Happy New Year!

It's the end of another year, and of the resolutions that had been made, some were fulfilled, some were not, and some will continue on as new resolutions for the new year coming up.

Due to family issues, I've only been working on a few things, not very much, but a few. I've finished three more pieces of my 2010 Bead Journal Project, and should have a fourth piece done next week. March, April, and May are now done; June is almost finished; February still needs to be completed. I have the colors decided for July through December, though I don't have all the beads yet. The colors will be: July - brown, August - red, September - blue-green, October - red-orange, November - blue-violet, and December - violet.




I've also done some felt flowers. They were fun to do, and it's gotten me interested in embroidery again. I plan on joining the Embroidery Guild and the Needlepoint Guild this year.



So, what are my resolutions for 2011? More art, definitely! I will be finishing my BJP pieces for 2010. I have three photos to use as inspiration for art quilts for the Visioning Project in connection with SAQA. I plan to finish many of the 118 UFOs I have sitting in my studio and in containers in the garage. I also want to enter just a couple of quilt shows/exhibitions, just a couple.

I would like to wish you all a very Happy New Year. May all your plans, goals, and desires be fulfilled.

Thanks for reading, and take care.
Michele

I've been away far too long........

I've really missed posting here. Life's been way too hectic! Classes started up again in June, and since it's a summer schedule, they're very short! Prior to that, it's been work and home that's kept me especially busy and off the blog circuit. But I have been creating. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures as of this writing, but I will post photos and more details in the next week or two. Now, where to start......

Studio: I've been cleaning and rearranging my studio the last couple of months. It's almost done. I've got a new table, and am planning on getting another one. That will give me three six foot tables along three walls. I've just recently decided (today, in fact) to dedicate each table to certain types of crafts. One table will be for mixed media painting and collage. I'll keep all my glues, paints and papers on and under that one. A second table will be for beading and embroidery; all my tools and supplies will be there. The last table will be for sewing and quilting. There's a fabulous store in the mall across from where I work. It's called "The Container Store," and that's just what it is. They have just about any and every type of container you can imagine for any and every room in your home, including the garage, as well as containers for traveling and shipping and gift giving! I love it! I've been organizing and containing everything in my studio.

Bead Journal Project: I've finished March (orange) and April (green). May's color turned out to be gray, and is about half done. June's color and beads have been selected: yellow, as in sunshine, "Follow the yellow brick road," and there's a light at the end of the tunnel. I know what I want to be doing, and I have so many ideas percolating. I haven't gotten back to February yet, but I will. I've put these aside for the moment because of deadlines in the next couple of areas......

Beading for a Cure: I've been working on this, and need to get it done. I've finished most of the beading, and will then need to assemble the purse. I've got all the materials I need, everything is cut out and ready to assemble once the beading is done. It needs to arrive no later than August 2, so I've got less than a week to finish it! I should be able to get it done.

Hoffman Challenge: Well, I didn't get this done. I actually thought I had another month to work on it, but I just checked the rules, and it's due today! Another year missed! Okay, I'm putting myself on notice! Next year, I will have a project in the Hoffman Challenge!

I also mentioned Bead Dreams and Save the Planet in my last entry. No, those didn't get done either. Bead Dreams didn't get any further than the drawing board, and Save the Planet still needs to be lined and the strap added. It's a shame too. I found the perfect fabric to use for the lining at the Glendale Quilt Show. Ah well, I'll just add that one to my bag stash! LOL!

SAQA Visioning Project: I joined Studio Art Quilt Associate's Visioning Project in March. I've gotten some wonderful inspiration and encouragement from this group, even though I haven't really produced anything yet. I'm focusing on finding my voice as a quilt artist, and have come up with the idea of taking three photos and doing a series of small quilts of each. No quilt would be larger than 24" on any one side. Each photo is a bit more complex than the prior one. Each series would build on the techniques learned and ideas worked on in the previous series. I've picked out my three photos, and have enlarged the first photo to start creating my quilts from.

