believing

 

 NOT that the art object is inherently significant

 

 meaningful or beautiful

 

 BUT THAT the value

 and meaning of art is actively constructed

 

 by the viewer.

 (Marcel Duchamp's belief)

a work in progress

Easily inspired.

I got this quilt top out last week to finish up with batt and backing but changed my mind.

All I really love is the central pinwheel square.

So I removed all the red and stitched it back together much simpler.

In my work I use the same methods again and again,
but each whirl around the spiral gets me closer to my truth
as I do, undo, re-do
(Louise Bourgeois' mantra)

yes, there is a loss of what I knew before
but it's important also to lose what I think I know now

because in order to create something new it is necessary to enter into the unknown

be alert
don't try too hard
go slow  (Agnes Martin's mantra)

I've come back to dots.

I try to make cloths that excite my eye and touch my emotions

it seems to take courage

We are always afraid of falling.  L.B.

dyeing with flowers

Over the weekend I started dyeing again, after a long break.
Above is blanket weight white wool with the centres of coneflowers laid in a grid of dots

I was inspired by woodland quilter's use of an  "iron blanket".  I used cotton flannel yardage that I had soaked in solution of old nails, vinegar and water for 3 weeks but I suggest you click on link to see Kathy's post for  further instructions. 

The two fabrics are carefully bundled together and then steamed.

Nature holds a secret to harmony
(Terry Tempest Williams)

 

unwrapped and hung to dry before rinsing, my dotty cloths are shown below with sun spots through the leaves

left is cotton (the iron blanket) and right is wool (both fabrics were originally white)

For a beautiful gray colour, I put tea bags into the remaining rusty water to steep.

What lies under stillness?

Disorder. 

(Terry Tempest Williams)

remembering to experience each moment as something new

Jennifer's book of tea

 Sometimes all you need is something tangible.

 I woke up so early again, thinking about all the things I have to do over the next few weeks.   And there was Jennifer's book on my studio table. 

It had arrived last week, but I was too busy to say  anything.  Not even an email to her letting her know it had safely arrived.  Jennifer, thank you.  It is beautiful.  It is heart full. 

She also sent me a hand stitched card.
I am touched by her touching and by her time spent.

" our artifacts tell more about ourselves than our confessions"  Joseph Brodsky

Be safe today, my friends.