Un-multi-tasking

playing around Day 5

2012-02-15T10:00:00.000-05:00

the end result.... after 8 hours of playing.

I like the idea of insetting shapes. I have practiced and practiced and decided it was time to see if inset areas look markedly different than ones where a seam is used. I have been wanting to do a piece that involves a very sharp point. In this case it is clear that using a seam on a light or dark background versus insetting a triangle results in a cleaner more precise angle. I played around with a number of different kinds of angles and I looked a the effect of a horizontal line as one of the sides of the triangle. It took me about 30 tests to get the look I had in my head. Once I had the technique and the shape I started to fool around with texture. I did another 10 "experiments" and then called it a day. To be continued....

Sharp angle created by 3 pieces of fabric.

Inset triangle yields a messier point.

I kept getting these tiny lines

at the end of my inset triangles-

almost like nipples.

Just not working for me.

Playing around Day 4

2012-02-14T19:47:00.001-05:00

Started out fooling around with all black compositions and texture. For the first time ever I bonded a piece of silk to cotton. While I liked the result, I hated using anything but thread. Maybe I am a purist but I did not like the look, feel, or idea of using adhesives. What I did enjoy was seeing how texture can really help create more depth when you are using a dark palette. This is most definitely a path to explore- using different textures but contrasting that with crisp lines.
My experimental pile is getting bigger and bigger. And I continue to learn. Tomorrow I look at edges and texture.

Must art be intentional?

2012-02-09T19:18:00.000-05:00

Japanese Furushiki

Dorothy Caldwell, North South East West

Late 19th century, Floral Boro

I have spent much of the last three weeks learning everything that I can about Japanese boro. These are fabrics- sometimes in the form of clothes, sometimes futon covers or sheets that were patched over and over by impoverished Japanese. Born out of necessity, the fabric is often mended, has lots of hand stitching and often has layers of hand spun indigo fabrics.

Detail of patched fabrics

Nothing was wasted and nothing was just thrown out- the way that our contemporary disposable society handles objects that are torn, broken, etc. A good place to see these fabrics are at Srithreads.com or Kimonoboy.com.

Boro detail of stitching

Dorothy Caldwell, Tenderness

I find the boro very appealing and very beautiful.

The hand stitching is as beautiful as the stitching that I see today- from many textile artists working today. The fabrics, although they are faded, worn and torn are wonderful. And, there are many contemporary artists, notably Dorothy Caldwell, who have been strongly influenced by the boro tradition.

Dorothy Caldwell, In Good Repair

So here is a question that I have had trouble answering and would love to hear your thoughts.

Does art have to be intentional for it to be art?

Clearly we regard Caldwell's pieces as art. Do the undoubtably beautiful boro qualify as art as they were born out of necessity and not deliberately created as works of art. I really do not know where I stand on this. Would love to get your thoughts.

Playing Around Day 3

2012-01-30T20:17:00.001-05:00

Testing the characteristics of hand woven hemp with dyed cotton.

The quilt front?

I did a lot of work this weekend experimenting. I have lots more to look at with making my quilt backs become my quilt fronts.

The quilt back?

Merely showing an occasional seam on the wrong side is not as interesting as I thought it might be. Work still to be done there.

I did play around with my samples of hemp. And learned some interesting things. Hemp needs to be reinforced- edges have to be finished or it will unravel quickly. The rough edges intrigue me- but I have to know how to control them. I played around stitching over the hemp, insetting the hemp and taking pieces and putting them over stitched lines. One thing I can tell you is that the seams really bulk up making very fine work difficult. I often have to use narrow seams to get the line quality that I want. It is hard to use fine seams with a material that frays so much, and I really do not want to finish every hem- which works, but adds two lines of stitching to every line. This fabric really bulks up the seam since I am not cutting my corners making it hard to press. This technique will not work where I have too many lines intersecting.

I spent lots of time seeing how the colors changed if I put different fabrics underneath the hemp. Black on black is almost unreadable until you get up close.

The hemp really changes depending
on the background fabric.

Black on black- the left, is almost invisible.
I also found that the background loose weave
fabric does not make crisp edges on the inset squares.
I could probably do inset squares for the next 10 years
and not get them perfect.

Good example of how the background fabric
which is a loose weave like muslin stretches
too much for even a simple curve

Sewing curves with hemp, or any material that has too much give is a headache since it is hard to prevent the materials from stretching. I am sure this is an area that needs further examination. But my initial test does not have the precision I want

I have been trying hard not to make things or turn these studies into anything more than studies. And I am trying to hone some of my sewing skills while I do this. Two things I learned today: I can't just sew with any old combination of color. I tried a few experiments with scraps lying around where I was not focused on the color combination. It was too hard for me to see past the colors I did not like.
I also can not cut corners. Sloppy sewing gets in my way and prevents me from seeing the test I am looking at. So this is going to take some time.

Ellsworth Kelly

2012-01-22T22:16:00.000-05:00

If you missed the article today in the NY Times on Ellsworth Kelly- one of my very favorite artists, check it out. I wish I had 10% of the focus, principle, an passion this artist has. Just 10%....

Having fun, Day 2

2012-01-22T19:57:00.000-05:00

I know I do not have the discipline to keep to a routine, so I am particularly pleased that I made it to day two of experimentation. Today I wanted to see what happens if I inset a square of dyed cotton into the same linen, attached another mosquito netting square and then played around with different ways of quilting it. I did a few lines of machine stitching, and one line of hand stitching with a strand of copper mosquito netting that I unraveled. I also left the lines on the end loose- so not me. My hand stitching needs practice if I am going to really use it in this fashion. I was entertaining to fool around- not worrying too much about composition- just looking at different techniques and materials.

Experimentation

2012-01-22T12:05:00.000-05:00

I realized I have been so busy with my larger pieces (I finally finished the top of the Black on Black piece, and now it is ready to quilt. I also finished the binding on my large red flight pattern piece and only have to sew the bindings on the back. And, I have only 25% more to quilt on my large yellow piece.) but it has been a long while since I have sat down at my table to just play. Not worry about finished pieces, or creating huge compositions. But sit down and experiment. In honor of the new year I decided that I would do one small piece every day- some just assemblages, some sewn, all of them quick, and all of them continuing to experiment but still remain within the confines of "spontaneity and precision."

This is always a scary time for me- finishing and starting anew. But my enforced rest period of the last month has got me thinking about lots of different possibilities and I am not sure where they will lead me- possibly a dead end- or a whole new way of looking at my work. I started off working with some of my favorites scraps that I have been hoarding for a long while- thinking it was time to use them. I also decided to practice a bunch of inset squares to get my serious sewing skills honed.

Yesterday I went to our local thrift store and found 2 lovely panels of old linen that I bought for $4.00. I have never combined dyed cotton with any other fabric- so experiment number one and two was to inset these shapes into a loosely woven linen. I finished insetting the base- after doing 3 tests on insetting squares- I finally realized that Fray check was the only way to inset a 3" square into a loose linen that loves to fray!

I was pretty happy with the results. And just at that moment the postman arrived with my package from Japan. There was some of the lovely mosquito netting I had purchased. I decided to dive right in.

I cut into the fabric and started to unravel it. I put it right on top of the composition I had been working on and just played around for hours. I ended up unraveling one thread and using that to stitch the netting on to the study I had been working on so you can not really see how it is attached. The composition itself is just "meh" but I do like the contrast between the hard edge lines and the netting.

Knot quilts

2012-01-22T11:25:00.004-05:00

Knot No. 6

Knot No. 5

Knot No. 4

Knot No. 3

Knot No. 2

Knot No. 1

Anxiety quilts

2012-01-22T11:21:00.001-05:00

I am not showing the full quilts of the following quilts- just details as I may want to enter some of them.

Anxiety No. 8 detail

Anxiety no. 7 detail

Anxiety No. 6 detail

Anxiety Quilt No. 5 detail

Anxiety Quilt No. 3

Anxiety Quilt No. 2 detail

Anxiety Quilt No. 2

Anxiety Quilt No. 1

Graffiti quilts

2012-01-22T10:56:00.001-05:00

Add caption

Comb Quilts

2012-01-22T10:55:00.000-05:00

I have decided to post some of my older quilts in a new way. Partly because I can not figure out how to post pictures from Picasa to Pinterest. So if you have seen these... skip the next few posts!

Combs No. 1

Combs No. 2

Combs No. 3

Combs No. 4

Combs No. 4 detail

Combs No. 5

Combs No. 6

Combs No. 6 detail

Combs no. 6 detail

Combs No. 7

Combs No. 8

Combs No. 9

Combs No. 10

The Last Comb in progress

A new title

2012-01-22T08:00:00.000-05:00

I made a small change to my blog description. I changed the subhead from "How improvisational quilting contributes to my sanity" to "How art contributes to my sanity". It has taken me two years to feel comfortable using the "A" word instead of the "Q" word. I have heard and participated in hours of discussions regarding what is the proper nomenclature to describe a person who works with textiles as an art form. I have thought about the differences between painters, sculptors, craftspeople, etc. And I have read countless blog posts on the issue. All I can say, is that yesterday I woke up, looked at my blog, changed the title, and it just felt right. Two words into one. Not a big editing job, but a big step.

Artist Kathryn Clark

2012-01-21T18:30:00.000-05:00

While I have not been able to sew much in the last few weeks, I have been able to think and look around at different artists. And it has given me so much food for thought. I have been thinking for some time about how to add texture to my work- I have plenty of line texture with the quilting, but working on my black on black piece- I kept thinking it would be so much richer if I was able to introduce some black texture. The question is how to work with very loosely woven fabrics and still keep my crisp lines?

Albuquerque Foreclosure Quilt, 2011. 35" x 47"

Then one night in a drug-induced stupor (steriods and NyQuil to fight the pneumonia) I could not sleep, and rather than fight it, I spent a couple of hours online looking at other artists. I was very very lucky to have found Kathryn Clark. Kathryn has an amazing design sensibility, has spotlighted some phenomenal artists, and is doing an absolutely profound series of quilts called Foreclosures. I was so taken with her work that I went back to the very beginning of her blog and over the period of 5 days read every single entry. Kathryn is a former urban designer, and as a former landscape architect and urban designer, I fell in love with her story and design sensibilities. Her passion for bringing attention to the disaster of our urban cities is evident in all her work. I even sent her blog to my children who are both studying urban planning- one in London at London school of Economics, and one at MIT. I encourage you to look carefully at her work. My words will not do it justice.

As with most blogs, it is easy to wander and I found myself looking carefully at many of the wonderful sources Kathryn has sourced for japanese folk textiles. At 2 am in the morning I found myself ordering $200 worth of fabric from Kimonoboy. ( I told my husband that the drugs made me do it!) There I found exactly the kind of rough texture I had been looking for- in mosquito netting- not exactly cheap, but much better than the gauze, bandage materials, and rough linen I had been collecting. I put in an order and I can not wait to fool around with it.

My working life

2012-01-09T18:59:00.000-05:00

click here

I am define myself as an artist, but also as a business owner, a mom, a wife, a friend. Forty hours of my week belongs to Grafik, a design firm I founded 33 years ago. I was so pleased with our new years card that I wanted to share it. Just click below the photo and it should launch. I hope you enjoy it.

Making the best of it.

2012-01-08T17:49:00.001-05:00

I am not a person who likes to be sick- I guess no one is. But this combo bronchitis that morphed into pneumonia is hampering my style. I have been down since the 23rd of December and have really not accomplished a whole lot with quilting. You would think that being cooped up in a house, not going to work, not seeing friends might be a quilters' dream, but I have just felt too beat to do much creative.
I did clean up my room today- and sorted all the tiny beautiful fragments of my dyed cottons and threw some out. I finally sent my list of fabric swatches to Annette in Kennebick Washington with detailed notes and quantities and I threw out some real stinkers that were not going to turn into anything at all.... that actually felt pretty good.
I also did some small stitching tests on the large black piece that I have been working on. The piecing is done and now I have to decide what kind of quilting I would like. I tried some free motion- but really that is not for me. I did some more structured lines- but this piece needs more. I settled on a combination of parallel lines with angled lines placed randomly. I think that will work. I sent away for some quilt backing, and hung some batting on the wall to stretch out- and that was it.
I have slept more than a person should do, have imbibed at least 6 cups of tea a day, and made pretty good headway on our bookclub book, Cleopatra, A story. But I am so ready to get back to work, to sewing, to even having an appetite. And I know my husband will be happy not to have me hacking around the house. Tomorrow I am going to try to go into the office- even if it is only for 1/2 day. Wish me luck.

Backsides again

2012-01-04T18:12:00.001-05:00

the underside

I think it is time to try a piece where the backside becomes the front side. One of the pieces that I have been working on for months now has been coming along nicely but the other day, when I was ironing a seam I thought how compelling the under side was , with all its roughness and loose edges was and that it might be yet another avenue for me to explore. I have always been finicky about my seams- I love to press them, and due to the thicknesses in some of my seam allowances- sometimes there can be 5 or 6 layers of fabric in a seam allowance- I almost always have to clip my seams. I shudder to think how well these pieces would last if they ever found their way onto a bed!
So I think a new experiment may be to see what a piece would look like with a combination of fronts and undersides showing... I would also like to see how hand stitching might work on the underside. Sounds like I have my work cut out for me!

The right side

Bronchitis, New Years Eve 2012 and Dorothy Caldwell

2012-01-02T14:29:00.001-05:00

Almost 2 whole weeks to spend with my family and friends. Plans for sewing, good eating, and a new years even party with old college friends. All dashed by a vicious bout of bronchitis that had me flat on my proverbial ass from Christmas Eve until now, Jan 3. I can not remember ever being so sick.
With invitations to go to 4 New Year's Eve parties (one which I was hosting) I hardly expected that I would spend Dec 31 playing RummiKub with my husband at 10:45.
It was not all bad. I did have my family around, who really suffered through listening to me go through 3 boxes of tissues and rounds of hacking coughs. And they did it with grace. I had innumerable cups of tea and more throat lozenges then I ever remember buying.
I had had plans to do some serious quilting at the farmhouse, but as my sewing room was in use as a bedroom for most of the time, I did some hand stitching I have been meaning to get to.
My college roommates and spouses were supposed to come for a few days at the end, but I was feeling so bad that I canceled a day before. On new years eve I sent Dave, with some appetizers I prepared, out to some other friends to celebrate and I stayed at home.

