Creativity

The Professional Artist versus The Artist

2008-07-08T14:19:00.001-07:00

I have been thinking alot about my role as a professional artist versus just being an artist. Whether one is an artist or not is brought up on the QuiltArt list regularly. It seems many people get the "professional artist" mixed up with "the artist" parts. Let me explain from my point of view.

An artist is one who creates art. The artist may or may not sell and/or show their work.

A professional artist is one who creates art and is making it a business...meaning constantly seeking out show opportunities, sales opportunities and other ways to make money from their creative endeavors.

Well, let me tell you, there is a really big difference between the two of them!

An artist may decide to just wait for the muse to strike and then create at that time. An artist might decide to not create art for a while although they usually keep something going somewhere. An artist does not spend many hours on the computer seeking show opportunities.

A professional artist keeps a complete catalog of their work, which includes images, descriptions and information about shows and awards involving each piece of work. The professional keeps up a current artist statement. The resume is keep up to date. Calls for shows, galleries, museums are all searched twice weekly and considered for appropriateness. Shows are entered on a regular basis. Packets are sent out regularly to different galleries and museums which include a digital submission of images, a list of those images including pricing, size, etc., a cover letter, that up to date resume and anything else that might be appropriate.

A professional spends a lot of time (probably more that half of a workweek) doing the business part of being an artist. Maintaining accounts, banking, writing notes, contacting different places to arrange for teaching, writing lessons, writing articles, keeping bills straight, shipping and mailing, getting postcards and business cards printed, getting images taken, resizing images multiple times to fit various requirement (why can't everyone use the same size and resolution?), etc. etc., etc.

A professional artist does not work a 40 hour work week but more like 60 hours per week which factors in time to create, time to reflect, time to contemplate, time to renew, time to view others' work, time to read professional magazines....ugh...maybe that workweek is more like 80 hours per week...I do take Sundays off...well, sort of.

Want to become a professional artist? Be prepared to create even when you don't feel like it, doing the business even when you don't feel like, meeting deadlines, fusing with little details, hauling stuff around, cleaning the studio, going to the studio even when you are tired, teaching even when you are really sick, and making nice to people you don't really like.

Want more information about how to do it? Read Alyson Stanfield's new book "I'd rather be in the studio". Her book is filled with lists of things you need to do! Don't just think about it...do it!

Three More

2008-07-02T21:28:00.001-07:00

I have just been amazed at the positive comments made on yesterday's post about the work shown. It is so great because this is a very new style of work for me. After teaching my first on line class called Better Art By Design and spending so much time discussing the elements and principles of design and critiquing a lot of work, I just decided I wanted to go back to basics and work in the abstract with shapes and focusing on design principles. It has been so much fun and I am very happy others are enjoying the work.

And this is Color Blocks 19 which is 26.5 x 20":

Here is Color Blocks 21 which is 25.5 x 20":

And here is Color Blocks 22 which is 26.5 x 20.5":

So now I just have to get my images ready for my website and load them up there! What fun!?

Again, many thanks to all of you for such nice comments! You all made my day today!

Some New Work

2008-07-01T21:17:00.000-07:00

I thought I would share three of my bigger Color Blocks pieces. I have just finished two more today but didn't get them photographed yet.

so, this is Color Blocks 20 and is 29 x 38 ":Color Blocks 18 which is 26 x 19":
Color Blocks 17 which is 28 x 21":
I am having so much fun with these! The ideas and colors just keep rolling right along.

Not much else happening...I have been spending way too much time on the business end of things and not enough on the creation end. Oh well, that is the way it goes. Being ill for so long has really put me behind. I have to update my catalogue and my website....more computer time!

A Day Looking at Art

2008-06-29T13:43:00.000-07:00

On Friday I sat in as a juror/selector for art for the County of Alameda, my home county in CA. I had been asked to sit in on this call as one of the two artists who would be looking at the work. The Arts Council for the county has three calls to artists out...this one which was due a month ago and two more, that I am submitting work to, that are due tomorrow. Since I was not eligible to enter this current one, they ask me to be there.

What an interesting day. This is all percent for arts money that is being used to purchase work. We were looking at work for one smallish office which only had a budget of $2500 to purchase work for the office which is a central starting point for people seeking building permits. There was one person who was in that office and then two others who are also located in the same building and are in the planning department. There was another artists, a painter and then one of the Arts Commission members who is an architect. He could discuss and voice his opinions but is not a voting member. And then there were two staff.

One of the Superior Courts has $60,000 to spend for art so they had already taken a look at the works and made some preliminary selections. The staff had reduced the number of works to view from over 1000 to about 230 pieces.

