What's up? oooooh World Wide Blog Hop!

Work in progress Heron

Welcome to my blog!

Like everyone else in this endeavor, my work days are full of variety.  I can't think of the last time I had a span of time when I just worked on one thing in my studio.  Usually I have a couple assignments in progress.  Currently on my design wall is the blue heron, above.  I have interviewed several different backgrounds and am going for this wonderful piece of hand-dye from Carol Eaton.

Work in progress Commission

Next, on my work table is a commission.  Yes, a commission.  I don't get them often, maybe once or twice a year.  This one is for a couple who know my work well and like my last series.  They've asked me to create a piece that relates to it, but is not part of the series.  They have had a lot of input along the way.  And, fortunately for me, I have no deadline.  This is very important because of the rest of my schedule.

At the end of today's busy day, I was able to arrange to meet the purchaser of my Local Color piece, Town Green.  The woman had actually seen it in the last venue of the exhibit's travel in April, she rang me several weeks later.  Interestingly, it was within of being shipped to in Quilting Arts magazine for a feature about Local Color....and Town Green was away at the magazine's photographer's studio.  My buyer was patient.  Fortunately, because Quilting Arts asked to take the Local Color pieces they had in their possession to exhibit at the Sew Expo in Atlanta.  Truth be told, I excitedly said YES without asking the woman's permission (tho' she hadn't paid for it yet..my rationalization).  She was thrilled when I hurriedly told her. "Her" art was on tour.  Further, she was tickled to share the magazine article with all her friends. (whew!)

Photo taken by happy new owner

This Sunday (Oct 12) my husband and I leave for a cultural exchange (Friendship Force International) to Turkey.  Actually, the day this posts we will be in Istanbul!   After a few days of being tourists, we will rendezvous with the Turkish group who visited us last year.  We showed them what ordinary life is like in CT along the shoreline and they, in return, will show us life in Izmir.  Can't wait.

When my buddy Jeanne Marklin asked if I could participate in this Blog Hop, I initially said no...however, she persuaded me that it was possible and it would be great fun. :^)  It was easy for her, since I seem to be unable to say NO and mean it.  Check out her amazing work: http://jeannemarklin.blogspot.com

And hop on over next week (Oct 20) to my friend Diane Cadrain's blog.  She is one of Five Fiber Friends exhibiting this month at FairHaven Furniture in New Haven, along with Kate Themel, Mickey Lawler, Trish Hodge and me. (Diane's: stitching-it-all-together.blogspot.com)

Then blog hopping still, to Sisters in Cloth, the Art Quilt group that grew out of the small-town quilt group that I started in Guilford CT 14 years ago.  Now a vibrant, inspiring...always-exhibiting-widely group of artists.  In fact, on their calendar are exhibits at the Guilford Free Library in Dec., Willoughby Wallace Library Gallery in nearby Stony Creek in April 2015, and a gallery in Brookline NY also in April.  Current work is being exhibited in Australia after a successful tour of two venues in Europe.  A very busy group, indeed.

One of our 'newbies' to the Sisters' group is Gina Frank who is a full-time college administrator, an assistant to her potter husband David and a rising art quilter.  She is also new to blogging :)
Encourage her at Imagination & Inspiration.http://ginagrubbfrank.blogspot.com

Now.  I'm off to finish packing!

But WAIT.  There's more.  This JUST in:  In the category of "My Cup Runneth Over".  My piece Sing Out Loud (Part of my Aging Lines Series) was just juried into Modern Spin: Contemporary Textiles in an Historic Mill, Narrows Center for the Arts, Fall River MA   Fortunately, I don't need to worry about shipping etc until I return.  WOW! What a going-away gift!

Intersections

It really is square and true.  I took this pic with my iPhone and I think I must not have been spot on in front and it looks wonky here.

I'm taking the opportunity to  post now as it may be a miracle before I get to it again in the very near future.  Not a walking on water miracle...more a win the lottery miracle.  Mere mortals CAN, they just DON'T very often.

Under the column I had previously checked: "stop me before I volunteer again", I reneged and I volunteered to be the Exchange Director for a cultural home-host exchange from Urla Turkey's Friendship Force International's club to our club here in Southern CT.  We have never hosted in June and now I know that there are really, really good reasons for that.  No one is available to help!  We are a small group to start with and, to pull off a successful exchange, a very active critical mass of members must dedicate themselves to the various tasks.  With the school year extended until the last week in June, and the usual graduations, weddings, get off to the vacation activities...there is little interest in helping pull this off.  I have hosts, and a mostly confirmed itinerary developed.  D Day approaches.

