Tuesday, May 31, 2011

eye candy

Today was so beautiful.... especially after all the rain and nasty weather we've been having for months.  So instead of doing anything on my "to do" list, I went outside and took pictures in our field.  I am learning about photography by playing along with Kim Klassen's Texture Tuesdays.  (I used some of her beautiful textures on these pictures.)

field with barnfield1field2



wild roses2wild roses1

bird house




side porch on Memorial Day
Our side porch, dressed up for Memorial Day
jackson
Jackson, AKA "the wolf"










garden1garden3

garden2
barn door






garden4peony

Friday, May 27, 2011

community....

I was honored to appear today on Julie Fei-Fan Balzer's blog, writing about the intersection of quilting and art journaling.  Check it out here.  I love the community of like-minded people I've met through blogging, all sharing their art and their feelings so generously.  It is also amazing to see how there is no limit to the creativity of this community -- more really is more.  Thank you all!

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Push-Pull

I studied karate for 10 years, and there was a principle we were always working with, called push-pull.  That is, power is created when force in one direction is balanced by an equal force in the opposite direction.  This principle applies to life and our creative pursuits, as well.  I've been thinking about this a lot lately because I am caught in a dilemma.  Do I make art, or do I write about it?

I love quilting and other needlework.  Passionately.  I love the meditative quality of slow stitches and the deliberate, relaxed process of creating a large cloth out of lots of little pieces.  To the outside world looking in, however, it is kind of like watching the grass grow.

I am not afraid of "slow."  I am following the Erosion Bundle Project, an internet-inspired effort to create naturally aged and weathered materials to use in my art. The basic idea is that you gather and put together a bundle of materials -- fabric, paper, bits of metal or other items to bleed color, plus any other ephemera you can think of. Then, you leave it out in the elements (some people bury their bundles underground) for a period of time to weather, after which you make art with the results.  Here is my bundle, which I put together in August of 2010.
erosion bundle aug 2010

And here it is today.  In August, it will have been out on my fence for a year -- I don't know if I can wait that long to open it!!!
erosion bundle may 2011

Back to my dilemma -- the internet community is so inspiring.  I am constantly amazed when I see the wonderful art that people are making and sharing online on a daily basis.  I am not part of a local art community, so the internet has become a virtual group of friends with similar interests.  The trick is, you have to participate to be part of it.  It all moves so fast, though, so if you wait more than a few days, you are not part of the conversation.

I think that karate holds the solution.... push-pull means finding a balance between "slow" and "fast."  Now, if anyone has a clue how to do that, please let me know!

Friday, May 13, 2011

Color Frenzy

I tend to work in frenzied bursts of energy, where I can't think of anything but my current project.  My husband was out of town this last week, and so I had three days of uninterrupted time to finish this:
needle weaving
I absolutely love these colors, and I enjoy the needle-weaving technique.  My problem is that in the back of my mind I want my art to be practical, and I can't quite see how to use this.  It is about 9"x13," with raw edges;  I suppose I could sew it into a larger wall hanging..... any other ideas?

Saturday, May 7, 2011

May Fair!

Today was our town's annual May Fair, a wonderful event I look forward to all year. There are carnival rides for the kids, lots of booths selling flowers and baked goods, a giant tag sale, and the best barbeque north of the Mason-Dixon line... But if you ask me, the real highlight is the book sale.  Most books are priced at a dollar each; here are some of the treasures I found today:

      
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An 1867 American edition of Charles Dickens

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I've never owned a book published in the 18th century before!

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This is a gorgeous set of children's books, published in the 1920's
(the whole set was only $5!)



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These books were all published prior to 1860; they have such a lovely feeling of weight that modern books just can't match

These books are going to be harvested for visual journaling -- including an 8-volume set of the Memoirs of Casanova (in French):    
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I had a lot of fun today!