Monday, March 17, 2014

Is it Spring yet?

I am so ready for consistently warm weather.  We're in that period where it's 70 one day and 50 the next.  Today, it's in the 50's, and our second full day of rain.  Oh well, tomorrow is another day...

This has been a great year for these early bloomers.  I guess where you grew up determines what you call them.  My Mother called them buttercups, my husband calls them jonquils because that's what his grandmother called them, and most people call them daffodils.  Whatever your preference, they are always a welcome sight.  We have thousands of them on our property, thanks to long-ago former residents, who planted them, and lots of cows who fertilized them over the years.  The Bradford Pear trees and the redbud trees are also coming to life. 

I will be attending the Savannah Quiltfest later this month.  I've entered two art quilts in the competition and I have a new piece I made for the GA/SC Retional SAQA exhibit.  I call it "Downtown" and I told you about it in the last post.
I'm also entering 3 art quilts in an art show in Perry, GA in April, called "Arts in the Armory".  It's being held in conjunction with their Dogwood Festival the weekend of April 11-13th. 

I learned a good, but difficult lesson recently that I will share with you so that, if you, too, are an art quilter, maybe you can avoid my mistake.  I was making a small art quilt to submit for possible consideration to be published in a book.  My piece was supposed to illustrate a quote, and so, I thought about it for a long time and finally decided on a subject. 

I usually use either my own, or a family member's photo as a basis for my quilts, but this time, I didn't have one of the subject I wanted to portray, so I searched online for copyright-free photos.  In looking at one site, I was led to another, where I found just the right shot.  I was only using the human figure in the photo--the rest of the quilt was my design.  Long story short, I made the piece, which I liked very much, but I decided that, before I submitted it for consideration, I would just double-check that I wasn't infringing on anyone's copyright.

You guessed it--I had wandered onto a site that included copyrighted photos and I had picked one of them.  At that point, with a deadline looming, I decided to contact the photographer and ask permission to use her image.  I sent a friendly, chatty e-mail and asked if I could use a portion of her photo as a guide for my art quilt.  I thought she might want some compensation, but I never dreamed she would just say no.  She just said no.

I felt a little sick to my stomach when I got her reply, but no is no, so I knew I had to come up with a plan B.  So, I revamped my idea a bit and took my husband out to pose for me (bless his heart), and I made another piece.  I don't think it's as good as the first one, but I submitted it anyway and decided it was a good lesson learned.  I will never use anyone else's photographs (with the exception of a family member) in my work again.

I understand how difficult it is to protect your rights to your work in today's world of everything being on the internet.  I didn't want to infringe on the photographer in any way, even though she probably would've never known about it.  I would have known, and that's enough.  Lesson learned.






Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Happy New Year

I hope it's not too late to wish everyone a happy new year.  Do you make New Year's Resolutions?  I don't.  I figure I put enough pressure on myself every day without some list hanging over my head.  I like lists--the kind you make when you have a specific task to complete and it involves several steps.
What I really like is checking things off my list, giving me that feeling of accomplishment.  But then, we all know I'm borderline OCD and pretty neurotic.

I was thinking the other day about 2013 and what a good year it was with regards to my artistic endeavors.  The solo exhibit at the museum, the trunk shows, the awards, and the sale of my work were all feel-good moments.  I hope 2014 can keep up.  But, even with all the positive things, I'm still subject to tremendous self-doubt.

 I recently submitted an entry to ArtFields, which is a big art show in South Carolina coming later in the Spring.  I procrastinated and debated with myself about even entering.  Then, after reminding myself that they could say "no", but they couldn't lock me in a room and beat me, I sent my entry via the internet.  As soon as I pressed the send button, I felt a terrible feeling in the pit of my stomach--why hadn't I given more thought to which piece to enter?  Was my submission really the best fit?  This is a "real" art show and they were probably going to get a good chuckle over my entry.  I did remind myself that they are receptive to fiber art and the grand prize winner last year was a fiber piece, but it was huge and innovative, not like my work.  Of course, I had no misconceptions about winning an award, I was just hoping to be invited to the party.  Well, today I received the e-mail, congratulating me on having my entry accepted--wow!  I'm thrilled and excited and making plans to visit South Carolina.

