Twenty five years ago I was primary caregiver for a friend with brain cancer. He was also my employer. It started innocently enough with my feeling so badly for him that I worked overtime to find a temporary doctor to pick up his practice, eventually sold the practice, started ferrying him to doctor’s appts, then […]
exhibits
reminders of trauma…
I am a firm believer that we are all here to learn lessons. I have been made aware this month of two lessons, one from long ago, that I apparently needed a reminder of; and a new one… a very important one. I have been making narrative work since 2009 when I designed the Tall […]
summer exhibit at Petaluma Arts Center
I was invited to show 5 pieces of my narrative work in the summer exhibit at the Petaluma Arts Center, June 11-July 23, 2022 . The Arts Center is located in the former baggage room of the Petaluma Train Station (now the SMART downtown station); 230 Lakeville Street, Petaluma, CA. Hours: Friday and Saturday, 12-4 pm. Opening […]
what good are excuses anyway?
In the past month, I finished new work that absolutely stumped me in design for the longest time. When I finally figured out what I wanted to do, it went swimmingly and I love it so much! It is titled Hypocrisy 1; because you just know I am making another! It is about evangelicals who worship […]
the big reveal…
Now that Quilt National ’21 has officially opened, I can reveal my work juried into this prestigious exhibit. This is Somebody’s Child 2, which was digitally printed on silk organza, fused, machine and hand stitched with tear-drop shapes. This piece was a followup to my work Somebody’s Child 1; both of which were inspired by the murder of […]
missing Marion…
Today I have been working on a powerpoint presentation I am making next month for the SAQA Board. Essentially it is about introducing diversity to the organization by relating how my friendship with Marion Coleman led me to self-educating about black history. I designed and tweaked most of the morning, and when hubs needed the […]
loose ends…
I’ve been fraught with anxiety for much of the past four years. I made a lot of art about subjects that got me fired up and am now exhibiting it as much as I can, in a pandemic. After the election I calmed down a bit until the domestic terrorism two weeks ago. Today on […]
the Visions opening…
As you know, I was ambivalent about the opening of our new exhibit Defining Moments in San Diego at Visions Art Museum. I was torn between anticipation and dread. I was very worried that my grief over Marion’s death would lay a cloud of darkness over the entire event. I was worried I would be […]
back at it…
2018 has been hectic thus far… took a short trip, got bad news about a friend’s health, got the flu and battled that for two weeks, followed by nearly three weeks of digestive issues. Now hoping that I am on the mend, I am pondering my next creative steps. I decided to do a no. […]
my Quilt National 17 experience…
I have just returned from a quick weekend trip to OH for the opening of the 20th biennial exhibit of Quilt National. My work Defining Moments 12: NO Means NO was juried into this prestigious venue, one of 85 chosen from a pool of nearly 800 entries. My brain feels a bit like that spinning […]
field trip
Today hubs and I took a field trip to see Earth Stories at the San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles. The stars aligned with a dry forecast, moderate weekend traffic as opposed to heavier weekday traffic and best of all no Super Bowl festivities! We returned through San Francisco on a gorgeous clear, sunny winter’s day. It was […]
quick trip to Cincinnati…
Last weekend I made a quick trip to Cincinnati for an art opening. My work Currents #13 was juried into Art Comes Alive 2015 sponsored by Art Design Consultants of Cincinnati. There was one direct flight from the Bay Area to Cincinnati so I jumped on it, flew all night and arrived none the worse for […]
finito!
