No pictures this weekend, but

it has been a good weekend. In addition to continuing the work on the house quilt, I got my July journal quilt done- and that's why there's no pictures! I'm happy with this one, too, and when I look at the last 3 I've done, there does seem to be an emerging 'handprint.' I think my quilt pages this year will be much stronger than what I did last year- and it will be much harder picking my best five. Not that I don't have a long ways to go in my artistic development, but I feel like I've taken some definite steps in the right direction.

There has been an interesting thread on the QA list the past week or so- whether or not it is possible to make a living as an artist, or more specifically, a quilt artist. I think it has helped me sort out my feelings, and set some goals. I only have six years to go in the state system to have twenty years towards retirement. And, I'll be sixty-two, with medical coverage paid until I'm seventy. I would probably still have to work at something- but hopefully it could be something less stressful, that leaves me more time for my art. And, I'm seriously looking at starting to do some private practice therapy. That may be the best way for me to combine my training as a clinical social worker and my art. But, I have time to plan ---

More fun, More work!!

I've actually spent the better part of the last four days playing! Friday, Shannon and I drove up to Brigham City, about 120 miles north of us, to see the Quilt National exhibit they have. It's only part of the whole show, but I'm so glad someone in Utah booked the show. It continues to amaze me that little Brigham City does it. They museum itself is small, but this is the third fiber show I've gone up there for in a year. And, the quilts were wonderful. I treated myself to the book about the show; since I already have the Art Quilt book that is the compilation of the Quilt National shows since 1995, I now have lots of eye candy on my bookshelf.

I've managed to get some dyeing in- a three yard piece of raw silk. I'm still on my lime green kick- it just seems to morph that way. First I microwave dyed it turquoise- where the color took, it took beautifully- but it was probably too large a piece to do this way. So, Saturday I overdyed it a lighter shade of lime green, and left it to bake on the driveway all day. Since we've been having temperatures of 100 plus for over a week, it was well batched when I washed it out Sunday morning. I still can't decide to use it as is, or tone it down a bit. I'll make some sort of a top out of it--




And, I started a house quilt as a gift for someone. I'm not used to doing such detailed work, or using a pattern- but this seems to be working well. I'm doing it with Betty Alof's class, Home Building, at Quilt University. I've dinked with some of her techniques, but mostly I'm being a good student. The biggest change I've made is using Liquifuse instead of Wonder Under for the big pieces, to avoid the stiffness. Here's where I started this morning--


And here's where I am now--



This whole process has my studio feeling chaotic and messy-- my quilting/cutting table, as I've slowly cut apart the pattern to compose the house--



Not messy by some standards, but it feels that way to me. Too much mess = not able to concentrate!

We're off to the park to see what's there for Pioneer Day--

IT'S DONE! COMPLETED! FINITO!!

Two and a half years after I started a "sliced quilt" challenge with five other quilters, spread all over Utah- my quilt is DONE! At 4 pm today, I put the last stitch in the label. It is bound, has a sleeve, and a label crediting all those who had a hand in its making: Sandra Starley in Moab, DeAnn Burkhart and Sidney Baird in Salt Lake, and Loretta Nielsen and Deana Jennings in Emery County. So, unless something exciting happens when we (hopefully) all show our quilts at our state guild annual meeting in October, you won't have to read anymore posts about this quilt!!
So, now to the photos of the completed work!
In its entirety. . .



A little closer to the top, so you can see the quilting. . .



And now the bottom half. . .



Deana, were you not thinking about having to QUILT all those tiny Storm at Sea blocks? And the fish- a lost cause, he kind of stands out because there was no way my machine was going through all those layers.

This has been the most productive year I've ever had! Two quilts completed, with all the quilting done by me- something I never thought I would do. I'm happy with the result, and already trying to figure out what I'll be working on next!!

You are Catherine the Great. You are very intelligent and a socialist. It is very important to you that all people be treated equally in a society. You are able to fully comprehend social problems and you are outspoken when it comes to dealing with them. Take this quiz at QuizGalaxy.com

I love some of these quizzes! Since I was a history major in my first college life, this one was right up my alley. Can you tell I went into social work in my second college life??

It is the hottest day of the year so far, and we spent part of it at our unique piece of diversity in Utah County. This area is one of the most homogeneous places I have ever lived, so I'm pleased that we have something different to throw into the mix. On a hill in south Spanish Fork, overlooking the farms and ever-expanding housing developments, is a Hare Krishna temple. They have festivals 4-5 times a year, which are always interesting. You can eat good Indian-inspired vegetarian food, and if you have a hankering to re-create your college wardrobe from the late 1960's, they also have a selection of clothing, including some gorgeous Indian sari outfits. They also have a llama farm on the grounds, and every summer they celebrate Llama Fest. They have a variety of competitions for the llamas- which, to my surprise, are not cleaned and prettied up like sheep or cattle are for the shows at the fairs.

