It is still Tuesday

Whew, made the deadline with an hour and a half to spare. Good news! I was chosen again to exhibit in the second First Friday on July 7 in front of Cafe Japan on Courthouse Square. Stop by to see me. 5-8 p.m. This is exciting because I was told up front that too many artists had applied and there wouldn't be repeats.

I will also have a piece in the Gallery One 'Blues and Jazz' challenge. "Muddy Waters" is a dicharged black piece, hand painted, stamped and machine quilted with a Muddy Waters portrait. No pictures yet. I'll post one when I get it. Here's a shot of what he looked like in real life. I like to do threadwork portraiture. Here is a picture of Stephanie, my friend Pam's daughter. This was her Christmas present.

Ted talks about claiming your independence. I always thought that I had to stick to a certain style that had my individual type of work, but I found that I love to create eclectic pieces. Now that I'm playing with surface design, I may find a specific voice. I love working with discharged blacks and trying to make them come alive with various techniques. I know he was talking about making the teacher's art, but I have never done that intentionally. My thoughts are now straying to the idea of how to get the public to crave my work.

It's Tuesday, I must have a View

I'm not getting thru this book as fast as I thought I would. (It's a teeny thing!) I loved the portion about Ben Shahn using two words to describe how to make art. "Do Everything!" Then Ted goes on to speculate that a University education is not needed by everyone to be a great artist. He advises: "Workshops offer aspiring artists arguablly the best - and absolutely the most concentrated - of all educational possibilities."

That really struck a chord with me, as I never had a University art education. I had an art high school education with continuing education at my community college. But I have spent the last several years spending every penny I can on workshops. Since I live on the West Coast, I go to Art Quilt Tahoe and Claremont and Asilomar, with various other classes thrown in whenever I can get to them. I have studied with Jane Dunnewold, Caryl Bryer Fallert, Hollis Chatelain, Laura Wasilowski, Joan Colvin, Katie Pasquini and too many others to think aabout right now. Do I copy their styles? No. I study with them to learn their techniques so I can put them to use in my own work.

Orland states that a really good workshop generates a level of intensity that's virtually impossible to achieve in the classroom. It's true. We do work together all day, and then continue long into the night to perfect what we've learned. I've made some amazing friends this way. Orland goes on to say that every student figures out sooner or later that the really important discoveries don't occur during the formal sessions, they happen in the spaces between the sessions, over lunch/dinner. I've learned more about artists by inviting the teachers for a bit of hospitality in my room during these seminars.

If I don't learn anything else from this book, the above validates my feelings about and journey into the art world.

Art Walk Silk Wall Quilt Sold

The first night of First Friday Art Walk in Santa Rosa (Sonoma County, California) has happened. I was lucky enough to be chosed to participate. Even though the attendance was rather low, those who came by my exhibit were so excited that our city finally stepped up to the art world. I exhibited 25 art quilts and people were very generous in their comments. Most had never seen art quilts/fiber art. I tried to display a variety of styles as I am very eclectic in my approach to art quilts. I make whatever moves me at the moment.

I was lucky enough to sell a couple of pieces and that made me VERY happy. The art walk will run through November, so I hope to be asked to exhibit again.

I completed a queen sized bed quilt and 2 lap quilts this week and have another lap quilt ready to go. Then I got lucky and am going to be quilting a Beatles T-shirt quilt. The woman just wanted meandering, but I talked her into more elaborate quilting. After all, it's the Beatles! She also went to the first Beatles concert in San Francisco. I asked her if she remembered how much the tickets were. She didn't. I do... only $6.50. Pretty amazing as I hear Barbra Streisand will be charging $750. for her "final" concert.