All this just illustrates my point about why I don't make resolutions--I can give myself ulcers with just the day-to-day stuff.  Anyway, here's the piece that will be at ArtFields.
 
I just completed a piece that will be part of the Regional SAQA Exhibit at the upcoming Mancuso national quilt show in Savannah in March.  This will be the first time they've held a show in Savannah, so hopefully lots of Georgia/SC quilters will enter.  Our exhibit is titled "Southern Exposure" and is to illustrate things that make the South unique.  I had a hard time deciding on a subject, but finally used a picture by that famous photographer, Robin Camp.  It's a photo of downtown Haralson, GA, which, like so many small towns in the South, has seen progress pass by and leave it in the dust. 

This is the first time I've tried anything architectural and there was a bit of a learning curve.  I found the lessons learned in my drawing class last Fall were very helpful.  Thank you, Annie Cicale. 

I haven't made a label yet, but I think I'm going to call it "Downtown".  I think I should wait until the show opens to post a photo of it.

I'll be in Duluth, GA on January 28th at 7 p.m. with my trunk show for the Spirited Quilters' Guild.  Hope to see you there. 

Sunday, November 24, 2013

'Til the cows come home...

 I promised photos of my new baby once I had a working camera, so here she is...


Just try to ignore the mess in the background.  Right now, I'm confined to using her on a table.  I can't install her in my sewing cabinet until I get a new insert to fit the machine and the cabinet.  In photo #2, notice the 3rd button from the top--that's the one that cuts the thread, top and bottom.  I love that button and I'm wearing it out as fast as I can.  In photo #3, you can see what a bright work area I have.  There's a row of led lights that give me great illumination.  I think I'll be able to do without the long-arm light I have that reaches all the way across my current sewing cabinet.  That will be a bonus.

 Can you tell I'm in love?  I was in the middle of paper piecing the New York Beauty blocks for Mitch's quilt when I got the machine and I thought I'd just finish them on the older machine, but once I tried one out on this baby, there was no going back.  The dual feed capability with the 1/4" foot is a dream.  Oh, and I'm almost finished with Mitch's quilt top--just ran out of the hand-dyed fabric I was using for the final border, so as soon as my order for PFD fabric arrives from Dharma, I'll be dying to finish that top.

Now, for the story about the cows...On Thursday night, about 11:30 p.m., I had just gotten settled into bed, all cozy and warm, when my husband called to me to get up and come there.  He doesn't usually bother me once I've gone to bed because he's learned over the years that I'm not a very nice person when you disturb my sleep.  I knew something unusual must be going on, so I got up and went to the kitchen.  He just pointed at the back door and said, "Look out there."

Have you ever seen something that you just couldn't believe was real, even though all your reasoning powers told you it was?  I looked out the window and there, on my carport, maybe 2 feet from the back door, were 6 cows.  Yes, that's right, and they weren't alone.  There were another 5 or 6 milling about on the driveway and in the front and back yard.  For a moment, I thought maybe we were in the middle of a Chick-Fil-A commercial, but these were black angus, not holstein cows.

We have an open carport that's 20' x 30' and there are 3 vehicles parked there--a pickup truck, an suv, and a golf cart.  So, you see, there's not a lot of room for a herd of cows.  We were very hesitant to open the door and scare them for fear of the damage they might do trying to all run at the same time.

We knew they belonged to our neighbors across the road, so I went to the phone to let them know.  Needless to say, they were pretty surprised, but they drove up on their ATV in pajamas, boots, and coats, within a few minutes of my call.

Now, a few years ago, my husband and I would have put on our boots and coats and gone out to help, but we're not as young and spry as we used to be and we knew the neighbors had a farm manager and other helpers who would join them in their roundup as soon as they could. 

Everything started out okay and it looked as though the cows would just follow the ATV back home, but then they decided to take another path and ended up on the property next door to us, where there is a pasture with some other cows.  Lots of mooing and shouting later, I decided to go back to bed, but my husband stayed up until about 12:30.  He said they were still trying to herd those cows from next door and back across the road when he came to bed. 

