Life and Art

In more downsizing news, I decided to sell my weaving loom and my spinning wheel.  Those of you who've been with me since I began blogging, not quite three years ago, may remember that virtually all my early posts were about spinning and/or weaving.  So this is a BIG change.

My wheel and my loom, and all their accessories, along with boxes and boxes of spinning fiber and handspun and commercial yarn, have been in storage since early last year.  As I look down the road, I simply can't envision a time or place where I'll spin or weave again.  So it's time to clear it all out and make room for the new. 

I'm selling each piece as a package unto itself.  The loom package includes the Schacht Mighty Wolf 8-harness, 10-treadle, 36" wide loom, warping board, adjustable bench with pockets, double the number of heddles, 4 reeds, shuttles, bobbins, a bobbin winder and more.  The wheel package includes the Lendrum double treadle spinning wheel, Ashford spinning chair, tension lazy kate, niddy noddy, umbrella swift, hand cards and more.  If you'd like detailed info on the loom or the wheel or both, please email me and I'll send you PDF flyers with photos. 

I'm planning to hold a sale of the spinning fiber and yarns in the near future, for the local fiber community.  Whatever is left I'll likely sell at Etsy or on my sales blog.

Onward and upward!

In Dreams

I'm thinking of calling this series In Dreams -- the collages, quilted, are ethereal, like dreamscapes, images morphing into one another.  This is the second piece.  I've got several more in process now, or at least printed on fabric and waiting their turn for completion.

Where did the last week go?!  I can't remember the last time it was a week between posts for me.  Probably it's better to not say anything if I don't have something to say!  I'm still here, though, plugging away...more like trudging away, taking care of various life organization errands with spurts of artmaking thrown in here and there.  I'd planned to quilt all day today on my Fiberactions transformation piece, then things got in the way.  I did add beads to the first two dreamscapes this morning, as well as print more digital images on fabric for the series.  That's something!

I've been reading Await Your Reply by Dan Chaon the last few days, and really enjoying it.  In these days when I've been reinventing myself yet again, this novel has been a coincidental treat.

Checking In

I've got no textile-related images to post at the moment, although things have been moving slowly forward.  I've been feeling alternately overwhelmed and unmotivated recently.

For one thing, I've had this strange not-really-a-head-cold thing happening since late last week, that's slowed me down.  I think the recent round of big change in my life has caught up with me.  Another move, another consolidation, another go through everything I own to pare my life down to a sustainable level.

Oh well, on with it.  I did a second piece in the new series (see the last post), this one printed on raw silk, and I liked it even better than the first.  Have decided to do the entire series in digitally-printed raw silk.  And I'm also going to embellish each of the quilts, most likely with judicious beading.

Fiberactions' next challenge word is Transformation, to be revealed on November 15.  I have the quilt designed, just need to put it all together.  My local art quilt group is doing a challenge exploring the design element line, and I have fabric ready to go for that, as well.  And the 4-piece series on Fortuna skies and trees is also in process. Everything's going slowly now, though.

I've been lamenting that it's been too long since I've done any surface design -- and there's so much I want to do.  It's a little bit less convenient now, being that I'm living in my studio, much of my materials and tools are stored in my Annex, a shed outside a few steps from the front door.  And I can't leave fabric on plastic to batch overnight all over the floor now.  Actually, these little challenges may be a blessing in disguise -- perhaps now instead of trying to do everything, I'll only do those techniques that I can reasonably do given the limitations of my space.

And speaking of space, if any of you have ever wondered why I work on the small side, and increasingly so, it's simply because I don't have the space to make big work (surface designed or quilted), nor do I have the space to store it.  Nor do I have the money for all the materials required for larger pieces.  Art/life/living on a budget, space- and money-wise -- subsistence artmaking!

Anyhow, I'm slowly getting myself together for the day.  Hope you have a lovely week!

What's New

This piece is the first in a new series I'm working on.  Rather than being a collage quilt, this is a quilted collage -- one of my daily collages, manipulated in Photoshop, printed on fabric, then quilted.  Quilt size is 8.5x11" mounted on a black-gessoed 11x14" stretched canvas.  Let me know what you think.

It's a gorgeous autumn morning on the North Coast, what I call a sterling day -- sunshine and no clouds, crisp breeze, and everything feels right with the world.  Hope you have a good one!

Moving Right Along

Three months ago I posted photos of piles of fabric being auditioned for four upcoming quilts (that post here).  This weekend I started fooling around with these.  Here are a couple of first takes.

I have myself a one-piece gallery on the wall in the front room of Rose Cottage.  I just hung a new show today.  East/West of Purple, from a few months back, is made of procion-dyed raw silk samples on hand dyed foundation cloth.

I decided to use the same hanging slat for whatever I show, so I don't have to put holes all over the wall for different width pieces.

I've had a really lovely day at home all day.  I feel so content, I have everything I need for life/art virtually right at hand.

Last of the Series...

...for now, perhaps.  This is Tuscan Sunset, number 18 in my Italy series.  I'm stopping here for the time being, but I will likely sell a few pieces before my upcoming show next spring.  In which case I might make another few.

And now it's on to other projects, most of which are still in the rumination stage in my mind.  I am missing quilting, though, so I may do a few small pieces simply for the pleasure of the quilting itself.

We have a chance of rain throughout the weekend, and that would be okay with me.  I've gotten into a nice routine here at Rose Cottage -- I can easily spend the entire day here without leaving to go anywhere, and still feel connected to the rest of the world if I choose.  Lovely!

Penultimate Piece

The next to the last in the series -- Star of David.  This is the Great Synagogue in Florence, IT, a gorgeous, blue-domed house of worship for Florence's Jewish community of 2000 people.  Unfortunately I never saw the inside.  I'll make a point of doing so on my next trip to Italy!

I actually took a day off yesterday -- my first complete day with no art and no work in over a year.  I'd gone to sleep early on Sunday evening, slept nearly 12 hours...watched Castle episodes online for a while late morning, then read and dozed all afternoon.  And got another 8+ hours sleep last night.  Today I feel great.  I think all the recent changes just caught up with me.  But maybe I'll let myself do this more often!

I'm slowly getting into Tuesday.  It's a beautiful day out and I plan to enjoy it, whatever I do!

Inside Rose Cottage

Enjoy these views of the interior of Rose Cottage!

Ciao!

Varenna Stairway

Another Italy quilt -- Varenna Stairway, 12x12" mounted on stretched canvas.  Varenna is the town I stayed in on Lake Como.  Built right on the edge of the lake, as virtually all the towns are in the lake district, there are numerous stairways connecting different levels of town. If one were driving, the road would S-curve its way up the hill.

We've got a foggy, damp morning in Fortuna.  I wish I would just rain, I'm in the mood for it. 

Nevertheless, I've got lots on my agenda for the weekend.  Last night I reformatted the galleries on my website.  Have a look if you'd like.  I'll finish the last two Italy quilts (did one yesterday, actually), and do more work on the next series or two.  I've also got to rebuild my paper filing system and do a few other marketing tasks.  I added another piece to the sales blog last night, as well.

Hope you have a great autumn weekend!