Silk Road Wandering

Art Walk

Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, Dexter, and Saline are hosting "Art Walks" on Friday, Oct. 9 from 5 until 10 p.m. and on Saturday, Oct. 10 from noon until 5 p.m.  My Studio is open to Art Walk Participants.  I have set up a gallery of my work and a classroom for folks to try their hand at silk painting

Welcome Fellow Travelers!

Last week, I sent out a postcard inviting my former students and local galleries to participate in this weblog.   A hearty welcome to you all!

I have treasured the time we've spent together over the years. Now that this blog is up, I hope you will join me on this journey, on uniting inspiration, creativity, and life's lessons.  Please feel free to participate by posting comments and asking questions.  So much of my journey is about sharing it with others, of being inspired with you all and by the natural world. 

Halleluiah

   Sometimes when I have a deadline, I switch my gaze to the finish line.  I tend to sink my feet into a well-worn path and stop enjoying the journey.  While sewing this Echinacea,  in the midst of bringing out the halo-like shapes behind the flower, I had a "halleluiah moment".  The original inspiration for the piece sounded like a trumpet call - take notice - let the work speak to you - take time to listen - forget your self-imposed deadline.

Since I always enjoy the chromatic halo in this particular flower's center, I shifted focus there and brought out detail in this area and not the petals as the viewer would normally expect.  The petals got a simple treatment because they were not in sharp focus in my new view.  The leafy things under the flower had beautiful blue highlights, so I simply brought out these areas only and just texturized the rest with smoky invisible thread.

I say "halleluiah" again because I successfully veered from the expected route.  I took a new perspective - celebrating my favorite part of this flower.  YES!

Back on the trail again

I completed 2 new works for a recent show.  I will add them to the gallery with a full description soon.

Race to Fiber Feast, 2009

  I am working steadily toward an April 18th deadline for Fiber Feast.  This special event showcases the work of about 30 fiber artists with a runway show and sales floor.  This year I will have these "string" backpacks on the runway and sell small paintings and note cards featuring macro photographs  on silk. 

Our runway commentator asked each of the artists to describe the inspiration for their work.  This is how I answered with regard to the string back packs pictured here.

I needed an artsy, sophisticated  “tote” for a grand tour of New York City.  I wanted a hand’s-free, sturdy, and  lightweight way of carrying maps and guidebooks with easy access to my cell phone, sunglasses, and hotel-room key. 

As a silk painter on a journey, I also wanted to reinforce an intention that frequently crops up in my work.  I think of the ocean as a metaphor when I try to peacefully navigate the noisy, stimulus-rich,intense world I live in. 

The question, then, is how to make a focal fabric that sets the visual rhythm of the waves with their calming and balancing effect against the drama of the sea’s vastness and power.  Check out the design for the focal fabric.  Notice the seaming and the secondary patterns that result.  Hopefully, you will witness the excitement of bright colors, rhythm in the seaming, and patterns similar to how sand settles as the waves retreat.

Last summer, I taught how to paint and seam silk to look like Bargello tapestry.  Soon, I will be publishing and distributing a pattern for the string back packs similar to the one in the picture.  Stay tuned.

When are we going to get there?

I just attended an opening reception for the annual Ann Arbor Women Artists exhibit at our local library.  I was so pleased to see the variety of work presented and to hear the thoughtful comments of Juror, Ellen Wilz. 

When I witness an inspiring body of work I am reminded of an ever widening gap between where I am as an artist and where I want to go.  I often hear a frustrated and whining voice inside saying,  "When (if ever) will I get there ?"  

Before, posting this, I knew Craig Tanner at  The Mindful Eye would have some wisdom to offer.  Lo and Behold - he was re-running a favorite  podcast about moving forward gracefully when the destination is clear and the path is long and slow. 

He referenced a favorite book, "Art and Fear", about how common it is for an artist's vision to be way ahead of where s/he is currently.  Craig offered some very helpful suggestions for the journey.  I will paraphrase them here:

1. Find a purpose that deeply resonates with your vision. Write it down.  By writing it down, we can better mark progress along the road.
2. Go to the borderlands of your comfort zone.  Look for new paths to take. Look to a broader community of supporters.  Remember that learning provides the tools needed to streamline the journey and refine our vision. 
3. Have quiet time alone.  Generate ideas and write them down.  Use a journal. (blog?).  These are the seeds of creativity to nurture and grow. 

Moving Forward

With the dismal economic outlook in the news, friends and family are worrying about the future.  Fear and dire-sounding news are pre-occupying many of us, using way too much "disk space" in our lives.  Instead of "being in denial" how about "being in the now"?

What new things can I learn?  How can I be a better citizen, friend or relative? How can I better utilize and increase my network of supporters?  What about other venues for showing art work?  How can I improve my processes?  How to use Silk Road Wandering to reach out?  How can I conquer "psycho threads" ? (see sidebar)

And, what can we do now to be able to withstand deepening financial crises in the future?   How do I support others and learn how to be more resourceful?  What resources and skills can be brought to bear? 

There are many ways to focus on what can be done, learned, improved upon, or planned. Let's gainfully move ahead to occupy those moments when worry creeps in.  Besides pushing away negativity, forward momentum has a higher probability of success than wallowing in the mire of despair. Besides it is much more fun to break new ground and to maximize resources with gratitude.

Destination: Park Land

Today, I headed for my first destination:  to create an exhibit of photographed images from my wanderings in the Washtenaw County Park system.  The images will be printed onto silk and embellished with free-motion quilting.

After much trial and error, I was able to print this image of a trillium onto silk.  (Notice how “contrasty” and saturated the image needs to be to print onto the fabric.)  To get a final dimension of 15" square, I had to print onto four, 7 1/2" square pieces of silk.   My printing software calls this “posterizing”.  After the sewing, I will mount the silk onto wool crepe for quilting and thread-painting.  

I have posted specifications for this piece on the left sidebar. See "Printing Photos onto Silk".  I’ll also post the final result so that my readers can compare before and after.

Getting Underway

I begin my journey guided by a calling to document my experimental wanderings related to surface design on silk. I hope to encourage others on their artistic journeys and to tell the stories behind my own art work.  

As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”   Silk Road Wandering will be the trail I leave for those who follow.