Rays

"Summertime,

And the livin' is easy

Fish are jumpin'

And the cotton is high"

These George Gershwin lyrics certainly evoke a mood and are like a painting with words. Somehow these words conjure up memories of my childhood - endless days and nights spent outdoors, butterflies and fields filled with wildflowers.

That said, summer is not my favorite season. Sweating, gnats and misquitos tend to make me crabby and my husband has learned to steer clear of me if the thermometer goes over the 85 mark. I don't consider humidity my friend. I much prefer the autumn with its rich organic smells, bonfires and promise of good snuggling-getting-cozy weather. Give me a pot of hot steaming soup over an ice cream cone any day.

Abstract Study Journal Pages

These small tidy 8.5 x 11" abstracts are becoming an addiction. I am allowing the fabric to talk to me and let the colors and designs lead my hand. This is my true art - when I try to shut off thinking and just do.

Abstraction and Addiction

I believe that everyone has innate artistic talent and creativity. Often a manageable opportunity to realize success will spur further explorations of these leanings. A local quilt shop has asked if I would be interested in developing and presenting an art quilt class. We envision this workshop to be for beginners - perhaps for first time art quilters - but more for those who haven't really sewn or quilted before. We hope to draw people who are attracted to contemporary art and beautiful fabric, but never really believed they had the ability to create a lovely piece to hang on their wall by using a sewing machine.

If we were able to touch one person enough for them to become one of us I would consider these to be successful classes. I ask you - is it a sin to lead someone down the path of obsessive, compulsive pursual of a obsession?

The Next One

As a rule I don't sketch out ideas for new art quilts. I usually just go for it and run into all kinds of design complications as I go along mixed up with some choice words. But last night I was messing around with pencil and paper and came up with this idea. I think it will be the basis for a new quilt. I see her in all kinds of vibrant colors - funky folky arty....I think she will wear the style well.....I can't wait to start work on her.

This Old Farm

My husband has a degree in biochemistry (shudder) and works for that Big Blue company you all know by 3 letters. Layoffs are looming on the horizon (if he's part of the slaughter this go round it will like old times - this has happen to him at the BB company twice already).


The photos above are actual things you can find on our property. We live on old family farm land and we cherish these items from the past. My husband spent his youth milking cows and haying fields. He pretty much embodies that old descriptive phrase 'salt of the earth'.


How does paragraph 1 connect with paragraph 2? Steve just sent in his application to attend a Nuclear Medicine program at Manhattan college in the lower Village after deciding that health care might be a bit more secure than the high tech world of the BB company. It will be very interesting to watch this man manage subways, Greenwich Village and all the cultures, classes and ethnic diversity that is the City. I suspect the call of that wood shed to be filled will be ever present on his mind.



And by the way.....Steve also works with field stone.....he built our fireplace and various walls and foundations around this old pig barn that he has completely renovated and expanded....

Bird

A funky folk arty 4x6 bird happened yesterday. It felt good to finally finish an art quilt something - even if this is small.....

Love Not War

Every month an Ebay art group has a themed listing event and ALL work is offered at starting bids of $0.99. The Nibblefest Art Contest (Ebay search acronym NFAC) tends to become a bidding festival each month with some works rising into the hundreds of dollars (and some not!). Each month different artists participate depending on their muse so sometimes there are gems to be gotten and sometimes not.

This month's theme is The Groovy 60's. Of course my first visions conjured up psychedelic and tie dyed images but then I remembered that famous photo of an Army rifle with a daisy sticking out of the barrel. So the spirit moved me to texturize and acrylic paint a board, collage painted papers and words onto the surface and then portray two lone daisies trying to stay strong and connected, rising from the red and black midst of strive.

Pete Seeger lives in our Hudson Valley area and has stayed true to his activist roots. He is a well respected member of our community and honored for his ground breaking work in cleaning up the Hudson River. While there are many poignant anti-war songs the simple words and haunting melody of this song carry an emotional punch and message that is still relevant in today's world.

When will we ever learn?