2010 squares before I cut them up

2011 squares recombined on New Year's eve 2011

Last year at this time I had played around with squares of left over fabric for a crazy quilt. For details see my blog post. I have had about 12 squares up on my design wall for over a year, adding one or two when I don't really feel like doing heavy lifting. So on Dec 31, I looked at it again, and cut them up and recombined them trying to make a composition that used the blocks but not as blocks. What fun I had! For four hours I cut, recombined, recut, positioned and repositioned scraps of fabric. I was really liberating and got me out of my doldrums.
I spent one evening when my family was out looking at the work of Dorothy Caldwell, whose work I love. With the miracle of the internet I was able to spend hours studying her work, seeing what others had to say about her work, and looking at some of her major exhibitions. What a treat. The sheer volume of her work was both inspirational as well as daunting. And truthfully it made me feel inadequate.... How could I hope to reach even a small percent of what she has accomplished. The net effect or seeing her body of work was a combination of inspiration and fear. And for a few days I kept thinking "why bother when you can never be as good as she is... "And then new years eve happened. Or maybe my medication wore off, and I got out of bed, decided to love Caldwell's work, be inspired by it, but not handcuffed. And it was that new years resolution that allowed me to cut up my silly crazy quilt squares, and just have fun.

On honors blah blah blah

2011-12-24T21:14:00.001-05:00

I admit it. I never heard of Dr. Richard Feynman. I should have. He was a world renowned physicist who won the Nobel Prize in 1965 and a slew of other scientific awards. And in science circles he is considered one of the most important thinkers of our era next to Einstein. His Wikipedia entry gives a pretty good overview of his life and accomplishments, and a TED talk by one of his close friends, Leonard Susskind, another physicist, gives a great view into Feynman the man.

Feynman Series- Honours

I stumbled upon Feynman looking at three of his videos, one on Beauty, one on Honors and one on Curiosity. They are short videos and well worth the time to look at. Without being a spoiler, Feynman has a distain for all honors- including the Nobel Prize.

I have thought long and hard about honors, awards and shows. I have a leg in each camp- those that enter shows all of the time and enjoy the recognition they bring, and the other camp that is not exactly disdainful of shows, but carefully decide where they want their work to be.
I have only entered two shows and got in one and did not get into the second one. I felt giddy getting into QN 2011 and am currently working on the pieces I might consider for QN2013. My confidence was high, but getting home, I found that getting into a show made it hard for me to get back to serious work... I lost 4 months. To make it worse, I started to think in terms of "What would have a chance getting into the next show?" which stopped my development completely.
Then I entered my second show- which I should not have. I entered old work that pre-dated QN 2011 simply because I had good photos of it. And, I did not want to enter something that I might enter in the next Quilt National. I entered older work, that was not anywhere near the quality I am producing now. And when I found out I did not get in, I felt the other part of shows- rejection and in my case stupidity. Stupidity because I entered work just to get in a show knowing it was not my best.
I learned a good lesson, but it did not answer all of the questions about shows. I am still trying to figure out if I really do not want to enter- it takes me away from doing what I want blah blah blah. Or maybe I am afraid of rejection blah blah blah. I want to be like Richard Feynman and really not care. I think I have a long way to go to get to that state.

Starlings

2011-12-13T18:43:00.002-05:00

Driving home today on Interstate 395, a drab crowded freeway in DC with traffic a standstill, I saw a flock of starlings darting around the federal buildings. And I thought to myself, "Ah, this is what liquid would look like if it could fly".

A simple piece of paper

2011-11-29T08:34:00.001-05:00

Erik Demaine

If you do nothing else today, make sure you watch the documentary, Between the Folds. It shows a magical connection between science, math, art and design through the world of origami. My experience with origami has always been folded hats, birds or cranes.

Paul Jackson

Eric Joisel

This documentary demonstrates the amazing creative vision of origami artists. The short film shows incredibly complex shapes and figures; some abstract and some quite lifelike. All of the pieces have to be created from one piece of paper using no cuts or glue. And the results are astounding.
So for a creative jolt of energy spend 50 minutes of your time watching Between the Folds. A simple piece of paper will never look the same again.

Back or Front? TBD

2011-11-28T20:00:00.000-05:00

I have marveled at the detailed machine quilting on many of my favorite quilts. I do very dense labor intensive quilting but mostly I have used an assortment of parallel lines- some are 1/8" apart and some go as wide as 5/16". My machine quilting takes forever and a day, and I normally work on machine quilting 2 pieces, and machine piecing one quilt at the same time. I reserve my machine quilting for times that I need some mindless work.... or so I thought until now.

For the last 3 months I have been machine quilting a piece that has been inspired by flight patterns. It is one of my more complex pieces,
and parallel machine stitched lines did not seem to support the top piece that I assembled. I want all of the stitched lines to connect even though they are very much in the background. This means that I have to basically draw every darn line that I am quilting to make sure that they connect. And it means that I have to plan. A lot. It also means a lot of stopping and starting and lots of time taken up burying threads (my all time favorite activity.... NOT). It also is a real time suck- after working all weekend I am lucky if I have finished a 12" x 24" area. Every time I start a larger piece I am faced with months of machine quilting and the balancing act between wanting to finish a piece and wanting to design on the wall. And occasionally I am rewarded with a beautiful back. And as I stop to look at it I wonder if the back should be the front and the front become the back.

Inspired

2011-11-23T13:37:00.001-05:00

A few weekends ago Dave and I went to visit Jody at MIT. I was expecting the normal parents'visit complete with campus tour. Since Dave and I spent so much time in Cambridge at the "other school" our memories of the MIT campus are of uninspired architecture, a bleak campus, and generally hordes of physics majors wearing shorts and sandals with black socks in the dead of winter.

We were delighted to find that so much has changed. Jody took us through many of the labs where we were allowed to see experiments and projects in progress. I have also never seen so many flat screen TVs in my life. We wandered around the planning and architecture labs for a while and then went outside to see the rest of the campus. Walking through the campus I turned a corner and came face to face with an extraordinary piece of architecture designed by Frank Ghery- the Srata Center. I fell in love.

The interior spaces were as astounding as the exterior views with angled walls, saturated bursts of color and generally an experience that was completely unexpected.

Every direction that I looked there were textures and compositions begging to be put into a quilt.

Ghery has always been a much discussed architect and has as many fans as detractors. I have been in many of his buildings but I have never had the emotional experience that I felt looking at Stata. Don't be surprised if you see his influence in future pieces.

Serious colors.

2011-11-02T08:30:00.001-04:00

I loved a comment that Terry Jarrard-Dimond posted regarding serious colors. Perhaps the use of certain colors is linked to wanting the larger art world to take us more seriously. I thought about that a lot. And it forced me to think about how I use color and what the motivations were behind my color palettes.

I love dark colors.

While this looks somber it actually celebrate my mother

who has continually nurtured sick friends

with her bowls of matzah ball soup

As I was developing as an artist I loved the color sense of Nancy Crow, Leslie Riley and Terry Jarrard-Dimond's bold use of color whether it was in the complicated details work of Leslie or the magnificent bold strokes of Terry and Nancy. I envied their ability and mastery of color. And anytime that I even attempted to replicate color choices it looked forced and uncomfortable simply because it was.

This was before I started to develop my own voice and develop my own sensibilities. And it was during a period where I was making quilts- not really making art. The difference lies in my ability to tap into my emotions.

I am comfortable in the world of dark colors. Give me deep purples, blacks, navies, dark rusts and I am in heaven. Those colors speak to me.


Many people loved the energy and brightness of these colors. The colors this piece were representative of loss of control. I used a color palette that was difficult.

But when I want to really convey how anxious, nervous or upset I am I choose colors that others would think are pleasant except for me they are jarring and upsetting. Think pastels or lighter jewel tone. These colors are like scratching nails on a blackboard, and when I use those colors I am often tense, nervous, and concerned. This was my color palette during the recession!


Difficult colors for difficult times.

This was a piece that was done when I was not sure
if my design firm would survive.
Ironically most of my friends were happy
to see me using such bright colors.

So how does all of this play with serious or non-serious colors. I have to be guided by the thoughts that are driving me. Right now I am doing an all black piece representative of some recent family health problems (which are happily resolved). But as I started this a few weeks ago, all black felt like the right way to go.

With all of this talk of anxiety and tension it must appear that I am a disturbed person. I am not. I am really pretty happy most of the time- and when I do have conflict I go to work in my studio. I am comfortable talking about my emotions and tapping into them to help me start to work. After giving Terry's comment lots of thought, I don't think of color in terms of being acceptable to other artists or quilters. Perhaps I am too early a stage of development as an artist. I do have to thank Terry for opening up this topic for consideration and making me deliberately think about color as a conscious choice.

A change of pace

2011-11-01T21:22:00.001-04:00

I figured that it was time to change the look and feel of my blog. So if you have some here and have been surprised- well you have the right place, but a brand new spanking up to date look. As the internet changes, so must we. I hope you like the new look and feel- and if you don't drop me a line. Thanks to Man Ray for the lovely lips!

Well I tried the new look for about 10 minutes and have reverted back until they fix some of the bugs that they have- no gadgets, no sharing... But the new dynamic content is going to be a dazzler. Stay tuned.

Out out damn blue

2011-10-15T09:51:00.000-04:00

Blue line creeping in.

Worked for several hours last night after a very trying day. Black seemed to be very appropriate color palette for the day. I was going merrily along until I looked up and realized that blue started to creep into my composition. It looked very pretty- and livened up the piece.

But that is not what I want. I am not going for pretty here. And too often one of my pieces will derail when "pretty" trumps emotion.

So I cut it off.

Without the blue line.

This effectively cut off about 5 hours of work and felt pretty proud of myself for staying true to my original vision. Instead I added a dark purple line which borders on pretty but still reads as ominous.

The challenge not to fall into pretty is one that I battle with often. As a person who works with aesthetics for a profession, I am often charged with making things that are pleasant to look at. So it is easy for me to default to a place that is visually non-threatening. But now, I feel that "pleasant" is my enemy and I have to find a way to stay true to my original concept. So I struggle as an artist wondering if "ugly" can be a goal if it accomplishes what I am trying to portray. Anybody else struggle with this? Love to hear your thoughts.

Dark purple line seems to keep the monochromatic theme.

Is originality possible any more?

2011-10-14T17:16:00.002-04:00

Jonathan Mak's Apple logo with silhouette.

Chris Thornley's Apple logo.

Make sure the read this fascinating article in the NYTimes on whether originality will ever live again on the web.

The colors of black

2011-10-11T20:22:00.000-04:00

I have been trying in several of my last pieces to really get a black on black effect, but as I start to put the pieces together somehow color just slips in. I have found that there are so many colors of black and there simply is not just one black. When I look at each pile of yardage separately they all look really black- until I put pieces up on my board. Some are bluer, some are warmer. Some are much lighter than I expected. And inevitably I end up adding in other colors.

The blackest black that I have found is definitely Kaufman's Black 200 count pimatex- not to be confused with black kona. I also like Michael Miller's jet black and often default to one of these blacks even when I am using all hand-dyed fabrics.

Franz Kline

This time I am really resisting that impulse to add a hint of color. I am trying really hard. But just last night I saw a piece of really dark blue/black creeping in to the composition. I want to create a bold composition that has lots going on within a very dark field- thanks to Rothko, Kline and Frankenthaler for that influence! So I will see if I have to edit out that blue or once again to submit to just a hint of color. I will probably have to default to using some grays since I do not want this to disappear completely. So perhaps a bit of color in the grey, blue perhaps, will do very nicely. Ah- it is so much fun to slip down a slippery slope!

6 degrees of separation

2011-10-10T10:00:00.000-04:00

It is amazing to me how many things converge. I recently donated a piece to the Matthew Shepard Foundation. Two of my good friends, Gregg and Dan have put on a fundraiser for the foundation for the last 2 years and have been able to raise lots of money to erase hate. If you want to read more, Gregg has posted a wonderful description here.
This year I decided to enter a piece that I worked on at Nancy's master class last year. I figured that it could do more good raising money than sitting rolled up in my drawer, so I told Gregg and Dan that if they would put it up on a silent auction, they could have the piece. Unfortunately the big event was held out in Lewes at the end of Yom Kippur- so Dave and I could not attend.
I admit that I was wondering if the piece raised any money and who the new owner was. I feel a little like a mother to my quilts and want to make sure that they are in a safe place. And, so far I have only donated quilts to sell for causes that I support, so I was really not sure how to price it.
On Friday I found out that my contractor (who graciously came out to Lewes to fix our house) ran into Gregg and Dan on the streets of Rehoboth. He worked for the boys in DC- and was thrilled to meet them and decided buy tickets to the event. I wondered if he might be interested in the piece as he has often commented on my pieces.

Gregg on the left, and Andy the proud owner on the right.

Well it turns out, Glen did not buy the piece. Last night at 10:30 I got a lovely photo of one of my favorite clients with my quilt- Andy Putterman- who also owns a house in Lewes. I had absolutely no idea that he was going to attend the event, and ironically he ended up buying my quilt. So the Foundation has scored some dough, I have cleaned out my drawer and feel good about giving to a cause, and Andy is thrilled to have a piece of my art. What a small wonderful world indeed.

Bamboo batting is for the birds!

2011-10-09T17:55:00.000-04:00

No problem using bamboo batting on light areas... but...

Walking through Hancock Fabrics I was feeling very smug indeed. I thought I had managed to nab some extra wide 100% cotton batting for a new piece I had to quilt. I normally use Theramore- no bearding and I like that- but it is also ultra-thin and I wanted more heft. So I stumbled upon what I thought was some white Hobbs. It was not priced and when I took it to the cutting table the cutter told me that it was only $8.96 a yard on sale- better priced than the other roll I took up with me at $15 per yard. Feeling pretty good about my find I ordered 2.5 yards and went home to pin and start my quilting.

On dark materials the bamboo fibers just get all over the place.

I worked first on a bright yellow area- and everything was going ok. And then I started on some darker areas- and I noticed all these thin fibers all over the dark areas. I could not figure out what was going on- until I went back to the store receipt and found that I was quilting with bamboo batting.

And if you look closely you will see that
the fibers start to rub off. It's a mess.

Well I like the renewable aspect of bamboo- but NOT in quilting. The stuff practically disintegrates while you watch- and it gives new meaning to the word bearding. By the time I found out it was too late- so I am resigned to removing the fibers with a lint roller when I am done large areas.
I really hope I can save this piece that took months to pieces. So from now on- I'll stick with tried and true bargains and will remember that if a price seems too good to be true- watch out!!

I was wrong.

2011-10-04T09:30:00.002-04:00

This morning I wrote a post - which I have deleted commenting on the similarity of one of my pieces to a quilt I had seen on the SAQA. Well I was wrong. I received an email from the artist who assures me that her piece was in no way derivative of mine. And I believe her.