Like I mentioned, there's food to enjoy. . .

There's a large pond with koi between the temple building and the llama farm. Here's our granddaughter, Bentlee, enjoying the view of the fish.

Over at the llama farm, they allow you to walk in the pens and mingle up-close and personal with the llamas. Last year there were lots of babies- this year, none. I'm betting they had to sequester them away from all the curious onlookers! Here's Bentlee with one of the llamas- she's not sure of his intentions, we had to reassure her that he wasn't interested in her for dinner!

But, he was interested in some grain she offered. . .

They also had three cattle who reminded me of the sacred cattle in India- but much smaller. The adults are no larger than a St. Bernard dog.

And, when you've had enough food and llamas- there's music, everything from Andean to American country and rock. We found a seat on the grassy hill, and enjoyed.

Here's our parting view of the temple- beautiful detailing, both the outside and inside. All in all, a pleasant way to spend a Saturday evening, even with the heat.

And, still one more day this weekend to finish the manatee quilt. I'll have it done to take to Surface Design group on Wednesday night!!

I have been working again on the quilting for the manatee quilt- and, have made quite a bit of headway. I'm more than half done! Quilting is the part I struggle with the most- I agonize over quilting designs, and when I finally make it over that hurdle, I agonize over doing it well. My free motion skills are improving, but not as good as I would like them to be. I've got the manatees mostly done- I think just some touchup quilting; the water is done, and I am almost done with the underwater "ground." So, that leaves just the sky. I've been using variegated threads, both YLI and Superior, and really like the effect they give. Here's a couple of detail shots. . .
First, the water--


Next, the underwater "ground"- some of which was done with small paper-pieced "Storm at Sea" blocks!! I love the effect it gives, but it was not easy quilting where there were lots of seams.

Given that this quilt was actually made by six different people, with six very different visions, the quilting is the one element I have to "meld" them into (hopefully) a coherent whole. My jury is still out-- and feedback is welcomed!

There has been an interesting thread about design vs. technique on the QA list, and on a couple of blogs- Rayna Gillman and Liz Berg's, especially. I've jumped in a couple of times, feeling very much out of my league. I know that my reaction to art is an emotional one- I can tell you if I like it, and maybe some reasons why or why not. But learning the language of describing, or talking about art-- I'm still a novice there. And it is truly an entirely new language for me. Liz Berg makes the point that quilters are too insular, we need to look and learn from outside our medium. I agree, and am grateful that I've had at least some exposure to painting and photography from my brother. But then, I'm sure he refrained from getting too technical with his artistically illiterate sister! Regardless, it's an education I will continue to seek out as best I can- simply because I must.

THREE DAYS OF BLISS

I've been looking forward to this workshop with national artist Judith Trager for ages- and, it was a wonderfully relaxing three days. The best part was not the workshop itself, but the chance to get to know other members of the Utah Surface Design Group better. Hard to do that when you meet every other month for a couple of hours! And, best of all, there seems to be sufficient interest in forming a sub-group for art quilters. We're meeting in August to talk organization.

The group in the workshop was varied- it ran the gamut from those who are just getting into non-traditional quilting, to two members who have had work exhibited in Quilt National and the Bernina Fashion Show. We had a blast painting, printing, and just creating fabric, and then learning to cut it up to make pieced backgrounds which then get more printing and painting! I actually got one project mostly done during the workshop, then finished it off yesterday.

I learned one valuable lesson- never take the supply list at face value. I had all the supplies on the list, but when Judith told us what we'd be doing the second day, I figured I would have to drive home to raid my stash. A couple of classmates kindly offered to let me raid theirs, which was great. Between what I had, and what they added, I was able to construct five blocks, four of which were used to construct a larger background, and the last which was used for this project. Once the background was completed, I was stumped- I had no clue where this was going. Second lesson- I generally do better when I start with an idea. It may get changed during the process, but I have a general direction in mind. With this, I got as far as adding the diagonal line with black tulle, which held lots of minced scraps. It still wasn't speaking to me-- but when I got home, Shannon took one look at it and said that it reminded her of an underwater scene. So, yesterday I quilted the background, added the grass, stamped the crab and two seahorses,and beaded it. Not a masterpiece, but fun. And yes, it is supposed to be wonky. I plan to velcro it to a mat board, and then frame it.
While we worked on our pieces, Judith created a small leaf picture, sharing her processes with us along the way:

And, here she is with the finished piece---




Renee, who organized this workshop, was the lucky recipient of this small, signed work! Here she is with her own creation:



The classroom was small and crowded- not really set up for messy processes like painting and printing. But, we managed- here's a shot of other busy at work.

