Corset

It was brought to my attention that I don't have any wearables posted on my blogspot. This is an older piece but still a nice one. I will have two new pieces photographed hopefully by the end of the week and then I will post them. Loving fabric the way I do, I get alot of satisfaction in making fabric from fabric using a raw edge collage method. Then the newly created fabric is washed and it puckers in the most delightful way as I have obsessively stitched it. Then I cut out and stitch 'my' fabric into kimono-like coats or corsets. I really need to lock myself in my studio and get more done as I will be featured in a runway show called 'Tennessee Presents Textiles' in November. So many ideas and dwarfed productivity! LIFE.

Morroco

This is an art quilt that expresses for me what I imagine Morocco to be. Earthy colors combined with spices and an air of mystery. I have always been intrigued with Morocco ever since the Bob Hope/Bing Crosby's movie-"Road to Morocco"(I must have been 9 months old!). I think that was one of their road movies. I remember the exoticness of the bazaars in the movie and of course the belly dancing ladies. As an adult I now still love its exotic air but on a more adult level, I sense the layers of the city and have the viewer looking through a veil, perhaps a burka at the history and secrets of the city.

"Ode to Chagall"

Today I am done painting an art chest entitled "Ode to Chagall". Marc Chagall is a famous russian painter. The chest is for an auction to raise money for the school programs in Sweetwater, Tennessee. It is always nerve racking to make something to be auctioned off as one is always aftraid that no one will bid on it. I happen to really like this piece. Not having painted in quite a while it was fun to do something as free as a piece inspired by a painter whose work is loose and imaginative. He uses such fun imagery! I think I will absolutely incorporate some umbrellas in my own work as well as his dream like visuals

It is funny how happy I am when I am creating something. No matter what it is, a quilt, a wall hanging, a painting, as long as I am designing and creating, my soul sings.

Well, I have to go varnish this piece and put on the hardware. Wish me luck that someone bids and it raises money for the kids and art.

Reflection

This piece is about being a woman and all the hats/roles that we juggle. Every once in a while we all stop and say to ourselves, "Who am I really?" "What defines me?". I don't know if there is ever a static answer. The words around the images reflect different phases of our lives such as prom, commitments, diapers, etc. The yellow vase on the lower left has an embryo in it as a woman contains within her the vessel of life.

This piece was really fun to create. It is made out of felted wool and the center image was basically made with beautifully dyed wool and felted as though it was a painting. I feel it has a folkloric feel to it and hopefully speaks to all of us.

"Where is the Balance?"

This is a quilt that is traveling with the "Town and Country" exhibit right now. I am not even sure where it is showing at the moment. It was created to express the tension between nature/earth and man's overpopulation and development of communities. The title of the piece is "Where is the Balance?" which I am always trying to find in my personal life in many ways. There are always options, choices, and paths to choose. And each choice always impacts our journey in this life. Some of my choices have been really good and some...well, not so great.

What am I doing?

I have no idea how to manipulate this site, but I am going to jump in, head or feet first and create my first posting, I guess the purpose of my site is to connect to others who are 'creators' so that we can share our angst and elation that we experience through the process of our work. My goal this week and probably throughout my life is to open up more time for my creative work and close the vortexes that are sucking up my energies, ie gardening, family, social commitments, etc. All of which I enjoy but delegate too much time to. Sound familiar?

I need to define the direction I am going to go in my work. I had been focusing primarily on a spiritual path of painting and I can't seem to leave the genre. My short term goal right now is to show up, work, and let the rest evolve. One of my many faults is to volunteer for what I perceive as a good cause and now I have a backlog of projects that must be finished in the next two weeks for others.

For me, I am working on two textile projects. One is in cotton and the other is using wool. Am not sure where they are going to lead me but following is interesting. I always feel that after one starts a project the art takes over and leads the artist to its completion.