It was a very interesting process. We each had a list of the work, along with the artist's name, the medium used, and the retail price and size. Since our budget was so low, pieces of work over $2500 were excluded from our consideration. The first go-round viewing the work was fairly quiet as we each noted if we felt the piece was a yes, no, or maybe. Had a brief lunch break and then got down to business of running through them all again, this time with discussion about why we liked something. We got to hear other people's views about the work. Some, solicited no comments from us as we were all clearly a no on those pieces...the comments were on the maybes and the yeses. In the end, we turned in our choices on the sheet to the staff. They will tabulate and see which ones we are clearly interested in and contact artists to bring the work in.

In a month, we will reconvene to look over all the work we have selected, in person, and then make our final recommendations. Our recommendations go to the Arts Commission board who usually approves the recommendations.

We saw all sorts of work. A lot of "archival digital images" or what used to be photographs. Since there is so much work being done on the computer, the way these were put together was really interesting. One person created panels that were 36 x 60" and had three images (actually they were like strips of images) in a triptych on the one piece of fine art paper. One of the pieces had three different views from a freeway, but they were images of the freeway itself. Another had three images of the ground, but various kinds of ground. Lots of mixed media. One person had created two different plaid patterns out of shoelaces...it was interesting but I am not into all over patter which this was. One piece was painted with beads added. There were no other textiles in this bunch although there was one painting that had fine embroidery added to the work.

It was really great to sit in on this process. I called a good friend afterwards and told her that both she and her partner need to submit their work for consideration to the next calls that come out. There is absolutely nothing to loose....and so should you!

Our county is now using an on-line service which collects all the artist information. Each artist uploads images and then chooses which ones to submit for consideration. We also submit our resume which is uploaded from our files and also our artist statement. Then, with the push of a button, the entire package is submitted to the council. Last time I did this I had to submit slides, 10 copies of the slide list, ten copies of the packet which included artist statement, application, resume and whatever else they wanted. Everything had to be numbered and put together into ten different packets with only one set of slides. That was a real pain! This is so much easier!

Feeling Better

2008-06-23T15:52:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I woke up actually feeling good! I was so excited! I fooled around with email and then was about to get ready to go down to the studio (I haven't been there in ages!) and my good friend called to see if I was going to church. Sure, tomorrow, I said...no, today she said...I said oops I am ushering and reading a prayer...I had best get myself going! So I did and I got there on time but was tired afterwards. Still not up all the way.

But, today! I got down to the studio to take pictures of my new color blocks that had been in open studios as I am determined to get them all cataloged and up on my website.

Meanwhile, I keep having fun with my little collages, which are 5 x 6" mounted on 8 x 10 mat board. Several have found their way to other homes. They cost $20 each (plus tax if you are in CA) and $5 for shipping. Just let me know if you are interested.

So, the new ones are:

Wisdom Words 10: They are not dead who live in the hearts they leave behind. Native American proverb

Wisdom words 11: to know the road ahead, ask those coming back. Chinese proverb

Wisdom Words 12: A bit of fragrance clings to the hand that gives flowers. Chinese proverb

Wisdom Words 13: The absent get further off every day. Japanese proverb

My Turn

2008-06-20T08:19:00.001-07:00

Well, I have had my turn at being sick, sick, sick...at least I knew what was coming and that it would last about 12 hours and then I would be exhausted for another day...but now I am much better.

I have a very appreciative daughter and son-in-law. I am trying to be the grandmother I had never had not had my children. My own mother was very formal and did not play with the children...I get down on the floor and have fun. It's about not needing to be the center of attention. But I also think it is a generational thing too. My family moved around so I did not see my grandparents very often. My maternal grandmother would come and stay with us for several months at a time (when we were in Japan and Hawaii) and it was fun to be with her. My paternal grandparents were very formal and my grandfather would pay me a nickle if I would be quiet and not say anything...what a message! Oh well, new generations, new times, and a very close relationship with my daughter's family...for better and for worse!

Some more Wisdom Words for your enjoyment. Again, these at 5 x 6" mounted on 8 x 10 mat board and are ready to frame, sell for $20 with $5 postage. Contact me if you are interested in purchasing one.

Wisdom Words # 7

Wisdom Words # 8 SOLD

Wisdom Words #9

The Sandwich Generation-make mine ginger cream!

2008-06-17T20:07:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I took my father out to go to a class on cataract surgery which he is having next week. He did not bring his hearing aids so he could not hear the woman who was talking, nor could he hear the audio visual presentation. Because he has macular degeneration in addition to really bad cataracts, he cannot see at all out of his left eye. And his right eye isn't much better. So he couldn't read the booklet they gave us and could not see the TV screen either. After that, I spent time explaining everything to him and then drove him around running several errands.

I had been so tired from a very busy weekend that yesterday morning I went down to the studio for just a couple of hours in order to move everything back where it belonged so it would be back in working order and then took off to take my dad out. It takes me about 40 minutes, depending upon traffic to get to his house from mine. My studio is about half way there but out of the way.

