Piecing Thoughts Together

Yarn Bombing

2011-09-15T20:04:00.001-04:00

Look at what the Fiberarts Guild of Pittsburgh is up to yarn bombers Jean Thomas, Sherri Roberts and Amanda Gross.

Amanda leads the charge as we propose to launch Thread Up PGH!

Too fun!

More I Could Just Eat Color #2

2011-08-26T13:53:00.004-04:00

I decided on the structure of the quilt top. All the piecing Barbara and I did together. The purple corner squares are from one of Barbara's scarves.

This is what I am working on now placement of images and shells.

Making progress.

I Could Just Eat Color #2

2011-08-18T11:38:00.008-04:00

My mother-in-law died this past March. I am making this quilt for her dear friend Peggy. It is the second in a series. The first quilt I made for her dear friend Renee.

When Barbara was still well enough to communicate and interact I cut pieces for a churn dash block in solids and one print. I would visit and place them on a table and she would move the pieces around (often with my assistance I wish I had thought of it before) until she found a design that was pleasing to her. As she moved the pieces she would tell stories about them. I didn't always understand what she said but what she did say repeatedly was "I could just eat color."

I Could Just Eat Color #1

When I think of Barbara I think of color blues in particular. She wore many shades of blue and she had the bluest eyes.

More class work

2011-05-16T08:26:00.004-04:00

My last class is today. I feel like we are just getting started.

I had no idea how much there is to learn about an apple. This is chalk once I got the idea of how to use the medium it became a bit easier.

This is my final project. I worked from a photograph of lilies I had purchased from Costco they were the most gorgeous deep pink to blood red. My medium is marker. I have been thinking about doing a piece featuring the earth so I decided to merge the two ideas thinking about how fragile the earth is. I am pleased that the lily is weighted by the earth looks like it's about to fall. When I first began to work on the idea I had drawn a straight stem. At the suggestion of my class mates I changed I had been looking at the photograph to literally.

Also I had the dead leaf on the ground but there is no formal ground so my class mates suggested the leaf might be falling. But I didn't not think through the color change with the change from ground to in motion, perhaps it should be pinker.

Drawing really is about observation here I wanted to inject story telling I'm not sure how successful I was.

And Now Time for Something Completely Different

2011-04-09T12:04:00.003-04:00

I signed up for Drawing 1 with Staci Offutt at the Pittsburgh Center for Arts. It is my first drawing class. Of course I am used to playing with fabric now I play with a pencil and I am learning to see for the first time. This drawing was done in class.

This drawing was a class assignment. It was torture to begin....but as Jane Burch-Cochran says patience and a vision.

Last week it was chalk pastels not sure if I am brave enough to post.

New Direction

2011-02-21T12:41:00.007-05:00

Once again at work on Mighty Grip. It was an unresolved piece. I have had some time to set it aside and new ideas popped up. I've been playing around with designs both in my sketchbook and on the board.

Given that some of my symbolism is rooted in road signs I decided to pursue that idea and create a road sign in patchwork using oil cloth. Oilcloth is shiny and slimy works as a reference to oil used in fast food cooking seemed a natural. In my original design I had the blocks oriented as squares rather than on point that was a bad plan like this much better.

Now the chains will intersect more interesting visually.

Fun with reflective tape. To be continued.

Beginnings and Moving on

2011-02-17T11:13:00.005-05:00

I started Drawing I at the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts with Staci Offutt. A wonderful class. We are fortunate it is very small only 4 of us. Staci is helping me to see. Drawing a skill to practice so with that in mind........

My studio is on the third floor. What did I find in my fabric stash? Acorns not once, not twice, but three times. I became suspicious.

And then the scurrying noises. Last year we were told mice, this year we're thinking something bigger.

We called the trapper: Squirrels

The lone squirrel now relocated. From Squirrel Hill to?

We thought there were millions of them. Stay tuned.

Protest Series #8?

2011-02-15T11:20:00.002-05:00

I'm not sure if this is part of the Protest Series or not. Inspired by the Sly and the Family Stone song Everybody is a Star. Many of the lyrics are protest in nature but the song and this quilt are celebratory.

"'Til the sun that loves you proud
When the system tries to bring you down
Every hand to shine tonight
You don't need darkness to do what you think is right"

Thinking about the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell and acceptance of all regardless of orientation to marry or unite through civil unions.

I'm not much for blue so this color palette is unusual for me but I had great fun with the collage. I have had the romance fabric for some time and finally inspiration struck.

I haven't beaded for some time it is very soothing. This quilt rather pleases me nice to be commenting on something in a positive and celebratory way.

Mighty Grip

2010-10-23T19:34:00.004-04:00

I am working on a piece composed of recycled rubber pads the type you open jars with. I recently scored Mighty Mouse (one of my personal favs) fabric on ebay. Walked by my stash and saw McDonalds fabric and an idea was born. I have been thinking about creating a piece about fast food.