In writing a reply to her I realized that much of my blog post was not specifically about her piece or mine for that matter. It is more about appropriation on the web and how easy online sharing enabled piracy.... either intentionally or not. I also had the benefit of reading Kathy Loomis' insightful posts on appropriation. And this instance has proven it true- No one can own a shape, a color, a technique or a composition.

There was a wonderful article in the NY Times about Bob Dylan's art. http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/09/26/questions-raised-about-dylan-show-at-gagosian
It is clear to me that his painting are replicas of the work of many artists and photographers, but most people were not aware of it until very recently. The internet has exposed us to so many images and it is now easier to see when an artist has copied another's work.

Even though I was mistaken about a piece of art that resembled mine, in general I am being more careful- which is a good thing and a bad thing. I have been reluctant to put any of my new work up on my blog since I would like to have the opportunity to show it before it influences anyone else's work out there. And certainly the Quilt National requirements of not having a piece in public makes me less likely to share my pieces here... which I think is a bad thing. And I am talking to more and more artists who are reluctant to post work for the same reason- which is a pity.
The medium that allows interaction can actually kill it.

It has taken me years to develop my own voice, and during that time I was reluctant to look at any quilting venues, any books since I did not want to be unconsciously influenced by quilt artists. Instead I looked at modern art, and have been influenced by many artists that range from Ellsworth Kelly to William Anastasi, and Oiticica. So I will stop being irritated and just keep working harder to be faithful to my voice. But I will be quieter and more private and that is a shame.

Once again, my apologies to my quilting friend. If nothing else I have lots to chew on including crow.

Lychee

2011-07-26T14:21:00.003-04:00

101 degrees in the heat. My car feels like Dante's inferno. Drag my sweat soaked body inside. Open the refrigerator and take one small lychee out of its plastic bag. Marvel at the color and texture as I always do. Peel it. Pop it into my mouth.
Ah. A taste of cool.

Micha Ullman

2011-07-17T11:28:00.002-04:00

Dave and I spent 2 days going through the Israel Museum. Lots of wonderful archeological exhibits, a great collection of modern art as well as one of the finest Judaica collections in the world. It is on multiple levels and you kind of wander from room to room.

On one of the levels we wandered into a retrospective of Israeli artist, Micha Ullman. Ullman creates subterranean sculptures, some of which barely protrude from the ground. They have been described as simultaneously "celestial and earthbound, metaphysical but sensual and tactile. His sculptures made of iron and sand address such universal themes as home and place, and absence and emptiness."

This is the first museum retrospective of the work of this Israeli artist and it covers his fifty-year career in sculpture, drawing, and installation.

All I can say is that Ullman's work showed amazing consistency and is one of the most powerful exhibits I have ever seen. He uses a copper red sand that is found in Israel, and some of his pieces are interactive in the sense that he allows the viewer to move the sand gently by merely being near it. He delves into the world of performance art having people interact directly with the sand- capturing the footprints and movements on a floor covered with sand.

His prints also use the same copper red sand and he is as effective as a print artist as he is an installation artist and sculptor.
To read a much more intelligent review of his work check out Midnight East.

Israeli inspirations

2011-07-17T10:32:00.000-04:00

Preparing for my journey to Israel I was bemoaning the fact that it meant leaving quilting for 10 days. I took some hand quilting to work on and that did keep me busy for the long layovers waiting for connections. I did not really think that I would find lots of inspiration on my trip- which looking back was a ludicrous thought. But there were a few images and one artist that completely blew me away.

When we arrived on a Saturday Dave and I went directly to Tel Aviv and Yaffo. Yaffo is an ancient city- very beautiful and with a flourishing Arab presence.

Sadly many of the shops were closed but the graffiti on the metal barriers covering the open market stalls were stunning.

Walking through the markets was a dazzling visual array of color and sound. I especially liked the candy and spice vendors.

When we left Tel Aviv we went north to one of the first settlements in Israel, Rosh Pina. It is built on a very steep hill and huffing and puffing all the way up in 99 degree heat was a trial. At the top we were rewarded by finding this gate that was made out of found materials. Quite beautiful and unexpected.
Looking at all of the images there is a part of me that can see how this would be great silk screened or as a fabric transfer. But that is not my "bag" so to speak. So I think I will just enjoy the patterns and images and see if it ever surfaces into one of my pieces.

Manhole covers

2011-07-15T08:59:00.000-04:00

Dave and I are the worst record keepers around, especially when it comes to photography. We rarely kept a record of our kids or vacations, preferring to be in the moment instead of behind a lens.

My iphone has helped a bit since it is so easy to use. So preparing for our Israel trip I vowed to take more photos. Got to Israel and realized that there was no way that my iphone could capture the soul of the place.
But walking around in the intense heat I discovered the manhole covers of Israel. Each city has their own design, and there are often different covers for different sections of the area.

It is not unusual to find several different languages on each cover, and I managed to find some really old ones, as well as ones that appear to be new.

I feel like I have stumbled onto a marvelous new idea for a collection, and the best part is that it will not take up any room in the house. Enjoy!

Aunt Rachelle

2011-07-14T20:10:00.000-04:00

I recently spent 10 days in Israel. It has been 24 years since I have been back to Israel. But when we received news that our favorite aunt had taken a turn for the worse, I knew it was time to return to visit with her.
How to describe Aunt Rachelle? I have always wondered what it was like to be in a salon in Europe filled with fascinating people. Aunt Rachelle is the last great hostess and assembles the most interesting people- all who seem to have a special connection with her. And that is one of Rachelle's gifts- she makes each person feel like they have the inside track with her. Everyone is welcome at her house and every is greeted by the all time best hostess.
What is a wheel without a hub? All of us lucky people who call her "family" are wondering? For Rachelle has been in the very center of our family- at least as long as I can remember. And I know that there is no one that will be able to fill that spot. She is the fabulous cook- who has never thrown a left over away- it is somehow incorporated into the next dish. She is the confidant. A person who freely gives her opinion, and offers sound advice- whether you ask her or not. She has been a surrogate mother. Feeding my husband for the ten years while Dave was at Harvard, and stepping in when Alzheimers afflicted his mother at the age of 54. A fabulous grandmother- doting on all her grandchildren. A sage- always with an intelligent point of view on everything from the Talmud to the latest book she has read.
Now, she is dying of pancreatic cancer. So I did not hesitate for a second to get a ticket and I headed for Jerusalem fearing the worst. What did I find? A magnificent lady- who now probably only weighs 110 pounds if that- yet decked out in her finest housecoat, makeup and jewelry- since she has always loved fashion and is quite the clothes horse. And it is clear that she is very very ill, but she insisted on hosting us for dinners, and tea, and after Shabbat. And never was morose, or down, or self-pitying. How she does that I will never know. I found a lady who will not serve dinner or clear the dishes without a tray- and who still sees fit to take what is left of her energy and fill her house with people. As she told me entertaining is the best form of palliative care.
So it was fitting that all of us also not be sad around her. And I managed to hold it together until I left her house on the last day not knowing if or when I would see her again. And both my husband and I sobbed as we walked back to our hotel.
Aunt Rachelle did one last mitzvah (good deed) that she probably does not know about. She got me back to Israel, where I rekindled my love and attachment to the country. I am already thinking about my next trip back. I think that would please her.

Potholders and ipad covers

2011-07-14T19:34:00.000-04:00

While I have been working diligently on some new pieces, time still seems to evade me- not enough time to work, to sew and to write- or maybe not enough discipline to write. The last two months has included a 10 day trip to Israel to see family and preparation for the trip. I felt absolutely compelled to create potholders for family and friends- and while they were certainly appreciated I am sure it was a time sink.

The other time sink that I put a quick halt to was the design an production of an ipad cover. Two weeks ago at the end of our fiscal year I gave every employee their own ipad2- a gesture that had people comparing me to Oprah. Naturally I gave myself one- and then felt compelled to sew a cover for it. Three days later I gave up in disgust and went online and bought myself a cover- which is actually much better than what I was sewing and most importantly got me back to the piece I have been avoiding. I am just beginning this piece which is taking a lot of time- It has been taking me an hour to inlay a circle and about that much time to sew in a bar. I am trying to get increased depth by doing more layering- and it is hard. And so I spend lots of time staring.... and making potholders. And now that I have a new ipad I have an even better time sink. Thankfully there is not an ipad app for sewing!

Lists and lines

2011-06-03T13:16:00.000-04:00

William Anasazi Subway

Got up this morning with a full day of art ahead of me. Nothing on my to-do list. Lots of uninterrupted hours. I did some routine quilting first, pinned a quilt and backing together and then started to play. I have been wanting to see how I can use just stitched lines to create energy and took about 2 hours to just play with stitching black lines on white fabric. Normally my quilting is straight lines and pretty stiff- and I wanted to challenge myself to break away. Took an hour to rifle through my inspiration books- and then started to work. Lines intrigue me. I piece lines, compose with lines, and stitch lines. And I look at a lot of artists who are working with just lines- one of my favorite being William Anasazi.

Detail of Sol LeWitt's #122

And as I stopped for lunch, I thumbed through the NY Times and saw two things that caught my eye. One was a beautiful line drawing by Sol LeWitt.

The other was the review of a really interesting exhibit on lists. And I was taken by the fact that all of these wonderful artists had such beautiful lists. The article is well worth reading- and I wish I was in NYC to go to the Morgan Library and see these lists first hand.

As for me- today I was really happy NOT to have a list- a full day for "line exploration".

10 things I want to say about Quilt National 2011

2011-06-01T09:41:00.001-04:00

One word- WOW really captures the two days I spent at Quilt National 11. I remember during my wedding that after 4 hours my face hurt. Why? I had been smiling so much. And I have to report that my face hurt after the banquet opening Quilt National. I think there are simply too many thoughts to capture in one post- so I will opt to give you my impressions over a number of posts. But some initial reactions:

1. What nice women. I do not think I met one woman who was not open, encouraging, engaging and just downright nice. I felt like I had landed in the middle of a giant lovefest- with everyone supporting each other. No cattiness. No competition. Just appreciation of all the different styles of work that are out there.

2. I am not the oldest quilter nor am I the youngest. By far the grey hair contingent dominated the group with possibly only a half dozen artists under 50- and many more over 60. I have seen this skewing of age at Nancy's classes and my only explanation is that once you are older you have more time to devote to your art.

3. Boy can the artists from Australia create beautiful pieces. Every time that I looked at a piece that struck me- I saw that they were from Down Under. And it was interesting than many of them are working with very rich earth tones. Also many of these artists heavily hand quilt their pieces.

4. Speaking of hand quilting- it puts my pieces to shame. You can clearly see work that is reminiscent of kanta cloth- heavy stitching- and lots of time on silks rather than cotton.I loved the wide stitches used as decoration more than quilting or holding the pieces together.

5. Ah surface design- alive and very well. The show demonstrates that dyeing and surface design is strong. I felt a bit overwhelmed by some of the pieces yet when surface design is well integrated in the art- it is a knock out.

6. I probably count the figurative pieces as my least favorite. I guess I am just not a fan of quilts that appear to be large photos- but the beauty of the show is that it is truly representative of different trends in quilting and figurative art is alive and well- just not for me.
7. My favorite piece- This is a hard choice- but I think Lisa Call's beautiful red white and black piece wins the day for me.

8. One of the best parts of the two days- seeing old friends and putting faces to women I have just met online.And the kindness of women like Dominie Nash who was so inclusive- inviting Dave and I to sit with them on several occasions. I loved reconnecting with the vibrant Leslie Riley- we make each other laugh- and I felt a new connection with Beth Carney through her wonderful piece about her transition after her mom's death. Paula Kovarick's pieces are even more beautiful in person than online, and it was a treat to see Kathy Loomis's piece in person.

9. I was afraid that seeing the entire show would paralyze me- instead it energized me- and gave me new insights in the way artists approach their work. It was fabulous hearing each artist talk about their work- for only 3 minutes- but it was better than nothing. Hearing words from each person gave added depth to each piece.

10. My fabulous husband- who could not have been more supportive. Dave was a full participant- and could not have been prouder of me. In fact I had to instruct him not to clap too loudly about my piece- or crow too much.His crowning achievement for the weekend was that he found three antique bricks to add to his collection. Turns out that the Hocking River Valley in Ohio was the home to many brick manufacturing factories in the early part of the 20th century.

Aaron Koblin: Artfully visualizing our humanity

2011-05-24T11:42:00.000-04:00

This video is worth watching if you are involved in any type of design. Koblin is at the forefront of taking data and making it understandable by putting it into a visual form that is digestable. He is the motivation behind one of my latest pieces- although I am not showing it right now. Watching this video will show you where some of the new forms of communication is taking the way we approach art. I personally find it interesting that I am so drawn to this type of art on one hand, and then hand quilting on another.

Two lines and a circle

2011-05-03T22:50:00.001-04:00

How do you know when you are done?
I have been staring at a piece that I have been working on for a while. And somehow tonight I decided it needs two more lines and a circle. I may change my mind after I see it. But somehow I know I am getting close to being finished.

I do not always know. I have a few pieces that have one circle too many and in some cases several circles too many. That goes for lines as well. And I still have trouble knowing when to call it quits. Sometimes I wonder if I am stopping because I am too lazy to add more. Or maybe I am done because I am bored. When I get in a mindset like that it is better to just stop for the night and stare at it in the morning.

So I stopped for the night. But somehow I still think I am two lines and a circle away from the end.

Oct 2012

2011-05-02T19:55:00.000-04:00

October 14-26, 2012. I know exactly where I will be.
I signed up for Nancy's master class yesterday and I already feel the benefits. No more crapping around. No more shopping mindlessly on ebay, or spending too much time surfing the web. I've put away the pieces I have been trying to resurrect- which are really very nice "wadders" but are still wadders. And now it's time to focus. That may sound silly planning a year and a half in advance, but now that I am working larger, it takes me so much longer to get a piece done.

I took my Friday off, after a 3-4 week hiatus of not taking Fridays off. And the difference was amazing. I spent time at the farm this weekend- alone. And it was wonderful. And interestingly enough I did not do much quilting- lots of planting and yard work- and about 4 hours of hand quilting. It was pretty peaceful- and although I missed Dave and am so ready to have him back from the middle east, the truth is that it was ok being alone- although I did talk to Barley a lot.

So after mailing in my check and registration form I need to prepare.

