Carol Larson - textile artist

Wow, I was just stunned to see that my last post was 4 days ago and I was having a right brain-left brain saga then! Today, it escalated into full-on conflict; so much so that I finally had a cup of Kava Stress Relief Tea! The dilemma was actually quite silly. The right brain was valiantly stomping its feet to lure me back to my art in the studio to keep that retreat buzz as long as humanly possible; while the left brain was valiantly stomping its feet saying do your organizational stuff and then you can enjoy the time in the studio. Which side do you think won? Well, if you have been reading this blog very long, you know the answer…the left side won!

Now, I feel fabulous though, because I did all my organizational stuff and have nothing further to worry about before my next trip, in a week…except whatever shall I take to wear? I was thinking linen and spring, as it is spring here, but clearly according to weather.com, spring has not yet sprung in Philly. OK, go back to January when the high here was 48 and take those clothes! Easy-peasy.

My daughter got her BS at Philadelphia College of Textiles and Science, now known simply as PU-Philadelphia University. Our first trip back there was in early April 1997. We arrived on a glorious spring day, and spent the next sunny day during all the historical tourist things. The next day was Easter and it snowed marshallow peeps and the following day, Monday, when we went to see the campus, we were slogging through slush, ice and mud! So anything is possible in Philly in spring.

I digress. So I packed the smaller of the two bags I am foisting on the United baggage handlers before the new fees are imposed. I am taking approximately 25 yds of my art-cloth to hawk at the trunk show of the SDA-SAQA conference. In the same bag are my workshop supplies to study experimental layers with Hollie Heller. The bag zips, barely, and I relish the thought of coming home much lighter…unless of course I too purchase treasure at the trunk show!

So now, I can return, guilt-free to the studio and finish the Asilomar piece. Had my druthers, I would not have scheduled two art retreats back to back, when there are 52weeks in the year, but alas I have no control over that scheduling. I am just blessed to be going.

I had to go to gnarly JoAnn’s today for some fabrics for the workshop. As I bought 1/8’s and 1/4’s of some skanky sheer, slimey fabrics, the salesman asked me what I was making? I told him I didn’t know…which in itself brought a weird look! I told him I was going to Philly for an art class. Going to Philly for an art class? he said. Why?, he asked, followed by you are flying all the way to Philadelphia to take an art class; don;t they have them here? And then I got it, right there in gnarly JoAnn’s how blessed I am that I can get on a silver bird and jet across the country just to take an art class. And not even bother with Benjamin Franklin, the Mutter Museum or the Liberty Bell.

This is Splatter, the piece I designed at Asilomar. This was taken before the stitching, which has made it even more dazzling. I love it and can’t wait to do more.

Last night I returned from a fabulous five day retreat at Asilomar. The only real retreat factor of it was with no computer or TV, I was in bed by 10 pm! Otherwise, I am exhausted from so much wonderful right brain stimulation.
I was able to maintain right brain function, almost the entire return trip home, by driving the spectacular Northern California coast. Today, I find the right and left brain are in conflict as I am STILL at the PC, having to take care of paperwork…and oh yes, the blog!

In 2002 I took 8 workshops and classes from various reknowned fiberart teachers. I have spent the years since assimilating and finding my own voice. So last fall I decided to sign up for an abstract design class with Katie Pasquini Masopust. Interestingly, part of my reason for signing up was my own resistance to studying with her. I had heard from too many others about her teaching style. And yet, I realized that if I were so resistant, there was most likely something I was to learn as part of my spiritual journey.

This was the best art class I have ever taken. And I loved her style. She was organized and we were motivated. There was no time-a-wastin’, gabfest as in so many other classes. We did 9 design exercises in two days, that created at least 15 designs for new work. Then we chose one, which was really difficult for me, because I loved so many of them. She took them to Kinkos and enlarged them, mine being 800%, taught us her technique for construction and off we went.

I had a come to Jesus moment in the parking lot early Thursday morning. I could clearly see that her machine applique method was not working for my creation, as it had zillions of curved and pointed edges. I decided that rather than spend two days designing a piece of crap that I would prefer to design something worthy of exhibition. So as Katie says, I crossed over to the fusing side! I have yet to fuse. I am still cutting pieces, as there are over 150 in this design. I brought it home, rolled with pins holding it together. Today, I plan to get back at it to cut and pin the final 30 pieces or so.

When not in class, or walking the grounds, or heading to the ocean, or eating yet one more salad (what they give people with multiple food allergies) or visiting with old and new friends, or contemplating, I was capturing great imagery in the exquisite granite boulders of the sidewalks. Every single one of these could be a thermofax screen for printing.

So now I have ten days to assimilate what I learned before I head off to Philly for another workshop! So there you have it. Now I am off to rejoin my right brain in the studio! Life is rich, indeed.

