BAM – High Fiber Diet

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Today was all about the High Fiber Diet… and I’m not talking about food!  Our local Bellevue Arts Museum or ‘BAM’ is currently hosting a Biennial exhibition which is featuring Fiber this year!  BAM has considered one of its roles to include recognizing “the enduring and uninterrupted role of craft in shaping the aesthetic landscape of the region” (from the High Fiber Diet exhibit pamphlet.)  Today they hosted an all day Symposium with incredible speakers and moderators which left me itching to come home and create!  Since today was our normal day for our Contemporary QuiltArt Association meeting, we choose to meet at the symposium instead… which gave BAM a sold-out crowd!

“Oyster Light” by Barbara Lee Smith
“Oyster Light” detail by Barbara Lee Smith

One of the well-known moderators was Barbara Lee Smith, a resident of a small island in the Puget Sound. Barbara’s piece, “Oyster Light” is made from painted, collaged, and stitched synthetic fabric- a translucent, non-woven industrial fabric that looks like Japanese paper.  Her sewing lines “echo the currents of sea and air, the topography of the earth, mapping the work with stitches that literally and figuratively finish it.”

Lorraine Barlow, Howard Barlow, Nate Steigenga,
Jiseon Lee Isbara and Barbara Lee Smith
(from left to right) at BAM Symposium 2/09/2013

Barbara moderated a talk called “Reinventing Tradition” with four of the other artists in the show.  It was fascinating to hear the viewpoints and how tradition has influenced some very cutting-edge fiber artists.

“The Infallible Accounts of the Tilapia People and the Dead Which
Soon Outnumbered Them: a Toile De Jouy” by Nate Steigenga

One of the artists on the panel, Nate Steigenga, won the John and Joyce Price Award for Excellence for the BAM show, earning him his own solo show in the future.  The fascinating thing about his piece is that it is reminiscent of a traditional quilt… sort of a tree of life feel, but when you get up close it’s much closer to something you’d see Hieronymus Bosch create with fabric!  It’s actually a twist on Toile de Jouy, a type of fabric with an intricate scene printed on it.  This artwork is made from bedsheets and pillow shams are backed with ironed-on drawer liners, which gives shade and depth to semi-transparent fabrics.  Nate uses an exceptionally fine collage technique (many of his pieces are tooth-pick wide slivers.)

While I appreciate the process that went into the piece, as well as the black humor, I find it somewhat disturbing… I could stare at Barbara Lee Smith’s piece all day, but this left me somewhat disquieted.  But perhaps that is the point.

Detail from Nate Steigenga’s artwork
Detail from Nate Steigenga’s artwork

 There really is so much to say about all the pieces at this exhibition that it will probably take me many, many posts to share them all with you.

In a way, it was somewhat daunting. Here are “real” fiber artists… at least to this museum’s tastes.  Art should be an expression of oneself and each piece in this exhibit is so different that it’s can be overwhelming.  A few of the people discussed the sense of the the exhibit being “loud” since there is so much (44 artists… many with huge sculptural pieces) and that it isn’t a body of work that all goes together.

I found some of the work inspirational, some of it to be admired for technique, and some awe-inspiring for the scale or complexity which the artist achieved.   But, most importantly, it was wonderful to be immersed in a community of artists with a “common thread” running through us all.  Seeing all my CQA friends, meeting many of the artists with pieces in the show, it reminded me of how important it is to get out of the studio from time-to-time and see others who are involved in your genre of art.

I’ll post more photos from the exhibit soon.

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Heading to San Francisco for Valentines

My dear friends are celebrating their Silver Wedding anniversary on Valentines day next week.  As I was one of the bridesmaids in their wedding, I’m packing the family up and heading to visit them in San Francisco for the party.  While I did live in the city for a short time, that was half a lifetime ago… so it’s hard to decide what all we will do while we’re there.

I’m looking now for a few good options on the fiber or quilt frontier in the Bay Area to explore.  I was very sad to hear of Kasuri Dyeworks of Berkeley CA closing several years back.  I still have some of the remarkable fabrics I purchased from them.  I also just missed the Museum of Craft and Folk Art (SF) which closed at the end of 2012.

So here are some options I’ve found:

San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles  This sounds like a good prospect, although the upcoming exhibits don’t really sound like they are totally up my alley.

The Lacis Museum of Lace and Textiles (Berkeley)

Art Fibers Fine Yarn (San Francisco)

Dharma Trading Company Store (San Rafael)  This may be a bit too far, but I love buying my dyeing supplies from Dharma.

Anyone have experience with any of these places (positive or negative) or have a place in the San Francisco Bay Area that they’d highly recommend?  I’d love some guidance and promise to share whatever I find!

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La Cebolla (Onion)

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I finished my third piece for my ‘Salsa!’ quilt this evening:
“Onion” by Christina Fairley Erickson – Machine freehand embroidered, freemotion quilted and decorative stitching

Layers of batting for trapunto effect

I had a bit tougher time with getting the trapunto done well, so that the depth perception of the onions in back would be complemented.  So I did several layers of batting which I stitched together to help create this effect.