I have talked to a number of quilting buddies who I have taken classes with at the Crow Barn, and they are all intimidated by the title Master Class, as I was. I think the difference between the master class is not necessarily the level of talent or skill. It's more what you do between classes- are you developing your own voice? Are you thinking critically about your own art? Are you pushing boundaries? Are you serious about looking at art? Are you committed?

The answer to the last question- are you committed enough to prepare for the class. Will you have a serious body of work- even if it is only 2-5 Large Large pieces or 8-10 smaller ones? Will you prepare thoughtfully for the assignment that is given ahead of time- brain work not hand work? If the answer if "yes" then you belong at the classes.

I have also found that while the class seems to be more intimidating, since there are no timed exercises, it is a bit more relaxing- although I find I am still opening the Barn at 7 and one of the last to leave. But it is a different kind of class. And I can't wait.

So off I go to tackle another circle upstairs. And start a year and a half of hard work. Thank you Nancy.

Red Eye

2011-04-14T00:31:00.001-04:00

Big mistake. I normally travel with some handquilting to do to pass the time. But I had to do a quick cross country trip and wanted to travel light. Argh!!!!so I have been sitting in LAX for seven hours after a very short business meeting that took 3 days of my life. A 1 1/2 hour meeting that took 2 weeks to prepare for and has meant hours and hours of time in flights and airport waiting rooms. And I am kicking myself for not bringing a piece along. Instead I have played hours of Angry bird and solitaire on my phone. Read 1/2 of my bookclub book. Checked my email dozens of times. Ate stupid airline food. In an hour I board and will hopefully fall fast asleep and arrive in Baltimore at 6am after 5 hours of sleep. Ah. The glamour of travel.

Dissonance

2011-04-03T14:46:00.000-04:00

I find that recently I can either blog or I can work on my pieces. With limited extra time I have had to choose one. But I have also found that ignoring one effects the other. Without an outlet- my writing- I lose important thoughts and feelings. Without my art, I lose myself. So for the last month I have chosen me figuring that lost thoughts and feelings would find their way into my pieces. And I think they have.

It's been a dark month. I had to say goodbye to a life long friend who has worked with me for well over 20 years. R was perhaps the essence of the "old" Grafik- and his absence has been felt. With R gone- the office is lonelier- and just not as friendly. It has been hard walking by his vacant office ten times a day.
I have spent an inordinate amount of time in the office clocking in 50-65 hour days and weekends fretting over the firm, and one website in particular. It has sapped some of my creative energy- but I have given the office the focus it needs from me.
So my work has been darker- more tense and a bit angry. I've been working in very dark shades- and slashing my fabrics again- out of anger, anxiety, and maybe a tad of self-pity.

And the piece is really coming along. It is large, ( yes I hear you Nancy!) and every single line is thought out and composed. Randomness with purpose.
I am cutting circles into the lines an I have been slashing the pieces horizontally and working on smaller sections. That way I am not trying to lay in pieces to a 6' x 8' of fabric. It is pretty slow going with me only getting to 3-4 lines a day. Seems like it should move faster but it has not.
Today I cut in two lines of a bright orange- loud and screaming. I was worried about the effect but it is working- and lends even more dissonance to the composition- which is what I am aiming for.
Maybe everything in life has some kind of purpose. I know that this piece is born out of the pain of losing R. So if some good comes out of bad... here it is.

Going in circles

2011-03-11T14:45:00.000-05:00

This work week so needs to be over. Working at 4 am in the morning, late nights and working through lunch.

Horrible. Crummy. Sad. And sometimes necessary.

Worst of all- my free Friday had to give way to business necessity. I am ok with that. Sometimes.
OK- now that I got that out of my system. Breathe deeply.

My sewing life. Kind of frustrating as well. I finished piecing my red quilt and put it aside. I worked some on my circles piece that I put away a few weeks ago. This piece just refuses to cooperate. I added more circles, cropped it, re-cropped it, added to it, re-cropped it. Threw my hands up in the air. Took it down, pinned it back up. Stood staring at it for longer than I care to admit. And finally realized that it is what it is. And that is that. I think.
But maybe if I turn it or add some more circles... Well you get the picture.

My week was just like that. Going in circles, round and round. And even my sewing haven could not save me this time.

Hearts

2011-03-01T19:55:00.000-05:00

Every time Dave and I go walking on the beach in Delaware we have a rule. Each of us has to pick up a beautiful white stone to put into a copper dish that sits at the farmhouse. All of our guests do as well. It is a lovely reminder of wonderful walks. My daughter thinks it is a bit kitschy- but we don't care.
The other thing we search for are stones in the shape of hearts. Well maybe that is kitschy- but we do it anyway. For me the stones are a reminder of the wonderful place we are in, and all the love that is in this house. We bought it at the best and worst of times. The worst of times because the economy was flagging, we were both reeling from the death of my dad, and Grafik was in serious trouble. The best of time because it gave us a sanctuary- a refuge from everyday problems.
The hearts are important because they demonstrate the importance of family, the importance of a soul mate and the importance of friends and colleagues- each group helping us to weather the storm.
Heart stones are not easy to find- we have only found a few. Les has found a few. But it is fun to look for them at the beach marveling at the manifold colors and shapes of stones and shells. Just as heart stones are not easy to find, magnificent love is also hard to identify. I have my heart stone in David, and I believe that Max has his heart stone in Les. Jo is too soon to tell but she will know it when she finds it.

Thank you

2011-02-23T14:50:00.000-05:00

Almost every morning I drive over the Memorial Bridge on my way to work in Alexandria Va. For those not in the know, Memorial Bridge is also the entrance to Arlington National Cemetery. And most days I zoom over it, listening to music, pre-occupied with getting to work, and somewhat oblivious to my surroundings. When you live in DC you forget to really look at the beautiful monuments surrounding you- they become backdrops to commuting routes.
Today was different. I got onto the bridge after getting through loads of traffic. I was hassled by the time is was taking to get into work. And as I pulled into the left lane I looked ahead of me.
There was a hearse with a flag draped coffin inside heading for Arlington National. And I stopped thinking about traffic. Stopped listening to the drone of background music. Stopped worrying about being 15 minutes late. Instead, I thought about the life changes that were riding in that hearse- changes for the family and friends and neighbors. Thought about the sacrifices made. And all I could think of was that I do not say "Thank-you" enough.

Wounded Warrior Project

Why I write

2011-02-22T22:08:00.000-05:00

I write to give form to the many thoughts that spin through my head as I sew.
I write so I will not lose those thoughts, feelings, ideas, worries, concerns, triumphs.
I write to share joy and grief. Maybe sometimes too much grief- but words help comfort me.
I write mostly for myself- not really to educate or illuminate or explain. I am the primary audience. If others listen that's wonderful. But I write for me. A highly personal act in a sometimes public space.
I write to help me figure out problems- words help me work through to solutions.
I write when I can not cry or when I have to be strong but feel pretty weak. Words empower me- help me cope. Give form to complex emotions. Words allow me to be vulnerable.
I write so I can get out all the words I can not say- to family, to friends, to staff. To my husband, to my mother, to my kids. To Robin. To Richard. To Penny. To my father.
I write because I have to.

The Great Fabric Test

2011-02-21T15:14:00.001-05:00

I have been working with Annette Wink for about 6 years- she dyes all my fabrics since I am not really into the dying part- and she does a wonderful job. I send her swatches and color chips with descriptions, and about 3 month later I get beautiful fabric. And for years it has been perfect until the supplier of her fabric changed stock- and the quality changed. I have been spoiled by an almost silky texture- that looks almost like leather at times- but the last few times, Annette has been unhappy with the quality of the fabric and we jointly decided to change.

So Annette tested 7 fabrics all using the same conditions, and my job was to select which fabric I want her to use going forth. While I mourn for my old fabric- it has been an interesting experience.

Annette sent me seven fabrics with her descriptions of how they were to dye:

Hoffman 1377

RJR Sateen

Kona Bay solid white

P&B CSNE

Kaufman Kona Premium 118"

Pro Chem s/100

Pro Chem s/200

I did not want to be influenced by Annette's read on this- so I labeled the 7 fabrics a-g and did some tests- using a straight stitch and since I so many curves, a curved seam as well. I put all of the larger pieces of fabric with the labels away so I would not be influenced by the "label".

After lining them all up I started the elimination.

7th place. The first to be taken out of the mix was the Pro-Chem s/200 broad cloth. While I liked the weight- it was the one piece that did not take the dye as evenly as the others. It did sew up nicely but it was the lightest of the batch.

6th place. The third to bite the dust was Pro Chem mercerized cotton. Again- it did not take the dye very well and was blotchy. It was also stiffer than the Pro Chem 200. Annette commented that she was pretty disappointed in the fabrics coming from a dying company as compared to some of the others.

5th place. The third to be taken out of the batch was the Kaufmann 118". Again- it was a streakier dye and not anywhere as rich as the other two. Annette had used this fabric for me before- and I could tell something was amiss since the normally rich colors were much more faded and subdued. Annette thinks it has a quantity of sizing in it- and even after scouring it was not as rich as the others. It did have a nice hand and sewed curves nicely- but it also had wrinkles that were almost impossible to press out- a characteristic I have noticed with other pieces I have gotten.

Eliminating the first three was pretty easy. It was much harder to choose among the last 4 as their were more pros and cons to each swatch. Here I carefully avoided looking at the tags and hung each fat quarter underneath its sample set.

Still too hard to select so I then put each test stitching in a group.

Straight stitching: I put each swatch in order from best seam to worst- although they were all pretty even. The results: F A D C

Curved stitch: I probably could have done a more controlled test here- using the exact same curve but some of the fabric clearly liked curves better. Interestingly the lighter fabrics were harder to control. The results: F C D A

Hand/weight: Two of the fabrics had much more drape and "give" which is not always good if you need control of your fabric. I need a fabric that is not too light- but also not too bulky. I found that D and A had too much drape for me. C was a bit stiffer than I would have liked- but a possibility. And F seemed to be a good in between- not too stiff but much less drape than D and A

Texture: Two of the fabrics had much more pronounced weaves with D and C being the most textured. The order I chose them was A F C D

Color Ok- this is a bit harder since I did not have the swatch that Annette was trying to dye to match. No problem. In this case the color of the C was the most intense. D and F were a close second, and I started to rule out A as being too light.
So here are my "tabulations"

stitching FADC
curves FCDA
Weight FCDA
Texture AFCD
Color CFDA

Now what to do? I weighted each place- first place was 4, second was 3 and so on. And then I divided by 5.

F got 18 and a score of 3.6
C got 13 and a score of 2.6
A got 10 and a score of 2
D got 9 and a score of 1.8.
And now for the results:

F is Kona Bay Solid White
C is P&B
A is Hoffman 1377
D is RJR Sateen.

Then I looked at Annette's recommendations as a dyer to see what her opinion was.
Her order of preference is A D F C.
She did not like the Kona premium or either of the ProChem choices.

So- am I any closer to making a choice. I think that I love the color on the Hoffman 1377 but think the weight is too flimsy. I am going to ask Annette if it comes in a heavier weight. I also want to see the Kaufman Pimatex since I know that is a fabric I have used before and like.
I am ruling out the Sateen since it is harder to sew with. So I think the choice for me is between the Kona Bay and the P&B. The Hoffman 1377 takes the dye the best- but I am worried that in the end it will be too light, and the P&B also has beautiful color but it is much coarser than the Kona Bay. I am going to sew up a few more samples with the two- and I will let you know where I end up. Any experiences or information with any of these fabrics is appreciated!

It's about time

2011-02-14T13:23:00.000-05:00

I am normally a solo artist- I tend not to be a joiner- in quilting or in pretty much anything else. While I like people- when it comes to my art- I just do not want to network.
I made an exception last week and accepted an invitation from Dominie Nash to come visit her studio- and it showed me that my isolation is not always a good thing. Dominie and I met through a photographer, Mark Gulesian, who we both have used to capture our work. Mark suggested that we meet, and Dominie to her credit got the ball moving. It turns out that she has a studio very close to where I live in Takoma Park.
It was a wonderful field trip to see her studio- which I really envy- lots of board space, space to store things, pin up pieces of fabric or inspirational , and part of a collective so she can work solo when she wants to and get feedback from other artists if she feels like it. A perfect arrangement that she has had for about 15 years.We had a lovely time talking, looking at pieces she is working on, and 2 hours passed quickly.
What it left me with was a sense that I have to get out more- talk to other artists, meet fellow quilters, interact with other creatives. And I think I can do that when I have more time off from work.
I felt much freer this weekend since I had all day Friday to quilt. I felt free enough to take a much needed nap on Sunday, entertain 2 friends on Saturday night, and take a long walk on the beach with Barley and Dave. And of course I had about 6 hours to quilt.
I have been slow to look at the art work coming out of the quilting community- I have wanted to be sure of having my own voice before I looked at others' work. Now, I am starting to have the confidence to know that what I am producing really is my own. I am not copying elements or pieces that I have seen. I am not making "Nancy-Crow-look-a likes" as I might have early in my journey. I hope that my meeting with Dominie will be the first of a series of explorations with other artists. It's about time.

Second Friday

2011-02-12T07:34:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I took my second Friday off. After running a business for 32 years, I decided that I could give myself a day off- once a week. And so every Friday- or Fridays that I feel like it, I am taking the day off to quilt. So far it has been the most wonderful present which starts when I leave the office on Thursday night. For the first time in a long while I am not rushing to accomplish as many things as I can so i have a block of time to quilt. This time, I knew I had all of Friday ahead of me, so I just moved a bit slower and was much more relaxed.
I see the improvement at work as well- I seem to have a tad more patience- and I really needed a day off this week- an extraordinarily difficult week.
I started the morning off at 6 am- had breakfast with Dave, discussed the situation in Egypt. David has been crazy this week- on TV - everything from the BBC to Al Jazeera. The revolution in Egypt has put much of his work in the limelight.
I spent most of Friday working on my red quilt- so far I am just setting in the under layers- and it certainly is taking a lot of time- but I feel like I have gotten a lot farther than I did last week. I seem to have developed a better rhythm with this piece- and after constructing the bones- I feel like I now know how to approach the overall composition better. The biggest challenge is cutting a good line that is 7 feet long. Getting the right arc or curve- or even getting a straight line cut that is that long is a challenge on my cutting table. I have been "drawing" a line first when it is up on the design wall as a guide- but I feel like some of the lines flow better than others. And where so many lines interconnect- "do-overs" are challenging at best.

