Ana's layers

body world's

2012-02-13T11:58:00.002-05:00

While I was in Puerto Rico, I was lucky enough to see the "Body World's" exhibit by Gunther Von Hagen. I have missed this show in three cities and it was pure coincidence that I found it in San Juan. It was an incredible display of science and the human body, and artistically I found it moving. To pare down the body to the most basic forms of arteries, skin, bones, muscle, organs.... and on and on it went. I could have gone back every day to see the show if I wasn't doing other more beach like things... more on that to come.

I was moved by these two people the most. The idea of a person holding their own skin off their back and what that could mean figuratively. The beauty of even being able to create this form...

And then there was this one, the pregnant woman. The baby was so tiny I had to really look for it, even though she was already 5 months. It made me wonder what happened to her, and thankful for her contribution so we could see this stage of life in a way that has not been shown before. If this show comes anywhere close to you, I would recommend going to see it. Very interesting!

off to the carribean

2012-01-30T10:47:00.006-05:00

I am looking forward to a week away in San Juan, Puerto Rico. While packing and getting ready for this trip, I noticed all the nautical beachwear that designers are putting out right now. Which excites me, because I love a good nautical look! Below is my wish list for beach wear, some pieces I own similar items, others are pure lust.

Of course an iconic big hat is on my list, especially the one Samantha wore in the first Sex and the city movie.

The Kate Spade, All aboard clutch, when this appeared on the shelf at work I instantly fell in love. What a perfect clutch, that is big enough to store more than just a credit card, and the lining is traditional blue, red and white stripes. I would love to bring my "boat" to dinner anytime.

These Prada sunglasses have been on my radar for a long time, however I finally tried them on and they were too wide for my face, fell right off. Unfortunately with the type of plastic they are hard to re-shape. None the less, what a beautiful accessory.

The wedges are just too cute and fun to pass up, unfortunately I am un-aware of the designer.

Lastly, the all important swim suit! This one is by Nannette Lapore, normally I wear a two piece, however this baithing suit is so well designer I would convert!

Looking forward to a few days away, with sun, sand, and a new culture to play in.

log cabin

2012-01-26T21:58:00.005-05:00

Finally..... pictures of something I have been working on for a while! I started this quilt, sometime after moving last year. I painted the whole house in different shades of grey and grey-white. A neutral pallet, not because I am afraid of color, but because I wanted to play with texture and showcase my collections more than the wall paint. Also as much as I love a great hue or shade, I love coming home to relaxed, warm, escape from the world. Of course I also had to keep in mind the person I live with, and neutral grey was a great compromise.
That is where the inspiration for this quilt came from. It is actually for a real bed, not just an aesthetic quilt but a very utilitarian one. It is for the master bedroom, with the slanted ceiling on one side of the room, it makes the room have a cozy-cottage like feeling. What better accent than a handmade quilt, in a traditional pattern!

While the cabin is a traditional log cabin, I did use many modern prints and a soft border for the logs. I am making it extra long on the sides because the bed is tall and I hate having a bedspread that is too short. I feel as if a queen size bed spread always needs about 5 more inches on either side! (A constant pet-peeve).
I still need to finish connecting the longer pieces, and add the back, and quilt the whole thing... geez! Makes it sound like I just started working on it! It is much closer to being finished now that the logs are done!

My cozy nook, where I often read. The light in this room is beautiful during the day, cool and soft in the morning, thankfully, so I can sleep a little longer sometimes, and very bright and warm in the afternoon. The color of the room changes all the time, grey is funny like that.

In college I never wanted to make many things that were utilitarian, I mostly focused on concept and aesthetics. As time passes and my life moves forward, I have become very interested in traditional textiles. Before I would be fascinated with what women made in the past, and the idea of women's work. I drew a lot of inspiration from it, and then would have quikly taken the tecnique or pattern and used it in way that hung beautifully in a gallery, but not a home. For a while now the home and what is in it, how it feels, the light in the rooms, the texture, the times spent in it, have become just as important as the concept of what I make to put in it.
It all goes back to the idea of the past and how it pertains to the future, how things, people, places, phases all come and go and how the memories that surround them are affected in our minds. I am coming to realize that what I used to make versus what I make now are related, but on such different scales in the art world and aesthetic world. I can still think, feel, see, and live in the world that makes me think and question all the time, but what I make has so much to do with process, time and living with it everyday now. Instead of having a closet packed with old work in bins, protected with tissue paper and soft pieces of cotton I live with what I make everyday and I share it with others.
Not to say that every once in a while I don't just make something out of pure concept and idea, I do, and still love that way of making, and thinking. However I am currently challenging myself to really reign my craft on traditional techniques, and revisit some of the way things were made in the past, especially for the home. I guess some of this comes out of having my own home, and the sense of growing and realizing that I am closer to what I want that I thought I was... Or maybe it has just changed and I am accepting that... I have a record of being my own worst critic! So I give myself a hard time when I decide that what I wanted for most of my adult life, has changed the past two years... Maybe the better way of looking at it is that what I wanted versus what I want is a growth on what I have always been drawn to. With experience, travels, and life I have figured some it out better, and I am sure as everything does.... It with morph and change again.
Thank you for sticking through this long post, that is starting to sound like a fragment of my brain. I hope to make it more clear someday and until then I will be finishing this log cabin!

2012 and everything before!

2012-01-16T11:54:00.005-05:00

Hello 2012!! As time does, it passes quickly the older we get, the more rapidly things come and go. I have been very distant from posting (I have made a resolution to get back on that!). Since last time I posted so much has taken place. I have kept up with the house, finishing some projects that have been on my list since the purchase. Worked in the garden well into the fall, which I can't wait to get back on this spring! I have stitched away at a quilt that I am so close to finishing I can see the end, always an exciting part of a long project. Helped plan and set up a backyard wedding for my mom and new step dad, which was lovely and beautiful. Decorated the house for Halloween, had a chili party, complete with backyard bonfire and gravestone cupcakes. Then the Christmas season was upon us, so I decorated the house to the point where every room had an ornament in it! And now here I am 16 days into the new year, decorations are down like it never happened (always a little sad by that), and on a mission to finish this quilt these next couple of days. The photos of the quilt will come in a post later this week, however below are a few to share of the things that have happened since, that have made me busy and kept me smiling.

The beautiful centerpieces that my mother made for her wedding.

The backyard ready for over a 100 guests.

A little peek at Halloween, it was much more interesting than just cupcakes, however I seem to have been avoiding my camera.

The mantel with the Christmas village on it, I love this at night when it is lit up its sweet and looks warm, and feels like home.

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The front steps to the house, I made a "Winter wonderland" with branches found in the backyard, spray painted them in places with silver and white, wove in branches of pine wrapped in ornaments and lights. It was pretty walking through the steps with it, however it is a little lost in photos...

2011 Was a very busy and full year for me, however it was well worth it! I can't wait to see what this year brings, thankful that the buying, packing, moving process is over! I know that with a house there is always a project, but it feels amazing to just live in it and not have to worry about the big changes that come with the first few months! I am looking forward to working on creative endeavors in the studio, traveling and spending moments with those that I love.

Chicago Antiques

2011-08-27T11:39:00.004-05:00

Of course I could not go on a trip without finding a little antique store... or 5! In Andersonville there a few shops and a yummy brunch place called M Henry.
This is actually a thrift store in the area that occupies and old building. It reminded me of our diversity thrift here, when it used to be in the old building on main street. I loved it there.

Roost- Had a great assortment of really eclectic things and really well organized and interesting to look through. I want to order some letters from them. They had a great assortment.

This store had a Scotish/English feel to it, lots of plaid! Really great blankets to upholster things with. I would love the cabinet with the little drawers!!

Chicago Gardening

2011-08-27T11:32:00.003-05:00

There is a gorgeous Nursery in the Andersonville area in Chicago, that has all sorts of plants. This time I stumbled upon miniature gardens. I have been following these on blogs and online but have not found them here in Richmond. I ended up coming home with some furniture to make my own. Here are a few of my favorite. They look like a fairy could pop out at any moment.

Inspired Chicago

2011-08-27T11:09:00.005-05:00

The weather here is gloomy and we may not have power for long. Irene is here! What a strange week with earthquakes and hurricanes, oh yeah and the bat that we found in our house this morning, the joy of home-ownership... there is no one to call and take care of these things because your name is on the house! Anyhow considering everything, we are well. While I still have power I want to share a recent trip to Chicago, last time I was there it was still winter. This time it was the height of summer and gorgeous! So clean and Green with blooms everywhere. If it were not so cold most of the year I would love to live there.

We went to the Shedd aquarium, I love aquariums, find constant inspiration and calmness there. This one is located right on the
Michigan river. The boats were all on the water the city behind them, a great view. The building is surrounded by gardens and the inside is done in an arts and crafts movement style. All of the chandeliers and walls have inspired sea life on them. I want a giant octopus lamp so badly after seeing this one, however my little cottage would not be large enough for it.

The Shedd had a Jelly-fish exhibit going on that was just gorgeous. It was beautiful they move so gently and softly. The tails remind me of embroidery floss and thread. The little black jellies moved like silly little mushrooms, faster than the others, less gracefully.

graceful.

soft.

thread-like.

a few tid bits.

2011-06-23T16:57:00.001-05:00

The black petunia's deserve a spotlight, so pretty in the darkness. And of course this little moldy, but pretty finding.

outside now

2011-06-23T16:44:00.004-05:00

If you look down to a few months ago at what the outside of this house looked like when we bought it and how now look here.... It has been a major change. Still have to paint that front door but it will have to wait until the fall. Thanks to my mom and tom we have really made this garden a nice retreat from the rest of the world. I have been watering, weeding, and trying to get rid of a clover patch that is taking over some flowers.

I can't wait for the tomatoes to ripen, to make bruchetta and salad and sandwiches mmm....

These were the freshly picked veggies today. They are growing at a pace that makes me smile... It is so nice to go out there and pick my own fresh veggies! My mom mixed some chicken poop into the dirt when the seeds went in and I thought it was strange at first.. I now understand why she used that these veggies are amazing and lush and yummy. I made Zuchini bread for the first time yesterday and it was delicious next time I am going to try making it with some squash mixed in too!
So this is the reason I have been playing outside instead of inside, I have been spending time in the studio, but this has been a nice way to unwind from the rest of the world when I get home in the evenings. Happy summer!

decorators...

2011-06-23T11:24:00.003-05:00

I have fallen in love with the show million dollar decorators on Bravo! It is one of the few things on T.V. that is visually interesting and has a mix of smart aesthetics and how to deal with people when you provide a service for them... I have had a passion for designing interiors and it is fun to watch them spend money like there is no end to it... The clients are wealthy and the taste the decorators bring is really interesting and eclectic. Definitely inspiring and has me wondering if my obsession with interior decor is where I should focus my energy.

JUNE...

2011-06-05T20:12:00.002-05:00

Time seems to be ticking away at a speed that I can't seem to grasp. It seems like only yesterday I was walking around with a coat and scarf on through the woods behind this house, which I have now made into a home... During this time I have been working in my studio, very productively I must say! I am happy to report that some of the stress of my job/life has calmed down and I have started thinking in the terms of an "artist" again. Not just making, but making with a purpose. I have started a project for the house, a quilt for my bed, which I have never done before. (Everyone else has a quilt at this point except me). I have been learning to garden and deal with some animals that like to live around the garden. And enjoying every day, really trying to take them in.
I recently discovered a site that I fell in love with, almost like a visual dictionary or encyclopedia.... But better because it is social online, called pintrest. I created my own board and have fallen in love with it! It is http://pinterest.com/anaslayers/ if you want to see what I am into at the moment. I promise to post some photos this week of everything going on. -Happy summer everyone.

master bedroom

2011-04-13T08:20:00.006-05:00

Closet area- before the closet was set in....

and.... AFTER look its my new walk-in closet. I am in love with the way it made the shape of the room look, and the extra space. I am going to be using a curtain in white linen from Restoration Hardware, instead of a formal door. I could not find any that I loved and there is a lot of room around it so I figured a nice soft fabric would sofen the room.

