I surprise myself

I love it when my quilts surprise even me. Recently I have been spending a lot of time thinking about northern lakes. This is probably because my DH and I are leaving soon for our vacation up in northern New Hampshire. Umbagog to be precise--a marsh land related to the Androscoggin River. Only 15 feet deep on average with floating islands in the northern area. A lot of it is protected area--perfect for kayaking. I've never been there before but I have a hunch it's going to be gorgeous.

After the heat of this summer I must confess I am really  looking forward to slowly paddling on a cool lake-a breeze at my back. This is probably why I decided to make a wall hanging in cool soft teal colors. I need work this size for the Long's Park Art and Craft Festival on Labor Day week-end. It will be similar to this brown version called rolling hills.

I pull out teal colored fabric--go through the pieces that I've cut but not yet used getting the palette just right. This should be easy. I have this wonderful fabric that is basically the woods. Don't you just love the soft colors with the soft yellow and rust?

I come across a piece from this fabric. I had purchased it because I wanted the wonderful water and sky pieces for another quilt. I had wedges of the tree area left--I never could figure out a use for it but the green was just the soft blue green color I was looking for. Maybe? Waste not, want not--they say.

I get a block done. Then another. Pin it up on my design board.

WOW. This design is more than I had dreamed possible.

Let me show it to your from a distance so you can really see it.

Do you see the island and the reflection? Up close--I agree--nice colors. But from a distance an unexpected shimmer of color and light.  I keep piecing--will it continue? has this ever happened to you? An inspiration beyond what you expected. I keep piecing. Now I just have to sew it together. Was it  because I was thinking of floating islands that I created this wonderful image? Yes, I can duplicate this mirage. Suddenly all sorts of designs come to my mind--what else can I do before I run out of this wonderful fabric. Can I find some more? I get into work early today to sew the quilt together. What do you think?

more thoughts on art

Recently while my step-son was visiting--and yes, it is amazing how grown up he has become--but that's a different story--he showed me some new holes on a quilt in the guest bedroom that he uses during his visits.

"Is this yours Ann?" he asked. "What do you want to do with it?"

I look at the quilt--a simple Irish Double Chain in green and white. I know it well. For years it had been on my parents' bed.

It was made I believe by my grandmother--not the one who made the oak quilt I previously wrote about-- (http://annbrauer.blogspot.com/2010/03/not-my-grandmothers-quilts.html) Granny never would have used such large stitches or such a simple design--but my mother's mother. The one I called Grandmother. She had a halo of white hair. Always soft spoken. I never knew her that well--she died when I was in eighth grade. This is Granny and Grandmother together--I'm sure you can figure out who is who.

I know that compared with Granny I always thought she lacked "pizazz". One year she gave my sister and me a paint by number kit with colored pencils. How frustrated we were that she would color hers so softly we had to go back over it to get it to look nice and bright. In retrospect I am sure she thought she was spending very special time with us.


After all she had gone to the Art Institute in Chicago after high school. This is one of her early paintings--technically OK but just a study.

Back then the Art Institute was viewed as a finishing school for young ladies so they could marry "successfully". There were upwards of 900 gentlewomen there learning to paint flowers and scenes.  I know this from reading Georgia O'Keefe's biography--how she chafed at the restrictions placed on  girls and insisted she take classes with the young men who were studying to be serious artists. I am sure that if Grandmother was there at the same time--and there is a strong possibility that she was--Georgia would have sneered at her.

Indeed after Grandmother  met her husband--a successful grocer--I don't believe she ever painted again. She was busy raising her 3 daughters and meeting with her friends at the Mercredi Club--lunch every Wednesday for close to fifty years. It was during this time she made the Irish Chain Quilt--not for any need for artistic expression nor because she needed to make a quilt for warmth--they were fairly well to do city folks. No, she did it to spend time with her daughters and her friends. The quilt was a social affair--an excuse to get together and talk.

Then she gave it to my Mother--the middle daughter--the city girl--to take to her new home on a farm  50 miles away. Once a year Grandmother would come down to visit--not much to do but see her daughter and grand children. She slept on a sofa in the living room with a screen to give her a modicum of privacy. During the days she would sit on the porch and count the white cars that went by on highway--I kid you not. As I said, I thought she lacked pizazz. Yes, that's me in the picture--doesn't she look happy?

After I became a quiltmaker my mother used to remind me that I came from a line of quiltmakers on both side of the family. I confess that at first I used to role my eyes. Granny was a quiltmaker--her quilts were art--but Grandmother--hmm not really.

