novembergrass

Repetition

2012-01-30T19:42:00.000-05:00

I am repeating the design from the yellow curving strips in grey thread on a large yellow area of the cloth to make the yellow curves feel welcome. I believe this area needs to be much larger to help balance the piece, so I will continue.

A new twist

2012-01-28T10:04:00.000-05:00

This week's progress has a curving path that currently dominates the piece... now the task is to make it belong.

Fading light

2012-01-22T16:25:00.000-05:00

A bit of graphite on yellow cloth...

And more yellow cloth without graphite... mark making on cloth, mark making with stitch, mark making with cloth. The light is fading quickly with the weekend. At least I made some decisions about color... which is impossible on weeknights without daylight. Trying to tone down the colors.

...maybe I should stitch on the brown paper.

Not the change I had in mind...

2012-01-14T10:06:00.001-05:00

The first post of the year and it's the 14th of January... the obligations continue to stack up, and there just isn't time for much inspiration... clearly I am making excuses and complaining about my life... I guess everyone needs to vent now and then. I am claiming next weekend as mine right now.

Here's to change!

2011-12-31T10:11:00.000-05:00

With endings come new beginnings. With change comes growth. 2011 has been a wild ride for many throughout the world (including me). Perhaps 'the world as we know it' has ended and a new one has begun. Or maybe life is just one continuous flux.

I hope 2012 brings creative challenges and peaceful grace to all of you who visit. Sharing my work and life with you makes me feel as though I am a part of something larger than myself. Reading your comments and blogs inspires me. Thank you.

The image is from a French site and I think the image has to do with traffic fluctuations, which fits right in with my life. It inspires me.

Daily work

2011-12-26T11:25:00.002-05:00

I have new things to try that have been merely thoughts for the past month or so. As the holidays wind down and the long winter lies ahead, there is time to begin again, with a new rhythm of work and family and art... hopefully... most everyday.

At the moment, my inspiration and energy is waning and I am waiting to feel rested. So for now, I will stitch these circles and wait for the energy and the calm to go with the inspiration.

I can see the fatigue in my stitches... perhaps I just need some rest. Time for along winter's nap.

Thread takes a holiday

2011-12-24T08:04:00.000-05:00

Wishing you a calm and beautiful holiday!

A bit of fun for a busy season

2011-12-15T22:38:00.000-05:00

With so little time to stitch lately... a bit of pencil on painted cloth.

Gifts, thoughtful gifts

2011-12-05T20:38:00.001-05:00

This piece has become blue, still makes me think of clowns and frenzied children. But it doesn't matter... the cloth has served it's purpose, it's purpose of distraction, allowing my mind to wander... and new solutions have come to mind during the past couple of weeks. Solutions to 'finishing' some of the many pieces that I have completed over the past few years... presentation solutions. So this cloth has been a gift to me, it doesn't have to give anything else.

Too Bright

2011-11-27T11:29:00.000-05:00

I might over-dye this to tone it down. But I want to finish the current stitching first.

Thankful

2011-11-23T22:12:00.001-05:00

I am thankful for the abundance of the season. And I am thankful for the support and kindness of all of you who stop by to visit now and then. You inspire me. Happy Thanksgiving!

The need to stitch

2011-11-19T08:24:00.000-05:00

I have started another piece. I find that I have to have something to stitch everyday. I don't really have a direction yet with this piece. I don't even know if it will become a 'piece'. But the need to stitch is there everyday, so on I stitch.

Complete

2011-11-13T09:18:00.001-05:00

I believe this piece is finish, unless it becomes something else. The bottom two photos show this piece taped to the window with the sun shining through... sort of back and front at the same time... makes me want to stitch on something transparent like velum or organza.

Every stitch is part of the process... leading to the next stitch, thought, paint-stroke or process. Like a path, but not necessarily linear.

2011-11-11T07:27:00.001-05:00

A little cloth for this particular day. :-)

Paint-stitching continues

2011-10-29T10:06:00.000-04:00

I am still working on this piece when ever I can. The top photo is the latest section to be completed. The bottom one is the entire piece, about two-thirds done.