I also have been using my non-serrated tracing wheel- a real joy. It allows me to draw on the fabric with a more fluid line- and then cut. This is a tool that I saw being used at Nancy's workshop and it has changed my techniques for the better. You can draw a cutting line- or even a seam line- you avoid lots of chalk dust, and for instances where precision is pretty critical, it can not be beat.You have to get the smooth version- not the serrated ones- and it is a tool that is relatively hard to find- Joannes has them when they are in stock.

So, all in all- my experiment so far is working- and so am I. I figured that i worked about 8 hours uninterrupted- with a small break for lunch. My goal for next Friday- is to relax while I quilt. To understand that Fridays are just the beginning.

Hole

2011-02-08T19:52:00.000-05:00

Sometimes I work on a piece of art- and it all fits together beautifully. All the pieces align- all the pieces are harmonious.
Sometimes I stare at my art , realize something is not working, and try to just hope that if I don't examine it too closely, ignore some of the problems, it will all work itself out.
And sometimes, I look at it, and know I am going to have to cut out a central piece of fabric- a beautiful unique irreplaceable piece. And it means cutting directly into the art, into the heart and soul of a piece, and gently removing the shape and hoping that I can put the other pieces back together in a better configuration.
And I find that no matter how hard I try to mend it, the hole is still there. Today was such a day.

Courage

2011-02-07T07:00:00.005-05:00

I want the courage of my son, Max. Today he starts his dream job working at Greensaw. This is a wonderful construction company that uses salvaged materials, and for my son, who loves to roam around abandoned industrial buildings, and loves the inner city, this is a dream come true. The only thing is that he is starting a an apprentice, pushing a broom, cleaning up, doing whatever it takes to get him to a place where he can learn this trade.
At first I was dubious, concerned that this law school drop out was going to end up broke (which is still certainly a possibility since he is not getting paid), and would fritter away his time. When I asked Max if he was still thinking of graduate school, he indicated it depends on how much he likes this job. So I was plenty concerned. And I am sure he heard that in my voice- my voice of reason, fiscal responsibility, and my voice of higher education.
But Max is miles ahead of me. He has found a passion, and he is going for it. His youthful optimism will carry him far, and I just know he will be happy and find success.
Then I actually looked at the website. Wonderful wonderful people- with a fabulous sense of purpose, and great communal feeling. It made me feel like Grafik when we were getting off the ground 30 years ago. An optimism that they can achieve a corporate structure different from the traditional design/build outfit. And reading the bios of the members of GreenSaw- I felt myself wishing I was 25 and could join them. Each one was more interesting than the next. I understand why Max fell in love with this place and can not wait to go to work tomorrow.
Which brings me to Courage. It take courage to do what you want to do- convention be damned. It takes courage to not worry so much about the financials, and know that things will somehow work out. It takes courage to do something you have never done before. And I realized as I sat in front of my piece today, that I could stand to muster up more courage myself. I think my first Friday off is a good first step. A move forward to reclaim some of the courage I had when I started Grafik. Courage that somehow got lost with paying salaries, putting two kids through college, paying a mortgage, and growing up. I think I am finally at a point in my life then I can start to think about how to face the next stage of my life with renewed courage and purpose. And I thank Max for helping me to get there.

First Friday

2011-02-06T17:28:00.000-05:00

Well, after talking about taking a Friday off, I finally did- and it was absolutely wonderful. I got up at the crack of dawn- 6 am, had breakfast with Dave and headed to my studio for 10 uninterrupted hours of sewing. Ten hours of design. And yes, in this case 10 hours of frustration. I have been working on a piece for about 2 weeks. It is a large piece and I am struggling with the size. I thought that maybe one way around having to work with a large piece of fabric was to create smaller pieces and then sew them together.

I must have worked and reworked pieces for at least 15 hours before realizing it just was not going to wor that way. I basically trashed two weeks of work, and then this morning a break through came. And not surprisingly, it means I really have to work on the one big piece of fabric and not smaller pieces.
So my first Friday was a success- not initially. Initially it was as frustrating as hell. But it gave me a really good block of time to work out the problems and not settle on my first experiment. It allowed me critical time to step back, think and look.
I have a pile of scraps a mile high from the last three days. And it has been hard for me to give up all the smaller pieces which do have some nice elements. But I had to get rid of them to make progress. And I can not wait until my next Friday. TGIF

Cover girl

2011-01-31T18:08:00.000-05:00

I got an email last week from Kathleen Dawson with a cryptic note to check out an amazon link.

Excited. Here is the cover of the new exhibition book from the show opening in late May. They chose my Circles No. 4 as the cover. I was elated.
I was also somewhat pragmatic. I know how these things go- having selected images dozens of times, I know that the selection rarely has to do with what piece is the best- rather it has to do with- 1. What will sell books?
2. What color will jump out from the bookshelves?
3. What color will look good online?
4. What will read when the book is taken down to postage stamp size?
5. What quilt will fit the proportion of the catalogue?
And so on....
Am I pleased? Of course. I am thrilled. But the cynic in me has already taken over so I am not strutting around overly much. Maybe I will strut when the entire book is devoted to my quilts- not likely but a happy thought. Then I will have a reason to strut around like a peacock. Until then I have a lot of work to go- work that goes very very slowly.
Oh- and for anyone interested you can pre-order the book here.

Florida

2011-01-23T11:17:00.000-05:00

Dave and I are in Florida for 4 days- which leaves me with a vacation without my sewing machine. It took me a day to start to decompress- leave the craziness of DC behind me- but still with a touch of anxiety at leaving my quilting behind. I have some hand quilting left to do- which is always good when I travel- it makes the time pass and it keeps me feeling productive.The question that I of course have to ask myself is why I have to always feel productive.... the subject of many therapy sessions.

Florida leaves me with so many mixed emotions. I do not associate this state with good things- and have pretty vivid memories of spending a few weeks in Saratsota with my parents and brother- weeks that seemed never to end- weeks filled with the sadness of cancer and mental frailty. And now I look around- even here in Palm Beach, and most of the people are older, looking tan and healthy- but still older.

I think I am preoccupied with that right now since we had 5 close friends lose their parents last week. Five. That's a lot of death to contemplate. And it reminded me so much of a passage that I had read years and years ago by Saul Bellow in Herzog. It was about aging and death, and that as long as your parents were alive you did not have to worry about death since there was a natural barrier - your parents are supposed to die before you do- when all things go right. But once they are gone that barrier collapses and you are next in line. Florida feels a bit like a barrier island to me- which of course it is.

I can not imagine myself ever living here for any period of time although the weather is spectacular and it is so much nicer than DC right now. I love the pelicans flying over head and the cranes, and the lush vegetation. Mostly it's the people- all of them who are next in line and remind me of my own mortality.
While this talk of aging might sound depressing, I am not depressed at all. If anything I am feeling more relaxed here than I have felt in a good long while. I chalk that up to good friends and a completely empty agenda. And four days away from my sewing machine may be just the ticket to get me energized when I return.

Air traffic

2011-01-18T22:59:00.000-05:00

flight patterns by Aaron Koblin

Today was a bear of a day- got up at 6 and put in about 12 hours of work- without a break- to try and catch up with work. The entire studio is buried in work- which is of course a good thing- but it is also exhausting for everyone, including yours truly. Mostly I have be rewriting dense copy on moving and reorganizing lists and forms- sometimes a thankless task. In the last few days I have written copy on moving valuations, how to estimate the cost of a move, how to compare different estimates ad nauseum. Hardly the most interesting work, but work nevertheless that pays the bills. So I am truly not complaining.

When I have to do writing I prefer to work at home- presumably less interruptions ( not today) and the chance to work in my sweat pants. And mostly I can capture at least 1 1/2 hours of travel time which is not wasted sitting in DC traffic.

I was worried that I might not have enough energy to work tonight but for the last few nights I feel energized. I have spent a lot of time looking at the work of Aaron Koblin a really brilliant digital artist who has found fascinating ways of capturing and presenting complex data. It is really worth spending time on his site. Some of his most compelling work is capturing flight patterns. I am not really sure how he programmed this but with data feeds he was able to create images of airplane flight patterns across the world. They are quite marvelous and I have been carrying them in my head for the last couple of weeks. I reached out to Aaron and told him that I was interested in capturing some of the feeling of his work in fabric, not a copy of course, but the sensibility of movement and line that is embodied in the flight lines.

I sat with this for a while and last night I started. I started to cut my fabric free form and just sat and looked at Aaron's work and analyzed it. I stopped after about 3 hours, and today started again. I spent a good amount of time just massing colors- although you can not see this there are many different shades of hot orange and red, some solid and some mottled. I also have been playing with dark greys, teals, moss green- a somewhat unusual color palette but I like the effect so far. I am not trying to copy Aaron's work and I am deliberately not using anything remotely close to his work. It is that interesting balance between influence, derivation and appropriation that we talked about so much this summer at Nancy's and it has been so helpful to me to understand that you can be influenced by what you see without copying.

So, I feel like I am taking flight again after a brief period sitting on the tarmac- I know- really bad metaphor but I have been writing since 6 am and I deserve a bad phrase now and then. It's exciting and I can not wait to get back to work tomorrow night.

Not lost

2011-01-13T23:01:00.000-05:00

I have not been writing recently- but that does not mean I have not been working. Mostly I have been looking at all kinds of different things , trying some different techniques, failing at some larger compositions, and learning what works, what makes me happy and what kind of work makes me crazy.

I simply am not cut out for lots of tiny pieces like the esteemed Kathy Loomis who is a master artist and loves tiny pieces. I tried that for 2 weekends and just about lost my mind. And I tried some larger pieces- and just threw in the towel on a piece I have been working on for about 2 weeks. Just not doing it for me. From a compositional standpoint it was all wrong. Color wise it was too flat. But at least I was able to stop tonight. Look at it. And decide that it was not really going anywhere. And I stopped.

Particle Image Velocity

Image from Dr. Bret Tobalske's research on flight.

But I actually have been pretty jazzed by the research that I have been doing on images connected with bird flight and PIV- which is particle image velocity. I promise in the next posting to go into that further. But here is a teaser.

So- I have been busy- maybe my production has not been much- but my brain has been working and I have lots of ideas. And lots of failed experiments over the last few weeks. But I feel a breakthrough coming. In the next few days I will write about the work of Aaron Koblin and Bret Tolbaske- 2 amazing thinkers, artists, scientists.

Hundertwasser

2010-12-29T17:20:00.001-05:00

I wonder what would have been created if Hundertwasser had been a crazy quilter- using up left over bits of color. I wonder what his quilts would have looked like.
In graduate school he was my favorite artist- I decorated my room with his postcards that had magical bits of gold stamped in different places.
He was always compared to Klimt- but I always thought Hundertwasser was much more sophisticated- and I would not be caught dead with a poster of Klimt's The Kiss. And now when I look back at his work- his use of color is thrilling- like he had a giant scrap bag of colors at his disposal.

But of course he was not a crazy quilter- but a deliberate artist/ architect/ writer. I was amused to find that he called straight lines, "the devil's tools." so maybe he was an improvisational quilter at heart.

Crazy quilt

2010-12-28T21:19:00.000-05:00

I have been thinking of a new definition of "crazy quilt" and wondering if women made crazy quilts at a specific time of year. Every year, right about now, I get the urge to use up my scraps- it happens like clock work. And it is not because I do not have enough fabric- but sitting in my studio at the farmhouse today, I got a hankering to use up scraps. Kind of a quilter's new years resolution to not waste beautiful fabric that is heaped up in baskets waiting for attention.

Maybe the name fit because the two pieces I have been quilting are driving me crazy- the back and forth of tight lines on two larger pieces- pretty boring at times- very intense- and can drive one to madness.

Maybe it's crazy to feel just a bit guilty leaving the two quilts to just have fun sewing random pieces together. But today it was fun to take a break and just do miniature combinations. And perhaps it's crazy that even for this I set up a few rules. Each square had to have two intersecting blue lines- a little reminiscent of the lines in the anxiety series. I wanted even this crazy quilt to have a bit of anxiety woven into it.

It's definitely crazy to hear Nancy's voice in my mind- urging me to think of composition as I put the squares up on the wall- arranging and rearranging the random assortment of colors. And crazy to worry if the compositions are working or not. And I wonder if quilter past put crazy quilts together randomly or if they planned how all the colors and fabrics were pieced.

It is most certainly crazy to worry about wasting a day- a lovely day watching icicles drip- and leaving my two quilts bunched up on the sofa like two step children while I had fun with my scraps. And a tad crazy wondering if I will get bored with the scraps tomorrow- and leave them on my desk in a jumble.
But today I can tolerate this touch of madness, just for a day or two.

back

2010-12-26T09:25:00.000-05:00

Its been quite a while since I have posted- although I have been busy at work quilting up a couple of pieces. I have had such a strange reaction after getting into Quilt National and getting back from Nancy's. I have worked hard- but I also have been incapable of unpacking the quilt I entered into the show. It is almost as if I am not sure if it is any good, and by not seeing it, I will not have to think about it.

I have realized just how hard working on larger quilts are- for one thing they take a much longer time to complete. And physically it is much harder. I thought that if I just had a large design wall I would be set- and now I realize I need larger table space, a larger cutting area and a stronger set of muscles. I am not going to let that deter me- but I also realize that my production is going to go way down.

I quite like the piece I am working on now- a combination of heavy hand quilting and machine quilting- very dense an very time consuming. But now, sittin here in the snow at the farmhouse I realize i have 5 whole days ahead of me to quilt- with no excuses. Life is good. I am also going to try to get back in the habit of writing more- it is good for me psychologically.

Multitasking to the extreme

2010-11-13T19:24:00.001-05:00

3 Drawings by Will Barnet

Since Dave is on the West Bank I am using my weekend to get a thousand things done. I got up at 6- made a huge batch of carrot ginger soup, a vat of beef vegetable soup, another vat of chicken soup, a crockpot full of short ribs.... and all of this before 10. That gave be plenty of time to change over my summer clothes to winter- despite it being 65 degrees today. And of course that odious task resulted in a trip to the dry cleaners, a trip to the clothes donation bin, and of course a trip to buy a few goodies at Joann's. And since I was out I figured it couldn't hurt to stop by my favorite clothes store- major major damage. Got home looked at some images of Will Barnet and did 3 loads of laundry, soaked some beans for soup for tomorrow morning, talked to my son, watched 1/2 of the Ohio State game.... and guess what- I am so ready to sew- which is where I am going right now!