Lately, I have been the target of so many people’s unsolicited comments! My mother used to tell me that people were well-intentioned, which even as a kid I saw as a cover-up for their rudeness. It could also be that I am a bit sensitive to the matter, because of a life-time in this rather unusually shaped body. But really, where do people get off telling others what to do…unless they are teachers or preachers?! Or unless they ask for it.

On that vein, I am here to offer some unsolicited advice! Rather, this is a hot tip!!! This week, I Googled cutting mats, as the mat on my design table is just flat worn out. Well, it was not even flat anymore. It was so worn in two opposing places that I could not longer cut a straight line in those spots. I tried to retrain this old dog to stand at the end, but I couldn’t seem to stay there. It was as if I was magnetized to the warn spot.

The now worn mat has graced my design table for over 7 years. I found it at a local big-name fabric store and had not seen them anywhere, since…except at PIQF but then how the heck do you get the mother home? So I googled, thinking someday soon I would buy a new mat. Well, someday became Monday, and I ordered it. It arrived yesterday from Ohio!

Today, hubby and I rolled up the worn model and duct taped it to stay rolled and stuck it in the recycling can. Then we ‘installed’ the new one. First we laid out the grid which double stick tapes to both the table and to the mat. Then we rolled out the mat. This sucker is easily 1/8″ thicker than the old mat. It is such great quality, that I imagine it will last me the rest of my life. And the best part is I had it custom cut, at no extra charge. The table is 40″ x 72″ and the mat had been 48″ x 72″. So my bit of unsolicited advice is this: If one is in need of a killer cutting mat that might possibly outlive them, check this out

Now, I have hauled all the heavy books into the studio to help this new mat relax, while I trek off to Asilomar for 5 days, dragging behind me at least 1/3 of my fabric stash. It has been years since I have taken a “quilting” class, and really was thinking a “design” class when I signed up. Note to self…do not sign up for anything that requires hauling heavy fabric anywhere, unless taking hubby dearest along to schlepp the bags, but then what is the point of a retreat?! Ah, but I bet there will be people there to tell me how to manage, and if all else fails, I’ve got cash, the ultimate motivational tool.

In between other sewing and designing I have been working on 12″ squares for the 2008 SAQA online auction. Last year I submitted two pieces, neither of which were 12″ square! I had the chance to see all of the 300+ squares in person at a conference, and I was astonished that for people who create art with rulers, many, many pieces were not square nor 12″ . So I took this as a personal challenge to try and get it right this year!

One of my most favorite ways to design is to use scraps and leftover fused bits. I decided I wanted to practice the pillowcase back technique, so what better than on something small. So I have done all three this method and am loving the results. I was about to send them off, but then saw my class supply list for Philly next month, and it says to bring some examples of my work, so these will fit best in my luggage, along with the staple gun and toxic substances!

I wasn’t planning a title, but they asked so here goes…This is Smooth Sailing and includes a block print I made in my first printing class, using the end of a 2×4″ wood scrap dipped in paint. It also has two other scraps of my art cloth plus a scrap of R & B challenge fabric I designed for the local quilt show, a few years back; and a digital printout of water taken from a cruise ship.

Rainy Days and Mondays is entirely scraps, that were free-motion stitched and then screen-printed on top. I am really into screen-printing finished work right now, which I believe takes total guts; my version of life on the edge!

In a former life, this cloth was part of a linen damask tablecloth. A friend asked if I wanted her old linens, and I enthusiastically agreed. When I went through the bag, I found most had been ripped into these little pieces. Hrmph! This one I did a paste resist, then painted with some Deka black and it was basically very ugly. So it sat around on my print table for a couple of months and last week I screen printed more new imagery on top. Love this one and called it Paint the Town Red. WOW, I just did the preview and this one looks like mammaries! How funny is that? The screen is from a photo of erosion at a national park. Maybe I should re-title it Boob Job!

In a truly what was I thinking moment yesterday, I asked my husband where he would like to go for our BIG trip this year? As retired folks we usually take a few mini trips throughout the year and one BIG trip, in effect crossing off our list of places we have longed to see. I was already hard at work planning my ideal trip when I broached the question.

I was visualizing a cruise from NY to Montreal, past Nova Scotia and Newfoundland OR Australia, New Zealand OR the Alaskan coastal waters OR a cruise from Australia to Tokyo, stopping at all those places in Asia I have yet to see OR finishing up the UK while stopping in Birmingham to see my work on exhibition.

He responded that he wanted to take the elevator up the arch in St. Louis AND go to the Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in IL. I am almost certain I made a face or my jaw dropped as he obviously noticed my reaction and said, well, someday I would like to do that…why? what did you have in mind?!