This is the lay out on the design wall.

This is it's first incarnation. It is a work in progress. Today I submitted it to the Fiberarts Guild of Pittsburgh for the members show Recycle, no dice but I haven't fully worked out how to install it which didn't make it easy to be juried and I have another idea brewing for presentation which would sort of kick it up a notch.

Here is a wonky close up.

I almost didn't submit it because it doesn't feel complete but possibly complete. It was a quandry. However I do think it's important to support our guild and submit to shows and see everyone.

It's going to be a great show some of my favs are in it. Recycle opens November 19 at Pittsburgh Center for the Arts

The place to shop for all of your needs.

2010-10-18T10:15:00.008-04:00

This past summer we headed west instead of east, to Bend, Oregon. So different from Maine our usual summer trip. The high desert is something to behold and experience. I have never been in so much sun before. But I think one of the high points of the trip was the Newport Market. Oh do I wish we had this market to shop for food and more. The shop was truly a stage and what decoration.

Who better to keep an eye on the bananas?

Eye candy!

Plain and peanut.

And jelly beans.

2010-10-18T10:13:00.000-04:00

The Right Tool for the Job

2010-10-13T14:23:00.005-04:00

The crop-a-dile. Who knew? Going through all kinds of craziness over eyelets. Where do you get them? How do you make the eyelet holes? How not to distort the surface and so on and sew on.

I am back to chains and a break from red white and blue.

I've been kicking around a number of ideas about a response to the growing concern of obesity in children in this country well not just children. Like all problems it is not simple. Answer: Mighty mouse will save the day.

Also working through some issues about how it will hang. Stay tuned..........

Portland Inspiration

2010-08-18T09:41:00.005-04:00

We are back from vacation to Portland, Oregon for just a couple of nights and then onto Bend.

Portland has a wonderful creative vibe that started as soon as we stepped off the plane. Unfortunately due to time and number of people about I don't have proper recognition for each outfit but OMG too divine.

This outfit made of plastic cutlery, brilliant.

This dress is made from window blinds.

This my personal favorite is composed of Crown Royal liquor bags. Fabulous. Sadly my photography skills are poor and so the flash.

This dress used coffee filters.....

Finally, kitty litter bags.

Simply inspired.

Summer similarities

2010-07-07T11:07:00.003-04:00

It is terribly hot as the east coast is mired in a heat wave. Got me to thinking about what I love about the summer. The garden...........

And the produce.

Jann Haworth

2010-06-16T07:50:00.005-04:00

Thinking about breakfast. Love it!

I am reading the Pop Art Book by Julia Bigham and discovered Jann Haworth the only woman in the birth of the British pop art movement. She is a soft sculpture fiber artist and her work is fantastic! Haworth's father was a set designer in the movie biz her mother a ceramicist printmaker and painter. She grew up in Hollywood and the influence is obvious.

Haworth's sense of whimsey is wonderful and as in all things pop her reference to the everyday elevated to high art with a twist is so well done as seen in her still life below.

I would LOVE to see her work in person.

Little known facts:

Haworth is famous for her collaboration with her then husband Peter Blake on the cover of The Beatles Sgt Pepper's album and in fact one of her soft sculptures is on the cover; a sculpture of her great grand mother rather Whistler-esque quilting with a child on her knee.

I'm in Pieces

2010-06-10T14:44:00.004-04:00

Almost three years ago I embarked on the beginning of this quilt. The image of what this quilt would be literally popped into my mind all I know is that I have to make it and follow whatever path it takes me in. I took bits and pieces of it to QSDS and attempted to work on it and with it. I decided on the title through discussion with Arturo Sandoval and other members of the class: The Final Curtain.

I began it about 7 months after my dad died that was 2006. I have worked out some construction issues and design problems since then but I couldn't touch it for a very long time.

I have absolutely no idea about this piece if it is going somewhere or not but I am pieceing strips together and have started the journey. It is slow going one piece at a time.

My Mother's Clothes

2010-06-07T14:23:00.005-04:00

I discovered this gem of a tribute to a woman with extraordinary taste in clothes written by her daughter who takes exquisite photographs.

Jeannette Montgomery Baron is an artist a photographer who documents her mother's life through her clothing and in turn helps revive her mother's memory during the course of Alzheimer's disease.

Baron's use of pattern in the back drops of her mother's belongings is beautifully staged. The clothing jumps off the page leaving you wanting to know more about the woman who wore them and want to see them. Some of the fashions are to die for.

Here's an example. Of course I have stars and stripes on my mind.