It snowed here Thursday night. And it is going to snow quite a bit more today and tonight. I am not ready for winter in October. Hopefully it will warm up a bit after this. I still have bulbs to plant.

Jenny

2011-10-24T21:19:00.000-04:00

This badly worn quilt was made by my great-grandmother Jenny. There were three of these quilts. Perhaps my sisters have the others, but I am not sure. It seems like it should be repaired, but, of course, I love the soft edges.

The quilt reminds me of her. Her house is only about a block away from me now, though I didn't grow up in this town that I live in. Her house always smelled like ginger bread. She had the most amazing African Violets in the window in her 'front room'. Christmas always meant mittens wrapped in tissue paper. She had a huge garden with flowers and vegetables. She worked at home sewing gloves for the local glove shops. But she also made quilts like this one from clothes that were worn out or used up, depression era thrift. And of course the mittens. She even caned chairs. She was certainly an inspiration to me when I was young. I would get so excited going to her house, I would get hiccups, to which her remedy was sugar water. She lived 100 years, gone now for quite some time.

The quilt also reminds me of my father. I have an image in my mind, from a photograph, of this quilt on my bed, when I was 4 or 5, and he is reading a book to me, putting me to bed. He's also been gone for quite some time. But that's ok. I guess I like the way this quilt reminds me that time marches on, but people continue in threads of memories.

Colors of the season

2011-10-23T19:02:00.000-04:00

The last of the brilliant colors of the season. Soon it will be dull and drab. It seems to make it all that much more intense knowing that it is a brief burst of color. Of course, I enjoy the dull and drab too.

The days are getting shorter and I am having trouble keeping up with everything. Tried to get some outdoor things done this weekend... cut down the perennials but didn't get the bulbs planted for next spring. The basement windows got much needed reglazing but still need repainting. Hopefully next weekend will cooperate in allowing me to finish these things.

About halfway

2011-10-13T20:59:00.000-04:00

No words, just stitches.

The joys of the season

2011-10-08T15:25:00.000-04:00

Farmers' market fresh on this beautiful Columbus Day (Thanksgiving for those in Canada) weekend. Next week will be the last week for our local farmers' market and I will miss it. Last week there were eggplants and squash and the week before were the last of the summer green beans. And the very last of the summer tomatoes. This week we'll be having leek soup, fennel salad, and carrots in a shepherds pie. Cooking is good for the soul this time of year.

I must be crazy...

2011-10-03T20:55:00.000-04:00

So much stitching, so little free time. I know I said I wasn't going to do another stitch intensive piece again right away but I am enjoying it... meditation stitching, downtime, easy and relaxing, when I have time.

Letting go and moving forward

2011-09-29T21:25:00.000-04:00

Sometimes letting go of what you have can be the hardest part of moving forward. I think my hesitation and doubts with this piece have come from liking what I had and not being quite ready to let go and let it become something else. But I have continued... and it is becoming something else.

If only life were as easy. Sometimes trying is all you can do.

Transparent obliteration

2011-09-25T19:09:00.000-04:00

First I tried white thread with straight lines, but I didn't like it and took it out. It was somewhat shiny and attracted my eye. Now I am trying grey stitching in curvy lines. Trying to 'transparently' obliterate the 'less important areas' so that the encircled areas stand out more. But I think the stitching creates too much pattern and competes with the area that I want to stand out. But I like it from farther away... where the pattern is less dominate. So I continue anyway seeing where it leads. Sometimes trying is all you can do.

Doubts

2011-09-22T20:08:00.001-04:00

I have been having doubts the past few days. Not self-doubts, but doubts about some things in my life and my stitching. Maybe I am just changing my mind, making choices... traveling down another road... I have been traveling down a lot of different roads... I guess I am a little frustrated with the traveling right now, but hopefully it will get better with time. Stitching will just have to happen at a slower pace. Adjusting.

Pink in 3D

2011-09-18T17:27:00.001-04:00

The pink piece just seems to have a life of it's own now. It's only pinned thus far, but it may be the right thing.

