In between

In between - that's what I feel like I am at the moment...in between. What? Here and there? A rock and hard place, perhaps? 

No. No. All is well here. It's just how the universe has me feeling what with winter still holding on while spring tries to muscle her way in. We've projects around the house to start, but, well...starting can be so darned difficult at times. Getting that momentum going, you know?

So, I've been locking myself in the studio once the urchins leave for school. And that is good.

 Sections of the next piece have been being sewn together and are waiting for more.

The past few days have been a frenzy of attempting to sew a pinafore apron out of my rusty cottons a la Christine Mauersberger's pattern that she was kind enough to share (Many thanks Christine!).

It fits, but needs tweaking - pockets are called for and it's a bit too long...or is it? The straps in back are a tad off somehow... I promise more photos soon.

Time in between has been spent applying to exhibitions and waiting for notification of acceptance or rejection.  I'm happy to say that

Mapping the Mermaid's Dreams © 2013 will be part of the Juried Member Show 2013 at the Ridgefield Guild of Artists, April 13 - May 12, Ridgefield, CT and

my collages The Scent of Tea Wafted Through the House, The Memory of Tea and The Making of Tea (all ©2012) will be part of Less is More: Small Works in a Great Space (A Mitchell Gallery National Juried Exhibition) , May 29 - June 19, 2013, at The Mitchell Gallery, St. John's College, Annapolis, MD.

Having my work accepted into exhibitions is a new occurrence for me. While I was juried into some of the best art shows along the east coast with my weavings, rarely were they accepted into exhibitions. Curated into by a curator who was familiar with them, yes, but juried into...no. So if you've been hearing the odd Woohoo! that can't quite be placed or get the feeling that someone is doing a serious happy dance (or 2 or 3) in the studio, that's likely been me.

All in all, this feeling of in-between-ness that has settled in has been quite productive for me. Of course, it could be a side effect of the allergy medicines that the allergist prescribed. This time last year, skull splitting headaches were a daily occurrence for me. Let's see...in-between-ness vs skull splitting headaches...not really a contest, is it?

In the studio

Finished this week.

Charting the Quiet Within © 2013

30" long x 6" high

rusted, mono printed and painted cotton, stitching

Echoes of Stillness © 2013

30" long x 6" high

rusted and mono printed cotton, stitching 

And the story scroll has been named.

 Mending the Wayfarer's Path © 2013

14.5' long x 5" high

rusted, mono printed and painted cotton, stitching 

All in all, not a bad week. 

How was yours?

 

Art math - when does 1 = 4 = 5?

Start with 1 very long piece that is intended to become accordion book 5.

Hang it in the studio for viewing and pondering.

Get really close so its whispers of what it truly wants to become are clearly heard.

 Listen. Agree.  

Take it down from its lofty perch. 

Lay it on your worktable...back side up...and

just do it.

 Cut it into 4 equal lengths measuring approximately 64".

Give them a lofty perch again and stand back to listen to their whispers.

Of contentment? Of dismay? Of not-quite-there-ness?

Listen to one who yearns to be more.

So...it is possible for 1 = 4 = 5.

Don't you just love art math?

(sorry for the poor lighting...it's darker on that end of the studio)

The Search for Roy G Biv II - Orange

I'm a bit late posting my oranges this time. A whole day late actually. Can I blame it on our new internet service which, supposedly, works at the same speed as the old service? Can I blame it on waiting until the little urchin were in bed and then crawling in bed myself with my lap top on my lap and thinking I hit the publish button before falling asleep? I can? Good. Both instances are true...although this one most likely falls more to user error.

As oranges are still inside trying to stay warm up (where is spring?), I've culled back through the archives to re-post some favorites as well as a few newbies. Enjoy!

kinetic sculpture outside Silvermine Arts Center

building in New York

my discharged cottons dancing on the breeze

Go Fish cards

felted wall hanging 

lobster at the aquarium

antique kimono fabric sent by Pam

robot necklace

shells

A huge Thank You! to those aiding in the search for Roy this month. In the mood for more orange? 

Julie

Kim

Maya

Charlton
Jennifer

have orange. Do you?

What a way to start the week

I'm an early riser. Always have been and it's a good bet that I always will be. Even now, or maybe that should be especially now, with the little urchins to get ready for school, I make a point of rising early enough to have at least 30 minutes to sit and enjoy a cup of tea while checking email and favored blogs before it's necessary to switch into mom mode. This morning was no different.

While enjoying a cup of jasmine tea, I logged on to check my email and found a note from Seth Apter of The Altered Page. He is in the process of writing the follow up to his first book, The Pulse of Mixed Media. A few things have happened that he wanted to share - the title has changed, the cover art is in, the publication date has moved up (now October 2013) and the book is available for pre-order from Amazon.

Exciting news all round, wouldn't you agree? I saved the cover art file to my computer for a better look (that little thumbnail included in the email was just a tad too small to really see). Talk about getting the surprise of a lifetime when I opened the file for a better glimpse! Holy smoke Batman!!! My art made the cover!!! What an honor this is!

Needless to say, I want to say a huge Thank You to Seth.  Made my week. Heck, my month and possibly even my year. What a way to start the week!

In the studio

In case you're wondering what's happening this week,

 there's a little of this

 and a whole lot of that

 which results in 

 a bit of this

 and a tad of that

 with a smattering of this going on too

 today.

Accordion or scroll?

The official vote so far is 2 either way, 3 scroll...4 if my vote counts. What do you think?