Swimming in the Sea

Ripples

2012-01-28T09:01:00.002-05:00

I did this piece about two years ago. It was the first of this path I am on-whole cloth, unplanned, stitching, ripping, painting, folding etc. This weekend we are taking pictures of the latest pieces. Look for those next week. What a difference. But still on the path. I really appreciate watching these pieces develop. Thankful.

Inspiration Everywhere

2012-01-05T09:54:00.004-05:00

When curried chicken meets red cabbage on bamboo

artist: James, lunch, January 2012

I walked into the kitchen this morning and found this on the counter. I thought it was just beautiful. My husband left a little art installation.

ps: this is pretty close to the color palette of a room in the house.

2011-12-15T08:56:00.002-05:00

photo by Kendra

Quiet. Still. Rejuvenating. Healing. Blessed. That is how I feel about winter and the darkness it brings. I welcome it with open arms. I have needed this time more than ever. This time of rest gets me ready for spring. I am a little bit polar bear. I hibernate. Move inward and slow down. It is just where I am at and the calendar validates me.

Communication

2011-10-31T19:47:00.003-04:00

How much is too much? I ask because I gingerly walk the high wire of communicating to an audience. I am on the email lists for a number of artists, craftspeople and musicians. I read about creating tribes, serving a constituency, and playing to a crowd.. It boggles my mind when the closing of some emails has a good 4" of the various and asundry places you could find this particular person. FB, G+, twitter, zazzle, blogspot, wordpress, etsy, mails and more. That's a full time job. I don't think I am that interesting. You have better things to do than follow me on some digital dead cat swinging frenzy. I knew an artist back in the 80's who didn't have an answering machine. She was beginning her 'craft' career. Her feeling was if you really wanted her work you would keep trying to reach her. She figured she really wasn't all that hard to find. If I typed her name, you would know her. I guess it worked for her. Both ends of the spectrum.

As always I am somewhere in the middle, floating around, swimming in the sea, just propelling forward. Anyone have any thoughts regarding this? I would really like to hear what forms of communication you engage in.

On another note...

As I type this I am listening to Tom Waits being interviewed by Terry Gross on Fresh Air. He said many things which I want to remember and think more about. So I will go back and listen online tomorrow. But for now this one stuck: What's left when you drain the pool?

What's in your pool?

Time and Change

2011-10-18T09:24:00.004-04:00

It seems as though when I come to Swimming In The Sea I am writing about change. Today will not be different.

Change requires energy. For the last 10 months the lion's share of my energy has been given to all this maternal. I will not dwell. But will say that over these 10 months my mother was diagnosed with cancer and passed away. Passed away in a what seems like the speed of light. Since her passing in May I have been contemplating what it is to be without parents, my original family. I do not have siblings. So this is been big-ish.

In this time... January to now I have been doing this:

I have been stitching. Like mad. This is a detail from a whole piece of linen that measures about 2.5' x 4'. I have come full circle. I am back to the fiber art I started with at the age of 5. My mother gave me a little embroidery kit. Her idea of a kit was thread, needle, fabric and time at her side. No patterns. She showed me how to thread the needle, make an end knot, to go in and out/up and down, and finish the thread. She left me to it. I wish I had that now. The meandering I created. But in a sense I don't need it because it is what I am doing now. I have more to say about this. Because it has been a process. That is such an overused statement---but for this, it is so true. I will write about this body of work. And I won't wait 10 months to come back to this.

Unless something changes.

One Passion, Many Voices

2011-01-12T14:58:00.004-05:00

Ooooo show postcards came in the mail yesterday! One of my favorite things about being in group shows is the postcards. I am so happy and honored to be in this group. The large 'feathery' piece above is by Deborah Kruger; 'transforming the fluid and sensuous materials of fiber and wax'. I urge you to visit her site and learn more about this amazing woman and her work. I was lucky enough to interview Deborah for Valley Fiber Life magazine. We had known each other casually for years. We had never had deep conversations about life, work and energy. So it was a real treat to sit her in studio and delve into many topics. Enjoy the read.

