a study in a sewing box

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

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/

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

thoughts

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

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.

"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...

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!