So, after I dropped my Dad off yesterday at 5pm I got a call from my daughter. She was dreadfully sick, vomiting and spending too much time on the toilet. Her husband was also pretty sick but not quite as bad as she was. Jacob and Ashton were ok but could I come over and help with the kids as both adults were too sick...so grammy to the rescue!

Got there, fixed some food for Jacob, fed Ashton, played with Ashton, stayed out of the parent's way and then just as I was going to get Jacob to bed he started vomiting and vomiting and vomiting. All over the floor, all over the bath room, all over his clothes, all over the towel we got, etc. So into the bathtub he went while I cleaned up messes and cleaned him up. Then got him out of the bath and he proceeded to vomit all over me and the bathroom so back into the tub he went. I had nothing to change into. Yuck! Finally got him to bed and before I could even get him settled in, he started vomiting in bed...which of course meant clean bedding including mattress pad, sheets, and pjs and back into the bathtub to clean him up again. Got a big tupperware storage container for him to hang on to and that worked. Every 20-30 minutes he was up vomiting again. At one point mother and son were both in the bathroom vomiting together...

I ended up spending the night there just to take care of Jacob. Fortunately, Ashton did not get sick. But I was up until after midnight and then up several times during the night to empty the bowl and comfort a sick child. My husband's car was at the shop so he couldn't bring my pj's , robe and slippers over so a friend came to the rescue and brought them over. Finally I got into something dry and was able to avoid more stuff on my clothes.

This morning I took care of the boys and then finally left their house at 10am to come home, shower and change and then go off to Berkeley to pick up my father for more medical appointments regarding his eye surgery. Finally got him back home at 3: 30pm, stopped by a scrapbook store which has neat things, stopped and got a Foster's freeze ice cream and then headed home. Just as I got off the freeway I got a call from my daughter...Mom....where are you? Can you come help us some more because we have no energy to fix dinner or whatever.

So, super grammy to the rescue again. This time it was to cook chicken flavored rice, wash dishes, feed Ashton after his mom nursed him, play with Jacob who just wasn't going to eat, get clothes out of the dryer ( oh yeah, all the stuff got washed last night including my clothes), threw the ball for the dog for a while, changed poopy diapers, etc. I finally got home at 7:30 to a husband who tells me he is sick and has spent too much time on the toilet too and now has chills and fiver...

I think I will run away!

Tomorrow I am supposed to have the day to myself except that now I have to get the car from the shop. At least my dad doesn't have another medical appointment until Thursday and then that is it until his surgery date.

But in the meantime I am three days behind in doing critiques for my on line class. Well, I do plan to get those done tomorrow....

So, since I have fallen in love with Paul Newman's ginger cream sandwich cookies, I guess that is the one I will be!

But, in the meantime, here are some more of my Wisdom Words collages. They are again $20 each with $5 for mailing.

Wisdom Words #4

Wisdom words #5 SOLD

Wisdom words #6 SOLD

See you all tomorrow!

Wisdom Words Series and the end of Open Studios

2008-06-15T22:45:00.001-07:00

I have started a new group of paper collages. These have been a lot of fun to do and I call the "Wisdom Words" as I have searched for various quotes that I have found to be so true, funny, or just plain important to remember. These have been incorporated into the collage. Many have raised images, image transfers, rubber stamping, stamps, images from my own photos and images from my huge collection of cabinet photos. Each of these sell for $20 plus $5 shipping USPS priority mail. Just let me know if you want one. I will be posting new ones each day! Each of these is mounted on an 8 x 10 mat board and is ready for framing. The actual collage size is
5 x 6".

Wisdom Words 1 "One does not discover New Lands without consenting to lose sight of the Shore for a Very Long time." Andre Gide

Wisdom Words 2 "The more you give, the more good things come to you" Native American Proverb SOLD

Wisdom Words 3 "A man without a smiling face must not open shop."

Additionally, today was the last day of Open Studios...two full weekends of interesting people, issues with my studio mate and 6 sales of my work! What was so very nice was the fact that I received many compliments on my work from other artists who are not fiber people but painters and sculptors, etc. That really feels good!

I met several more people from the studios where my studio is...only two of the many at the foundry are not live-work...all the rest have people living in them. One artist there, who makes electric cars and is 32, bought a piece of mine. We then had a fascinating conversation about how to apply fabric to the car he is creating that will be a bright green snake with the car as the head of the snake. We discussed various ways of coloring the fabric and how he is going to do this! It really sounds interesting. It has been fun to meet so many young artists who have new visions.

oTmorrow it is back to the studio to get things back in order to create! Find things my studio mate moved, clean up a dye pot that got broken, and start work on the design wall. Those batiks are calling me....liz....liz....liz...come to us! Well, I must answer, right?