I will be showing this piece in One Passion, Many Voices at Artworks!:

We Can Use This Map, 2010. 36" x 28" rust printed, hand stitched on cotton muslin, folds intentional.

I may be demonstrating rust printing at the exhibit in New Bedford, MA on February 19th. I will announce it if it happens. I will definitely be at the artist reception on March 5 from 3-5pm.
Hope to see you.

Being Light

2011-01-01T23:20:00.004-05:00

This is how I feel about the new year. Filaments of light suspended in space.

This was taken at a recent visit to MassMoCA in North Adams, MA. (I can't find my note on the artist name, I will get back to you with that. ) It is a homage to the Hoosac Tunnel in the Berkshires. The sculpture of mono-filament and light is large enough to walk in. It was a magical experience. My husband and I stood face to face surrounded by this light and I just shivered. I feel I can't be completely eloquent because it was a profound experience. If you are within a reasonable driving distance to North Adams, MA I urge you to experience this sculpture.

______________________________________________

I hope to not feel this way about the new year. That's me in the corner. Kinda looking like Little Miss Muffet. Wrapper paper never looked so ominous.

Time

2010-12-30T23:35:00.002-05:00

Deep down I know time is an illusion. But I cannot seem to shake the hold time has on my psyche. I am forever navigating the moguls of things I want to do, have to do, relaxing, having fun, and just being. It is that silly time of year when we evaluate what has been and what may be. I always think of an Eckart Tolle moment with Oprah. He was talking about being in the moment and he had said something so profound and Oprah said something like ' I hope I will always remember what you just said ' to which he replied-'I hope not'. She looked amazed. That was everything in a nutshell.....I hope you don't remember this--take in what you need at this moment and leave the rest behind....

I find myself thinking about what is needed at this moment. And then I ask-well how long is a moment? Was that my tail I just passed?

This blog is one of my moguls. (I was a skier. I love moguls) I think of it often. I think about how much I want to say and then time slips. I will do better at catching it.

It is a new year. Many new opportunities on the horizon. I will share them. Because I love this mogul.

Wow! What A Great Garlic Fest!!

2010-10-04T09:36:00.004-04:00

the booth, which was dubbed - The Party Booth!

The North Quabbin Garlic & Arts Festival was this past weekend. This festival is eleven years old, completely volunteer driven and continually entertains its visitors. I spoke with people from Westchester, NY, Long Island, NY, Boston, VT and Pennsylvania. It is always a chance to see old friends from around the Quabbin, former classmates and on and on.....We weren't dubbed the Party Booth for nuthin'.

I have to say, every time I am in an exhibition, do a show, participate in a festival I get really, really, really nervous. But when the work is on the walls and the people start to come I turn it into a little party and we all have a great time. Who couldn't have a great time at this year's Garlic Fest? After a few days of rain we were all ready for the sunny weekend, good food, good music and great artwork from around the North Quabbin.

Response to the birch pieces I have been working on for the past year were overwhelmingly positive. The compliments are appreciated. Thanks to those who took pieces home. I am excited by the commission conversations and ready to get to work. Because Art=Work.

time to clean up and get back to work.

Church-a place to bond

2010-07-20T13:30:00.003-04:00

This past Sunday's church find-vintage Irish linen threads, cut-work linen, bone rings (whose bones, I don't want to know) mother of pearl buttons, and wooden spools. All for $3.00.

When my dad was still alive he would call me on a Saturday evening and say, "Meet me at church tomorrow morning? I will bring the donuts and coffee." Growing up church was not the white building with a steeple you went to on Sunday mornings. Church was the the huge flea market in a nearby town. Church was where we bonded over antiques, people's trash-our treasures, sunshine, donuts and coffee. Church was where he taught me the fine art of haggling. Church was where he taught me not everything is at it seems. Church was our place. When we moved back to the area I was happy to get his phone calls looking for a church get-together. He has been gone nearly twenty years. I still go to the huge flea market from time to time. I still call it church. I haggle, find great treasures, drink coffee, eat a donut-and think of my dad. Church was our place.