Chaos

2011-09-17T09:04:00.000-04:00

I did not expect to stitch on this piece right away. It is the cloth that I 'paint stitched' recently. I thought that I would use it later combined with other cloth, maybe in small amounts. But... it was in need of stitching this week. It reflects the chaotic feeling that I have right now. And yet, stitching is a calming, yet energizing action for me.

Becoming something new

2011-09-12T21:33:00.000-04:00

Inspired by a photo by Roseanne Visser on a post by Arlee Barr...

...have a great week.

Quiet

2011-09-11T15:42:00.000-04:00

Completed the surface stitching today for the most part.

Quiet day with quiet thoughts, reflecting on the world we live in and the many faces of humanity.

A little stitching

2011-09-10T09:15:00.003-04:00

I managed to stitch a little bit this week. I hope to wrap this piece up this weekend and hopefully start something new.

I am adjusting to my new job... and my new longer commute.

Last section of circles

2011-09-04T09:26:00.002-04:00

I finished this last section of circles, photographed here in the fading light of an early September evening. There is more to do on this piece. It needs something unexpected, and I have a couple of areas that still need a bit of work...

And yesterday's spontaneous paint-stitching probably won't become anything, anytime soon... but it was wonderful to just let everything go for a little while.

Shaking things up

2011-09-03T16:30:00.000-04:00

I have been making circle stitches for too long and I needed a break... this came to mind, so I gave it a try. The cloth is wet and the thread is coated in wet acrylic paint. Kept it spontaneous... not much thinking about where the next stitch would land or how big.

Rain

2011-08-30T08:37:00.002-04:00

I finished this straight stitch section... like rain over the paint swirls. My thoughts are with all those who are still suffering from Irene's effects.

Each section has taken about a week of working on it when I can. Six weeks... six sections, by the time I finish the last section at the end of this week. Once I am back to work next week, a project this stitch intensive will take about a year. I don't know if I will be able to do another one for a while. Hopefully I will have time to work on something less stitch intensive.

Changes

2011-08-24T07:53:00.000-04:00

A third section of little circles is complete on this piece. The circle stitches look a little more rough than my earlier stitching, almost like they are breaking apart. The summer light has become more crisp, blue and cool, changing the way the colors look. I am ok with change.

Adventure

2011-08-21T08:51:00.001-04:00

Did a bit of traveling this week around Vermont and Massachusetts. This Bactrian Camel was unexpected in northern Vermont, on a farm, along side the road. We also visited the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, Massachusetts, which was very inspiring. The possibilities of paint, collage, illustration and story. The Boston Aquarium Jellyfish were also amazing and inspiring. I have many ideas floating around in my head.

We also saw some of the devastation from the tornadoes that ripped apart parts of western Massachusetts in June. Thousands of trees, ripped in half. Such a sad sight. A reminder of the power of nature.

I have also been offered a job and will begin in just a couple of weeks. For the most part, I have enjoyed the time I have been at home, stitching, searching for work, waiting... soon it will be time for a new adventure.

Another section

2011-08-15T13:12:00.000-04:00

Time passes.

Dreaming of flying

2011-08-14T08:38:00.001-04:00

Well, maybe.

Meditations

2011-08-13T10:02:00.000-04:00

The stitching continues. The thoughts are not new, but perhaps worth thinking on again in light of this particular piece.

Post two-hundred

2011-08-10T08:31:00.000-04:00

Some lines that create a contrast to the circles.

And this is post two-hundred for me. Never thought this would last.

Long stripes

2011-08-09T08:07:00.000-04:00

Very long stripes...

Stripes

2011-08-07T11:06:00.000-04:00

Some stripes to change things up and introduce more color.

One section

2011-08-05T08:25:00.000-04:00

A wedding

2011-07-31T13:11:00.000-04:00

A beautiful day in Vermont for a beautiful wedding. A truly memorable moment in time.

Perhaps pink

2011-07-29T10:30:00.000-04:00

And more geometry as well. This will probably be another piece to keep my hands busy... while waiting, worrying, and meditating. Plus, it will be a good test to see if larger areas of stitch covered surface will please me. This measures a little more than 21 x 22 inches.

