Her designs are worn around the world by her loyal clientele.
 
Renita Kuhn
Renita’s career as a fiber artist and designer began in Sausalito in 1982. She offers professional design and limited productions of art to wear and art accessories.  She has been highly influenced by both Asian and African design concepts.
 
Jennifer J. Martin
Jennifer “J.J” Martin is a writer, fiber artist and photographer.  Her enjoyment of interior design drew her to explore the world of fiber art and “complex cloth.”  “Complex cloth” is how a design of depth and complexity is creating by layering surface design processes like dying, painting, bleaching and foiling over one another until a pleasant result is achieved.
 
Susie Monday
In addition to serving as President of the Fiber Arts of San Antonio, Susie Monday is an artist who works in fiber, creating colorful art quilts and original fabrics for use in interiors, garments and display.  She teaches at her own El Cielo Studio as well as conferences and venues across the United States.
 
Sherry Tolar
Retirement from the world of making whimsical ceramic jewelry for wholesale markets and catalogs didn’t last long.  Sherry is back!  Her bright, colorful, handmade ceramic beads accented with fiber, glass and semi-precious stones are all one of a kind.  Her “Wild Women and Friends” sculptures are also one of a kind - in addition to being especially fun and interesting!  They are made with terra cotta clay, embellished with colorful, hand-dyed and ethnic textiles.
 

Color Ways

 

Raspberry, lime, eggplant, lemongrass -- notice how many foods give us color names -- so what would be something fun to do with that?

Friday night my new El Cielo "Field Guide to Color" workshop debuts, the first that has included a Friday night get-together pot luck. In researching exercises and approaches I found virtual rainbows of color theory, color quizes, color lore. Just a few sites I stumbled across:

www.wetcanvas.com/ArtSchool/Color/ColorTheory/
This site has lots of good information, including a 16-part series of lessons on color, most applicable to painters but with some nuggets for fiber artists.

http://www.livelygrey.com/
Very cool color blog with interactive games and other very interesting posts. Check out Igel Asselborg’s posts on saturation, hue and brightness.

http://www.rit.edu/~rkelly/html/04_cou/cou_col2.html
Artist and teacher Rob Roy Kelly  teaches a mini course on color. Good exercises from someone who studied with Albers.

http://www.sensationalcolor.com
Professional color consultant’s site with lots on verbal color lore.

http://www.sherwin-williams.com
Color Visualizer tool can be helpful way to find coordinating colors for a project, even if its not a room.

http://www.colour-experience.org/
Virtual color museum with broad scope of information

http://www.colorcube.com/play/play.htm
more cool interactive color games, there are some really challenging ones dealing with saturation and value.

 

What a timely investigation it's turned out to be -- I have been designing a large art quilt to send off to the FASA juroring and managed to pick myself a quite challenging color palette -- one that is using cool colors to approach and warm colors to recede -- though the green/yellows are on the cool end of the cone for that hue. Anyhow, I love the composition, but I am not sure the color values work as well as I would have liked. Doing the reading on these sites, reminded me: IT'S THE CONTRAST NOT THE COLOR. If you don't have the bones down in your compostion using value, then, making the color work is always more difficult. This piece has a ground and figure, that while they are different in hue, are very close in value, so now I wonder if it holds together. Here's a couple of details in progress only, in case I  decide to hold this one as one of those " it can't ever have been published or shown before you enter it" pieces. (How does one decide?)

 

And, speaking of workshops, for those of you even thinking about attending my next El Cielo workshop November 4-5 -- "Text on the Surface."  -- this weekend's event is the second one to completely fill and have a waiting list. So if you are interested,  check the description on the link and email or call. If you don't have my contact information, leave a comment and I will forward the complete brochure. We are having a fabulous time out here in the country. (And, yes, I know it is THE Quilt Festival weekend -- so come to Texas, go during the week, and let the crowds have the show on Saturday and Sunday, come to the Hill Country for the weekend -- that's what I'm going to do.)

