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Archive for the ‘This and that’ Category

Ugh

Tuesday, November 9th, 2010

This is how I felt today. Not sure if I am getting a cold or have sinus issues. I also think that I am having sleep problems due to the time change. I just could not get moving. I had some veggies that I needed to cook so I dragged myself to the store to get some other ingredients to make a big pot of soup.

Tonight was the arts commission meeting at Trinity and I have missed the last two so I wanted to go. Fortunately, the soup revived me. I am glad that I made the effort. Our current chair is retiring and we have no one to replace her at the present time so we are going to try to keep things going as a committee.

While I was lolling on the sofa with my herbal tea, I was trying to keep up with the conversations happening on two of the lists that I subscribe to  — Quilt Art and SAQA. On Quilt Art, they were discussing what to call ourselves – fiber artists, textile artists, quilt artists. I don’t think it matters much what you call yourself or your work. I think you need to love what you do. Do it the best you can. Keep learning and growing. And occasionally throw it out in the world and see what others think about it.

On SAQA, the conversation was very heady. There were words like derivitive and context thrown around. The usual suspects were weighing in with their very educated and erudite opinions. I sometimes feel so outside the circle. That doesn’t really bother me. I just feel as if I am eavesdropping on conversations that I can never be part of.

What I know is that I love what I do and I keep working at it and sometimes it is worth throwing out there. Perhaps, tomorrow, I will get back to work.

Need Some Me Time

Monday, November 8th, 2010

I have worked most of the last 4 or 5 days  on SDA website and bulk mailing issues. I had the joy of teaching the dyeing class on Saturday morning and last night we went to Vespers and Remembrance at Trinity. The choir performed  the Requiem by Maurice Duruflé. It was beautiful and a very touching service.

This morning, early, I had a conference call to discuss the bulk mailing system for the new SDA website and then, I was off to the Guild Board meeting. I am on the board for one more year as past president. This afternoon and evening, I finished some database work for the website.

Anyway, I am feeling antsy to make some new art. I have future deadlines and lots of ideas. I think I need to make a plan so that I can get every thing done. The deadlines come fast and furious after the first of the year.

Tonight, I went to my studio and warmed up by making the simple wonky square in a wonky square fiber sketch.

Good Things

Tuesday, October 5th, 2010

I am really pleased with the discharge tests that I did today on two hand-dyed black fabrics. On the left are the pieces discharged with thiox. On the right, I discharged with chlorine. I am so excited because the color on the far right is exactly what I am looking for in the piece I have in mind. The two pieces on the left in each case are a cotton sateen dyed with Dharma’s Jet Black. You can see that they are a darker black. The pieces on the right were dyed by me using Prochem’s Cotton Black 602 A which has a very blueish tint.

I now have an author profile on Amazon. You can see it here. What a hoot! You can also get my blog delivered to your Kindle for a $1.99. That is an even bigger hoot!!

I bit the bullet and entered Allegro into the SAQA Beyond Comfort exhibit. I am number 55 so quite a few people have already uploaded images. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. This is my first time to enter a SAQA show.

We got our plane tickets today for our trip to Japan next year. We are leaving on March 19th and will be there for two weeks. I am so excited. Something really big to look forward to. I have wanted to make this trip for so long. There is still room in the tour. Here is a link: Saber Japan Tours. Jerry Saber, like my husband, worked for GE, and lived in Japan.  His wife is a textile artist.

I also sent two quilts off to Chandler, AZ for the Art Quilts XV Needleplay.

Here is my Fiber Sketch for today. It is a composition on a monoprinted background.

Just One of Those Days

Thursday, September 23rd, 2010

This is the extent of my studio work — another composition from my screen printed fabrics, called Cityscape.

Today, I planned a lot of time in the kitchen using the fruit I bought at the farmer’s market, yesterday. My dang nose had other plans. I am back on cortisone nose spray and the heat is on because it has been cold so my nasal passages are very dry. This morning, I blew my nose and a fountain of blood poured forth for what seemed forever. I finally collected myself and got on with the day, but I was not happy with the situation.

I did manage to make a batch of peach freezer jam, a batch of plum chutney which we had with grilled pork tonight (yummilicious) and I roasted copious numbers of cherry tomatoes to use for pasta and pizza. I will have a lot more tomatoes by the week-end.

I finished the cooking just in time to get cleaned up and head to the eye doctor. I have had some blurriness which he says is the start of cataracts. I knew that was coming sooner or later. Not bad enough to deal with, yet. I have to go in for a field of vision test, whatever that is!!

Good news! My Entwined Roots in the SAQA auction sold today so I don’t have to worry about that. It is a fun thing to do, but you don’t want to have it sitting there with no one buying.

I have been asked to be a last minute substitute for a panel discussion at the SAQA show at the NW Quilt Expo. It is about Finding Your Artistic Voice. Terry Grant was already scheduled plus one other member from Portland. I think it will be fun.

Getting Better

Thursday, September 16th, 2010

I felt enough better today to get out of my jammies, put on makeup, and get out of the house. First, I went to get my quarterly blood work done. All the test results were fantastically good. After breakfast, I took the Aspen quilt to the quilt shop in Lake Oswego. I think I was the last person to turn mine in.

I lost a day. I thought it was Farmer’s Market day, but no, that was yesterday! So, I went to our local organic grocery and did my shopping. I bought some figs which we grilled and stuffed with Gorgonzola for dinner. They were sooo good. I also took a half hour walk with Scooter and Mr C this morning and a very short walk this afternoon because it started raining.

This postcard came today. It is for Susan Lenz’s Decisions show. Look, there I am again. She said, she does not know why, but I ended up in all the advertising, even the banner that hangs outside the art center.

I received good news today. I have two pieces accepted into Art Quilts XV: Needleplay, which will be installed at the Chandler Center for the Arts and Vision Gallery. They have added additional space this year, I think, so the show seems larger. You can see the list of artists, here. These are my pieces that were accepted: Scorched Earth and Sunset Composition.

Hopefully, tomorrow, I will feel even better.