Where it's at

2011-07-27T10:10:00.000-04:00

This is where I am with this. I am feeling a need for a focal point or some way to make the composition come together... not there yet. I don't want it to be an all over 'pattern'. I haven't decided whether I should add a third element or what that third element might be... stitching, rag, paint. I guess more thinking on this will have to happen. (And that one piece of rag in the middle that is almost vertical is bothering me. It makes the four paint circles to the right line up.) Taking photos and studying them helps me focus on composition. Sometimes the textures and details in the actual piece distract me from the overall effect. (Forest from the trees). It's kind of like squinting or looking at them from across the room.

Children

2011-07-26T10:10:00.001-04:00

As I complete each section I want to make each section a large piece. But how would that change them? Is it their smallness and my desire to make them larger the thing that makes them special to me? Will they loose something when they are no longer small?

Other thoughts: The children desire to grow up, but will they be happy when they do... well do children desire to grow up or does it just happen without their desire? Is it really the parents desire for children to grow up? Sometimes we want them to stay small for a long time.

Creating art is like raising children... in so many ways.

Still marking time

2011-07-23T10:18:00.000-04:00

This piece has become a record of the summer so far, marking moments and hours of time in stitch.

Some circles

2011-07-19T19:59:00.001-04:00

Continuing on with this other piece, adding a small test piece from the other piece that I am currently working on. Also adding another large stitched section.

My feminine side

2011-07-13T09:01:00.003-04:00

I have to say this makes me a little uncomfortable, this very feminine, somewhat sentimental look. I will have to see where the path goes.

Updated: the more I look at this, the more I am ok with it, no longer uncomfortable. It's not really that sentimental, just feminine and that's ok with me. I guess I needed a little time to adjust to it.

Choosing a direction

2011-07-11T20:54:00.000-04:00

Today, I played around with some possibilities.

Relationships

2011-07-10T22:33:00.000-04:00

Looking at these two pieces together, it seems that they are completely unrelated, perhaps made by two different people at different times. But I feel the relationship.

This past week, I went through all the pieces that I have completed, or mostly completed and washed them, thinking that they might 'yellow' down the road. Looking at them, all together, I can see similarities in some, relationships in color or stitch, and a progression or at least change over time. It was a moment to reflect on four plus years of work, satisfaction, occasional frustration, and personal inspiration.

The most important 'thing' for me in looking at these pieces together is that I can see myself in them. A person that I thought was lost over the years, while working and raising a family and all that other stuff... she is still there.

A little stitching

2011-07-07T20:01:00.000-04:00

A little bit of stitching on the painted cloth. Sort of soft and floating... a reflection of my current state of mind.

Painting cloth

2011-07-04T10:18:00.000-04:00

A little cloth painting happening here.

Marking time with stitches

2011-06-29T19:53:00.000-04:00

It's been a rough week or so... my computer died. I have a new one now, but I have lost most of my files and applications. Thank goodness for this blog and what is saved here. Of course, I almost lost that before, too. All this has me feeling a little unsettled and sad. I have been stitching while waiting for things to get better. I guess I haven't lost anything that can't be replaced eventually.

Bright on white

2011-06-20T10:15:00.001-04:00

Beginning again... everyday is a new beginning lately. This is one of my favorite color combinations... bright fresh colors and bright white. And more stripes, I am liking the simple geometry of stripes and rectangles.

Calm

2011-06-16T11:38:00.000-04:00

This repetitive stitching has helped relieve some of the anxiety that I have been feeling lately. I am not sure what will happen next for this piece. Thinking and time will reveal it, I am sure.

Stripes continue

2011-06-13T20:38:00.000-04:00

After a few days off because of sore fingers, the stripes continue.

Some stripes

2011-06-08T21:30:00.000-04:00

Inspired by Sophie Munns' recent post.

More backs

2011-06-05T08:41:00.000-04:00

The back of this piece has a certain energy that is missing from the front.

Been stitching

2011-06-04T18:30:00.000-04:00

...a little. Tiny, controlled stitches.

