What makes art and someone an artist?

Ever feel fragmented.. what direction to go in? In a month I turn 50. The age does not bother me but defining what I want to do for the next season of my life does.
Most of my married life I have had kids to rule and guide. They are still there but more independent than ever.
I thought I would have so much free time when they were grown. My life has been defined in how much work I get done. Meet a deadline. Make pies, bake pies! (lots of fundraisers for those kids)
I even crammed more sewing in the day when the kids were small than I do now.
Now that I am "into" art quilting I find as I delve deeper into it I can be more intimidated by presenting what I am making. Critique is good but oh so hard.
It is like I want a course outline to follow so I can check the accomplishments off of the list.
I wonder what others think of this.
Do you ever feel you need a list to check off so you can put the label of fiber artist on yourself?
If you stumble by leave an opinion.
Share my question if you have more blog readers than me. (None of my family even read what I write - although to give them credit none of them probably are aware that I even have a blog)
Off for the day .... again.
http://www.123rf.com/stock-photo/art_deco_design.html

(First random image I latched onto when searching for free art design)

When.......is a bad word in my lingo...

I keep thinking I will create when...
I don't know if when will come as "when" was going to come when

• the kids grew up.... 19, 21 and 24 is grown
• the kids where away from home...2 back to University and 1 staying until he is married next year. 
• things settle down at the day job...ha,ha, ha
• My fibromyalgia settles down... 15 years and still going strong...and yes I have tried just about everything. 
• When the dog died... she died and then I gave in to this....

What can I say he looked into my eyes and I was in love! He is Moe. Short for Geronimo! (Picture me out in the back yard yelling Geronimo! and you can see why I shortened it.) 

"When" came to a crisis a couple of weeks ago. I used to call them magic melt downs when the kids were small. They had enough! Their energy was shot. Whether the heat, demands, worries, concerns - I had enough. I do not have to drain myself on other peoples agendas. What is important is my family and my health. 

So... regroup. Forgive oneself for ones imperfect state. 

One day at a time. This too shall pass. Take time to smell the roses. 

Throw out when and do now! Play with the puppy!

Just about done my entry for the Burlington Fiber Arts - Literary Arts Exhibit. It is due the 19th of September. I will see if it gets juried in but even if it doesn't it is going on my wall eventually. I love it and that what matters! 

Picture posted when the entrance date is over.  

:)

Inspiration!

Finally some time to play in the sewing lair. A whole afternoon to play!

I had made a table runner - a spiral table runner seen here http://thesewinggeek.blogspot.ca/2012/06/been-busy-with-lots-family-all-home-for.html

I had a bunch of leftovers and I hate to see waste so I assembled them. The colours are some of my favorites. I was excited to use them and going through my stuff I found other things to add.
The following pictures shows the process.
Now is the piece finished or do I add some more beading.
The piece will be called Harmony. Not because the lines match up because they don't. But because this is the way I would like to see the world. All different pieces coming together in a Harmonious pattern.

Comments are welcome!



March 8, 2013

Update: After making this piece and adding a bunch of embellishments I entered it into the BFA guild show last fall. It was not juried in. I was not there for the Jurors comments.
I ended up taking all the embellishments off. And just placed on yoyo with dangling beads on it. I liked the result much better.

I  entered two pieces into the BFA's latest show at the Greenwood Gallery in Guelph on until May 2013 and this piece was accepted. I can't wait to see it hanging the next time I go to Guelph.

Interesting Thought...

If you never put yourself out there, risk or try you do not grow.
If you try and succeed you feel great and will try again.
If you try and do not make it what is in people to keep trying and why do some give up.

Just thinking.... 

Holiday time...

Off for two weeks... but what a dilemma! What to take with me....?
The sewing machine for sure. But what projects? Quillows for neices? Hand quilting? Kanzani flowers? Fabric beads to make my earrings? Flannel to make baby blankets for friends? Odds and sods of projects half done? New projects? Art quilting projects? My new seta paints?
I wish I could take it all but my sewing room won't fit in the van....

Home is where the heart is.... or my happy place.

I have to decide by 2 pm. It is a good thing I have a patient husband.

Battle Reenactment...

My DD works at a Canadian Historic Park which depicts the life of Fort George in the time of 1812. The fort is located in Niagara on the Lake, Ontario on the Niagara River. Fort Niagara (USA fort) is across the river. Saturday they had a simulated reenactment of  a Naval exercise for the British. 

After the "battle" DH and I spent a lovely afternoon people watching, reading and napping in the park. 

We then got some supper from the local grocery store and went to the actual Fort George park site to take in an evening reenactment of the "Re taking of the Fort by the British soldiers, Militia, and Natives forces from the "Americans" who had taken over the fort in the War of 1812. 

Lots of musket fire and cannons. The reenactors do this for free and travel around each year on the weekends to share our history. They do this on both sides of the border. If you can take in any events that go on this summer and fall and next year it truly is a fun experience and worth finding out more about Canadian and American history. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_George,_Ontario

http://friendsoffortgeorge.ca/fgnh.htm

http://www.pc.gc.ca/lhn-nhs/on/fortgeorge/index.aspx/

You can start your search here. 

Oh what a glorious Canada Day!

Canada Day weekend. Sometimes we go to the cottage;Sometimes we stay home. This weekend we went to the cottage with some great friends. Sun, water, peaceful sounds of the forest.
And our new duck friends.

Bob and Betty were a couple who kept floating by and even came up on the dock.

We named the single mom Matilda. The three children are unnamed. When my kids were small I would have made a whole story about them and their lives. As it was we just enjoyed them. 

Thankful we live in a free country. We may have some problems as a nation. But I do confess when I am at the cottage I do not think of any. 

A few things on the go....

Been busy with lots! Family all home for the summer, work, play, etc. The spring has played havoc with my joints.

