Name That Newsletter - Whadyathink?

(but first)

!!!THIS JUST IN!!!

Soar III has been juried in to ARTQUILTSillumiations, the 11th international art quilt show presented by the Professional Art Quilters Alliance - South. The show opens at the Durham Performing Arts Center March 26th and runs through the end of May, 2010.

All right now. I know you are all talented people. I need your help. I'm trying to be better about sending out my newsletter on a more regular basis. As in... more than twice per year. Ideally, every month. Yes, I am eternally optimistic. The newsletter includes notes on when and where I'm teaching, and updated lists of shows for quilt artists to enter. Feel free to send me an Email if you wish to receive the newsletter.

I'm the worst ever at naming things (my artwork would all just be numbered if I thought I could get away with it) and I know you all are very clever. Leave a comment with your idea for a name for the newsletter.

The creator of the winning name will receive a copy of my DVD, "Surface Design Sampler Platter." I'll post the finalists on Wednesday and the winner on Friday. Don't forget to leave me some way to contact you.

Believe

We all have insecurities. Not all of us have been blessed with encouraging parents and teachers and mentors. I've been blessed with all three and still struggle with self-doubt now and then.

I can't help but compare myself with artists I admire and wonder if I'll ever achieve the success they enjoy. I have to stop, turn around, step up on my soapbox and give myself the very lecture I give to everyone else. (Yes, I am an oldest child and have no trouble being bossy. I've worked very hard to develop a very gentle and encouraging manner - but it still comes out bossy.)

I say to myself, "Lyric, you can't compare yourself to anyone else. Sure, you haven't made more than a handful of pieces in the past umpteen years but you HAVE accomplished other things. You wrote a book for goodness sakes! That's something. None of your children are in jail! That's something too. (Of course, they have quite a way to go yet so you still need to keep your eye on the kids.) The book's done now so if you would just get off the computer you could get some artwork done. Not as much as (insert name here) but a few pieces would be nice. Those amazing artists who produce a painting a day or a quilt every week are not driving back and forth to preschool and hockey and lessons and rehearsals and scouts and meetings and school and ...... Well. You get the idea. There is a time and a season for everything. Be happy with now. Run any faster and you'll fall over and that wouldn't be a pretty sight!!!" That's what I says to myself says I!

I believe that there is a time for everything. Seasons and all that lovely poetic stuff. It's really true.

If your struggle is that you think it's not good enough maybe your little lecture should be about giving yourself time and permission to learn. It's the old Carnegie Hall schtick. Practice, practice, practice. Too many of us (especially coming from the traditional quilt world) think that if we aren't close to perfect right away then we are no good at a thing. It takes time to learn and grow.

If your struggle is that it might not turn out the way you wanted it to, perhaps your lecture should be about how every "failure" brings you one step closer to success. I don't have failures any more. I have many, many "learning opportunities" and quite a few "happy accidents." Each is valuable. Figure out how to let go some of the control and let things be.

This is where my kids would roll their eyes and say, "mom, you're lecturing again." It's O.K. I'll stop. But just one more thing. Tell yourself something often enough and you'll believe it. Doesn't matter whether the something is negative or positive. So take a deep breath, and choose to BELIEVE that you can do it. You will succeed.

Student Spotlight and Inner Critics

I love my students. They are why I teach. They inspire me and invigorate me and remind me why I spend so much time ordering supplies and schlepping them around. I've said it before and I'll say it again - you can't pay me enough for all the packing and schlepping. But once the students show up I have to pinch myself because I can't believe I'm getting paid to have this much fun!

LauraLea has taken both of my on-line classes through Quiltuniversity.com and always blows my mind with both her productivity and the beauty of her work. The piece above is a heliographic print. Sun, fabric, ferns, paint - recipe for fun!

LauraLea has used both a torn freezer paper stencil and a meticulously cut plastic stencil for this beauty. She painted it over a spray bottle piece that didn't turn out to her satisfaction. That's one of the things I like so much about surface design. If you don't like what happens the first time you play with the cloth, just do something else to it.

Here is another look at her stencil - a goddess tree. I think the repeated swirls are a stamp she carved.