This is the view of the master bedroom walking into it. I never grasped how large this room is until I had all my old furniture in there and it still looked empty. I love having the extra room, and I will be adding a reading chair, rugs, perhaps different lamps, and of course wall hangings.

This is the reading nook which is where I want to add a couple more furniture items. The color of the room is Martha Stewart "heavy goose" from Home Depot. It is a true grey with a blue undertone. It changes depending on the color of the light sometimes it looks grey, green or blue. I love the grey colors through-out the house. It is neutral but clean, and a great background for everything else in a room.

cardboard free!

2011-04-12T08:40:00.003-05:00

It has been a busy couple of weeks here. We pulled up carpet, painted, put down floor, packed, moved, un-packed, and even spent a day in the garden... So here it is a little bit more finished.

The guest room if you remembered looked like this when we purchased the house. Brown carpet and brown wood panel walls, it was like a 70's time warp, or Alice in wonderland when the walls look like they are coming in on you.
We pulled up the carpet, and primed and painted the walls. The wall color is Martha Stewart "bakery box white" at Home depot. This color looks blue or green depending on the light and the time of day. It is bright, fresh and a decent size now that the walls and floor and fresh.
BEFORE-

PROGRESS-

I decided to keep it vintage in this room, the wood paneled walls had that vibe so I went with it. I added a combination of bedding some blues and browns, some embroidered pillows, for a handmade feeling. I also added extra blankets and pillows for guests, and left some space on the table tops and bench for people to put their things. This is currently the only room with rugs and I choose to use these that I already had because they worked best in this room. I tried them in other places, but they kept with a handmade touch in this room. Notice the yo-yo quilt I made a couple years back hangs in here too.... Finally out of a chest and out in the open.

I would still like to add a reading chair in this room and hang some things on the wall, a collection of tea towels perhaps. I have already had my mom and Tom stay in here and they seemed to like it enough. I am hoping it hosts many guests! More of the house to come soon, room by room I will share a tour. Also the progression of what I decide to do, make and of course change.

The insides.

2011-03-20T09:18:00.002-05:00

This is a nook in the master bedroom next to the dormer window, I have plans to make this a reading corner. We are also putting another closet in the master, there is already a walk in but I believe most marriages have a better chance with separate closets so we are adding another. Mainly because I am very particular. Bedrooms look a little boring empty in photos but there are 4 in this house, a studio, an office, a master, and a guest room.

This is the upstairs bath, which needs a good sanding. The walls are partly textured and partly smooth. The 70's really did a number on homes. The idea is to smooth everything out and then paint the walls. Eventually we want to tear out the bathtub and replace it all with a double headed walk in shower.

This is the guest room, I had to show this lovely wood paneling. I love it, sense the sarcasm. However after being primed we noticed this room is much larger than it seemed.

This is after the primer, it looks better already. The carpet is all gone upstairs and new flooring will be put down next week. The downstairs was all hardwood, upstairs had carpet but will soon match the rest.
More to come soon with some improvements.

the plan.

2011-03-20T09:01:00.002-05:00

Let's start with one of the most necessary rooms. The downstairs bathroom. For the time being this bathroom is going to get a clean fresh coat of paint, and a good deep cleaning. That shower curtain, not mine so it too will be going. Eventually we would like to put in a claw foot tub and get rid of the existing shower, put down new floor tile and a new vanity mirror as well. I love the sink in this bathroom though, the original pedestal sink.

Here is the living room, not the best shot, more to come later. There is a working fireplace, and in addition a door to the laundry room and the main door. Arranging furniture in there will be interesting, but cozy. This room has already been painted, and those photos will come soon, it is a pale grey that is fresh but calm. It is the Home Depot Martha Stewart lamb. I happen to love the colors of her paint.

This is the kitchen. There is not much that needs to be done in there for now. In the future I would love to put tiles or something interesting on the backwash under the cabinets. As well as upgrade the appliances to stainless steel. I will also change some of the knobs on the doors and drawers. For a small kitchen it has a fair amount of cabinet space, which is always nice.

Here is the staircase going to the second floor. The carpeting is on its way out, currently it is the last piece of carpeting in the house. There is hardwood underneath, so it will be sanded and varnished to look like new again. This is the last flooring to be taken care of right after the official move, to allow for the movers, so that no new scratches or nicks appear.

New beginnings..

2011-03-19T23:10:00.006-05:00

Yes it's late March here in Richmond, which means that all of the trees are blooming and the birds are chirping... So my grey winter scape in my header doesn't make that much sense.... As I mentioned before the colors from a walk in the lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens, on a rainy day, were the inspiration for the color pallet of the paint in my NEW HOUSE!
The stack of papers are signed, the title was handed over and the house is ours! So here it is...

I have always wanted an older house, specifically a cottage, and I have one with my name one it! I HATE that red door, but it will get painted along with a list of other things that need updating, repairing, fixing, making more aesthetically pleasing, customizing... etc... etc... If you have ever purchased an older house you know how it goes. (I want the door black to match the shutters and the numbers for the house to be painted white, to stand out against the black.)

There is a nice plot of land to work on as well. Half an acre to be exact, so I will have to pick up some gardening tips and think about some vegetables that I would like to plant. There is already a compost on the land, which I was happy to learn, because I think it is an easy way to be more environmentally conscious.
I have plans to keep the house true to time period, with some updates. I want it light and aerie with some punches of color from collections I have and fabrics. As much as I love color, at home I like to keep it softer and neutral, I find that my belongings add enough color and interest on their own.
This is my biggest project right now and I have fallen in love with the details of choosing everything for a home. There is a very personal quality to this process, and it makes me think about what a home says about us as individuals. Being that I love many different styles and eras, but prefer certain things for my day to day... What does that mean? What does it say about me? These are some of the things that I am thinking about during this process. I am also trying to let myself just like something because I simply do. Not over thinking it, as is so easy for an artist.
I will be showing photos and talking about the process as it goes, as well as keeping a sketchbook of everything. Perhaps I will find answers to some of my questions, and maybe I will just enjoy the process because I simply love making a home my own. A place where my partner and I love to spend our day to day, where we always have a place for a friend to stop by for wine, and where family can enjoy the holidays with us. After all maybe those are the reasons why we take care into what comes into a home. It is the tangible object, full of tangible things, that represent the love and relationships we have in our lives.

The next step...

2011-02-23T17:32:00.004-05:00

In the last post of my studio, there was a pile of t-shirts waiting to be sewn together into this quilt... I finished it last week and presented it to Tom for his birthday. Tom has been a part of my life for the past couple years, and while there will never be a replacement for my father, he comes pretty close and is an amazing person. The quilt was made up of t-shirts that he collected from Harley rides and boat trips. Unfortunately I neglected to take a photo of the finished thing.... The fatigue overcame me, and it ended up in a box with a bow before a final photo was taken. Next time I visit them, I will surely take a photo of it in Tom's "man room".
Working with the Jersey cotton is a different experience, the cotton, folds onto itself, stretches and just refuses to stay put. However it is very soft and forgiving when it comes to the final project. It was a nice project that helped get my mind off everything else and I just sewed away for a couple of days.

February is a month full of anniversaries, and memories for me. Some of them good and others I wish I could forget. However as time moves ahead the bad start to have a hazy glass over them and the good shine through. This year in honor of our one year anniversary and meeting my other half and I took a day at Lewis Ginter Botanical gardens. It was hazy and foggy that day and as you can see in the photos empty everywhere we turned. In the green house the blooms were alive and outside the gardens shapes, and water was enough inspiration on its own.
It was a lovely quiet day and it almost seemed as if we were alone in the gardens. After having lunch and walking around for a while, I decided that the greys that fill a foggy day are perfect for painting a house..... and so...
I started collecting some paint chips because.....
In a few days we close on a house of our own!!!! This is such an exciting thing, I have always taken joy in creating a space that is great to live in and pleasing to the eye. This time, its not just some place it has our names on the title, so I promise to take lots of photos and track the process of choosing everything from paint, and trim to plants and china. Can't wait for the adventure.

science, and art

2011-02-03T18:06:00.004-05:00

"If artist's were in charge of making the world, it would be the most aesthetically pleasing, thoughtful, conceptual place. Without toilets or plumbing because they would forget them... If a scientist were asked to make the world it would be full of all the necessary things but not have one thing just serving the simple purpose of being attractive..." In this world we need the marriage of both... In my world the marriage of both is what makes it work.

thought.

2011-02-01T12:19:00.000-05:00

"Ask what is possible? NOT What is wrong? ... Keep asking."

sketch books

2011-02-01T12:14:00.005-05:00

Check this site out, there is a sketchbook project that has a couple thousand books traveling around the country... I find that sketchbooks are an awesome way of getting ideas out without, the fear of the outside world. They are un-inhibited little makings. Can't wait to see this exhibit!!!

www.arthousecoop.com/projects/sketchbookproject

If you are looking for another interesting exhibit there is a yearly one at the museum for women in the arts in Washington D.C. every year that features handmade books, and book art. I have gone a couple of times and it is worth it every time. I leave with inspiration.

...will take photos of some of my own pages and post them soon....
Happy February.

studio

2011-01-20T11:40:00.007-05:00

One of the main attractions of moving into this place, was of course the studio...Amazing would be a good way to describe my favorite work space, to date. There is built in shelves, stairs enough work space and storage space, with a bit of room to dance, should I feel motivated. There is natural light, an airy glow in the afternoon and it is quiet, unless I blast some music. Anyhow there was a little problem with the production part of the studio, I needed a little more room on work tables for sewing and spreading out. So here is what I did...

Upstairs stayed much the same. I have my tower of thread, and notions... Overlooking the bottom of the studio.

My wall of inspirational photos, that goes around the studio in bunches. Along with my trunks full of finished works or large pieces of fabric. One day I may convert those trunks to something with drawers.... Still torn on the idea because they just work well. (even though I do not like to match everything I often wish the trunks matched...)

My old desk is now a work table, just for sewing, or laying whatever I am working on out.

My second work table, all my fabric, stamps and other goodies are stored underneath, and on top another work space to spread out on. This way I can have two projects at a time, or one large one.

An update, on my alphabet project, not abandoned, just a small holiday sabbatical, so that I could wrap and finish all the holiday events.

The nook under the stairs, houses my reproduction card catalogue, one of my favorite things! Along with a few of my quilts that I have made and collected underneath.

My shelves have remained the same, and now that is the view from my desk. Lovely, I get to look at all my collections, trinkets, and inspiring materials while I type away now.

Finally my new desk area, that houses the lab top, a few needed items, such as bill payments etc. and my new wireless photo printer....Which I love! I can print from anywhere in the home, or from my i-pod touch, and it comes out here. Also the photo aspect of it is fantastic so I can play around with my photos without leaving the house.

So there it is my fresh work space. I have to admit it has been easier to work with more space to spread out, and I have been in here more and more since I re-worked it. Now to finish the alphabet and the t-shirt quilt I am working on.

looking around.