More info can be found here: http://welcomebooks.com/mymothersclothes/index.html

You can watch a video about the book http://vimeo.com/10119759

What's happened in a Year

2010-06-04T09:32:00.006-04:00

It has been about a year since this quilt was on the board at QSDS thought about and stared at. I have continued My Dad's Pad's in a different format in an ongoing exploration of this theme.

Each quilt contains a quote - prescription of something my dad used to say. My siblings and close family friends have been collecting the oft repeated phrases we remember.

When the top was examined at QSDS I was struggling with issues of foreground and background the obvious pointed out to me by Elizabeth Busch who I was studying with. I tend to busyness in my work and in this quilt it was all muddled. This is what I started with.

I wanted the prescription to be the focal point but here all design elements blend together. I knew it wasn't working but the easy solution was not within my grasp. Elizabeth who paints her fabrics suggested toning down the background with paint. I am not a painter well not yet so I went for a fabric solution and trotted down to St. Theresa's Treasure Trove and found some sheer hot pink silk to tone down the background.

This is how I left with it last year a work in progress.

It has been a struggle to get up to speed in my work since my dad died. I finally broke through with a card for the Fiberarts Guild Sleight of Hand 9 of Diamonds. Then I went back to this top worked with transparency and realized that I liked the subtlety and message of the spirits in the background behind the silk. With that in mind the foreground needed more attention. The aha arrived with the thought of my man the leap of faith from a Peter Max sleeping bag particularly appropriate because my family adores Peter Max art which my father displayed in his office. Referring to an idea born in Wish I had a Hammer in this piece my leap of faith man is carrying the Caduceus once again thinking about my dad the eternal optimist.

Finished

2010-03-21T10:44:00.009-04:00

Sew...........I added the borders and I didn't like what was happening with the lunch boxes how they stopped arbitrarily.

That meant the lunch boxes had to keep falling.

Still wasn't sure about whether to paint the border or not so I tried it without, too busy even for me.

I like the lunch boxes although still a bit heavy not wild about pointing out the obvious.

So I spread them around more of a free fall. And for balance and to make more of my point I added keys, the key to all of it tumbling from the top. Perhaps tough to tell but the border batik is Washington, DC. It's the 11th hour and I'm thinking about healthcare reform and the implications for women.

The finished quilt not a large piece 28" x 22" I think. I finished it just in time made the deadline.

The title Stop in the Name of.....#6 Protest Series the name could change. And it was picked for the show 150 Candles Associated Artists of Pittsburgh and Fiberarts Guild of Pittsburgh at the Christine Frechard Gallery in my neighborhood, woo-hoo!

Back at it

2010-03-11T09:04:00.003-05:00

I took a break for the Olympics plus I needed to put this aside because I wasn't seeing anything new. Now it's time to lock in the design a deadline is looming.

I decided that it was too weighted at the bottom with the lunch boxes, that the woman looking over her shoulder was out of scale and added an unnecessary element (although I like the idea of her looking over her shoulder and it was hard to give that up).

I also thought that two hands at the top were unnecessary and it threw the composition out of balance instead I moved the clock up a tad and repositioned the woman with the vacuum.

Still not completely convinced I got it but time is of the essence and once I finish painting the border and add it I may feel differently.

Moving forward

2010-02-12T10:56:00.003-05:00

Continuing work on a yet untitled piece. I believe I have resolved some design issues for now and am moving ever closer to locking in the design and constructing the quilt top.

Darkening the red in the border made a tremendous difference.

I added some additional symbolism and I am beginning to understand where this piece is going as i work through my ideas. Although my work is essentially conceptual I strive to be intuitive in execution. It's beginning to feel like it has a focus and direction which means it is time to put is aside for only a short while. Too many deadlines ahead.

Associated Artists of Pittsburgh is 100 this year.

Work in progress

2010-02-10T15:00:00.003-05:00

I'm working on the composition of a piece. I'm always playing with movement using the structure of a border which is the exterior, and the collage, the interior. Sometimes the interior breaks through to the border sometimes not. In this piece there is no break through from a conceptual point of view.

There is the question of whether or not I am attempting to use too many symbols to convey what I mean does it just become chaotic and the composition loses focus?

Three different ways of looking at it.

Art Every Day November 30, 2009

2009-12-01T19:24:00.002-05:00

Art Every Day November 29, 2009

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Art Every Day November 28, 2009

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Art Every Day November 27, 2009

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Art Every Day November 26, 2009

2009-11-27T18:49:00.002-05:00

Art Every Day November 25, 2009

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Art Every Day November 24, 2009

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Art Every Day November 23, 2009

2009-11-23T20:14:00.002-05:00

Art Every Day November 22, 2009

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Art Every Day November 21, 2009

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Art Every Day November 20, 2009

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Art Every Day November 19, 2009

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Art Every Day November 18, 2009

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Art Every Day November 17, 2009

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Art Every Day November 16, 2009

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Art Every Day November 15, 2009

2009-11-15T17:42:00.004-05:00

Art Every Day November 14, 2009

2009-11-15T17:40:00.003-05:00

Nothing was happening with the Post Gazette so I turned to the NY Times.