As I grew older and learned more about her,  my opinion of Grandmother grew. It turned out she was actually quite the business woman. While she had been raised to keep a home going, when the grocery store business needed her help, she was there. Cheerfully greeting the customers and doing whatever was required of her.  After that store failed during the Great Depression, she helped my Grandfather open a candy and nut store. Remember there were three daughters to raise--what's a business failure when there are mouths to feed.  Indeed she made it successful enough that they could open another store in  a nearby city for her oldest daughter--my aunt--and her husband to run when they needed work. I don't believe Grandmother ever complained about the hard work except maybe at the Mercredi Club..

The quilt followed my parents when they sold the farm and moved further south. It was on their bed during their last illnesses. There is something very honest about the quilt--it never pretended to be artistic. It was meant to decorate a bed and provide memories of good times and it served its purposes well. While I could theoretically fix the obvious holes, I know deep in my heart that  it is too worn. Too stained with time. Yet, I cannot bear to  throw it away. Instead I will keep it quietly folded in the closet. Take it out every once in a while to remember a life that was lived with patience and perseverance and so much grace. A halo of white hair. After all, one of the reasons I like to make quilts is because everyone can relate to them. Some quilts are meant to be art and hung on walls. Some quilts are meant to be put on a bed and respected for the time and love that went into making them. This quilt has encompassed a lot of memories and deserves to spend the remaining days of its life resting comfortably.

And what about you? Do you have quilts that aren't "art"? Do you agree that these quilts also deserve respect?

tips for surviving in a challenging economy

Crafts artists form a great community. When we get together these days we share our tips for surviving in an economy that I think we would all admit is a bit challenging--to put it mildly. What I found interesting about this time were the very distinctive approaches that 3 of my friends are using--each one so suited to their own personalities and experiences.

I have known David Bacharach since I started as a quilt maker. Even then he was considered one of the leading metal workers in the field with years of experience making wall hangings that manipulate the textures and colors of metal in ways no one else can. Recently I noticed that he has added some  outdoor sculptures that use a wonderful array of found objects he says he has been accumulating for thirty or forty years. He told me that he had been wanting to make large sculptural objects for a long time. What a great approach in a challenging market--make a new line of work that can be used in the garden--while retaining his love of metal and the skills he has developed doing it.

One of my favorites is the free form praying mantis attached to a long pole it can sway and bob up and down in the wind. Isn't it fanciful and fun?

Another wonderful work is this weathered cube with an owl on top of it. Don't you just love the textures in this piece? The owl is the perfect finishing touch IMHO.

Another favorite was hard to capture at his booth. There was a bird and a bird's nest swinging on a pole sustained by a shovel. The movement and interaction were mesmerizing and the shovel brought a smile to my face. I know I want one.

A different approach is being used by my friend Kathy Cooper. Kathy is known for her wonderful floor cloths in the most wonderful colors. Floor cloths for those who don't know are pieces of canvas painted by the artist and treated so they work as a rug while being so much easier to clean. As she puts it, she is "using color to infuse your home with energy, spirit and enthusiasm".

Just look at her booth--this woman is NOT afraid of color is she?

I love this arrangement of smaller rugs showing how the difference in color can really change the feeling of the rug. How could you ever choose which one you wanted?

Kathy has long been known for her classes and workshops on painting floorcloths. She explained to me that many of her students and her customers are scared of color so she will be taking an intensive cseminar this fall in the use and psychology of color. As a result she will be able to get paid to do color consulting with her customers--an added skill. In addition she is planning to augment her line of courses to include one that will teach her students to not be afraid of color. Again,  a brilliant solution that so uses her skills and interests.

My friend Max Rosenthal is actually doing something that at first glance seems counter-intuitive. Max makes very strong jewelry that uses found stones, agates and fossils set against bold and powerful patterns in the metal work. She also worked in the corporate world for a number of years--she is one of the most organized and self-assured women I know. This is Max wearing her jewelry--you can see that even her booth echoes the patterns she uses.

And here is a close-up of one of her necklaces that centers on fossils and patterns in the metal to make a  statement. Yes the fossil is a lovely mauve color.

Anyhow, Max's solution was  to take on an apprentice to help her with her jewelry making. She found a young gentleman who had studied some of the aspects of metal working that she uses (Yes, she explained it all to me but much of it went right over my head--whoosh!!) She arranged for him to get training in other areas. By now she said that some of these tasks--and again please don't ask me to explain--he can do better and faster than she can. In addition because he is younger, he can help her market to a younger audience--something we are all trying to do--right? Again, a brilliant solution and one that uses Max's business acumen as well as her jewelry skills.