2010-12-16T11:00:00.006-05:00

I have spoken to the notion of time so much on this blog that I am sure you are all finished hearing about my obsession. However no matter how many times I sit and think or make around the notion of time I am fascinated. It is the one thing that always moves, can't be taken or brought back.
This year has proven to be one of the busiest for me, but also one of the most fulfilling. I have done my fair share of traveling, exploring and trying new things. I moved into a new place that I love with an amazing person, I never expected to meet. I have made a few odds and ends and stored enough ideas in sketchbooks, and journals for the year to come. I have learned to compromise certain things, without compromising myself. (Maybe the most difficult thing to do when it comes to living with someone again.)
So here I am sitting by my tree, and enjoying the first snow fall of the season. It has that quiet, that snow brings and it has me thinking of all the things I have done in 2010 and all the things I want to do in 2011. I realize that I have everything I have ever wanted right now. I have dreamt of the holidays at my home with family, and friends and they are coming. I have wanted love, not a young, learning love, but a mature, grown love, and I have it. I have wanted friends that are like family, that can bring me to reality and be there when needed, and they are around. I have a close relationship with my family and it is great. All of these connections are what make me whole, you can only live in yourself so much, before you need others. I don't need a great deal of people, but instead a handful that truly get me, and appreciate me just the way I am. The ones that do not fear giving me a challenge every once in a while. That is a true relationship, whether it be a friend, lover, family, sibling, someone that can confront you when needed, bring you back to reality, that is a true relationship.
So I am thankful for every single one of them and all the moments spent this year. As far as 2011 goes my goals mostly involve taking ideas and making them realities. Hiding in my studio until the magic that is making happens. Enjoying every moment, using every frustration as a means to learn how to improve upon myself, or the creative process. I am also challenging myself to learn how to say "no" more, and use my limited time to make, and be in my studio.
I hope that everyone is enjoying the preparations for the holiday, I have a few more gifts to wrap and dazzle and I am almost ready to start roasting. The tree above is the first I have ever put up in my own home. It is real and smells wonderful, I stuck to a color pallet that is limited and "vintage inspired". The rest of the house has touches of Christmas too, but the mantle is the true joy. Happy holidays everyone- may there be peace, light, love, and creativity in your celebrations!

travels

2010-11-17T13:20:00.006-05:00

For as long as I can remember every time that I go somewhere different or even a day trip sometimes, I take a picture of my feet as proof that I was there. It has become a way to track where I am and what I am doing and its almost expected now that I have pictures of my feet everywhere. I think that one of these days I would like to gather these photos and make a collage of them, there must be at least 100 at this point.
Recently I took a wonderful vacation that included a stop at Hogwarts, and then a cruise in the Caribbean, not that nightmare out west... It was beautiful, romantic, and adventurous... Coming home always feels good when I have been gone for a little while but nothing beats standing on white sand with the best person, looking out onto a gorgeous view.

This is what has happened since the return the 1000 plus photos and "stuff" we collected while traveling have taken over the living room, with all the stuff it takes to put it in a photo album. I love a real Scrapbook, I am not talking the new ones where they sell all the paper that matches and the pre-planned pages and all that... No I am talking of the ones where you actually keep all the ticket stubs and postcards etc. from travels and add them with the photos for a visual remembrance of a nice trip. So that is what I am doing- and re-fusing to call it a scrapbook because of all the ugly associations that come with it.

a silly trial

2010-10-21T12:01:00.003-05:00

A few weeks ago a friend of mine asked if I could make a dress for his daughter based on one a friend had given them... about an hour later i was delighted with a smile on my face with the little one I made for my little P.R. It turned out pretty cute, and being a dress that I made a pattern from not too bad for a first trial. I am going to make a few more for P.R. and Gigi, seeing as how these are being sold for a pretty penny, I think having an original is always nice.

It is a busy time of the year and I am reminded that the holidays are only a few months away. I am going on a long needed vacation next week that includes a stop at Harry Potter in Orlando and then setting sail in the Caribbean. I am really excited. Upon my return I have a new project I want to begin that goes along with a few things I have been dipping into... Can't wait. Hope everyone enjoys the fall and all that comes with this time of the year.

old and new.

2010-09-14T11:59:00.003-05:00

-Modern sampler

This summer has been filled with change, experience, and moments shared with some very important people in my life. There was a big move (almost sent me over the edge), a wedding, two new babies, some trips to the ocean, some laughs, some tears, and some room for growth. Through this time my mind has been making what my hands have not had time to do. Finally things calmed down a bit and I started playing with some thread and needles. I have been fascinated by traditional embroidery samplers as long as I can remember. It is an organized way to show different stitches and embroider something as simple as a letter or a number.
With one of the new babies that came I made a quilt, back in the winter, under 3 feet of snow! For the newest little one added to my circle of friends, I decided to make an alphabet sampler. This baby already has two brothers, so she had everything she needed including some quilts, I thought the alphabet sampler would be a fun piece to hang on the wall that the brothers could learn from too. I am using all different fonts, stitches and colors, on a piece of feed sack I have lying around. I am about half way through it and it looks like it belongs in a nursery already.
Sometimes making for me is about a concept, that has many layers and meaning, and others it is about people and the idea of giving a handmade object as a keepsake. After all that is what history is made of.
Some other things have been brewing in this studio as well. A new collection of quilt "fragments" has appeared and when the sampler is done, a new "quilt" project will be tackled.

-Traditional sampler

This is with the letter layed out, not yet embroidered. I am about half way through- photos to come!

Lady gaga

2010-09-14T11:54:00.001-05:00

Last week I went to my second Lady gaga concert. I think she is an amazing artist with an open mind, that is not afraid to put out into the world the fantasies that exist in her mind. I enjoyed seeing the show again, the costume changes alone, are worth the ticket. Like most modern artist she pulls from all aspects of pop culture new, and old. There were influences from Madonna, clearly one of the best artists of all times. Even some influences from the wizard of oz, with the trees and tin person. A show worth seeing!

a room of one's own.

2010-07-28T11:48:00.003-05:00

You see that light creeping in, the fabric settling down, the thoughts forming... What comes next?? What will these hands make, where does one start?

The move is complete, and the studio is set. Yes these are photos of my new studio, perhaps one of the most beautiful spaces I can imagine to create in. The shelves that line a whole wall were already built in and ready for all my collections. The loft area was already complete with enough light to make any artist weak at the knees. Every single box in this new place has been opened, unpacked, and put away. Every item from two households has been merged into one space. The start of a new way of life. It has been years since I have lived with anyone, and it was not without some compromise, and growing pains. However here we are almost 2 months later and I have to admit that I have never been so delighted to come home at the end of the day. To open the door to a place that is "home". Home can be so many different things depending on what is going on around you, for me home means a place where I feel safe, a place where I can turn off the rest of the world. Home has always been in making and expressing myself. I feel most like myself in that place where I am creative and inspired. In the past months I have learned there is another addition to that place that one calls "home" in my world. It rests in the arms of love. The safest place, even more so than in making. Complete with the two I can move ahead, feeling complete.

It has been difficult for me to adjust, change is hard for me as with so many people. However this change was welcomed and I am so happy to be here now. I have not been able to pick up a needle or thread or anything in a couple of months, first there was the packing and the moving then the unpacking and putting away... Now that everything is in it's place. The need to make the need to move my hands across something and create is killing me. So where does one start... One stitch at a time I suppose. One pull of a needle after another.

So here I go, a new adventure, complete with love, and open mind and compromise. One stitch at a time. Back to making, enjoying life and being proud each day to be where I am.

book worms

2010-07-28T11:35:00.003-05:00

I finished the "Lace Reader" last week, and I must say that book was worth it in the end. The last few chapters make you re-think the past 300 some pages. A really smartly written book, and it was full of textile references which I loved! I have now moved onto the second book in the Steig Larrson series, "The girl who played with fire". It is unfortunate that he passed away shortly after writing the trilogy of books, I am so glad he finished these though. I read the first in the series a couple of months ago, and while it took me a while to get into it, once I did it was an addiction. The movie version was alright, however like most stories so much better told with ink on paper.

book worms

2010-05-27T09:36:00.003-05:00

A while ago I came home to find one of the sweetest presents for me. A couple of books and a gift card to Starbucks. It was simple, but reminded me that sometimes taking an hour or two out of a day to sit and be swept away by words is worth more than spending time rushing around. This book, "The lace reader" was on of the books and I have finally been able to read enough to get into it. The book speaks of a group of women from Salem, Mass. that can read fortunes in lace patterns. The whole book speaks of the special lace, and how it is made. It is a mixture of mystery and antiquity. A lovely book to grab for a summer tote.

sex and friends

2010-05-27T09:28:00.003-05:00

This summer is going to be full of great movies with my friends... The first which premiers today!!! I have been following these ladies since they first began and after the last movie with the amazing clothes, sets and all who could resist another movie! I have a date with my best ladies on sunday to go see it, and can't wait! Hopefully I don't cheat and go see it before then!

boxes coming in...boxes heading out

2010-05-13T10:00:00.004-05:00

I have been meaning to show you this wonderful surprise I received from an old friend. A couple of weeks ago this box arrived on my doorstep, from a friend that was at VCU when I was there the first time. I opened this box and it contained the most wonderful assortment of vintage and antique sewing notions. Buttons, thread, even some old hankies. When I looked close and read the note from Maria, I realized that many of these things belonged to her mother! I feel honored that she would share them with me. I have not yet decided what I am going to make with these things, however something will have to make its way back up north, and into her hands. Thank you Maria, for helping the creative juices flow and adding to my ever growing collection.

So the time has come to pack it all up and move it all out... Yep that's right, I am moving. If you are an artist you know how stressful this can be. As a normal person it is a pain, factor in four years of "stuff" if you are a collector and an artist, and then it is just overwhelming. I am working on not freaking out over this move because it is for the best reason I can imagine.... But I must admit there are times when I am feeling a bit overwhelmed and it comes out. The part I am excited about and that keeps me going is living with the most amazing person, and being able to start fresh and re-decorate a whole new place.

warp and weft

2010-05-13T09:48:00.004-05:00

The class I taught at the visual art center came to a close a while ago, but I thought you might like to see the photos of the works we had going on.

The women in this class were highly creative as far as what they wanted to weave, and the different techniques to use. Some of them even started ideas for a series of projects. I really enjoyed working with them and it was interesting to see all of the different things that they decided to weave to create their samplers.

some of the materials included: jeans, guitar strings, rocks, seashells, buttons, leather, grass-like raffia, plastic netting...and it went on and on.

Give me Liberty!

2010-03-11T10:37:00.002-05:00

What happens when textiles meet pop-culture?!? Excitement from this Ana!

This month Liberty of London one of my all time favorite textile houses is collaborating with MAC cosmetics, and Target. Which means that there will be floral prints exploding all over the place in my life, and it would not be liberty without some peacock feathers! Liberty is well known amongst textile junkies, so I already pre-sold my MAC and will be waiting on the 14th for Target to open its doors. It is always interesting when a line that is normally very high end pairs up with places like Target making it accessible to the general public. Can't wait to see what they made!

traditional methods, unconventional materials.

2010-03-04T11:20:00.002-05:00

Just wanted to post some photos of the things that my class at the visual arts center is working on. These are samplers, which means that they are "experiments/explorations" of materials, not finished pieces. I will have to keep in mind how attached people become to samplers, because it was like pulling teeth to get them off the looms this week. We are working on frame looms, because it is a way to transport a tapestry, also a great way to learn on a small scale.
The class is about traditional weaving techniques, using un-conventional materials. Some of the things that they have been weaving include, plastic, paper, denim, legal paper, rocks! yep ROCKS! (had to create a new technique for getting this one in there), mesh bags, lace, and the list goes on. As with any class I am learning how to better teach this in the future, but am considering a part two to this class.

tiny toes.