I had a table right up front, close to Judith. By the end of the third day, I decided that Lisa in the far corner got the best spot- she had more room to hold all her stuff, and didn't have to deal with people walking around her. However, I hope the next time we do this it's in a large room with cement floors!
One last day before it's back to work. Think Shannon and I will take Sadie out for a walk, hopefully someplace up higher and cooler. Then tonight it will be watching the grandkids do their fireworks, and finding a fireworks show somewhere around here. May your Fourth be a safe and happy one!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, USA!!

May we use this day to reflect on the blessings we have as a nation- and, perhaps, to remember our history and learn from it?? I dont' usually look forward to winter, I am a warm-climate person- but, if for no other reason than it is an election year, I am looking forward to November.

Have you ever had the experience of visualizing a piece, working through the processes needed to bring it into being- and your finished piece actually being everything you'd visualized? I can't say it has been a familiar one for me- I usually can get a part of what I'd hoped, but I've rarely experienced the serendipity of achieving the whole look and feel. But this weekend was different. I started working on my June journal quilt, with a definite vision in mind, and it all just feel into place. The piecing technique I tried worked like a charm, the fusing just jumped into place- it all just FLOWED. And now I'm frustrated- BECAUSE I CAN'T POST IT!!!
I am, however, taking the liberty of posting a small detail. I was so happy with the transparent fiber pieces that I posted about last week, that I'm including a photo of one of them. I decided I wanted more transparent than I'd gotten last week, so tried again with less fiber- and it worked like a charm. So here's a very small part of the best journal quilt I've done yet. . .

I'm also pleased at the way my pieces are following a more coherent theme. I've never tried working in a series, but it's something I'll do again. Three more to go, and I've got good ideas for all of them.
I won't be posting Tuesday for the discussion on "View"- so I'll ask the question now, since it's the one in the whole book that has preyed on my mind. Does this art matter? To my mind, in the larger scheme of things, probably not that much. But then, what makes a piece of art matter? I didn't get a good answer from Ted, and I don't have one yet either. I just keep trying to make art that is good design, makes my heart sing, and gives at least some other people pleasure. And that's good enough. Other viewpoints are welcome, post a comment!!
I will also be doing something this week that makes my heart sing. The Utah Surface Design group, of which I am a member, is having a workshop with Judith Trager from Colorado. She curated the show I went to a couple of weekends ago, and had some beautiful pieces in it. We'll be "Exploring the Surface," with paint, stitch, all kinds of fun. Three entire days with a nationally known fiber artist- to say I'm excited would be an understatement. So, no more posts until after the workshop- but hopefully I'll have lots of pictures to post!

Well, I can't say a lot of fiber work went on this weekend- but amidst all the housecleaning, training to be a poll worker for the primary election in a week, and going to a Salt Lake Bees game (minor league baseball) today, I did manage to get one thing done- which will find its way to my June journal quilt. And, that means I can show what I did today, but not the final product- that will have to wait until next fall after Houston.
But, first, I must digress. I started the year determined to have a more coherent theme for my journal quilts. I knew it would be something nature-based, because I love the outdoors. After my third month, I knew what the theme would be- WEEDS! I try to walk our dog Sadie at least 3-4 times a week at a nearby golf course. We're so familiar with the route, I can let my mind wander and really observe the unusual. Do you realize how many shapes and sizes of weeds there are, even in a desert like Utah? I started with the obvious, dandelions- no lack of those. Then, a little later, I noticed these giants- they look a little like dandelions, but clearly aren't. The leaves are different, and the furry thing is considerably larger. If anyone out there knows what these are, I'd love to know!!

On our walk Friday, I saw two other "weeds" that had interesting shapes or colors. The first is a thistle, obviously- but we grow giants here, I saw some that were almost as tall as I am.

Some were already flowering. They are pretty, despite their deadly appearance!

Last, I saw this "weed"- large leaves, and some spheres.

Then, bit farther on I learned what the spheres were!