More meditation stitching

2011-06-03T21:33:00.000-04:00

another beginning

2011-05-30T08:23:00.001-04:00

Warm weather has arrived. Time for outdoor stitching.

Ideas from the back

2011-05-29T08:13:00.000-04:00

Tiny stitches on the back of the piece I have been working on... must try this on the front of something.

Bountiful Forget-me-nots

2011-05-27T21:48:00.000-04:00

for Memorial Day... have a safe holiday.

More stitching meditation

2011-05-25T20:36:00.000-04:00

Textiles are comfort and hope

2011-05-24T22:48:00.002-04:00

Bill Waugh / Reuters

Over and over, when disaster strikes, times are tough, pain is shared... textiles are there to comfort, warm, inspire. A blanket wrapped around shoulders that have just lost everything, a flag hung to remind people of who they are and where they've been... a piece of cloth can mean so much, give us something to hold on to.

Waiting for inspiration

2011-05-22T11:00:00.000-04:00

While I was cleaning up from winter, I found these dead branches and I thought they were interesting. I have not really been doing much creating, guess I am waiting for inspiration.

Springtime baking ritual

2011-05-15T08:24:00.001-04:00

The Rhubarb is ready, so I made some Rhubarb Bread that I make most every spring and summer. It's not too sweet, and not too much rhubarb. Spring comfort food, going quick. Thought I would share my recipe for any one who might be interested.

Rhubarb Bread
Dry ingredients: 2 cups flour, 3/4 cups sugar, 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Wet ingredients: 1 cup of milk, 1 teaspoon lemon juice or white vinegar to sour the milk, 2 tablespoons canola oil, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1 egg.

Chop 1 cup rhubarb, discarding leaves and upper portion of stalks, and add 1/4 cup of the sugar, then set aside. Mix wet ingredients into the dry ingredients just until moist, then fold in sweetened rhubarb. Bake in a prepared loaf pan at 350°F for 50 minutes or until knife comes out clean.

If I were a painter

2011-05-14T23:15:00.000-04:00

The tulips I planted in November have such a wonderful color. I have been trying to capture it with my camera all week. I have 'watercolorized' one of the pics in photoshop. If only I were a painter that painted flowers... The picture below almost captures the purple to pinks that blend with the oranges and apricots. I guess I will have to paint some cloth to attempt to capture this color.

Without intention

2011-05-10T22:50:00.000-04:00

A bit of stitching without intent or purpose beyond the stitching itself. Like doodling... or stitching meditation.

Taking shape

2011-05-06T21:32:00.001-04:00

Not easy to photograph, but it is coming along. It is interesting to hold and turn. I wonder how I can make that aspect a part of it. I have left behind most of the concepts that I mentioned originally. It has taken it's own path.

Changing focus

2011-05-05T22:32:00.000-04:00

Everyday I try to focus on today and the tasks at hand, but the future and the past are always there to shift the focus, keep me off balance. I am feeling unsettled. Letting go of the past, making life changes are the hardest part of life for me. I am trying to be open for whatever comes next, but the temptation to hold on to the past that has slipped through my fingers is very strong. I know that change is good, but that doesn't make it any easier. I feel like I am jumping through the air, not knowing where or when I am going to land. I know that relaxing a bit will help the landing... and help me to enjoy the ride. I've never been at ease in the air.

Practical

2011-04-30T09:04:00.000-04:00

The recent holiday has me thinking practical. I think I would like to make some cloth napkins to compliment the dishes that I use on the holidays. The cloth napkins that I have are warm in color and my dishes are not. Of course, that is another project and I have quite a few. Getting ahead of myself. This project will have to be saved for later.

Wrapped up, sort of

2011-04-28T20:17:00.000-04:00

Today was a day of spring cleaning, but I did manage to snap a pic of the progress I made on this yesterday. I went with wrapping, because it is made from branches that I bent last year... can't really remove bark once the branches are dry, easier when they are green. I have painted some of the others, so I wanted to do something else. Also, I think this will make it easier to stitch fabric to it... something to stitch into.