Ch-ch-changes

2010-07-16T11:04:00.002-04:00

With apologies to David Bowie. Why so quiet, you ask? Just life. Shall we do the list....sure. I turned 50 in June, my son announced he is moving to California with his girlfriend (she is a sweet girl), my youngest leaves for college in a month (she is a sweet girl, too), and I have to say it again-I turned 50!!! Now, I know I am not the only person to turn 50 this year. Just about every one of my classmates from ORHS class of '78 turns 50 this year. The time leading up to 50 was a lot of hand-wringing---like I could somehow stop it with hand-wringing---some chastising, some nostalgia, and a dash of Bring It On!. Today I am not quite a month into it and I have to tell you it has been liberating. I had read that happens but didn't really believe it. For me it was true, with a little help from my friends. Four friends got together to raise a glass and ask the important question, "So what gets you juiced up?" Insert lots of laughs, another bottle of wine and some dessert and you have me on a new path. I am still obsessively stitching on large pieces of cotton. But the path now contains freelance work in social media engagement and laying the groundwork for some individual consulting with artists and teaching. Fifty is ok.

New Tags for New Work

2010-05-04T10:45:00.002-04:00

These images are details from larger pieces. The bottom image has rust printed, upcycled linen as the background. I think these came out great. To the printer tomorrow. TWIST starts Friday. I am excited about the new work---the bottom image is new work. I will spend the rest of today figuring out what to bring. There are good and bad features to having a table-top show. You don't have to lug around so much. But you are limited as to what and how much you bring. My large pieces just aren't practical for this venue. I will have my slide show running so at least the work will be out there. Very excited.

The Conversation Continues

2010-04-05T14:40:00.004-04:00

I am a very fortunate person to have strong artists working nearby. My friend Sharon is a big part of my process. I am also grateful to be part of a design group. I was invited about a year ago. Getting together with three other artists has been a once-a-month gift. My work has grown with the input of these women. It is a simple format of chatting & eating, looking at work - one person at a time. Once the work goes on the wall it is all business. Fresh eyes on a piece you have been staring at for weeks is welcome. They ask great questions. Make me a better artist. Last week I brought this piece. I designed it this way. I loved it. I love the stitching, the shapes, the play of the painted area in contrast to the wide open spaces. It was saying what I wanted to say ( more on that later, when it is completely done). When I hung it up and walked way back, it was lacking. What was going on? The lyrical play of space, paint and stitching were faltering. The conversation between us began..."What if there was more stitching up here?" "What if you added more painting over there?"

And then L. said "What if you turn it 90 degrees".... voila! The issues were resolved. It no longer needed more paint....more stitching. It worked. What was that Carly Simon song...when you are unhappy take a new picture, find a new view. I started to find new areas in the piece I had totally missed, I was seeing the edges differently. The edge of the painted area really popped and looked as though it was beckoning to the stitches....let us be a part of you.

Which brings it all back to the beginning. Conversations between elements.

This is how I am viewing it now. It is a good view. Once again, design group comes through. Thank you!

this is a detail of some stitching. I am enthralled with random, free-flowing, free-form stitching.

a little conversation

2010-03-20T16:38:00.002-04:00

Today in north central Massachusetts it is breezy and warm. The sun is shining. I was sitting in the backyard. Behind the sounds of the road and my husband working on one of the motorcycles I heard woodpeckers. Woodpeckers on either side of the property. One would taptaptapaptaptpatpatap and then the other would taptaptpatpatpatptptaptap. One was on a decidedly hollow-ish tree, the other not. They were talking to each other. It was quite a lengthy conversation. "How'd you do this winter?" "Not bad, how about you?".....

I drifted off to thinking about the latest whole cloth map piece I have been working on. When I was reminded that really successful pieces are conversations. The elements converse with each other. It goes back and forth. They are congenial. They get along. They wonder how each other's winters were.

When you can hear the conversation you know the piece is working.

