Church-a place to bond

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!