I got into the pool the other day. So how is this earth shaking news? I used to swim all the time, at least three days a week for nearly 20 years. Then in 2014-16 I had this inexplicable weird thing going on in my replaced right knee, where it would fill with blood, rendering […]
knee surgery
it’s the little things…
One of the things I most enjoy about this series work is I am continually challenged by how to convey my message or tell the story. The piece I have been working on (#16) these past weeks is about our marriage. A couple months ago I began the prep work by dismantling my wedding dress, which my […]
great news…
Apparently I did not blog post earlier about this piece and now I have very wonderful news. The Cliff Notes version is Defining Moments 12: No Means NO has been juried into the biennial Quilt National 2017. With just 11% of the entries chosen for the 2017 exhibit it is a highly competitive process to have one’s work […]
on getting out of my own way…
I have spent most of this day fighting the voice that tells me I must go downstairs (to the cold basement) and create two new thermofax screens to print cloth for #11. This sense of urgency is based on two things; that #10 is nearly completely stitched and with 15 more to go, time is a […]
life stories…
It has been nearly a month since I posted. I used to be so good at this! Well I do have my list of excuses… As a wizen woman once told me, what good are excuses if we don’t use them? I continue to work on and enjoy the process of the collaborative series. I […]
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 […]
the faster i go the behinder i get…
I hate the lapses between blog posts but in reality who wants to read about my grief process. I continue to put one foot in front of the other and once every so often put same foot down too soon or too late and stumble. Then it takes me about a week to regain my […]
lessons learned on vacation…
In July as I was headed into surgery for my 2nd knee replacement I booked a trip to Phoenix for New Years. My theory was the trip would serve as a goal and it did. Up until three weeks before departure I was still pondering if I was strong enough yet to travel. Finally I […]
singing cloth…
Long ago a very wise woman and fellow artist suggested keeping a work in progress any time there would be a studio interruption due to travel, illness, or whatever. I have done that ever since and it is brilliant as I can just pick up where I left off. So I am making progress, day […]
tallgirl unchained…
It’s been suggested to me a couple times that I may want to continue on with my Tall Girl Series: A Body of Work. The series was a healing project in which I found my voice and released a very old harrowing tale from my body and the imprisonment of my mind. It took me […]
back in the saddle…
Last week I began to work with a personal trainer to build muscles and strength that I have neither had nor used in almost five decades. Immediately I felt empowered by what I actually can do and that I ‘exceeded expectations for your age.’ This was especially gratifying to hear as I rapidly approach the […]
writing the bones…
As I continue to process my father’s recent death, my rehabilitation from two major surgeries in the past 13 months and my husband’s ongoing health issues which are requiring more of my attention I find myself in a quandary. So much grief…so little time. I am a verbal and visual person. I problem solve by […]
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 […]
anything worth doing…
Probably the only thing worse than seeing an elder relative when we look in the mirror is hearing our parents’ voice in our head! Today I heard my father’s wisdom which he got either from his Bible Belt upbringing or Dale Carnegie… anything worth doing is worth doing well. Gad I hated hearing that when […]
back in the water…
At long last I am back in the water, walking forwards and backwards, bending, standing on tiptoes, rolling like a seal and just flat out in repose. A brief incision infection and knee instability kept me out of the pool until now. There are so many things I love about the water not the least […]
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 […]
one size 13 step at a time…
I am in a very weird place with my knee replacement recovery. At almost 8 weeks my mental energy has returned with a vengeance but my physical body (the knee anyway) is not able to keep up! I continue to work hard in physical therapy, alternating with gym workouts and walking the track. I am […]
hitting the road…
This weekend two pieces from my Upheaval series are headed off on an exciting trip around the globe to Corsica, an island off the coast of France for an international invitational exhibit. The exhibit theme “Connexions: California-Corsica is curated and installed by Lisah Horner, executive director of ACCI Gallery in Berkeley, CA, of which I […]
random thoughts…
Now 17 days post op I am beginning to see all kinds of small improvements which add up to big accomplishments. My next goal is to be walking with cane instead of walker by week 3. A tall order but then I am a tall gal! The recovery from this second knee replacement has been […]
loose ends…
This summer so far has been an E-ticket ride! My elderly father died three weeks ago and I am having my second knee replaced in just two days. I have been tossing about like a cork in water with little direction this past month. Yesterday was my father’s memorial and it was great, a wonderful […]
rituals…
This spring my work Keeping Up Appearances #5 was selected for the Dinner@Eight annual invitational exhibit. The theme was ‘Rituals’ and I chose the ritual of table setting for my piece. The exhibit catalog is now available from Blurb. It’s a beautiful book! For this piece the main fabric was what else? a heavy […]
while making other plans…
Today is July 1st and I am rapidly coming up on the date for my second knee replacement. I chose to have this surgery in July because I will be 9 months out from the first replacement and sufficiently healed to start the process all over again. I do not relish this opportunity but have […]
and sew it goes…
I have been away from the blog and the studio most of May for a number of reasons all of which seem to be attributed to the decision to have my second knee joint replaced in July. I am now working backwards from that date, taking care of details like working my fiscal year hours […]
what i learned in texas…
We’ve returned from what will likely be our ‘big’ trip for the year. I am between knee replacements strong enough to wander yet preparing psychologically for round two this summer. Then..Katie bar the door I will be ready to fully roam once more. Last week we participated in a Road Scholar program in Austin and […]
dancin’ shoes…
Last week when I felt lack of gym motivation I decided to do the stairs as cardio. I had not been down more than a few stairs since my total knee replacement five months ago so I figured it was time to try the 13 stairs. I went down and back with ease. So after […]
new work…
Today I managed to get to the basement to photograph two new pieces. I accessed the lower portion of the house by going out the front door and around the side to the back door with only two steps that direction. I returned via the interior staircase, 13 in total which I managed easily one […]
making progress…
Happy New Year! When I went in for a knee replacement in October I left two pieces of cloth hanging on my design wall with the intention of inspiring me to get started again with my art-making. One piece was already designed and pin-basted to be stitched. The other was simply a painted metallic thread […]
blog delinquency…
I have been blog delinquent! I continue to recover at a good pace from a total knee replacement 8 weeks ago. I am now back in the pool, walking with a cane in the exterior world and less so at home, driving, prepping some food, minimal shopping, clearing out and loading the dishwasher etc. In […]
act without thinking…
As I have entered week seven post-op from a total knee replacement my thinking cap has been relocated and is now in full operation! Now that I have regained my ability to drive the car, and walk with a cane my brain has gone into overdrive with all the things that should soon follow. Of […]
