Faces on Friday and Creative Students!

I spent time this week with the Peninsula Piecemakers Quilt Guild. These pictures were taken during our class "The Elements of Art." After a long day of play and design each student searched out an object and brought it back to the table. Each was then given a basic design element (texture, shape, line, color value) to concentrate on while they quickly interpreted their tableau. I love seeing the creativity and playfulness that expressed itself in each piece.

 tulips, basket, fly swatter

 branches, dandelions, sweet gum balls

tulips, cookie 

pot, glue, bowl of water 

floating leaf, plant

 tongs, water bottle, magnolia pods

These exercises were seriously "out of the box" for these lovely quilters and I am so impressed with how they willingly opened up and gave it their best. Their work was playful, lovely, creative, and wonderful.

This is why I love teaching!

And because I promised myself I would.... here are the week's faces.

Almost all of these are very quickly done.

Teaching for Tidewater

Surface Design Sampler Platter
With the Tidewater Quilt Guild in Norfolk, VA

busily painting with the stamps they carved

Carole

Candie

Margo

Sitting by the inlet... beautiful.

On-Line Class: The Artist's Toolbox

The April 22nd session of The Artist's Toolbox only has a few more spots available.

motion study by Nancy

Sign up here at QuiltUniversity.com

shape study by Sheila

Or read more about it here.

Shape and movement by Sue

The Passion to Create

#3 by Michael Cunningham

I'm dreadfully late in getting back to a question posed several weeks ago.... ah life. It can get in the way of the best intentions. I ruminated and pontificated on fitting art into your life in this post. It was in response to a very thoughtful and heart felt question from Michael Cuningham. Here is the long overdue answer to the second part of his question - "with all of the "life" that gets in the way of creating, how do you keep the passion going?"

As I ponder this question I think it has to do with your long term goals. Life ebbs and flows and there are seasons and times for focusing on different things. But if you have long term goals you can see past a current ebb and over the long run, life will flow in the direction of those goals.

Keep your goals realistic. I only think about one or two goals regarding my art each year. This year, they didn't even include any sort of concrete production goals. I wanted to improve my attitude (by being grateful) and develop some studio discipline. That's it. My youngest goes off to school next year and I want to be better about utilizing the uninterrupted studio time I'll gain. Right now I know I have bad habits. I waste far too much time on my computer. I need to go re-read Twyla Tharp's "The Creative Habit". It's a favorite.

Family Ties: Knit Together

So - if something fits and helps me achieve that goal then I need to work on it. If it doesn't it's OK to let it go. I let several application deadlines slide by me last week - they weren't high on my list of priorities getting towards this goal. Next year - they are part of my goal set.

Now, if you've lost the desire to finish a project or goal - is it a goal you truly want to keep working at or should you give it up? That's the first question to answer. Then ask why. Then ask why again. If you choose to keep that goal on your priority list - remember to figure out the underlying reason you have that goal. Where will it get you and is that the place you want to end up?

If yes is the answer and you still have creative ennui... first check your health. Are you taking your vitamins and getting enough sleep? Do so.

Family Ties: Knit Together

Is the task too overwhelming that you have set for yourself? Just choose to do a little chunk of it. I end up being amazingly productive if I force myself to set a timer and do actual creating of work for ten minutes BEFORE I check my email. Those ten minutes always turn into the full time I have. If I turn to the computer first whatever time I had is frittered away. 

Sometimes limitations result in greater freedom to create. Sounds a little backwards? How many times have you looked at a blank piece of cloth or canvas or sketchbook page and been frozen with fear. Or indecision. Or just plain nothing comes to mind?

What if instead, you give yourself a subject to start with. Or a color. Or a size limitation. My Family Ties series started out as a color study. Red. Using vintage and recycled cloth and lace. Funny that the first three in the series barely had any red in them at all - but I had in my minds eye an idea - a direction - a heading. Nothing says you must stick strictly to your limitations. They are simply a starting point.

I'm getting long winded again - and could go on for ages and never actually get this posted. So I'll stop for now and solicit your ideas. 

