Baskets Full Of Life

“We all have our own life to pursue, Our own kind of dream to be weaving... And we all have the power To make wishes come true, As long as we keep believing.”
Louisa May Alcott

In the Nov/Dec issue of Belle Armoire you will discover an article that I wrote for the back page.

In it I compare life to the interwoven textures and layers of a basket….

"Caged Desire"

As I have traveled my life’s journey down an artistic path as a fiber artist and jewelry designer, I look back at all the people and experiences that have influenced me, weaving my being and shaping my soul.

"A Walk By The Sea"

~Helen Keller put it best:

Life is either a great adventure or nothing.

I have just listed two woven basket pendents that hang on "strings of wisdom" cords at my shop along with a few other pieces of jewelry. (fabric art coming soon!)

And If you want to create your own basket to fill with your treasures you can find the entire step out details along with 25 jewelry projects in my book “A Charming Exchange”.

Art Fiber Fest

“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”
~Howard Thurman

(150 pounds of traveling craft fun on wheels!)

Try as I might to live in the moment my mind always some how wonders to the place of
"Oh I wish...!" or "what if...?"

(photos taken in down town Port Townsend Washington.)

The first three days of fiberfest was extreme as well as jam-packed of activity that I never had a moment to catch my breath then around 2am I some how made it to bed each night. And every time just as my head hit the pillow I would think... oh... I never made it down to the beach! Tomorrow... I will go down, tomorrow...

(when I am around photos will be taken!)

Moments of our lives pass so swiftly and the fuller my life becomes I find my self-looking back thinking... where did the time go!
I am constantly reminding my self to soak it all in and be in the moment.

(view from ferry and my favorite shot from the trip)

Artfiber fest is now only a remembrance. And now I can fully admit that I was a tad bit fearful of entering the world of teaching my fabric art as the process of this work that I find irresistible, originates from inside of me. Moreover I was unsure that I could instruct the process that flows effortlessly from with in me, nevertheless I am pleased to report that it all turned out somehow even if I may have weighed down my students with a smidgen more information then they wanted!
(soulful doors is not officially a two day work shop!)

(students and there art work in my class room)

Teaching is such an intoxication… to be able to share your knowledge and observe as people play with your process then in turn make it there own, is shear bliss! Thank you students! For your talents as well as putting up with the toxic fumes that we created with the resin and burring of fabric!

(students and there work)

Each one of you shared your own creativity along the way and opened me to new ideas!
I am endlessly enthused by the power that fills me when surrounded by like-minded souls.

On our last day Nancy, Toni and myself finally made it down to the beach! We strolled along the waters edge collecting small gifts from the sea to carry home in our pockets we then found our way to a picnic table where we unleashed our journal supplies, we soaked up the moment and tried to compile it on our journal pages...


We breathed, connected and even if just for a moment I was just where I needed to be!

Thank you Teesha and Tracy for a Job well done in organizing this advent and I look forward to see you once more in April for artfest and I will track you down Tessha so we can take a photo together! (you were always running around so busy!)

(photo taken my first morning home)

please note: if the 14 photos of ME taken by ME used in this blog post were not enough for you then you can view a slide show of all my photos from this trip here.

“There is something in every one of you that waits and listens for the sound of the genuine in yourself. It is the only true guide you will ever have. And if you cannot hear it, you will all of your life spend your days on the ends of strings that somebody else pulls.” ~Howard Thurman

off to art fiberfest

“If it were not for the ‘last minute’, nothing would get done.”

I am in a frenzy packing up as I leave in the early morning to teach in Washington. Here are a few things that I will have for sale for sale at artfiberfest. I will try to post some of the fabric art that I am just about done with before I go.

art girl

Take flight

Beauty

Create

Behold

Terra (earth)

“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”

Howard Thurman quotes

Why We Create

"Something happens to us as we get a little older," she says. "Adults would never consider [drawing] on a piece of paper and then just throwing it away afterwards. In fact, unless it's valuable afterwards, most adults don't think the experience was worth it. So that's kind of what the book is about. It's about what happens. What happens to that creative urge."
~ Lynda Barry

(Artwork By: Lynda Barry)

I got up early this morning so I could play catch up, I spent a little time with my email and I received this link the Depths of Creativity a NPR interview with Illustrator Lynda Barry

(Artwork By: Lynda Barry)

I was fully captivated by this woman's words at 5 am! And if you know me at all, you know that I am never fully engaged let alone at 5 am!