Art Every Day November 13, 2009

2009-11-14T15:26:00.002-05:00

Art Every Day November 12, 2009

2009-11-13T17:11:00.002-05:00

Art Every Day November 11, 2009

2009-11-12T16:16:00.003-05:00

I will run one day behind not as if I have been posting consistently. Randy is home so I don't want to cut up the newspaper.

Art Every Day November 10, 2009

2009-11-10T14:19:00.003-05:00

I am struck by what captures my attention. Sometimes it is content as in this post, sometimes fancy and color as in the last. Some are important anniversaries like the fall of the Berlin Wall. Some compositions more successful than others. Not sure where I am going.

Art Every Day November 9, 2009

2009-11-10T14:15:00.003-05:00

Art Every Day November 8, 2009

2009-11-10T14:11:00.002-05:00

I've been a day behind. And slow to post to the blog. A dear friend has been in the hospital home now slow recovery.

Art Every Day November 7, 2009

2009-11-08T19:40:00.002-05:00

Art Every Day November 6, 2009

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Art Every Day November 5, 2009

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Art Every Day November 4, 2009

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Art Every Day November 3, 2009

2009-11-04T09:27:00.002-05:00

Some days there are more images to work with in the newspaper than others.

Art Every Day November 2, 2009

2009-11-02T18:51:00.002-05:00

More info on the challenge to myself. Each collage is 5" x 8" collected in a notebook I have.

Art Every Day November 1, 2009

2009-11-02T12:12:00.010-05:00

Jane Davila posted on the Quiltart list a challenge hosted by Leah Piken Kolidas declaring November is Art Every Day Month with the goal to create art every day. The rules are loose with the idea to foster creativity. This appealed to me because I have had trouble staying focused since my father died and alot of my time is going to two art organizations in the city.

When I started to consider this challenge I realized it helped me distill an idea I have had in the back of my mind for quite awhile and that is to create a collage a day from the local newspaper the Pittsburgh Post Gazette.

My challenge is to make a collage from anything in the days newspaper that is a reflection of something I have been thinking about. This provides me with an opportunity to think out loud visually and to work on my compositions. Anything in the newspaper that day is game.

Here is November 1, 2009

Hopefully as time goes on my photography will improve too!

Transformation Presented by The Society of Bead Artists

2009-04-01T12:28:00.008-04:00

Transformation is on exhibit at the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts 6300 Fifth Ave until April 19. 2009. It is nothing short of fabulous. I am honored to have a piece included in this exhibit.

I have been remiss in not posting about it previously it opened in February. But we are in the midst of renovating our kitchen and dining room and I have been happily immersed in that. But more to the point I have been in a "creative quagmire" for a stretch and I am only just working my way out of it.

This shot is the long view of the gallery from the rear forward.

I love this piece this is Questioning/Breakthrough by Teresa Sullivan. These ladies have attitude.

This is a photo of my quilt The Distance Between Us. This piece is all about my mother. I learned so much about myself and my family while making it and still continue to learn things. This piece was my first to work by intuition only. The beading helped me to work through my grief; my mother died too young. What a thrill to be part of this show it is so spiritual, you can feel the ancestors you can feel the connections.

There is a variety of of work; many ways beads are used or fabricated.

This is Gbogbo Wa Ni Se (We All Have Work to Do); Ancestors Keeping Watch. The artist, Cathleen Richardson Bailey, also was the curator for the show. Her work is inspirational, so rich. It was a pleasure to meet her.

This piece Cloth for Ogun is also by Cathleen Richardson Bailey and my photo does not do justice to the richness of the color, particularly the green.
Finally, Orisa in the New World; An Artistic Interpretation of Oya and Ogun is an installation by Cathleen Richardson Bailey, Temujin Ekunefeo, Celeta R. Hickman, and Marsha Ekunfeo.

If you are in the area do not miss this show!!!

Major Studio Improvement

2009-02-10T16:41:00.005-05:00

Last spring I undertook a massive studio re-organization. I did not understand how to use the space or the importance of having it be a workable comfortable and for me fun place in which to create. Now I get it! One major stumbling block to my studio being the most functional area was a pipe for venting from the second floor bathroom and placed right smack in the middle of my studio (why the guy who renovated the house before us did that I will never know except he was CHEAP). Exhibit A:

We are in the midst of a massive kitchen remodel, moving a powder room etc. etc. The guys are great so we asked for an opinion from Bob the plumber not to be confused with Joe, and John and Fred our carpenters. They gave me the best possible answer.

Voila! No more pipe and I am one happy quilter.

