Gotta say,
Moments after I published the previous post, UPS arrived with my long awaited copy of Quinn McDonald’s book Raw Art Journaling, Making Meaning, Making Art.
So while I’m thinking about the tailor made M&Ms, the rice krispie squares, and the creative fun that will be happening tonight at Changing Hands bookstore in Phoenix, I can be creating alongside in virtual reality!
Here’s TJ Goerlitz demoing raw art journaling techniques from Quinn McDonald’s book Raw Art Journaling, Making Meaning, Making Art, which just coincidentally happens to be launching today.
If I were still in Phoenix that’s where I’d be tonight!
I met Quinn in Phoenix and have taken classes, both in person and online, and know that her book is a distillation of everything she’s been working on over the past few years. This is an exciting day!
Once I have my mitts on the book, I plan to challenge myself to translate some of the concepts and exercises into fibre art.
Although we look at flowers head on, how often do we look at the tips of branches?
These will grow into pine cones, given time.
Nature is not just abundant but symmetrical. And not just symmetrical but abundant.
I’ve been studying Pat Langford’s Embroidery from Sketch to Stitch, Quilters’ Resource, Inc, 1996, ISBN 0-9629056-7-4
This lady is first and foremost an embroiderer, which I’m really not, although various little things are nudging me in that direction.
Sketching is obviously a huge part of what she does. Maybe this will be the impetus that will get me sketching on a more regular basis instead of wringing my hands and being a sniveling wannabe.
I’m intrigued by the way she pushes the envelope, using puff paint on a baby blanket (although you would never know from looking at the finished work), and crayoning onto microfibre.
Specific things I want to try:
Polychromos coloured pencils on microfibre, ironed to heat set
Transfer dyeing with Crayola fabric crayons on paper, ironed onto the microfibre fabric.
Pentel crayons directly onto linen in several layers. Langford actually covered the fabric in places. Hmmm, thrift store hunt for old linen coming up maybe? Too bad I no longer have the orange linen tablecloth that was in my wedding registry, that would have been so dramatic!
Langford has many platters, which are round or oval art quilts. That’s a possible direction.
CONFESSION
After the busyness and frenzy of preparing for and being in the Artists In Motion @ The Empress show, I vowed to take things easy/take the summer off. Of course THAT’S not gonna happen, but as I recuperated I challenged myself to write down all the different outstanding projects and tasks of every description that I have on my plate. It’s four pages long, so I’m forcing myself to look at this list every day, cross things off it as and when possible, and not undertake any more new projects.
So in order to stay focused artistically, I’m starting a new page on the blog for things I want to try, so that I can have a handy reference. Of course I have a sketchbook on the go too but this will be a good handy way to preserve links electronically.
Before the show I did find that restricting myself to working in a series was helpful. I am continuing with that series in order to have more to show at the Moss Street Paint-In, where we will be exhibiting on Thurlow Street next to the Moss Street market.
Am I finding an approach to creating art (in whatever medium) that works for me?
Were my struggles and basically dropping out of the design class I had wanted to take for so long all Hosni Mubarak’s fault?
Or am I just more of a verbal person than a visual one?
This is a mind map related to the piece I’m just starting. So many things seemed to come together in synchronicity. When I tried to think about drafting a blog post on these topics, my thoughts shot off in a zillion directions. Each bit seemed to make sense standing along but I couldn’t organize my thoughts into a cohesive whole.
And here is the beginning — more pix will follow as the work progresses. I want to create Moebius strip, so tested this concept with kraft paper (a gift from our lovely apartment manager who found a big heavy roll abandoned in a vacated apartment)
I cut and folded a strip to make a double thickness, since there will be batting inside the finished piece.
Then I twisted it into a Moebius strip to test the concept. This will also serve as a mockup as I continue working on this piece.
Time to cut the Tyvek (from a huge piece I bought at the Sewing Show) and get drippin’!
Not having a studio space where I can be messy, I invented the small-scale paint bag.
and here’s what this work in progress currently looks like, until I can get more white acrylic to keep going!
Turning the Tide … One Ripple at a Time
is a fibre arts show at the Martin Bachelor Gallery
712 Cormorant St, Victoria
through March 10, Monday to Saturday 10 – 5.
More info from 43patgv@telus.net
The dozens of art quilts made by the North Island Quilters and Guest Artists in collaboration with the Glacier Grannies of the Comox Valley will be auctioned off at a Gala Dinner on March 12 (call 250 532-9038)
A gorgeous catalogue shows all of the quilts with comments explaining the issues which will be a permanent record of the show. This is available for $30 from germel3@gmail.com or call Gerry at 250 598-7785
Proceeds from the book will go to the Stephen Lewis Foundation, which assists African grandmothers, women, and children affected by the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
On the back cover are quotes from women of the Kitambaa Sewing Project in Southern Uganda, started by Pippa Moore of Vancouver Island. Reading “I have been able to buy a door for my house” certainly put my life into perspective.
At our Quilt Guild we were privileged to be given a sneak peek of all the quilts, but seeing them properly hung was much better. The volunteers from the Victoria Grannies who were staffing the gallery told me that earlier about 15 people were there at the same time, which for a commercial art gallery is really heavy traffic!
Here is a better photo of Throne for a Loop, complete with (empty and well washed) Coke can. Until you try, you have no idea how hard it is to handle an empty soda can without it buckling. The days when strong men amused their fellow office inmates workers by crunching cans in one brawny fist are gone forever.
Happily when I dropped my pieces off at Tulista Park quilters from our guild were there setting up, and two of them spontaneously exclaimed that they love this one! I was so relieved I had to hug them1 Whenever I am planning to show anything controversial I always have a speech in my head about “You don’t have to show this, no problems, I can take it away,” but so far I’ve never had to actually give that speech.
So here’s my take on the Egyptian flag complete with golden eagle. It’s draped over a throne (actually a camping chair spray painted gold).
To fully appreciate the title
Throne for a Loop
you need to look at the back. It’s a Moebius strip so only has one edge and one side.
Now I just have to hope that somebody “gets it.” It’s going into an art show in Sidney and no one but family has seen it as yet. Feeling nervous. Doing something three-dimensional is a new departure for me. I even feel nervous about dropping it off on Monday afternoon, not just the weather and attendant family circumstances that I’m not getting into here, but how it will be received (this is a non juried show, but one of my quilts once didn’t get hung in a non juried show so you never know!)
Further musings on art, authenticity, value will follow — I seem to have hit a motherlode of synchronicity on this topic in reading, viewing, and thinking in the last little while.
Even making this had a LOT of synchronicity. Actually in Tutenkhamen’s tomb they found a surprisingly modern chair.
So, feel free to share your thoughts!
During the coverage of the Egyptian revolution I was struck by how flexible the design of their flag is, because it consists of three coloured stripes it can be as long as you want. Now I’m sure there are probably heraldic rules about proportions and so forth, but in Tahrir Square there were some super long ones.
Sometimes a whole bunch of little things disparate elements come together and inspiration strikes. I’m putting the finishing touches on what to me at least feels like one of these inspired creations, although I realize others may differ.
This has involved a lot of running around, networking with different people to get design hints and how-tos, Dumpster diving for supplies, tweaking the printer to convince it to print in yellow (the eagle on the right is a reject, not a statement about gender or anything!), spray painting, and even more ironing than a regular quilting project. I’m not ready to say a whole lot more about this one in case I jinx myself. It’s three-dimensional and I’m just hoping it turns out close to my concept, so stay tuned …
+
the host is Miz B at 
