Santa Fe Retreat 2017 - And all the rest

Once again Radiant Light Art Studio has worked its magic on me.

From the first step through this lovely weathered gate,  

 the energy and warmth of the place can be felt.

Storm clouds have circled the studio all week, providing breathtaking views as well as

much needed rain for this dry land.

One of the noticeable differences between fall (our usual time here) and spring, has been the ceaseless wind. The week was ushered in by strong winds that the neighbor's flag totally unfurled and acting as a weather vane.

Jennifer Coyne Qudeen, detail of work in progress, 2017

 

 

 

 

 

At some point, I wondered if it were possible to stitch the wind.

With so much zigging and zagging happening, my machine decided to have a bit of fun and throw in a tangle of threads every now and then.

Jennifer Coyne Qudeen, detail of work in progress, 2017

The story tiles and studio muse chatted 

Jennifer Coyne Qudeen, detail of work in progress, 2017

and filled me on what to do next.

Jennifer Coyne Qudeen, detail of work in progress, 2017

Sewing breaks were spent doing asemic (or arsenic as the auto-correct on my phone thought best on an Instagram post this morning) writing on paper and cloth. One such break lead me wonder if I could make the zig zag stitch resemble writing

Jennifer Coyne Qudeen, detail of work in progress, 2017

before returning to stitching the wind

Jennifer Coyne Qudeen, detail of work in progress, 2017

and circles.

52 story tiles were sliced, rearranged, stamped on and stitched with 48 of them making the cut.

One of the highlighta of this visit was meeting Marianne of Over the Rainbow blog. Back before Pam and I ventured to Santa Fe for the first time, Marianne was kind enough to recommend restaurants and places to visit. Each year since has had her traveling while we're here. Thankfully, our schedules finally coincided. What a lovely time we had!

All is now packed and the studio feels a bit empty, wistful...or maybe it's really just me. Time here is special and I am thankful for it and for being able to share it with Pam. Until next year...

Santa Fe Retreat 2017 - Story Tiles

Way back in 2010, I took a big piece of black linen and painted it white, added a tad of yellow, stamped a story within a story and then added other surface design elements before cropping it several times. A post from January 23, 2011 shows my thought process along the way as well as 88 of the 106 story tiles.

All this time, the tiles have rested quietly in a bin in my studio closet. Once or twice a year, I take them out for a few days and ponder just what the next step is. Ideas have played hide and seek with me...until I decided that they were the perfect thing to bring to Santa Fe to work on. If you follow me on Instagram, then you know that I've been

Jennifer Coyne Qudeen, work in progress 2017

stitching circles,

Jennifer Coyne Qudeen, work in progress 2017

Jennifer Coyne Qudeen, work in progress 2017

and lines,  

Jennifer Coyne Qudeen, work in progress 2017

Jennifer Coyne Qudeen, work in progress 2017

stamping and 

Jennifer Coyne Qudeen, work in progress 2017

writing stories. 

Jennifer Coyne Qudeen, work in progress 2017

I've been cutting and layering, 

Jennifer Coyne Qudeen, work in progress 2017

trying to decide which is really the front

Jennifer Coyne Qudeen, work in progress 2017

and which is the back.

Jennifer Coyne Qudeen, work in progress 2017

I've set a challenge for myself - to see how many story tiles can be finished during my time here. In the process, the thresh hold of my comfort zone is being tested. It feels good to stretch and push my creative muscles...to play, to think what if and then find out.

Pondering the new year

It's that time when thoughts turn to the coming year and what it will hold. For me, it's time to organize the studio, unearth my worktable, mull over a few old ideas and ponder a few new ones.

 The indigos are calling

 as are the story tiles.

  My Morning Tea

for the Sketchbook Project needs a short note and to be mailed.

 I'd like to experiment with rust and paper more.

Do a bit more stitching as well.

 Continue to search for Roy G Biv.

And set a few challenges for myself. 

More on those later.

What would you like to do in 2013?

Esmerelda

This is the story of Esmerelda.

Once upon a time there two artists who were friends. They lived in the same state, were part of the same art group, enjoyed each other's company and generally had fun together. All was well in the state known as Virginia, located very near to Washington, DC. Then, one fateful day, one of the friends moved far away. To Oz, in fact.