TIME SUCK

2010-11-11T17:56:00.000-05:00

OK- I admit I have now reached the bottom of the barrel and up is the only way I can go. For some nutso reason I downloaded a new app to my iphone called Trainyard. Who knows why I downloaded it- perhaps because all of the reviews said it was addictive- and guess what- they are right. So last night instead of sewing for 3 hours I frittered away 2 hours playing this maddening game. And I had fun. And today I took it off my iphone. I realize that I have no control.... like having a bag of potato chips - especially Utz chips and pretending that I will only each just one. Tomorrow I return to sanity.... or at least my version of sanity.

Kantha cloth

2010-11-08T20:25:00.000-05:00

Slow progress on Anxiety No. 3

Never thought I would go through a quilting freeze where I could not get up enough energy to enter my studio after work as I have done routinely for the last couple of years. Lack of drive, lack of motivation, and most of all lack of confidence. Strangely getting into Quilt National and getting positive feedback from Nancy at the master class has had the opposite effect I thought it would. Instead of being charged it has taken me a few weeks to ease in to a regular schedule, and thanks to the atmosphere at the farm house I can honestly say that I think I am over the hump- or at least getting there.

Kantha cloth

Partly the pieces I am working on right now- two that I started at Nancy's are really hard work and take so much time to make a little progress. I completely understand the term"slow cloth" and feel like I could probably write a book on it. When I am working on Anxiety No. 3 I am lucky if I can get two lines in a night- and with my Circles No. 6 it took me all weekend to lay in 4 circles. Not that I am complaining... but it is really slow going at times. On the other hand it gives me time to think and collect my thoughts, and I wonder whether women doing Kantha cloth experience the same thing as they painstakingly stitch hundreds of tiny stitches per inch.

Goals met and unmet- rehashing the master class

2010-10-26T21:55:00.000-04:00

I learned so much from the master class and it has been impossible to get it all into a week's worth of postings. So I expect that my ideas will keep leaking out over the next few weeks as I really have time to digest my thoughts. But I thought I would refer back to some of my earlier posts where I set goals for myself. How well did I do?
1.I did not sit in a corner and positioned myself to be more central. I felt pretty pleased about that one since my tendency is to be more of a loner. I sat out more in the open- and next time I will aim to get a space even more exposed. I enjoyed being more involved and had strategies to focus when I needed or wanted to.
2.I really listened- not only to Nancy but to the other "teachers"- the other participants. Things I learned:
• Well I learned how to inset a really tight angle and learned of a great tool to use to accomplish that.
• I learned that you can use a porcupine quill to keep your seams in line... who knew?!
• I learned the importance of sketching, looking and thinking.
• I kept some of my thoughts to myself- only sharing those thoughts that had value and I did not talk to hear myself speak. Now that's a change!
3.Did I challenge myself? Maybe not as much as I could have. I worked larger than I ever have- and I used each piece to experiment on different backgrounds and the effect it had on my circles in the foreground. So I challenged myself a little bit. I could have pushed harder in all of the exercises.
4.I relaxed. That's a big one for me. Instead of being frantic- I focused, worked very hard but also took time to smell the roses, to walk around the room and look, to talk about a whole variety of subjects and not just sew. I realized what I could do at home ( routine sewing) and what the value of the class was- sharing.
5.And the biggest thing by far- I did not compete. I left that at the door. And it was delicious!

The wonderful women in the master class

2010-10-22T22:25:00.001-04:00

Today was a sad day. Although most of us were ready to go home and see our hubbies and in some cases kids, it is always a sad last day when we all say good bye. The last day of Nancy's class is not really a serious work day. We packed up our cars, did "grand rounds" where we had to present our work, and then went to the customary dinner at Nancy's favorite Chinese restaurant.
The presentations were very interesting and we all made progress in our own ways- some in design, some in construction, some in emotional growth, and some all of the above.
It has been an extraordinary group of women.We have agreed not to show any of our work on the internet to respect each others privacy- but I do want to pay homage to this group who made the last two weeks special.
Debbie- the person with the most joi de vivre. She taught me some real life lessons- and she gave me a porcupine quill. The best dressed lady amongst us.
Leslie- who had a sharp mind and really can pinpoint where a piece is going wrong. She is smart with good wit. And always a good person to get an honest crit from.
Jayne- Exquisite white hair, exquisite sense of design and balance and exquisite personality. A person I want to get to know much better.
Petra- An love of art and structure, more knowledgeble in art than most people I know- and a great dinner pal. I know we will be friends for a long time.
Heide a quilter capable of executing the most beautiful compositions. And the person who taught me how to make the most beautiful inset seam. The person who found the ergonomic tracing wheel and probably made Jo Ann's quarterly profits soar.

Denise- she embodies mother earth and is the kindest soul and friend. And her compositions are stellar- even if she does not believe that they are. I look forward to weekends quilting with her since she lives in WV.
Cathy and Sylvia- two pioneers playing with their extraordinary surface designs. I wish I could make fabrics as beautiful as they do
Joyce who has a lovely sense of color and who had a journey filled with bowls ahead of her
Carol- who is much better than she thinks she is- even if she does hand applique ;-)
Kit who probably was one of the most daring artist this week- and really put herself on the line.
Pat- who uses colors in a totally different palette and pulls it off.
Janet- who is probably the best grandma anyone could have and is doing really interesting quilts based on subdivisions and plot lines.
Pam- who has a marvelous sense of design and color and is as focused on her work as I am! Along with Carol and Niraja a great breakfast mate.
Barbara- who amazed me by the quality and quantity of her pieces- She had one drop dead gorgeous yellow piece that was amazing.
Niraja- a breakfast mate at the B&B and an throughly interesting and kind person. She has a heart as big as the room. A quilter who is starting the journey and who already has her own aesthetic.
Annette- who had to leave us week one- but lovely to have around.
Karen- dear Karen who is the only person that I know who totally lives in the moment. She did the most quirky fun pieces out of ethnic fabrics. They were as vibrant as she is.
Margaret- who really makes a difference for me personally. She has the strength of mountains and the softness of silk. She cooked all our meals, listened to 40 women babbling away, and showed us what honesty and dignity is all about.
John and Nathaniel. They make you want to be part of their family and are so fun to joke with and learn from. John- my brick donor- and Nathaniel who shares my love of outside artists and interesting primitive pieces.
And finally- Nancy Crow. It is hard to understand why all of us band together in a barn in Ohio. Most people can not really believe it. But at the heart of that barn is Nancy- an artist that makes us all want to be better. A tough critic if you want her to be- and can also critique art without critiquing a person. An artist with a sharp sense of color and balance- she must have 14 cones in her eye - not just 4! And a generous teacher and friend. Without her, this wonderful retreat and safe haven would not exist.

Thursday - the last day

2010-10-21T23:31:00.000-04:00

Worked for two hours in the morningand the progress is slow.

Everyone is feeling a little blue today as our last full day at the Barn arrives. Most of us our exhausted, sad that we have to leave and yet missing our families at home. We are all emotional- but in a good way.

Started off the morning reconfiguring the background.

It was also a sad day since we had a small service for Margaret- the wonderful quilter and cook that lost her 28 year old son in an ATV accident on August 4th. It is amazing that she still came- and in her son's honor the Crow family planted a dogwood tree in the middle of a beautiful field. We made a string of prayer flags from all of our scraps. It was as beautiful as anything I have seen- and was certainly full of love.
I am going to keep it short tonight. The day ends positively- The Phillies have won!
I will be following up in much more detail on the experiences I have had- but that may need to wait for a bit. Off to sleep.

While I tried to ignore it, I eventually had to strip out that very thin line in the center. Very time consuming to say the least. I thought it was not important but 2 seams later I knew it could not stay.

This is what the backside of my piece looks like so far.

Here is where I am at the end of the day. Maybe the piece is now 20" wide.

Wednesday -two days to presentation

2010-10-20T23:00:00.000-04:00

Piecing together a new composition.

Late Tuesday night I started a new composition- I was unhappy with the circles- and it was very tiring to piece, so I thought I would look at a new composition. This flitting around from composition to composition had me quite unnerved. I was able to talk with Nancy for about 20 minutes, and the bottomline is that I need to push and not give in to what other people are doing. That is pretty easy if you are working alone but much more challenging when surrounded by women working on quilts that are about 6' x 8'- big big quilts.
I started a new piece that is part of my anxiety series- and in view of the last few days it felt appropriate.

Auditioning colors to
get a transition.

Figuring how this was all going to be extended.

The progress on something like this is very slow. Today I figured I was able to produce 10 inches and set in 3 shapes. I also realized that I had to work on both at the same time to keep my sanity.


	Detail about 12x12 inches

Today I added 3 circles.

We had a lot of interesting discussions today. There were several presentations on derivation that took the entire morning, and it was well worth the time spent. Many of us think about influence and derivation a lot- One of the artists, Petra supplied us with all the meanings of derivation- both positive and negative. It was fascinating. The master class has had a number of very good discussions and presentations by outside artists and curators. Perhaps the highlight of the day was that Nancy brought out three of her pieces. They blew everyone away- and looking at them and then looking at our own work, we all understood how far we have to go to even walk in her shadow.

Monday- Day 2 of hit the wall

2010-10-19T22:53:00.000-04:00

Got up bound and determined to get something good. We had most of the day involved with presentations and a lecture- so we only had 2 hours from 7-10 and then after dinner to work. I probably spent a good 2 hours just cutting out one softened triangle shape in black. I went through about 4 yards of fabric before I got something that I liked. Then is was time for non-stop presentations- including my own.
I won't go into too much detail here- that's a whole other topic- except to say that my presentation was well received and people liked my work. It was so interesting to see and hear all of the presentations and to look at such wonderful bodies of work.
After dinner we went down to the projection room to see 3 more presentations- a grand total of 10 in one day. And sitting in the room was one of the quilters' husband- Burt.
I almost burst out crying since Burt, an computer engineer looked almost identical to my Dad. The resemblance was uncanny and I was really unnerved. To top it off he had the same smile, glasses and mannerisms as my father. It was a really good thing that we were sitting in a darkened room since I was teary eyed most of the time. It was really painful and was probably just the culmination of a long day.

I had two hours left to sew so I inset two of the shapes into the background. Each shape takes about 45 minutes to inset. And you really can not do too many at a time. At the end of Monday I felt drained and unsatisfied with my progress. Started to wonder what I was doing here. And started to get my Nancy Crow anxiety. So I went to bed.

Sunday - hit the wall day

2010-10-17T20:19:00.001-04:00

Every time I go to Nancy's there is a hit-the-wall-day for me, in this case it was three days. I floundered around trying several techniques and nothing really spoke to me. There is a great quote in Sondheim's Sunday in the Park the George (nod to you Jody) and it says the a vision stays a vision if it all in your head. Bingo! I had lots of ideas in my head and lots of mixed emotions.
It has been wonderful being around such wonderful women- all with their own style, color palettes, and techniques, and it is wonderful to learn from them. At some point on Sunday I just stopped, looked around and wondered if my pieces were up to snuff. Most people were working very very large- and I was working pretty small. ( Nancy has already told me that I should really work bigger- and suggested that I rent a studio. But I would really miss Dave too much if I was always in an offsite studio. Then she suggested that I build one.

Sunday we were allowed back int the Barn from 12-6- 6 hours of sewing without interruption. I started to work on an idea that I had that was inspired by the work of William Anasazi. It is actually not at all like these two orbs- but imagine that the circles were scribbles and that there were a series of lines overlapping them. Well you are going to have to imagine them since I just had the feeling that it was going to take too long to complete- a common theme for me- and I wanted to really try something else. I stopped around 3 and put the cloth away to work on another time and started to look at colors for another piece that I really like.

I wanted to work with this fabulous dyed piece from my Anette stash. I do not normally work with patterned cloth and wanted to try it out. It took me 2 hours to figure out what colors I wanted to work with. I think it took so long since most of the other ladies are working in lots of multiple colors and my work is more spare- and uses pretty dark colors. So at the end of the day on Friday all I had was a piece that I put away and colored fabric. Oh well- there is always tomorrow.

Friday and Saturday

2010-10-16T18:10:00.000-04:00

Friday was mostly a lost day- I finished up my two quilts and then spent an hour and a half playing with ideas. I did not sew them since it would have taken too much time- but I used 4.5 inch squares and cut out miniature circles with a tiny scissors. I also want to try to get my graffiti thing going again so I palyed around with the lines again- wondering if I could get them small enough. Had dinner last night with 2 friends and Nancy Crow. It was wonderful having her all to ourselves. And the conversation was lively.

Today the barn was closed. I slept in- which was wonderful- and then headed out to Springfield Ohio to do some antiquing. The leaves are magnificent and the 70 mile drive really was not too bad. It helps that the highway speed is 65 mph. I got back to the house around 4 and right now I am watching Michigan lose to Iowa in a pitiful game. Oh- forgot to mention that my car was egged this morning. I still have my MGOBLUE sticker on my bumper and some Ohio State idiot egged it- and by the way egg is very hard to clean off of a car. I was pretty pissed.

I am really looking forward to starting again tomorrow at noon. Off to dinner with Petra- a quilting buddy and then to bed.

Thursday- Day 4

2010-10-14T22:47:00.000-04:00

Wow. It is amazing how hard it has been to piece this quilt. For one thing it is bigger than I normally work. For another sewing a large shape is much harder than sewing a collection of small seams since in a large piece every single seam counts and has to be perfect. I worked on this all day and at 10 tonight I only had one more seam to do. But since I was so tired I decided it was better left for tomorrow.

Had a good crit with Nancy- she is so adept at helping people without giving them all the answers. I do worry that she has not given me a tough crit and hope that this does not mean that she doesn't But I will see what she has to say on Sunday when I will be giving my presentation.

Tomorrow my plan is to finish this piece and resolve the circle in my first piece. the Barn closes at 5 tomorrow night and will not open until noon on Sunday. If the weather holds I plan to go antiquing in Springfield Ohio.
The week is just flying by. And I feel very mellow.

Wednesday- Day 3

2010-10-13T22:21:00.000-04:00

Nancy was ill today so we had a day just to work- no meetings or presentations. Everyone was thrilled that we had a large block of time.
I put my last piece away since I wanted to get Nancy's opinion on something. Instead I decided to go and do one really big piece. I thought I would do one of my knots pieces large- since I never get to work large- and I spent lots and lots of time auditioning fabrics. I cut my first large shape and decided that there was something about it that I really liked alone. So after fussing for so much time I only had to really choose two colors. The challenge was finding enough of one color for the background.
It is not easy to do one line- especially since most of the people at the workshop are doing very complicated compositions. And it is amazing how difficult it is to piece a very simple large shape. Every line has to be perfect. In my first try you can see how lumpy the curve is. In the second one I got the curve to be much nicer. But it was not easy at all.