Ending the year with Fiber for 50

2008-12-31T10:26:00.003-05:00

This year I turned 50. In honor of the day my dear friend Grace made fiber felt cupcakes in my favorite colors, and in the spirit of good design they have a function: pin cushions.

For Christmas she made a knit-felt box. This to me is magic. I have the patience to quilt but not to knit. Again my favorite colors. What the box reminds me of us a hobbit house. Grace and I read The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings when we were in junior high and we loved every page.

Grace also found the coolest earrings that sport glow in the dark rods all the neon colors so I can wear them with anything. If I could take better photos I would display, but my attempts failed miserably, they are too cool.

In the Making 250 Years/250 Artists

2008-12-07T10:38:00.006-05:00

This year has been tremendously busy with things both difficult and wonderful.

This post is about something wonderful. In the Making 250 years/250 Artists is a celebration of artists in the 14 County region of Southwestern Pennsylvania Fe Gallery owner, Jill Larson pulled together a show juried by a panel of five (Vicky A. Clark, Joey Kennedy, Janet L. McCall, Katherine Talcott, and Michael Olijnyk) which showcases the areas diverse artistic talent, 250 artists, 250 works of art on display salon style in her gallery and it is wonderful! Kudos to Jill and thank you!

In addition there is a catalog which accompanies the show designed by a fabulous graphic designer Martha Wasik. The catalog is stunning.

I was honored to be one of the artists chosen.

Recently the show was reviewed by Lissa Brennan in the City Paper. I was fortunate to be mentioned. My quilt Three Rivers Arts Festival Catalog 1968 Things We Found in Our Parent's House #2 is in the show. The original photo image used in the quilt is from that catalogue. Sadly there is no credit given to the photo, it was taken by a medical photographer I like to think Mr. Veder who knew my dad.

I scanned and printed the photo it flipped it and rotated it. Here's a close-up:

And the full shot. Still working on integrating PC and Mac so the full shot, something amiss.

Is it about the stuff?

2008-11-21T15:29:00.003-05:00

This last year has been tremendously difficult going through the contents of my childhood home. I come from a family of collectors, keepers and savers of family history and assorted magical things. Everything we associate with our childhood. Things that are now becoming collectable.

Of course none of us can keep it all. One of my siblings lives in NYC the other in the UK. I still live in the city where we grew up but I never wanted to live in the house we grew up in I am too independent for that; I need to create my own space.

But what made it so difficult to go through the contents and get the house ready for sale was my parents designed their house. It's mid-century modern design; in the suburbs, with alot of land not necessarily well suited for any of us, perfect for my parents.

You learn alot about yourself when you go through your family's belongings. My mother died 18 years before my father and as we went through things she came back to me so vividly.

I learned how lucky I really am to have had such amazing parents, to be in this family as tough as we sometimes are as opinionated. We think about things we do things we make things and we laugh at things.

Yet in many ways I am tormented about what we left behind for the estate sale, or what went to auction. Did we keep the important things? Not the "valuable" things but what has great significance to our family, who we are now and who we once were, who we will be.

I have been working on a series of things we found in our parent's house.

Here's something we found that we couldn't keep so instead a photo:

Fiberarts Guild of Pittsburgh

2008-11-14T09:37:00.007-05:00

What an incredible last few months it has been which is why I have neglected the blog for so long. This has been my year to co-chair exhibitions. Spring into summer it was the The Associated Artists 98th Annual Exhibition at the Andy Warhol Museum, juror John Carson.

What a time it's been. My siblings and I had to go through the contents of our childhood home and decide what to keep and what to let go of, a terribly difficult and intense process.

Then I got married the high point of the year.

Now I am co-chair with Laura Tabakman for Making Connections the Fiberarts Guild of Pittsburgh. It opens today November 14th and runs through January 25, 2009 at the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts .

What a treat this experience has been. Our juror was Nancy Davidson who makes incredible sculpture from inflatable weather balloons. She uses humor to explore cultural issues, brilliantly I might add. Her work can be found on www.nancydavidson.com . Nancy's lecture on her work and discussion of her process was fascinating. Spending the day with her through the jury process (work on site) was an incredible learning experience.

For both of my co-chair gigs I have had the privilege of working with thoughtful and talented artists.

I was fortunate to have my piece My Dad's Pad's Things We Found in our Parent's House #1 chosen for the exhibit.

My father was a prominent physician who died in 2006. I did a photo transfer onto fabric of his blank prescription from his prescription pad. Each prescription is something he used to say often, quilted, and embellished.

Back on Track

2008-06-12T08:35:00.005-04:00

After a long hiatus I am writing again determined to be more disciplined. Working towards understanding the benefits of a blog and maintaining a log of my thoughts in a public way.

