Slow and Somewhat Steady

Two of four eyes beaded...

and starting around a very dour mouth...

I'm now wondering why I ever thought this wouldn't take long to finish up, that this particular UFO could reasonably be the answer to the third quilt I would need for ArtWalk. I grossly underestimated how long beading would take. And I have yet to continue work on what would have been my second quilt for the exhibit. I was so right to skip ArtWalk this year. Slow and somewhat steady, learning to pace myself, this has become the year's theme.

Anniversaries

As I took my evening walk last night, the sun, tucking behind some clouds as it dropped into a crotch in the mountain range, shot out the sort of rays I've long associated with my late husband giving me a thumbs up or bit of needed encouragement. I know - it's just a common natural phenomenon, but I didn't remember seeing it much until after he died, and the first one came timed in a way I could only take as a sign that he was reaching out to me. But it really doesn't matter whether it is truly a communication from his spirit it or not. It is enough that it makes a connection that is helpful to me, and these many years later often makes me stop for a moment and think, just what did I do today that would have made him proud enough to want to give me that thumbs up?

Last night it got me thinking on other things, though. Had he survived the accident that took him, and any of the many other things that life might have thrown at him along the way, we'd be celebrating our 40th wedding anniversary today. I wondered, where would we be and what would we be doing? We had never intended to stay in Wisconsin, where a job opportunity had taken us. We talked a lot about getting back to the Pacific Northwest or at least someplace mountainous, and he was always looking for something he could do at home, a small business venture, so he could retire early and we could move where we pleased. Would we have found the magic formula by now or still be in the upper Midwest?  Would we have ended up in Colorado as we sometimes talked about, or back in Spokane where we went to college and enjoyed living once upon a time? I suppose we could have ended up right here where I am now, although it was never on our radar. I know I have thought so many times how much he would like it here for even more reasons than I do.

I also wondered if my creative path would have gone the same direction - not sure that it would have for a lot of reasons. But in the end, I know these sorts of what if speculations are fairly pointless. I know that getting where I am today is very much because of him, his confidence in me and his lingering influence. I know he would have preferred to still be along for the ride - I'd prefer that too. But since he's not, I do the best I can, keep him in my thoughts and am thankful for the time I had with him. And most of all, remember him especially on anniversaries like today. We had a good life together, and I'm still benefiting from it.

It's Good To Have Friends

My friend Susan noted that in my picture of beading progress, I was using an ashtray to hold my beads. I only have a few holdovers from the days when so many people smoked but soon realized how perfect the small simple ones I had saved would be for keeping beads in check and making it easy to scoop beads onto the needle. I occasionally check second hand stores to see if I might find a few more for those times when I'm using a lot of different beads on a project, but haven't had much luck. Susan, however, promised to check stores in her area and look what she came up with! Not just ashtrays, but also some small dishes in various sizes and shapes, all wrapped carefully in some beautiful batik fabrics. Now there's a friend - thanks! Time to go try them out...

Remembering Allen

Wanted to share one of my favorite shots from when my late husband and I were "courting" in college. This was taken in probably 1974, and as he started jokingly to flail in a half-hearted attempt to escape my grasp, our friend Jean snapped this photo. Yeah - not letting this one get away! But he did get away from me through circumstances of an accident 15 years ago today. I still find myself getting weepy and out of sorts leading up to this anniversary without understanding why until I look at the calendar. Funny how our subconscious minds track these things. I used to go through the same thing leading up to Easter after my mother died, eventually making the connection that it was the special memories of her attached to that holiday that brought the emotional upheaval.

If I had not loved and been loved, I'd have no reason to weep. I'll take the tears that only come occasionally now, but I'll also laugh and smile at the memory of times like these, goofing off in a dorm room, holding on tight to a guy who had no intention of running, and who gave me and others so much during his time on this earth.

Arrivals

Last week, I noticed that these beautiful sweet peas were blooming at that same abandoned house where I snagged some lilacs blooms back in May. Couldn't resist bringing some home, then couldn't resist taking some pictures.

I'm always fascinated with the delicate veining that shows up in some petals like these.

Today, I received this lovely notice from the Sacred Threads people:

Dear Sacred Threads Artist,

All of the artwork is arriving at the venue. It's exciting days for us as we see your artwork in person! Today, your artwork was received and logged in. All is well with your beloved work and we promise to take very good care of it while it is in our hands. Thank you for sharing it with us and our visitors.