(Artwork By: Lynda Barry)

Maybe because I have been questioning the driving force behind my own creativity I found this so insightful. However if you take this time to listen to Lynda Barry, I believe that she will truly open your mind about your own creative spirit.

(you can explore more of her work here)

The Art Nest

Looking for something creative to do next summer?
Why not join: Judy, Deryn and myself
at the art nest in Park City, Utah, June 16-20 2009

I will be teaching Soulful Doors

Judy will be teaching Dreams in Wax
and Deryn her stunning Joujou Charm Keeper Necklace.


Registration begins in a few days on October 18th. ( and fills up fast!)

For information and registration, visit The Art Nest website.

I hope you can join us!

knowledge

I am an idealist. I don't know where I'm going but I'm on the way.
~Carl Sandburg

(corner detail)
Yesterday was spent expressing myself in thread...
truthfully a visceral girl at heart...
My creative process is obtained through intuition rather than from reasoning or observation.

(corner detail)

I declare that I am uncomplicated and not profoundly full of intention when I produce art however there is a soul that comes out of me during the creative process that baffles me at times.

(reads: Tree Of Knowledge)

I was raised in an ethnically mixed house hold, my home life resembled the United Nations on any given day.
My father’s family: Native American Indian (Tigua) / Basque. My mother’s: Japanese / Irish.

Culinary delights from around the world were found in our kitchen along with global wisdom from the elders of the household. Spiritual belief was wide open for debate, since more often then not the person sitting across from you at the dinner table did not have the same views on faith as you did.

(world wide book text was used in the bottom most layer and then reviled after free motion stitching completed by way of heat.)

It’s no wonder that I feel eminent affection for all religious convictions and I live my life in alliance to these beliefs.

My Deep rooted fascination to the tree of life and the tree of knowledge must have some connection to the fact that it’s present in most religions.

If you were to take a deeper look at this piece you would see that I used book text from many different lands to represent this aspect.

(side detail I tied threads around the rim of the piece to hold down the cloth.)

I used stained vintage silk for my top most layer. Then with free motion sewing I created the imagery and words with thread. Heat was also used to alter the tree. lastly I embellished with pearls.

This piece is 14 inches by 12 inches. Please click on any of these image to view full size.

(fresh water pearl flower detail.)

WONDERS
(Tree of Knowledge)
(Full View)

“Wonder rather than doubt is the root of knowledge”
~Abraham Joshua Heschel

Evey wall is a door.

"Stars From Heaven"

Life can be demanding. Every now and then we become so mystified that we cannot see how we can progress from one stage to the next. However, if we step back a moment or two, we can catch sight oftentimes of a new course we must take to precede.

(forged and aged cooper)

Over the last couple of days I have been working on class samples for artfiberfest, that will take place in just two weeks.


I will fully admit that things do not always go as planed in my studio, case at hand these doors…

Looking at them now you could never tell that I was breaking needles left and right to the point that I was thinking that I would have to start a new sewing trend of having to where safety goggles to sew!

I had the brilliant idea that I would use extra heavy fusible web to stiffen the felt, however the issue of the sewing needle heating up during the free motion sewing process due to the speed of the needle cased so many problems that this door just about ended up in the trash!

Lucky for me I know when to walk away from a project and allow my self-space from the process.


Its always the details for me, thus with hammer in hand I created these teensy weensy little door handles complete with a slid out rod hinge.

Once the hinge is unlocked, the wide open door reveals a multi-layered collage with an image of a young gypsy girl. The words were pounded into copper then aged and lastly sewn down
(please note the not a single needle was broken when the copper was sewn!)
that reads:



“ Hope is the dream of a soul awake”



Furthermore hinged is the gypsy girl collage that pivots open to disclose the second part that reads:


"The stars from ancient heavens."

Life & Art
is the process of
unearthing
growth and discovery in our character.

Rich In Fruits

We all stumble across artistic blocks,
we know we need to transform but we cannot comprehend how.

My thinking had turned to new ideas but the passion to create has been nowhere in site for me.

"Lost in self doubt"
(yes! we all do this!)

Then last week the visions in my head started to become extra lucid.

And I am happy to report that I have been bursting with innovative imaginings that have been formulating in my head and I have been playing with new ideas and creating new effects.

So why not go ahead and allow your self the freedom to set your self in motion a little today and try to stride out of your creative box and try something new!