So, now you know more than you ever wanted to about weeds in Utah. All these images will find their way into my journal quilts-- but you'll have to wait for those.
Now, back to that giant dandelion. I remembered reading somewhere- maybe the QA list, maybe not- that paint medium could be used to hold fibers together to use in fabric art. I have a bag of silk caps I have been waiting to use--

And, after a shopping trip to Michael's last Thursday, I have paint medium. So, I tried painting the stuff on fibers, cut about an inch and arranged about the same size I want the heads to be--


After I started by trying to "paint" the medium on the dry fibers, I realized, Duh, this would be so much easier if the fibers were wet. So, I sprayed 'em, painted more medium, and left it to dry. Oh, yeah, in case you are wondering- I arranged the fibers on a piece of black tulle, figuring I could cut it away after I was done. Here it is, drying:

And, IT WORKED!! When we got home from the baseball game, I ran downstairs to check- success!! I was even able to peel the tulle off the fibers! So, now I have a lovely ethereal head for my giant dandelion!

Now, to pick the background fabric, fuse my leaf fabric, and start the piecing. But, that will be a post for another day!

I was able to spend all day yesterday in Salt Lake at the Museum of Fine Arts- they have just opened a quilt exhibit, "Rooted in Tradition: The Art Quilt." Yesterday was a symposium, that included a lecture by Robert Shaw on the history of the art quilt, a movie about ten members of a crit group in Northern California, and a panel discussion that included Mr. Shaw, an art quilter (Lynn Welter). The audience was small, but I was able to get to know some others who share my love of the art quilt. And, who knows, I'm hoping to be able to develop a small crit group, after a conversation with another member of the Utah Surface Design Group.
The exhibit itself was magnificent. The quilts dated back to the 80's, and it was wonderful to be able to see in person the work of artists I have admired for years, and only been able to experience through books. It also was a real lesson on the challenges of photographing quilts- Mr. Shaw showed a couple of slides during his lecture- and they did not bear much resemblance to the actual work.
My favorites? Phil Jones' flowers done in silk, cotton, and wool fibers; Katy Widger's exquisite colors and quilting immediately spring to mind. Some quilts cry out for massive amounts of quilting, others are just fine with more subtle stitching. Lesson learned: listen to the quilt, it will tell you what it needs!
I will go back more than once; the exhibit is here until October, with more special events planned. The curator of the exhibit, Judith Trager, will be here the end of June; I'll be at her lecture, and her three day workshop. She had three pieces in the exhibit,and all were beautiful. And, another lesson learned: you can work in the traditional grid format, and still produce art quilts.
This will be a wonderful summer for viewing art quilts in person. One of the exhibits from Quilt National will be in Brigham City this summer, and there is an exhibit of the Front Range Quilters in Park City. And, there is always the annual show in Springville!
No pictures allowed, so none to post- which is fine, because Blogger is being temperamental today and not uploading them anyway. Time to go work on the manatee quilt, I feel newly inspired!

I've had plenty of time to think about the value of friendship, and how important it is - especially to us "old-timers!" I look at photos of Judy and I from high school, and all I can think is how young and naive we were.

Our friendship has lasted through marriage and divorce, distance, and long periods of time without seeing each other. Yet, last weekend we were able to pick up without a hiccup. I value friendships like Judy and I have and more as I get older- that ability to have a conversation about things past without having to explain much, sharing interests like our love of the outdoors. Here's hoping I'm still writing about our adventures when we're ninety!!

MARATHON DAY!!
I am not a runner- so much of this was new experience for me!! Judy and I were up very early this morning, and hit the road for Salt Lake before 6 am. We parked at the Gateway Center, which was the finish line for the race, then took Trax up to the University of Utah where the race started. To say I was amazed at the mass of humanity that runs is an understatement. However, even more amazing was the lines at the portapotties ten minutes before start time---

Found out from Judy after the race that numerous people found discreet bushes or trees to use instead!!
I had a marvelous vantage point on the bridge before race start. These are the elite runners, who do the race in a little more than two hours--

And this is the rest of the runners, at the start--

After I saw the pack off at the start, I headed back to the Gateway Center- with a stop for breakfast. The party had already started by 8:30 in the morning!

And, I was there to see the winner cross the finish line!! I spoke to some runner after the race, and they said these elite runners' feet hardly seem to touch the ground- they fly!

And, a couple of hours later, here's Judy crossing the finish line!! (And, this was her second marathon in a little over a month!!)

After a massage, lots of water, and some food at Mimi's Cafe, we headed home. And we plan to vege out the rest of the night. But what a day!!