Focus

2010-03-08T21:07:00.006-05:00

I was talking with my friend Chris the other day. Chris is a felt artist of the highest order, owner of New England Felting Supply/www.feltingsupply.com and an all around fun and fabulous woman. We were talking about blogs and how so many of the blogs she comes across lack focus. Which made me go back and read my blog. I wouldn't call it fuzzy (the opposite of in focus). It has jumped around-'let's show Chirps, let's show trees, let's show quilts'. Do you sense a pattern here? Yeah, there is no pattern. And what is that saying about me? What do I want my work to say about me? What baffles me is when I am working at a job-job, focus is my middle name. "Get the job done". When it comes to art I jump on the wind and let me take it where it will.

Which is why there are days I walk into the studio and just don't know what to do. So I make a tote bag. Anybody want a tote bag? I seem to be accumulating a lot of tote bags.

This mental exercise has led me to let go of the Chirps. Fly, be free. I will be selling the remaining chirps at the Orange Innovation Center Open Studio and Artisan Sale on March 27 at 10:00am at OIC on West Main St. Orange, MA.

Three cheers for more focus. I am not done. More down the path.

Thanks, Chris.

Bleach

2010-03-05T16:34:00.006-05:00

If you haven't discovered the power of the Bleach Pen don't wait much longer. Fun, fun, fun-albeit toxic fun-so make sure you have windows open or use it outside.

I am awaiting discharge paste from Pro-Chem, but I couldn't wait.

Today the I hit some black linen, blue cotton and a Hoffman batik.

Love it!

Playful as Dolphins

2010-02-28T21:56:00.002-05:00

I am a huge fan of FreeWill Astrology http://www.freewillastrology.com I am a Cancer and my horoscope, could it be your as well, for last week.

Last night I had a dream in which I was addressing a crowd of thousands of Cancerians in a large stadium. I was referring to them as dolphins rather than as crabs. "I say unto you, my fellow dolphins," I proclaimed (I myself was born June 23), "that you have been given a sacred assignment by the great gods of time themselves. And that assignment is to master the art of Timeology." When I awoke from the dream, I was awash with feelings of deep relaxation and ease, although I wasn't sure why. I had never before heard that word "timeology," so I googled it. Here's how the Urban Dictionary defined it: "spending time doing what you want to do, not accomplishing anything major but also not wasting time." It so happens that this prescription is well-suited to our current astrological omens. I suggest that you and I be as playful as dolphins.

which I wish I had read last week.....

Dyeing - Oh My.....

2010-02-28T11:10:00.004-05:00

I have been wanting to try my hand at dyeing for quite some time. Kendra came home from a friend's house with a t-shirt she had dyed. It needed rinsing. Instead of watching all that lovely dye go down the drain I caught in a big pot. Then I started scouring around for things to throw in. (Good thing we don't have a white cat---) I found an old curtain, a piece of vintage Sister Parrish fabric, muslin, canvas and a lovely linen handkerchief I picked up at Savers. The linen handkerchief I tied with string - my first shibori - everything else just went in the pot. What you see above is the result of about 10 hours in the dye, rinsed, washed in the machine and dried in the dryer. I am hooked. Just don't tell my dear husband there are yet more art supplies to be had and they coming into the house. It is going to be a very colorful spring. If anybody who lives in the area wants to come play for a dye day let me know. The more the merrier.

New Online Shop

2010-02-25T19:56:00.001-05:00

I have just started participating in 1000 Markets. Visit my shop at: http://www.1000markets.com/shops/lindaruelflynn

Let's see how this does!

Just About Done

2010-02-23T14:46:00.003-05:00

I just love how these birch pieces are coming along. I can feel the wind blowing the leaves off the trees.

A little piece of New England for you.

Mega Doily

2010-02-04T08:54:00.006-05:00

This is so very cool. I love it when people take an object and mentally pull at it to envision in a whole new way. This mega doily is from Ladies and Gentlemen . Wonder if our grandmothers ever thought making a huge doily to walk on?

And because I am on the lookout for balance, here is the antithesis: Miniature Doily

this is from e pattern central

I first saw the mega doily on Oh Joy! A fun design blog.

Have fun today thinking about the large and small of life.