Like all of us I got overwhelmed with activity. For me I am a co-chair of the Associated Artists 98th Annual Exhibition at the Warhol Museum. What an adventure. I am learning a tremendous amount but it is unbelieveably time consuming. Today I realized I have a little over two weeks to finish my own piece, the fabric I plan to use on the back only just arrived today. Sometimes I work best under pressure.

In addition I am working on a commission which didn't go together quite as easily as I anticipated. A patchwork of sweaters and sweatshirts backed with microsuede. Seemed like a good idea at the time, using the correct needle essential but only one out of two machines would do it, my Bernina.

Last night I attended a lecture given by Nancy Crow who has a show opening tonight at the Regina Gouger Miller Gallery at Carnegie Mellon University 55 quilts 1988 - 2008. I have never heard Nancy Crow speak. She is a force and I am mulling over many thoughts. I am sure my thoughts will gel once I have seen her work in person. Prior to now I have only seen one of her pieces in the flesh. Mary Thomas wrote a thoughtful article in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette

The Three Rivers Arts Festival is running. I have a piece in Icing on the Cake Pittsburgh 250 Happy Birthday Celebration at Wintergarden in PPG Place. I was surprised and delighted to discover that Mary Thomas chose it for advertising in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette. I didn't have time to shoot it but I have posted what the paper ran so I had to scan.

The Studio

2008-04-22T08:48:00.002-04:00

I have been consumed with massive organization of the studio. It corresponds with a special edition from the publishers of Quilting Arts Magazine about studio re-organization. Helpful to look at to be sure, quite timely.

Until now I have always looked at maintaining some kind of order in the studio as a necessary evil second to what I create within it. But as I grow in my art making I have come to understand it is much more important than just a space in which I create quilts. It's not an office it's a studio which needs to inspire as much as anything.

My studio is on the third floor and is attic-like with slanted roofs. It is away from everything and a refuge. Although I live in the city so the direct view is out of the windows to the house next door the indirect view is to the backyard wooded area. It gets a lot of light.

Until now I have paid little attention to how I use this space. Over the years I have rearranged furniture and the like. Determined the best place for the sewing machine and added fabric storage. But I realized that when my father was diagnosed with cancer it became the create work when can, dump and run space. I had no idea how out of control it was. I became paralyzed to create within it.

I have ordered new cabinets, organized tools and supplies at least to various areas, recycled more paper than I care to admit, purged yards of fabric to give to children's programs found my checkbook and continue to consider improvements to the space. It's exhilarating. My design wall has always been a floor below in the extra bedroom we call the forbidden room because our cat Ilya likes to claw it. I may have figured out a way to incorporate it on the third floor which will make it much more conducive to intuitive design, everything will be in one place, currently I take piles of fabric downstairs to audition.

The walls are white but much of the furnishings are color, bright. For me it has to be fun, 60's bright, like my art. Photos another post I'm still getting the hang of posting them and I get frustrated.

I think part of my enthusiasm is a result of my artistic growth and seeking to develop a way of working, to establish a rhythm of working and the space I work in has to facilitate that. It doesn't need to be huge although that would be nice, it needs to function so that I am not looking for things but have immediate access to things. Or see something to spark something in me.

I have been thinking that my work is too thought out, too planned. I need to experiment but to do that I need to feel uncluttered I felt trapped in the clutter and trapped in my thoughts.

I think it gets down to moving up to the next level of seriousness about my art.

Fiber Art: Thread from Body to Soul Show

2008-04-11T10:21:00.027-04:00

April 5, 2008 was the opening
night for the Fiberarts Guild of Pittsburgh member's show Fiber Art: Thread from Body to Soul.

The exhibit was juried by gallery owner Joy Borelli-Edwards. Joy Borelli-Edwards has been in the business of art for over 20 years and recently moved from the North Hills into the Lawrenceville section of the city. The gallery space is lovely. In addition to the gallery the building also has studio space for rent. Additional information about the gallery and the award winners can be found at be galleries.

The photos I have posted are compliments of Brent Ruka who had the foresight to bring a camera. I ran out of the house without one. Brent's piece "Husband Cloned" is fabulous! I don't have a shot here but she received an honorable mention and it can be seen on Joy's website honorable mention page 1 .

The evening was an overwhelming success. Word has it that over 400 people attended the gallery was mobbed!

In addition to the variety of fiber art the Education and Outreach Committee of the Guild headed by Amber Coppings partnered with the MGR Foundation in Lawrenceville to create fiber art with young people from Lawrenceville. Their work is hung in the lobby space of the building. I will blog on that when I return to show I was busy helping with the reception and didn't get a good look at the exhibit.
The lobby was packed with people as well, that's where the food and wine was. What's very cool is WYEP radio collaborated with MGR Foundation to record the children's stories.

The Fiberarts Guild of Pittsburgh is well known for Fiberarts International this amazing group of which I am so pleased to be a member, does a phenomenal job, not just with the International but with every exhibit and the promotion of fiber arts.
Click here to see all of the work piece by piece in the show.