I must preface that we have always pretty much gone where I chose! I must have phrased my question differently in the past. I must have said…I am planning a trip to blah/blah/blah; aren’t you excited? I doubt I ever point blank asked him where he would like to go, being acutely aware that his answer would involve historical landmarks!

Granted we have done the US, many times over. When we were young, we spent every vacation for 20 years exploring the US. Then when our daughter went to college in Philly, that involved at least 3 more drives across the country, so we have been to all but five states (WI, MI, LA, AL, MS). Not until our daughter was in high school did I travel farther than Canada out of the US! Since then I have visited 6% of the planet. There is a website for checking this, but of course I cannot find it just now. My point being, I was hoping to continue on exploring other parts of the world, paring down the list while we still have health and resources.

Being the good sport, however, my logic is to do this Arch-Lincoln trip now, get it out of the way, so we can cruise to Tahiti next year! But there has to be something in it for me, other than yards and yards of Civil War fabric. I have yet to figure out what that is, aside from staying in 3 star hotels in Springfield, IL, where there are no 4 or 5 stars! The obvious choice would be for him to go alone or with a buddy, but that will never happen.

So this will be the year of domestic travel. If I add up my 5 days at Asilomar this month, a week in Philly next month, two road trips to Oregon this summer, a weekend in New Brunswick in Sept, a week in IL-MO in Sept and a jaunt to see the Divine Ms. M. in Vegas, it probably adds up to at least as much time as a trip to anywhere else on my list.

So if you just happen to know some fabulous textile find in St Louis, MO or Springfield, IL, please do tell. While it may seem that I am crying in my beer, I do recognize that this Midwest, fried catfish trip still beats a week in the 5th wheel, by the same lake with the same people for the 20th year in a row!

This morning while walking, I listened to a NPR podcast. The speaker was a Vietnamese Buddhist monk speaking about mindfulness. Listening to a podcast in itself is a new experience as I find listening to music better distracts me from my physical pain. Listening to the podcast, I was aware of each step, which is a good thing, but also aware of the pain, which is not so much so. Still, I trudged on and did my usual distance.

While pondering mindfulness, which I am sure is an oxymoron, I wondered do you suppose the Dalai Lama owns a laptop? For as sure as I know my own name, I know I am quite addicted to the black hole created by this marvel of technology. I can be as centered and grounded as the next person, and then I open my e-mail and it is gone! So I imagine his holiness does not have a laptop, but rather junior monk assistants who do!

I have already given up all things sacred: sugar, chocolate, wheat, dairy and simply right now cannot tolerate the idea of giving up my technology habit. That would make my life like that of a nun….oh, I guess that is the whole point! At least I would not need as many clothes…

Last fall my work “Reverberations” was juried into Transformations ’08 and will debut this summer in the UK, travel to South Africa and back to Oregon. I hate it when my work gets out more than I do! Ironically, the title of my work is the theme of the 2007 exhibit, which I had no idea of when I named it. I chose the title based on the reverberation that one hears if one sticks one’s head inside a piano, not that I do this on a regular basis, but have been known to experience. A funky R & B piano keyboard served as inspiration for the imagery of my own design.

I thought I was so clever in that I had all my materials lined up as requested. This partially came about because I accepted the entries for same competition, and could clearly see others’ shortcomings, so I was on top of it. Until…Deidre Adams sent me an e-mail two weeks ago and said my hi res image was insufficient for the printed catalog to showcase the exhibit.

How could that be, I thought?! I know how to tweak in PhotoShop, I know how to shoot digital, with tungsten lights on flat black wall, my work was juried in with this same image and yada, yada, yada. As soon as my protest was over, I decided I best get the work to a professional and have it shot properly for the publication!

Let me digress a bit and say that hubby dearest had shot all my work for 2-3 years, after taking a seminar in shooting textiles. He painted one wall in the basement flat black, bought the tungsten lights, did the whole setup, and voila! shot glorious slides, which took an enormous amount of time.

He is a perfectionist extraordinaire so it would take him an hour to shoot one piece; and required my patiently standing by to answer…how does this look? It was tedious at best and when digital images became acceptable and then the norm, I nudged him aside and starting shooting the work myself. He scarcely knows how to turn on the digital camera, so finally I had total freedom in shooting my own work. Often he helps me by taking the work out of it’s cloth condom and hanging for me to shoot. Ah, the shoe is at last, on the right foot!

So I e-mailed a professional photographer who specializes in textiles with my “photo emergency”, fedex’d the work off to him, he shot it, and all is on it’s way back to me. He e-mailed me the proof. So here you see the before (the first image) and the after (the 2nd image) and clearly they look like different work.

Now I have made a pact with myself that all work accepted for exhibition will now be professionally photographed. I am too prolific to have the pro shoot everything, so for now this is a good compromise. Unless I want to get a part-time job at Burger King to finance my photography habit.