A Gift

2010-02-03T14:33:00.003-05:00

This morning I had the good fortune to meet and interview Scott Norris of Elam's Widow, http://elamswidow.com/. Scott weaves linen textiles for the home. Tablecloths, dish cloths and towels in dreamy hand-dyed shades of lavender, green, grey and more. The minute I walked into his lemongrass painted studio I felt an ease and excitement at the same time. What followed was an hour or so of easy conversation about Scott's path to weaving, his palette choice, and a genuine love of fabric. I left his studio feeling as though I had been given a gift of tranquility, inspiration, knowledge and color. Please head over to Scott's website and see his work. I guarantee you will be left dreaming about using one of the most beautiful dishcloths you have ever seen. And trust me, they feel even better than they look. Enjoy!!! You can read my interview with Scott in the next month or so on valleyfiberlife.com

Fabric illustration for the local food co-op

2010-01-27T12:55:00.005-05:00

This is the art quilt (hand-dyed cotton, machine and hand stitched) illustration I created for the North Quabbin Community Co-op, http://northquabbinfoodco-op.blogspot.com/

Amy of Shelter Bookworks http://www.shelterbookworks.com/, is picking a type to complement the illustration.

I took the simple concept of farm to table and made the farm and table one. It was great fun making little veggies, plates, silverware and most of all the trellis laden with peas.

The Surface As Playground/Return to Teaching

2010-01-16T22:01:00.003-05:00

(click on the image to see larger image)

This class is being held at Cherscapes Fiber Studio at 278 Main St. Suite #307, Greenfield, MA .

Tuesdays, March 30, April 6 & 13 from 6 - 8 pm. Email me with any questions. linda.ruelflynn@gmail.com

Another

2009-12-31T09:39:00.002-05:00

Another year,
opportunity,
chance,
quilt,
painting,
kiss,
celebration,
thought,
prayer.

Peace.

2009-12-16T09:58:00.005-05:00

The year is coming to an end with new opportunities floating on the waves. I am embracing them with a whole and open heart. These coincide with the natural tendency of this time of year to reflect and look forward. I usually begin this process by chastising myself for what I haven't done. Instead I am employing some wisdom that has come my way via my friend Lydia (see Lydia's work at www.lydiagrey.com) & Byron Katie--'Love what is.'

I have approached these past months with balance in mind. Working on the artwork and writing that I want to nourish both my being and my checkbook. Tending to my home, my family, my friends and my community. I can honestly say I have done all of the above. Could I have done more? Probably, but at what cost?

So I am loving what is at this moment. Sincerely hoping you are loving as well.

Let's Play

2009-12-14T09:52:00.003-05:00

I have had a few teaching opportunities come my way. I really like teaching-energizing a group, watching people solve problems, imparting information and waiting for the AHA moment that inevitably comes. I am working on the workshop(s) contents, making a package......tentative title to the workshop experience.....The Surface is Your Playground. It is exactly how I feel when I begin working. Remember running to the playground at recess----you just couldn't wait to run, jump, fly down the slide, play in the brook(we had a brook).

Now, what if you approached a quilt like that?

What would THAT look like?

A thought for this gorgeous, pink sky day in December.

Another step forward

2009-12-08T09:22:00.007-05:00

http://northquabbinwoods.org/vendors/120
The Chirps are at North Quabbin Woods. Shop online or at the store, 1 East Main St. Orange, MA.

The store is chock full of locally made goods. Love this bench by Ron Jacobs of Rustic Wood Creations. If you are looking for gifts from the hand please peruse the site. You are buying as close to the source as you can.

Open Studio Event-Dec. 5 & 6.

2009-11-30T21:26:00.004-05:00

Busy getting ready for this weekend's Open Studio Event. Dec. 5 & 6, 10-6, 10-5pm at the studio. Send me an email, linda.ruelflynn@gmail and I will send you directions.

New work to share....I am loving the colored background of these new pieces.

