Call / respond week 21

Spring is nature's way of saying "Let's party." --Robin Williams Trio of Dancers was joyously created several springs ago from remains of three other projects: the pieced background, the triangle screen print, the three-dancer design. Context, pattern, and design. Sounds like an art party to me. About Call / Response: Quote-a-day calendars infuse my day … Continue reading Call / respond week 21

Call / Response Week 7

One of the marks of a gift is to have the courage of it. Katherine Anne Porter Heart's Desire began as fun, putting together tumbler patches in a neutral colorway. After I had layered it with batting and backing and quilted through the layers, I added tucks to the bottom of the hanging. The copper … Continue reading Call / Response Week 7

Call / Respond Week 6

A schedule defends from chaos and whim. It is a net for catching days. It is a scaffolding on which a worker can stand and labor with both hands at sections of time. —Annie Dill Dance at Midnight is an early work, completed long before I found this quote. I chose it as an illustration … Continue reading Call / Respond Week 6

Wes and Will: More Good Questions

On good weather school days, my father Wes often managed to be in the farmyard when the school bus pulled in to drop off the three of us kids. We enjoyed seeing him there. But as we made our way off the bus, we prepared for the certainty of him asking, “What did you learn … Continue reading Wes and Will: More Good Questions

Woven Cross

An unexpected aspect of online worship is the opportunity to have a close up view of altar and pulpit furnishings. My pew partner Joan recently wrote me, asking that I expound on the woven cross she saw closely on Zoom Easter worship. I created this white frontal for our congregation, Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church in … Continue reading Woven Cross

Practice and Left Overs

Creating requires practice and it produces left overs.  We are a studio mindful of good economy and careful stewardship.  Practice prints of trees for a chasuble are reserved for other secular art work.  Paint and dye techniques practiced on silk dyes reappear on clergy stoles and women's apparel. I learned the lessons of practice and … Continue reading Practice and Left Overs

Joy of Making: Knots

Custom work filled many summer days at the studio this year.  Completed projects are now delivered. Before I completely shift into next season's work, my hands and mind are revisiting techniques and tools: a bit like a family reunion. Grandma Alice showed me how to tie quilts when I was a teenager.  My fingers readily … Continue reading Joy of Making: Knots

Who Encourages Whom

One of my best creative companions is my husband Ned.  He understands the studio schedule.  He totes things here and there. He asks the piercing questions, such as "Is this the best use of your time?"  His help and perspective keep art flowing from the studio. When Ned retired several years ago, he began art classes … Continue reading Who Encourages Whom

Create A Space For Creating

My fabric career spans decades, serving clients from Hawaii to Puerto Rico.  I have worked on the dining table, in a spacious bedroom, down in the basement, and from the kitchen counter. Soon I will practice in a studio made just for me!  Originally a two-part wooden door opened to the work bench / potting shed of … Continue reading Create A Space For Creating

Hone: Knowing And Maintaining A Tool

I use different scissors for different tasks in the studio just as I use a variety of knives in the kitchen. Practice informs me which tool works best for a particular task.  Experimentation increases the scope of usefulness for each tool I own. Recently, I have begun to regard my screen images as tools.  This set … Continue reading Hone: Knowing And Maintaining A Tool