A few days ago I put the finishing touches on the third piece of the 25 piece collaboration. Defining Moments #3: My Folks is about my parents’ early years before my birth. They are both gone now so I was really paying homage to them. This piece was a struggle to design, implement and stitch; a great metaphor for […]
everyone has something…
On Sunday hubs and I drove to San Jose for the opening reception of “Forming Our Lives”, a 3-woman exhibit at the San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles. My contribution to this show is five pieces from my Tall Girl Series: A Body of Work which best conveyed the gist of my story. A while ago I felt […]
installing new exhibit…
I drove down to San Jose Sunday afternoon to be in position for a Monday exhibit install at the San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles. Sadly traffic patterns control my schedule in this part of the world so I knew it wise to position myself outside of my commute zone. I stayed at a wonderful Air BnB place which […]
getting caught up…
The past month has been a whirlwind! I finished, sold and installed the two Vineyard pieces with a new collector. And I designed two other small pieces including Keeping Up Appearances #6 which is a donation to the annual Arts Guild of Sonoma REPO fundraiser. The requirement is all artwork must be made of 75% recycled […]
deux…
Earlier this year I had two pieces juried into an exhibit known as Deux or a friend calls it DUH! The catalog arrived in my mailbox just as the TallGirl Series also landed. I was thrilled both to see my traveling work again but also that my work was mentioned in the juror’s statement. This […]
tallgirl musings…
This week I spent ten hours sitting in a chair on the convention floor with my Tall Girl Series: A Body of Work. I was fortunate to land a special exhibit within the huge Pacific International Quilt Festival on through today at the Santa Clara Convention Center. I had previously shown the exhibit with the […]
passive creativity…
In the past week more art and design have entered my brain than in months! I have been to Portland and back, taken three art classes, shared lunches with longtime art friends, visited an art studio, read two design magazines, unpacked and put away class samples and materials, drafted and sent my quarterly email blast, […]
done, done and done…
It is now official. I have finished not only the two large pieces for Earth Stories, but also the smaller lead in-piece and the accompanying journal so it is soup! I am so glad I did not wait any later to start as it took me nearly 4 months and the deadline of Nov 1 […]
sausalito exhibit hung…
Today hubs and I spent the morning in Sausalito hanging 17 pieces of my work in the Thomson Gallery at Sausalito Presbyterian Church. I landed this plum gig through artist Louise Forbush, another member at ACCI Gallery in Berkeley who curates for the church and loves my work so it was a perfect fit. The work […]
hot off the press…
Although I have known for some time this week I received confirmation that my Tall Girl Series: A Body of Work will have a special exhibit at the 2013 Pacific International Quilt Festival in Santa Clara, CA. October 17-20. This will be the second time my exhibit has been featured in one of the Mancuso […]
year end art goals…
A funny thing happened on the piece I have been working on for the past month or so. Originally I sketched an idea and made a pattern using the overhead projector. Then one day after sewing one too many curved seams it took a literal 90 degree turn! Obviously the muse wanted something else to […]
behind the scenes…
Today I went to a memorial disguised as a birthday party for an artist friend who died last month. She would have been 65 today. Judy was a wonderful pen/ink and watercolor artist, with all of her work being of animals. She was an exceptional equestrian and much of her work reflective of that. One […]
earth stories…
Last week I received exciting news that my work was juried into a new international exhibit (of 25 artists) which will travel 2014-17. I digitally submitted five pieces from my Upheaval series for the exhibit titled “Earth Stories” which was juried by Dr. Carolyn Mazloomi. This was actually the second time Dr. Mazloomi has chosen […]
a sense of accomplishment…
I’ve been on a roller coaster the past few weeks in the ongoing rehabilitation of my second knee replacement. Just when I was making stellar progress my knee became unstable…too much flexibility I was told! So the physical therapist grounded me for 6-8 weeks. After I sobbed for nearly an entire day I decided to […]
on jury process…
Yesterday I had the privilege of being a juror for “Out of the Comfort Zone: New Directions in Quilting” which will exhibit March 2-July 29, 2012 at the Grace Hudson Museum in Ukiah, CA. It was a wonderful process, a lot of fun and an interesting observation of my own artistic process. Much of the […]
winter solstice…
Most of us know winter solstice to be in the deep darkness of December. While we barely notice it in North America I had the extreme delight to experience it in Sweden in 1999. Our family escaped to the hinterlands in an effort to avoid the Y2K mania here in the States. It was such […]
breaking through the fine art ceiling…
One of the reasons I call myself a textile artist is I firmly believe if we say it often enough and loud enough, someone in the fine art world will take notice. I am just back from the opening reception of a juried exhibit “Fire & Ice” at the Petaluma Art Center. My work Upheaval […]
sage wisdom…
It seems to be human nature in this society obsessed with celebrity and plastic surgery to fret about aging body parts. While I generally feel fabulous and live consciously in my broken body, every once in a while life throws me a curve where I begin to obscess about an aging part. For some time […]
