Textile Art & Fine Craft
Where do I begin? Do I clean up holiday clutter? Do I assemble what I need to achieve new year's resolutions? I prefer to begin in a familiar place, taking a couple of steps. And then a few more. I discover new vistas through well known landscapes. My breathing eases and my mind quickens. 2015 art … Continue reading Traveling in Spirals: Begin in the Present
In the long run,we shake out lives, and we shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die. And the choices we make are ultimately our own responsibility. -- Eleanor Roosevelt My favorite tool for creating shape is a familiar pair of scissors. I would welcome a pair of scissors that could trim out clutter, … Continue reading A Year of Listening: Week 41
The studio has been inactive for about two weeks. As I packed my bags for a holiday in the woods, I included design materials and a book on Gustav Klimt's landscapes. New pencils and a beckoning topic recharge my creativity: the goal is to improve my composition within a square. Cropping photos is one of … Continue reading September Study
Pleasure arrived this week in the form of using what I know. I anticipate hitting the finish line on several projects soon. I have cut with these scissors for over 4 decades. I trust my capabilities when I use them. I began my library of figures nearly 2 decades ago and have added four new figures … Continue reading Using the Inventory of Ideas
A bird does not sing because it has an answer. It sings because it has a song. -- Chinese proverb
Empty wine glasses. Three cashews in a bowl. An abandoned sweater. When the guests have departed, I remember bits of conversation as I load the dishwasher. The owner of the sweater will need to claim it; I don't know whose it is. Stencils on the table. Fabric tossed in a bin. Invoice filed. When I deliver the large commissioned … Continue reading The party’s over; the work’s done.
I listen and observe when artisans speak about the tools in their hands. Passion infects the speech. The tool is clearly an extension of the hand. The hair stylist demonstrated scissors that rotate with her hand, reducing the chances of injury. The gardener quickly cut tree branches with a lopper that has gears, not a … Continue reading Good Tools
Who wants to create more in the time allotted? How can that happen? My friend Cathy Stark photographed me in this pose that illustrates, "Runs With Scissors." When the cutting begins, I am in the creative zone. And while I am more of a risk taker than my high school teachers could have ever imagined, I usually … Continue reading Accelerate Results
All rising to a great place is by a winding stair. --Sir Francis Bacon
I volunteered to paint the groom's tie for a spring wedding, and yet I had never painted a tie before. I assembled paint, tools, and the tie. I sorted through what I know about Jeff: energy and composure. Here is the result. For whom would you want a tie painted? What words would you choose … Continue reading A Gift for the Groom