Creative Wisdom: Where to Begin - and How?

There is no such thing as starting where Cezanne left off. You have to start where he started... at the beginning. ~Kimon Nicolaides

Now is the best time to start: My children go back to school this week. This has been a wonderful summer full of family, travel, and even a lazy day or two at the pool. But now I think we're all ready to get back into the routine of things. I find myself re-energized at this time of the year. I'm ready to make a new start and accomplish big things!

You don't have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great. ~Zig Ziglar

Often, a very small action sets the stage for large results: This is a philosophy that I believe applies to many facets of our lives. Getting out of bed begins with the simple act of opening your eyes. You pick up a pencil to sketch. Your next work of art might begin by sewing two scraps of fabric together. Think for a minute about what it is that you want to accomplish and write it down. Do you want to "finish a quilt and enter it in a show" or "learn to sketch" or "go back to school?" No holds barred - dream big!

If your goal seems overwhelming and unreachable try finding the smallest possible beginning step. What if you walk in to your studio or creative space, pull out a piece of paper, or google one college and write down it's name? These are minute steps but they are, in fact, a beginning. Sometimes kicking a pebble can start an avalanche thundering down a hill. More often, it just moves the pebble a little further down the path. So tomorrow, wake up and kick the pebble again. You'll get there eventually!

Where to begin? Try this:
1 - Turn off the computer and walk to where you create.
2 - Clear off one square foot of table next to your machine.
3 - Pick up two pieces of fabric and sew them together.

This month I think I'm going to put my philosphy to the test. Each day on my blog (and probably on FaceBook) I'll post a small "starter" and show you the results. I'd love it very much if you played along with me! What is it you want to accomplish? What will happen after you take the first tiny step - and the next - and the next? And..... what shall we name this endeavor? Anyone have a pithy little word that signifies the act of beginning? Send me an email and let me know!

Some ideas are 

Baby Steps

the Kindness Chronicles

A tree is known by its fruit; a man by his deeds. A good deed is never lost; he who sows courtesy reaps friendship, and he who plants kindness gathers love.
Saint Basil

It's back to school time here. The kids pack up and head off for the day, sometimes with more enthusiasm than others. And I welcome them home each afternoon, sometimes with more enthusiasm than others. I need to work on that. I need to be the mom that gives each kid a great big smile and hug. The plate of cookies might never happen but I can certainly slow down for a minute and listen do their litany of the day.

Here is a website that will bring a little fun and kindness into the day of your child, spouse, friend, or maybe even a stranger. (I'm going to try that I think.)

Try printing up some cute labels to stick to a soda can. (Except I'm horrifically mean and don't let my kids drink soda unless it's a special occasion.)

http://darlingdoodles.blogspot.com/2012/01/drink-up.html

At Darling Doodles

http://darlingdoodles.blogspot.com/p/just-because.html

http://darlingdoodles.blogspot.com/2011/08/lunch-box-printables.html

What other ideas do you have for adding a little kindness to someone's day?

The Creative Process: hunting and gathering ideas

The kids are back in school. My mom flew home after an absolutely wonderful week. I'm on my own again for the first time in months. Miracle of miracles - I have only one deadline coming up and it's not until mid-October. I think. I'd probably better double check on that.

So for the first time in years I've been thinking about sewing clothes. Just for fun. I have a collection of vintage sari's that I ordered from India off of Ebay. I kind of really love Ebay.  These came smelling like woodsmoke. It brought me up short for a minute - bringing home the fact that in many parts of the world life isn't nearly as convenient as it is for us with our easy electricity. Take a second to think how easy our lives are because of everything that happens around one of those little electrical outlets. Whew.

The Sari's are fine after a little trip through the wash. I always wash all my cloth before sewing with it - even wool and silk.  Then after the thing is made I might hand wash and lay it to dry but if it can handle a regular wash before it is made then it will be fine afterwards. 

There are a couple of spots where a little bit of the stitching came out of the hand embroidered piece (isn't it gorgeous) but I can repair or work around those as I wish.

As is my usual mode of operation, I think for a long time before I begin. It's my favorite part of the creative process. This time I've pulled out a bunch of patterns - they are all just a beginning. I almost never sew clothes without messing around with the design and the pattern.

I also went up to the attic and rummaged through all of my bins, pulling out all the neutrals. Cooking up some fun ideas for these as well. I keep thinking it would be wonderful to play around this year and actually USE UP some of the stuff that's been sitting up there forever.

For Your Inspiration: NC Beaches

joie de vivre

Show Review - Quartet: Celebrating All Things in Fours

While I have taken quite a break from entering national shows I have kept work in circulation in local art shows and thought you might like a peek at this delightful exhibition.

Currently Showing

At the Cary Art Center

101 Dry Avenue, Cary, NC (919) 469-4069 

Monday Thursday: 9 a.m.–10 p.m.
Friday & Saturday: 9 a.m. - 11 p.m.
Sunday: 1 p.m. - 6 p.m. 

