Away

I'm away from my desk, teaching a textile workshop for Empty Spools Seminars

 at Asilomar in CA.

Hoping you're having a great Memorial Day Holiday!

Catch you when I get back.

Theodore's Wisdom

Unfolding - quilt detail

Our daughter came home from college for the summer with a quote she wanted to share with us.

"Comparison is the thief of joy"  ~ Theodore Roosevelt

This quote certainly gives one reason to pause and think!

In how many ways has comparison touched our lives, and not in a good way?

All of us have probably compared our looks, intellect, talents, or material possessions 

to those of others, at some time or other.

When thinking about my own life, the competitive quilt shows 

that I've been involved in the last eight years first comes to mind.

Although I have a whole box full of prize ribbons -

along with prize money, they are the signs of success in this game -

I know all too well the joy stealing element that comparison can bring.

For me, true joy lies in the creative process and

 no one can tell me if I've succeeded in my vision for each piece,

as only I know the answer to that.

So, Theodore's wisdom now hangs, magnetized to our fridge,

along side family photos and other stellar quotes...

reminding me to hang on tightly to my joy and 

ward off the grasping hands of comparison.

Wishing you joy in all your creative endeavors.

See you again in a couple weeks. 

The Spark

It starts with a spark - all art, that is.

A thought, feeling, color combination, light pattern...

any of these may be the spark.

These sparks excite our imagination, make our hearts beat faster,

and start us on our creative journey.

For me, the spark may ignite a creative art quilt project

 that ends up 60" x 80" and hangs upon the wall, 

or an elaborate beadwork necklace that is months in the making, 

or a photo that I'm proud to put my watermark on.

I've been involved in art making long enough to know 

when I come in contact with that spark,

I grab it - then and there.

So, when I looked up from my morning coffee and peanut butter 

toast to see branch patterns splashed across our silk curtains, 

gleaming dust covered table, and illuminated dried daffodils - 

that I really should have thrown out - 

I grabbed my camera and tripod.

Who says that creative spark can't come before your morning coffee is finished 

and you're still in your PJs ?!

Hoping you seize that spark and have some wonderful, creative adventures.

See you again in a couple weeks.

Linking at The Photo Heart Connection

with my favorite photo from March (the first).

Fortunate

 I've been reading Julia Margaret Cameron - Her Life and Photographic Work by Helmut Gernsheim,

and feeling very fortunate to be living in an era of digital cameras and photo editing software.

Julia used the wet collodion process. 

 Here's a glimpse of what this Victorian photographer went through to accomplish her work:

 "Mrs. Cameron had to balance a 15" x 12" glass plate between the thumb and

 first two fingers of one hand, while slowly pouring on collodion with the other;

 the plate had then to be tilted gently in all directions
 to make the collodion form an even coating. 

 The next step was to dip the plate into the silver nitrate sensitizing bath."


"The development had also to be effected by balancing the plate on one hand 

while quickly and evenly pouring the developing solution over it. 

 If no mishap occurred during fixing, rinsing, and drying, 

damage could still occur long after varnishing, 

which was necessary to protect the coating before positives could be printed on it. 

 The negative had to be warmed in front of a fire uniformly and

 "as hot as the hand will bear". 
 The varnish was poured on and drained off in the same way 
as the collodion and developing solutions."


"For printing the negatives, prepared albumenized paper could be bought,
 but it still had to be sensitized with silver chloride - hence the term "silver print." 
This and the printing and fixing of the positives were simple operations
compared with the making of the negative.
They were not developed but "printed out" by contact copying,
the frame holding negative and print being exposed to daylight for several hours,
during which the image slowly appeared.
After fixing and thorough washing, 
the prints were toned with gold chloride to give them a warm sepia tone
 and make them more permanent,
then finally rinsed."


"It has been a real labor," she wrote to Sir Edward Ryan,

 "for in all freezing weather I have poured nine cans of water fresh from the well 

over each photograph."
(Note - all excerpts are from Gernsheim's book)

Oh my, we have it easy!

On another note of good fortune, I found out that my elaborate beaded necklace, 

Tudor Splendor, has been juried into the Bead Dreams Competition.  

This exhibition will have pieces from all over the world in it. 

 Happy day!!!

Wishing you happiness and good fortune in all your creative endeavors.

See you again in a couple weeks.

Beads, Bling, and Bokeh

Today, I'm linking into The Photo-Heart Connection with my favorite photo from last month.

Here's the story ~

In May, I will be teaching a textile workshop at Asilomar in CA (more about that later in this post).

So, I took a number of project photos for the students -  the f/8 kind with every bead, 

painted foil shape, and stitch in sharp focus (not pictured).

Then, I made some photos using a wide aperture... just for fun, just for me.

In these images form seductively slips into an abstract reality;

 with color, bling, and bokeh dominating.

The first capture in this set is my favorite.

But, quite frankly, given the dreary, colorless landscape outside my door, 

I think that I'd like to crawl into any one of these photos...

set up camp, and soak up all the luscious color!!!

The workshop details - Link.

Empty Spools Seminars at Asilomar, Pacific Grove, CA,

May 27 - June 1, 2012.

Workshop - Sumptuous Surface Design and Embellishment:

Come learn about foiling, bead embroidery, stamp-carving, paint stick rubbing, and 

creating dimensional bugs and dragonflies.

If you're looking for the perfect textile get-away,

ESS at Asilomar's "Refuge by the Sea" is the place to be!

Wishing you a colorful and creative week.
See you again in two weeks.

Linking at The Photo-Heart Connection.

The RR Line

One morning while visiting our daughter at college, 

I took my camera for a walk.

Wandering along the RR tracks, I found interesting leading lines, patterns, and abstract shapes.

These are elements that I find catch my eye regardless of the subject matter.

I'll let my photos tell the story of this delightful walk.

Wishing you wonderful, creative adventures!

See you again in a couple weeks.

P.S. Happy day for me - my art quilt, "Motherhood" was accepted into

 the American Quilter's Society Show in Paducah, KY.

For the non-quilters out there, this show is international in scope and 

one that I am always very honored to be included in.

Away

I'm away from my desk, enjoying some family fun.

See you in a couple weeks.

Hope your days are filled with happiness and creativity!

Minimalism

Winter embraces a minimalist spirit.

She paints her vision with a broad brush,

striking out extraneous detail.

Form stands out in stark relief and sometimes,

negative space tells the story.

Winter's color palette may be rich or subtle,

but is always limited in its variety.

Winter is a minimalist's dream.

Wishing you a happy and creative week!

Linking at The Creative Exchange.