work table : getting back into the routine ... finally!

I've had such a blissful start to my week, back in the studio, back to my old routine which I missed SO much. A lot has happened since January 1st this year I can't say I'm shocked it's almost March already. A quick health update and a good one finally! After numerous biopsies and finally a surgery (really!) I learned I do not have stage IV cancer. Yes, that's what I had hanging over my head all of January. Amazingly, what looked pretty darn dire was not what it seemed. I'm still scratching my head over it all. I have something that just mimics all of that nasty stuff. And it's treatable, thankfully, by sometimes just doing nothing. Really! How's that for a wake up call?! So now back to our regularly scheduled program but with an added sense of appreciation to it all! But first, thanks to ALL of you wonderful friends out there who wished me well and sent good vibes my way. It all worked!

All of my books are now in one place. Well, almost. I love how everyone
seems to own Denyse Schmidt's Quilts book.

Last week it seems a lot of artists were busy cleaning up their studios, myself included. I am in the process of a giant purge, clearing out the paints and old tools I haven't touched in five years. Letting go of the past is one thing I've really been itching to do over the past month. And now my studio is ready for some new work. And I'm making it, a lot, in fact.

I will never tire of trace paper. I wish I had a larger dedicated drawing table.

I'll only have some bits and bobs to show you for a few weeks until it comes more clearly into focus but it's moving forward in such a good way. I've never been happier and never been more pleased with how my work is going. I just wish I had more time to spend making it all. Patience is one thing that I've lost a bit of over the past month, understandably. But it's all so very, very good.

The view from my sketch area of my smaller work wall.

My new series initially involves creating a conceptual quilt pattern 'book' designed in black and white. Think Louise Bourgeois' Ode a L'oubli. It's a way of investigating a much bigger idea that I have planned for this year. It really calls into practice all of those essential elements that I strive for in my work. All the while, I'm picking away at the studio clean up (see that pile on the floor on the bottom right below?). All outgoing! It's so wonderful to work in a clean studio for a change.

My large 4'x8' work table is now devoid of tools to allow quicker
cutting and measuring. I also just ordered a nice new iron to
replace this cheap one. Never buy Rowenta btw. They leak!

I also have plans for a big website and blog overhaul in the coming months (that's a daunting task, isn't it!) so stay tuned. In the meantime, you can follow me on Instagram or Facebook. And check out what's inspiring me over on Pinterest. So much beauty over there! I hope everyone is busy making wonderful things and just being happy this year. We all deserve it, don't we? Send me some links to what you're working on in the comments below, I'd love to see some of it!

Work Table : The Dress ... for lack of a better name for now

Over the past month I've been processing all of the sewing I did over the summer into a new piece. I'm working on a dress, but not an ordinary dress. This one is made up of sixty four pieces of clothing. These sixty four castoffs (from my and my friend's closests) represent the amount of clothing that the average American purchases every year. I learned this little fact from reading Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion by Elizabeth Cline.  Ponder this for a moment. That's over one new article of clothing a week. Really? It's hard to visualize, no? Hopefully, this dress will help us see it for what it is.

The images show only twelve pieces of clothing at this stage, a far cry from sixty four. And yes, that will be some train coming off the back.

Most of us are guilty of buying a lot clothes these days, myself included. It took me an entire year to figure out why I wasn't wearing half the clothes in my closet. It's because after one wash, they never look as good as they did on the rack. In fact, they look terrible. Oh yeah, it's because they're cheaply made! So the clothing languishes in my closet, unworn.

This dress also won't be worn, unless I want to break my back wearing it. But, hopefully, it will make a statement about how much we're wasting with the 'fast fashion' movement. We will be able to see it with our own eyes.

And now I need to come up with a name for the dress or, perhaps the project, if it turns into one. I ponder that as I sew it together. Yes, I'm handsewing it. With a visible, bright red thread, of course.

A week in the studio

Uh oh, I think I like my summer studio better than my San Francisco studio. Even though it's probably half the size, the new space is brighter and definitely warmer! After being in the same studio in San Francisco for fifteen years, my usual studio is clearly in need of a deep clean. One thing that will be moving back with me is my new sewing machine!

After hearing numerous snickers about my old machines and having a particularly frustrating day that involved two types of screwdrivers being used multiple times within two hours, I gave up on my old machines. I was digging around for an old one on Craigslist but came up empty. Then I started thinking about how every place I'd been recently had a Juki. Little did I realize they made home machines as well. I didn't need anything as fancy as a Bernina (nor could I fork over the money) so I thought I'd give this one a shot. Not too expensive but does everything I've been wanting for years. Feed dogs that lower, reverse stitch that works, I can even put through more than three layers of fabric without the needle getting stuck. Yes, I had it bad before which may explain why I hand-sewed all of those quilts!

