work table : circles

I've been drawn to circles recently ... perhaps it's cutting and sewing too many rectangles in my foreclosure series that's got me thinking of roundness. I took some pictures yesterday around my studio of all the circles I saw.

Anyone else thinking in circles these days? Hmmm, sounds like a great title for an Idiom piece ...

Trip to Napa/Sonoma

We completely lucked out on the weather for our trip to Napa/Sonoma last week. The forecast was rain the entire time and we almost cancelled. One day before the trip the sun came out.

We spent most of our time in Napa County driving around the various towns of St. Helena, Calistoga and Oakville. We came to the conclusion that it's too touristy for our tastes. Nothing seemed authentic, it was all for show. Granted the wines are incredible there, the shops are wonderful. But, it just seemed as if we were looking at a postcard the entire time. We couldn't put our finger on it.

The last day, we drove over to Sonoma on our way home and spent the day wondering around in the countryside and town.

Bartholomew Park Organic Winery, Sonoma.

There's something about Sonoma that we love. Maybe it's the down to earth people, the low key setting, that beautiful town square. I think a big reason is the large number of working farms raising cattle, growing vegetables and making cheese in addition to grapes. You don't have to go far for everything you need, it's right there.

Mustard, Bartholomew Park Organic Winery, Sonoma.

We've already planned a week long trip back to Sonoma in April, the week the farmer's markets open for the year. This is where we stayed last year and loved every second of it. If you're in the area, it's the perfect vacation spot. Dreamy, no?

Check out this farm in Glen Ellen and read this wonderful book "Field Days" by Jonnah Raskin. It's all about the working farms spread throughout Sonoma County.

work table : kindergarten quilt progress

Just a few days in Napa and we're already back home. We had some incredible meals and even managed some upscale restaurants with our six year old tagging along. I'll post some photos soon of our trip but in the meantime, I'm back at work wrapping up the Kindergarten quilt for my daughter's school auction. I'm working on the binding now but haven't been able to take any decent photos because of overcast skies this week. We might even have snow here in San Francisco but I'm not complaining! In the interim, here are photos as I sandwiched the pieces and  after I finished hand quilting.

In the works ...

I did the bare minimum of quilting to let the art speak for itself and well, frankly, I'm running out of time!

The binding is going well considering it's my first time. A few more hours and I'm finished! What is amazing is that my cat has not thrown up on the quilt ... he has this amazing habit of finding my artwork at the most inopportune times. Fingers crossed.

Inspiration : Napa bound

We're off to Napa for a few days of hopefully nice weather to take some photos and relax and enjoy our daughter's "ski break". We never had anything like this growing up in Florida!

The forecast had been for rain but miraculously, the rain seems to have decided to stay over the Pacific instead.

Image by www.merrygourmet.com

I hope to have some inspiring photos to share from the trip including taking some of my own snaps of The French Laundry gardens. Click here to see some pretty ones from the fall. One day we'll actually have the chance to eat there, perhaps we'll get away with Ad Hoc this time with Zoe.

We pinch ourselves often when we're up there, it's only 45 minutes from San Francisco!

work table : cape coral foreclosure boro

In between making a class quilt and my larger foreclosure quilt, I'm squeezing in some progress on my next foreclosure boro. I'm feeling the pressure to work more on this, especially in light of the recent report published by the Obama Administration, "Reforming America's Housing Finance Market". It's returning in the media's attention, but the problem is still far from over. In the meantime, I'm plugging along in the studio.

I'm sewing these rectangular 'lot' panels into the navy neighborhood map. I might decide to rip them out and leave them hanging, exposing the red lining behind.

I'm still not sure what direction this piece is going to take, or for that matter, the boro series. I'm beginning to imagine a room installation with the foreclosure quilt laying flat in the center with these more detailed boro on the surrounding walls. In the meantime, if you want to learn more about the latest foreclosure news, Gretchen Morgenson with the New York Times seems to be one of the few reporters who is focusing on these issues. See some of her recent articles here.

Artist : Kiki Smith

I've been needing a little inspiration lately, some different ideas to jolt me out of my comfort zone. Whenever I feel this way, I often return to Kiki Smith's works.

From Kiki Smith: A Gathering. Walker Art Center

My name growing up was Kiki, even my parents used it. And when I married, I took my husband's last name, Clark. One day, this young artist (oh my, was I young when I married) came across the name Kiki Smith. I wondered what kind of art Kiki Smith made compared to Kiki Clark's. I was in for a surprise.

Mine, glass, 38 units vary from 950x114x121 mm to 178x184x95 mm, 1999;
ⓒ Kiki Smith, photo by Ellen Page Wilson, photo courtesy of PaceWildenstein, New York

Prints by Kiki Smith. Image from mintdesignblog.com

Constellation, 2000. Mass MOCA

Fast forward ten years long after I'd lost my nickname. In the late 90's, Sotheby's auctions were online and my office was one of the few with high speed internet. I scored this lovely piece for a song ...