Photos: Top photo Tina Brewer can be seen in the yellow hat talking with Adrienne Heinrich in front of Atticus Adam's "Night Meadow", a prize winner. In the next photo the woman looking at Francine Morison's quilt "California Zinnias". In the next photo a couple is standing in front of Shawn Quinlan's "TheThree G's" which received an honorable mention. The next photo a woman is standing in front of Millie Barnes "Starry Splendor." Finally our guild President, Desha Jaramaz, is talking to someone in front of Peggy Relich's quilt "Nine Stars."

More Fabric Collage Workshop

2008-03-29T16:56:00.009-04:00

I am very far behind on my posts. Not part of my plan I intend to post twice a week.

And sew...I have more photos from Adrienne depicting the students we assisted and their work during Tina Brewer's Fabric Collage Workshop. This workshop was made possible through the Visual Arts Career Orientation Program at the Associated Artists of Pittsburgh.

This group of high school students was from the Carrick School District.

What a great group.

Fabric Collage Workshop: Tina Brewer

2008-03-16T18:18:00.017-04:00

I was delighted and honored to be asked to assist with a fabric collage workshop taught by one of my favorite quilt artists and mentor Tina Brewer. Tina creates story quilts. She brought four quilts with her to the workshop for inspiration and reference. I wish I could direct you to her website, but sadly she doesn't have one. But I can direct you to publications and for this post Threads of Faith by Carolyn Mazloomi and Patricia C. Pongracz. One of the quilts Tina shared with her students was There Are No Mistakes (photo in Threads of Faith). What better choice for exploring art, fabric, creativity and self-expression. It's an awesome piece.

Anyway, Adrienne Heinrich and I were her assistants. We had two days of classes two different groups. The students were high school students. And the work they created was inspiring. Tina is a wonderful teacher her enthusiasm is infectious. The students dove into piles of fabric as Tina brought something for everyone, they cut, stitched, used wonder under collaged, and the day was finished practically before it began. I think I learned as much if not more than the students did.

Photos provided by Adrienne, I wish I had thought to bring my camera. I was most impressed by how the students jumped right in no hesitation, completely spontaneous, what I strive for when I work and rarely achieve.

My role was to help with quilting, got a little carried away. It was a tremendous opportunity I hope to do more. I have a great fondness for teenagers. A very successful two days made possible by the VACOP Program through the Associated Artists of Pittsburgh .

The Quilter's Catalog by Meg Cox

2008-03-09T11:43:00.004-04:00

I have to begin with an admission of bias about this book. My sister, Barbara, is the copy editor.

But, I am so impressed with it, I had heard just bits and pieces about the volume of the material and the size of the undertaking of the book which is massive. I was eager to read the results. No disappointment.

Meg Cox, the author, is a very good writer. Her enthusiasm about the subject is infectious. The book is divided into sections quilt history, who quilts, why we quilt, with what we quilt, how we quilt, how we learn to quilt, who are some of the quilt gurus, how to finish the quilt. Every section is so interesting. Although I am familiar with alot of the material I am enjoying reading Meg's presentation.

I haven't finished it yet, and do tend to skip around a bit. Obviously it is a resource and not meant to be read sequentially but as you need. It's over 500 pages. But if I were new to quilting and trying to understand how to get involved, this book covers everything. To have in one volume the information on all the major quilt shows and what to expect if you attend, for a class or otherwise is fabulous. Meg thinks of everything.

If you are a member of the quiltart email list as I am and have been for years. You will read quotes from many listers whose posts you have read over the years.

For me the most valuable section so far is about sewing machines mid-arms and long arms. Terrific resource to help anyone make an informed decision about this type of purchase,complete with links to internet sources to learn more. I didn't understand the difference between a mid-arm and long-arm, I sort of guessed and now I get it.

Ok I am biased, but even so I recommend anyone who quilts, young or old to purchase this book. It is a delight and a reminder of what a wonderful community the quilt world is, how exciting it is to be a part of it, how much more there is to learn and what wonderful opportunities exist within it.

HBO Documentary The Gates

2008-03-01T12:50:00.014-05:00

HBO recently aired a documentary on the Gates which was installed in Central Park February 12 - 27, 2005. This is a chronicle of how Christo and Jeanne-Claude were able to see their artistic vision realized.

The documentary is fascinating you get a sense of the magnitude of the project and all the difficulties they faced. In particular you get a real appreciation for what is involved in the creation of public art that must be approved by various members of city government and the community. Particularly interesting is that the project is proposed at no cost to the city and still it is not approved until 2003.

