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Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category

Ipcar and Abeyta…they could be quilters….

Tuesday, November 8th, 2005

Deborah, also on the artful quilters ring, introduced me today to Dahlov Ipcar. This nearly 88 year old woman is still producing fantastic art…. and a comment about her work could be done in cloth reminded me of having that same reaction to Tony Abeyta.

Abeyta has several pieces that look to me like they could easily be art quilts: Magpies and Trio
are the first two artworks I’ve ever printed off the computer (I’m careful with those expensive ink cartridges!), and still have them pinned to my design wall for inspiration. Rememberance #18 isn’t my cup of tea, but tell me that isn’t a quilt in paint? and Four Figures makes me think of Michele Hardy’s colorfields pieces. And just because I love them, Intimate Place #1 and Procession make me think of Gustav Klimt’s shimmery works…..but somehow I find more soul in Abeyta’s works….

Now, time to work….

Anyone up for giving some honest feedback?

Monday, November 7th, 2005
About my Tree spirits piece, that is. I’m curious….
I got my judges feedback from PIQF (the Mancuso show in California that is reputed to be art-quilt friendly). The judges this year were Barbara Barber (of the UK…the perfectly painless points lady…she has an applique quilt or two at the museum in Paducah that are stunning and perfect) and Tracey Brookshier, about whom I know nothing except that I recognize her name. OK…googled her www.traceybrookshier.com and it’s pretty traditional. They liked the edges…the depth and texture of the trees and meadow a lot. But criticized the quilt center —here’s the exact wording:

Outer border wonderful, textural, interesting use of materials–love the rocks and leaves.
Inner composition is very low contrast and somewhat overwhelmed by wonderful outer border.
Interesting technique.
End comments.

So on one hand, I was definitely successful….they saw that I deliberately had lots of detail on the edges, and that the center was “soft”…the through-the-mist-and-late-sun thing, with the spirits being somewhat ephemeral. On the other hand, they saw that as a negative.

At first, I figured–they didn’t get it…that was what I intended. But in the spirit of really critiquing the piece and learning from the comments…..maybe they are right. The contrast of great detail and richness in texture and elements with the subtlety of the cente–maybe it doesn’t work together…..

Thoughts anyone? Does the richness of detail in the edges detract from (not enhance) the center? Or does it work, and since they’re really not from the art side of things, they didn’t “get” the point…that the richness was to deliberately contrast and emphasize the “vagueness” of the painted center? And I’ve donned my rhino hide because I wonder if maybe I missed part of the boat, and really do want some good feeback so I can learn and get better.

THANKS! and Cheers, Sarah

Me, as Earth mother?

Sunday, November 6th, 2005

Well…saw this post on Gabrielle’s blog, so decided to take the “test.” Seems we are twins. For the record, I do not have red hair…I have increasing amounts of white, which I earned—each and every strand of it. Those are my “sparkles.” And somehow I never, ever thought of myself as “earthy!” or the earth mother type. On the other hand…..yellow IS my favorite color!

Your Element is Earth

Your power color: yellow

Your energy: balancing

Your season: changing of seasons

Dedicated and responsible, you are a rock to your friends.
You are skilled at working out even the most difficult problems.
Low key and calm, you are happiest when you are around loved ones.
Ambitious and goal oriented, you have long term plans to be successful.

My own corner of heaven

Wednesday, November 2nd, 2005

A.K.A……my studio (work room…place where I hide, create, zone…..whatever you call it). It is the “bonus room” over the garage, so has a lot of square footage on the floor, but less when you stand up. Still, it is a wonderful room. The back end, over the garage doors, is the “guest room,” and houses the antique four-poster hubby inherited from his dad. At first, I didn’t want to share the room with it, but then realized it solved handily the solution of where to store the quilts–under the duvet, of course! (protects the quilts from the cats…)

A lovely woolen “Window” from Frances Caple (my very first piece in my collection, so far still small, of textile art!) hangs on one of the very few bits of flat wall in the room. Going from left to right, you can see the edge of the Hoosier (more in a sec), my sewing machine cabinet, the bed behind it, a rocking chair that is used mostly for dumping stuff and alas not for reading, and some of my collection of quilt and art books. Want more bookcases for the far wall so I can unpack the rest of my “friends!”
If I stand hunched in the corner under Frances’ Window, looking toward the door, I see my design wall (with the red quilt on it–the design wall is 2 inch thick pink insulation wrapped with a flannel sheet, then velcroed to the wood walls…didn’t want nail or screw holes in the wood). On the other tiny bit of vertical wall space I have some etchings…don’t ask me why such a color fiend loves etchings…maybe it is the use of line?

My worktable is the old kitchen / dining table with drop leaf. I built a platform for it out of 3/4″ plywood and added moulding (the kind they use to make the transition from baseboard to floor.. a sort of extended quarter-round) and casters. I made “L” shaped things out of wood which I screwed in place from the bottom. They hold the table on top of the platform and keep it from sliding off…then I added plastic drawers and other bins underneath for storage. When I need a longer space (say for basting a quilt), I just open up the gate-legs and they are suspended in air to hold up the drop leaf.

Here’s “command central,” aka the sewing machine–my wonderful, wonderful, I LOVE it, Janome 6500–and cabinet. Having a large flat surface was about the single best thing I ever did for my quilting! The hoosier has proven to be the perfect sewing storage unit. Patterns fit perfectly in the tin-lined bread drawer. Rotary cutters and scissors are in the knife drawer. Spools of thread nestle (along with other stuff) in the spice rack. On the end are some needlepoint pieces my late Aunt Mary M. made for me when I was a little girl, and I used a leftover piece of the pink insulation board from the design wall for a “bulletin” board near my machine. And, wonder of wonders, I took the antique spool chest I bought back when I had a professional’s income out of the living room to use for…drum roll…..storing thread! My dream is to FILL it!

(Late) Morning Mug 3

Wednesday, November 2nd, 2005


My mug from National Theatre in London, 1978.

Not late getting it up….late switch on mugs. Was using one of the mugs previously shared, when hubby put it in the dishwasher, so nabbed this one. Got this one in Spring 1978 when I spent a semester at Goldsmiths’ College (and at the time had NO idea that it was a treasure trove of experience on textiles…sigh…). I barely attended classes and did the work. Instead I learned by going to museums, theatres, and travelling every possible moment. I practically lived at the National Theatre…would go up around 4 pm after classes with my books and queue up for “rush” tickets….they’d sell remaining seats for the equivalent of about $2 for the equivalent of Broadway shows. I’d buy the cheapest sandwich and soda at the bar for dinner, and then enjoy the show. I can’t believe I still have it and neither the cats nor I have managed to break it…..