Tomorrow I will piece this baby together. All in all a very good day.

Days 1 and 2

2010-10-12T22:47:00.000-04:00

This is my workspace- in the middle of the room not the corner.

It has been so relaxing to be here- I have met some fabulous women- no not a male to be seen- and it is so interesting to see how different each of us are in our art work. This time there are no timed exercises- we are all working on independent study- and that is lovely not to have a deadline to work on. My first piece has been an extension of my circles. This time I put a much more elaborate background into it and it is really changing the look of the pieces. I have decided that I will work on another piece- perhaps a large knot since I have a nice big wall to work on.

Here I am just massing colors and looking at how the different colors of grey interact. I am also looking at what colors my circles might be. As it turns out I have change my mind a dozen times.

I have started to piece the background. Concentrating on the background is not something I have done and my goal for this week was to look more carefully at the background composition.

Here I was auditioning this fabulous green- which I ended up not using.

Started to inset grey circles since I wanted some circles to disappear in the background.

Finally setting on an orange fabric to cut more circles. By now I have taught almost everyone in the class how to inset circles. I forgot to tell them that you can easily lose your mind insetting too many at one time. I am close to that place...

I am still thinking of adding an additional circle in the upper left- but this is where I stopped tonight- I did not want to make another cut. And I want to get a crit from Nancy on the upper left circle.

Sunday 10/10/10

2010-10-10T20:23:00.000-04:00

Gotta love the date today- for so many reasons. I got up this morning at 4 even though Ihad set my alarm to 6:15 thinking that I would be reasonable about this. Not leave at the break of dawn. Hah. I stayed in bed for about an hour- while Barley jumped up on me and David- and then at 5:15 I figured this was all for naught. Once Barley is on the bed it is kind of all over. By 6:45 I was on the road.

The front of the Crow Barn

I love driving in the morning- early before the sun is even up. No traffic, no people, no noise. And I love seeing the sky change as the sun rises. By the time it was light I was all the way to Frederick. This year I loaded up my ipod with a number of podcasts from NPR- which allowed me not to rely totally on XM’s broadway and soul channels. AFter a few hours even Broadway gets stale ( sorry Jody- but that is the truth). So after 2 hours I popped in my iphone and s which is tarted to listen to an interview with Terry Gross and Jon Stewart- it was hilarious and serious- just the way he is- but it carried me all the way to Morgantown. The drive the the mountains is delicious- and the fall leaves are all changing.

Got to Pickerington in about 6 hours- which was a new record since I pretty much drove straight through. Got some food at the local Krogers- no matter how hungry you are it is a bad idea to buy sushi in the middle of Ohio... but I did. My stomach was not pleased. Drove over to the B&B and checked in. The B&B is a renovated old movie theater that is only 7 minutes from the Barn and very convenient. And it was where I have stayed for every time I have come to Nancy’s. It is pretty basic but the location seals the deal for me- and since I only am there from 11pm until 7am it is no big deal. It is a funny B&B since there is a bed but no breakfast.

Unpacked, ate the sushi (bad idea) and got to the Barn about an hour and a half early. Since the weather is divine I walked around the property- which I have not been able to do all these years since I have been so crazed about my quilting. So it was lovely walking around seeing the leaves and a lovely pond on the outskirts of the property. Was really way too nervous to really walk much- although it was good to stretch my legs and I wandered back to the Barn where I am now sitting quietly on the front porch getting ready to unload.

As I wait for the rest of the quilters to arrive I am excited to begin. I have been excited for a month and have not really done any serious quilting since I sent off the slides of my art to Quilt National. It has been good to take a break- although I worry that perhaps it is an indication of something deeper- but that is of course just the worry wart in me coming to the surface. I feel like I am more open to listening and learning this time, and I think that my normally noisy self is going to take a rest. And my shy side is not going to rule the day. I feel completely ready to start.

Packed and ready to go.

2010-10-09T19:23:00.000-04:00

I leave tomorrow at 7- or possibly earlier for my 7 hour road trip to Baltimore Ohio. Really looking forward to this year's 2 week class with a mixture of anticipation and a healthy dose of nerves. What I am not looking forward to is unpacking the Acura which is getting fuller and fuller every single year. This year I practically need a crow bar to wedge in another yard of fabric. And of course I am sure that I have overpacked in the clothes area- but I can not figure out if I will be cold or hot or both. But I am well prepared to handle anything.

I will try to keep regular postings- just not sure if there is any wifi anywhere near Baltimore. If not I will write a lot and post in batches. But I will try to keep a faithful diary. And will take lots and lots of videos. Be back in 2 weeks- full of ideas and energy.

Challenge to myself

2010-10-05T21:16:00.000-04:00

For many years I would faithfully line up outside Nancy Crow's barn to grab my favorite place in the corner- away from the hub bub of the barn- although I would say that 80% of the women I have encountered there are not into heavy chatting- they are focused on their work. I felt pretty safe in the corner- my pieces not front and center and a bit hidden from view. I created my own little space which was seemingly perfect in every way. There I could work pretty much focused on my art and very much by myself. And the operative words there are "by myself".

My corner of the Barn

The last time I was at Nancy's my special place that I had always tried to grab was already taken by someone who had been there the week before- and the only place that was open was right by the door. The complete opposite of what I had been used to. And while it was not my favorite spot, I found that I was more comfortable being out in the open than I thought I would be.

In addition to the comfort of my favorite space I loved being surrounded by a cadre of women who habitually returned every year in the spring- and it was so easy to re-ignite friendships with my 4-5 quilting friends.

This year a challenge to myself.

Open space at the Barn

I have always come to Nancy's solo, and for me it has always been a bit terrifying to enter a room of 20 women where I do not know a soul. I have sought out my corner as a refuge. This year an experiment. I am going to deliberately seek out a space that is more centrally located even though it is completely out of my comfort zone- and I am going to have to extend myself to meet new people I have never seen at the Barn before. And on top of that, all of them qualify to participate in the master class which means these are pretty serious gals.

Why am I doing this? I figure that I will have 19 other teachers around me with stories to share, techniques to learn, discussions to listen to. This master class is an opportunity for me to extend my reach and comfort zone and put myself out there. This year will be a year of growth- not just in quilting but in myself.

I got in!!!!!

2010-10-01T12:30:00.006-04:00

Simple pleasures

2010-10-01T12:30:00.001-04:00

I have been having so much fun just cutting shapes- sometimes not even sewing them together. It is as if my creative mojo is having a wonderful holiday without having my precision sewing side in the way. I look at all of this as loosening up for Nancy's workshop in a week. But really this is an exercise I should do much more often. I have also been having a wonderful just looking at string and how it falls. These are good exercises for my knot quilts- really looking at how lines intersect.

Changes 2010

2010-10-01T09:39:00.000-04:00

If I analyze what changes have taken place since my last session with Nancy to now- I think there are many. Some inspired by Nancy, some inspired by fellow quilters at Nancy's and some are really a product of me growing and maturing as an artist. Everytime that I have gone to a workshop it has been instructive to see where I was before I start. So here goes.1. My work has changed a lot.

First year- My very own Nancy Crow rip off

Year 2- start of my chair series

Year 3, 4 - second of my Cancer Comb series

Year 5- Start of my knots series

Year 6- beginning of Scribbles

2. I have moved from simple to very complex and am now moving back to simpler forms- but combined with some complex lines.

3. I have started to pay close attention to backgrounds instead of only the object. That is giving my work a new complexity and new challenges.
4. I have learned the different effects produced from hand quilting versus machine quilting.

I am looking forward to more growth and seeing what the new year will bring. My goal- of developing my own voice is starting to take shape and if I compare my Nancy Crow rip off that I presented as my work in my very first class with her- I know i have developed and matured as an artist in my own right- with my own sensibilities and my own style. Onward!

upcoming workshop

2010-09-22T21:14:00.000-04:00

So- I am jumping from hot pot to the fire. Now that my nerves are calm about Quilt National- I am starting to anticipate ( read worry) about Nancy Crow's masterclass. Worried if I will be good enough, fast enough, calm enough. You name it.

I decided that the best way to counter the nerves was to keep fit- not only healthy since it is a fairly strenuous 2 weeks, but I need to keep my arm loose, my eye sharp and my sewing skills up to par. To warm up I have been doing small studies, nothing big, no breakthroughs- just practicing cutting and composing. And it has been lots of fun cutting and tacking pieces on my wall- not really concerned about whether it is good or not.

I have to keep that same mentality in Baltimore Ohio. I have to remember:

• that this is a learning experience- and it always always is.
• that I almost never create anything worth anything at the retreats- but I come away armed with inspiration and tons of ideas.
• that this is a time to listen and learn- and not a time to grandstand. I shudder at the memory I have of myself at my first Crow class. I was so ill-informed about almost everything, but rather than listen and learn, I talked- way too much.
• that competition has no place in the Crow barn. Check that competitive streak at the barn.
• that this is the time to take risks and not stick in my comfort zone.

And lastly, I have to remember to have fun, relax and give in to having a wonderful time.

Files for Quilt National

2010-08-30T18:39:00.000-04:00

Nervous does not even express how I felt filling out my entry form, formatting the 6 jpgs correctly, labeling the cd, writing down the address where UPS would deliver the disc. My normally composed self was a blithering mass of nerves, so one of my long time friends and fellow worker Richard suggested that he look at the disc to see if it worked on the PC, I almost bit his head off- thinking that it was unecessary- but I said sure- go ahead and take a look.
Well- its a good thing that I did! I forgot one pretty important step- I forgot to take my six perfectly formatted jpgs and copy them onto my perfectly lettered cd! I had put a completely blank cd in the package. Thank you Richard! A thousand times over! Thank you.

Elated

2010-08-23T14:54:00.000-04:00

Drove my quilts over to the photographer which left me with an entire weekend free. For years I have wanted a larger design wall. My pieces are fairly small since I only had a wall and tackable surface that was about 3' x 5'. My "studio" is my son's bedroom transformed. And I need to keep a sofabed or daybed in the room for when my kids return home. When I dropped off my quilts at Mark's place I noticed he had a fabulous design wall that he uses as a background when he is shooting large pieces. He has been a busy guy- shooting some stuff for the Renwick and some other quilters who are getting their submissions ready. His design wall is made up of homosote that is covered in velcro loop- which is easy to make and pretty inexpensive.

So I entered my room- looked around, saw the largest wall- 6' x 7.5' and resolved to rearrange the furniture to create a real sewing room- not a bedroom masquerading as a sewing room. I still covet the large studios that I have seen other artists have, but I think I have finally finally found a way to get a larger expanse for my work- a real limitation up until now.

Dave and I marched off to Home Depot and by 7 pm Sunday night it was done. And tonight I get to try it out for the first time.I am so excited.

This was also the first weekend that I was not racing to finish quilts either for Quilt National or for Nancy's master class. It felt good to breathe deeply, clean my studio, arrange all the fabric and just sit in there thinking about new ways of working. Tonight I begin anew.

"A blank canvas- so many possibilities."
- Stephen Sondheim

Judging

2010-08-17T06:30:00.002-04:00

I have read with great interest a number of blog posts regarding choosing quilts, judging quilts, photographing quilts. I have judged a few graphic design shows in my days- enough to know that judging can involve a bit of serendipity.   
Items that I think effect selection: 
1. Placement. If there are 6 great quilts in a row there is a good chance the 7th great piece will not get in. Conversely, if a group sees 5 mediocre pieces in a row and then a good piece- not a great piece, there is a chance it will get in... Judges are humans. And there is always in the back of one's mind-"Am I being too critical? Am I being not critical enough?"
2. Time. Exhaustion- visual exhaustion is a factor, and woe is the piece that is viewed at 4pm when your energy is running out, and your enthusiasm starts to wane. 
3. Personality. How do the judges interact? Is there any competition between any of the judges, is there any "pecking order." Do all of the judges feel comfortable with each other? Is one judge more overbearing or one judge meeker? Personality and composition- no matter how collegial the group is- matters.  
4. Trends. It is amazing how fresh some of the early pieces look- when an idea seems original and new- and how tired it may look after seeing the same look appear over and over.
5. Not wanting to have the same people in the show year after year.

Of course there are ways to get around some of these problems. Blind judging. Having judges start at different places in the show so the same set of quilts is not left until last. Judging by consensus. Judging on line. There are a many ways to circumvent judging bias- but in the end- judges are human and it is impossible to factor that out entirely. And so many people will spend untold hours of trying to game the system. Good luck.

Awards mean different things at different parts of a designer/artist's development. My firm has over 675 design awards that we have amassed over the years. But nothing is as sweet as those first few years- when I got in my first shows. After a while, this thrill is toned down a bit- as one starts to understand the judging process, understand that a good design piece is a good design piece if you know down in your bones that you have solved a problem in a unique way- and most importantly solved a client's problem.

Yet I would be lying through my teeth if I said that getting into a quilt show does not matter to me. As I start my journey in quilting, I feel the same excitement and nervousness that I felt 30 years ago entering my first design competition. And I daresay, if I am fortunate enough to get into a show, I bet the butterflies in my stomach will feel the same!

Off to the photographer

2010-08-16T19:55:00.000-04:00

OK- so I met my deadline to get my pieces for Quilt National to my good friend Mark Gulesian- who is the photographer for the National Gallery, the Portrait Gallery and the Smithsonian- to name a few. I have worked with Mark for over 25 years and know enough to know that there is a difference between a DIY digital image and a well-lit well hung photograph. In this day when everyone can be a designer (thank you Adobe- NOT) and everyone can be a photographer, and everyone can be a copywriter, I know that there are some skills that need a professional's touch. And so do most of the museum collection professionals that I know.

As an art director who has worked with scores of photographers- Mark is the consummate professional and one of the nicest guys I have ever met. I met him when we were photographing pieces in Prague that were stolen from the Jewish community there by the Nazis before WWII. We worked for months, Mark capturing images while I designed the posters and book. Mark was able to bring poetry to simple objects, and I know he will bring his master's touch to shooting my quilts.

Plagarism

2010-08-05T20:08:00.000-04:00

One of my very favorite blogs by artist/writer Keri Smith has a not to be missed column on plagarism. It goes to the heart of some of the questions I have had regarding "influence". Here's the link:
http://www.kerismith.com/blog/what-to-do-about-plagarism

Thunder

2010-08-05T15:43:00.000-04:00

Unbelievable. I am sitting in a car on the GW Parkway- have been here for about 1 1/2 hours after a huge storm. It looks like a war zone- with huge trees down everywhere. I have seen 5 cars smashed in just 3 blocks. I think- no, I know, it will be hours until I get home. It was such a large storm that my 10 story building started to sway- really sway. I told the staff to get into the center park of the building until it passed. It looked like things had cleared up- but now, I find myself in my car- with another storm coming. UGH. I have a feeling that I am going to experience what it is like to be stuck in a car in one place- for a very long time. At least I have a bag of black jelly beans in my car. And an old bottle of tonic water so I can have a veritable party!

