Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Fabric work not for the faint of heart.

I spent time last night with a friend at the Quilt Guild in a neighboring town. The audience was made up of nearly 100 women all interested in fabric and quilting - some traditional and some experimental; some beginners and some experienced. The speaker was Linda Gray of Indianapolis and she gave us a glimpse at over 25 quilts that illustrated the journey she has been on with her approach to quilting and creativity.

I found it comforting that her current approach to quilting mirrored many of my own thoughts about creating with paint and with fabric.

To over come the fear of making a mistake or tasking a risk, she will tell herself "I made it once, I can make it again!" That is a very gutsy approach to follow but she does it with a passion and her work is stunning.

She likes to work in a series, one of the goals I fall short of more often than not. She said her series may be a result of being overly inspired or just due to the fact that she has so much related materials, she might as well work out a series of ideas. Reminded me of the series of poppies I started on in May and am still exploring.

Her final bit of advice to the group was to "be true to yourself!" What suits you does not have to suit anyone else. That is a difficult issue when so many of us are trying to make it as an artist or quilter ... but if you think about your favorite work ... was it something you did for yourself? Was it a break through piece? Did it help you turn a corner in your art?

I have found that as I have matured as an artist and a business woman, if I like what I am doing, others will like it too. It is the passion that attracts others not the subject or the techniques... so work on your ideas with enthusiasm and have fun!

3 comments:

  1. She had some of the most inspired work I have seen. I was duly impressed and loved her attitude, because that was pretty much howI went about making quilts.
    Now I need to REMEMBER that with the art!
    Good time! :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. My grandmother quilts. I've kept every quilt she's made that I could ever get my hands on. I'm intrigued with quilting--but I think I must get over my irrational fear of the sewing machine first. (And seriously...WHEN could I fit that into working full time, being a Girl Scout leader and service team member, being the "surrogate" leader of the Cub Scout troop--as the men are...sorry, CLUELESS, and my current obsession with Agatha Christie? *sigh* You're right. I should just cut out the books. Nooooooooo!) ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  3. CA - You have a marvelous opportunity right in front of you ... Work the quilting into the scout groups - see if you can find a quilt shop that would teach a beginning class to the scouts (girls and boys) and you will learn right along with them ... and then you might put down the agatha all by yourself.

    ReplyDelete

Helpful Pet - what is your's up to?

Helpful Pet - what is your's up to?
POGO

Mixed Media Class

Mixed Media Class
Fun and projects!

Mixed Media Class

Mixed Media Class
Muriel

Mixed Media Class

Mixed Media Class
Peggy

Mixed Media Class

Mixed Media Class
Nancy

Poppies ....

Poppies ....
ready for their new home!

Ta Da .....

Ta Da .....
this little gem is ready for blog preview and Etsy post tomorrow!

Ta - da!!!!

Ta - da!!!!
I can now walk away from the Easter Pear!!!

Easter Pear?

Easter Pear?
I like pears better than eggs!!!

Easter Pear Step 1

Easter Pear Step 1
Step 1 - I thought this would be enough ... silly me!

Easter Pear Step 2

Easter Pear Step 2
Step 2 - I wanted to add a bit of EGG Whimsy.

Easter Pear Step 3

Easter Pear      Step 3
Step 3 - It wouldn't be mine if there weren't any cast shadows.

Easter Pear Step 4

Easter Pear Step 4
Step 4 - And I love a good implied table line ... don't you??

Easter Pear Step 5

Easter Pear Step 5
Step 5 - Oh, better kick up the value a bit!

Easter Pear Step 6

Easter Pear Step 6
Step 6 - The background could use a value shift.

Easter Pear Step 7

Easter Pear Step 7
Step 7 - Add, of course we need a bit of implied texture!