As for me, I am being a lot more active on social media to increase my market as well as working hard to make new quilts. I also have a few other plans up my sleeve--so to speak--but more about those some other time. And you, are you having to work harder in a difficult economy? What solutions have you come up with?

high class worries--setting up the booth

I have a friend who loves to call certain things "high class worries". You know the troubles you have that no one else would see as a problem. You can fret about it--but don't really feel sorry for yourself. For instance if too much chocolate for my birthday--definitely a high class worry. Or too much lovely fabric on sale.  Too many orders. You get the idea.

Well that happened to me at set-up for the PA Craft Show this week-end. I had the booth all planned in my mind. Of course the new quilt rainbows in summer was going on the back wall. I had yet to see this piece in its full glory and couldn't wait. As soon as the booth was up, I hung the quilt and snapped a picture. Who cares if the ladder is in its way?

Then I knew I wanted summer sky on the one side of the booth. It is a smaller version of the quilt on my postcard and a wonderful piece--if I do say so myself. Sorry about the lights in the picture. I was trying to finish the booth.

The other side would have a couple of the 45x45 inch squares. I love rainbow hills--that one is a definite. Maybe colors of the rain for a different look--but that may not go with the others.

In the end I went with autumn afternoon--slightly different colors than the other quilts but still looked good. Here is a snapshot of the entire booth when it was done. Not bad looking if I do say so.

So where you may ask is this "high class worry"? Well never fear, when I get to the hotel I learn that summer sky has been accepted into a show Sew New: Contemporary Art Quilts at the OSilas Gallery of Concordia College in Bronxville, NY this November and December.  I'll tell you more about this show later. But I really can't sell it--unless someone wants to wait for delivery until the end of the year. Back to the drawing board.

As my friend would say, definitely a "high class worry"--wouldn't you agree?  And it does give me more space to play with.

exploring an urban wildlife refuge

Or--I should maybe I should call this post--why my feet are so tired.

As my frequent readers will know, I am setting up for the PA Guild of Crafts Show this week-end in Wilmington, DE. A town I have passed hundreds of times on the Interstate, but never stopped in. The show is along their developing new Riverfront along the Christiana River. Well I love rivers and I love adventure so of course after finishing hanging my quilts I had to explore.

Who could resist a sign pointing to an Urban Wildlife Refuge? What is an Urban Wildlife Refuge I wondered? Did it matter that my feet were already tired from set up--nope. It was a nice day and not that far.

When I got there I couldn't believe how much fun it was. I soon learned that the Refuge was named for Russell W. Peterson a former Governor of Delaware who was dedicated to the environment.

The first thing I saw was a wonderful hobbit like tree and stone sculpture that sprawls along the ground and creates a great little cave like structure. Here is one of the roots of the "tree".

And part of the cave like house--it's not scary at all--just a lot of fun. I've seen lots of pictures of small children climbing on it though none were there today.

Isn't that wonderful--almost elephantine? But soon my eye was drawn to the stone spheres. I haven't been able to discover if they were by Andy Goldsworthy--although they do look like his work. The first one has a couple of openings so you can look into it.

It's about my height. Peering inside there is an added space.

Mystical isn't it. The other is a sphere with no openings.

I want one. The neat thing is that it is juxtaposed against a slab of rock that seems almost to float above the surface of the earth. A path takes you across the rock. I hadn't even realized how ethereal it seemed until I crossed it and looked back.

There's lots more to see in this wonderful outdoor installation but I wanted to cross the bridge and go through the building to see the marshes themselves. The bridge takes you up and over the railroad tracks. Yes, this is still a working area of town with real cranes in the distance.  These are fresh water marshes--part of what once was a much larger marshland that was diked and drained beginning in the 1600's. It took over a decade to restore these 212 acres to a more pristine condition--burning part of it to remove invasive species, changing the drainage ditches that had been put in place and letting nature take its course.

There is a quarter mile board walk through the marshes that--of course--I had to follow. Yes, my feet said no but my heart said yes. Who could resist being out in the marshes--seeing the variety of plants. Having the grasses rustle. Lots of birds can be seen.

 Some of the grasses came over my head--and since the board walk is several feet above the water you know they were tall. At other places you were near the bank of the river and could see different plants growing on its banks.

It was getting late and I still had to find the hotel where I did a bit more reading on the internet about this wonderful refuge. It really is right off the I 95--open year round--and even has restroom facilities. Certainly I know I will stop there again--there is a nature center that offers exhibits and walks about this fresh water marsh. I love the outdoor installation--certainly I am thinking of ideas that I can use back home to design our property. For more information you can go here: http://cenvironment.blogspot.com/2009/12/dupont-environmental-education-center.html

Now the only question is how will I ever be able to stay inside at the Craft Show when there is such a treasure so near the fair.

how long does it take to make a quilt?