East Meets West

2008-06-14T20:56:00.000-07:00

Tonight was the opening reception, which, unfortunately I was not able to attend, of a Running Fence-reclycled show. The show is at the Palette Art Cafe in Healdsburg, CA and runs until July 13. Dianne Smith, a fascinating woman who owns lots of the Christo running fence panels that went through Marin and Sonoma Counties in 1976, has a group of artists who use the fabric to make art.

I had completed a rather large piece which included the running fence fabric and also some of the orange squares from the Gates in New York. Hence, the title, East Meets West. It has its debut this week at the show. If you are in the area, do stop by and take a look at the work.
Today was the second weekend of the ProArts Open Studios tour. Do come by my studio tomorrow between noon and 6pm at 4401 San Leandro St., Oakland, CA studio 27. There are three of us at the studio with all different work. I am happy to say that I sold three things last weekend and one today and had some nice people coming through. We have food and wine!

San Franciso Bay Area Arts Town Hall

2008-06-13T18:25:00.000-07:00

This past Monday I attended the SFBA Arts Town Hall meeting with Marion Colemen. It was at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, a beautiful building and area in the heart of arts in San Francisco. SFMOMA was right across the street and the grounds are filled with fantastic water art, gardens, grass to relax on and fascinating high rise buildings.

I took a bunch of notes during the plenary session, the topic being "The Arts in the Bay Area--the Future is Now" with a rather distinguished panel of presenters.

Michael Morgan, the music director and conductor of the Oakland East Bay Symphony had some fascinating comments which are apropos to any art. He raised questions about the need for us to decide who we are and where are we likely to fit? What impact do you want to have? Of course, young people want to impact the world, as an older person, I will settle for impacting my neighborhood. The need to collaborate rather than competing between various arts providers was also discussed. He made the statement that if you are not doing something for the next generation of artists, you are failing. One of the negatives from our area was that he is not seeing the connections with other groups and artists.

Favianna Rodgrguez, an printmaker and social entrepreneur, a Chicana, spoke a lot about art by women of color. She also spoke a great deal about immigrant art. She felt that technology is an artist's tool. Strengths in the Bay area of at multi-culturalism (some schools have over 50 languages spoken in them) and the redeveloping for people who are there. She felts that we are not fully taking advantage of technology, that artists are not collaborating with community organizations, that we need to reach out more to artists under 35, we need to work for long term impact and that we need financially viable models.

Moy Eng, the program director of the performing arts program at the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation spoke about the need to support cultural appreciation. She also felt that groups really need to collaborating when chasing the money. One big challenge she discussed was the fact the the new generations feel everything is free...ie, music and movies off the Internet, etc. As artists trying to make money, she raised the question of how do we deal with this.

Alan Brown, who studies audiences and patterns of cultural participation was really interesting. He states that we need to understand how cultural participation is changed. He also felt we need to understand how people express themselves creatively. He felt we need to reach beyond in order to grow, to reach out, and to collectively reach out for a central purpose int eh arts. He indicated that people's taste is changing much more rapidly due to the Internet and that, with technology, come fragmentation. For instance, he said that there are few places for people to come together to discuss art they have seen, be it a play, concert, poetry reading, art show, dance, etc. Where is there a place to b ring people together right after an event to process as a group? He said we are lacking the social aspect of an experience. He also indicated that we need more opportunities to have critical discussions about the arts.

He raised the question of how are people changed by experiencing art? What is the impact of a single artistic moment on an individual. He indicated that he is developing ways of actually measuring such reactions. Other questions he brought up were What is your value agenda? What is your program trying to improve. All very interesting to think about.

Luis Cancel, Director of cultural affairs with the San Francisco Arts Commission also dropped some big information on us. He said one of the biggest problems artists face in the Bay Area is finding affordable space to create work (not live-work). He also indicated that 50,000 people in San Francisco have liquid assets of over $2 million (this does not include property) and that 296,000 people in the Bay Area have over $2 million in liquid assets. We need to tap into the entrepreneurial spirit to engage those with the money. Curiosity excites the new money people. He also pointed out that CA state government is dead last in all of the US, including protectorates and territories, in supporting the arts.

A blog has been set up for further discussion and can be reached at http://www.cciarts.org/blog. There is a great recap from someone who paid more attention than I did and also covers all the breakout sessions and other events happening. It is a very interesting look at arts in the future.

In the after noon, I took a one hour workshop on percussion and learned from Zeke Nealy a few basic Haitian/Afro drumming rhythms...I have always wanted to learn to play a conga or bongo drum and am now on a quest to find an appropriate teacher!

Up to my Eyeballs in ART

2008-06-10T14:37:00.000-07:00

The past four days have been art, art, and more art.

