NYC missed again: A Journal Quilt

The grandchildren have a Pug and we have a Cocker. It is nice that we can keep the others' dogs when we go out of town. As it turns out, our vacations keep happening on the same weeks and we end up doing the dog sitting. That is what parents do.

However, we were going to tack on a few days at the end of the last vacation (this weekend) to hop down to Manhattan, but no sooner were the bags packed than the NYC weather was reported as rain rain rain for three of our days-to-be there. Marilyn Gay pointed out there are umbrellas on every corner, and I am thinking we are getting "soft."

Remember, journal quilts are a 2-hour exercise, a sketch of a significant event in one's week.

A time and place for all things

Our trip to NYC was rained out so we pretended. We did in Boston what we usually do in the Big Apple. In Harvard Square we went to Ruth Rosner's opening to see her totemic sculpture, and stopped at the Coop to get the English magazines The Artist and Modern Painters. The April issue of the latter, with Hockney on the front, I am reading backwards and getting ideas. The other transports me to England for conversations on another level.

We attended Open Studios and encountered new artists and got books: The Confident Creative by Cat Bennett and The Six Archetypes of Love by Allan Hunter. After eating out and shopping and reconnecting with the grandchildren on their return from Disneyworld, it was time to organize the study further (new computer adjustments, clearing, seem endless). In the meantime, we saw Hannah's soccer game and David got his first haircut. Hopefully back to production soon. Nothing like a sunny weekend; and Otto Dix will be at Neue Gallery until August. The fantasy succeeded!

Spring Break spent working

Tuesday I led the discussion on Mary Karr's memoir. Wednesday I worked on my new website and transferred to it, a six-year-old movie, my first DVD. Today, we had beading and I sewed another quilt trading card, a fibrillating heart (see the March 6 blog posting) while other beaders created new bracelets and necklaces. I should post a new painting, a watercolor capturing our beautiful sunshine along the Charles River, but it seems I am on spring break. I hate to move on from my lion journal quilt. He makes me smile so. But you can visit my new website to see First Burn, the movie. Turn up the sound. Also, I added an autobiography on the Welcome Page (a little leontine bravery).

Lionarted: a Journal quilt

Time for another journal quilt, a two hour sketch. At the same time, I have been busy coming up with thoughtful questions for our book group's discussion of Mary Karr's Lit: A Memoir tomorrow. A statement toward the end of the book struck me strongly. After Mary worked hard cleaning out the house of her mother, a painter, for a necessary move, the mother complained terribly. Mary, provoked, responded the mother never had the courage to paint all those canvases that she threw away.

That inspired me. I, also, have lots of canvases, unpainted. I must speak firmly to myself about gathering the courage to fill these. Here, the painter is depicted as an almost brave lion atop painterly book marbleizing to tie the the book club and painting together as the significant or provocative events of the week.

Bloomin' Installation

Friday, twenty-five MFA volunteers met at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts for enrichment re installation art. The best way to learn about an art movement is to engage, to create, whether it is cubism, minimalism, watercolor, encaustic, printmaking or installation art.

Given the relationship of these volunteers to the MFA's annual Art in Bloom, materials were provided to make flowers and whatever that led to. David Kelley and his two able associates showed slides of installations, and then turned the women loose with colored papers, pipe cleaners, yarn, glue, pom poms and scissors. Fritz Buehner followed lunch with a talk and slide show of more installation art.

I think lovers of paintings and more traditional forms of art feel friendlier toward installation art now. To me, it is simply engaging all the space and senses, putting on a good show or full presentation for one's art, loosening the boundaries for more possibilities. All that was missing were paintings as inspiration and some performance! Just give us a little more time.

After I returned home, the grandchildren arrived to make their own tissue flowers. Wish I had a photo of that!

Beaders Branching Out

Every Thursday, six friends who like to work with our hands, meet to lunch, chat and bead. Each brings her own lunch and the hostess provides condiments, drinks and dessert. At Trader Joe's I picked up butter waffle cookies and mango tangerine sorbet to make "ice cream" sandwiches. The demo lady suggested keeping those sandwiches in the freezer all summer, ready for children who drop in.

Chrissy arrived first, and I started taking everyone's photo with Photo Booth for a Warhol effect. We ate and started beading. Easily distracted, I suggested a lesson on the 18" x 24" rotary cutting mat, with the 6" x 24" and 6" x 12" see-through quilter's rulers and 60 mm rotary cutter.

I had some fleece for Nancy to make her first grandson Liam a small no-sew fleece blanket. With the tools, she doubled the fabric (two pieces, wrong sides together), cut 4" out of each corner, and zippety cut 4" strips 1/2" wide all around the edges, knotting the front and back strips with square knots all around. Feeling good she returned to her spring necklace and beading.

Filling in Portrait Placemats: a journal quilt

You have seen the educational place mats: all the U.S. Presidents, orchestral instruments, famous artists, the human body, the alphabets in different languages, the world and the United States. I recently dropped some off for the grandchildren.

At my house, we are usually into playing or painting full time; and the walls are covered with my paintings. Beth told me that when she was going over the names and faces of the famous artists, Hannah wanted to know, "Where is LinLin's face!" So of course I made a quickie (2 hour) journal quilt of this heartwarming query, adding myself to the group.

I can't get over the surprises of art. I had just found this self-portrait button I painted years ago when I was intrigued by miniature portraits and how people wore an eye or a face of the beloved inside their coat. I walked by to find it on Joe's dressing table and retrieved it for my quilt when I didn't know how to represent myself. The silhouettes are white canvas ready for filling in (with our imaginations) our favorite artists .