Online Trade Groups: I belong to three online art trading groups: Fiber Art Traders and Art 4 Mail (both Yahoo Groups), and Swap-Bot. This is where I've been doing most of my artistic work lately. I've done several embroidered pieces, some quilt blocks, my first ever dotee dolls, my first miniature quilt, and even a couple of short stories. However, I plan on cutting back on these trades for a while. Although I love receiving pieces of art from, and sending to, people around the world, I find I'm spending so much time with these, I'm neglecting my artistic vision. I justify these pieces by telling myself, and others, that I'm honing my skills, practicing my embroidery or applique, when the fact is I'm really procrastinating. With work, school, and family to deal with, I have very little time for art. If I continue to do as much with these trade groups as I have recently, I'll never get around to creating the larger pieces I have visions of. I won't give these groups up completely; they are a fascinating and wonderful group of people and artists, but I need to cut back. Perhaps I'll do one trade a month, or one every two months.

Well, that's about it for now. I will get back in next week and post some photos. I've got a mid-term next Tuesday, and a final on Wednesday, so I won't be posting anything before then.

Until next time, take care.
Michele

February Ends

I came to an artistic epiphany this past week.

I know I mentioned in an earlier post about being good enough. That's always been the one thing that's held me back; I'm so very critical of my own work. For me, being objective on my own work is really hard. I expect perfection, even when I know there's no way to achieve it. I was working on a baby quilt this last week, and while machine quilting I did notice that my quilting wasn't straight on the top, and that the back had a few places where the fabric bunched up a bit. I looked at it, trying to decide if I should take it out, and telling myself, "See, this is why you shouldn't be quilting." Then it hit me. This is a baby quilt. It's for a baby. I made it to be used, and I hope it's used often. It's going to be thrown on the floor, in the car, thrown up on, and washed a bazillion times. The infant this quilt is for won't care that the stitching isn't perfect, that not all the blocks match exactly. It's bright and fun on one side, and soft and cuddly on the other.

The most startling thing, however, was the realization that I will never get any better if I don't practice. And not just the quilting. Everything I do. In order to get good, I have to work at it. Thinking about it won't make me a better artist. I need to create art!

Now a lot of you are saying, "Well, duh!", but for me this really is a big deal. Actually, not just for me. I was talking to a friend the next day, and she was telling me about the quilt she was working on the past weekend. She said she was in tears, just frustrated because it wasn't good enough. I smiled, and told her my story. I think she understood. I hope she did. She did agree with me, so perhaps she does understand.

Well, I'm now buzzing with artistic endeavors! I'm furiously working on a piece that has to be in the offices of a magazine on March 8. I don't know that it will get done, especially since I haven't even cut the fabric yet! Fortunately, it's only 12" square, and pretty simple, so there's a possibility it will get done. And then there's another piece that has to be mailed before the end of March. I should have that one done, as it too is not too complicated, and is only 16" square. If I don't get either of those done for their respective Calls, I can always enter them into my guild's show in May.

Right now, I have 21 Call for Entry possibilities. A couple I've actually decided not to submit to because, realistically, there just isn't time. Four of them aren't due until the beginning of 2011, so I've got big plans for those! Not all are quilts, but they all use fabric as a base. I am after all, a fiber artist. :-}

Until next time, take care.

P.S. By the way, here's the baby quilt. Today is her last day at work before going on leave, and the shower was at lunch. She loved it!

Resolutions Made (But Can I Keep Them?)

Yes, I make Resolutions. I try to keep them . . . really, I do try. But most tend to fall by the wayside, some sooner than others. I believe I've figured out why. My resolutions tend to be too general. For instance, every year I resolve to lose weight, but I never include specifics; it's always just "lose weight." This year, I'm getting more specific.

My major focus will be my art. I've spent more time on art, and art-related activities this past year than I have in a long time. I intend to spend even more this coming year. Of course, it will help that my husband also intends to spend more time on his own art as well! LOL! So, while he's in his studio recording his music, I can be in mine, working on projects.