And now I'm eager to tackle the indigo fabric I made recently. Not sure what I'll do with it but Louise Bourgeois has one amazing piece that I've fallen hard for.

Louise Bourgeois: 'Untitled' (2005). Fabric © Louise Bourgeois Trust.
Courtesy Hauser & Wirth Photo: Christopher Burke (via Louise Bourgeois: The Fabric Works)

Lots of ideas flowing. I promised myself that I would just play a bit this summer and not focus in on anything in particular ... yet. First, there's the book. Everyone at the indigo weekend fell for it, hard. It's worth every penny. I've also been spending too much time on Pinterest. Check out my summer smock inspiration board. I've also been making smocks, dresses and playing with a lot of color.

This dress came from a pattern I made from an existing dress. And that hot pink? I ordered some remnant wool felt from Filzfelt to play with. Yes, I'm thinking about a new series but I'm not committing yet.

We'll see what the next few weeks in the summer studio bring. In the meantime, there's a whole lot of produce to harvest and process just outside the studio door.

You won't see any of that growing in San Francisco!

In the new studio

Having a new studio has been a bit liberating, giving me the freedom to play a bit. 

Somehow I always end up starting with quilt blocks. But this time, the
blocks inspired a completely new series that is not a quilt.

The freedom has brought new ideas, including what I think(hope!) will be a good series. Yes, it's fiber. I'm so in love with the medium.

It started with the desire to make a few pieces of clothing that I actually liked this summer, just a little breather from the deeply conceptual work I've been making over the past two years. Anyone else disgusted with the cheap clothing available in stores? And when I do find clothes I love, they cost a fortune, in the $300+ range. Which makes sense, since they're all handmade. So why couldn't I just make my own? I know how to sew. It also doesn't hurt to have a friend, Sonya Philip, who practices this mantra every day.

I started with the most simple pattern there is. Perfect for the hot summer days we've been having in Sonoma.

Once I hung the clothes on the wall, they no longer looked like clothing but more like soft sculpture. Hmmm, the ideas started flowing. In the interim, more peach preserving happening here, I think a total harvest of 70 pounds this year!

Summer happens

Summer. This summer I've been so busy but in a good way, I haven't even had time to post on the blog! And then I realized, I could just post photos, don't worry about text. This summer is my self imposed residency at our cottage in Sonoma. And so, without further ado, I will start posting again but without much text.

Some ideas I've been playing with. I've been wanting to work with
bright colors.

Just some glimpses into my studio where I'm 'playing' with ideas and into my garden adjacent to my studio, where I'm spending a lot of time.

Harvesting about six pounds a day of peaches! I think I might end up with
three dozen jars of peach jam.

What are you up to this summer? Any exciting projects? I'd love to hear!

work table : part one

I knew the first half of 2013 would be insanely busy and so far, it's rung very true. It's all good, it's just time management is not one of my strong points these days. I used to be a project manager for a 5,000 acre development and somehow it seemed effortless. I guess  calling yourself an 'artist' allows you to read a calendar more casually. So, what have I been up to?

Part one, the Land Grab Series ... I'm furiously working on the this series/installation. It's like pieces to a puzzle which hasn't been assembled yet except in my head. But here's some little tidbits. I'm making a series of white porcelain plates that will be part of a table setting or wall display. The plates depict actual farmland that has been land grabbed in various countries. These farms are so huge they're broken into these exact pieces by either rivers or man made roads. The blue is a map of the country that bleeds onto a table runner below. Pick up a plate, you've taken some land.

Upper left, Brazil. Upper right, Cambodia. Lower left, Cameroon.

These are sketches of how they'll be presented on a dark blue table runner which can also act as a wall panel. Lots of little white seed stitches ahead of me with the runners. And it will tie into the floor installations as well at some point. It's happening, just slowly! The plates are shaping up nicely and quickly, now that I understand the medium a little better. Of course they've just been bisque fired so you'll have to wait to see the finished product but here's a small scale test run I made in December.

A few Brazil plates in the making.

Here's my 'inspiration board' to give you an idea of the overall mood of the series. Yes, those are Paula Greif's charming little spoons in the upper left.