On Friday, my husband went down with me to the studio to help clean, paint, and move furniture around before open studios on Saturday and Sunday. What a major job! I really appreciated his help. His big shop vac went down with us and I must say, he is a masterful vacuuming guy. He will vacuum for hours with that thing. But he did get a lot of cobwebs, paint chips, pieces of falling apart flooring, etc cleaned up. Then we moved my big table. I also got everything put away, including a huge pile of fused batiks I had been using which had been left in a big messy pile on top of my George table.

And then we went home without getting anything up on the walls. That night I spent time finding what I wanted to take down and also stitching some of my new work to the stretched canvas. Went down early Saturday and started working like a fiend getting everything up...that also meant that I was drilling holes for the screw eyes, putting the screw eyes in and adding the wire for hanging. Fortunately, help arrived in the form of my daughter and her husband. I put poor Dave to work adding screw eyes and doing the wire and then he ended up hanging a lot of them because they were too high for me to reach. Then my daughter went around and added price labels. What would I have done without my family!?

This is the wall (above) that my husband painted. He thought he had white paint but it turned out to be a nice gray which will work well for photographing work. These pieces are all mounted on canvas which I think makes a nice presentation.
This (above) is my design wall with my piece in progress "Whitewashing the War" which will be going into a show in a couple of months. Other pieces have been added to the wall with price tags. You can see the spread that my studio mate did (which I felt was way overboard) but nice.
And above is a view of my big 4 x 8' table, covered, which is hiding tons of stuff underneath. It has paper collages, fabric pieces that haven't been mounted onto canvas yet, and a couple of other pieces.

I did sell three things this weekend which was nice. Hopefully a few more will sell this coming weekend!

Yesterday I spent the day in San Francisco with Marion Coleman at the San Francisco Bay Arts Town Hall. It was really interesting and I will talk about it later and show some pictures from the area.

What Happened to my Groove?

2008-06-05T20:36:00.000-07:00

It got sidetracked....my daughter's babysitter went off to Mexico with her husband for a vacation so last Thursday, and Monday-Thursday this week I have been babysitting. I am so tired when I get home I am practically useless.

Last Friday I did get 14 new small pieces done and completed them over the weekend.

This is good because this weekend and next weekend are Open Studios and my studio will be open Saturday and Sunday each weekend. Which means I needed some new work to go up.

Meanwhile, back at the studio, I had made a huge pile of fused batiks which are all over the George sewing table. Tomorrow Doug and I go down (when I wake up...and it won't be at 6:30 AM) to paint one wall white which has a been splotch of brown paint on it from the previous people. Then to clean up everything, get everything organized and put up work.

So, if you are in the area, or even aren't, come on down to my studio at the Vulcan Foundry at 4401 San Leandro St., Oakland, CA. My studio space is 27 and I have a door right on the street. We will be open Saturdays from 11-6pm and Sundays from 12 noon to 5 pm this weekend and next. We will also have snacks to keep you going. This is the big ProArts open studios which has about 400 artists participating.

Tomorrow I will take a picture of before and after!

Hope to see you!

Back in the Groove, Finally

2008-05-30T22:03:00.001-07:00

I am almost done with this stupid bronchitis.....took all the antibiotics, and then broke out into some sort of strange rash with all-over body itching that drove me crazy. So then I was on Benedryl which put me to sleep...finally I am no longer itching, no longer sleeping most of the day and almost not coughing.

I even spent the day, for the first time in three weeks, down at the studio working. And then came home and worked some more. The only thing that has kept my sane was working on collages.

Anyway, here are some pictures from the opening night of the show at the Adobe Art Center. Below are three of the larger pieces I have just done.

A small group, one of which sold that night.
A couple of Marion's pieces:
some more of mine....they are mounted on unprimed stretched canvas:
Marion and me...
another one of Marion's
and another one:
and two more of mine:
and two more:
and the smaller ones:
and California Dreaming:
My daughter and Jacob:
people chatting:
More people chatting:
some of Sue's work:
I went home half an hour before the reception ended as I was just really sick.

Tomorrow I will finally get to do some machine quilting demonstrations as artist-in-residence at a local gallery for a couple of hours. I was supposed to do it each Saturday this past month but have been way too sick to do so....

well, onward and upward! I have work to do!

Things are Happening

2008-05-21T20:08:00.000-07:00

I received word the other day that my piece, Fargo, has been accepted into the special display of film quilts for the Long Beach Festival.

I also received a picture of my piece, Life Circles 2, from the show, Artist as Quiltmaker in Oberlin, OH. The grand opening was this past weekend.And here is a picture of part of the crowd that was there.

Well, tomorrow Marion Coleman, Susanne Scott and I open at the Adobe Gallery...will post pictures of that on Friday. Wish us luck and I hope to see some of you there!

