Years of Experience

Years of experience have taught me that opportunities come from where you least expect them, and they come when you are not expecting them.  Paying it forward and karma are never lateral actions, the good you do does come back, but never in the way you expect.

Take, for example, the massive show prep I put out over the last month.  I was hoping for, expecting, intending, a great show, to sell the wonderful work I’ve been creating.  To touch people and speak to them through my art.

Well, I did get the speak to people part.  But I only sold one piece, and that was to another artist at the event.

I came home disappointed, sad, and yes, a little crushed.  I indulged in a little pajama-moping time, and let myself take a few minutes from the constant go-go-go of creating work and marketing work and breathing work.

And I remembered the many times I’d gotten the rejection letter from Quilt National, and how those same pieces of work had gone on to other shows, winning multiple awards in several cases.  How not getting jobs had worked out to free me to visit family, or to be available for other opportunities which were even better.

I didn’t do the usual beating myself up over prices, because no one even looked at the prices, so that couldn’t have been it.  I told myself I made some great connections with local women artists who I’ve vaguely known over the years, and got to know them a little better.  Connection is always good.  I read the new Mercy Thompson novel.

I took Friday and Saturday, and then I posted the work to my Etsy shop. I kept moving, and I fully expect something better to come along.

Here are some pictures of some of the work I posted:

 

 

I will let you know when that something better comes along.  Until then, I leave you with this:

Thoughtful Thoughts, Thinking

Because of that wonderful line in "Help" something along the lines of "I am a good shot, shooting" :) Who doesn't love the line of form fitted pants under a full tunic? (I also loved Emma Peel and Julie Newmar's Catwoman, what can I say?)

We are in the in between again, that odd place that some call "falling through the cracks" but is more like a place where time, while not standing still, gives us a little breather from being what the world considers "normal". I have signed on for Eric Maisel's month-long "productive obsession" group, and have set myself a goal of getting into the studio from 1-4 M-F in order to produce the big pieces that look so good in the museum settings. I have managed to get upstairs every day so far, not for the full three hours yet, life and allergy induced headache/lethargy got in the way.

Focusing on the work enables me to put aside the constant anxiety about the job situations, as when every time I was pregnant I had this odd sense of being safe/protected/free of all responsiblity except growing the new life we had made. Not really realistic, but the relaxation of letting go of the stress enabled me to be more productive and efficient in my life because it didn't matter as much. I had, as they say "bigger fish to fry".

Last night we went to see the poet/author Kim Addonizio give a lecture/reading on campus. She talked about mining already existing stories and myths for source material, about writing about the characters on the edge of well known stories, such as the current trend toward books about people like Jo's father in the new book "March" and of course Gregory McGuire's series of revisited fairy tales and stories. I had an epiphany about a story that's been percolating in my head about characters from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, that it doesn't have to be a novel, it can be a poem, and I am excited about playing with the idea again.

Words have been begging to come out, while I am sewing my head is filled with words: Frida telling me about blog posts we can write, ways to maybe help other people find good even in the middle of this economy, thoughts about the creative process that are "profound" and "thoughtful" and "mature" and all those things that all those "other" bloggers manage to write, but which stop just at the end of my fingertips when I sit down to actually write them, even though I know they are in there. (I am seriously considering a recorder to use while I am sewing, because this is maddening).

And I close with this, a sort of prose poem/morning page/free write that I made this morning, describing my trip home earlier this week in this place of magic and wonder:

"Green grass on the hills short and fuzzy like down on a baby duck. The mists surround the hills, bringing the sky to the ground once more. The words itch, they burn, they beg to come out and play, to do the somersaults and cartwheels I could not do. I hear the wet whoosh of the wheels as they slice through the water as we speed along through this landscape where gods used to walk. Today no gods, just me, in a turquoise Tempo."

Volume Four

I have been doing plain drawings with a black BIC crystal stick pen in one of my sketchbooks and I decided to take it out of the book and onto the wall.


Full bunny so far, Setacolour paints and machine embroidery on cotton twill PFD.

Detail of mushrooms and holes.


Detail of bunny eyes and cloud.

Once the machine embroidery is complete, I plan to put him on a quilt sandwich and bead him. Then, who knows? I'll keep you updated!

Skully Stella and Friend

While preparing stuff to take to Wholly Craft tomorrow, I came across this unfinished giraffe mini quilt, which was crying out to be finished. So after I found the proper machine threads, I embroidered him right up. I am unsure whether he is a stand alone or a part of a multiple component piece (after the dream I had last night I think I have an idea...)

And then I made Skully Stella, friend to Skully Stan, also machine embroidery. Both pieces are on my own hand-dyed twill (ie twill I dyed myself, not purchased myself). What is the proper terminology for that? Artist dyed cloth?

Details of each image are at my flickr.

Midweek Update

Farmer's market bounty of the day, yum!


Skully Stan, part of a new mini run of plush. Or run of mini plush, I suppose! :)

It has been hot here, like pretty much everywhere else. Hard to believe this time last month we were running around in sweats because it was so chilly in the morning. I haven't beaded anything since last month's bead journal page, but here's a taste of what's happening in my corner of the world.

Today we went to the farmer's market and I was pleased to see it nearly as well stocked as it is on the weekend. I managed to get several types of peppers (fajitas anyone?) and a mess of tomatoes that will be sauce for tvp joe and pizza, as well as some wonderful peaches and blackberries. I passed on the green beans this week because I used all my maple syrup making carob brownies earlier this week and we won't get to Trader Joe's until next week (I have a great recipe for mustard maple syrup green beans).

We didn't get into Craftin Outlaws, not sure where we are on the wait list, but I decided to mess around with some smaller plush anyway. So I present Skully Stanley. And a trip to Knitter's Mercantile over the weekend yielded a luscious Himalaya Yarn wool/silk that is begging to be made into the tiger purse I began planning back in June. Watch this site for further updates as the work progresses!

My Hometown

Athens is a small town, as small towns go, but it is also a college small town, which means not only that when the students leave on break, half the area population goes with them, but that we do have the occasional funk, such as the alley that this restaurant is down:

Decorated with belly dancing women and painted patterns, even on the air conditioners.

And isn't the entry just too cool for words?
There are a few more details at my flickr, but this gives you the gist of it. More later.