I had so wanted to get home on time. I have a deadline. The pieces I want to enter into the Quilt National have to get to the photographer by August 21. If I did not feel pressure before, I sure feel it now! makes my stomach hurt. Luckily, my strongest piece is done. And even if it does not get in- I feel like it is good work-and that I pushed myself. I also have generated lots more ideas. So sitting here in this car going no where- I wonder just how long I will be here.

PS- it took me 5 hours to make a 45 minute trip. sigh

Derivative or not

2010-08-03T07:08:00.000-04:00

Juan Gris- Glass and Bottle, 1913

Braque- Guitar- summer 1918

I have been thinking a lot about a question that I have to answer for Nancy Crow's master class, and it is one I have puzzled about personally for a long time. Influenced by. Derived from. Copied. All very different in my mind. In the journey to answer this question I have spent a lot of time looking at the drawing collection at Moma - a collection that I have loved wandering through from time to time- as a source of inspiration.
Faced with the questions posed by Nancy I looked at the collection with a different eye- looking at similarities- where one artist might have been influenced by another- or where an era or style created similarities in approach. As part of my preparation I want to look at different groupings and see where an approach has been influenced by, derived from, or copied. Not having an art history background will make this merely conjecture, but it is fascinating to see where there are similarities and differences. Looking at the artists and the dates they created some of these pieces makes me think about the concept of originality and how these artists may have influenced each other in their use of color and shape. And while Franz Kline has a completely different approach and aesthetic I can not help but feel that he studied the collage artists of the early 20th century.

Braque- Still Life with Tenora- summer 1913


Kurt Schwitters- Drawing A2- 1918

Franz Kline- 1952

One Done

2010-08-01T22:08:00.000-04:00

I have been working on like a fiend to try and finish my quilts for Quilt National. Two down, one to go. And then off to be photographed. I have been so single-minded about getting this done- and today I finished all of the stitching and quilting and most of the binding. I started this on April 15- and here it is 4 months later and I am done. If nothing else I know that I have grown doing this quilt. I paid attention to details and made a breakthrough with the background stitching. Once I get my photos in the mail I will relax. And feel good that I met the challenge I set for myself on New Year's day.

So to celebrate, I spent the day with my sister- which was lovely. We went to our local farmers' market and I bought a bushel of peaches. Together we put up about 20+ containers that will take us through the winter months. It was fun teasing her on the right way to slice a peach- and not lose one drop of the juice. I will miss her when she leaves tomorrow to go back to Ann Arbor!

Improvising

2010-07-25T10:00:00.002-04:00

This was a week for improvising- some worked out and some did not.

Dave's masterpiece- an arbor structure that he built as an add on to an existing arbor was a labor of love. Dave and 2 good friends cut down a few dead trees that were victims of the storm this winter- and since Dave is incapable of throwing anything out- an arbor was born.

Somewhere my dad was watching and smiling as Dave actually measured something. For those who know my husband- you know that measuring heretofore was not in his vocabulary. But this time " Measure twice cut once" was put into action.

Another successful improvisation- we had to fix our back screen door- and the original design resulted in people pushing the middle of the screen. The result- a broken screen- so Dave and I figured out a solution: We went junk hunting and found a few old cheap yardsticks- glued three together to make them stronger- then screwed the 3 groups of 3 to the door. Success.

And improvisation that did not work:
Using a silver- yes silver- cake fork to spread glue on the yardsticks. Very bad idea- and it was not my idea....
Using my special green cloth cooler for a water bucket... also not my idea.

Not a week for me to improvise as I am finishing up all of the quilts for Quilt National- but I did manage to knock out two pot holders for 2 friends- about the most creative thing I have done this week. But we have a new arbor- and a new door- so all is not lost!

What I did on my summer vacation

2010-07-24T15:54:00.000-04:00

By all accounts I think I have sewn about 1500 yards- no kidding- in one week. I have gone through 3 spools of 500 yards for these two quilts (you are looking at the backs) and it is slow tedious work. In case you are wondering just how long that is- it is fifteen football fields- and that's a lot of stitches- I figure there are about 8 stitches to the inch- and that means I qulted about 432,000 stitches in ten days. Not terribly creative- but a job that needs to get done if I have any prayer of getting my quilts done for Quilt National. Which I would really like to do. Then I had to do the chore I hate the most- burying threads on the back. Even more tedious than quilting zillions of parallel lines.
In order to break the monotony I also made 12 jars of blueberry jam, and a dozen blueberry muffins.

I am so looking forward to finishing these pieces and starting on something new. And looking forward, with trepidation, to Nancy's master class.

The most expensive quilt I never bought

2010-07-23T17:30:00.001-04:00

102 degrees in the shade so we decided to go look for yardsticks for our new project. We went to a crowded antique store on Rt 9 that we have been to a dozen times. Scoured the upstairs and downstairs but no rulers. On my way out I saw an interesting quilt and picked it up the have a closer look.... big mistake. On the other side of pile of quilts was a hideous framed picture of seashells. As I lifted the quilt the frame which I could not see- went crashing to the floor. Broken glass- ugly picture- not so bad- But as the frame came tumbing down it happened to hit a decoy from a very famous Michigan carver- carved in the 1920's in Oswego- and priced at $380 dollars! So we are now the proud owners of a very expensive decoy. Luckily the owner gave us a break and gave it to us at cost- still not what we expected went we went looking for a few rulers. Ah well. At least it is a good story.

Wild Kingdom

2010-07-23T15:39:00.001-04:00

Dave called me into the shed yesterday and there was this gigantic moth. It was at least 5 inches across and a brown lemony color. And I am sure we would have missed it had landed on the wood instead of the painted trim.
This morning- as Dave was chopping down some old branches I saw a small garter snake- about 12" long that was in the process of swallowing a very large toad. National Geographic comes to Lewes. The poor frog- kept looking at me- but I let nature take its course. It reminded me of the first chapter of The Little Prince.

Living dots

2010-06-18T16:17:00.000-04:00

I have been looking out the windows of my office for the last few days and have been lucky to see the annual mayflies. While some may see horror- I love looking at the patterns that they form on my window- blowing in the wind, attracting a full complement of birds, and being snagged in spider webs. They look like a living version of an Aboriginal pattern- random dots that happen to be alive.

Balls in the air

2010-06-17T19:19:00.001-04:00

Juggling like crazy the last few weeks between work getting busy again ( sigh of relief), a pile of unfinished quilts staring me in the eye every time I enter my sewing room, and a deadline- or should I say deadlines looming.

grafik.com

For the last two weeks or so, grafik has taken precedence- and it has to for a while- we have new clients, new projects with old clients and new technologies to embrace. And we have to rev up a very loyal staff that has been hammered over the last two years- with pay cuts, demanding clients, and some really crappy projects. But the sleeping giant is waking and now we simply have to get our act together and take a deep breathe and plow ahead.

The same is true with my pieces. I put one last circle on my last piece. And I am calling it finished. I of course have the job of quilting it now- but I am pretty sure I know how I want to approach it.
I have been hand quilting the black and white scribbles and have about a week to go on that. I have to bind 2 pieces- which is a task that I really do not like- and even worse- I have to sew some backings on.
But the sleeping giant in this case is figuring out how I want to quilt the large knot piece that I am doing to enter in Quilt National. All the other tasks have to wait- since I think it may take over a month just to quilt that one piece- which means I am knocking up against that deadline.
So- my plan of attack. I have told Dave I have to have my evenings and weekends free and clear- no dinners out, no soirees- just special occasions and of course the beach house. Limited blogging, no facebook ( no loss) and no surfing for crap I do not need. If I can free up that time I think I can make it....

The top is done

2010-06-10T23:05:00.001-04:00

I have thought a lot of the contradictions that lie in my pieces- my attempts- some more successful than others to capture a spontaneous line. It's why scribbles and graffitti interest me so much. The fluid nature of an ink pen or brush, the freedom of a penciled arch... But the contraction here is that actually sewing a spontaneous line takes a lot of precision- the more spontaneous the line- the harder it is to piece together. I like that ying and yang it presents. And I think the contradictions in a sense emulate a part of me- one part controlled one part spinning out of control. Oh to capture the energy of this Moholy Nagy mobile....

On April 15 I started a quilt to enter in Quilt National. It has taken me almost 2 months to piece the top- but finally, tonight it is done. And now the quilting is to begin. I have been trying all kinds of quilting- machine and hand- and the truth is that I am not wild about lines that interfer with the piecing or that confuse the viewer. I seem to like parallel lines that follow a curve- and I like mixing rigid machine quilting with a much softer hand quilting that looks almost like kantha cloth. Now I have to decide what to do. I am nervous about starting since I have ruined many a quilt top with the wrong technique or a thread that provides too much contrast... I like my threads to blend in- and while I love looking at the work of others where the threads bring a life of their own- it just is not me... I have decided to just hang the piece for a week and continue to look at it to see where it guides me.

Sewing in a crisis

2010-06-02T22:13:00.000-04:00

My father in law died last week after a long bout with cancer. Three deaths of cancer in a year and a half is a lot to bear. I have been up and down Rt 95 from DC to NYC more that I can imagine- once for Jody's college graduation, once to visit Jack in the hospital, and once to bury him. Unimaginable sorrow and joy in one month.

Sewing has been difficult since I have not been in my studio for the last month- and between trying to get a piece finished for Quilt National and get a stronger body of work for Nancy Crow's class in October has me frazzled.
Enter hand quilting.

I normally take a hand quilting project with me when I travel. And for sitting in hospitals. I hand quilted one of my chair pieces Uneasy Chair when my father was in the hospital. It gave me peace of mind and allowed me to pass the time in a kind of meditative state. When I was younger I hated any kind of hand quilting. It bored me, it took too much time, my stitches were uneven.

My stitches are still uneven- but I find that hand quilting is well suited to stressful situations.

This time I started to hand quilt one of my first scribble/anxiety pieces- more of a study than anything else. Sitting in Memorial Sloan Kettering, everyone was curious to see what I was quilting. Expecting a more traditional style of quilting I was often confronted by quiet stares when they saw my piece that is anything but traditional- that is not calm, or pretty, or for a bed.

No matter. Hand quilting still kept my fingers busy and my mind occupied sitting for 15 hours a day at the hospital, or even after the funeral. And looking at the two different hospital quilting projects, I can see how much I have moved over the years.

Adult children

2010-06-02T21:26:00.000-04:00

Toe nail clippings on my rug.
Dirty dishes in the sink.
Dirty pots left for me to wash.
Crud in the microwave.
Empty glasses in the basement
in the computer room
in the bedroom
in the kitchen.
Papers and magazines on the bathroom floor.
Dirty clothes on the bathroom floor.
A bed left unmade.

My adult son has come home for a visit.

hats

2010-05-12T09:27:00.000-04:00

I wear too many hats. Like the old Dr. Suess character Bartholomew and the 500 hats, everytime I take a hat off there is another one there. Some of the hats I wear:

business owner
creative director
mother
daughter
daughter-in-law
wife
sister
sister-in-law
strategist
friend
quilter
mentor
home owner
second home owner
employer
neighbor
dog owner
And this weekend, with the help of my therapist, I am going to try and take off all my hats and only wear one- that of mother. Only wear one hat as I watch my daughter graduate. Put aside all business concerns, all scheduling issues, all life and death issues, all mother-daughter stuff, all sister-brother arrangements, all quilting, all other family issues, all worries about the house and the beach house. Take away all that stuff. And just be happy for my daughter. Just be a proud mama as I watch her take the next step in her life.

Ninety hoods

2010-05-05T19:57:00.000-04:00

I limit the number of blogs that I read- only a few capture my attention on a continual basis. So when my 25 year old (almost) son decided to start a blog on the ninety neighborhoods of Pittsburgh, it was a command performance. ninetyhoods.wordpress.com But that is not the story here.

When Max was 5 and entering first grade he had to make a book about colors. As a creative director who supervises and directs over 15 graphic designers, I looked at his project and immediately started giving him suggestions.... we could bind it this way, you could cut out different kinds of blues or reds, have you considered using different colors of type.... you get the drift. And Max immediately stopped me by saying, "Mom all I have to do is color the colors into the book. "

Wow. I had not realized that I was art directing my own son, critiquing, offering suggestions, essentially improving on his homework when what we really needed was a mom, not an art director. That was also the very last time I ever did my kids' homework. The scores of art projects, science fair projects, speeches, posters, reports, were all my kids work- not mine or my husband's. And if Max turned in a color book that looked like it was done by a kindergarten student- well that was appropriate- that is what he was.

So until yesterday I have curtailed my direction. Until yesterday. I asked Max, a guy with an incredible photographic eye, why he was not doing this or considering adding that. And we had a fantastic grown up conversation on the intent of a blog- a half hour dialogue where I questioned his approach, listened to his reasoning, countered with suggestions, and agreed occasionally with his wisdom. And while I had a certain point of view I wanted to get across, he had an equally strong viewpoint. And I have to wonder if that confidence, that fabulous sense of design, amazing photographic talents, and writing grew out of Max having to rely on himself to make decisions and to get things done instead of using his parents as a crutch.

Check out the blog. I know it is on my must-read selection.

The Beauty Queen

2010-05-03T12:53:00.000-04:00

It's been a long long while that theater has moved me as much as The Beauty Queen of Leenane has. The first play I have seen where I was not watching my daughter in a play- but rather watched her character- alternately sympathetic and pathetic. Seeing how the playwright managed to jerk me back every time I felt a pang of empathy for one of the character. Amazed that any character in that play was human or humane.

The last show in college for Jody. And a triumph. Imagine a beauty queen inhabiting a 70 year old invalid body. The beauty queen my lovely lovely daugher- the 70 year old- her character.
The last show- but a new beginning I think- as Jo makes her way into new worlds and new experiences. Clearly very prepared.

I have not stopped thinking about that play- details and bits of dialogue just won't leave me. But that is the genius and madness of Martin McDonagh. I have see another of his pieces- tried to walk out it was so gruesome- but it was one act and I could not. Not sure what it is about these Irish playwrights. Grim is a kind word...

But the gift of seeing the talents of Jo on stage. Something I shall not soon forget. And perhaps precisely because when I watched that play I forgot it was Jody up there.