I had checked yesterday and saw that it had made it Maryland - how nice that I got this confirmation from the recipient that my quilts had arrived safely at their destination.

Monday, I made an appearance in the studio - one can arrive there for many reason, but on that day I decided to attend to a little mending and hemming. I'd found three items folded on the floor in front of my bookcase and realized they were clothes I'd started working on last summer and never took the last step. Embarrassing how I can put things off, but it feels so good when I finally tend to these small things. Apologies to to my "artist tool" which became a utilitarian machine for a day.

Once again I have some room on my work table and today arrived in the studio ready to tackle the beading on Masks. This is going to take awhile, but I think it's going to do exactly what is needed. Here I'm stretching the blue seed beads I had on hand by adding two of the new delica beads (which are slightly darker and smaller) between each one. I like the affect.

Introducing Agnes Herczeg

Needlelace & wood wall sculpture by Agnes Herczeg

Thanks to the Textile Arts group on Facebook, I have discovered Agnes Herczeg whose work I have fallen in love with. I've seen nothing quite like it, and it has totally transformed my idea of what lacework can be - truly an art form, not just decorative. 

Needlelace and ceramic wall sculpture by Agnes Herczeg

This Hungarian artist has a most interesting background of textile conservation, traditional handicraft techniques, and use of natural materials.  She couples her lacework with wood, bark, coconut, and ceramics that she molds herself.

Needlelace and coconut shell by Agnes Herczeg

From her "about me" page:

"Design is a significant part of the creative process because I have to think through not only the visual appearance of the work but its overall structure and the order of the individual steps. Lace-making is an extremely time consuming occupation; it takes several days just to complete a small piece." 

A peek into Agnes Herczeg's process

Indeed, it is obvious that a lot of thought goes into each work, a form she calls "wall sculpture". All of her work is intriguing but it is what she does with faces that truly captivates me.

A recent wall sculpture by Agnes Herczeg

For a long time now, I've felt that a true artist must have a vision; everyone else is just dabbling. Agnes Herczeg is an artist in my eyes, with a vision that really appeals to me. Thanks to Agnes for giving me permission to post pictures of her work here. Check out her website, Wall Decoration With Lace or her Facebook page and be amazed!

Needlelace and bark by Agnes Herczeg

 

Off to Virginia...

...that is, my quilts are off to Virginia, due next week at the location of the Sacred Threads Exhibit. It's easily been 10 years since I've shipped a quilt to a show, especially to one so far away - essentially from one coast to the other, thousands of miles away. I had such a sinking feeling as I handed the package over to begin its trek, not wanting to let go of the box, not wanting to leave the shipping store, staring (I'm sure balefully) at the box as the shipper sealed it up and slapped on the label. They are just quilts, I tried to convince myself. Just trust and let it go. But it was hard! I get a similar feeling when I drop quilts off for my local exhibits but at least they are minutes away and I can go check on them.

But out of sight, out of mind just a bit as I've busied myself with other things. Today I decided to check the tracking to see where they were and was delighted to find this map showing the route thus far, with flapping wings on my package! Ok - It made me laugh and I'm fine now, feeling like they are in good hands and turning my attention back to the next things I need to do here.

If you will be in the D.C. area during the run of the exhibit, please consider stopping by to take in the quilts and their wonderful stories. And let mine know how worried I am about them. ;-)

The Sacred Threads Exhibit is Opening Soon

Exhibit Dates: July 10 - 26
Monday - Saturday, 11:00 - 5:00
Sundays, 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Admission:
$8.00
$5.00 for seniors (65+) and Children (7-12)
Children 6 and under are free
$20 for 3-day pass
To purchase tickets in advance 
click here to go to our store.


Location: Floris United Methodist Church, 13600 Frying Pan Road, Herndon, VA 20171

Father's Day

The Mahanke brood - June 1959

One of the major but worthy diversions keeping me out of the studio lately has been a concentrated effort to get the "family archives" in order. I am the keeper of old photos and photograph albums plus various newspaper clippings, letters and heirlooms my mother saved/collected and passed on to me. I've been a fairly good steward of these items, except that much about them is not really written down, too many oral stories bantered about by relatives, and bits and pieces stuffed in files to be left unconnected. I've said for years that, if nothing else, I'd like to get the pictures and letters scanned, then get what I know written down. I'm finally devoting significant time to this.

