I’m lucky enough to see these beautiful trees outside my dining room window. When we moved into the house 12 years ago they had just been planted by our neighbor. Now they are about 30 feet tall and absolutely gorgeous year round. Yesterday the sun was shining through the leaves and I rushed out in my slippers to take these photos. The variety of color knocked me out! My mind is already thinking dye colors, let’s see, Bright Green 711, Avocado, Burnt Orange, Scarlet . . .
I’ve been in transition lately. Where in the past the crispness in the air of Fall has been invigorating, this year it feels a little mournful. The busy Summer has moved into the new schedule of the school year. My oldest daughter started high school this Fall and both girls are starting earlier in the morning, which is challenging for the whole family.
The big transition happening in my studio life is that my wonderful, creative, inspiring studio-mate Anne Baumgartner is moving to Los Angeles. Anne is an amazing person and artist and has been an incredible support to me. I know she’ll be popping in and out and, as she says,”still has a Seattle address,” but it won’t be the same. I’ll miss you, Anne, your energy, your dedication, your integrity, your strength, your supportive ear, and your laser-sharp eye!
Not to say I don’t still have amazing studio-mates, Anna McKee, Paul McKee (that’s Paul E. McKee), and Pam Gray. They are all so very different and each of us adds our own special spice to the Easelstan mix. We’ll be having a group show (including Anne) at the Phinney Neighborhood Center in February. Look for news on that in the upcoming months.
But about those doors and windows. I feel like I’m in transition in my art. I don’t know what the next thing is and it’s an uncomfortable place to be. There’s something different looming ahead but I can’t quite make it out. That feeling of being unsettled in my work bleeds into the rest of my life, I’m a little cranky, a little at loose ends. I’ve been through this before and it helps that I know it will resolve, but it’s still no fun to be here now.
In this unsettled place I figured the best thing to do was to make something, no matter what it is. I got the image of making this hanging piece for Anne as a gift to take with her. The image of the door with a window in it means new beginnings to me, with the window offering a peek at what’s ahead, but the piece has two sides, one looking into the future and one looking into the past. I hope that she finds a place to hang it in her new studio and occasionally thinks of me.
This is where I am now, the door isn’t open yet, but I can begin to make out what’s through it when I look out the window.
detail of wet flour paste
Although I feel very lucky to have a beautiful, light-filled studio outside my home, sometimes it is just not big enough to fit my projects. Then I have to get really creative! I recently decided the perfect way to get the effect I wanted on a three yard long piece of fabric was to use a flour paste resist. Just a bit of a challenge since my longest table is 6 feet. But I managed by dragging, rolling, hanging, and extending. It turned out great, I’ll get a finished photo up here soon. I will tell you though, the washing out process was a bitch!
fitting three yards of fabric on a 6 foot table
I was visiting some galleries in September and stopped in to Foster/White to see their very interesting photography show. I was pleasantly surprised to see they had a very nice grouping of my work upstairs.
Me, Janet Kurjan, and Zeca at Etta's
In early September Jose Carlos Medeiros (Zeca), the director of the Rio Patchwork Design Show in Rio de Janeiro, visited Seattle. I had a chance to have dinner with him and Janet Kurjan, one of the winners of the 2009 Audience Choice Award who travelled to Rio in June of this year to present at the show. Zeca is charming and passionate about promoting art quilts in Brazil. It was really nice to meet him before I fly down to Rio next year. From what Janet has said, they were treated very well there. It should be an adventure!
follow: RSS