And finally, some Shiva paint stick rubbings. Aren't they exquisite? Such beautiful textures she found around her home. Way to go LauraLea!

Why don't you all leave a comment and tell her what amazing work she does? Especially because she always seemed to have just a little bit of fear holding her back. She would worry, worry, worry - and then show up with these beauties. I know she's not the only one who has a little inner critic that needs to be shut away in a closet somewhere. She struggled and managed to lock that nasty critter away for a while. Good for her!!!

All of these examples are from Playing With Paint, which begins again next Friday the 19th.

How do you silence your inner critic? How does fear hold you back and how can you overcome it? I'll ramble a bit more about overcoming our fears in the next post. Until then, enjoy these beauties.

Over there - and over here

There is a wonderful little group of artists who maintain a site titled "3 Creative Studios". Sue Bleiweiss, Terri Stegmiller, and Vicki Welsch - three lovely and very talented ladies. Their site is full of free projects, on-line classes, shopping, and a block of the month.

In conjunction with their block of the month for January they are giving away a package that includes my book, hand dyed fabrics, mistyfuse, a hand knit clutch, and art print, and several other textile related goodies. We're talking serious yumminess here people!!!

Pop on over there, put together their block, and enter their challenge!

You have until the 15th.

Over here I'm gearing up to open my next on-line class "Playing With Paint" through Quilt University. Here's a little snippet of what is in store there. This is a clip from my Surface design Sampler Platter DVD. Same technique but we'll get more in depth during the on-line class. That and you have weeks to interact with the other students and I. Class starts Feb 19th although I think you can register for it up through the 24th. There is extra time after all four lessons open to catch up if you need to.

You make it all worthwhile!

It was a rough year writing the book and I certainly didn't do it for the money. I did it because I'm on a crusade. Too many women look at me with those sad, sad eyes and say "I'm not creative."

Sorry. Not True. Big Lie!!!!

Everyone is creative in some way. Usually they are wishing they were an artist but have never been taught - or allowed themselves the time and mental space to learn the skills an artist needs. That's what the book is for. Nobody picks up a pencil and draws like Picasso the first time - it takes time and work and lots of effort.

So - here are a few links to people who are working through the book and doing some beautiful things. First a picture from a fabulous group working together up in the frozen north. I believe this one is Carol's line study.

Kay from Indiana has made a lovely texture study (actual texture)

http://outofthebasement.blogspot.com/2010/01/texture-study-8-x-10-it-seems-long-long.html

Quilter Beth's visual texture exercises are beautiful!

http://quilterbeth.blogspot.com/2010/02/art-quilt-bethlyric-project.html

Coming Right Up!

What do each of these things have in common?

You might end up using all of them in my upcoming on-line class through

http://www.quiltuniversity.com/

Playing With Paint

begins on February 19th

four lessons

five weeks of time with the instructor (me)

for only $36.00

waaaaay too much fun

registration is open now - hope to see you there!

Back In The Saddle Again

When an artist travels and teaches an awful lot of studio time disappears. At some point it gets to you and you have to figure out how to make it work. I'm living and learning as I go an have decided that I need - no - NEED to get a whole new body of coherent work made this year. Enough that I can start making proposals for solo shows.

In the meantime - I've entered my first juried show in years. No expectations about getting in - it just feels good to have done it! I think 2003 was the last year that I really had my work out in circulation at various quilt and art venues. Then I took a "baby sabbatical," wrote a book, wrote a bunch of articles, and started teaching live and on-line and well. There you go. Poof. No more time for making art - aside from samples.

I took a few days off of my current writing project and finished up a piece that had been in process for - well, years.

Years and years ago I filmed a segment for Home and Garden TV's "Crafters Coast to Coast." Fun? Definitely. But later I decided I really didn't want to finish twelve of these books so I took the step-outs (you have to have multiples of each stage of the process) and sewed them all together.

I started the quilting then did a few other things (see list above.) Onto the shelf it went. I finished the quilting on my new HQ16 some time last year. Finally I got brave and just took out the Shiva Oil Sticks and went to town. So there ya go. Finished is a good feeling.

DANCE

40" x 48"

Well - finished enough for photography.

I still need to sew the facing down on the back.

Oh - and maybe add some beadwork too.

shhh. don't tell.