And I am loving it. I am a researcher at heart, and love history of all kinds. I love to tell a good story (you may have noticed), and I love to make connections that help me understand the bigger picture. It hadn't occurred to me, though, just how time consuming this would be. Nor just how much stuff I have that needs to be scanned and coordinated. I've set myself a monumental task that I now see will take longer than I thought. Yesterday, I pretty much removed everything from the two file cabinet drawers where most of this is kept, suddenly realizing what a daunting task this is. But it is an important task, and I owe it to my brothers and the next generations that are showing an interest.

So this accounts for some of the lags in posting here, though it doesn't mean I'm not going to be spending time in the studio too. Just that the way I divvy up my time has temporarily changed, weighted a bit more to family history than the creative journey. Today is a good case in point. My dad died back in the 1990's so normally I let father's day come and go without much thought. And if I did think about it, I'd be thinking about our personal relationship, looking for photos of the two of us. 

But today, I found myself wanting to find a different sort of picture, probably because I've been working with letters my oldest brother wrote back in 1956 and searching the family photo album for pictures from that time period. What I needed today was a picture of dad with all of his kids - there are so few of them because the age difference between the first and last child is 15 years and that oldest brother died about 5 months after the picture at the top of the post was taken.

I look at that picture, dad and his brood, see and feel the responsibility on his shoulders. Gosh, he was a hard worker all his life, and with this many mouths to feed, it was always a strain to make ends meet. He worked in the silver mines, rarely taking a sick day since it meant losing a day's pay. When the mines went on strike, he found jobs elsewhere to keep food on the table until the strike was resolved. He never wanted to be pitied and he certainly never wanted charity. He was a tough old bird, sometimes hard to love, but always doing what he needed to do no matter how hard. Happy Father's Day and rest in peace, dad. You deserve it.

Proof of Progress

I finished the last bit on the 5 padfolios from the covers printed out so long ago. After applying closures (sometimes velcro, sometimes magnets, sometimes a tie or elastic), I always treat them with a UV/stain protectant which needs to dry overnight. Then I can take pictures and announce to the world, "I'm done!" Well - I AM done!

You've seen the insides of most of these so will not repeat that here. You've also seen the frog before (see this post) and a similar woodgrain one (see this post). The orange flower one was the first of the group to be completed which you saw on this post. But the moose is new. This pic shows the front and back - the front works nicely but the back, well, it was the position of the moose behinds that I failed to envision on the computer screen that caused me to work up what I think is a better design, and one that allowed a little more stitching on the cover (see this post). Still, I'm guessing there will be those out there thinking the backsides on the backside is a hoot. 

And now - I suppose there aren't many excuses left for getting on with that beading. What? Me intimidated by the next step on Masks? Um...well yes, just a little. 

Good Karma

The gods must be smiling down on me this week. To my great relief, the two quilts I'll be sending off next week to the Sacred Threads Exhibit will not need new hanging sleeves attached. Those in place are the proper width. To my further relief, I will not have to make the required cloth bags to put them in. The old pillowcases I have on hand are big enough. And finally, the box I'd been eying out in the garage has proven to be big enough accommodate the one quilt that needs to be shipped flat. The only thing left to find are plastic bags...and that should not be a problem.

Experimenting with Closures

Attaching button to back of padfolio

I've just about wrapped things up with the five padfolios. Four of them are in the process of having magnets or velcro applied to secure their flaps. This one cried out for something different. The stitching at the center of the flower was a bit ragged but even if it hadn't been, that center still wanted a button over it. I spent a lot of time thinking through how I could attach it and the elastic cord all as one and pondering if it was a good idea to do this on the back of the padfolio.

Pocket folded back for access

I knew if I was going to do this, I'd have to do it before satin stitching the pockets in place. But in my eagerness to assembly-line glue baste all pockets in one session, I forgot. Luckily, I was able to peel back one edge of this pocket to gain access to the spot where the elastic would come through. Some knotting under the button after sizing up the length of cord needed held things in place on the outside so that I could knot the ends on the inside. The button is not as flush to the padfolio as I would have liked, but it works.

It does make a bit of a bump under the notepad, but I am hoping this won't be an issue for the user. Here is the back after all the satin stitching has been done and the elastic has been stretched around to hold it closed.

And here it is from the front. I'm surprised at how much I like this now compared to when I was just looking at the printed fabric. Even so, I won't be repeating this design.