In Process

2009-11-23T00:44:00.003-05:00

This is the latest in the New England Birch series. Three feet wide by one foot tall. I am using large pieces of hand-dyed fabrics from Margaret Stancer of Pelham. I love her fabric. I don't know how she does what she does but I am so happy she does it. The placement of the blue in the midst of the green is the perfect suggestion of water running through the stand of trees. A pleasure to work with such yumminess. That is a fiber technical term....yumminess. Enjoy!
-click on the image above to see a larger version-

Daily Inspiration

2009-11-21T16:06:00.004-05:00

When I was teaching I would tell my students - cherubic first and second graders - to look at their world. Not just glance around, but to really look. Looking takes time. Time well spent. I have been taking the time to look. To really see what is around me. More importantly, I am taking the time to stop, see and absorb what I am experiencing. This picture was taken Friday morning about 8:20am in S. Hadley along the Connecticut River. The fog wafting from the water pulled me to the river bank. It was magic. I watched for about 15 minutes as it twirled and swirled over the water. A piece of me went over the river. I will savor this quite a long time. Who knows where it will pop up in my work in the future.

Chirps

2009-11-18T18:23:00.004-05:00

The Chirps- Sweet little bird quilts with hand-dyed fabric, hand-dyed embroidery cotton and a whole lot of fun. Having a great time divining the personalities of these little darlings.

Allowing

2009-09-17T10:49:00.003-04:00

New work here. I love love love making the circle giggles, like the green/orange one to the left. I have always had an affinity for enso circles, and circles in general (maybe that's why I love cookies). But when I started doing the bird scenes people had such a positive response to them. I didn't expect that. I love making those too. It feeds my secret desire to do illustration. So now I am going to feed my secret desire some more and watch what happens.

Can I just be cranky for a second. My favorite fabric in Northampton closed this past summer. Every contemporary quilter in the area cried. So as I am getting all this work done I am watching my stash dwindle. Where am I going to buy this fabulous fabric? I resist buying online. I want to feel the fabric. What looks pretty is not always made well. Gee, maybe I have to go to NYC on a little buying trip!!!!

Thanks for reading.

I'm Working Here

2009-09-01T18:57:00.003-04:00

What a great day. Much accomplished. This is what it looks like when I am done. The fruits are above the mess. I was feeling daunted by the deadline of the Garlic Fest. Now I am invigorated. Just give me a deadline and away I go. Take heart, this isn't the only space on which to create. The studio is bigger than this. More pics some other time.

The Case for Not Pushing It

2009-08-31T19:47:00.007-04:00

Not Pushing It

This piece is 18 x 18, stretched around canvas stretchers-just like the giggles. I didn't think I was going to like this larger size. But this piece works.

The central part was made last week. I wanted it to be part of 12" x 36" piece. It just wasn't working. Spent hours...hours...hours forcing it into the space, attaching printed fabric to the sides, attaching painted fabric to the sides, tear it out...try something else....NOTHING was working. AARRGGHH. I tacked it to the wall and left. Four days go by. I walk into the studio this morning, lay it on the 18 x 18 and eureka, it worked. Pulled the dark blue fabric to the sides and I was a happy camper. Added a few more yellow hand stitches, stretched it, signed it and voila! 1 down, 22 go.

The moral to the story..see above...Not Pushing It. Just because you want something to be a certain way doesn't mean you can bully it to fit. There was no convincing that fabric to work.

The more I quilt the more I find metaphors for dealing with people. Just because you want someone to behave a way you think they should....doesn't mean they will. My Dr. Phil moment is over.

The Artist Statement

2009-05-11T13:05:00.007-04:00

Please indulge me just a little longer. I want to share my artist statement. This is written to go with the Giggles. I find it necessary to make a statement about each series. To write one statement to encompass all seems daunting and not quite relevant to the moment. Striving to be in the moment.

My work is born out of sheer play with fabric. I call this series Giggles. Giggles started as an exercise of letting loose and getting back into creating artwork. The exercise grew into a thoughtful process of merging color and pattern to create tangible joy in a pleasing design.

I work in cotton fabric, batting and thread. I alter commercial and hand-dyed fabrics with paint, bleach and thread to create a fabric that is more of my statement rather than the fabric designer’s statement. I also seek to recycle as much fabric from other projects as possible. I employ traditional and non-traditional quilting techniques with contemporary designs to create these quilts of fun. The more I made, the more I laughed. The laughing was infectious and people started purchasing Giggles to have a colorful, fiber laugh to take home.

