When you find yourself saying “I don’t know_____” what to do how to do it if I can if it will work out if I really want to where to start why if it’s too hard too silly too stupid if I am brave enough how it will turn out what to use when I […]
I’ve Run Away from Home
Raising six children and and later, taking care of my aging parents, made having a place to go that “allows for something new and promising” a distant dream. At the age of 18, I went from my parents house to college and on to a new life with my husband and newborn son all within […]
Lessons from a Square Cloud
I looked up as we were traveling and there it was, this square cloud. I don’t ever remember seeing a cloud with such a pronounced geometric shape, like it jut emerged from a box. Clouds are uncontainable. They do their own thing. Organic by nature, they cannot be bound and know no limits. I’m the […]
Afraid You Can’t Satisfy the Longing?
What is it that you long to do? For me it was drawing & painting faces. If you are familiar with the art I’ve done over the last decade, you’ll see the face and figure present in almost every piece. I have relied heavily (ok, totally!) on photographs to convey and represent my love of the […]
Mirror Image
Mirrors are great for checking our appearance. We want to know how we look. Do we look good, clean, successful, polished, presentable? Mirrors will answer all those questions, but it’s all just packaging. Some of us are wrapped in plain brown paper tied with a string. Others prefer the glitz of shiny wrapping paper […]
I’m old, so why bother?
“One afternoon in 1772 Mary Delany noticed how a piece of coloured paper matched the dropped petal of a geranium. She lifted a pair of filigree-handled scissors – the kind that must have had a nose so sharp and delicate that you could almost imagine it picking up a scent. With the instrument in her […]
How Tall Are You?
Want to know how to get your gleam on? Expose yourself. Exposure completes the communication cycle of art. It is a primal human instinct to want to leave your mark, to say, “I was here.” This need to share our creations starts early. Who hasn’t run up to their mom or teacher exclaiming, “Look what I […]
The Gap and How to Narrow It
THE GAP by Ira Glass An important message for artists of any level. (click image to watch) I believe there will always be a GAP Our job is to create a body of work as we strive to narrow that gap.
The Action That Changes Everything
I am deeply immersed in Stephen Cope’s The Great Work of Your Life. I discovered Cope when reading Dani Shapiro’s book, Still Writing, a book I recommended in a previous newsletter. It’s the kind of book that aligns so well with my thinking that I want to savour every word, every phrase. With each turn of the page, my stash […]
12 Unexpected Lessons Learned
Background: The Studio Art Quilt Associates is having their annual conference in the Washington DC area this spring. As a long-time member of SAQA, I thought it would be a very good idea to have a regional show to highlight all the talent in our area. I asked a dear friend, Christine Adams, who has years of experience […]