Since I've banned my computer in my studio, I had to print the images out for reference. To see them for yourself with wonderful links back to their makers, check out my Pinterest board "At the table ...". Part two is next and it's all about the Foreclosure quilts.

Mali, Land Grab series

Day one back in the studio after a long summer and I finished round one of the Mali map in the new Land Grab series.

Mali, Land Grab Series, 2012 by Kathryn Clark. Broken porcelain plates and clay pots. 5' x 5' 

I was able to accumulate enough plates from thrift stores and this friend and this new friend to make it happen. See that beautiful hand painted dish in the foreground? Pieces like this certainly add a level of depth I didn't have before. This piece was handmade in Egypt.

I still have two more days and counting before my daughter is back in school and I can be in the studio full time again. And that's when I'll sit down and start writing about this series.

I've noticed there's a lot more discussion of our food in the news these days, although that might be because I'm in California where Proposition 37: label our GMO's, is the top story. I'm guessing you can tell which side I'm on. It's getting nasty with Monsanto throwing a lot of money to fight it. This is just one of the issues that comes out of the global land grab and industrial mono-culture farming that results.

Mali, Land Grab Series detail, 2012 by Kathryn Clark.
Broken porcelain plates and clay pots. 5' x 5' 

There are so many little facets of information that I need to summarize in one succinct paragraph. A definite challenge as a writer!

In other news, I have three more artists to share with you in the next two weeks. I can't wait!

Summer distractions and broken plates

It's been a distracting summer this year. My daughter has twelve weeks off from school, only two of them will be spent at camp. Needless to say, more than two hours in the studio every day is rare. The other distraction is my new garden, which is going strong. When the produce is ripe, you've got to jump into action. With twenty raised beds and nineteen fruit trees, I've had my hands full!

My brain, however, is longing and aching to spend time in the studio to catch up on all these ideas in my sketchbook around the landgrabbing series. My clay class is over and now I'm waiting for the call to pick up my glazed and fired pieces from the studio. Hopefully they turned out and I can share some of them with you soon. Trust me, they're elementary! But you have to start somewhere. Three years ago I didn't even know how to sew and I learned that medium in no time! In the meantime, I have other ideas flowing around the series. Here is one image I came across that I just can't get out of my mind. It was taken in China.

Image by Jennifer Ling Datchuk taken in China

I'm on the hunt for broken plates for the new series. I see lots of talk about broken plates on the internet, how you can find them on ebay. But every time I search, I come up empty handed. But seriously, if I could just get my hands on all of these, I'd be the happiest gal alive!

Image by Jennifer Ling Datchuk taken in China

I have a friend who plans to give me a box full next week to supplement my trips to local thrift stores. But I need a stash that looks like these.

Image by Jennifer Ling Datchuk taken in China

I wonder how many restaurants break plates every week? Any ideas on where to look would be wonderful! I feel like there's some obvious solution that I'm missing. If anyone can enlighten me, I would be thrilled!

Work table : Land Grabbing Series

The land grabbing series is underway (there's got to be a better name). In the meantime, all of my Foreclosure quilts are now shipped off to new homes or are in upcoming shows. I started my clay class last week and have learned a tremendous amount already. Last night we experimented with slab construction. I handed over my first pieces for firing so we'll see if they turn out. In the meantime, there is a lot of experimenting going on in my studio as well. Here's a peek.

Above are pieces my daughter and I made on our first day in the 'clay' studio. Of course, there will be textiles as part of this series as well.

Ceramics will be a quick learning curve for me as I tend to throw myself into my work 200% once I have an idea. I already have a lot of clay tools in my studio including some of my mom's from thirty plus years ago.

Both of my parents were artists and made pottery. Here's one of my favorite pictures of my dad hard at work. I love the pipe hanging out of his mouth while he works.

In between clay building, I'm developing the series and honing down on the subject matter with lots of sketches, studies and writing.

I love this moment in the process, when the idea is there but it needs refining and direction. It gives me the chance to study the idea in different scales from the tiny ...

Oil Palm Seed. Image by Rhett A. Butler.

To the global scale ...

Oil Palm clear cutting in the Ketipang district of Indonesia's West
Kalimantan province, July 5, 2010. Image courtesy of REUTERS/Craig Palinggi

It will all come together in the end as an intimate yet powerful statement about industrial agriculture and land grabbing. I hope to share some writing about the work with you next week but in the meantime, there are lots of other ceramicists to share with you so stay tuned.