2010-02-23T12:48:00.002-05:00

I began this quilt a few weeks ago, when there was a few feet of snow on the ground, and have had to put it down for a little while to work on some other things. I was never one to make utilitarian objects, I used to focus all of my time on making sculpture/conceptual based work. While I still find that to be the most gratifying when it comes to making, sometimes it feels great to make something special like this little quilt. A few months ago one of my best friends announced she was expecting. This threw me off, seeing as how she has never shown interest in having a child. It took me a while to get used to the idea of her with a baby, but I know she will be amazing at it. A few months later, we found out our other best friend is also expecting. So here I am in the middle with my two best friends ready to have babies. What does this mean for me.... well I see lots of sewing in my future, along with a shower or two... oh and I might actually have to learn how to change a diaper!
As strange as it is to see them both pregnant, I must admit that while making this little blanket for baby number 1, I started to get excited to meet this little human, and be a part of her life.
One of the reasons that I decided making some utilitarian objects is important, is because those are the things that we remember when we grow, and that we take with us. I remember a few things from my childhood that I loved most were made by the hand of my mother, or my aunts. To this day I have a pair of mittens my mom made when I was just a few days old, that are always around. So with the baby quilts, I will include my love for these new lives, and hopefully one day they will look at them and think of their "auntie Ana"... Wow, did I just say that???? This baby thing must be rubbing off on me too.

masquerades

2010-02-23T12:36:00.003-05:00

stitch by stitch...

thread by thread....

I finally finished this little embroidery. This little piece began as an experiment in transferring the image, as a permanent line. It was a way for me to teach myself a skill, and then apply it to another work. Somewhere alone the way I fell in love with the imagery and the idea of concealing and revealing, with masks. There are parts of us that we show to the world, and others that we hide behind masks, and only very few people are let into. I am happy with the final outcome, and can now tear off all the tracing paper with the final image down on the fabric. Usually I go back over the "sketch" with more stitches or take them out, I really enjoy the "sketchy" look of the line in this though.

I have begun teaching a class at the visual arts center, traditional weaving techniques with un-conventional materials. This has forced me to look into some of the things I used to make and how they were made. This is great, in fact it has the wheels in my brain going again... Who knows maybe I will even pick up a loom again. And instead of making pieces about falling apart, they will be about keeping it together and safe.

when the white stuff falls.

2010-01-31T23:40:00.004-05:00

When this happens outside... I do this... (see below.)

For the second time this winter season it has snowed here in Richmond, Virginia. This is an unusual occurrence, considering that in the nine years I have lived here this has happened twice before. I do not particularly like snow, I can live with it, but most of the time find that it gets in my way and makes me feel claustrophobic. While it may be pretty... I do not like being trapped. So when it began coming down the other day I started to think about what project I would work on to keep busy and keep my mind off the snow. I wanted a project that would show me progress quickly, as opposed to the ones I usually encounter that take months and endless hours to finish. So I began making a baby quilt for one of my best friends that is due to have a baby in a few months. I loved working with the size of a baby quilt, so manageable and quick to make, especially when you use a basic pattern. I used a bundle of 2 1/2 inch, 1930's flour sack reproduction strips, and began sewing the strips then cutting then making squares. I got the whole top finished in a day. I must admit that as much as I love working on projects that are very "process oriented" sometimes it feels really great to pop something out quickly, that requires little thought. Just being able to make and keep going without considering why or how... To make something utilitarian can be relaxing at times. I am sure though that this quick, utilitarian project will be followed by a time consuming, mind boggling, embroidery... Because it is already in the works of course.

away and back

2010-01-11T21:00:00.004-05:00

Happy New Year to all! I know we are now 11 days into this year, and I have done a horrible job of keeping up with my posts... However its a new, clean slate and I have plans to make, post, and write more on here again. I took a trip to my home country of Portugal for the holidays. It was interesting being in there over the holidays, normally when I visit it is warm and sunny... Not this time, it was grey, foggy, rainy, and cold for 10 days. However, all of the fields, mountains and plants were really green from the wet climate. It was gorgeous to see the oranges and lemons on trees and persimmons and olives too.
I am from a town close to the city of Castelo Branco, which has its own embroidery techniques and patterns. I visited one of the local shops while i was there that sells thread, fabric, yarn and anything inbtween that has to do with textiles, and went crazy for all the different threads and colors. I am drawing out some new pieces I want to make that incorporate the traditional embroidery patterns and some of my own ideas... girls and guns and such. A play on traditional women's work that is in my culture and modern ideals. Hope everyone is having a good start to the year.

horizons.

2009-11-16T19:51:00.004-05:00

There are two things that are inevitable in life. The first is change. The second time. My obsession with time, and the passing of it, has been apparent for the past couple of years. However for the first time in a long time, I feel as though I am exactly where I am supposed to be. I celebrated 26 a couple of weeks ago, and looking around the table at dinner, I saw that I am surrounded by amazing people that inspire and encourage me on a daily basis. While time doesn't stop, sometimes there are moments that are so precious that we continue to feel them years after they happen. Those are the moments that motivate me when it comes to making.

Sometimes projects don't go the way that we want them to. I have been working on another embroidery for a while, but got very frustrated with it last week. (Note to self... embroidering thread to look like skin=headace). Anyhow, I decided to pull out these masks again. I am working on finishing them for a holiday gift to a close friend. This started out as an outline that I was going to fill in. However I have decided to leave the outline as part of the finished piece and work on the masks and other details to fill in. I am also limiting my pallete with this piece, to emphasize the shapes and mystery of the masks. I am hoping to be done with this one by the end of the week.

changes

2009-10-30T15:49:00.003-05:00

The leaves are turning every shade of red, orange, yellow, and anything in between, and for the first time in years I do not miss school. Usually this time of year gives me a longing to be back in college making all the time. While I miss the making part of it all, I do not want to be back in school this time around. Instead I feel as though I am exactly where I am supposed to be for the first time in a long time.
The image above is a quilt that I began, it is made out of remnants that I have saved from other projects for the past few years. Originally I had no use for this quilt it was just a "crazy" quilt that I was playing with to keep my hands occupied. However with the news of a new baby on the way, a best-friend, NOT my own! I think it might have a life in a new nursury. I have self nominated myself to help decorate the room, which I can't stop being excited over. There will be a dash of vintage charm and more books than the baby will know what to do with for a couple of years.
Between all the changes that have taken place in my life in the past few weeks, the change of the leaves and another year marker approaching, it feels great to be exactly where I am supposed to be. Surrounded by great people, new ideas, and intersting times. With all of this I am going to jump back on the blog wagon, and keep up with this better. I had to work some things out in my brain without making it public. However the time has come to get back to making, posting and life.

2009-10-13T21:50:00.003-05:00

“The only reason for time is so that everything doesn't happen at once.”-Albert Einstein

The summer has come and gone, and I have been dormant on this blog. However my studio has been alive. I have been working on a new quilt, that is made from fragments I have collected for about 5 years. I have also been embroidering a very detailed small piece that goes with a series I began years ago. I promise to post some photos soon. Life seems to be busy and getting busier. However moments shared with good company will always help feed the soul of an artist.

comfort.

2009-08-19T02:47:00.003-05:00

As this time of the year approaches, I always think about the days I spent in college making. It was my one and only job for almost four years. To make and be creative. At the time I knew it was a once in a lifetime experience, but I never appreciated how incredible that time was. When your life revolves around the ideas that come and experimenting with them until you find one that is worth carrying out. As I was becoming an adult, I was also exploring every possible medium at my fingertips that interested me in the least bit. Somewhere in my sophomore year I came up with a weaving technique that described the way I have felt my whole life, in a visual way. I spent hours and days ripping fabric and found materials, sewing it into "yarn" and weaving it. It got to a point where everyone started looking at rectangles with "tails" as a person. The pieces told stories with the materials that composed them. I became comfortable with the method and the appearance. The titles added the bits of sarcasm and gave the works a point of view. Then one day my life got turned upside down, and I put my emotions behind me, and finished the last piece that I ever made on a floor loom.
I have spent the past 4 years, dealing with demons. Making, but always feeling like something was missing in the work. So I began to think, and I remembered something that a professor once told me in a critique. "Once you are comfortable with what you are making, it is time to move on to something else."
The more I thought about this the more it made sense. Art, after all is just a series of problems and solutions. Once you know the solutions to the "problem" at hand you begin to repeat yourself. It is time to more on. So all summer I have been spending time doing things I may not have done in the past, trying to broaden my horizons. I have spent time outdoors, even took up tennis (I am no good, but none the less... tried.) I have had dinner parties, cooked more than the past 3 years. Gone for walks played in the sand and the river, and done absolutely nothing but think for an hour here and there (a hard thing for me). In this time the ideas began to come. I layed out things in a sketchbook, made some drawings, collaged images... Finally something new, that is not just a thing to pass the time away, came to mind. Something that has depth and concepts behind it.
As an artist my greatest fear is being the one hit wonder that never makes anything again. So here I am in the most public of all places, declaring that I am going to carry out my new idea. I am not going to share it because, well... the Internet is a scary place to leak a new idea. I will post photos as a record of the process, because the process is as important as the work for this piece. Thank you to anyone that reads this for being patient with me, I know that some of the things being made and talked about have lacked something... I am hoping that from now on it gets more interesting, for us both.

summer

2009-07-09T07:52:00.002-05:00

I have been avoiding everything indoors this summer. There have been nights of wine and smore's, amazing company, quiet talks, and days of the james river, swimming, tennis (I am not good at all! but fun none the less), and just being. Its been a few years since I have spent this much time outside "frolicking" which means that not a lot of blogging is happening. However some making has been I am almost done with the mask embroidery and have begun some other projects. This summer break was well needed, the past few years of school... work... making... school... work... making have taken a toll on me. Without realizing it I was exhausted and spent. Meanwhile I am going to enjoy the summer, hopefully take some pictures of artwork to post, and have another glass of wine. Hope all is well.

ART

2009-06-19T10:29:00.004-05:00

A few years ago I was given a list with 62 questions about art to answer. One by one, each day I tackled them and it helped me get to a different place with making and looking at my own work. Below are a few of the responses, that I still feel are valid.

1. What do you expect of your work?
Truth, honesty and relief from the thoughts that go through my brain on a daily basis.

3. How do you maintain focus on your work?
I maintain focus by writing and journaling. It helps keep my thoughts organized and keeps me line as far as making sure that my work does not become mundane. It also gives me a way to get thoughts out, when sometimes life gets too busy to make, at least the thoughts are out and later I can go back and work on them.

4.How do you "push" yourself to take risks?
I am constantly experimenting with different processes and materials. It forces me to make mistakes sometimes, which can end up being the start of something new. It creates space for new ideas and perspectives.

7. How do you let go of the work?
I am not sure that I ever fully let go of the work. They are all based on so much personal experience and memory that they are always a part of me. I think that with time I become less attached to some pieces, but then there are others that become even more sacred. Does any artist ever fully let go of the work? Or is the work the way to let go of what inspired it in the first place?

10. How do you get back to what it felt like at the beginning---the real joy of doing that gets lost over time?
I have often been faced with this delema, in art and in life. How to get something to feel as good as it did the very first time. The first time a piece of art is finished and you walk away from it for the day, come back the next day and say to yourself "this is good, it is what I wanted it to be." That is ultimate gratification, when the artist themselves thinks that it is "good" and finished. So how is it different from the hundredth time that one approaches something they have made? Well for me the difference is comfort. Once I get too comfortable with something, a process, a medium, maybe a certain time of day, I need to change it. Sometimes a slight change is enough, sometimes I need to play with another medium for a while and other times it is as simple as scribbling something in my sketchbook. The changes result in that first glance of something, and the process begins all over again, recapturing that joy an artist feels in the beginning.