The exhibit is in celebration of and in conjunction with a small music festival that is happening at the art center. I was able to attend the Lipkind Quartet's performance and truly enjoyed hearing those talented musicians. There is something so beautiful about losing yourself in the sound of a live performance. It's nothing like recordings - even with an amazing sound system. And I love classical music. 

Take Four (acrylic)

by Jillian goldberg

They have also had several events where artists have been invited to come and draw during live rehearsals of the Brussels Chamber Orchestra. Unfortunately my kids schedule got in the way. It sounds wonderful. One my favorite exercises from Art + Quilt is to doodle to music either with pen and paper or with free motion quilting.

String Quartet (fiber)

by Ana Sumner

String Quartet (detail-fiber)

by Ana Sumner

It's one small wall with a lot of work but hung so beautifully that it works. Having a little experience with hanging shows I truly admire the work it took to get this show to hang together. It's very interesting to see such a wide variety of media that works together. There is fiber, oil, photography, acrylic and mixed media.

Brass Foreplay (acrylic)

by Margot Holloman

Four Seasons (acrylic, mixed media)

Constance Pappalardo

Expectation (watercolor)

by Virginia Runge

I love this small piece. The jewelry is beautiful in and of itself but I didn't even realize that that is what it was on first glance. The frame, the textiles in the background - all form a cohesive and pleasingly beautiful composition.

Stone Age Pendant and Earrings (sterling silver, jade, jasper, onyx and howlite stones, fiber)

by J'Nai Willingham

I failed to get the name and title for this piece but I LOVE it! This is a detail - four canvases wrapped in different stockings to create a lovely pattern. Scroll back up to the first picture and take a look - it's partly behind the door.

 

And yes, my work is in the show as well - part of the Signature series that I've titled
Four/Four time (acrylic)

(Notice my lovely and oh-so-fashionable footwear. I've been wearing a boot for the last month to try and help with achilles tendonosis. Yuck. It's working though so I'm putting up with it.)

Tutorial: Wrapping a Gallery Wrapped Canvas

As promised - here is part 2 of my process in creating a series of works for 

The Art Box CSA

Art Box work by Lyric Montgomery Kinard

(part 1 on the process for these works can be found here)

Position your unstitched top on your canvas and trim it down - leaving enough cloth to wrap to the back of your gallery wrapped canvas. In this instance I'm using and 8"x8" canvas, 1.5" deep.

Adhere fusible web (regular weight Wonder-Under is my favorite for this technique) to the back side of your finished top.

Trim the cloth and remove the release paper.

I've placed batting on the canvas with just enough to cover the edges and cut out the corners.

Carefully position the cloth on the canvas 

I use the release paper on each side to protect both the iron and the board as I make sure the fusible web is well adhered to the cloth and the batting. 

Quilt or stitch and embellish your cloth with the batting but no backing. (yes - it's a different top in the series from here on out - the pictures were better on this one.)

Here is the stitching from the back - yup - no backing cloth - just the batting.

Pull each of the four corners up and fuse them over the back to the wood. I trimmed the corners where they overlapped into the middle as per the next picture.

Cut the cloth along each side, almost to each corner. Leave just a bit connected.

Tuck in the cloth on the corner, carefully creating a little pleat, pulling the edge of the fold cleanly to the corner edge of the frame.

Iron the side of the canvas, making sure the iron  only touches the side, not the back of the canvas. You need to hold the pleat in place - but be very careful not to burn your fingers.

Cut and trim out any excess cloth, making sure to leave enough cloth with exposed fusible to be able to tack it down. Sometimes I'll pull a little of the batting away and trim it as well.

Pull each flap in to the wood and iron it down, making sure the corners are cleanly folded. There should be enough exposed fusible web to seal the fabric to itself on the corners and the wood around the edges.

Press all the flaps of fabric to the wood. Sometimes I leave the cloth long enough to press into the inside of the wood frame to give it a really clean look.

 One last press of each edge.

Lovely clean corners.

The finished artworks in this series are available for purchase for a VERY reasonable price at

The Art Box CSA

Faces - a morning well spent

So. If you happen to get a speeding ticket .... spending a day in traffic court can be time well spent. 

Sigh. We took the waaaaay back country roads on a way from a vacation and even though I was actually trying to stay within the speed limit (52 in a 55mph zone) I somehow missed the sign in front of the one mile stretch that was 35mph. 

So I had my sketchbook with me and while waiting my turn I pulled out my pencil.

I sat in front so all I had to draw was the lawyers and the officers.

Of course - one's hand is always there to draw. I was trying to be circumspect but one of the officers (I think it might even have been the one who pulled me over) saw me and leaned over when he walked by and told me he wanted to see it when I was done.

We weren't allowed phones so I couldn't take a picture which is too bad - the two pictures I tore out and gave to the officer and the bailiff were much better than these. I had plenty of time to work on those two and they held still the longest. The officer knew I was drawing him so I think he held still on purpose. After I gave him the drawing he told me he had told the judge to be nice to me. (He was.)