Did you catch the story on NPR about the person who bought old negatives that he claims are from Ansel Adams at the tag sale? He paid $45 for them and now claims they are worth over $200,000,000. There is a dispute as to whether the negatives are really those of Ansel Adams--one of the pre-eminent black and white photographers of the 20th century. But that dispute is for the experts--we don't have to go there. The more interesting discussion is what value the negatives have by themselves--especially in the case of work by Ansel Adams who was known for manipulating the images in the dark room to create just the right feeling. 

Indeed the former head of the Ansel Adams Center for Photography Andy Grundberg told Michelle Norris said that the negatives don't have any significant value.  Without Adams around to process the negatives--to get the intense contrasts he is known for--what are the negatives? Merely guideposts. Could someone--not Adams--take the negatives and make art from them?  At best, Grundberg said, they could be considered the score but the score needs the conductor to bring out the flavor and art. Otherwise they are only historically relevant. Indeed Grundberg explained how Adams changed the look of his most famous Moonrise, Hernandez photograph over the years as his vision changed. The art is in the vision and process of the artist. Adams had the skill to create the photographs he wanted from the tools he had available. I wonder how many photographs he threw away in the dark room because they did not turn out right. Did he examine the ones that almost worked--pin them up and study them to learn? Did he tear them up and toss them in a fire? Did he sigh? Take notes? Go for a walk? I confess I don't know that much about him.

I remember reading once that Georgia O'Keefe sketched a hundred jack in the pulpits until she got it just right. I love that story and her determination. It has gotten me through many a rough quilting session.

Now I am not Ansel Adams or Georgia O'Keefe, but sometimes I do console myself thinking that if they struggled, struggle itself just fine. When I  last wrote, I was trying to finish a quilt for the PA Guild Craft Show this week-end. The quilt started off easily enough. The colors were the faded dusty colors of rolling fields in late summer.  I have a vision of gentle prairies stretching  forever that is haunting me. I like the intrigue of the land doing gentle dips and rises--almost as though it is breathing. It is at once soothing and asking a question.

I like most of the quilt at this stage but then it got lost and became simply a sketch for a quilt I will make--later. Ugh!! An idea--actually several ideas in this quilt but not what I want. I will pin it up, study it. Maybe even pick it apart. Anger is not my style. At first I am sad and then I get determined. There is something to learn here. I may get more greys and dusty browns.  Eventually I will either make the quilt I see in my mind or move on to another challenge. A few years from now I may look at it--wonder what was I thinking. Or maybe figure out finally what I was thinking?

Ugh! and Ugh!! Ugh!!!

Does this ever happen to you? What do you do? How do you process a vision that doesn't work out just right?  And how do you explain to those who will ask at the craft fair this week-end--and invariable I will get asked a lot-- "How long does it take to make a quilt?"

Check out the full NPR interview transcript here:  http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128828530
 

schedules and an ornery quilt

Well when you last heard from me, I had just started a new wall hanging that I sure would like to finish before the PA Guild Show. Alas--this quilt is one that is being ornery.

Now for those who don't know--my studio is in the wonderful village of Shelburne Falls. I am open to the public unless I am doing a craft show. Although it took some getting used to, I have learned to like having regular hours. When I am at the studio, I need to work. When it's five o'clock I put the quilts on hold until the next day. I rely on this regular schedule to get the most work done.  Indeed my DH just returned from a 2 week seminar--he asked me if I stayed late and got lots accomplished. I tried to explain to him, that I like my regular schedule. If I stay late, I just futts around the studio the next morning.

As you may remember I wanted to make rows of fields stretching to the horizon in late summer colors--a bit dusty. Not too precious. With color progressions and variations. I sketch the quilt out and tell myself to make what I know. How slowly it goes. These rows do not follow from each other.

This part makes sense. But what comes next?

I finish the bottom corner. Is the green too bright? Luckily it is five and I get to leave. It may look better in the morning.

The next morning I realize the problem is not the green but that the corner is too muddy. Time to pick out stitches. Ugh!!!

Better--although it may still need a bit more definition. And what color comes next on the upper left?
Luckily--guess what. It's five o'clock again. Maybe the answer will come over night.

OK--that works better. A bit more teal in the bottom right corner. Oh how I hate to take out stitches. It is better to do it as they say in the ad. Something's still not right though. Luckily--you guessed it. Five o'clock.

Oh I do like that idea much better. What do you think? Now to sew it together and see what it looks like. Quilts do change when the blocks are joined. So much to do--so little time. And soon--guess what. It will be five o'clock again. Do you keep a regular schedule for work?  How long can you work in a day?