15. What is the responsibility of the artists' calling?
The responsibility of the artists' calling is to listen to it. In a world driven by high-powered careers and money, it would be easy to ignore the "calling" to be an artist. It is a responsibility to follow the inspirations that an artist has and make. I am a firm believer that when a civilization ceases to exist the things that future cultures study are the art and literature from the past. If artists' stop making and writers' stop writing there will be nothing left to study and the future societies will know very little about us. As it is with everything being powered by computers now and records being electronic, it is possible that more than ever, the art is so important because it is tangible, unlike a computer's memory which could die so easily.

17. Is there work that never leaves the premises (i.e. which is so deeply personal that one cannot/ought not to part with it/share it with others)?
Yes! It lives in my sketchbooks, cigar boxes, photo albums, tool boxes, art supply drawers, under the bed, on my corkboards and probably even under my sinks. These pieces are made at times when everything seems to be collapsing in on me. Sometimes it may take me less than ten minutes to make one of these things, a simple drawing, small sample of stitches on some cotton, a sketch, embroidery, sewn fabric, glued paper... Sometimes these intimate pieces are more intricate and take time, sometimes days or even months to complete. The pieces that are to intimate to leave the premises are made to work through a problem and are usually only understood by the maker themselves. I find these pieces sometimes when I am looking for a glue stick and such, and I pick up the piece and it takes me back to the place where I made it and why. These works are often small for me and hold so much revelation into my world and how I get through things.
When Degas died and his family was going through his studio they found a room full of "unfinished" works that were ballerinas made of wax that were never cast in bronze. The family decided to have them cast, even though in his will he stated that he did not want them "trapped" in the metal. I like to think that these "unfinished" works in his studio as his intimate works and it makes me sick to think that someone went against his will and cast them. I hope that my little pieces that are too intimate to show will never be toiled with.

20.To whom is the artist responsible?
First and foremost an artist is responsible for themselves, and the integrity of their ideas. An artist is responsible for putting their ideas out into the world, sometimes these ideas are part of what shapes cultural, political and religious views, making art a powerful and necessary form of work.

22. What happens if the artist only has one song?
If the artist only has one song, it does create a problem, the work becomes mundane and the viewers become disinterested. When an artist goes into a time when they can't move beyond one thing, it means that it is time for change. In the words of Susan Iverson "never become comfortable with your work, once you are too comfortable it is time to move on." I believe that change is the only way to move beyond one song.

24. Would/could you make the same piece today that you made five years ago?
No. In the words of Mr. Warhol "Time is, Time was", I could not go back to who I was five years ago therefore I could not make the same work. Time is a fascinating, it moves ahead without permission and it can never be caught up with or turned back. In art and in life it is impossible to go back to a moment except for in one's memory and even then it is impossible to have that moment back in its fullness. My work is so much about the moment and who I am at that point in time that it would be impossible for me to go back into time and create the same things I did five years ago. It's about moving ahead, sometimes I do look into my old work for inspiration and to see where I have grown but the new things I make are my present not the same things I did make. If you are the same you were five years ago, that would be a stagnant existence. The same goes in art.

28. Are our expectations too high?
No, when expectations are lowered the work and artists become lazy and the work becomes half-assed and sloppy. I believe that in any medium and in most jobs the standards should be kept high at an almost unattainable level so that the quality of the work being produced remains brilliant and fresh.

32. How important is content?
In my opinion without content it is not art, it is hobby. Things can look aesthetically pleasing and be well crafted but with out any content I do not think that it can qualify as art. That is where the difference between an artist and a hobbyist lays.

38. Do the words get in the way?
This is a joke question right? Anyone that has seen my art or heard me speak of it, knows how important the words are to my work. When I am working on my pieces there is usually an I-pod blasting in my ear or a music source somewhere blasting out words, sometimes parts of lyrics will find their ways into my works because they are related to the piece and sometimes words will form in my mind and become parts of the work. The place that words get used the most in my work, most often, is in my titles. I do not believe in untitled work, it is lazy, my own titles can be really long and tedious sometimes but they are like small windows into my mind and art. They give off just the right amount of information to view the piece and capture my views.

44. Is everybody an artist?
No. There seems to be a movement at the moment where a lot of people think that they are, but they are hobbyists not artists. An artist makes with reason, and purpose. An artist questions why they are making and constantly challenges themselves.

52. Who are your critics?
Anyone that glimpses at your work becomes your critic. Once they have seen it, even if for a moment in a slide show or walking past a gallery through the window, once it is in their memory (even if it is the depths of it) they have already judged your work on some level. We see images all day, every moment, this is the most visually stimulated culture has ever been and all daylong we form opinions of what is pretty/ugly. It is the same with art, when glimpsing at it even for a moment the mind is already forming an opinion of it; sometimes those opinions are so short that we do not even realize they have happened. Whenever revealing art to someone, it is inevitable that they will critique it, whether or not they share that is a different story.

53. When are you too informed about your work?
When you no longer have to question why you are making it, or why you are making it the way you are making it, you are too informed. Art should always make you think further and beyond what you are making at the time, when it does not do this anymore it is time to move onto a new piece and make something new, or change directions. It all goes back to the mundane. You never want your work to become mundane and boring and when you become too informed about your work it is easy for it to become mundane

59. What has your work taught you?
My work has taught me how to live, and be myself. It has taught me how to work with challenges and solve problems. I have learned how to think through things and not give up on them. My work has also taught me to be more patient, I get frustrated with things sometimes and through art I have learned to be more patient (nothing like threading a loom). Art is a release for me, a way of getting things out, so in many ways it has taught me many things about my personality. I have learned not to get too attached to things because like art life changes. Like art, when it is good know when to stop and not over work it.

61.What is the significance of repetion and compulsion? Are they essential to textile art?
Repetion can sometimes reflect habits; personality traits and sometimes they are purely aesthetic. I think that repition and compulsion can be a huge part of process when making. In certain types of textile art it is pattern is necessary, such as is in surface/pattern design. Without repition and compulsion there is not a pattern.

62. When does the ego enter into the art?
Definition EGO- the "I", self of any person
With this definition in mind, I think that the ego is indispensable to my work. Without my 'ego' there is the sense of self-lost through the work making it generic. The ego is part of what helps make the artwork, it's maker's work.

art class

2009-06-15T22:29:00.001-05:00

I am on the bulletin for the Visual Arts Center in Richmond this fall, I will be teaching weaving. I am excited to be back on a loom and would love it if you came to join me, here is the description if you have ever wanted to learn anything about textiles, outside the box.

Tapestries Woven out of Found Objects

All Levels

Ana Conceicao

Learn how to use traditional weaving techniques with un-traditional materials. Almost anything can be woven; paper, fabric, ribbon, lace, sequins; the possibilities are endless. In this class we will explore traditional tapestry and create compositions out of found and collected materials. We will take raw materials from gathered objects, learn how to thread a loom and weave a unified tapestry. All skill levels are welcome.

Tuition: $150 (Members $135)

Materials Fee $10

6 Tuesdays September 15 – October 20

6:30 – 9:00 p.m.

moving ahead

2009-06-02T21:41:00.005-05:00

Sometimes it takes pulling out the old artwork, journals, sketchbooks, photos, and really looking and thinking to realize what happened. How did I go from making always to barely being able to make? The past few weeks I have been looking through all of my old things and pin-pointed the place where making became hard to deal with. I put a lot of myself into anything that was made, and sometimes it is hard to look at the work, or make it because it means having to be vulnerable and open to exposure. Something that is hard, for someone that puts up a hard wall to the world most of the time. Well after looking, I began sketching in a brand new book, and there are definitely some new things coming into my mind, and the ends of my fingertips are moving again. The only way to get through all of this...is to make and deal with it head on. Above are some photos of a embroideries that I did a while ago and the other one, the mask outlines, is a current one that I have been working on.

the fine line between balance

2009-05-09T08:13:00.002-05:00

In the past two years the one lesson that I have learned, above all the rest... Is that there is a fine line between balance and overwhelmed. This line is so easily blurred, when there is homework to be done, goals to be met at work, plans that are unbreakable, and maintaining some sort of a life. Going back to school was a surprise to me as much as to anyone else, especially to become a teacher. The past two years have been great, and I love the teaching part of all this. However I am feeling studio-homesick, and the ends of my fingers are getting antsy from not making enough. I have decided that the right balance at the moment is to take next semester off. All that I have left to finish is student teaching, which I can do in the spring. Opening up this time in my life, means that I might have to confront some of the walls that were put up when I stopped making the way I did. I guess the time has come, to stop running from all the mixed up feelings that go hand in hand with my artwork. Walk straight into it and deal.

"Time takes time, you know"

heart and mind

2009-04-28T09:02:00.006-05:00

This is what happenend last night and this morning when I could not sleep. The polin around here this year is at an all time gross level and sleeping just isn't happening. At least some making is. I have always been obsessed with medical illustrations, especially anatomically correct hearts, the cutsy ones you can keep. With the semester being almost finished I have time to work in the studio again, which lead me straight back to the boxes, anatomical drawings and glue, UHU clear glaze glue- my favorite. These are just small "doodles" but I am thinking of making more, lots more. The heart and the mind are rarely in the same place, no matter how much we wish that they would align. In matters of the heart and mind it would be easier if we could put it in a little box and hide it, so that we are less vulnerable, and exposed to the world. Between the anatomy and the idea of time, I think I feel a series comming along. Maybe incorporate some embroidery and larger boxes.

Teaching at Chandler

2009-04-01T18:09:00.004-05:00

This semester I have been working on my practicum in secondary education, my placement for middle school has been at Chandler. This is a school that is in a rough situation, they have had trouble passing their exams for many years in a row. The school board has decided that it will close down the school at the end of this year. I have been teaching a science class, about art and science, in one lesson. It was a bit of a challenge at first, however, I am pleased with the artwork and the response from the students. The main idea was interdependence within Eco-systems and how when one thing fails so does everything else. More specifically we talked about how water effects power, health, and agriculture. The woven, art part of the course tied in because woven structures are interdependent. If a warp or weft breaks or is not strong, the whole piece has the potential to come apart. The students wrote what Power, Health and Knowledge mean to them on the fabric strips and then wove them.

As you can see we also recycled and took the enviornment into consideration when making. The "looms" were made of clinique gift boxes that were being thrown away at a retail store, and the fabric was leftover from projects I have done in the past. The students got very creative and some of them had more than one warp on their loom. Even the way that they choose to display them was intersting.

spring

2009-04-01T18:05:00.002-05:00

Time is going by so quickly that I barely have time to catch my breath sometimes. The photos above have been sitting on my desktop collecting virtual dust waiting to be posted for a week now. I decided to make a fabric swatch book, as a way to catalogue what I have so when I go to a fabric store from now on I will stop buying doubles. I found 7 doubles while putting this book together! The book includes all of my calico prints, I did not include all of the other fabrics I have because those are pretty easy to remember without a sample of a pattern. Sometimes when my mind feels cluttered I find it best to sit and organize something, this was the simple solution last week.

craft thoughts.

2009-03-13T22:08:00.004-05:00

I know that this image looks like it should have been taken in December or January, but believe it or not, this was just last week. Here in Richmond, where it only snows once every couple of years, we received about 7inches last week. I usually don't enjoy the cold or snow very much. Oddly enough snow makes me feel claustrophobic. However last week when it came down and I woke up to a white world outside, I was reminded by how peaceful and quiet and beautiful the snow is. It seems to make everyone stop for a moment and think. It was lovely, now I just want cheery blossoms and sunshine... and dresses with floral patterns on them.