I am exhausted- but it has been a glorious day hiking in the mountains above Sundance. Yesterday I picked up my long-time friend Judy at the airport, she is visiting from Phoenix. We go back a very long way- dare I say it, we go back at least forty years. We were in high school together many many moons ago in Southern California. Judy and I shared some wonderfully wild and wacky times together in high school and college, and usually manage to pick back up where we left off- even if it has been years since we last saw each other. Since Judy has spent most of her adult life living and traveling in far away or exotic places- Alaska, Montana, Nepal, Guatemala to name just a few- there have been times where we haven't seen each other for years.
Today we drove up the Alpine Loop just above Sundance, and went hiking up the back side of Mt. Timpanogos. Judy is also in much better shape than I am- she is here in Utah to run the Salt Lake marathon tomorrow. I'll be there to cheer her on- but running, not on my knee!! Anyway, we saw some spectacular scenery today; here's the view up where we hiked to, at the trailhead.

It was beautiful and green- and, since I had to stop rather frequently to catch my breath (there was quite the incline!!- I had plenty of opportunity to observe the flora. Judy and I also were talking the whole way, catching up since we last saw each other! We made it up to the falls, although not on the trail all the way. Somehow we missed a turn, and ended up bushwacking our way up part of the mountain. But, we found a nice flat rock to have lunch on, and could walk down to the falls. That water felt so good, and standing next to the roar of the falls was awesome. I haven't been out hiking in awhile, and this reminded me how much I love it and the mountain outdoors. Here's Judy next to the falls:

And, here's the view from the top of our hike:


Coming back down the mountain, Judy noticed webs on the bushes, full of eggs and some hatching caterpillars. Fascinating to look at. .

All in all, a great day. We'll be to bed early tonight, we have to leave for Salt Lake before five am to get Judy to the starting line on time. I'll post pictures from the race tomorrow!

Well, I'm thinking this is supposed to be the first Tuesday we post thoughts, responses, whatever, to Ted Orland's "The View from the Studio Door." Got the book over the weekend, read through the intro and the first chapter. Like "Art and Fear," I'm finding that I need to read it more than once-
I can't separate my training as a clinical therapist from my reactions to what Ted Orland writes. Initially, some seems so obvious to me- we create (that is what artmaking is, right- creation)because we are more than instinctive beings, like his cat Feather. Feather doesn't theorize about his world, he responds based on genetic programming and learned experiences. He certainly doesn't waste any time contemplating his navel, or other uniquely human activities.
At the risk of flirting with topics that raise some folks' hackles, I was struck by the reference to our human, fallen condition- although he puts it in different terms, asking if our "conscious separation of the world into self and not-self makes it impossible for us immerse ourselves in the totality of experince, and so we try to recapture that totality through our art." My take- creation in the largest sense is a Divine activity- and wasn't that what the conversation between Eve and the snake in the garden was all about, becoming like God? And, wasn't the beginning of "self-consciousness" in the garden? Yes, I think creation in the divine sense is why we make art- as well as resolving issues, emotional release, giving form to our experiences, and making statements about what is important to us. Eleven years in social work has certainly taught me that. And, making art beats the heck out of talk therapy!

It has been a busy two weeks,what with high school graduation and an all too short visit from my brother. I've been relaxing this weekend- not much incentive to go outside, the temperature dropped thirty degrees this weekend and we've seen rain yesterday and today. Look outside our windows, and the snow line isn't far above us. Oh, well, good excuse to stay in the studio.

But, first, pictures of my daughter the graduate!!




And during the ceremony, getting her diploma. . .


The last of my children to graduate!! We are proud of her, she has come a long way and dealt with some challenges over the past year with our move. We love you, Shannon!!

I have actually done some quilty-type work the past two weeks. I finished my May journal quilt, and have them all emailed off to Houston- a week early. I was rather pleased at my solution to the problem posed by the mess-up on the sunprinting. But, you'll have to wait until November to see it!

I also got my manatee sliced quilt layered and pin basted, and the intial grid quilting done this weekend.


This is a project started two and a half years ago, with quilting friends spread all over Utah- from Salt Lake to Moab. We each did a piece of the picture which I chose- without seeing what anyone else was doing. I think the result is interesting, and hope to meld all these "visions" together with the quilting. If I get it done this month, I may enter it in the Springville Quilt Show- or, it may wait for all the others and get entered in the state quilt guild show next October. We'll see.

And, I've made up my mind to enter the QA abstract quilt challenge. I have til September, which gives me plenty of time. I've been studying art compostion- both on my own, and in Marilyn Belford's QU class- although I haven't given that the time it deserves, I do have the materials for future reference. But, I've determined that setting deadlines and goals for myself does make a difference.

And, finally, I'm joining an online discussion of "The View From the Studio Door." I've finished "Art and Fear", am re-reading it- so thought this would be a good opportunity to share thoughts about the reading.