So, what are my art-related resolutions for this year?

1. Update this blog at least once weekly. As you can see, it's been some time since I've posted. One of the reasons I started this blog was to enable me to write more, which is something I love to do. I feel that writing here will motivate me to write more, and then I can finally finish at least one of the many novels I've started over the years.

2. Watch no more than 2 hours of television a day. My time at home is very limited. I really only have Saturday and part of Sunday to work on my art. But, I have a very bad habit of zoning out in front of the television, watching movies I've seen a hundred times, or some inane sitcom just because there's nothing else on. Before I know it, the day is gone, and I've gotten nothing done! And, if it's a show I really like, it's hard to concentrate on handwork because I really do want to watch the show. I do have a couple of favorite shows (Project Runway, The Fashion Show, Launch My Line, Legend of the Seeker, V, True Blood, Uncommon Threads, Craft Lab . . .). Okay, well, maybe more than a couple! LOL! But, because of my work and commute hours, I have them set to record on the DVR. When I do get time to watch them, I can fast-forward through commercials. I can actually watch 3 shows in about 2 hours. Isn't technology great? But back to the point. I have to stop spending a day in front of the television getting nothing done. Two hours of television a day is enough to watch the shows I really like.

3. Go to the gym at least three times a week. I'm through with the "lose weight" resolution. My eating habits are mainly healthy. My diet is primarily low-carb, low-fat, with very little sugar. I occasionally need my burger/pizza/ice cream fix, but as long as it's not more than once a month, I feel that's fine. I believe the main reason I'm not losing weight is that I'm sedentary. With my long commute to and from work, sitting in front of a computer all day, sitting in a classroom two to four times a week, and the fact that my favorite activities are sitting at a sewing machine or at my craft table painting or glueing, I get almost no exercise. I do try to get out and walk around at lunch, but it's not enough for the amount of sitting I do. So, off to the gym I must go. Adding the exercise will result in weight loss. Now, I can hear you asking, "How is this art-related?" It is; the more weight I lose, the more energy I will have to work on my art instead of vegetating in front of the television!

4. Pick one UFO and work on it every week until it's finished. I have so many unfinished projects. As of this writing, I have 81 UFO's that I know about! I'm sure there are more in some of the boxes in the garage that haven't seen the light of day in decades! About 20 of those were started this year. I have so many interests and ideas, that I find it hard to stay focused on one project for a long period of time. I'll start one, then put it aside to start something new. Sometimes it will be a long time before I get back to it (obviously). Or, I'll start something with the intention of entering it into a challenge or entry call, but will miss the deadline, and the project gets put aside. I can't say that I'll finish one every week. Some of them are barely started, and require more hours than I have in one week to finish. That's not to say I won't start on new projects; that would be asking a little much! But, I will work on one every week to its completion.

5. Show! What good is my art, if I keep it bottled up inside my head, trapped inside a sketchbook, or loitering in my studio? Art is meant to be shared, viewed, experienced, and not just by the artist. I need to let go of my apprehensions and let people see what I have to say. The other day, I came across a wonderful quote by Dr. Seuss:

"Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.”

I read it and almost cried. It resonated within my soul. I can handle criticism of my work, and I've always known that other's opinions shouldn't rule my existence. I knew it, but that day, I felt it! I wanted to soar! So, with that in mind, I will show my work. I will make every effort possible to answer Entry Calls. I will show in local guild shows. I will post photos here, and in my Flikr page (which I've just created). I will share my art with anyone who wishes to see it.

So, those are my resolutions for 2010, as they relate to my art and my artistic journey. These are resolutions I plan to keep. There will be some hurdles to overcome. Old habits, especially long existing ones, can be very hard to break. And there may be weekends where, due to family issues, work and school, I may be just to exhausted to do anything other than vegetate. I'll deal with that when it comes along. 2010 will be a good year, I can feel it!

I hope you all have a fun and safe New Year's Eve. May the next year bring you everything you dream of, hope for, and desire.

Until next week, take care!