The next morning, we were able to survey the damage--not too bad, but it did require a cleanup of cow manure off the carport and driveway and returning the bird bath in the back yard to its upright position. 

We've had some pretty interesting things in our yard over the years--wild turkey, deer, fox, coyotes, and we've even had a snake and a bobcat on the carport at different times, of course.  Those are things you expect when you have woods all around, but we are still bewildered by why those cows came right up to the door as if they expected to be invited in.  All in all, it was just another exciting night in the country.  I wouldn't trade it for anything.      

Monday, November 18, 2013

Bad girl

I've been a very bad girl lately.  I haven't posted anything here in at least a month.  I will try to do better, but remember, if you don't have anything to say--it's best to just shut up.

We had beautiful fall colors this year, but they only lasted a few days.  The trees are either totally bare or the color is definitely past its prime.  I did catch the sassafras tree in the back yard while it was spectacular.
I wish we had lots more of these, but this is the only one anywhere near the house. 

I haven't taken many photos lately because my camera died.  It was giving me trouble for some time, but I kept babying it and trying to be calm and nice and not say ugly words.  That sort of worked until last week, when, on the advice of this very nice "geek" at Best Buy, I tried a new battery.  That helped for about 6 shots, then, the next time I tried, no dice.  I would push the impossibly tiny "on" button maybe 10 times and when it finally came on and I aimed it at what was to be the subject of my photo, it would shut off.  That happened 4 or 5 times, and I finally said, enough (well, I actually said some other stuff, too, but best not to get into that).  I'm going back to Best Buy tomorrow to purchase a new camera.  I've felt so lost without a camera these last few days--kind of like being without a car.

I made a major purchase a couple of weeks ago and I was going to post a photo, but since that didn't work out, I'll just tell you about it.  First, a little background--when I was at the GA Quilt Show back in September, I wandered by the Bernina booth and talked to a nice lady about the new 700 series machines.  I had no intention of buying a new sewing machine, I was just killing time.  Then, over the next few weeks the universe began turning in such a way that my purchase of a new machine became a given.  Money began to fall out of the sky.  First, there was the prize money from the GA Quilt Show, then more prize money from the GA Nat'l Fair, and, to top it off, I sold my "Lotus Pond" piece at the fair.  All in all, I thought these were omens.  So, not wanting to upset the natural order of things, I visited my nearest Bernina dealer and put that baby through its paces. 

Needless to say, it was love at first stitch.  This machine (the Bernina 710) is a dream.  It has  10" of  throat space, a dual feed system that's very easy to engage and works with several different feet.  It also uses a much larger bobbin and gives me up to 9mm of stitch width capability.  And--drum roll--it has a button that you push to cut the top and bottom thread!  Do you know how many times I've had to practically crawl under a quilt to cut that bottom thread with the scissors and hope I didn't cut a hole in the quilt at the same time? 

I had briefly looked at the 800 series Berninas when they first came out, but I can't see myself paying $10K for a sewing machine--not until I win the lottery, anyway.  I opted for the lowest price of the 700 models because I wasn't about to spend an extra $1000 for a BSR foot (stitch regulator) and a quarter-inch foot, which was the only difference between the 710 model and the 750 QE.  Then, there's a 780 that includes all the embroidery stuff, but I'm not into embroidery.  All in all, the 710 was just a little more than I paid for my 440 QE about 6-7 years ago.  And, now I will sell that machine, since I don't have room for it.

 By the way, if you're interested in a well-used and well-maintained Bernina 440 QE, I'm offering mine for $1500, which is about half what I paid for it.  Send me an e-mail if you want to know more.  I also counted and I have about 75 bobbins for the 440 that I can't use on the new machine, so I'd be willing to throw those into the deal.