More Things To Play With

As if I didn't already have enough untouched non-textile related art supplies lying around, this is what arrived this week. I blame it on my inability to pass up a good deal and my ceaseless curiosity. The Atelier Interactive acrylic package is a free sample I was alerted to via an e-letter I subscribe to. Once I watched the video, remembering the issues I've had with paint drying before I could apply special techniques, I was intrigued. No, I don't work with acrylics much, but hey - free is free, and what I received was two generous tubes of paint (titanium white and pthalo blue?) and the activating Unlocking Formula. Yes, I had a moment of guilt about signing up for the free sample because I'm not a "real" acrylic paint artist who would buy more if I liked it, but I got over it as my mind wandered to how I would try it out in my mixed media experiments. Besides, it was a "for a limited time" offer based on availability of supply so there was every chance I'd miss out.  It had been quite awhile since I signed up, so had about given up on having gotten in on the great deal. Must admit to a bit of whoop when I pulled the package out of the mail box.

The ArtGraf water-soluble graphite blocks I blame on Cheap Joe's and their e-mail alert to a special deal. Well, I guess I can't blame them totally, as I've been playing a bit with water-soluble graphite pencils with the art journaling exercises. But I was totally unaware of these earth-tone varieties which suddenly seemed the answer to my feeling limited with only black to grey work. Again, demo videos (including this one & this one) plus some artist reviews clinched the deal, even as I repeated "you do not need these you do not need these they won't work on fabric." Oh - but it was a substantial markdown...and they are EARTH-TONES! Yes, I am a sucker for earth-tone anything. Into the on-line cart they went. And now that I've had time to ponder while awaiting their arrival, I've come up with an idea to try on fabric.

As long as I was ordering from Cheap Joe's, I remembered that I'd seen this YES! paste in their catalog. It is one recommended in one of my bookbinding instruction books but I'd been having a hard time tracking it down. Besides, I had other suggested adhesives on hand so no big deal, right? Well, frankly, I've been pretty frustrated with my glues and gels, and quite irked when they promise wrinkle-free adhesion with even the most delicate papers, but I get wrinkles just the same. So we shall see if this is any better, or if the book is like everyone else - selling me a questionable bill of goods. Have any of you tried this stuff?

As I unpacked my new treasures, I couldn't help thinking about my post not long ago, the one that mentioned following many paths, wandering around, and "the unsettling feelings of not ever being at home where you are" leading to/defining the term confusion. What is it I really want to do with my artistic leanings? Am I just confusing myself by flitting off in different directions rather than narrowing my focus? Is there something I'm running away from, "trying to get somewhere else," or am I hoping all these different experiments will lead me toward the place where I feel at home again for good? I'm betting on that last one, sensing its truth in me and knowing I've been unsettled far too long.

Details, Details

Picking out lining and pocket pairings for padfolios

Bloggable progress has been slow to come due to several worthy diversions. And those of you  anxious to see beading will have to wait (I partly blame it on waiting for a strand of beads that missed getting into my original order). I've been moving forward with those padfolios, remembering now why some of them had been set aside for later. Not rejects, but more a matter of what looked good "on paper" as they say, didn't work as well as other designs I worked up once they were printed out. I wouldn't call them "seconds" either, but more like personal disappointments that someone else might think fabulous. So I'm finishing them up and putting them out there for sale.

I must admit I often spend more time digging through my stash for coordinating fabrics to go inside than may be warranted, but I do rather enjoy that part as much as coming up with the cover designs. And even though the lining and pockets are not the stars of the show, they are still seen and worthy of thoughtful choosing. Each "perfect" pairing is a little triumph worthy of a brief happy dance.

Fun batik lining improved perception of cover

This time round, some of what I found to go inside were basically scraps - pieces big enough for something but nothing too big, and because of their size, difficult to store. A couple of these had been lying out, in fact, part of the stash I inherited from my late friend, washed and ironed and puzzled over as to their use. One such quarter cut appeared destined for a journal cover, but it was also wide enough for this. Another piece of batik was the size I needed for coordinating pockets with hardly anything left over. Those two fabrics worked a kind of magic on a cover that was less than exciting to me. 

I can't tell you how satisfying it is to find homes for these smaller chunks of this and that, too beautiful to discard but too small of an amount to consider as the start of a bigger project. I've moved on to the satin stitching of the edges, another detail that sees me carefully considering threads from my stash. Soon these will be done, and I can get back to other things. 