This work is all about sharing the laughter.

The great thing about this, I didn't set it in concrete. It can change. I am sure it will. I grow, the work changes, so must the statement that goes along with it. If you are having issues writing a statement ( I told Alicia I would rather have a root canal) she said something perfect...start with small thoughts and then link them together into larger thoughts. Perfect. Small is a great place to start. Now that I think of it, the Giggles started out at 3" x 3". Now they up to 12" square.

Perfect for the moment.

Out in the World, Part 2

2009-05-11T12:51:00.005-04:00

The Giggles are out in the world again. This time at the Gardner Ale House, www.gardnerale.com/

Giggles are on display from May 11 through June 22 with a reception on Sunday, May 17 from 3-5pm.

This picture has three new pieces. I am loving them, especially the middle piece. It is called 'Your Turn'. Reminds me of a game board. The piece on the right, 'Escaping' is employing some of the techniques of the larger pieces I am working on. Bleaching, attaching other fibers etc. What fun.

As I venture to put this work out into the world more and more I searched for a way to really connect to the community they are displayed in. To that end I have decided wherever the Giggles go I will be donating ten percent of the sales to that community's food pantry. Recipient of ten percent of Gardner Ale House sales is the Gardner CAC, http://www.gardnercac.org/home.html .

More on the larger pieces next time. Also, getting ready to submit an exhibition proposal to a gallery, been a long time since I was on the submitting end. Thankful I have had the opportunities to be on the reading end of things. I should ace it, right? Pressssssure.

Out Into the World

2009-04-13T08:56:00.003-04:00

Giggles are getting out of the studio and going to Greenfield. I will be there as Laughing Fibers-Linda Ruel Flynn. I am happy to be re-connecting with old friends. Extremely talented potter Lydia Grey, see her work at www.lydiagrey.com, invited me to participate in the Greenfield Green Fair, www.greenfieldgreenfair. com with other artisans to promote their work as well as buying local when needing a gift, home decor, clothing etc. If you are in the Pioneer Valley this weekend, come check it out. Lets see how it goes.

In Process

2009-03-25T10:18:00.005-04:00

I really like sharing pieces that are in process. Glimpsing the unfinished, the unresolved. Here are couple of pictures of my most recent piece. I am continuing with the mapping series. I am enjoying the whole cloth approach to these pieces. Painting on the fabric, cutting, applying stitching, inserting imagery. Creating a map of our everchanging landscapes.

We Can Use This Map

2009-03-05T17:06:00.002-05:00

We Can Use This Map, copyright Linda Ruel Flynn, 2009.
(Please do not use this image without permission. It is not nice. Just ask.)

This is the piece I sent off to the Surface Design Members' Exhibit in Kansas City, MO. I began a series of 'whole cloth' quilts that are grounded in daily news reports of loss of land mass, polluted water, displaced species etc. I began to think about the need for our own maps. What would we use to guide ourselves when the cartographers can't keep up with the ever changing landscape? This piece is a glimpse of what the other quilts look and feel like. A map made by an amateur cartographer, used by a community, folded, torn, changed on a whim. It is a tool. I take great inspiration from the American slave quilts used as maps and communications during the underground railroad.

The argument to just keep going

2009-03-02T13:10:00.003-05:00

I am going to channel asparagus energy from now on. I bought asparagus about five days ago. Recut the ends, like you are supposed to, put the bunch in a couple inches of water until we were ready to eat it. Well, it is growing. Check out the asparagus sprouts. Now I feel like I can't eat it. It is growing. Now, I don't have any trouble going out to the garden and cutting whatever I want for dinner. Somehow this is different. It just doesn't want to go gently into that good night of sauteed leeks and garlic. At the same time, those new shoots are probably going to be mighty tender.

So the next time you think-that is it, I give up, think of the asparagus.

