Archive for October, 2012

earth stories…

Monday, October 22nd, 2012

Last week I received exciting news that my work was juried into a new international exhibit (of 25 artists) which will travel 2014-17. I digitally submitted five pieces from my Upheaval series for the exhibit titled “Earth Stories” which was juried by Dr. Carolyn Mazloomi. This was actually the second time Dr. Mazloomi has chosen my work for an exhibit.

In 2008 she chose “Naked Truth’ for an exhibit at the San Luis Obispo Art Center. Ironically the work I submitted to Earth Stories and the ‘Naked Truth’ piece do not resemble one another at all. I like that. It shows growth in my work which is always good to see especially now as I am working so hard towards getting back to work after a knee replacement.

I have a year to design and complete work for Earth Stories. My mind is full of fabulous ideas and what ifs. Knowing how I work I imagine that I will start and finish the pieces in early 2013. I am not a deadline driven person. I much rather take time to spontaneously create than tear out my hair trying to make a masterpiece by next Thursday.

While I might be sharing about my process there will be no overall images of the work because suspense is part of the protocol. While that simmers on low in the back of my brain I need to make four smaller pieces for future exhibits.

It has been a really long time since I made work specifically for exhibit. Usually I make the work and then see if the exhibit fits. After these next 6 pieces I may revert back. In the meantime I am excited to get started!

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anything worth doing…

Tuesday, October 16th, 2012

Probably the only thing worse than seeing an elder relative when we look in the mirror is hearing our parents’ voice in our head! Today I heard my father’s wisdom which he got either from his Bible Belt upbringing or Dale Carnegie… anything worth doing is worth doing well. Gad I hated hearing that when I was a kid and really at the time thought it was something that would apply only in that moment. I never considered that I might someday be older than he was then as he droned on about doing things well!

The past two days I have been working on the cartoon for a new piece for an upcoming exhibit. Since it is an abstract landscape I sketched and colored the cartoon, enlarged it to fit the size requirement and then some, traced onto acetate, measured the freezer paper and taped together sections to also meet the size requirement, slapped the acetate on the over-head projector, turned on the TV to entertain me while I traced the template and prepared myself to stand solidly on my new knee with bare feet for a good 10-15 minutes to trace. Ah progress…

I was about 1/2 way into it and stood back to look at the design and it was all wonky. I couldn’t make heads or tails of it so I looked at the projector and somehow I had slapped that acetate puppy on the surface backwards. Not just backwards… but upside down and backwards! By now my knee is beginning to serve notice that it is tired but I decided to press on and continue tracing it considering that during construction I would simply remember to turn the pieces upside down and backwards! OK, right.

And then Dad spoke…anything worth doing is worth doing well. OK Dad, I know but I really don’t want to re-do this! I don’t think there is enough paper left on the roll for me to do it. I don’t want to change my clothes and drive to the store to get more freezer paper to re-do it. I could just trace it again on the back side of the paper (and again remember to turn it over). Notice how I am now bargaining with the old boy!

And then I remembered. Why on Earth would I want to make something more difficult for me than it already is? I am basically an undiagnosed dyslexic person. I don’t need more confusion in this picture. And that is when I pulled the box of freezer paper off the shelf, cut a new proper sized piece, taped it together, took down the old one, pinned up the new one, flipped and rotated the acetate to draw it correctly.

He’s been gone just over three months but lives on through these important life lessons. Thanks, Dad!

 

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back in the water…

Saturday, October 13th, 2012

At long last I am back in the water, walking forwards and backwards, bending, standing on tiptoes, rolling like a seal and just flat out in repose. A brief incision infection and knee instability kept me out of the pool until now.

There are so many things I love about the water not the least of which is how inspiration and clarity come so easily. First the inspiration.

While standing at the edge doing side leg lifts I was struck by my own reflection in the water. The sun peering through the skylights created really dramatic long and thin diagonal ripples from my extended fingertips up to my neck.

If only I had a camera with me in the pool. I am always thinking this. A camera in the pool, a camera in the car, a camera on the dashboard, a camera built into the windshield to capture all these glorious inspirations for future work. More and more I am training myself to see with my eyes in the moment, capture it with my brain, and it works. Here I am several hours later writing about the reflection of my arm in the swimming pool!

When I just slow down and focus on my movement in the water clarity follows. Today my inner wizen spoke…even though this 2nd knee replacement has been so much more challenging than the first a year ago I am making progress. It may be slower than I would like but it has only been 3 months. So quit whining about it, continue to do the hard work and move on…for the studio beckons. After all that is the end goal…to be able to stand at my design wall without pain and make art once again…and to have a good reason to renew my passport!

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a sense of accomplishment…

Monday, October 8th, 2012

I’ve been on a roller coaster the past few weeks in the ongoing rehabilitation of my second knee replacement. Just when I was making stellar progress my knee became unstable…too much flexibility I was told! So the physical therapist grounded me for 6-8 weeks. After I sobbed for nearly an entire day I decided to eat this elephant one bite at a time! The Universe and my surgeon intervened a week later and put me back to work building strength on this still uncertain knee. And I’ve recycled a mantra from long ago…will it matter in a year? Hopefully not.

Last week the five art quilts I purchased from the SAQA annual auction arrived. After several polite requests to have the sticks cut for hanging purposes the slats magically appeared in my studio last night.

So today after the gym I hung all five pieces, walking gingerly with cane, hammer, nails, pencil, sticks and quilts! I managed all of them including two in a tight space. It gave me such a sense of accomplishment and also a HUGE sense of relief because unlike my husband I could care less about making holes in the wall! That’s why they make spackle! Had he been here surely there would have been a disagreement about where to hang which work. Besides most of the holes now have quilts covering them!

I started my art quilt collection with the SAQA auction about 5 years ago. Between my own art, paintings we have purchased, family photos and now the art quilt collection our walls are filling up fast. Perhaps next year before I begin to bid maybe I can consider this…uh, probably not!

My collection now includes the beautiful work of Deidre Adams, Jill Ault, Liz Berg, Pat Bishop, Betty Busby, Benedicte Caneill, Leslie Carabas, Julie Filatoff, Claire Gimber, Eva Henneberry, Cathy Kleeman, Denise Linet, Janet Moran, Yvonne Porcella, Alison Schwabe and Sidnee Snell.

Meanwhile I am taking back my life in little pieces. I am moving fabric around in the studio but not yet standing at the design wall. I am prepping some quick and awesome salads like fresh figs, goat cheese, walnuts and balsamic or fresh tomatoes, lemon cucumbers, goat cheese and balsamic or red cabbage, daikon, carrots, pecans, goat cheese and you guessed it balsamic and EVOO. This dash of creativity makes my tummy happy as my husband continues to do most of the cooking with the menu primarily meat and potatoes. I am blessed to have an in-house cook but miss my usual crunchy foods.

Soon enough…

 

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