For the freemotion quilting background, I used “Stone Portals” from Leah Day’s FreeMotion Quilting Project.

I’m not sure that I got quite enough contrast in this piece, particularly for the background.  However, I think once all the pieces are put together, it should hold its own.  You can see the contrast issue, when I compare it with the other two pieces completed so far:

You might also be interested in:

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Leah Day’s FreeMotion Quilting Project

Nina Marie Sayre’s Art Quilts

Confessions of a Fabric Addict

FreeMotion by the River

QuiltStory

Freshly Pieced

A Quilting Reader’s Garden

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Beachpiration

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I’ve always found beaches to be an incredible source of inspiration for me.  We’re lucky here in the Pacific Northwest to be surrounded with water, mountains, and greenery. Every once in a while, we even get to bask in some sunshine out in nature.

This weekend, I was up at our getaway on Whidbey Island, a 2 hour trip from our home.  The day cleared up for a short while and I took our dog for a beach walk.  What a glorious day.  This great blue heron was a little far for my camera lens (and my dog was a little too close for his comfort to stay while we advanced towards him!)  But I loved the composition and think I could make a lovely pictorial quilt from this photo.

While I love beaches and sea creatures, one could imagine they might cause some bittersweet feelings for me.  Many years ago I was an extremely active scuba diver.  I was a certified PADI rescue diver and was working on my Divemaster certification.  I assist-taught classes for beginning scuba, which meant I was diving a minimum of twice a week.  I was a diver for the Seattle Aquarium, giving shows of hand-feeding the fish (even the 4-5 foot dogfish, a native shark) on a regular basis.  For those of your from warm climates, go ahead a shiver… the Puget Sound is about 40-42 degrees F. year-round.  But the diversity of sea life is incredible in our region.  It’s like going to the Amazon rain forest, only under water.

Unfortunately, while I was starting my second year in college in oceanography/ marine biology, I had a diving mishap and ended up in a decompression chamber.  It was never 100% certain that I actually had “the bends” or whether I had a pinched nerve from carrying the heavy tank on my back.  However, the result was that I needed to choose to either quit diving or risk the potential of a serious or life-threatening injury if I were to continue.

I chose to turn the page to a new chapter in my life.  I also still choose to find joy in beaches and the sea life that I can experience, rather than holding any negativity or resentment towards my loss.  Even though I won’t ever really get to have the incredible experience of being weightless and discovering the underwater world again, I cherish my memories.  I’d love to do more artwork based on our native Northwest marine life.

One of my friends from the Contemporary QuiltArt Association, Carla Stehr, makes incredible quilts based on photographs she takes with a scanning electron microscope for her job at NOAA.  She has even published a beautiful book of photographs called “Sea Unseen” of these microscopic organisms.  Here is a video of Carla speaking about her work and it’s influence on her artwork:


Note: If you’re interested in obtaining a copy of Carla’s book “Sea Unseen”, she does have a few copies still available for sale.  Let me know via a comment and I’ll get you in touch with her.

Another wonderful aspect of the beach is finding treasures, such as this rusty grate which I found this weekend.  I’ve been saving up some rusted pieces of metal that I’ve collected off the beach and this one takes the prize!  I think the patterning will make some amazing rust-dyed fabric.

How do you feed your creative muse?  Do you have special places to go to be inspired?

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Piquant Progress

Piquant:
1.  agreeably pungent or sharp in taste or flavor; pleasantly biting or tart
2.  agreeably stimulating, interesting, or attractive

Doesn’t that word just make your mouth feel a little strange, but good?  I’m working on my projects this weekend and am faced with a little sense of this odd flavor treat as I work on my “Onion” for the Salsa series.  I did something a little different from my Tomato and Tomatillos on this piece.  Rather than having everything be freehand machine applique, I put a layer of organza for the sliced face of the onion and just sewed in the lines of the layers of the onion.  This gives it a translucent, shiny appearance, like a real onion.

Now that I have the onion finished, I need to make the background on which to applique it. I’m a little unsure how I’m going to do the trapunto on this one, as it has a real sense of depth with each onion behind the other.  I’ll have to think on that.  I should have it finished in the next couple days and will post the rest of the pictures from the process of making it.

First two rows stitched
together
I’m also finally starting to get my Waterfall quilt UFO pieced together.  I’m planning to try our a quilt-as-you-go method, per Leah Day from her Freemotion Quilting Project.  I’ve put together these two rows and plan to quilt 2 rows together at a time.  I’ve been thinking I’d use Leah’s “Mesh Curtain” design to quilt this, but I’m a little worried that it will be too busy or will dominate the quilt, making the color shifts and curved pieces less noticeable.  Any thoughts or suggestions on how I should quilt it?

Waterfall quilt UFO on the design wall (some pieces
have now been changed.)