Sharing Your Vision

I don't know about you, but it takes me quite a bit of time to craft an artist statement specific to a particular piece of artwork. If you've followed me for long, you know I can get quite wordy about my process and my inspirations - I just have so much I want to share and explain, although much of it might not be of vital interest to most viewers. Sometimes it is a good thing to be forced to edit down to a specific size placard or finite number of words. With editing comes clarity - not just in verbal expression but in visual expression as well. For my Sacred Threads entries, I was lucky I could cut and paste previously composed statements from this blog and make them fit with just a bit of additional editing, but even that took more time than one might think. We won't talk about time spent getting good photos ready for submission.

Now the shipping deadline is coming up at the end of the month which will be its own time consumer, as I cross my fingers I will not have to replace too narrow sleeves (I can't remember if these got the full 4" ones since I can get away with narrow sleeves at my local venues) nor search too long for a properly sized and sturdy box, ticking off the other requirements I haven't had to deal with for so long. I'm taking the "Gone With The Wind" attitude at the moment, Scarlett's famous line of "I'll worry about that tomorrow."*

So with this on my mind, imagine my heavy sigh when an e-mail arrived from Sacred Threads saying they'd like me to record a 90 second statement giving additional information about my quilts. Granted, I was glad for the opportunity to share some things I'd had to leave out of my written statements (although I wasn't sure I wanted to revisit the emotions this would stir up). But I also knew it would mean carving out quiet time to decide what I wanted to say, compose that statement, time it, and then edit it down. 90 seconds goes fast! And so does the time between getting the e-mail and the last day I can record my message! I've been mulling this all week, going back over blog posts for gems I could pull out, referencing what I already submitted, building up courage to dial that phone number and say my piece, out loud sans quavering voice.

So today has been the day to set all else aside and get this done. I've composed both statements and think I am happy with the editing. I've practiced out loud several times while I checked the timing (thank goodness for the stopwatch feature on my simple cell phone). I'm nearly done writing out the final drafts in easy to read form so I don't stumble over my words. This is taking an inordinate amount of time, but I'm almost ready to dial that number...

The things we do for our art!

__________________________________________________

* I couldn't help looking it up to see if I was getting the quotation right. From the movie, the lines around that one describe my feelings about the shipping even better:

 "Oh, I can't think about this now! I'll go crazy if I do! I'll think about it tomorrow."

But the line as written by Margaret Mitchell in the book from which the movie is adapted is a bit simpler but equally apt: 

"I won't think about it now, I'll think about it tomorrow, when I can stand it."

Of course, when tomorrow comes, repeat statement! 

Ah - So This Is The Problem...

From Tom Koch's obituary:

“People would say I must have had such a great life doing this,” Mr. Koch once recalled, “people who were engineers, doctors, insurance salesmen or whatever. But it was the kind of work where every morning I would wake up and think, ‘My God, I wonder if I can do it again today.’ There is no way you prepare to do it, or even know how you do it.”

In a similar vein, this from Ian Svenonius:

If one becomes a lawyer, scholar, mechanist, typist, scientist, production assistant, or what-have-you, the world will commend your decision. Each day at lunch, on vacation, or at whatever party you attend, your choice will be applauded, upheld, and affirmed. And you will know what is expected of you. Even if your job is difficult—if you are a brain chemist, international death merchant, or rocket designer—your responsibilities will be obvious and your goals concrete. If you achieve them, you may be rewarded by promotion. If you fail, you might be fired or demoted, but nonetheless—unless your boss is insane—the job will have tangible parameters.

[Art], however, is different. You will never know exactly what you must do, it will never be enough… no matter what change you achieve, you will most likely see no dividend from it. And even after you have achieved greatness, the infinitesimal cadre who even noticed will ask, “What next?”

Yes indeed. Reminds me of how my late husband used to prod me if a quilt came back from a competition with a ribbon. There I'd be, glowing in my success, and he would slyly say, "Yeah, but what have you done lately?" Damn! Back to the studio...

Sunday Musings

I've been sitting on this link for quite awhile, trying to decide what I think about it. Perhaps it caught my eye because it came shortly after I finished a pretty intense meditation class, one that had me stopping to consider my real motivation, or intention, before continuing with an action. It's kin to learning to recognizing the difference between reacting and responding. Before reading this conversation (Work In Progress website), I hadn't stopped to think how this might relate to the art I might produce. Author Ethan Nichtern makes this observation:

“What am I putting out there and why? Does it contribute something, or am I just celebrating confusion?” You start to question what the appropriate expression is and what the compassionate expression is. Not that you can’t be dirty or ironic, or express really intense life situations, but we have to ask, “What is the purpose of putting this out there?” When you are a practitioner, it’s not that your emotions get deadened, but your intention becomes more important.