Beading Workshop in San Antonio

An exciting opportunity for fiber and bead artists in the San Antonio area is coming up. Larkin Van Horn who (literally) wrote the book about using beads as an embellishment on fiber art will teach a day-long workshop sponsored by Fiber Artists of San Antonio. Here are the details from the workshop flyer:

 Vessels, Shrines and Reliquaries

 

Larkin Jean Van Horn of Whidbey Island, WA will present a six-hour workshop on Saturday, November 10, 2007 at Alamo Heights Christian Church (near northside San Antonio), sponsored by FASA, but open to the general community.                                                     Workshop Fee: $50.00         Kit Fee: $15.00

Larkin is an internationally known author, lecturer, and fiber artist known for her wearable art and beading. She has been a  designer at the Bernina Fashion Show (International Quilt Festival in Houston) and is the author of Beading on Fabric. She will be teaching at the Quilt Festival this year. FASA is pleased to be able to take advantage of her proximity to bring her to San Antonio. This is an exceptional opportunity to study with a fiber celebrity at a very reasonable price.

The focus of the class in one day is on the actual decoration and construction of the shrine or vessel.  Not everyone will  finish during the class, but should  be well enough along to complete the project  at home with the information provided . Larkin will expect students to arrive with some idea of what they wish to make the vessel to commemorate - that is, if one wants to include pictures of Grandmother because the shrine is a tribute to her, one must  come with those pictures already printed on fabric.  If one wants to make something about the Day of the Dead, one would bring the appropriate fabrics and baubles.  Alternatively, one can just come and play with fabric collage and learn the construction method to apply to other things at a later date. In other words, this workshop can focus on either Process or a Product depending on the student's intent. As part of the kit fee, students will all receive a copy of  Larkin's  vessels pattern, which will serve as a printed reminder of what was done in class.

 

How to sign up for the workshop:

Make out your check for $50.00 to FASA .
Send to
Caryl Gaubatz
19818 Lloyds Park
Garden Ridge,TX, 78266

The kit fee will be paid directly to Larkin on the day of the class. A materials list will be sent to you upon receipt of check. Please include your email address(if applicable) with your check. Cancellation Policy: A refund of $45.00 will be given if Caryl is notified  by 31 October. After that date, NO refunds will be given. Questions? Call Caryl at (210) 651-0208 or email her at slothcloth@earthlink.net.

Larkin will also deliver a lecture, open to the public and free of charge, hosted by Fiber Artists of San Antonio:

TOPIC: Fabric and Beads: A Winning Combination
WHEN: Monday 12 NOV 2007
WHERE: Alamo Heights Christian Church
The church is located on  the corner of Primrose and N. New Braunfels directly across the street from Sunset Ridge Shopping Center. To access the church parking lot, turn onto Primrose and park behind the church. There is a limited number of handicap only spaces directly in front of the church.

Lush Celebration

 

Celebration Circle is my spiritual home -- not a church, but church like, we are a group of seekers and path-finders who come from a diverse group of religious and spiritual backgrounds. This little piece is for the group's annual altar silent auction at the Bijou Theater at Crossroads shopping center in San Antonio. It's on a frame provided by Celebration that is the shared format for all the artists who participate. We donate our work, with the option of keeping a portion of the bid price received by Celebration Circle. I consider this gift part of my tithe to the community. Since moving to the country, we don't make the hour trek into the city often on Sunday mornings, but in my heart I know that all my friends there would be at my side if I needed them and I honor my connection to the group and to all my friends who are part of it.

This piece uses a little sample drawing/painting I made in one of the classes I taught last year -- it is mixed media, including craft dimensional paints, Shiva oil sticks, oil pastel, stitching and machine quilting. The outside strips are pieced from a scarf that didn't quite work out -- beautiful silk charmeuse with textile paint screen printed with my pomegranates. The title is "Lush," and it is an altar/offering and celebration of  the lush abundance of the universe, as juicy as a ripe pear, as full of jewels as a ripe pomegranate. Gratitude sounds like such a mushy topic, but I find it the key to equilibrium and preserverence. (Dispite my last whining post.)

 The auction and reception will run Tuesday, Oct. 4  through the month, and you can bid during any of those days. The closing reception, plus a special screening of a film will be Sunday, N0vember 4. You can see examples of last year's altars on the CC website and when the show opens, this year's altars will be featured. (I'll be sending a reminder  and details of the event out on this blog, but couldn't resist showing "Lush" in this little preview, since I worked on it yesterday after the FASA meeting.)

Flurry

 

Sometimes I think that the only work that is done in San Antonio is:

Between September 1 and Thanksgiving.

Between February 1 and Spring Break (mid March)

Between last week of March and Fiesta (week of April 21). Yes. Because of Fiesta, San Antonio has an extra holiday week. And somehow, it just slides into summer because it starts getting hot then and well, the lake is calling every Friday afternoon and so why take on any thing new that won't get finished before the summer anyway.