On Dreams and Dreaming

2008-05-19T07:26:00.000-07:00

I have always had a very rich dream life. At one point when I was a probation officer and had 7 teenagers in juvenile hall for homicides, my dreams were very disturbed, dark and unpleasant but they served a purpose. I was able to work out various feelings that I had...sometimes against the perpetrators whom I was to get to know and write about what they did and why. Things that I could not give voice to came out in my dreams. I would frequently remember them in great detail.

I always know when creativity is at it's best because my dreams start becoming very vivid. I am practically producing movies in my sleep. They become long, convoluted stories. If I am not happy with the way things are coming out, I seem to come up a level in consciousness, realize I am not pleased with the way things are going, and then drop back down to resolve the story in a more pleasing manner.

When I was at UC ( as a psych. student we had to be guinea pigs for graduate students) I found out that I had the ability to retrieve dreams on successive nights. I have several different locations that repeatedly come up in my dreams. These are not real places but they might as well be as they have become embedded in my thoughts. A house on a street, with great detail, about the streets around it, how to get to it, what the entry way is like, the four different living areas, the strange kitchen that had huge old appliances and a strange basement with various little rooms that I was trying to figure out how best to use. I can still describe in great detail the various living areas, including the downstairs beauty parlor and spa. I can describe the bathtubs, tiles, etc.

And then I have action movies. Very involved stories that would rival Frances Coppola...vivid, detailed and interesting.

Sometimes I have dreams about resolving issues in my art. A clear image of how to do something. A clear sense of where I need to go with an idea. A way of completing a piece of art. How to construct something. In my dreams I will go through the entire process of creating a piece of art, troubleshooting as I go.

I know when I am healthy because my world becomes enriched by all this dream activity. I am very fortunate that I am able to remember at least the basic ideas and sometimes much more from these episodes.

I have been having lots of dreams lately....

Barely Going

2008-05-17T07:45:00.001-07:00

This entire week has been enforced rest....I have a very difficult time doing nothing, and I haven't felt up to reading, and TV gets tiring immediately. I move from the recliner to the bed to my computer...you know I really don't feel well when I don't even play solitaire on the computer...

I have barely been able to keep up with my class and will be starting critiques today.

And to top it off, we are in a real heat wave...last week it was in the high 60's and now it is in the high 90's.

I don't do sick very well and I really don't do heat well.

Thank goodness for friends and family...between my husband and my good friend Carol Suto, I got everything off for the show for next week...it is right here in town. After we got it all together, inventoried, etc and delivered, I came home and collapsed.

What has been interesting is that I find myself free associating all over the place. My mind has problems focusing so when I lay my body down to rest, my mind just goes from one subject to another. Sometimes this is really creative and I am spinning involved stories, other times flashes of brilliance in art, etc. Unfortunately, I can't get up the energy to write any of it down. So I let my mind wander.

For someone who needed to be in control all of the time, and has now moved to being extremely comfortable staying in her right brain for extended periods of time...this is really strange...interesting...but strange. Well, I guess I have to go lie down again so I can find out what my mind will come up with next...

I am starting to feel better, I don't cough as much and not as hard, but there is no energy anywhere in my body. I have a shower and have to rest afterward....Oh well....I will get there yet!

I am Still Alive!

2008-05-14T07:19:00.000-07:00

The drive back from Cambria took a lot out of me. Being sick is not fun. I hit the bed when I got home and did nothing. Finally on Monday I faced the music that I wasn't getting any better and shortness of breath and chest pains sent me to get checked out for any heart problems (none) but also to a doctor who listened to my lungs.

For the first time in my life I have come down with bronchitis. At least that is something that will respond to medication and I have been put on a round of antibiotics along with an inhaler to help open my lungs. This is not fun! I have things to do!

Well, during the night when I woke up coughing and needing to go to the bathroom, I realized that I was doing better...

I work up this morning knowing I was still happy to be alive and that the world was not going to end with me in bed or on the lounge chair in front of the stupid tv.

So, with guarded energy, I will get work together for a show I am doing with two other very talented women, Marion Coleman and Sue Scott. I tried to sew pieces to my unprimed canvas but only got four done...is that every slow.

So, today, back to needle and thread, get some wire for hanging, pull quilts for the show, be sure I have all the hanging slats and make that list to take in tomorrow...that should wear me out pretty soon.

My on line class has started up again with 11 students. This is a very workable size for me. I certainly never want to go past 20 as that is just way too much work.

Oh well, back to the grinding stone with lots of rest periods...

The Drive Home

2008-05-09T15:15:00.001-07:00

Leaving Cambria, I had two choices...returning via a short connector road to US101 or going up US 1. I let the navigating system tell me which way to go...I went up 1 which is a curvy, winding road along the beautiful coast. Not really a good idea since I was not feeling very well. I had to stop several times to just rest and at one point pulled along side the road and had a quick 20 minute nap. Needless to say, the drive was much longer and harder than going back up 101.