Pods

2011-04-26T22:01:00.002-04:00

Some rambling thoughts: thinking about pods made from bent branches... center trunk removed, except where the branches attach, side branches bent up and in, to create a pod, perhaps bark removed, bottom of center trunk cut flat to create a smooth flat bottom or a round bottom. Sanded. Piece could lay on its side or more upright. Cloth, opaque and transparent, netting too, sewn to outside, not completely closing the pod. Maybe some inside coziness created by stuffing stockings, white stocking with stuffing and sewing it into shapes, bumpy shapes. Maybe some crisscrossing threads across parts of the inside in red (or white). The wood could be stained with transparent white stain or with a deep stain or more natural. Start with green branches like before. Make them small, but also make a really large one. Calm, peaceful, safe, cozy. Not too busy. (Could knit a sock to go over outside.)

Sometimes notes are better than sketches for me. Actually, my sketches usually are covered with notes anyway. So the above is the 'action' I took today on these thoughts. I know I have a few incomplete projects, but sometimes you have to take action on inspiration and see where it goes. I guess this is an answer to yesterdays post about two sides of cloth and seeing through cloth.

Both sides and through

2011-04-25T21:06:00.001-04:00

Could a cloth have two sides like a quilt, but without any fill or batting or cloth fill in-between, without being a quilt? Jude Hill's beautiful lace wing has got me thinking. Is it practical for both sides to matter equally? Or would there be an 'A' side and a 'B' side? Should it be one layer of cloth or two... or more? Not too many, of course. I like the idea of transparency in cloth, seeing through part of it. Of course, the messy backs are interesting too.... so many possibilities.

I've looked at life from both sides now,
from win and lose, and still somehow
it's life's illusions I recall.
I really don't know life at all.
-Joni Mitchell

And happy Easter too, a little bit late.

2011-04-25T13:48:00.000-04:00

A gift from my grandmother, a looong time ago.

Happy Earth Day

2011-04-22T20:39:00.000-04:00

Solutions

2011-04-21T09:46:00.000-04:00

I finally bought some canvas stretchers to try with one of my stitched pieces. It's okay for this one, but I don't know if it is the solution I am looking for.

I tried tacking a couple to the wall, which is temporary.

And this one I used a twig, which works well enough for this one.

Spring unfolding

2011-04-15T09:25:00.001-04:00

I planted a bunch of tulips last fall... late fall... November. Now they are peaking up through the soil and gracefully unfolding with the promise of flowers. I love the pink edge on the green leaves.

Soft edges

2011-04-07T22:44:00.000-04:00

I have added some soft, fuzzy strips of cloth, woven through the plastic netting. I love the soft edges of torn cloth... not sure it belongs here or that it will stay... but I had to give it a try.

Dimensional

2011-04-05T20:01:00.000-04:00

I added a bit of dimension to emphasize the soft cloth in contrast with the red plastic netting.

Intense color and soft cloth

2011-04-02T18:01:00.000-04:00

The red plastic netting is not soft but intensely colorful. If you ever happen to work with it, keep in mind that ironing melts it and makes it shrink and somewhat brittle. I consider taking risks like that part of the process... allows what's going to happen and become... do just that. Mistakes can be important. It has become an interesting contrast to the soft white cloth.

Frankenberry

2011-03-29T06:50:00.000-04:00

I don't think I've ever seen 3 or 4 strawberries that have grown together like this before. Amazing.

Where you end up

2011-03-28T08:39:00.000-04:00

I started in one place and ended up in a completely unexpected place. For a couple of days, I had been thinking about using the red plastic netting that was an orange sack to create a new stitched piece. I really did not know how it would go, but this is where I am with it.

Hope

2011-03-27T08:47:00.001-04:00

Spring cometh. The snow drops speak. Victory over winter once again.

Bad news, good news

2011-03-26T08:28:00.001-04:00

First the bad news... last week, I lost my job. Can't find it anywhere. If you've seen it, let me know. Just kidding. It was a graphic design job that I had for almost 20 years. I have been working hard all week putting together my resume and the beginnings of my portfolio, writing the dreaded cover letters, searching for jobs online, applying for jobs etc. Keeping busy is helping me to stay focused and not fall apart.