I'm in the process of making a bed quilt for my youngest grandson.  Mitch will be 16 next week, and, while this won't be finished in time for his birthday, maybe it can be done by Christmas.  I've got all the piecing done and I'm working on borders.   It has 72 New York Beauty blocks that I paper pieced.  Mitch picked out some of my ice-dyed fabric (which just happened to be my favorite color combination) and that has determined my palette.  I love the way that fabric looks in the quilt and I'm using it for the borders, too.  If all goes well tomorrow, maybe I can post some photos.

Sunday, October 13, 2013

GA National Fair and Expressions of Meriwether

The Georgia National Fair closes today and my 3 entries this year won a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place.  That's awesome, but what puzzles me always is that I apparently have no concept of how to judge my own work.  The piece that won a blue ribbon was my 3rd choice and I really didn't expect to win anything with it. 
"Sanctuary" is  made from a 1/2 yard piece of my ice-dyed fabric.  I hung it on my design wall, occasionally turning it, until it began to look like something to me.  Then, I did a little cropping, added thread painting for the tree trunks and limbs, the grass and water, and used a piece of fabric I had previously painted for the sky.  I liked it, but I would have never guessed it would beat out the other two entries.
"Lotus Pond" was awarded 2nd place.  It certainly involved a lot more work and different techniques and materials.  I thought it was the best thing I've done, so far.  The big news is that it is now sold, thanks to its exposure at the fair. 
"Best Friends Forever" got the 3rd place.  It, too, took a lot of time to complete.  I posted previously about how it was made, showing photos of it in progress.  It's definitely a favorite of mine, considering the subject matter.

Next Saturday, October 19th, I will participate in a county-wide event featuring lots of different interests and activities.  It's called "Expressions of Meriwether" and will include tours of historic buildings and demos by a potter, photographer, and interior designer in Greenville, pony rides and building birdhouses in Luthersville, beekeeping, homing pigeons and cooking classes in Lone Oak, as well as ballroom dance classes and wine tasting in Warm Springs.  Railroad Days and a car show will take place in Manchester and bluegrass music and lots of antiques will be on display in Woodbury. 

I will be exhibiting my work at the Community Building in Gay, GA from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m, along with a local photographer.  The Community Building is 1/2 mile north of the traffic light on GA Hwy 85, beside and a bit behind the fire station.  Sounds like a great time for the whole family, with something for everyone.  Ya'll come.



 

 

Saturday, September 21, 2013

GA Quilt Show

Yesterday, I attended the GA Quilt Show in Marietta.  I had entered one art quilt in the competition and I also have a piece in the GA/SC Regional SAQA Exhibit, which will be traveling with the Sewing and Quilt Expo around the country for the next year.  This was the opening of that exhibit and I was anxious to see what our group had produced.

It is an awesome showing  and I am honored to be a part of it.  There is a wonderfully diverse group of artists and styles represented.  The theme is "Under Georgia Lina Skies", which left a lot of room for interpretation and I think that helps make it such a great mix. 

My competition piece, "Where the Pavement Ends" took a third place in the Small Wallhanging category. 
Since the category doesn't separate art quilts and is based strictly on size, it means there's a big range of work.  I don't see how my piece got any recognition, after seeing the first and second place winners.  They were both densely quilted with incredible skill--the kind of quilts you're used to seeing in the big shows that make your mouth drop in awe.  How my little landscape squeezed out a ribbon, I don't know because there were other entries more like #1 and 2. 

I really wish the show would have a category that is just for art quilts, as it seems to be a comparison of apples and oranges.  Do we look at it for its artistic merit or for its technical wizardry.  Of course, the technically awesome ones are also artistic, but it's a different animal.

I will be doing a Trunk Show for the East Cobb Quilt Guild next Friday morning.  I'm a bit nervous about that since they have some very gifted art quilters in their group.  Hope they won't be bored with my work. 

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Folk School

I spent last week at the John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, NC.  It was a great experience on many levels.  First, I must say that I am an introvert and my biggest concern prior to making the trip was that I would be "trapped" in an environment with multiple strangers and I would be required to "make nice" with these people 24/7.  I know that sounds awful, but, like I said, I am an introvert and it takes a lot for me to be comfortable in groups, especially for extended periods of time.