I started working on another quilt last week. If you ever wondered what a few years worth of remnants looked like, well its about 4 hours of ironing them out and 3 hours of cutting them into tiny rectangles and squares. I am making a structured "crazy quilt". I have always been attracted to the different patterns used in these quilts and the idea of using remnants and scraps. In today's world of "going green" its a useful way to use leftovers instead of throwing them out. I enjoy that a lot!
I have also been doing a lot of thinking about my work and the turn that it has taken in the past year or two. Instead of making pieces that are deep and layered in thought I am making pieces that take thought and organization, and compartmentalize them. I think this is a reflection of how busy, and hectic my life has become over this time. It is my way of dealing with my day to day. There is also the rise of the "craft" coming out in my work. Something that in college would have made me run. I always made well crafted conceptual works. Now the craft is really showing, quilts and other utilitarian objects. Most of these objects will never be used in the ways that they are traditionally meant to be. And the quilts hold more meaning to them than laying on a bed, I doubt they will ever make it to one. All of this makes me think about craft in general. Why is it that it has gotten a bad reputation in the art world? Honestly without craft most other mediums would not live up to their names. Without craft an object or print or painting becomes sloppy... with craft the difference between sloppy and art is made. I will continue making, it is part of who I am and what keeps me sane, and I will stop running from craft. There is nothing wrong with craft, its the scrap booking and kits that have ruined the craft name.

function

2009-02-02T19:10:00.003-05:00

Yesterday I made this small woven piece as a "gift" for someone in my class. It was part of a project that we are working on all semester. It was nice to sit and weave something that felt like "me". I am going to use this small piece to stand on my soap box and talk about function for a few minutes. There is this huge mis-understanding about what function means. People seem to think that if something is not ulititarian it is not "functional"... Well first of all "functional" is not really a word, it is best to say "serve a function" or "functions as". Things that are not made to be utilitarian but instead to be looked at, conceptualized and admired are serveing the functions just mentioned. Then there are things like rugs and pot holders that are utilitarian and that is their function. So to say that something is made with no function when it is art, is wrong. It is serving just that purpose. Ok now that I got that out, I will step off my soap box and go make something that functions as art. Have a great week everyone.

i must have these!

2009-01-23T10:36:00.002-05:00

These are the new fabrics that Anna Marie Horner has come out with this month. I need them all. While looking at them closely you can see that they almost resemble liberty fabrics and old linens. To learn more about her and her designs check out her blog-
http://annamariahorner.blogspot.com/
The past few weeks have been very cold, what a perfect time to gather some new fabrics and make something warm.

Time for change

2009-01-18T23:29:00.002-05:00

I will refrain from talking about politics on here to much, that is not the point of this blog. However this being January of 2009, I must say I am EXCITED! for change in the head of the political capital of the world. It does not matter wether you are a democrat or a republican in this moment in time, the next few days at least, we must acknolwedge that this election represents a change in the poeple. A more open heart and mind from the voters. Maybe... possibly... could it be that we are on the brink of one of the largest changes in the majority ever to come.... The wall between, race, sex, sexual orientation, ethnicity, religion and maybe even politics being broken down. To represent a more open minded world accepting of people of all natures. Respect amonst humanity.

time changes us

2009-01-16T11:26:00.002-05:00

The responsibilities that come with age are strange. One day its as if you wake up and everything has changed. All the experiences that you have had make you who you are. And the person you are now is new and forever changed by the past. My fascination with the past and how it pertains to the future and affects the future is at an all time high... and I think I have finally cracked how to tackle it visually. The people the experience the times and how they make you the person that you are right now. This time of year is a bit tainted for me, but the reflection is important... it leads to creative ways.

and these too...

2009-01-07T22:15:00.004-05:00

a few additions to yesterdays list....

glitter
coffee
chocolate
sushi
bread lots and lots of bread
glue sticks
dressing up
rainy days, spent at home
watching a movie on the couch with a blanket and a shoulder to lean on

there are more I am sure...

Things that make me smile.

2009-01-06T22:34:00.005-05:00

Here are a few of my favorite things, some practical, some fun, some sheer pleasure. (there is no order, just a ramble off my mind)

Art, old, new, innovative, historical....
freshly threaded looms, with linen warps
thread, especially the wooden spools
vintage and antique lace
old quilts
ribbon
hem tape, from the 50's through the 70's
any old sewing notions especially found in a box, in the basement of an estate sale
KIEHL'S
teaching someone something new
really good sheets and linens
old linens
pure classic white linen
antique stores, vintage stores, thrift stores
estate sales
beautiful high end department stores, full with designer goods
vintage clothing stores
vintage Chanel, new Chanel, Chanel
really great old bookstores
harry potter 1-7
twilight 1-4
the big stone gap series of books
books that are in a series, it makes post-bookdom a little easier to deal with
Trish Mcevoy, makeup, the organization could not have been designed better if it was me
electric pink lip sh lack by lancome, new for spring
vamp by Chanel
ruby woo by mac
black pants that fit... so flattering and classic
black cardigan
collared shirts
cute flat shoes
stilettos with an extra sparkle, buckle or sequin
scarfs, shawls
patterns
orchids
paper, to write on, make with, glue on, or to
earl grey tea
french fries
P. one letter says it all.
my family, such a huge part of who I am
my friends, that let me vent and keep me grounded
serra do moradal
Florence
iron bed frames
Madonna
a really good Shiraz
different beer
the idea of Paris
romantic notions
the ocean
sea-life
rubber stamps
stickers
frida kahlo
degas
shile
cobblestones
long tall skinny trees
pears
tattoos
klimit
making in my studio.

There are more, but I will not bore you. I simply wanted to get out a few of the things that drive me, make me who I am and make me smile.

Happy New Year!

2009-01-05T09:38:00.003-05:00

Hello to all, I hope that the holidays were exciting and full of joy with you and yours in your homes. Before Christmas I went on a sewing binge and made two quilts for gifts. The last one is for my mother, with the blue. This one above, for my little sister. The colors are to match her new room. The quilt is for a double bed, and is all hand knotted. After making both quilts I have decided that the knots are the way to go for putting everything together. Something about the stichtes just works well for me. The next time that I make a quilt I will definetly cut the binding on the bias and then apply it. I had issues with both edges. Partly because I was rushing and partly because I have never done this before. Just one more week til school starts again. I am going to use it wisely and enjoy the time off. I hope that this year brings creativity, fun times, and peace all around.

addictive bookworms...

2008-12-18T23:20:00.003-05:00

Are you ready to forget everything that has to be done in your home, at work or with your friends and family? Are you ready to be completly immersed in a book with no ability to escape it??? Are you sure... Well then you really should try these books by Stephanie Meyer. I have read the first three in a month and am on number 4 right now. I think they must put drugs in the binding.

stitching away

2008-12-18T23:12:00.003-05:00

School finished two weeks ago, and work went right into full swing for the holidays... In the midst of everything I recieved my Praxis (art content knowledge) scores and am happy to say... I PASSED!!!! I have been busy making this quilt for christmas. It is a gift for my mother, that never reads this blog... so hopefully she will not decide to start now. I used the simple rolls of pre-cut strips due to the time I had to make it. It is the first "traditional" quilt that I have made. Which means that without fail there are things that will be done differently the next time that I make one. I am pleased with the design of the overall quilt, it was not made from a pattern just an idea that I had. I think that if I followed other people's instuctions this would have gone smoother. However I am me, and I learn by doing and doing it MY way. Which means a few seams had to be sewn and unraveled. In the end it was a great learning experience and a fun project. I hope that she loves it.

folio fun

2008-12-01T21:11:00.007-05:00

I finally tore myself away from the vampire books to make this folio. For the past two weeks I have been making photograms in my photography class. It has not been an easy semester for me in that class, because I am not good at being told what to photograph or how to do it... However I have really enjoyed the photograms and I wanted to present them in an attractive way. The images that I choose to put in the folio represent different aspects of what the past used to look like. They are meant to evoke a sense of nostalgia in the viewer of a different time and place. I think that the folio turned out lovely, and is a clean simple way of presenting the images. I must admit it feels great to make something after a semester of dryness.

bookworkms

2008-12-01T15:18:00.002-05:00

I held off for a long time, from reading this book. I am not usually interested in reading things that everyone else and their mother for that matter are reading. However I decided to pick it up, and low and behold... I am ADDICTED! I finished the first in the series in a few days and am well into the second book. I can see the appeal that so many are attracted to, not to mention it is light and fast to read. I also went to watch the movie last night. It was good, not as good as the book (not surprising). But definetly worth watching. If you are looking for something new to read check it out. Twilight by Stephanie Meyers.

the crisp in the air

2008-11-20T22:34:00.002-05:00

The branches are almost completly bare and ready for the winter. The air is crisp and cold. And there is an extra blanket on my bed. It means that fall is definetly here, almost past, and winter is soon to come. This year the time has flown by. Between teaching in schools, working full time and trying to get my personal life together. Time has passed right by me. There has been too long of a gap in the making inside of my studio, which is sad. The time has finally come though where I can not take it anymore and must stich something or in some way shape or form touch textiles. The projects I make for school are fun but they do not fulfill my craving for textiles. I have a few things planned out and I hope that in the comming weeks I will be able to post some more intersting photos of things I MAKE!
For all of you that read this blog or stumble upon it, I appreciate your time, and promise that soon something better will be posted. Hope that all is well and that everyone has a great thanksgiving and enjoys the crisp cool air, that begs for hot tea and a blanket. -Ana

a study in a sewing box

2008-11-18T21:45:00.002-05:00

This past semester I have been battling with photography class, which is ironic because I usually love taking pictures of things. This week I finally found something I LOVE in photography... I guess it is true, in art I can always find the brighter side. These are photograms, basically they are made in the dark room on light sensitive paper. They are a black and white, traditional, photo technique. It was hard to get used to working under the red lights, but once I was into it the time flew. Now that I know the right exposure time for lace, I am going to crank some of these out. I might assemble a book to catalogue my collection of lace. I find the simplicity of the black and the white so beautiful when looking at all the shapes on it. These are a few of the ones I made today.

interesting artist

2008-11-12T09:03:00.002-05:00

Elsa Mora's papercuts are so intricut and beautifully made that it is hard to believe they are made from paper. Check out her new blog at http://elsita.typepad.com/allaboutpapercutting/

2008-11-05T20:14:00.000-05:00

"When nothing is certain, anything is possible" -drabble

thoughts

2008-11-03T15:45:00.002-05:00

I am not usually a follower of horoscopes, however this morning while checking my e-mail this one popped up for me and I take it as a sign.

"You are eager to take a risk for happiness now and could use these days to push through your own resistance to change. Even if you aren't one hundred percent certain, you know that forward movement is better than trying to return to the past. You probably should still move ahead, even if your friends tell you to be cautious. Take a deep breath and then trust your intuition to know which path to choose."

Risks for happiness can be scary. Really taking the time to learn what that means... Happiness. And then there is the all time scary.... change. It can be the best thing or the scariest thing, but in the end it is the most inevitable thing. So I am taking strides to change and find that happiness and using my intuition as my guide.

photo class

2008-10-14T20:02:00.002-05:00

The past few weeks I have found out that photography is NOT my strong suit. However this week I took some that I was happy with, thought I would share.

2008-10-09T17:38:00.001-05:00

"We want more than a mere photograph of nature. We do not want to paint pretty pictures to be hung on drawing room walls. We want to create, or at least lay the foundations of, an art that gives something to humanity. An art that arrests and engages. As art created of one's innermost heart." -Edvard Munch

things of interest...