 

"Practitioner" refers back to earlier in the interview - those who regularly meditate and I believe, Buddhists in particular (disclaimer - I am not a Buddhist but I see value in some of the thought processes and viewpoints). Because I have never believed that artists must be going through some terrible angst to produce great art, it was encouraging to have this conversation agree. The interviewer noted that "I had this idea that if I became more at peace with myself, and especially my emotions, my creative work would suffer." Nichtern responded:

"I know a huge number of highly successful creative people who are dedicated practitioners. Luckily what you find out when you actually practice for a long time is that your emotions are not going anywhere...[instead} there is this growing sense of clarity and recognition."

 

Now I must admit that my own meditation practice is rather sporadic. But I have had this experience of clarity and recognition, when an answer involving a particularly emotional piece has arisen during meditation (case in point - "Bubble Prayers: Release" - read the story here). It's that thing you hear so often these days about all the answers being within you. I'm just skeptical enough to hedge at saying ALL the answers are within, but I'm learning to trust that I have more answers available than I once thought.

 

I've really worked backwards through this interview, now wanting to share with you something that was near the beginning. Nichtern is talking about the traditional Buddhism analogies about a path when so much of Buddhism is about stillness.

 

"The word for basically all our cycles of destructive behavior, samsara, literally means wandering around; “the commuter” comes from the Tibetan word for a confused sentient being, which means something like “always on the go” or “goer.” So I thought about the unsettling feeling of not ever being at home where you are—that we are always trying to get somewhere else—and realized it’s the basic definition of confusion."

 

That last line, that we are always trying to get somewhere else, really does describe so many of us, me included. To call that confusion hit home just a little bit. I'm still mulling all this over, especially how it may relate to my creative journey. But I think there are key things in this conversation to consider, especially that part about intention. What do you think?

 

 

 

They're here!

And they're perfect...

More ways to kill time...

While waiting for my beads, I also have been doing a little sketching in that "comforts" sketchbook. Sandwiches seem to be on my mind lately, and a bologna sandwich with a glass of milk joined the spam sandwich. This sketch, though, is more about a memory than about food. Maybe I was moved to draw it because I've been delving into the family archives finally, reading and scanning some letters written by my oldest brother who died when I was quite young, and knowing I have photos I could match up to them, maybe some actual things as well. This is taking more time than I anticipated but is very rewarding, and has sent me off on little research tangents to help me put together a more complete picture and story.

At any rate, it has me nostalgic and if you click on the picture, you should be able to read the nostalgic story behind this thermos. The other reason I wanted to sketch it was because of that rectangle pattern on the thermos. I struggled to capture the subtle gradation of color in the patterning, thinking if I just did pencil I wouldn't mess up, but mess up I did. I actually had a colored pencil that matched the darkest value and really should have used it, but then working out 5 steps lighter and lighter to a very pale yellow - well, I didn't have it in me to try. This is one time that rendering in fabric would have been easier! Oh well - it's all a learning experience at this point (you would not believe how small the first outline of the cup was)...and capturing of memories. 

Voices from the Closet...Again

While waiting for the beads to arrive (got notice they are one their way!), I've decided to finish up some padfolios. I have 5 covers (there are two of the moose one) that were printed out (gulp!) years ago, extras that I didn't need at the time but knew could be used later. Well, later is now as I have a couple of people showing interest in purchasing some for gifts. They already bought the two I had on hand and have been patiently waiting for me to feel up to making more. I think I'm up for it as there are so few decisions to be made - I'd even set aside linings to go with each - and most of what needs doing is sit-down work which suits my energy levels these days. Today the Peltex got fused to them so I can proceed with some "quilting".

Intriguing Finds

Sample of "Padre" trade beads on order

I'm in a holding pattern. While looking to see how far I might have to drive to find a quality bead shop in order to purchase the beads I need for Masks, I innocently clicked on a link for BeadShop.com. Oh . . . my . . . goodness. To think I was going to settle for ordinary matte seed beads. Instead, I've ordered up a variety of old African trade beads from this California shop. I am so excited with this find (and that shipping is free on orders of any size) but must be patient as they make their way north.

Eagle by Sherry Orchard

In the meantime, I'm sharing an artist I ran across in a tourist guide for my region. I can appreciate Western art but usually I'm not particularly drawn to it. However, Walla Walla, WA artist Sherry Orchard adds a twist that intrigued me. She creates her acrylic paintings directly on feathers. See more of her work here.