I had arranged for a single room with a private bathroom, so I would have some place to hibernate.  That was a good idea, as I was able to return to my room (no tv, no radio, sketchy cell phone service) after the evening program and be totally quiet and alone.  I had the option of returning to the classroom in the evening, but I decided I needed time to decompress after a full day.  I wrote a 2 page letter to my husband each evening.  I haven't written an actual letter in years and it was special for both of us.

 My room and the house I stayed in.

Everyone was extremely nice and friendly and I met many interesting people.  Dining was family style, which meant you had to interact with your table-mates and that led to conversations beyond "pass the potatoes, please".  There were people there from all over the country and from such diverse backgrounds, I found myself enjoying the meals as much for the conversation as for the food--and the food was awesome.


There was entertainment each evening, demonstrations in some of the other classes, and the scenery was beautiful.

I took a beginning drawing class with 8 other students.  It was kind of like closing your eyes and jumping off the high dive when you're not sure there's any water in the pool, and you can't swim anyway.  (Remember the scene in "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid", when they have to jump off a cliff into a river below and one of the guys hesitates and says he can't swim and the other one says, "hell, the fall will kill you"?)

I do not remember ever drawing anything that wasn't traced.  I make the patterns for my art quilts by enlarging a photo and tracing the main elements.  That way, I know that things are the correct size in relation to each other.  So, on the first day, when the instructor, Annie Cicale, told us to pick some leaves or a plant and draw them, I swallowed hard and dove right in.  My thought process was that nobody in this class knew me, nor was I ever likely to meet any of them again, so what did I have to lose?  Besides, the folk school is not a cheap vacation, so I was determined to get my money's worth.

I survived Monday morning--I even showed my work to the other people in the class and Annie.  Believe me, that was not easy, but everyone was extremely supportive and positive--nobody laughed out loud, so I decided it was okay to come back after lunch.

I think I may have been the only true beginner in the class, as there were some pretty awesome drawings being done.  On Monday afternoon, we chose 4-5 small objects and composed a still life.  We got some instruction, which I'm not sure I fully grasped, and began to draw.  I was doing okay until I got to the last object and realized that it didn't fit where it was supposed to go and I only had 3 erasers, so I knew I was in trouble.  By that time, it was the end of the day and I went back to my room after dinner with a headache and a lot of doubt about my future as an artist.

Tuesday morning, I came back to the class, having determined that I would start over, so I selected another group of objects and began again.  This time, things went a lot better and everything fit pretty much where it was supposed to go.  Then we began to work on shading, which was easier for me since I discovered that concept when I made my second art quilt.

I won't bore you with lots more details--heck, you probably haven't gotten this far anyway.  Suffice it to say, things got easier as the week progressed, and I have no doubt that given enough time with Annie (who is a great instructor and artist), I could eventually be one of those people you see in public places with a sketchbook and a beautifully peaceful look on their faces, lost in their own world.  I have always envied those people and wanted to be one of them.

My favorite part of the week was the day we went out and found a spot by ourselves and drew what was in front of us.  That was totally serene and made my little introverted self very happy.  I want to do that again.

The bottom line here is, the folk school is an awesome place, where you can learn a lot, produce something you're proud to take home, and meet an incredibly diverse and interesting group of people.  And, the setting is spectacular--quiet and serene, surrounded by mountains.  They offer such a variety of classes, the biggest problem you have is deciding which one you want to take.  So, if you're looking for a different kind of vacation, check it out. www.folkschool.org

This week is the GA Quilt Show at the Galleria on the north side of Atlanta.  I have one piece in the competition and another piece in a SAQA exhibit, which includes art quilts from members in the GA/SC region of SAQA.  I'm looking forward to seeing that and attending a regional SAQA meeting Friday night.

The GA National Fair is Oct 3rd - 13th and I have 3 pieces entered in the Fine Arts Show.  I didn't have anything to enter in the quilt competition this year.  I plan to make a full/queen size quilt for my youngest grandson, Mitch, very soon.  His 16th birthday is coming up in November and I'd like to have something ready, if not by then, perhaps for Christmas.  He's picked out colors, but we haven't settled on a design yet.  I need to get busy.