2008-10-09T15:20:00.005-05:00

As an artist it is always a battle with time to make and do and have a life somewhere inbetween it all. The past few months have been an adjustment for me, going back to school, taking a studio that I am not perticularly good at, and inbetween all that and work, having fun. As fall begins to roll around, I have begun to think about bedding again, and why I have the desire to make bedding. Not to function on a bed, but as instalation work, as a reference to something bigger. I have to ponder this more, start making and I know the work will flow... one of these days I know it will come. I have been fighting with myself over a photography class that I am in this semester. It is one of only 2 studio classes that I put off my first time through college, and I know it is because it is not my best. Is it that I don't like enough as a medium or because I do not think that way? I can't decide but I just want to be done with it.

Yesterday I was lucky to be invited to an artist talk at VCU for Kate Kretz. She is a textile artist as well as a painter. She has worked with many materials, and consistently experiments with new ones. I was really interested in her strength as a woman artist and her self-exploration through her work. It spoke to me, often (almost ALWAYS) my own work is a self-exploration. Its scary how much of oneself can be put out to the world through ones artwork.

"Indivisuation dress" My favorite pshycological clothing piece that she showed us, and spoke about. Made me think of keeping it whole, while falling apart. (A consistent theme of my own work)

"Promise" drawing

embroidery with hair "dream" These are so maticulous that I fell in love with them!

If you want to look at her work, resumee and blog here are the sites:
www.katekretz.com and www.katekretz.blogspot.com

Hope everyone is well. I will try to post more often. Hopefully soon I will have some things that I have been making to show in addition to my venting!

september

2008-09-16T13:12:00.003-05:00

September aproached like a fast moving wind, and it has not stopped since. For the past month I have been busy getting back into the swing of things with school, and work and my personal life. Sometimes finding that balance is a challenge, but once everything is in place the world moves at the right speed again.

This past weekend I headed back down to Nags Head with Amanda. It was beautiful, and calm. With children back in school the beach was quiet and relaxing. We saw man-rays which jump out of the water!!!! SO cool! And encountered some creepy crawly things when we stumbled upon a cottonmouth snake eating an eel- that was still alive!!! gross and cool all at once. After this weekend I think that I am ready to jump head on into the lesson plans and everything else that I must do this semester.

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a rainy walk on the sound

2008-08-15T10:28:00.000-05:00

antique-ing in the OBX

2008-08-15T10:22:00.002-05:00

Last week I went down to the OBX for a few days. It was lovely to escape to the ocean for a few days. While I was down there I went to a few antique shops with my family and I found some great things. The hats above were in a room in one of the stores, stocked from ceiling to floor. I thought they were beautifully composed.

I got this 1930's baby quilt at one of the stores, it is in great shape, the fabric is so soft it feels like soft cream. The colors are not fading which means that someone took care to keep it out of direct light. This is the kind of find that makes me excited!

All the pretty fabrics sewn in a crazy quilt motif.

The fabric on the back, sweet blue flowers on a creamy white background, so pretty and delicate.

It's finished!

2008-08-15T10:15:00.002-05:00

"10,000 Stiches to Understanding"

After a year and two months this circle quilt is finished. I have sent my entry form into a quilt contest and will see what happens. I have decided that even if it does not get into this show I will not be upset, because it is the first thing I have sent into a show in a long time, and that is just as important to me. The artist statement that I wrote for this quilt entry is as follows:

This quilt is inspired by traditional "women's work." The history of quilting dates back hundreds of years in this country,
and with it comes a history of women sitting around stiching. Sometimes waiting for a loved one, other times waiting for a
wedding, a birth or a trip, etc. Women used the stiches as a way to pass moments until the next thing
in their life happened. With that in mind, I created "10,000 Stiches to Understanding", with the only tools to assist me
being a rotary cutter, circle templates, a needle and thread. My hand in the work is important and relates back
to the notion of "women's work". I worked on the quilt for a year, at a time that was full of change, and decision making.
With each stich I thought about life, the people in it and my goals. Now with its completion, I see that I am at a peaceful
place full of understanding about myself and my dreams. As in all of my work, this quilt is made with the past in mind
but looking at the future, while standing in the present.

I can't believe that it is finished, I am ready to start the next intoxicating project...

paper-maids

2008-07-30T19:19:00.003-05:00

Every year it is a challenge to make a birthday card for one of the most creative people I know. One that is new and that I have not made before, and of course it has to rivel the ones she makes me, my friend Meri. This year, I decided that I wanted to do something with mermaids, since she loves them! I ended up making a mermaid paper doll chain. The initial idea involved adding decorative details to the mermaids and making them very intricute, however once they were completly cut out of paper I loved their silhouettes by themselves.

The other day I went out on the Potomac river with my family, we went to see the new National Harbour, in Washington DC. It was a nice evening out on the boat, and I could not help but share this picture of the eagle's nest next to the marina. If you look closely you can see the eagle mom in there. How cool is this HUGE nest! Wish I could have one to take home.

where is ana?

2008-07-17T11:50:00.002-05:00

Where is Ana?? Looking at Mayan ruins..? Sitting on the beach with a book and a limeade? Touring the Mediterranian in a smart car with only the horizon as the guide? NO NO NO silly... Ana is working and finishing the quilt that has taken over her life!! I just wanted to drop by and tell anyone that may read this, that while I wish I was off doing all those things, I have actually been sewing billions of circles together to finish my quilt in time to send it off to be juried for a show. The deadline is approaching and since I do not have a house elf to help me, I have been working vigorously to finish. I will return to more intersting new posts once I am finished with it. There are a lot of projects that I have lined up, once the quilt is done.
At this point I feel as thouh I should call it a "quilt" not a quilt... Because it is so abstact from the traditional. We will see in the end. Hope everyone is enjoying their summer.

my mothers favorite place

2008-07-02T16:58:00.002-05:00

I went to my mothers house last night to see how the renovation was coming along, and I could not help but notice the small but beautiful details in her garden. The stone path that is slowly being covered in vines and plants, looks as if it has always been there, and the lettuce in her vegtable garden. The color of fresh lettuce is the most beautiful green, and tastes delicious as well.

change for a ten.

2008-07-01T09:41:00.005-05:00

Finally I sat in front of my sewing machine again. With my favorite nude shades of thread, and a rainy afternoon outside. I was asked to make a piece for a local art organization in honor of their tenth year. It is for ART 180 an organization that brings artists and the community together. They are looking for 1000 artists for this, so if you are interested check out www.art180.org/ten or call 804.233.4180.

The show is called change for a ten. You have to design something the size of a dollar bill and submit it with a ten dollar donation to the organization. The pieces will be sold in october at an opening at the art 180 building on hull street.

This is my piece... "Acceptance without Judgement"

advice

2008-06-17T20:48:00.002-05:00

I do not often try to give out advice.... On my own free will anyways. However I am taking a moment on this blog to let anyone that is remotely interested in teaching, anywhere in the United States, to pay attention to the math they teach you between 6th and 9th grade. YOU NEED IT FOR THE PRAXIS. I am taking this test again in the morning and it has been a battle since november with it, so I hope the third time is a charm.
Other than studying I have been working on my quilt so that I may enter it in the competition this summer, and enjoying the lovely weather of summer, along with the casual attitude. I love this time of year when school lets out and there seems to be a calmness in everyone, even the ones that have been out of school for years. I hope to post more interesting things soon. After I kick this exam in the ass! Think good thoughts everyone.

post number 100!

2008-06-02T10:56:00.002-05:00

It seems appropriate that in my 100th post I tell you about the progression of my circle, mad hatter, quilt. At this point it is the mad hatter as well because it is making me a little nutty at times. I almost at the top of the bed in one area of the quilt and need to even out the borders to finish it. While working on it the other night, I finally broke down and stopped the randomness of it all. This whole time I have been working mostly on instinct, never labeling the bottom or top, just making. Well it has come to the point where I needed to have a top and a bottom so that I could work on the finishing touches. I am entering this quilt into a contest later this summer which means I need to kick my butt into high gear and finish it! I also noticed that while I still have some circles made to attach to finish this thing, the colors were beginning to not be as random and diverse, so I had to cut more circles which means now I have to make them too. One day this will be finished and it will feel great- can't wait!

I went to see the SEX AND THE CITY movie twice this weekend, with two differnt groups of people. I must say that it was great both times and that I caught differnt things each time. There were some really amazing and beautiful ensembles of clothing. The wedding dresses were simply worth the price of the movie ticket to see on the big screen. I definetly recomend it.

where does the time go.

2008-05-27T21:16:00.003-05:00

This month seems to have flown by so quickly, I can't believe there is only one other post for May. Between the end of school, my trip to the OH and work the time has come and gone quickly. Today I had a day off from work, and it was a nice day spent alone. I finished reading the last Harry Potter book, for the second time, and again was thrown into reading page after page. Before I knew it half the day had passed and I was finished. They are a bunch of charcters that I need to go back to every once in a while, for my sanity.
This afternoon I went to the quilt man store, in Ashland, and purchased some of the fabric above. He has a wide selection of the reproduction feedsacks, which is what I was after today. The sweet, soft, colors and the delicate florals of the feedsacks are so beautiful I do not know how to contain my excitement.
Then it was off to the antique store, where I purchased tin goods, something differnt for me. Overall I was really happy with my finds and enjoyed an afternoon with my thoughts.

Last week I made this little address box. It was time for a new address book, and I was having trouble finding something new that suited my needs. So I made my own. I used differnt scraps of paper that I had around and used stickers for the letters. Overall I think it is pretty and useful. I do not have to cross out names and addresses anymore, just throw away the old card and make a new one.

Last week I got to see the movie, P.S I love you, which I expected to be alright but ended up being really sweet and great. It is the second movie that I have seen this month with images of Ireland in it, the first being, Made of honor, (also great!) I think that it might be time to go to Ireland, I think I could be captivated, maybe even enough to buy some sheep, plant some flax and have a textile farm.... Any thoughts?
SEX AND THE CITY movie, this friday don't forget! Hope that everyone gets a chance to go and see it.

summer break!

2008-05-15T08:12:00.004-05:00

Bellwether, by Penelope Bell, 2008
Last week as soon as school was over I hopped on a plane, ok two, and went to columbus to see Penelope's MFA show. This clip is a small view of the piece in the show. There are layers of patterned papers, with printed images, painted walls, and vinal cut-outs. It is innovative and invites the viewer in to a peaceful, sweet enviornment. I would love to live with this piece on a daily basis.

Yesterday I had lunch with an old teacher, now friend. Sometimes the best thing is to take the time to talk to somone about what you are making and goals. We decided that we are each going to set up goals and do what we can to reach them, more like a business for art. I feel as though that is part of what is lost in art school, they do not teach you enough about the business skills that are needed in the art world. I think I am going to use some of the same approaches I use at work, seeing as how I always make my goals there. It is time to apply them to myself and my work.

When school let out there was a list of things that I wanted to finish for myself. These sweet little pillows was one of them. I wanted to replace the pillow covers on two throw pillows that live on my bed. I used vintage sheets and fabrics to make these two. They are very soft and add a sweet touch to my resting room. Now I must start posting on etsy, again.... for serious. That is the summer project that I really want to get done.
Have a good weekend everyone- I hope this one is not another wet rained out one.

chocolate box...

2008-04-28T15:00:00.004-05:00

I finally found some hem tape makers in richmond, at the Hancock fabrics on Midlothian Turnpike. (In case you are looking too.) I had to go into the antique store next door and poke around for a little while. I am glad I did, struck treasure! I got this sewing box full of neat odds and ends, the whole thing cost $10. The box itself is 50-60 years old and was an old choclate box, I am so excited over this find. It is all in great condition and beautiful. I must add "cool display unit for sewing boxes" to the list of furniture to keep my eyes out for.

score!

