Artist : Altoon Sultan

Ah, life has been busy my friends! It's always like this when I'm developing a new series, I have to focus my mind on the matter at hand, which means my blog has been neglected lately! But no more! I couldn't wait to share this artist's work with you. Altoon Sultan. What a beautiful name and what beautiful work.

Triangles and Bar, 2011 by Altoon Sultan. 10" x 10"

My friend, artist Bernadette Frank, a gifted artist in her own right, mentioned that I should acquant myself with her friend's textiles.

 Three of the Empty Center series, by Altoon Sultan.

Altoon lives in Vermont which happens to be my favorite state in the US. An artist who lives in Vermont has a certain aura about them, I think. An appreciation for beauty and nature yet a toughness to survive those harsh and isolating winters.

Nestled in Snow, 2012 by Altoon Sultan.

After a few moments of pouring through her textiles, paintings and photographs, I realized that Altoon has this appreciation in spades.

Black and White, 2012 by Altoon Sultan. 6 1/4" x 6 1/4" egg tempura

I first fell in love with her textiles but then I began to read her blog and discovered she was creative in so many ways. Her egg tempera paintings remind me of Charles Sheeler's work but with a softer, more elegant approach.

Six spider lines, window 2012 by Altoon Sultan.

She is one of those people who can see the beauty in the ordinary. Many people have this ability but there are far fewer who can capture it for the less inclined.

Resting, 2010 by Altoon Sultan. 10" x 15"

Hooked Rug 02 by Altoon Sultan.

Altoon has made many works, please go and marvel through her website and her blog. You won't be disappointed!

work table : landgrabbing series

I've had a few days between deadlines and thought I'd work on developing my new series a bit more. I like to spend a few hard core days working on a new idea, put it down for a week and then pick it up again once I figure out how to resolve certain issues.

This series will be on global landgrabbing. I won't get into the story behind it just now except to say that we are heading towards a global environmental disaster if we don't start regulating this now. The pieces will be larger in scale compared to the foreclosure quilts. Don't worry, I'm still making the quilts! But, there are some other issues popping up in the world that I can't ignore any longer.

There's a lot of research I've been doing on the series. Someone mentioned today that I seem to like to torture myself with all the data that I pour through. I was reading a sixty page data set just published by Grain, listing all of the land deals that have occurred since 2006. What a resource! I could hug them! I also spent some time reading through my books on fabric manipulation.

I spent some of the day researching and then some of it experimenting. I'm so glad I've saved even the tiniest scraps from my projects, they came in use today.

I had a few breakthroughs over the past few days that make me think I'm not wasting my time heading in the completely wrong direction.

I can't wait to get back into the studio tomorrow!

Phoenix Foreclosure Quilt

Finally!! I can share with you the Phoenix Foreclosure quilt that I finished last month. First, the sunny weather got in the way of photographing it and then, surprise, I lost a crucial part of my tripod, grrr. I put it down somewhere in my studio telling myself I would find it easily here ... well, obviously my brain wasn't capable of remembering.

Phoenix Foreclosure Quilt, 2012. 22" x 52"
Shot cotton, cheesecloth, linen, yarn and embroidery thread.

So, this morning I rigged up a ladder and pinned the piece on the exterior of my new studio wall. It's not perfect but at least you get the gist. There are foreclosures all over Phoenix. It was hard to narrow down an area, I could do many pieces here. For now, I zoomed in on what looked to be a thriving neighborhood with a well-functioning K-8 school (the blue rectangle on the right). What must it be like for these kids to walk through this neighborhood?

Phoenix Foreclosure Quilt detail, 2012. 22" x 52"
Shot cotton, cheesecloth, linen, yarn and embroidery thread.

I chose shot cotton for this piece. Red seemed appropriate for Phoenix as well as the dire aspect of the crisis these days. I also used the cheesecloth again as an interior fabric, similar to Detroit. The cheesecloth continues to deteriorate each time I handle the piece, which is part of the point.