The rest of the time we are either preparing for vacations, recovering from vacations, making sure we are rested for vacations, taking time off because we can't afford a vacation or whatever, not calling back because our email and voice mail is impossible, leaving messages because you can't reach anyone , or not really wanting to do anything because everyone else is on vacation.

That means that NOW is IT. It you don't get work done and make (even a little) money NOW as an artist you might as well go get that job at McDonalds.  Sheesh. Now there is a deadline on every corner; every gallery I even think about working with wants new work. The non-profit orgs want to get something done before the holidays. Every volunteer organiation is having a fundraiser and for some reason wants us artists to give stuff (now why aren'r they asking their lawyer/accountant/physician for free services? That I would  be happy to bid on and get for 1/2 the market price ) (at least some of them are offering the artists a cut of the silent auction bid!)

 Perhaps I sound like I am complaining. Well, yes. And no. I just wish it didn't seem to all hit at once.

I think I am also discouraged because a wonderful relative who happens to have once owned a successful gallery and who is a fabulous sales person tried for 3 months to get a gallery in California to carry some work of mine. The answers: No, no, no. I am either not local enough or not known nationally enough, or the one that really hurts, "it's craft"  ie not real art.  Ouch. So, anyway, there it is at the top of the listing, one of those crafts that just doesn't seem to fit anywhere. What do you think? Shall I give it all up for painting. In 10 years I might be happy with what I could do in that medium.

Guadalupe/Tonantzin 2

 

Sewing, sewing, sewing. Finally. Yes, I REALLY should be doing something far more nurdish, like balancing my checkbook and putting together a budget for the month, BUT.

Instead, I finished a commission piece that is past due, and I am sure the buyer will be happy that the process we started on at the beginning of the summer is coming 'round at last. First, she wanted a piece I had completed, but it was too large for the space. I promised this #2 and it's taken me all summer to make it work. I think I like it; I hope she will. While I wanted to make a piece that was quite similar in color and imagery, it's hard sometimes to change scale and have the composition work as well. This is same and different. See what you think:

Here'e the first, larger piece; #2 is at the top of this post.

Both pieces are inspired by Our Lady of Guadalupe and her predecessor Tonantzin, the Corn Goddess of the Aztec people. Our Lady appeared on the site of Tonantzin's holiest temple, and the comfort she offered the natives of Mexico took shape, form and energy from Tonantzin's presence and abundance.

I've actually had two inquiries this week for other work, and while that's exciting, I also feel a few new knots in my gut. But, here's to stepping out into the unknown. May both Ladies smoooth the path, watch my back and keep me on the right road.

Rusted

 

Raining again. What in the world has happened to South Texas weather. Rather than wither, we are molding up and melting. Well, perhaps appropriately, here are some rusted cloth images from some of my work and some of the Burning Women's work.

My recipe, (such that it is):

Find rusty stuff or metal thingies.

Spread out a large thick sheet of polyethelene drop cloth on the  caliche driveway. Put down a damp layer of fabric (my favorites lately have been cotton gauze).

Arrange or randomly toss on the rusty and metal objects. Sprinkle with canning salt. Put down another layer of fabric, repeat as desired.

Once the sandwich is complete, spray with household vinegar  or if the sandwich is really thick, just pour a gallon of vinegar over the entire thing.

Top with another layer of dropcloth and weight the edges with rocks. Gingerly walk around on top of the whole thing on and off for a day or a couple of days (I wear my Crocks to insure nothing cuts through). Preferably with hot steamy weather. If really dry I may roll back the top plastic and spray it all again with water).

When I can't wait any longer, peel it apart, wash the fabrics in the washing machine and make sure none of the nails or screws got loose in the driveway. (Guess why I do this now. $120 tire emergency later.)

Overdye fabrics as desired. (PS. I have also been known to pour fairly dilute dye into the whole sandwich, especially when I am using silk, the vinegar works as the catalyst and the dyes mix with the rust for some interesting colors.) 

Detail from "Desert 2" a large installation piece that will be at the Tubac Art Center this fall. (The image at the top of this blog is also part of that piece.) Both these details also include some textile paint printing using a thermofax.

Sue Cooke's study from the Burning Woman Workshop in July. 