Family Ties

How do you keep the passion to create alive when LIFE gets in the way?

(Remember - I think LIFE can be more important at times - and that's OK)

DVD Giveaway!

My publisher is doing something very fun - and practically giving away downloads of my DVD

Surface Design Sampler Platter

An Hour of Instruction for 10 Cents I'm not a technophobe by any means. But unlike my colleague Jenn Mason, I am not an early adopter. You won't see me camping out in front of the Apple store the night before a new iPad release or being the first on my block with a 3-D TV. I like other people to test the waters first, let the price come down a bit, and then I consider jumping in. So when I first heard that you coul download a video directly to your computer, I didn't understand why everyone was so excited. I was perfectly happy with something tangible: a DVD you can hold in your hand. It was a form I was used to. Then, at work, I was given access to a video download, so I tried it out. In just a few minutes it was on my computer. No complicated steps. No high-tech knowledge needed. The content is exactly the same as the DVD, except it's always there on my desktop, ready to view whenever want. I don't have to find it, insert it into the drive, and wait. In fact, I'm more likely to use it because it's ready to go when I am. For me, now, downloading is the way to go. If you've never downloaded a video—or if you have and loved the experience—here's a perfect opportunity to try it out with almost no investment. For a limited time we're offering one of our most popular Workshop™ videos from one of our most popular artists, “Surface Design Sampler Platter” with Lyric Kinard, for just 10 cents. You read that right: 10 cents. A dime. The little shiny disk with Franklin Roosevelt on it. Think of it: Lyric was just named 2011 Teacher of the Year by the International Association of Professional Quilters, and you can download a workshop with her for just 10 cents. In “Surface Design Sampler Platter,” Lyric, with her engaging personality, shows you how to carve a stamp from a vinyl eraser, cut a stencil from freezer paper, and print with found objects. Plus, you'll get her best tips on foiling and photo transfer techniques. She shares her knowledge of the properties of the various textile paints available, too. So, < href="http://e1.interweave.com/t?r=1893&c=2452577&l=63310&ctl=34B7083:A15BB4A720ACB5DD49127644A44F653DC684E54182BC9968&" target="_blank" title="Surface Design Sampler Platter">take my advice and try a video download. That, and a dime, will get you more than an hour of surface design instruction from one of the nation's top teachers.

Cate Prato, Online Editor Cloth Paper Scissors Today More Cloth Paper Scissors • Blogs • Forums • Galleries • Free Stuff • Join Cloth Paper Scissors • Share Your Comments

What does a dime get you? An hour with artist and instructor Lyric Kinard! It's quick. It's easy. It's inspiration at your fingertips. Are you familiar with our popular workshop downloads? Take advantage of this 10¢ video download and enjoy Surface Design Sampler Platter (Download) today! Can't choose which surface design technique you want most to learn? Try a little taste of each! Play along with Lyric Kinard as you learn to carve a stamp from a vinyl eraser, cut a stencil from freezer paper, and print with found objects. Learn some of the properties of the various textile paints available. For only 10¢ you'll also explore: Improvisational screen printing Adding some glitz and glamour with foil Quick and easy photocopy transfer Use these fun tips and techniques in your next art project and create something amazing! Download this workshop now through Tuesday for only 10¢.    This workshop is also available at regular price on DVD. This offer is good through Tuesday, April 12th at 11:59 p.m. Mountain Time. Don't wait!

Faces on Friday

The first three are all drawings of my beloved Mr. Almost Perfect. The second looks closes to him - I worked and reworked his nose and think I finally got close to getting it right. Most of the rest are very quickly done - 30 seconds or so.

And just for fun I thought I'd show you this fun thing. I got tired of the back-pack spillage that covers my kitchen floor. We had cubby-holes built in and I spent the past couple days painting them.

For Your Inspiration: As Seen in Montana

 Which is exactly what I said when we passed this place - GOTTA pull over!

We only had a few minutes but it was worth it just to photograph what is in the parking lot.

The Miracle of America Museum in Polson, Montana

Next time - I'm going IN!