Monday, January 15, 2007

DAY 7


I started working on this yesterday afternoon. since yesterday was Sunday, I went to church in the morning, did the grocery shopping for both of us and came back and curled up with a book for a little while and dozed off...how nice that was!
Then I went up to the Creativity Center and started working on this piece. I have mixed feelings about it...trying to decide if I am going to keep the dark palm trees or take them out or over print to tone them down. It is a work in progress.

Here you can see it a little more in detail. It has been fused to the teflon sheet and then moved to batting and was fused on that. Most of the screen printing has been done over the layer top.

So, today I warmed up with a small piece which I am really pleased with. This is number 8 of this series. I may make just a couple more. It is 8 x 10.

And here you have #9 taken without the flash but not lit as well as it should have been but you get the idea. I have had a lot of fun doing these.

this morning the car greeted me with lots of ice. It got really cold yesterday, dropping quite a bit in temperature. Froze during the day and then stopped freezing but it is sure cold. I almost didn't brink my heavy jacket but did leave the hood at home. Oh well, I pull down into the collar just like a turtle!

And Virginia has still be painting, printing and ironing, just getting her palette ready to do some work. Another day or so and she will start with the work itself. She said to be sure that everyone understood that this is not a work in progress but simply her fabric hanging up on the design wall so she can study it.

Finished off my palm trees...When the Water Came In, it is quilted and everything. It has cheese cloth added to the bottom right. Different for me, huh?

I am getting in to a great rhythm. I get up in the morning (isn't that great?) Have my shower, get dressed, eat breakfast and then head up to the center. Work for several hours, take a lunch break and then return to the center and work some more. Take a break, stretch out on the couch and do some reading about art and then work some more. Stop for dinner and maybe go back up to work some more after dinner. Tonight it is just too cold out there!

The news in this area is all about the Big Chill coming...there has been a lot of hustle and bustle going on around here as plants get brought in or covered, pipes and pumps are covered, etc. At least we haven't had as much wind as we did yesterday and the day before. We have also had a lot of rain, and there is water under Maurice's bridge and also a waterfall now. Things are pretty flooded. They expect sleet, hail, cold and maybe snow all within the next 24 hours.

Nellie Belle is parked next to the garage of the big house so Karey can go out riding around to take pictures tomorrow if it snows! She invited us up for a great soup and cornbread lunch today...are we ever getting spoiled. Of course, she admonished me that when other people come here for the AIR program they won't get spoiled so much as she won't be around that much. Aren't we lucky!

Today during my couch time I was reading Art and Fear...a wonderful book!
Two things I wanted to share from today's reading:

"Uncertainty is the essential, inevitable and all-pervasive companion to your desire to make art. And tolerance for uncertainty is the prerequisite to succeeding."

"Art is like beginning a sentence before you know its ending. The risks are obvious: you may never get to the end of the sentence at all--or having gotten there, you may not have said anything."

The book is so filled with pithy little truths that I have lots of places underlined for more contemplation. This just hit me well today as I work with the fabric and let it stear me in the direction it wants to go...or course, all the while, putting my message out that you may, or may not receive.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi Liz, I want you and Virginia to know I find your blog valuable, inspiring and of great interest to me. Why? when as of yet you are each in the beginning stage of creating? Because the process is interesting to me. I am beginning to do some complex cloth creations, meaning painting cloth, screening images, using wood blocks and stamps, and I'm unsure HOW to do all this, and very, very unsure how to create anything worthwhile with these processes. Your sharing your doubts and uncertainty helps me realize so much of what we do is about exploration and experimenting. Thanks. I look forward to coming to the Franch, meeting the two of you, Karey and Maurice, and the other 49 or so artists coming.
Rosemary

lizzieb said...

Thank you Rosemary...too often we think that it is all easy and lots of times it isn't!
Liz

Anonymous said...

Thank you. I am enjoying and learning so much from your blog entries. I was echoing Rosemary Claus-Gray's comments in my mind as I read. I really am drawn to the circle series you are doing and for what it is worth, I like the palm trees as they add a different texture for you eyes to take in. I think I would tone them down a little - ghost palm trees? tee-hee.
Thank you also for the recommendation on Art & Fear. I have had it for years, and never have read it. I think it is time.
Cheers,
Jeannie
In Sub-Artic Washington State (or so it feels)

Anonymous said...

Here is your resident cheerleader checking in. I just reordered Art and Fear - my last copy went home with my daughter. I just love the orange/purple pieces. Are the circle motifs satin stitched?

cfent said...

i was just going to say the same thing! great minds. i'm so grateful that you're journaling your experience here. and really wish i could be there for the big group party!

Rayna said...

One can never read Art & Fear too many times. Love those little pieces, Liz. I am still catching up on your journey.