Red Panties on Parade

The show is UP and looking....okay, I guess. Artwork that I "pin", or admire, or really, really like is so much better than mine. I feel mine is rather cartoony, which isn't a bad description considering my life is very much like the Simpsons! But, it IS mine, and for what it's worth, it's on display at the bottom of the stairwell in Courtright Library at Otterbein!


I was happy to get the Panty quilts out in public again, it's been awhile!

I do feel happy with this particular piece, Watch What You Say. The shiny bits are the inside of a chip bag. The open mouth is printed on vellum, and the old diagram lines connect to my sewn lines leading to the words "hate" and "lies", which have the big red "NOT" circles on them. Click on the photo to see it more clearly.


Lots of other words on this one, too....."mirror, mirror"; "mind your tongue"; "do you like what you see?".

I also finished the central piece in this grouping...I don't consider them a triptych, but they hang together nicely. "Redbuds" because I love them in the spring!


There will be a little reception on Sunday, April 19th 2-4pm, so if you're around, stop by! The show will be up until the middle or end of June.

The ice dam has broken...New Artwork! (a little morality tale)

One week from today, I'll be hanging a little show of my work in the basement of Otterbein's library. I so wanted to have all new work to hang, although I certainly have more than enough already to have a nice selection.

I tried to make the little houses piece work; I thought about it, I fussed about it, I dreamt about it. This morning, I did embroider the moon....



....but I finally realized why I can't finish it right now. Too dark, to Halloween-y! That's not where I am, especially today, the first lovely day of the year, temps up to the 60's, not sunny, but not rainy. So, I decided to let Mr. Moon rest for awhile, til I feel more like fall, and start something else.

Success! Two little pieces halfway finished, one of wisteria and one of cherry blossoms. They're each about 21" tall x 10" wide.

I've decided to make a much larger piece as a companion, with flowers in it. Foxglove, maybe coneflowers, maybe lavendar. I can decide tomorrow. But as I watched the news showing photos of the Ohio River cresting and beginning to recede, I feel the same way, that dam of frozen ideas has finally given way to some warm, flowing inspiration!



What is the moral of this story? Don't force it. Don't try to jump and stomp on the debris blocking your flow....just relax. Put it away. Give yourself permission to go in a completely different direction, one that is open and unimpeded by expectations or the baggage we bring. You'll find your way back by coming at it from another side, later, when you're ready. In the meantime, you can still find joy and create beauty in other ways!