The good news would be is that I have a little more time for stitching and blogging. But I have also created a new blog, to help me keep my design skills sharp as I search for work.

Well, I have worked hard all week, so today I am going to Vermont, to visit my daughter at school.

Sunshine

2011-03-24T10:11:00.001-04:00

The sunshine has returned today, but not the warmth. I am impatient for spring. Still working on this colorful path piece, though it may be finished.

Details

2011-03-15T21:42:00.000-04:00

Here are a few detail pics of the swirling cloth piece that I have been working on. My emotions have been chaotic lately. The process of trying to create some control of this chaotic cloth with stitches is similar to how I feel everyday, trying to rein in my emotions, turn them into something positive, without flattening them. It is challenging (in a good way.)

Continuing

2011-03-12T10:56:00.001-05:00

The earth is a mighty beast sometimes. Hope for all those effected in Japan.

Dimension

2011-02-28T20:10:00.001-05:00

Spontaneous

2011-02-26T22:42:00.000-05:00

I took apart the flag from a couple weeks ago and put this together from the pieces.

Point of view

2011-02-23T20:03:00.000-05:00

I was talking to my younger daughter about abstract art recently. She is 15 and she is passionate about drawing and sculpting people and 'creatures'. With abstract art, she looks for what she can 'see' within it that she can relate to... people, creatures and more. I was trying to explain how paintings, particularly abstract paintings can be about other things, things like paint, color, composition, movement. (She was bored.) I guess I tend to be inspired more by medium and materials than other things. This got me to thinking about how everyone 'sees' from their point of view, from their point in their lives. How obvious and yet I had not thought about it quite that way before or at least not recently. So not only is every piece of art unique, each person experiences each unique piece in their own unique way, from their own perspective. And they may experience it in a different way, many times, over time.

Other thoughts I had from this were that it would be fun to stitch fabric to a fabric base in a swirling, moving, colorful, smoosh like thick, liquid paint. I hope to have time tonight to give this try. Of course, cloth is not paint... just have to see what happens. Above is my photoshop rendition of the concept.

More meandering

2011-02-21T09:56:00.000-05:00

Friday was spring, today it is winter. So goes February.

Inversion

2011-02-15T19:25:00.000-05:00

On my drive home from work today I was thinking, imagining how white houses could look like negative space in the summer landscape. White shapes on a colorful background. And how that could be interpreted in cloth. Yes, the bright sunshine today has me thinking summer already. Yesterday I thought about how groups of bare trees in the winter look like dark coarsely woven cloth against the snow, branches and trunks become warp and weft. Both of these ideas got me thinking about contrast and inverting light and dark. So I have done a little photoshop inversion just for fun.

Today I also saw this... a wonderful way to display cloth. This makes me think again about the bent sapling pieces from last summer and the possibilities.

I am also loving these pieces by Nava Lubelski.

Sweetness

2011-02-14T18:54:00.000-05:00

Hope your Valentine's Day is sweet.

Colorful path

2011-02-10T19:40:00.000-05:00

Windy night

2011-02-02T22:19:00.000-05:00

a snow day sketch

2011-02-02T13:38:00.000-05:00

perhaps a 'flag' for hope

graceful curve

2011-02-01T19:42:00.000-05:00

This is the other 'green sapling' bent sculpture that I painted the other day. It sits on top of a soft green cloth from a couple of weeks ago. I like this one better without cloth stitched on it, the lines and curves are graceful and I don't want to interrupt them.

Continuing

2011-01-31T19:31:00.000-05:00

I have been working slowly on this piece during my free time. At this point, I prefer the orange basting stitches to the other stitching. I'm not sure what that means. I guess I am still undecided on this. Sometimes you know right away what you want to do with something. Other times you just wander in circles, waiting for something to happen. This has been a month of doubts.

Cloth and structure

2011-01-30T21:11:00.000-05:00

Spent some time on a different path today. I made some 'frames' in the summer when green branches and saplings were available and set them aside. I painted a couple of them today and then stitched some cloth on this one.