Foreclosure Quilt : Riverside, CA

I finished another foreclosure quilt last month and am finally sharing it with you! I have to say things have been quite busy for me the past month but it's all been good. I have numerous projects under way in the studio that I'll share soon enough. But I've also been busy in the garden. I'm trying to grow most of our own food this year, which ties into my concerns about global farming and the land grab. But back to the foreclosures ... Riverside, CA.

Riverside Foreclosure Quilt, 2012. 34" x 46"
Tea stained voile, cotton, linen, yarn and embroidery thread.

Southern California has been hit as hard as other areas in the US. As many of you know, SoCal is a very large swath of housing that just seems to go on and on. Zooming in on a particular area was quite a challenge.

Riverside Foreclosure Quilt detail, 2012. 34" x 46"
Tea stained voile, cotton, linen, yarn and embroidery thread.

I chose Riverside because it seemed there was no neighborhood in the city that was immune to foreclosures. I wish I could wander around the city to appreciate it more. One thing that was apparent is a lot of these homes that were foreclosed on in the past couple of years have been fixed up and flipped. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or bad? On the one hand, it's great that they are being spruced up and helping improve the neighborhood. But, who is behind the fixing up and flipping? A reputable company or someone out to make some quick money?

Riverside Foreclosure Quilt detail, 2012. 34" x 46"
Tea stained voile, cotton, linen, yarn and embroidery thread.

I heard an story today on NPR about companies that are buying up the foreclosures, fixing them up and renting them out. It works if it's a small business who is managing a few properties. But are companies biting off more than they can chew? It sounds like even renters need to do their due diligence before the sign a contract these days. Here we go ... into the next phase of the messy 'clean up'. Who knows where this will lead?

In another life perhaps ... my passion for CERAMICS

I'm a hopeless romantic. Ever since I saw pictures of Diana Fayt's bay area studio, I've been infatuated with the life of ceramicists.

Diana Fayt's studio. Courtesy of DesignSponge.

Their work amazes me. Diana's is quite beautiful and ever evolving. Sometimes it's muted, sometimes bold.

Diana Fayt. Courtesy of www.dianafayt.blogspot.com.

The materials and tools they have lying around are gorgeous. All those subtly toned tile samples lined up in all of their studios appeal to my sense of order and love of color. And then there are those amazing photos of the artist at work.

Laura Stasser. Courtesy of www.laurastasser.com.

They make it look so blissful and easy. Well, I know it's not! Actually, I'm sure it's pretty damn hard to make something turn out how you want it to. And even then you have to be open to surprises. I'm sure, like any artist, it takes years to find your voice in the medium and then years to hone it. Here are some that have certainly honed it.

Sara Paloma's vessels. Courtesy of www.sarapaloma.com.

Erin McGuiness. Courtesy of www.erinmcguiness.com.

I love that the pieces are functional but also pure art. And often, they're more appreciated than the fine art hanging on the walls in people's homes. Which is fine, I understand that. When I go into someone's house and see they have one of Rae Dunn's pieces, we have an instant connection. A love of fine craft and a wonderful story to tell about how each piece was chosen.

Rae Dunn salt cellars. Courtesy of www.raedunn.com.

Check out all of their work. And let me know of any ceramic artists that you admire. I'd love to know more.

Diana Fayt

Laura Strasser

Sara Paloma

Erin McGuiness

Rae Dunn

Studio views

I'm going to apologize in advance for what I'm about to share with you. I think I know you pretty well by now. Just be warned you're about to spend a long time at the computer thanks to this review. In the Make offers amazing sneak peeks into artists studios and with incredible interviews to read while you gawk.

Linda Geary. Photo by Klea McKenna

Currently San Francisco bay area focused, the site was created by photographer Klea McKenna and writer Nikki Grattan. I love that I can learn about artists that are so close by. The in-depth interviews by Gratton hone in on an artist's daily practice and are insightful and observant.

Ido Yoshimoto. Photo by Klea McKenna

McKenna is the one behind all those wonderful photographs on the site. Close-ups and overalls give you a good sense of the studio space and capture how each artist works.

Jill Sylvia. Photo by Klea McKenna

As you can see from above, some studios are neat as a pin while others are barely held together. And seeing the artwork that goes with the studio space is rather enlightening.

Imen Yeh. Photo by Klea McKenna

And there's always at least one photo in each interview that captures the artist's personality. I love the one above. Haven't we all not taken on this posture at some point? There are links to the artist's websites as well after each interview if you want to keep surfing forever. In the Make. Don't say I didn't warn you!