But I would not have seen these fellows practicing for the big time!

Young bull elephant seals...you can tell they are young because their nose is not all bulbous and their bodies aren't all scarred. They duke it out for mating rights but if I remember correctly, these young guys won't have a change when the big guys come in....it's like a light-weight fighter versus a huge sumo wrestler!

this one got a nip in....

Facing off with lots and lots of noise
there were about seven or eight right in this immediate area and they would take turns with each other....

Heart and Hand Retreat with Sandy Turner

2008-05-09T15:01:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I returned home from Cambria, which is just a little north of San Luis Obispo. I had driven down on Sunday where I joined Sandy's retreat. There were four teachers and we had a grand time!

I had eight wonderful students in my class, Better Art by Design. I was a slave driver and made them create masterpieces in just minutes! They moaned, and they groaned, but they all did it.
We had a delightful three days working on the elements and principles of design. Half of one day was spent just on color. Each day they added more and more tools to their tool box. We finished up with the students doing the critiques so they could go back to their small groups and start something new for support. What fun!

Nancy with her board:
Sue with her board:

Joyce with her board:

Ann with her board:
Christine with her board:
Eileen with her board:
Joan with her board:
Lora with her board:
And then pictures of the two groups doing their critiques!
This class very graciously put up with my cold....I have had a return of the monster cold which I had in January and Feb. which lasted a month. I am now entering my third week of this...of course driving for two days and teaching for three days did not help...I came home and collapsed in bed...But they put up with my coughing and coughing! Thank you all!

Over $13,000 Raised!

2008-05-09T14:59:00.000-07:00

Collage Mania started on Monday and closed on Tuesday. I am so happy to report that my ten collages earned $880 for the American Cancer Society through Collage Mania! What a great way to support a great cause!

I can hardly wait to see what Virginia comes up with next!

Tomorrow

2008-05-04T18:17:00.001-07:00

tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow is only a day away...

Collage mania!!! Here we come!!!

Only 2 More Days

2008-05-03T13:25:00.000-07:00

Only 2 more days to Collage Mania...

Since I will be in Cambria teaching a class, I spent today looking at the 21 pages of collages and made my list.

Oh no----my list has 14 pieces on it....I can't afford that much at $80 each...that is the first day.

But then, if I don't bid on them the first day at $80, who knows what will be left the next day at $40?

What am I going to do?

I had already figured that I would get the email all ready to go to Virginia Spiegel and save it in my drafts folder.

But 14 pieces?

Of course I have no idea if I will get all 14 or just a few, or lots of them. I have no way of determining how many I will get and ultimately, how much it is going to cost me. This is the second biggest cause I give to and I have supported the American Cancer Society for years.

So, why doesn't everyone tell me which ones they are bidding for and then I will know which ones I will get...oh dear, that doesn't make sense!

I had better figure this one out! Quick!

Count Down to May 5

2008-04-30T21:13:00.001-07:00

Collage Mania is coming to town! Virginia Spiegel has raised money for the American Cancer Society. I am happy to report that I have been able to help in that effort by providing numerous fabric postcards for sale, a piece in the reverse auction, purchasing other's works and now, Collage Mania.

Collage Mania

Monday, May 5, 2008 starting at 9 a.m. CST
All collages available for a minimum donation of $80.

Tuesday, May 6, 2008 starting at 9 a.m. CST
All collages available for a minimum donation of $40.

Information about her efforts over the years are as follows:

Fiberart Raises Record Amount for American Cancer Society

Fiberart For A Cause, an international effort by fiber artists and patrons, was recently recognized as the #2 fundraiser in the nation for the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life in 2007.

Fiber artist, Virginia A. Spiegel, notes, “When I founded Fiberart For A Cause (FFAC) in 2005, my goal was to raise $90. We have now donated over $135,000. A great deal of our success is due to the personal involvement our honorary chair, Karey Bresenhan, Director of International Quilt Festival – Houston, Chicago, Long Beach.”

Fiberart For A Cause continues to raise money through annual fiber events such as the Invitation Reverse Auction of Fabulous Fiberart and Collage Mania as well as the online book, Art, Nature, Creativity, Life.

Spiegel fundraises for the American Cancer Society in honor of her father, a colon cancer survivor.

For more information, visit http://www.VirginiaSpiegel.com

I have to make my list of those pieces I want. I won't be in town and I know the emails will be flying when the time is right on Monday so I have to be prepared to get it all off immediately when the time comes! I have a few pieces that are listed on page 8 if you are so inclined.

My mother died from cancer, as have a number of friends. This is the one medical cause the I fully support!

Please join us!