Phoenix Foreclosure Quilt detail, 2012. 22" x 52"
Shot cotton, cheesecloth, linen, yarn and embroidery thread.

I am almost finished with the Riverside quilt of which you had a peek here last week, just another week or two. It's shaping up to be one of my favorites.

Featured : Poppytalk and New American Paintings

I had the wonderful honor of being interviewed for two great websites last week, Poppytalk Handmade and the New American Paintings blog.

Lisa Solomon paid a visit to my studio last week and took some great photos of my space for the Poppytalk : In the studio feature, including a few wide angle shots which I've always wanted but didn't have the right lens. Thanks, Lisa!

Studio in February 2012. Image courtesy of Lisa Solomon

She asked some great questions as you'll see in the interview. I visited her studio a few months ago so we had some great conversations about our workspaces. We also have plans for trading some artwork, I'm so excited about that! Head over to the Poppytalk site for more images of the studio and a few more of my home.

Just before Lisa came over, New American Paintings blog contributor Ellen Caldwell interviewed me for their site.

Although we couldn't arrange a studio visit, we were able to have a great interview through email. Ellen's questions are wonderful and thought-provoking. Definitely spend some time looking back through her past interviews, great reads.

Work wall in January.

Besides all of this, I have been hard at work in my studio. I haven't been able to take any final images of my new finished piece, Phoenix for several reasons. Along with the sunny days, which make it impossible to photograph textiles, I lost a crucial part of my tripod! I put it down the other day and can't remember where! But, here is a glimpse of the finished Phoenix as well as the work in progress image of Riverside. Thanks to Lisa, you have some images!

Phoenix on the right, Riverside in progress in the center,
a Fog Linen Work runner in progress on the right. Image courtesy of Lisa Solomon

I'll keep you posted with some new images soon! In the meantime, enjoy the interviews!

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

Uppercase Journal and a view of my work table

I mentioned last month that the latest issue of Uppercase Journal would include my work. I'd been hearing everyone ooh and aah over their copies in the last week. I swear I had subscribed but perhaps I was dreaming. Finally, impatient enough, I walked around in downtown San Francisco one morning searching for a place that carried them. I gave up, went home and realized later that Anthropologie had them the whole time. How did I get my copy? My friend Myrna heard my angst and gave it to me as a present last Friday when I went to her studio. So sweet of her! My friend Claire Brewster's work is also featured. Be sure to grab a copy, now at Anthropologie!

I realized it's due time for another work table posting. It's been so busy around here that when I could finally photograph my latest finished quilt, Phoenix, I missed my chance. Frankly I can't complain, it's been sunny and summery here in San Francisco. I need a dry, cloudy day to photograph outside. It will happen soon! In the meantime, here's my work table (with a tiny sneak peek of Phoenix in red on the wall).

I became downright angry Thursday night. Angry because, still, little is being done about foreclosures. Yes, Obama did unveil his new mortgage task force last week but really, what he did before did little to stem the crisis. I actually pulled out my marremekko fabrics with the thought of making a 'scream in your face' quilt full of bright colors next to deep, dark blacks. It ended up looking a little scary and realized I needed to calm down. What I needed to make was a real scrap quilt.  To go back to those original depression era quilts that inspired me. I yanked out all of my depressing blue and grey remnants and started to make one.

This will be the inner sandwich piece of the next quilt. Which I'm thinking will be Riverside, California. I discovered just one of many blocks where pretty much all of the 64 lots had been foreclosed on in the past three years. It's downright depressing.

A lot of this inner sandwich will be exposed on this quilt. I'm randomly placing the pieces together and I'm still not sure what the top layer will be. It will likely become obvious once this panel is finished. I plan to spend my weekend gardening, thinking positive thoughts!