Best news is my DS1 is engaged to a wonderful girl. So a wedding next year!

On the sewing/quilting front I finally finished a queen size top that my daughter and I have been working on for awhile. It is for a great couple who have been patiently waiting for it for a year.

This is it before borders. I need to take it to be basted and then it will be hand quilted by my daughter and I this summer.

I also did a table runner with my local quilt guild. I love it and it is in my living room.

It is a spiral table runner using the 9 or 10 degree ruler.

Working on an art piece for my Fiber Arts group and a joint show being put on in the fall with 3 other groups. http://www.fibrations.org/ This should be a real stretch for me. I have been mulling in my mind of what to do and I have the basic structure in place. It is a piece that will be the first part of a series for me based on my family history and my art. (note to self: take pictures.)

I love to many quilting forms - traditional and art quilting. For now I will just go with what brings me joy!

Kanzashi Flowers...

I like to find small projects that are portable. In the evenings I find it hard to sew at my machine.
Though  playing with making my yoyo's with my Clover makers. A member of my fiber arts group got me hooked on making the yoyo's and from that I went to see what other things I could make.
Kanzashi flowers caught my eyes. Diane Gilleland book explains how to make these beautiful flowers. Her blog is full of examples and information.

 http://kanzashi-in-bloom.com/blog

You can buy the templates from clover but this book is very enjoyable to read and look at. It has easy to follow instructions.

Here are some of the flowers I have made.

Petals...

See the yoyo's.

Yoyo's or buttons as centres. 

Hair clips, pins, quilts... of what fun! 

Fabric Beads and more

Over the past few months I have been playing with making fabric beads.
It has been fun and is something easy to do while I watch tv or when I am in the car (not driving as passenger).
After surfing  you tube to find out how to do it and watching a few video's I have made some beads. I have found that I do not like to use glue to hold them together. I have been using some double side sticky tape I bought at an art supply store. I have been using up my batik cotton scraps that I have been saving.
Here is the result.

And after adding some sparkly thread which I wrapped and stitched on again because I do not like glue.

And then I made some earrings.

And then I got hooked on making yoyo's (not the wooden child's toys) out of fabric scraps using my "Clover" yoyo makers that I bought sometime ago.  So I made these.

I am not sure what I will do with the yoyo and beads but I love the colours.  For now I will just make them for fun. 

I am enjoying wearing the earrings. 

Now to figure how I want to use them in a necklace. 

Great things to make and use in the future. 

Resources:

www.kristalwick.com    Kristal Wick - author,  video's, books and beads

www.thecreativeexplorersclub.com  Linda Mathews. This months tutorial from the Creative Explorers club of which I am a member. I can't wait to try our some of the techniques in it. 

Fun to play. 

Fabric Paper Play....

Making fabric paper is like going back to grade school art class! I covered my table in the laundry room with plastic and began... 

Using my Creative Explorer instructions I first did the easiest technique using muslin, fusible and tissue paper. 

Next I made the rigid fabric paper... 

I made several types of paper. 

This muslin + tissue paper with a fabric dye product called Colourvie     http://colourvie.com

This is muslin + tissue paper + stamping with staz on ink.

This is muslin +tissue paper + craft store acrylic paint. 

Muslin + tissue paper + cheese cloth. (Not coloured yet)

Muslin + tissue paper + dryer sheets. (no colour) 

 I am keeping a note book with my experiments. 

The possibilities are endless. And lots of fun to play with glue! 

It is fun to be a creative explorer! (Even if this is January's project! ) 

Fabric Paper...

Today I play...
I am going to for go laundry and cleaning...
Fabric paper is the order of the day.
We will see what we come up with.
( the we is the creative muse and I)
I will add in pictures.
The techniques I will use are from Linda Mathews Creative Explorer Club and a recent workshop that I took from Roberta (I need to find out how to spell her last name)
Time to play.... 

Creative Explorer

Creative Explorer
I joined Linda Matthews  Creative Explorer Club in January http://www.thecreativeexplorersclub.com. I have kept up with reading the posts, organizing the information (binder complete), started some of the work, but still have not actually made anything. (I think this will be one of my better investments in my creative journey yet!)

I seem to think I am in a "doing funk".

Admittedly

•  I was away for over two weeks in January so it was catch up on work before and after.
• And then two kids (whom I love to death) returned home for reading week last week. 
• I have joined the gym and have made it out two times a week and gone skiing twice. 
• I have attended my guild meetings. I belong to two guilds so that is three meetings a month. 
•  I do the show and share archive for one of the guilds that takes a good three to four hours to comply with pictures and writing. 
• Done mom duty. (taking of MIL somewhere) 
• Hosted a wedding shower (lots of fun!) Made the invites on my computer. Games, shopping , set up. etc. My dd helped a lot! 
• Attended a workshop on "What if...) which was lots of fun fusing things together, melting etc. 
• Finished up treasurer year end for an association I belong to and wrapped it up to pass on to another which took me several evenings of work. 
• Working on church library data entry, passing over some of that work, getting the information reading to add to our church web site from the library (several days of work in the end... the oh it will be easy was not so...) 
• Spent an afternoon sewing with my mom. 
• Still re organizing the sewing room and stash after the pre Christmas decision to reno the laundry room. I feel like I can not play until my basement is neat. 
• Sorted through said stuff and have gotten rid of 5 boxes of material etc. 
• Got rid of 4 boxes of household stuff. 

So why do I feel uncreative? In trying to clear my head and house of clutter and doing my regular and required things, adding in some new things like the gym and shedding some responsibilities (which took up several days of time) I had to give up play time. 

But all this has cleared the way for my brain to peculate ideas. 

Or maybe I just need a deadline. 

That is how things seem to get done in my life.... 

How about you?