Going Bigger

2009-02-15T20:38:00.004-05:00

New Work
The last pieces were small, 3 and 4 inches square. This piece is 12" square. This piece incorporates a new technique I have been using. Painting on fusible webbing. It has rocked my world. As always photography is a stumbling block for me (so thanks to Jim dear for taking pics) Just wanted to show some new work. Some topics I will be talking about soon...oblique strategies and the surface-not necessarily at the same time. Absolutely Fabulous.

Getting Back in the Studio

2009-01-09T10:16:00.006-05:00

...or at least the frame of mind to be back in the studio. Transitions are sometimes hard to navigate. I never seem to have trouble going from working to being home, cooking, throwing myself into family life. It is taking myself from home, and all its coziness, to go back to work. Even though I love the work. It is taking the step to the unknown. Maybe I should look into cultural rituals that mark transition. Like the African American tradition of jumping over the broomstick at the wedding. The Jewish wedding tradition of stepping on a glass wrapped in fabric. What's my ritual?

So to get back I am looking the last thing I finished (finished is relative here) before the holidays. I resolved the design from a previous post.
I did a lot of moving around, serious editing and minimal "quilting". I am starting to not even think of these as quilts so much as fabric assemblages. Now that I type that let's not go down the label path. ick. As my good friend Kathleen says, "It is what it is." How true.

I like it. I am fascinated with the bits and pieces falling about. Patterning and what happens between the elements.

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I had to stop on my way home this morning. Waiting for my turn while the chipper took care of the many fallen trees around here from previous ice storm. I looked out the window and couldn't resist the lines in the road, the cracking and patterning. Took out my camera and here it is. I will be playing with this later. We see what we are drawn to.

Happy New Year.

Not in the studio

2008-12-10T18:02:00.005-05:00

I am blessed to have a beautiful place to work. My dear friend and artist, Sharon McCartney-see her studio and work in this Interweave Press publicationhttp://www.interweave.com/magazines/, graciously allows me to work in her classroom space. It has been a gift. One I am thankful for on a daily basis. But today I wasn't there. I had planned to be there but I was sidetracked - those tangents again - by books. First time in the library then at Barnes and Noble. Sitting with stacks of books and magazines, pouring through information, inspiration, getting answers to technical questions and more. I filled three pages in the sketchbook with websites to visit, notes, thoughts, pictures. I started out feeling guilty that I wasn't working, but soon realized this was just as, if not more productive, for the day. Now, to utilize the sketchbook. I will be posting pictures of sketchbook pages. It is one of the best tools I employ.

Fruit of the Tangent

2008-12-06T18:23:00.000-05:00

These pieces are pure play. I wanted to add moss to a quilt. Creeping out from somewhere. I see moss when out for a walk. I wanted to convey that in this piece. Moving along, walking on the path. These are the first in a series of 5. I tend to then work on a numerous pieces at the same time.

I look forward to seeing where these take me.

Saying Yes to Tangents

2008-12-03T15:05:00.000-05:00

Tangents can be a good thing. I have to embrace them because I have the attention span of a gnat. I have been very focused on a group of small quilts - see them on etsy, if you like:

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6287566.

I love them, love making them and am working to perfect the design, expand the size offerings and market the heck the out of 'em. But over the holiday I saw something that intrigued me and I had to try it out. Natural materials with unnatural materials. What if I started to add grass and twigs to quilts? What would that be like? Turns out it is pretty nifty. Definitely poses some technical challenges, but overall quite satisfying. I will be posting pictures tomorrow. I said Yes, to the idea and swam with it. Thankfully.

Swimming

2008-12-01T22:33:00.000-05:00

Let me start by talking about this blog's title. Swimming in the Sea. Titles flip me out. When I sat down to start my etsy page and the setup asked for my shop name and stated in big bold letters - this may never change!- I panicked. I had to stop. It took me three days to come to the conclusion-of what I already knew-my name is my brand. I had always gone by arcticmermaid. Unfortunately arctic is a word that get misspelled a lot. But for some reason this title-Swimming in the Sea-came so easily. Like swimming, like floating. It is what I strive to do in the studio. Swim through my thoughts, ideas, materials. Feel cold, warm, exhausted, exhilarated all at the same time. Swimming. My favorite thing to do. So why is my favorite season winter?