Arts Ed and Beyond

 

Five-year-olds -- New World Kids --  at the Aldrich explore light.

 

Having spent a good deal of time in the world of arts education this summer, I have been pondering its value, meaning and limitations. On one hand, I don't want to see the arts belittled and smudged with the all-too-easy to get "oh, that fluff stuff," that many in the academic world (at ALL levels) seem to assign to arts education. On the other hand, I wrestle with the struggle to go beyond the simple teaching of technique that often seems to pass for arts education. And I know that what I do in many of the children's programs that I teach goes beyond art as a field and into creative process -- skills and approaches to problem solving that apply to disciplines far beyond the "traditional" or even the "alternative" art world-- even though I am using language like space-shape-line-texture. But I also deeply regret the loss of art-as-art in our world,  swept away by a  overwhelming tide of commercial entertainment that seems to hold little lasting aesthetic value.

Then coincidentally, I found this great post today, and because I can't improve on it, I am lifting the essence of this blog entry from JaneVille, Jane LaFazio's blog. Thank you, Jane. (I have decided that Jane and I are undiscovered soul or maybe sole sisters after reading some of her posts, seeing her art gallery website and reading about her arts ed program Mundo Lindo.) 

Dana Gioia had this to say, excerpted from his commencement speech at Stanford University earlier this year, as Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts,

"We need to create a new national consensus. The purpose of arts education is not to produce more artists, though that is a byproduct. The real purpose of arts education is to create complete human beings capable of leading successful and productive lives in a free society. "

"Art is an irreplaceable way of understanding and expressing the world—equal to but distinct from scientific and conceptual methods. Art addresses us in the fullness of our being—simultaneously speaking to our intellect, emotions, intuition, imagination, memory, and physical senses. There are some truths about life that can be expressed only as stories, or songs, or images. "

Jane says: "Makes me feel good about teaching art to kids...and sad that there's not more art instruction in schools."

Read the whole speech here.

Clean Slate.Clean Space

 

I needed to clean the studio and set it up for the next Burning Woman workshop -- this weekend -- and since I have a record 9 participants this time I wanted to maximize the visual and actual space. How restful it is to take away a few layers of clutter, archeology in reverse, with the sediments gradually becoming more sparse, more bony, more available.

 Did the same in the living room. Although we are committed to keeping some degree of simplicity in our living spaces -- after a former life in what often seemed like a 35-year collection of all-too-precious clutter, we moved here, a bigger house after all, with less to fill it. But it is amazing to see what sneaks in: little glass turtles, an embroidered hankie too pretty to put away We imbue all kinds of meaning to objects; there's bound to be ancient history to this. Surely some prehistoric cave woman looked at the corner and said, " I think I need a few more old bones over there. Just in case. After all, if we get hungry, even a bone will look pretty damn good."

I am the kind of person who needs constant checks on my compulsive desire to keep stuff. After all every old dress could be part of a quilt; every piece of junk mail might be the right piece for a collage; every strange box could be just what the next workshop calls for. What helps? Coming to terms with a belief in abundance. That  is: what is needed will turn up when it's needed. That space for what's needed is the space that there is. That there might never be a big enough set of shelves, bin of drawers, stack of boxes, so I better make peace with the ones I have. Am I perfect at this attitude? No way. But I have found that these nearly-every-month events keep me on the straight and narrow.

If I want to make a living doing what I love, I gotta have room to fit the people into the space as well. So what I do is keep the flow going. I try to furnish as many materials as I can for the workshops I teach, believing this keeps me in the exchange of energy. When I let stuff go, I tend to find that when it's time, the stuff appears -- someone has a fire sale of dye or paint (as happened this week -- I bought at least $500 of materials for less than half that, enough for all my dye needs for ages); someone gives me something -- like the Bernina that Donna essentially gifted me for the cost of its recent tune-up; like the wood scraps my neighbor has waiting.

This sense of abundance has been nurtured by a wonderful book The Soul of Money, by philanthropist Lynn Twist. Here's her website and some info from her letter on the site's intro page:

In a world where huge proportions of financial resources are moving toward consumption, destruction, depletion, and violence, the Soul of Money Institute's mission is to inspire, educate and empower people to realign the acquisition and allocation of their financial resources with their most deeply held values -- to move from an economy based on fear, consumption, and scarcity, to an economy of love, sustainability, and generosity.

