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If you haven’t noticed by now, I have many interests and I tend to try to indulge them all; jack-of-all-trades and master of none . . . well in some respects that’s true. Even though I’ve had some marvelous successes in watercolor, like the painting to the left, consistency in that medium has eluded me. The more I tried different techniques for texture, the more rapidly the paintings slipped into the mud.

The above floral is one of three that hang in two homes just outside of Boston; my sister’s dining room and her friend’s family room. In addition, my Dad has the Irises I displayed back a couple blogs (check Gallery on this website too), and my sons claimed other paintings that came out quite well. I couldn’t stand to let the good ones go, so I’ve pretty much kept them in the family.

As I’ve said, I’ve set watercolor aside to jump feet first into art quilts. One of my hopes is to re-create this particular geranium painting in fabric. There’s also all those works that didn’t turn out so well that are fodder for the new medium . . . or mediums. That’s one of the attractions of fabric collage = all mediums are welcome; hand painted silks, photo transfers onto fabric or paper, extending to embellishments of every type (button and bows, lace keys, spoons?). A virtual smorgasbord of visual treats await my implementation. It’s kind of heady stuff.

The quilting world has experienced a surge of “fabric-collage” that has produced many works chuck full of embellishments and techniques, many of which have sadly lacked good composition. The eye candy of the smorgasbord can be quite a temptation. I too am affected by the plethora of ideas and Hope that having seen some very junkie quilts that I’ll hold myself back from the junk-yard syndrome.   

KISS = Keep it Simple, Sweetie. I pray that maturity has calmed my ardor for flash, however, I’m not into mellow, so we shall see what pop up. 

The Sweat Retreat, a grand 48 hr quilting weekend at a posh country resort southern Ohio, was quite nice. I met many interesting people and saw how traditional quilters create. My young teacher (40something) was chockfull of remarkable information. Kim has manipulated fabric in all kinds of ways, and is very willing to share. I may want to go back next year to pick her brain some more and enjoy her company. I Hope to see her somewhere in the world from time to time.

I saw what I already knew about traditional quilters. They love pattern and color; in their quilts, and in their fabrics. I also learned an interesting thing about myself while trying to construct my blocks. I prefer less dramatic value changes in the traditional quilts.  Many of the gals that I watched over the weekend did a breathtaking job blending their fabrics. One of the young women worked on a quilt that she was going to use to teach a class with, later in the month.

Basically, I got mine all wrong. It’s hard to tell you what I did wrong, for I’m just beginning to understand it. The choosing of fabric for repetitive patterns needs practice as well as personal preferences and intuition. So I learned not what I setout to learn, but what I needed to know.

I’m wondering if some of my troubles in watercolor were related to an overly dramatic value system. I’ll have to work with this idea as I build my next art quilt.

I snapped this amaryllis in front of an unfinished painting a few years ago. Since I first took its photo, the composition has been clamoring to be described in fabric.

In this opening graphic I’ve safety-pin-basted the back-ground, and stuck on the rocks of the wall and the falling leaves with straight pins. Eventually they will be affixed with small dots of “hook’n loops.”

A SMALL BLURB on functioning as a partially computer literate being. Lets make up a name for this category =  parcomlit, parcompulit, parcompulator . . . got it ! 

Parcompulator; the scientific term meaning a partially computer literate individual. Okay, now I need a nick name; a handle  - a parcom . . nay!   A pal,   . . .  aaahhh yes.

I am a PAL. This is a very important assessment to arrive at. I enjoy writing and I enjoy creating with my hands. When combining these two attributes I find I want to share my creations. The WorldWideWeb is the PR mode of this new millennium. To nail down a “DOT” com and to exploit this digitized tool is the goal. But I’m only a lowly PAL.

Thank goodness for the computer literate younger generation that put the WWW on tap.  I went through this long winded explanation to encourage other senior citizens, other PALS, to step up and try it. You might just enjoy where a wee bit of local adult education might take you. Or you might have a generous relative or young friend who will set you up with your own blog and plenty of encouragement. So we need a little help. That’s okay.

Yes, yes, I’m still a little anxious about putting my words and images out there for the world to pick on, but even before I knew anything about blogs, I wanted to share my creative life. I don’t win any prizes, but I have my fan club of friends and family. It turns out that these feelings of exhibitionism are totally human, and so I add my blog to cyberspace and wonder if anybody out there is listening or watching.

THE INFANCY OF JANE’S ART QUILTS ERA

The last few images show the birth of my first art quilt; the first seen through to it’s finish. I have made so many mistakes. I’ve learned never to make a square design. That should be interesting. The quilting stitches (machine) are my first and are quite tentative and wobbly in many places. I made the decision near the beginning of the construction process that I wasn’t going to tear out or redo much of anything. Way back in my juvenile sewing days I remember terribly frustrating times tearing seams apart, picking at over sewn stitches and tearing the fabric, all while weeping uncontrollably. I can learn from my mistakes without all that drama. I’ll proudly display my first efforts. I like the ideas I came up with and will be able to use them again in future endeavors.
Tally Ho . . .