Another Diversion

I want to tell you how exhilarating it was to get so many comments on my resurrecting of Masks, that so many of you have been following long enough to remember it. The "eye" patches are all sewn in place but I haven't proceeded with the beading short of laying out bags of potential candidates, mulling what colors to put where and coming to the discouraging conclusion that I simply do not have enough beads of the best colors, and none at all of a neutral that could stretch those that I do have. Isn't it always the way? So I've turned to another "side project" as a diversion.

Class samples - stamping barely visible

It's another coming together of divergent things. Do you have bits lying about the studio like I do, things that were experiments or leftovers that have no obvious use but that you can't just toss? That's what these two pieces of wild batik were, used in my first linocut class to test my stamps but a disappointment because of the paint the teacher had us use (see this post). Must be something I can do with them, I thought, and so they were set aside but not away. Later I watched Lyric Kinard demo how she makes covers for sketchbooks, noting a step I'd not seen before. That too got set aside (in my head). Later still, I took advantage of a going-out-of-business sale to purchase yet more sketchbooks, including one with a cover I'd rather not be looking at. Eventually, those three things mulling around in my brain led me to see if the batiks were large enough to cover that sketchbook. I experimentally wrapped them around it and it appeared that they were. But as I was working on something else at the time, they stayed wrapped like that in a spot where the bundle continued to nag to the point of distraction. And so, over the weekend I laid everything out to check measurements. It was as if I'd cut these pieces specifically for this project.

Can you see which spirals have been outlined?

The spiral stamped piece turned out better than the larger stamped piece so I had no qualms about fusing it on top, the added band giving a bit more stability to the cover. I spent my usual too much time picking a thread to satin stitch the edges - the spirals were faint enough as it was and too much contrast, I feared, would make them even more pathetic. Frankly, even for a book cover, this was lacking. I'd considered some stitching but I knew I'd end up doing a lot of starting and stopping and pulling threads to the back. Contemplation led me to a simple solution of using a red micron pen to trace around the spiral shapes. Just enough highlight to bring them out.

Finished cover laid out flat

I knew I wanted some kind of closure, something Lyric does not mess with. Again, it was lengthy contemplation and a look through my button collection that led me to this simple solution. A button was sewn on the front and the back, and a decorative but strong yarn knotted on one end was pulled through from the underside next to the button on the back. This was done before doing the stitching around the outside to form the pockets that the sketchbook covers slip into.

Button and string closure

This "string" can be wrapped around the buttons like the closing on some manila folders. I also added a bit of loop to the inside flap to slide the clip of a pencil through. If you are interested in the basic construction sequence and that clever extra step, you can watch Lyric in action here. (She has lots of other video tutorials on her website well worth looking into.)

A glitch in practical use

I will warn that, while a snug fit is good, it is easy to stitch up a cover that is too snug to slip onto the sketchbook. Yes, there was some ripping out and resewing here as I ignored that little voice in my head that I was being too trusting. I discovered this little issue too (shown in the photo above) which only applies to spiral bound books I would guess. While it is very convenient to be able to fold back the sketchbook while drawing, I may not be able to do that with the cover on. Or, I may not notice the lump at all - we shall see.

At any rate, it was a learning experience (especially that solution to improve the spirals - lately I feel like I'm learning basics like a beginner), those bits of fabric are used and no longer distracting me, and I have a prettier cover to a sketchbook. 

Showing Your Work

Initial pencil sketch to show just in case I messed up...

I started a new sketchbook recently, one I bought last year when I ordered up an assortment to try out. This one is geared toward mixed media/multi-media in a classic landscape orientation sized 5.5 x 8.5, and I had thoughts of using it for outdoor sketching with splashes of watercolor paint. Instead, I've noticed a trend in my eating habits towards food from my youth, things that I'd gotten away from eating but feel like comfort food now, and I thought it might be fun to capture some of these in this sketchbook. I don't sketch fast enough to work from life, so I've been snapping photos to work from later before diving in.

Sketch after applying colored pencil and text

The pages are mostly smooth on one side and rougher on the other. For now I am coloring with pencil, and this one of my Spam sandwich is done on the rougher side that is not as well suited for it. Still, it is giving me good practice in experimenting with my set of Prismacolor pencils and the Verithin ones too. You can see along the spiral binding where I've tested colors and the blending of several. The pages are perforated just in case you create a masterpiece worthy of framing which gives a little space for this. I puzzled over the color of Spam, discovering that I could simulate it fairly closely with Deco Pink over Light Peach. I'm making these pages almost as much about narrative as illustration, something I picked up on while viewing work on the Urban Sketchers sites. It will be like a little memory book. I'm finding that I like designating a theme for each sketchbook. I'm also finding that I like the size and orientation of this sketchbook better than the one I'm using for my architecture urban sketching.