As the national debt of the United States grows and citizens experience greater financial challenges, there is a clear need for more and more people to invest in socially responsible businesses and critical social issues, and to find ways of using money in service of their highest commitments and the common good.

We invite you to be one of these people. We encourage you to take a deep look at how money influences your life, and to shift your use of money away from fear and greed to begin using it as a conduit for commitment, heart, and the affirmation of life. Through reallocating the use of your financial resources, you can connect with the taproot of your own prosperity.

The Soul of Money is a wise and inspiring exploration of the connection between money and leading a fulfilling life.

"This compelling and fundamentally liberating book shows us that examining our attitudes toward money-- how we earn it, spend it, invest it, and give it away--can offer surprising insight into our lives, our values and the essence of prosperity. Through moving stories and practical principles, Lynne demonstrates how we can replace feelings of scarcity and guilt with experiences of sufficiency and freedom. Lynne shares from her own life and work, a journey illuminated by remarkable encounters with the richest and poorest people on earth, from the famous (Mother Teresa and the Dalai Lama) to the anonymous but unforgettable heroes of everyday life." (from the website -- and I agree!)

 

Studio Marathon

So I did it. Spent 7 hours with only a break for supper in the studio on Saturday. Hello artist. Glad to make your acquaintance. Where you been?

OK, I used that sneaky strategy discussed in a previous post, did not start something grand and new and itching at the back of my eyeballs. Did not even start work on either of the two commissions that I have in the works. (Sorry, if you are one of the collectors waiting, but I did tell you my summer was shot.) Couldn't do either of those scary tasks just yet. But I could and did take on something swimmingly ready for completion: a collaborative art quilt by San Antonio children who attended the Botero Library Family Days this summer.

As one of the hands-on projects, I had grided a print of one of Botero's paintings, copied and enlarged each rectangle, make sketchy place-holder lines on tracing paper, then copied the lined images onto cotton backed with WonderUnder that I ran through the printer/copier.

 At each workshop. kids and parents added color with fabric markers and watersoluble crayons, then others added stitches and buttons and beads. Probably 60 or more children actually contributed to this art quilt. What was interesting about the process was that the boys were the ones who really were turned on to the stitching. I think sewing is so rare today that it has become "de-genderized." When I first taught, sewing was one of those things that most of the boys considered "girl stuff."  Maybe now the needle has a certain dangerous appeal?

Anyhow, I spent the day's work assembling and free-motion machine quilting, finishing the art quilt. Tomorrow it goes to the central library for display.

Was it the work I need. long, to be doing?  No. But it did the trick. I put in miles of thread on the new machine, quieted the critic who says, " hmmpf and you call yourself and artist, "  made peace with the studio walls and the silence of working on my own, took a stand against multi-tasking. And made something that is, if not beautiful, interesting to look at, and interesting in its process. And nailed the lid on the Botero Library project, too. That little task that no one would have known needed doing, except me.

"The Village," Inspired by Fernando Botero's painting of the same title.

INDIE Arts

Take a look at the promotional materials for INDIE Arts October 1 release. That's the next issue of this year old dvd-format arts magazine, and one that I think needs to find a space on every artist's video shelf -- and not just 'cause I'm a featured interviewee in this next issue. (One of two artists being interviewed about creativity, and the other is Nick Bantock, author and mixed media artist of Griffin and Sabine fame. ie hot company, my dears.)

No, really, this dvd series does the trick when I need a dose of real artists doing real work and facing the same studio gremlins that get my goat, surf my moat, steal my thunder, run me amok, undo my confidence and make me wonder why I don't have a nice corporate job with benefits and retirement. You get the picture.

I like to watch INDIE Arts as I do routine studio roundup -- it's yet another helpful strategy for getting me into the studio and onto work (and actually beats out reruns of Project Runway on the useful media scale). IN addition to the features with artists, the video magazine also includes good sources from art support folks -- coaches, (like this issue's Jennifer Louden), gallery owners, suppliers, etc. Many of the artists featured during this past year have been fiber and mixed media artists, too. In this publication "we" aren't a second tier group.

Here's what the publisher says about INDIE Arts:

 

In the spirit of the independent film genre, Indie Arts Productions creates a visual adventure in every issue and you are invited to join us.

This “magazine” is a cross between TV shows, home movies, slide shows, documentaries and DVD movies. The DVD advantage is that you can sit back, relax and watch it on your TV or DVD drive on your computer.