The filmmakers do a fabulous job of editing the various meetings and interviews of the key people in NYC to tell the story, which begins in 1979. It is NYC and everyone has an opinion, but you realize that this would be true in any city. They also interview people on the street before it is installed as well as once it is in the park. They film the construction of it and depict the choreography of the installation and subsequent unfurling of fabric panels. It is breath taking, and exhilarating even on film. What a celebration of the city, one gentleman says that it gives "a sense of hope and cheerfulness. It feeds the soul."

The views of it are numerous and glorious in all types of weather. The way the fabric billows in the wind and the sound that it makes.

But what I particularly loved is Christo's explanation of why he created the work:

"The most essential part of all our projects coming from a former communist country, I will never, never do something for some reason. I will do only these because I like to do it. I have unstoppable urge to do this project, they are absolutely irrational, irresponsible without any justification this project has only happened because artists like to have them."

Unfortunately I was unable to see The Gates in person, but my sister lives there and took these photographs.

Enjoy and watch the documentary if you can.

Nick Cave

2008-02-26T11:15:00.013-05:00

Last week I went to the Society for Contemporary Craft in the Strip District of Pittsburgh to see Nick Cave's Soundsuits.I love his work! This was the first I had the seen the Soundsuits. Cave scours thrift stores and the like for patterned, sequined, beaded dresses, skirts, clothing, whatever strikes his fancy and creates magic from these recycled materials.

I am drawn to Cave's work for a number of reasons. Primarily because of his history as a dancer with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater so his work always has a theatrical quality which appeals to me. His Soundsuits are intended to be worn and many are used in his performance pieces. The sounds they make are incredible coupled with how the various materials move with the dancer.

Cave's utilization of pattern, color and design is a delight. The way he mixes and matches intense colors and patterns references African textile design merged with a contemporary
fashion design twist. He makes playful reference to kitsch and asks you to question, what is art vs. fashion, what is costume, adornment, the need to decorate ourselves and set ourselves apart and maintain distance from one another.
Just love it!

Woman Made Gallery

2008-02-22T10:11:00.009-05:00

More on my visit to Chicago. A bit last minute but the motivation to go to Chicago was to see one of my quilts Unchained? in a show The Commercial Woman juried by Colette Gaiter. The show was rich and varied, very impressive. As always seeing it on line didn't begin to do it justice.

The top photo is of Unchained? from the back of the gallery towards the street. The photo beneath it is the view upon entrance. My piece was hung beautifully and caught the eye right away. It was the first time I had seen it hung as I intended. It hung in a library for 3 months but had to be supported by a free standing frame. The library show was fabulous, it generated alot of discussion about art and quilts, what is a quilt?

Back to Chicago I was taken with the space. The gallery fills with natural light on a sunny day. I had the opportunity to meet one of the board members Margo Jeanchild who is delightful and very enthusiastic about the gallery. Our good friends Skip and Cindy joined us for the week-end. I don't know Chicago very well but I am eager to return. A great time was had by all. Check out Woman Made Gallery

Gordon Matta-Clark

2008-02-19T10:09:00.003-05:00

I just returned from Chicago, there to see a piece I had at the Woman Made Gallery, fabulous gallery.

While there we went to the Museum of Contemporary Art. I was completely absorbed in the retrospective of Matta-Clark (the show originated at the Whitney). What is impressive about the exhibit is the sense you get of how his mind worked. He used theories and concepts, from the environment, architecture (he is trained in architecture), alchemy, outdoor survival strategies and art and used the technology of the times to create his work. He created architectural interventions. He pulled apart preconceived notions of space. He sliced and diced, buildings, and took photos of the process which he then put back together in an entirely different scheme. He documented each of his building cuts on film. And what he created is oddly beautiful. He forces you to look at buildings, in a whole new way.

What is striking is the energy in all of his work from his sketchbooks to the physical work expended in cutting into buildings whatever the material. His drawings are particularly fascinating he's a whirling dervish with his use of symbols, rather graffiti like, or hieroglyphics, playful and graphic almost cartoonish.

His use of word play in everything what a fascination he had with words and a devilish sense of humor (anarchitecture for example). How he called attention on a massive scale to the issues of decay and poverty in our cities, NYC, as the example. How he recycled materials to consider in construction now seems ahead of his time sadly he died in 1978. Imagine what he would have done had he lived.

And the irony of viewing his work in a museum, examining the cut outs, taking it all out of the environment he chose to work in.

Unforgettable.

Working in a Series

2008-02-10T19:09:00.001-05:00

What does it mean to work in a series?
Is it an exploration of one design element, or color through repetition? Play with it six ways to Sunday until you are either bored of the design and execution or exhausted all possibilities? Is it even possible to exhaust all the possibilities?

When I work in a series it is concept based. I take an ideological concept and develop it visually so the pieces in the series aren't necessarily related through design although they may be. And then I exhaust the concept until I have nothing more to say.

Still a series.