This sketch is nothing to brag about, so why am I sharing? Well, I thought it would help make the point of one of the reasons I blog, which I ran across in this post on Austen Kleon's Tumbr:

Artists frequently hide the steps that lead to their masterpieces. They want their work and their career to be shrouded in the mystery that it all came out at once. It’s called hiding the brushstrokes, and those who do it are doing a disservice to people who admire their work and seek to emulate them. If you don’t get to see the notes, the rewrites, and the steps, it’s easy to look at a finished product and be under the illusion that it just came pouring out of someone’s head like that. People who are young, or still struggling, can get easily discouraged, because they can’t do it like they thought it was done. An artwork is a finished product, and it should be, but I always swore to myself that I would not hide my brushstrokes.

“Mad Men” creator Matthew Weiner on why you should show your work, from the book, Getting There

When I first started blogging, I wondered just how much of my struggling I should share - would people, especially the potential buying public, be disillusioned if they found out I didn't just whip out good work like magic? Would they turn away and call me a fraud if the curtain was pulled back and they saw all the missteps and doubts? I eventually quit worrying about that because I naturally enjoy sharing and I naturally enjoy buoying people up who are struggling as they learn because, hey, I've been there. Few people jump in the deep end with marvelous results. (I secretly resent those who do!) And I've learned that people really are interested in the process, the "brushstrokes", and heartened when they hear it isn't always easy, that there's hope if they too are on an artistic journey and struggling. No reason to hide. Not even sketches like mine.

Resurrecting "Masks"

Kuba "Bwoom" Helmet Mask

"Ok, what's next," I pondered, as I started cleaning up a bit from my Tyvek bead excursion. I was about to gather up all the little bags of beads and beading supplies when a muffled sound came from the closet. I recognized it as my "Masks" quilt trying to point out that as long as all these beads were out, why not resume work on it. I had identified it as one I might be able to finish up in time for ArtWalk and felt I'd received some confirmation of that as well as my thought to add beading when I saw the Kuba Helmet Mask above on an episode of Antiques Roadshow earlier this year. It looked so much like the faces I saw in my cloth and picked out in quilting that I could hardly believe it. And here too were some guidelines for how I might add the beads. Sometimes putting a project aside for awhile is a good thing!

Densely hand-quilted "Masks" awaits the finishing touches.

So I pulled the quilt from the closet and unfolded it to reveal where I had stopped when life intervened back in June 2012. Ah yes, it was all coming back to me now. I'd gotten frustrated with those squares with eyes printed on them - well, not with the squares themselves but with trying to get a random yet sensical arrangement to them without any covering up of important areas of the masks. I struggle with asymmetrical arrangements, and I remember being a little put out with myself that the only placements I could come up with were too symmetrical and boring. This was one of the projects I took for critique to my art group's first meeting in January 2013. To my amazement, Donna simply took a square and overlapped it with another, solving my problem. With that simple move, I could immediately see my way out. However, it still went back into the closet until now. I trimmed down a few of the squares, shuffled things around a bit from what you see above, consulted the last blog post about it just to refresh my memory, then continued where I left off.

Quilting "between" less than an inch long with microscopic eye!

One of the things that surprised me were the tiny needles parked in the quilt. Did I really use something this short for the cross-stitching? Did I really use anything this short at all? Well, that just shows how long I've been away from my hand quilting and applique, because indeed, this is the between needle that I came to use on almost all my hand sewing. One can lose one's skill from disuse, and as I clumsily picked up the needle and put in a few stitches, I felt like an absolute novice. Ok, so maybe I haven't lost my skill, but boy, is it rusty! By the time I started in on the third square, I'd gotten some rhythm back, my eye/hand coordination was gauging the spacing better and the needle didn't feel so foreign anymore.

I am in the perfect mindset for handwork right now so I am glad this quilt called out. Even better that I can leisurely work at it now that I no longer have the ArtWalk deadline looming over me. My work table, which once the fountain quilt left became instantly cleared off to the point of startling me when I entered the studio, is now pleasantly filling up with this quilt, possible bead options to mull and the next few small projects I'll be playing with. Can you sense my smile?