Archive for July, 2011

if it’s worth doing…

Thursday, July 28th, 2011

I must have heard that expression ‘if it is worth doing it is worth doing right’ a hundred times during my youth. As a kid I recoiled at the very idea of doing anything over again and yet I remember as an adult when the light switched on in my head. Oh yeah ….it is worth doing over.

Today I reminded again as I hobbled down the 13 stairs to the basement to shoot my latest work, Currents #17. I had a little issue with the tripod in that someone had again tightened the adjustment knobs to within an inch of his life. This time I decided to budge them before I screwed the camera on, which was prudent. However, I missed the mark on what was level and this was the result.

While shooting I neglected to notice in the viewfinder that the image was askew.

I hobbled back upstairs, downloaded the images, resized in PSE. As I cropped I could see it was not a straight shot, but instead of questioning the level of the tripod, I assumed I had sewn the sleeve on askew.

Thankfully I did not immediately remove said sleeve but decided instead to hobble downstairs one more time and re-shoot the piece. ‘if it is worth doing it is worth doing right’ This time I would use a T-pin if necessary to level the work on the wall and then re-sew the sleeve later.

After tweaking the tripod some more, imagine my surprise when I took a level shot. I shot 3 more just to make sure before I hobbled back upstairs to take a look. Perfection!

So the lesson learned was while the sleeve would have been worth re-doing, in reality it was only the tripod which had to be re-done!

On to the next task…

Posted in new work, photography, surface design, wisdom | 4 Comments »

adding categories…

Wednesday, July 20th, 2011

It all started when I thought it was too early to start dinner. Now it will be a late dinner. I had for some time wanted to add categories to this new WordPress blog. So first I researched it and started in with my categories.

About an hour into it discovered I have 23 pages of blog postings! Yikes. They go back many many years.

So I have categorized just 2011. Maybe next time when I really want to kill time I will tackle 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007 and beyond…

Until then I have fish to fry!

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this and that…

Friday, July 15th, 2011

Since I made the decision and the appointment to have a total knee replacement on September 12th my anxiety level has cranked through the ceiling. I am reminded by those who have had them that it will be a transformative end result. And yet it seems a long path from here to there. I know I can do it. I have done it twice before.

Yesterday I did some healing work around my inner teenager who did not want surgery in the first place and had sworn never again. Now I think ‘she’ is on board because this morning I decided that time is a’wastin…get in the studio and make art while I can!!!

I have been doing some screen printing for a new series so I will continue to work on that too. I can’t imagine being able to go down 12 stairs to print cloth for a very long time. I could have the print pad, screens and paints brought up to the kitchen, but I would hate my kitchen sink to even slightly resemble my dye sink. Yikes!!!

The TG exhibit returns home today from a successful run in OH. I have several ideas brewing for the future of this exhibit. In the meantime it all needs to be unpacked and stored again.

Also on September 12th an event far more exciting and fun than knee surgery will begin. It’s the annual SAQA auction where anyone (that means you!) can bid online for spectacular, gorgeous one-of-a-kind 12″ square art quilts. This is mine. The reverse auction will continue for 3 weeks with over 300 artworks. You can preview the work here.

Finally I have been asked to post the following for the Stitched video (of which I have no affiliation). It will be shown:

International Quilt Festival
8 a.m. Nov. 3
10:30 a.m. Nov. 5
George R. Brown Convention Center
1001 Avenida de las Americas
Houston, Texas

Also, in San Antonio.
1 p.m. August 6
Noon August 7
The Shops at Artisans Alley
555 Bitters Road
San Antonio, TX

Posted in knee surgery, SAQA, tall girl, wisdom | No Comments »

new work…

Sunday, July 10th, 2011

I just added my latest work Upheaval #8 to my website. Strangely it does not feel finished. It is so rare that it happens but the vibe is very strong about this one.

Captivated by a wonderful piece of batik on an old Hong Kong Flour feedsack which I designed last year, I was seeking to create a piece that showed it off to its fullest and that I believe I accomplished. I was also trying to tie it into other surface design work and accomplished that. I ran into a roadblock in the construction process however which left me with a conundrum. So I went with plan B and it all worked out. I love the piece but don’t at the same time! So when I say it is not finished potentially that means I may once more alter the edges and/or size! Or I may instead learn from it and move on!

One of the things I find most interesting about art-making is often the pieces that are not our friends when finished go off to shine in the real world. Perhaps this will do the same…

Posted in new work | 3 Comments »

my brain on aztec gold…

Friday, July 1st, 2011

Last year a good friend decided to divest herself of most of her textile paints and gifted them to me. As she was parting out the goods she offered me gallon jars of two colors. One was Aztec Gold which she said had been recalled. That right there should have been my warning….but no!

I carefully packaged this obnoxiously foul smelling gorgeous toxin so as to not stink up my car on the hour drive home. I painted with it the very next day and immediately knew why it was recalled. It has a lethal odor but oh my it prints a stunning hue. I put it back on the shelf and forgot about it.

Until this afternoon when I was using some new screens for a new series. I was scanning the rows looking for just the right mellow hue for this one particular piece of cloth when I grabbed an unfamiliar jar. I shook it well and it opened easily. And then I remembered. It was as if I let the genie of toxins out of the jar. Despite wearing gloves and mask, having the back door open and the fan running, it nearly bowled me over. Whew.

I held my breath as I screen-printed a layer of this toxic gorgeousness on the cloth then quickly sealed the jar again. I put it back on the shelf…as in what was I thinking?

Not until I came back upstairs did it occur to me that this exquisite color could be eating my brain matter and really is it worth it? No!

Tomorrow when I go downstairs for more layering I will add it to the box going to the toxic waste disposal. Life is just too precious …even for Aztec Gold.

Posted in surface design | No Comments »