Silent Work, 1992. Silkscreen with rubber ink stamp, and candle.  19" x 29" Image from moma.org

MOMA even has a later edition than mine (ha, take that moma!).  I look at this every day with awe. This is the image that seemed to resonate with me the most today was the pojagi inspired website MOMA created for her 2003 show. Of course I love the design. It provides the perfect balance for her free spirited work. Hmmmm.

For more images of the above website go here or here if your flash isn't working, like mine, grrr. To see the entire installation for the  2005 Venice Biennale "Squatting the Palace", click here.

Inspiration : just enough

I discovered a book a few months back while browsing through Moe's Books in Berkeley. It's one of those few locally owned bookshops where you expect to be surprised by something unusual. This time it was just enough: lessons in living green in traditional japan by Azby Brown.

It's one of those life changing and awakening books you rarely come across anymore. I highly recommend it to everyone.

Just Enough is a book of stories and sketches, depictions of vanished ways of life told from the point of view of a contemporary observer. It tells how people lived in Japan some two hundred years ago, during the late Edo Period, when traditional technology and culture were at the peak of development, just before the country opened itself to the West and joined the ranks of the industrialized nations.

Illustration by Azby Brown

It explains a lot about the Japanese way of life that holds true today. Bathing rituals, celebrations, the design of their cities, why they eat out so often, etc. I learned a lot from reading about their history and respect the Japanese way of life so much more after reading it.

Illustration by Azby Brown.

If you want to know more, check out Azby Brown's website here and his TED talk below.

Artist : Sheila Hicks

My friend Neile Royston, gifted me a wonderful book a few years back called Sheila Hicks: Weaving as Metaphor. I had never heard of Hicks and was just beginning to be drawn into fiber at the time. Thanks to you, Neile ... you pretty much changed the direction in my art because of this book!

Image from Wonder-Collective.

Hicks is known for her large fiber installations and is now being recognized for her small weavings, often created on a handmade loom. The works are incredibly powerful, even if they are so small in size. I love this image because you can see the relationships between the works as well as understand their small scale.

Image from Full Circle

And here are some of the pieces up close. I prefer her smaller works

Hastings, wool and cornhusks, 1996. Shiela Hicks. Image from artnet.

Trout Quipu, 1964; woven, wool; 8 x 5 1/2 inches. Image from  Studio and Garden.

Here's what she says about her work, taken from the Browngrotta website: 

Much as I am absorbed in the study of historical textiles and art, I try to challenge a status quo in my own work. Not by taking a radical approach – because I feel more comfortable with intriguing colors and balanced shapes – but by expressing the interconnectedness of disparate elements. By concentrating on essence and observing intrinsic qualities of materials I structure a small world of elegant incongruity.

                                  Sheila Hicks

To read more about Hicks, check out The New York Times interview with the artist in 2006 and see her website here.

work table : cape coral foreclosure boro

I started in on the next Foreclosure Boro today, a glimpse into a neighborhood in northwest Cape Coral, FL. When I went to buy more of the linen I used for the last boro, it was all gone, argh. So I'm experimenting until more arrives with a deep navy blue linen. Bleaching it was interesting, there's a sudden turning point when it gives up all it's color. Here is the water rinse after bleaching. I loved the color and the little threads.

I managed to pull the pieces out just before they turned pale brown. One minute and poof. Yesterday the sun was out and the pieces dried in no time in the sun. Today, the fog had rolled in, brrr.

I like how the bleaching is imperfect, leaving little blotches of navy here and there. Maybe next time I'll tie the pieces into bundles for more of the effect.

Here's the general layout for this piece below. Larger than the last one, it will be 50" long when it's finished. I'm thinking about bleaching out the foreclosed lots, perhaps tearing into the cloth and restitching it. See the little navy bleached sample to the right? 

We shall see how it turns out. I'm looking forward to working a little larger. In the meantime, the large foreclosure quilt goes on and on ...

work table : Kindergarten quilt

This week I decided to stop procrastinating and go crazy with piecing together the Kindergarten quilt I started back in November. Well, not crazy, it's actually been a lot of fun. But the deadline is starting to creep up on me and you can't rush a quilt, can you?

Back in November and December I did workshops with the kids making vegetable prints on fabric. They've been asking me about the progress for weeks and finally have something to show them.

Some of the kids went wild ... some were more controlled. I like the contrasts. You never knew which kid was going to go crazy on the fabric. It was all a bit of a surprise. And here's what I have so far ... a twin sized quilt top!

I found the patterned fabric at Peapod Fabrics in the Inner Sunset. It's a great little store with a Japanese owner who picks some wonderful prints. The fabric for the artwork is from my friend, Ines. It comes all the way from Germany as a duvet cover that her master sewer mother made for her. It's been nice to re-purpose fabric with such a great history. Now on to the quilt back ...