2008-04-26T10:56:00.002-05:00

In celebration of being finished with the PRAXIS, and the workload for this semester, I decided to go to an estate sale this morning. The house was full of neat plates and such but this box caught my eye. I got it to add to my sewing box collection. It is a Barbie lunch box from the 60's and belonged to "Wendy" in the second grade! Cool, I know! It was full of little spools of thread and needles and such but the little retro travel sewing kit inside really caught eye and made it worth it. I can't get enough of these boxes, one of these days I am going to have to find a way of displaying them, not that I keep all the boxes but lately the boxes themselves have been worth while.
It is warm outside, the trees have their leaves, and I am just about finished with school for the semester. I can't wait for my break, I feel like a child that sits and waits what seems like an enternity for June to arrive. Before I do anything else I am going to paint some rooms in my apartment, I have lived here almost two years and I am over the white! Then I am going to finish my quilt and start some others. In addition to all that I have projects planned and some etsy posts to attend to. Can't wait! I hope everyone is enjoying the beautiful weekend.

post-book-dom

2008-04-17T18:59:00.005-05:00

After finishing the Big stone Gap series of books, I felt like I had post-book-dom depression. Defined as; finishing a series of books that was so great you wish it never ended. I had it after reading Harry Potter, and The time travelers Wife too. So I had started reading the elm creek quilting books, however it was not catching my attention, something about the writing. So after a period of indecisive-ness I finally found some books to read and got four of them today. Now the only problem is figureing out which one to read first. Along with the books they had some really cute totes at Barnes and Noble, shown in the back of the photo.
After the bookstore I went to the fabric store and noted two things, JoAnn fabrics is horrible and JoAnn fabrics is horrible!! They did not have seam tape makers, what I was looking for and no one wanted to help me. So after wandering the store aimlessly for a while I purchased my thread that was on sale, and left.
This semester could not be over soon enough, I think I was ready for the end somewhere in February. The work load is being lifted little by little, and I am really excited for a summer off, only work, and LOTS of MAKING!!! Can't wait!

sheet protectors rule!

2008-04-07T12:06:00.002-05:00

So what better way to spend a rainy morning than redoing the studio....again... I must admit this was not completly my idea, I was in a quilt store last week that used these in the bathroom to show the new magazine covers... however I did take it to the next level of taking over my studio. All I used are sheet protectors, with the white part cut off, tape and magazine pages. I set them in a grid pattern but I was not concerned with precise edges for the mag. pages. It is a new inspiration wall, and I could not be more pleased!

ai ai ai

2008-04-01T13:16:00.002-05:00

Once I am done with the yoyo' quilt this will be in the works. It seems like even more of a nightmare, but of the best kind. P and I are going to collaborate on this one so it will not be as complex... The quilt and pattern are in this months issue of patchwork and quilting, if you want to check it out.

the end of a series

2008-04-01T12:25:00.003-05:00

I finished reading the last book in the Stone Gap series a few weeks ago, but have been busy and unable to post. the last one was lovely like the other three. I am sad to be finished with these books and hope that maybe one day Trigianni will write one more. There was a quote that I loved and want to share:
"I give Etta my mom's sewing kit, a square tin box filled with bobbins of bright thread, shiny gold needles, a silver thimble shaped like a hat, and a small pair of gold trimming scissors with the rosebud design on the handles worn away from use..."

This reminds me of the sewing boxes I collect and all the intersting treasures that live within them. A nice end to a series.

little notes...

2008-03-06T22:12:00.002-05:00

Today I finished the third book in the Trigianni series I have been working on. These books are written beautifully and in such a manor that they really do tell a story, which I think a lot of books right now are lacking. It has finally started to feel like spring around here, it has been in the 60's every day this week and I am loving it, even though it is not going to last the weekend. I am officially on my spring break from school and I have to admit it is nice to have a week where I do not have to think about that place. This semester is really not very much fun, the classes are a bit dull and the professors and not my favorite. Anyhow, on a good note I am almost done re-einforcing the quilt so I should be well on my way to finishing it soon. I will post more of that later.

bookworm

2008-02-28T22:54:00.001-05:00

Last week I finished the second book in the series by Adrianna Trigianni. The first one in the series was about the past and how it pertains to the future, in this one there is an underlying theme about letting go of things, in order to move ahead. I love the way that she adds underlying themes into her books and how they flow. They really are well written stories.

finally...I know why I want to teach...

2008-02-23T23:16:00.003-05:00

Sitting here tonight stiching away... well reinforcing away (still working on the quilt). I realized why teaching? The question that has been plagueing me. I have worked retail for a number of years, I have worked retail in art supplies which was a fun first job, where I got to constantly be around art supplies, and artists. Then I worked retail where I was able to help people design customized paper goods, which was great because I was able to be creative. Then I got to help people dress themselves, in a way that made them feel and look good. Finally I am working retail in cosmetics, but specifically skin care, my all time favorite lotion and potion line Kiehl's. Retail is fun job, most of the time I would like to think that I can leave it there once I leave. In reality I take it home with me everyday, the clients that made me smile during the day, the ones that I helped feel better from something as small as a lotion and a listening ear of course. Somehow when I graduated from college the first time I thought that I would have my day job and feel ok with that as long as I could make Art the rest of the time. Somehow the time went by and no matter how well work and Art were going I felt a lack of "something". Finally I get it... the need to teach. Art of course is what I will teach, but the reason I want to teach, to do more and make a bigger mark. Helping people at work all day is great, and I do know there are some people that leave and really do feel better after I give them the time of day. The Art that I have been making has been somewhat lower in depth than it was a few years ago, and I figured out the lacking in the artwork and the need to teach coincide. I need to teach Art to do more make a mark, to class full of teenagers. I do not expect to make them all love the subject, and I do not expect them all to like me, but there might be one kid in the class that feels that is the one place in school that they feel "at home" in, and I want to be the teacher that helps that happen. Everyone needs a place to go in High school, and hopefully my art classroom will be someone's escape one day. Maybe there will be one kid that really learns that they love Art and I can help them figure out how to make it their life's work. I am pretty sure that once I am done with this degree and find a job, my own work will come back full force, there will be something there pushing me to make it again. -How could I ever face a group of vulnerable teenagers, as their art teacher, and not be making any ART? It would go against all my beliefs as a future educator. One should be an expert at what they are passing on.
All this time I have been teaching people about art supplies, clothes, lotions and potions and it has been there this whole time... I need to teach, and want to, because the look on a person's face when they learn how to do something they never thought they could do is partly what keeps me going.

notions and a sock egg

2008-02-20T17:37:00.004-05:00

Today I found a sewing box, the first one in a long time. The contents were alright, some hem tapes old buttons a few spools of thread... and my very first sock egg- the kind that are used to repair holes in socks. I have never found a box that had one of these so I was really excited. The tin that housed everything is really neat as well I have no idea what I am going to do with it yet but I am sure there will be something along the way.

book worms

2008-02-16T20:58:00.002-05:00

I just finished reading this book, Big Stone Gap, last night (the one above), by Adriana Trigiani. When I picked it up in barnes and noble I had never heard of the author or the book, but I thought hey why not. It takes place in Virginia, in the blue ridge mountains and I thought it would be neat to read about somewhere that I am familiar with. This book was really a nice escape, one of those books that goes quickly and pulls you away from reality for a little while. She writes the story in a way that you can feel and see what she is talking about. There is a little bit of a romantic aspect to this book, but it is not sickening and overall it has more to do with how the past pertains to the future than anything else. There is also a lot about family and roots and how it makes us who we are. I did not realize that these books were a series until I was half way through the first, but I have to admit I love books in series. I am always so sad to part with characters when books are finished, with series they stay with you for a little longer. Check it out if you are looking for a new book to read.

valentine's...

2008-02-14T11:04:00.005-05:00

"St. Violentine"

Since it is Valentine's day I think it is only appropriate to show Judith Schaechter's art work. If there was an artwork I could have out of any artist it would be between this lady and Frida Kahlo for sure. These are made of layers of stained glass and mounted on light boxes. I had the pleasure of hearing her lecture a few years ago and out of all the art lectures I have been to, hers is the most memorable. She has a great personality that I think borders genius---look at the work! You can check out more of her work and resumee at www.judithschaechter.com/home.html

"Donkey, Duck, Dream"

"The real reason that I went to art school was to eliminate phys ed and math from my life" -Judith Schaechter

sweet notes

2008-02-11T21:42:00.000-05:00

If you know me, then you know valentine's is not really my favortie thing. However I do enjoy sending notes to people and letting them know I care. I decided to show you some of the envelope liners that I made today, because I think it is too often that the liner gets covered as soon as it is sealed and never sees the light of day again. Many people don't know to look for a liner (well maybe from me you might know...) It becomes a small little secret that remains with the written letter... Now try doing that in an e-mail!

colored pencils as textiles

2008-02-05T12:06:00.001-05:00

While looking at the Rag and Bone blog this morning I came across a new intersting artist to look at: Jennifer Maestre. She takes one inch pieces of colored pencils and sews them together to make these intersting woven pieces. I love to see someone taking a harsh wood material and making it so organic, a textile almost. Check out Ragandbone.com/blog/ for more on her.

finding ana

2008-02-03T20:11:00.000-05:00

Ever felt really unlike yourself? Find yourself avoiding everything you should be doing, and doing everything you know you could do later... Well I have had one too many days like that lately, so I took the early afternoon to go to a quilt store and look through some fabric, and then to an antique mall. I did not get any fabric but the antique store was a score. I found a stack of photos at a really good price, and got all the cool ones in the stack. I love looking at the different clothing styles and poses in those old photographs. I also got a couple of handkerchiefs, which I rellly do not need more of but they were fifty percent off, who could resist?.. The one in the picture here is my favorite find in a long time. It is a handkerchief from washington, dc, practically where I grew up. The were made as soveniers in the past and they are real treasures to find. I am off to get ready for another week...

mistake

2008-01-27T22:03:00.000-05:00

"Mistakes can be painful, but they are the only way to figure out who you really are..." -Grey's Anatomy

girly stiches

2008-01-24T17:18:00.001-05:00

So this quilt that I began last june and have slowly fallin in and out and back in love with..... Is now my arch-nemisis! I went to pick it up a few weeks ago and a few stiches came undone, then the other day again... The more I began to look at my quilt and my tiny perfect girly stiches I realized that the whole thing was going to come undone if I did not reinforce the stiches. Yes you heard my correctly, I am reinforcing the whole thing!!!! Note to self and others who take on a project life this: get over yourself and make the stiches strong and important!
It has been cold outside so staying in to do this is not so bad, but I do want to finish this quilt so I want to be done with this back tracking. While working on this today I began to think about time and stiches and the history of quilts. In the past they have been a way for women to pass time while their loves have been off at war or working. What was once considered "women's work" has come a long way, however sometimes I still feel it is a nice way to pass the time, waiting for one part of our lives to move ahead, for everything to come together.

Time

2008-01-20T22:42:00.000-05:00

I apologize to anyone that actually reads this blog, I have been distant and not writing anything of much interest in a while. This is the last weekend that I can really forget all the things I should be doing, which in turn means I will have my ass in gear again and be producing more soon which resaults in more interesting posts.... hopefully. On a sidenote I watched the movie waitress last night and really loved the tone and humor of it, I recomend it. Also, project runway is not as intersting this time around but I did love last weeks episode so if you can try to watch a re-run if you missed it. more to come soon---hopefully!