To get all the information about how to buy the collages you would like, go to Collage Mania.

Just don't try to buy the pieces I want to buy!

A Day on the Computer

2008-04-23T17:08:00.001-07:00

the joys of trying to be a professional artist....
spent most of today getting images resized for uploading onto the Call for Entry site which our county uses for their public art calls for entry. What a pain in the patueeee...now I have found all sorts of things that I need to photograph (most of my newer work) and then get it uploaded.
And of course, to put it all on my website, things have to be resized again that that spot.

Did get the edges done on one of my new Color Block pieces..I now have three that are larger and am working for more.

I have a three person show coming up May 23 to June 25, 2008 at the Adobe Art Center in Castro Valley where I live. I'm working to get stuff done for that show.

Then the local arts groups asked me to be the artist in residence for three Saturdays in May...be there for two hours at the gallery and talk or whatever. I have decided that I want to do demonstrations and activities that children can also do and take home with them. All with little space to do it...can't decide if I want to do printing with found objects or making little postcards, or what...I have a couple of weeks to figure that out.

Got a call today from Macuso Brothers about adding me to the PIQF studio tour which they have during the show in October in Santa Clara...not too far from here. I said ok but would really prefer that they came to my Oakland studio as I couldn't get 30 people into my studio at home...and then, as we were talking, I was offered a one-woman show at the PIQF show in 2009!

2009 is going to be a busy year! I will have a 2 person show at the Galesburg Civic Art Center from Oct 9-Nov 7, 2009 and at the same time will have the show with PIQF which will be Oct 15-18. I want to fly back to Illinois for the Galesburg opening and to take my work...and then fly back to do the PIQF show....man...I am getting busy! What fun!

I really like the collection I have going of the Color Block pieces! I feel they are all clear, good designs with great color and I love doing the sketchy stitching around the shapes.

My new class on line starts on May 12 so I have to start doing the publicity for that...

Publicity Alert!

Enroll now for the next on line class of Better Art by Design which begins May 12. Payment of $225 can be made by credit card or Pay Pal using Pay Pal on my website. Join us for hard work, great art and an experience in creating abstract art.

So, how is that!?

Also it is just a a week and a half before I head down to Cambria....I only have next week to get so much done on my art....gotta keep running!

My Goodness! Where Have I Been?

2008-04-21T17:04:00.000-07:00

I seem to take these little stretches of time off from blogging...not because I don't have anything to say (that never seems to be the problem) but usually because I don't have pictures to show you. I know I like the pictures on blogs, even tho' I know we all read what is written also. I have been busy working on stuff but just haven't gotten any pictures yet!

A week and a half ago, I did a demonstration for the East Bay Heritage Quilters, one of the two guilds I belong to. It was our show weekend. I had failed to get any work submitted by the due date so didn't have anything up in the show except for our California Fiber Artists group that had a special showing there. Anyway, back to demonstrating...I took along my box of tricks and wowed everyone with all of the things one can find around the house, hardware stores, plumbing supplies, etc to get great images on fabric. Even printing with little things such as the eraser end of a pencil or the cap end of a felt tip pen...they all produce great things to be used in combination with other great things. I have quite a collection of drain covers, potato mashers, etc.

Then the next morning off I went to pick up my friend Carol and we headed down to Asilomar for several days with an Art and Soul Retreat. Now this is a true mixed media event without any sewing machines on site. What a difference it was not to lug the sewing machine off somewhere! Well, we made up for it with paints, and lots of necessary "stuff" that we have collected. We both took three different classes with Ann Baldwin, a painter and collage artist whose work I have admired for years. We did cut out paper collages, made our own paper with paint on magazine pages (the cheapest paper around!), used lots of matte medium and gel medium, etc and had a grand ole' time. I came home with several collages that I am quite happy with. I will get photos taken of them to share. I was able to use a lot of the things I print on fabric with to make marks in the paint on paper. Lots of ideas which will translate back and forth between paper and fabric!

I've gotten three larger quilts (well, a little larger, about 20 x 30 and 30 x 40) together in my new style and am quilting them at home. I have used lutradur on the back to make them fairly stiff which I like. On Wednesday when I hit the studio again, I will put a backing fabric on and then stitch around them to finish.

I have to make the most of this week and next as I will then be heading out again for several days in Cambria Pines for the Heart and Hand retreat where I will be teaching for three days.

Also next month I will be doing demonstrations at one of our local art association's gallery each Saturday showing something about fiber...have to figure out just what I will be doing...probably stamping on fabric or something. Then I have all summer to work and I don't travel anywhere until November.

I will be busy tho'. I have a show opening with two other artists, Marion Coleman and Sue Scott, at the Adobe Art Center in May. In addition I will be starting my next class of "Better Art by Design", my on line design and composition class. I still have openings!

Well, back to work...