Gallery Route One opening

I had such a wonderful time at the gallery opening yesterday. I met a lot of wonderfully talented and supportive artists. It was such a great feeling to be surrounded by like-minded people as you know how incredibly isolating art making can be (but I honestly love that part of it). Here are some pictures of the evening.

Zoe highlighting Up and Out and Cutting Edge, 2010.

I brought my daughter, Zoe, along to share the experience with her. I remember many times attending my mom's art shows and music recitals when I was young.

Rene de Guzman, Senior Curator of the Oakland Museum, was the juror this year and Candice Loheed is the gallery owner.

And it was made perfect spending it with Zoe and her best friend, who have known each other since they were just days old. We had a wonderful dinner that night in Point Reyes Station, which is known for having some great food.

Foreclosure : Las Vegas Boro, 2011.

I've just finished a new piece in my Foreclosure series, the first Boro inspired work. I've zoomed in on a six block area of a North Las Vegas neighborhood that will be included in my larger quilt piece.

Las Vegas Boro, 2011. Denim and wool on bleached linen.

Doing this gives me the chance to study in detail the backgrounds of these foreclosed properties.

Las Vegas Boro (detail), 2011.

The houses in this area were all built between 2003-4 and most have an average of three to five loans on the property in the six year span of ownership. If you think back to our parent's generation, this would have been unheard of. In addition to trading up, it seems there was a lot of refinancing going on to gain more equity out of the home. As we know, it ended badly.

Las Vegas Boro (detail), 2011.

The back panels represent different blocks with the small rectangles representing foreclosed lots. The darker and more distressed the rectangle, the more times the home has been given notice of default and the higher number of loans on the property.

Las Vegas Boro (detail), 2011.

As you can see there are quite a few per block. Many more to come ...

The Liebster blog award

A few weeks back I fell in love with these Flikr images and just had to know the story behind all of these beautiful quilts. Stacey of Peppermint Pinwheels started making quilts a few years ago and hasn't looked back.

The great surprise was that she lives just over the bridge from me in Berkeley. Then I discovered she has nominated my blog for the Liebster Award. Her blog is wonderful and she has many of those beautiful quilts for sale on etsy. Thanks for nominating me, Stacey!

One of the things to get the word out about the award is to pay it forward and nominate 3-5 of your favorite blogs. Here are my current favorites.

- Kitty Kilian, a wonderful illustrator from the Netherlands who has become a dear online friend over the past few months. She's starting a new weekly portrait project and has a great giveaway so be sure to check it out.

Lady of the Buttons, 2011. Kitty Kilian

Chantal Jackson, another talented artist I've met in the past year who lives far, far away in Australia. She is amazingly creative and always has brilliant projects in the works. She is currently helping out with an online action to benefit the Queensland flood victims so be sure to help out.

Sea Urchins, 2011. Chantal Jackson

Sophie Truong of Stitch and Tickle. Sophie's artwork is incredibly inspiring to me. We both share a love of unusual textiles and her blog has introduced me to many related links. But it's her artwork that keeps me coming back time and again. It's just incredible. Here's a small taste.

Yarn swaddles in process, Sophie Truong.

Lari Washburn. I featured Lari's work recently and I have to say her blog is just as incredible. If you have a chance to view the Sketchbook Project when it's on tour ... please seek Lari's sketchbook out. She obviously put a lot of love into that little moleskin and it shows.

The Sketchbook Project 2011. Lari Washburn.

upcoming show : GRO's 26th annual juried show

Two of my Idiom pieces will be included in Gallery Route One's Annual Juried Show in Point Reyes Station, CA. The opening is this Sunday, the 23rd from 3-5. There has been quite an impressive line up of past jurors for the show. The juror this year was Rene de Guzman, Senior Curator of the Oakland Museum of California. Not to be bias, but he has a good eye! I finished matting and framing my pieces for the show and dropped them off on Sunday under beautiful blue skies and 64 degree weather (in January!).

Up and Out and Cutting Edge, 2010.

I'm happy with how the framing came out, considering how hard it is to frame three dimensional fabric pieces. I had to make shadowboxes by hand so that was a nice learning experience to go through. The show runs through February 20th so if you're in the area, I hope you check it out!

shout out : Queensland Flood Appeal Auction by Chantal Vincent

My talented friend over in Australia, Chantal Vincent, is hosting an online auction to benefit the Queensland flood victims. 

Baker's Twine by Another Donkey Design.

She is posting all sorts of amazing goodies on her blog as well as her Facebook page so please pay a visit and support the cause!

Girls fabric necklace by Studio.

The bidding ends on Monday 24th January 2011 (Sydney time) so be sure to stay posted for more items.