Artist : Marian Bijlenga

I debated about calling this post Conversations on Flikr. We'll call it a subtitle and I'll get to that topic in a moment. I did discover Marian's work through flikr some time ago and was completely drawn in. She's based in Amsterdam and this piece certainly reminds me of a map of the water city.

Untitled by Marian Bijlenda, 2011. Horsehair, fabric,
machine embroidery. 43 x 43 cm

Today as I was doing my usual monthly gasping session perusing BrownGrotta's website rather than doing actual work, I came across Marian's work again. BrownGrotta representation, what a dream!


Untitled by Marian Bijlenda, 2011. Horsehair,
machine embroidery. 46 x 45 cm

Marian is a talented and very prolific artist. Her work is truly hers, unique and clearly all her own. The works are so delicate yet have a strong tie back to nature, using materials such as horsehair and fish scales. Fish scales?

Untitled by Marian Bijlenda, 2010. Fish scales.

There's a lot in that series. All stunning. Her flikr site offers lots more of her work and is well organized. And that gets me to Flikr. Some of my friends refuse to use it, some say it's a tad old but Marian uses it in a unique and beneficial way. As an open dialogue among other artists. The comments become a back and forth visual conversation that evolves and inspires. Go check it out and see what I mean. Thought provoking.



Sampler by Marian Bijlenda, 2011.

Marian Bijlenga's website can be found here. Her flikr page is here. Enjoy the tour!

Artist : Jiseon Lee Isbara

I first came across Jiseon Lee Isbara's artwork last year at the Wrapped in Tradition show at the Museum of Craft and Folk Art in San Francisco. Some of you might remember this stunning piece I shared from the show.

Blueprints, 2010. 25" x 34  1/2" Hand stitched, dyed and inkjet printed

silk fabric.

This one caught my eye in particular and I couldn't get it out of my mind. I tracked down her blog/website and discovered more from her 'meaningless squares' series as well as more recent series that are even more impressive. These are images from her new Embodiment series.

Embodiment, 2011. 5" x 47" x 4" Stitched and drawn,

ramie and cotton.

Her work is about "personal observation and artistic interpretation of her life as an artist, teacher, wife, mother and immigrant".

Embodiment detail, 2011. 5" x 47" x 4" Stitched and drawn,

ramie and cotton.

That really comes through in these pieces. Her mind seems to work like mine which is why I'm drawn to it. Perhaps you see your thought processes displayed here too. We struggle to control the chaos that goes through our minds as we multi-task through life. It's not an easy job. The titles really tell it all.

Accumulated, 2009. 365 pieces, 3 1/2" x 3 1/2" x 3 1/2"-6" x 6" x 6"

Hand stitched, silk and polyester strings.

Gorgeous work, no?

Accumulated detail, 2009. 365 pieces, 3 1/2" x 3 1/2" x 3 1/2"-6" x 6" x 6"

Hand stitched, silk and polyester strings.

Here's how a lot of us feel some days ... on autopilot. Who would have thought you could make such a beautiful poignant piece around that idea.

Repeated, 2010. 9"X 45' Woven, screen printed and stitched,

cotton.

Repeated detail, 2010. 9"X 45' Woven, screen printed and stitched,

cotton.

Jiseon Lee Isbara runs the Fibers Department at the Oregon College of Art and Craft. See more of her work here.

Artist : Doug Johnston

Doug Johnston is definitely someone whose work hovers between art and craft. I first learned of his sash cord series when it was featured last week on Remodelista.


Doug Johnston vessels. Photo by Michael Popps

I succumbed immediately and bought the "200" bag. The bags and totes are made to order but they look like they will be worth the wait. His website explains the technique used to make the pieces, which is based on ancient ceramic coiled pots and basketry.

The 200 by Doug Johnston. Photo by Michael Popps.

This is also an example of what a great photographer can do for your work. I come from a family of photographers so I had to slip that little plug in there! A little humor doesn't hurt either.

The Dunce Bag by Doug Johnston. Photo by Michael Popps.