The friend who remained behind, we'll call her The Weaver, walked into a shop one day close to Christmas and immediately spied the perfect gift for her friend, we'll call her The Water Mystic.

There in the store hung the most wondrous mermaid...made of glass, wearing indigo shoes, a starfish on her forehead, arms outstretched to guide them through the water, and shimmering gossamer wings. Wings? you ask. Yes, wings.

You see, Esmerelda is no ordinary mermaid. 

Esmerelda is a seeker, an explorer, a storyteller.

In her travels she met Cecil, a starfish with 6 tentacles, who became her most trusted friend and companion. 

Cecil was with Esmerelda the day she decided it was time to leave the waters in search of one she'd heard of.

One who lives above the waters. 

One who possesses such mystical powers 

as to be able to transform 

whatever She touches into Water.  

 Water that sustains life. 

Water that inspires.

 Water that is High Art.

Esmerelda knew to the core of her being that this was The One to tell her stories to for She possessed the power to turn Esmerelda's water stories into High Art.

Yet seeking out The One, The Water Mystic, would bring great change. For living above the waters meant exchanging air for water, 2 legs for 1 tail, wings for flippers, settling down for roaming the world.

Esmerelda embraced the change as did Cecil. They had heard that The Weaver was friends with The Water Mystic and so made sure to cross her path. Few would have recognized them for what they really were, but The Weaver did and gladly sent them on their way to her friend as a gift that Christmas.

Well...that New Year actually, for first she had to record their story.

The Water Mystic welcomed Esmerelda and Cecil to her home. They immediately settled upon the studio as the best spot to relate their stories and to view the water.

It's cause for much merriment and celebrating all round when The One Previously Known As The Weaver visits...we call her The Rust Junkie now. Esmerelda spins and dances from her most excellent perch. Poor Cecil gets quite dizzy at times, but wouldn't have it any other way.

During one of Esmerelda's more exuberant celebrations, she managed to lose a wing. And that's just fine with her...and a story for another day. After all, muses do not need wings to fly.

Artist Statement

What is it about writing an artist statement...one's own artist statement...that is so incredibly daunting? Paralyzing even? Last week Fiona wrote about composing hers. How timely her post was because I too needed to update, well...let's be honest...write a whole new artist statement - one about my mark making rather the oh-so-out-of-date-one that was for my weavings. 

Sunday morning, the painful process began. I kept going back to Fiona's post to review the points that Alyson B. Stanfield of Art Biz Coach suggested one consider when writing one's artist statement. 

Soon enough, two pages were filled with what my inspiration is, what gets me in the studio, what it is about rust that excites me, etc. The lists were easy. Taking those lists and turning them into a cohesive paragraph or two was anything but.

Monday morning found me at the computer, alternately staring at the blank screen and the lists, trying desperately to write...something...anything. An artist statement was needed, like NOW. Really. Today in fact. 

All the while, a comment Pam made during our usual Friday Skype session kept flitting through my mind...that I am good at writing stories. So why not write my artist statement as a story? And so it began...

You know that person you see every now and then who looks both ways to make sure no cars are coming, then steps out into the street only to bend down and pick something up before continuing along their way? That would be me. What I just retrieved from the road is a rusty bit – a washer perhaps – that caught my eye.

And then the little urchins woke and came shuffling sleepily into the studio to say good morning. The moment was lost. 

Later in the day, I found myself with a bit of free time and decided to go to the mall. Walking through the parking lot, something on the ground caught my eye so I bent to retrieve it, making sure to look both ways to insure no cars were coming...and a small laugh escaped remembering the words I'd written earlier. 

This morning, facing a 5 pm deadline, I continued the story and finally...FINALLY...finished my artist statement.

Rust has a quiet power, a vibrancy and mysteriousness that draws me in and begs to be explored, to be played and experimented with. Mark making with rust is unpredictable and complex yet the marks themselves have a simplicity that allows the quiet power to come through while the many textures and layers left by the rust hint at stories yet to be told. 

 

My current work combines mark making with rust and hand stitching with my love of Japanese boro.

Just do it

Since finally arriving at the correct arrangement of the story squares, I've been wondering how they'd look once sewn together. What changes would connecting them bring? Would they still flow as well with just a bit missing...tucked behind in the seam? Would I sew them together and immediately regret it?

This morning I decided that there was only one way to find out and that was to just do it. So I did.

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