Red Sky / Red Water

Just a quick post about my quilt, Red Sky / Red Water.  

Red silk fabric and silk threads, 64 x 36 inches, 2024
 

It was inspired by my daily experience of the sky and water.  

Sacred Ground 

wool dyed with leaves and barks from my environs, hand pieced and hand quilted. 64 x 36" 2024 

Red Sky / Red Water is the back (second side) of Sacred Ground    

The quilting of this piece is unusual.  Cotton embroidery floss is laid down in horizontal lines across the face of the quilt, and couched to the quilt with red silk sewing thread.   

 

I loved the idea of the wrapping with red thread because in many world cultures, red thread is a used on garments for protection.

I wnated to write about Red Sky / Red Water now because it is part of Convergence, the exhibition currently on view at the Tom Thomson gallery in Owen Sound until early January.  We attended the opening on Saturday, October 18.  I was glad to see that my two-sided quilt, Sacred Ground, was beautifully installed far enough away from the wall so that the second side could be glimpsed.

The best part is that there is a pink glow on the wall.  A reflection of Red Sky / Red Water. 

Look at that!  

For those interested, I wrote quite a long post about the Convergence opening on my update blog.  Here.

notions of the body in nature

Today I continue from yesterday's post, my inspirations and route to my voice

I'll put some further links.  I'm using the new blogger and the links take you to a new window.  I'm not sure that it is for the best.  Also, if you are having trouble commenting, feel free to email me.  xo

African textiles   here   and   here   and here  and here  and here

Indian textiles       here      and here    and here 

Japanese textiles    here    and   here     and    here     and here

and my body

you will be softer

when you meet that person
a person
one of your soulmates

let the connection
relationship
be what it is

it may be five minutes
five hours
five days
five months

five years
a life time
five lifetimes

let it manifest itself in the way it is meant to
it has an organic destiny

that way if it stays or if it leaves

you will be softer

from having been loved this authentically

souls come into
return
open
and sweep through your life for a myriad of reasons

let them be who
and what
they are meant

the text in this post is a poem by nayyirah waheed

I started this unfinished quilt a lifetime ago,
it's very soft. 

extra-ordinary

 

 I recently labeled and re-sleeved and folded and parceled The River Beneath off for exhibition.

 

 It's a very thin quilt, made heavy with thread and touch.

 

The backing cloth is printed rayon yardage enlivened with a silk scarf purchased from Fibre Arts Newfoundland when I taught there in 2015.

the river beneath 2016 quilt back Judy Martin  rayon and silk, cotton thread  88 x 84 inches

Ordinary stuff. 

sonnet XIV

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the complete sonnet that Elizabeth Barrett Browning wrote to her husband Robert, click here.

The complete quilt back is here.

These birds are not on branches

 

I'm in a space now where I feel open.
This kind of feeling often happens when a big project has concluded and I usually respond by allowing time to play with new techniques or media.
Now I seem to want to do too much.

 I'm interested in many different branches that grow from the central tree trunk that is me.

Any one of them would be an interesting choice and would probably bear fruit.
But if I only go in one direction,  I will miss something delicious on the other branches.

I use a kitchen timer to divide my time.
It allows me to switch activities during the day.
Sometimes I feel as if I am accomplishing a lot.

But today I am feeling flooded.
I made a sketch to try to sort out the branches (see below).

It helped me to see.

Today is a beautiful day and I am working in the garden.
I have to take a day off.
I'll go see Dad.  He accomplished a lot during his working life and used a kind of kitchen timer mantra:

'One piece of baloney at a time.'

All images in this post are of a new piece.  I have been working on the reverse side.