This series is just the latest in a long line of Doug's creative projects that branch out into music as well. Here's a more artistic take on the sash cord series, called rumpleskillskid. The vessels are large enough to fit a person inside.

sash cord series with rumpleskillskid by Doug Johnston. Photo by Michael Popps.

Be sure to check out his website to see other creative ideas he has. And, of course, his shop can be found here.


Photo by Michael Popp

And I'll leave you with a little peek into his studio in Brooklyn, NY.

Foreclosure Quilts and craziness

It's been a weird, wild week for me. Now that New American Paintings came out, I expected some emails and I've had a few. A few good ones in fact. The Cleveland Quilt is now living in a happy home in Denver. I'm going to miss that quilt but so happy it's found a good home.

Cleveland Foreclosure Quilt, 2011.

A few days after I shipped off the quilt, Justine Hand wrote an amazing article on my quilts that was posted on Remodelista.

The funny thing was, I discovered the article by accident. I opened up the website to do some research on kitchen remodeling (I'll get to that part later) and there they were! Overnight, I was bombarded with emails from supporters, collectors, gallery owners, shop owners ... you name it, they called. Needless to say it was an amazing way to start 2012! I'm not sure what the next few months will bring but I expect I will be busy with my art as well as remodeling this and starting this. Am I crazy? Somehow it will all come together. It always does, in the most wonderful way. Happy New Year, everyone!

Artist : Jen Lee

I can't tell you the angst I feel that I can't find out more about Jen Lee and her work. As you know, beautiful images are fluttering around all over the internet, which is great except when you can't find where they came from and give them their proper credit.

Jen Lee, 2011. Image from ArtBlogArtBlog.

 I discovered her work through Pinterest via Maria Bohlin. After a few dead ends and lots of "Jen Lee, artist" searches on Google I came up empty-handed. I'm not alone in that thought, I found a great comment along the same lines just below this piece over at Crude Vessels.

Jen Lee, 2011. Image from Crude Vessels

But I just had to share Jen's stunningly, ethereal work with you anyway in the hopes that someone out there can tell us more and lead us to find her. So if you know anything, please comment below and I'll update the post.

Jen Lee, 2011. Image from ArtBlogArtBlog.

These pieces make one realize that ALL paintings on canvas are just textiles! We forget this once they are wrapped around wood frames. The geometry calls attention to it as well as the obvious fact that they aren't framed (gallery owners across the country would shudder at that thought). Not to mention the pieces celebrate the rawness of the canvas: the texture and color are brought forth.

Jen Lee, 2011. Image from ArtBlogArtBlog.

I know, I know. Calm down, you say. I'm getting all esoteric on you. But really, for something so simple, they are really powerful pieces. Are they not? In the meantime, just enjoy these images. And Jen, if you're out there, let us know where to find you!

Happy 2012!

Happy New Year to everyone! 2011 has been an amazing year for me. So much has happened and I owe you all a huge thank you for your unwavering support of my work.

Foreclosure Quilt Series, all made in 2011.

I've accomplished more quilts than I thought possible, had a wonderful collaboration with Vanessa Filley and starting planning a new series.

Quick study on new series which has since been tossed aside.

But the best part of all was making friends with all of you. It is so nice to know there are other artists out there that have similar struggles making art. There are certainly ups and downs, though it seems a lot of us have had a great year. It was also amazing to realize that some of you live really close by! It was wonderful to have the chance to meet in person and hope we meet more frequently in the new year.

Resolutions? Plans for 2012? I have four. First and foremost, I plan to continue the foreclosure series and spread the word as best I can. Second, I am starting a new series on landgrabbing, hopefully this month. Third, I will continue to write this blog and try to find more amazing artists out there to share with you. And the biggest, craziest plan? To tackle a huge, new garden and blog about that as well. Head over here to see my first post. Wish me luck!  What are your big plans for 2012? I wish you luck as well!