IndieArtsDVD.com will add another dimension by providing the information you need to preview current and upcoming issues, submit artwork, subscribe, read interesting related articles and connect with the featured artists and other networking possibilities. The website will be an evolving forum and you are invited to make yourself at home here.

INDIE ARTS: the adventure begins!

Start Up

 

What's been the toughest part of the summer? As we slide down the month toward September, its easy to see that my time making art has been the first thing off the cliff. I'm not complaining too much, after all, three fabulous trips -- Italy, Connecticut/Southampton, LI, Colorado -- certainly have filled the artist inspiration file folder. The image banks are at the max, and my fingers are itching to get into some really big projects.

However, I still have freelance work to finish, and, strange but true, the creative juices may be dripping, but a concomitant edge of fearfulness accompanies the desire to get back to work. Why this happens, I'm not sure. But I know from talking to other artists and artist/teachers who spend a good time on the road, that this kind of fearful tentativeness is not an issue unique to me.

One strategy that helps, and one that I used this week, is having something in progress that's relatively easy to jump back into. I had started working on a small kitchen altar before the last trip and used a half day earlier this week to finish it up -- and by the way, got a chance to break in my new-to-me Bernina 1000. Wow, I didn't know one could sew without the accompaniment of a washing machine sound track. I revere my old Singer, a legacy from my seamstress grandmother Edith, but it was time to invest in a better tool -- the Singer's footpedal controller is on its very last legs, and in order to use it I have to disassemble and reassemble it with each sewing session. And that noise! Not to mention the rather unreliable tension control that makes me cringe every time someone wants to look at the back of any of my machine quilting.

 

Kitchen Altar, 2007

 

My friend Donna offered me the machine, one she is unable to use  at present -- at a smidgen of the cost of a new Bernina and mostly in trade for workshops at El Cielo. What generosity! And, I confess, having a new tool certainly helped get me back behind the thread spindle. I think a little generosity with materials and tools never hurts in getting past start-up trepidation. While it may not always mean a new sewing machine, even a new color of textile paint or a new carving block can do the trick.

Another strategy I've used to get started on several larger projects (read, intimidating)  is to use what I call the 15-minute rule. The general concept comes from Barbara Sher, the author of Wishcraft. In another of her books, she suggests that any project that seems threatening should be attempted by doing the absolute tiniest non-scary task that is next on the list. My take on this means doing anything toward a project's realization for 15 minutes. I set a timer and at the end of the 15 minutes I can quit or keep going if things don't seem quite so scary. Usually they don't.

Another still-to-be-realized-this-time strategy is the one that really works best for me -- block out an entire day and night to hit it hard in the studio. Enact a blessing ritual; light the incense. Head straight to the print table or the dye bucket. Turn off the computer, the phone, the email interruptions. Put meals and housework on the back burner; post signs if needed. Do not run errands (from El Cielo that is a 2-hour trip anyway). Approach work and art with intention and confidence, no blame, no critics -- inner or outer -- allowed.

What about you? Any good strategies for getting back to art after work-and-play away? 

Colorado Dreaming/Movies on Demand

 

It's 8,000 feet more or less uphill  and a thousand miles west and north from El Cielo Studio to the real thing --  heaven on earth has to be the mountains of central Colorado, where my sister Rosamonde lives and works. We took a girl's road trip  - Linda, cousin Alana, sister-in-law Toogie and me -- stopping at Tucumcari each way, spending 4 skylit days in and around the mountain valley town of Salida.  

 The trip gave me the opportunity to play around with my new Flip camcorder, a tiny video digital movie camera that fits in a pocket, plugs into the side of your computer, and is easy to use with my iMovie software, also, until this last week an untried bit of techno-wizardry.

After playing around with the camera and learning the rudiments of editing with iMovie, I am embracing my "inner filmmaker." What a kick! Flip is just little enough and simple enough to be nonthreatening; complex and good enough sound and image enough to hook me, and the software is fun and intuitive. Six hours passed like six minutes (then I crashed the computer and realized that I hadn't saved anything). Oh well. Second time around and I still have some tweaks to make to "The Hike," a project of absolutely no value or interest except to the participants. BUT, I can't wait to use this camera and editing software to do some mini-movies about the next El Cielo Workshop. Then I guess I'll have to learn to post to uTube and link to the movie from this blog. Technology never stops demanding my attention. And trying to keep the reality going in the studio has been a challenge. More about that tomorrow.