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Stitch-by-Stitch… my quilting journey

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Developing the Creative Habit

“Twasser’s Pitcher Plant” by Susan K. Lenarz
Mixed Fiber and Stitch ($1500.)

I’ve recently been reading The Creative Habit: Learn It and Use It for Life by Twyla Tharp. A famous dancer and choreographer, Ms Tharp has written an inspirational treatise which is cross-disciplinary for all creative persons.  In fact, the approach Ms. Tharp uses really could be used for anyone who wants to be more successful, whether in business, scientifically, artistically, financially, or any other type of endeavor.  While I’m only partially through this book, I’d like to share some thoughts that I find particularly useful.

1.  Figure out what is the one tool that feeds your creativity and is so essential that without it you feel naked and unprepared.  From now on, don’t leave home with out this tool!  This could be a sketchbook and pencils, a camera, a stitch project, knitting, or any other item that you find helps spark innovation and creativity.

“Twasser’s Pitcher Plant” detail
by Susan K. Lenarz

2.  Build up your tolerance for solitude.  Creation is generally a solitary process.  When you have solitude with a goal or purpose, it’s not debilitating.  Learn to accept quietness without loneliness.  Your goal/ idea/ purpose can be your companion.  Being alone is just a condition where no one else is around.  Being lonely is one way you can choose to feel about being alone.  Choose to feel inspired by your time alone instead.  Solitude is an unavoidable part of creativity.  Self-reliance is a happy by-product.

“Dennis on the Colorado” by Maria Winner
Fiber ($2500.)

3.  Face your fears regarding your creative endeavor.  While each of us will have different things that hinder us due to fear, I’d like to share my personal fears:

  • Someone will have done it before
  • I have nothing to say
  • Once executed it won’t be as good as in my mind
  • People won’t like my work– I (or my work) won’t be respected or appreciated
  • I’m not sure how to do it
  • It may take too much time
  • Cost
  • It’s self-indulgent
  • My family won’t support me or will feel I’m not there for them
“Dennis on the Colorado” detail by Maria Winner  [Isn’t this stitchwork exquisite?]

Whew!  While it’s hard to share these deeply held anxieties, once you can state your fears, you have the ability to examine and overcome them.  They will probably continue to raise their nasty head from time to time, but maybe they won’t have such sharp teeth.  For instance, I can look at my first fear “someone will have done it before” and recognize that all art has been done before… nothing is completely original.  My job is to breathe my own essence into my art and see what comes out of it.  I’ve largely tackled much of my fear of not knowing how to do something by taking classes, reading books, and watching tutorials… then by practice, practice, practice at the things I’ve learned.  So, you can see how getting in touch with your fears allows you to overcome them.

“Split Infinity” by Kathie R. Kerler
Fiber ($750.)

4.  Look at your life and find out what’s distracting you.  What can you give up for a week?  Try picking a thing or two and not doing it for a week… use the time instead to focus on your creative endeavor.  When you give something up (a distraction) it clears time and mental space to focus.

5.  What is your creative ambition?  What obstacles do you have to meet this ambition?  What are the vital steps to achieve it?  If you don’t know where you’re going, it’s pretty hard to get there.  Think about and even commit to paper where you’d like your creative pursuit to lead you.  Do you want to be in art or quilt shows? Win them?  Have a solo show?  Sell your artwork?  Get your work represented by a gallery?  Begin with the end in mind and create a plan to get you to your dream.
6.  One way to get yourself in a creative space is to develop a ritual you do each time that it’s time to start.  This “triggering ritual” doesn’t need to necessarily be related to your art… just something you do every time you’re going to start.  Whether it’s brewing a cup of tea, doing some breathing exercises, taking a walk outside, looking through a book of inspirational artwork, or any other routine you can imagine, “by making the start of the sequence automatic,[you] make replace doubt and fear with comfort and routine” (Tharp p.17.)  By consistently using a ritual to start your creative process, you’ll find yourself more confident and self-reliant, as well as being able to access your creativity more quickly.

Detail of “Split Infinity” by
Kathie R. Kerler

I’ve included a few more of the photos from the “Complex Threads: Students of Gail Harker Center for Creative Arts” exhibit.  I’m awestruck by many of these pieces.  But each of the 41 students who have pieces in this show have had to face the same challenges and choices you and I do every day.  They’ve made the choice to forge ahead and let their fears be damned, and practice their crafts until they have developed the skill which is evident in their work.

“The routine is as much a part of the creative process as the lightning bolt of inspiration, maybe more.” (Tharp p 6).   By choosing to commit to a regular routine, you are developing your creative muscle, and able to see progression in your artistic development.  This is exactly why I decided to start the 5 x 7 Artist Challenge.  For myself, I need to have a commitment and be accountable to someone (you, my readers) for keeping that commitment.  More than that, I’ve always loved to be a mentor and teacher, so hope that through my writings and example, I’ll help others of you develop on your own path.

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