It also happens to be time to take down SAQA/CT's Local Color from it's first installation at the Ruth Haas Library at Western CT ST University. I am to bring the entire exhibit here to my house and keep it safe until it has to be delivered to its next venue.  During the home-hosting, the exhibit has to be installed at The Legislative Office Building in Hartford.  There's that miracle thing again:  being in two places at once.  That one I CAN'T pull off.  Something has to give or someone will have to give me a hand.

As I posted last time, I have been using the odd times that I've had to be in my studio to cut and piece, trying to get back in the groove.  This piece is the latest.  It is a 'disappearing four patch' that has been layered with all sorts of colors and sizes of vintage rick rack from my sizable collection.  Makes me smile.

Sayonara for a while.

Leaps and Bounds

"Leaps and Bounds" (detail)

Finished! First seen in my August 5 post "Between Inspirations" this little (roughly 40" square) quilt is ready for my Open Studio event in November. I think that an assortment of work is necessary to have on hand: small matted pieces, printed cards, smaller utilitarian pieces like this one, along with the larger more artful work.

By the looks of things one would surmise that I'm well organized...this piece is well ahead of schedule.

EXCEPT November is also the Sisters' exhibit in New Haven at Bru, my two-person show with Maureen Squires (mixed-media) at Friends & Co in Madison and my going to Houston to see "Creative Force", the SAQA exhibit that I was lucky

enough to get into (it'd be a cold day in Hell before I did not get to see it UP).

THEN I can kick back (as if) and participate in the Shoreline Arts Trail Open Studio the third weekend in November. That's just before American Thanksgiving when traditionally our home is the gathering point for family from Maine, DC and Winnipeg.

But I've got that horse WAY before the cart. Next week our little Friendship Force of Southern Connecticut is hosting an exchange from Varel, Germany and guess who is the Exchange Director? This next week is going to be such fun. We have events scheduled for each day ranging from tours of Yale, pizza parties, cookouts on the beach, a trip to a wonderful museum (Pequot Museum), to dinner parties. I have even arranged for the Good Humor Man to call on our Welcome Dinner. Nothing more Americana than the Good Humor Man!

Upon re-reading my post I think I need to relax, close my eyes and get centered ;^) I REALLY want to enjoy the journey.

I'm going to Africa!

This quilt is titled "Masako Goes to Africa". In 2008 it was accepted into "Up in Stitches" at the Yeiser Art Center in Paducah, Kentucky.

When my family lived in Japan in the 1950's my parents adopted Masako, a beautiful five year old, from an orphanage in Fukuoka, Japan. Our family relocated to Texas when we returned to the States and Masako continues to live, fifty-some years later, within fifty miles. She rarely travels. Oddly, I travel broadly, gathering fabrics from all over like most quilt makers.

I decided to give Masako wonderful, imaginary journeys via my art quilting. This piece is the first. The shape, a kimono, is an obvious reference to her beginnings. The fabrics are all African. While I have never been to Africa, I thought Masako might like to go....I never imagined that I would actually travel there!

On Oct. 13, I am traveling to Ghana, joining a group from Friendship Force International (www.thefriendshipforce.org) to participate in a three week cultural exchange in three cities. Our first home-stay will be in Akosombo!

Perhaps I should consider making Masako another piece to celebrate another place I haven't planned to visit...hmmmm....maybe India!

I'm also linking this to parkcitygirl.blogspot.com and participating in her Fall 09 Quilt Festival.
What a fun way to kick off my adventure!

Our cultural exchange from Bogota

This wonderful creature (actually a family of six and each with about a 14" wingspan) was made by our guest we are hosting from Bogota, Colombia. Her name is Haydee and, I'm sure, we were paired because of her interest in creating things with thread. She is a great crocheter!

We belong to The Friendship Force (www.thefriendshipforce.org), an organization begun by Jimmy Carter in the 1970's. It's a cultural, people-to-people international exchange group. Our group hosts a similar sized group from another country annually and we travel to another group annually. The motto is "Faces not places".

So far, my husband and I have hosted individuals twice from Australia, twice from Russia, twice from Germany and once from New Caledonia. Each has been a wonderful experience! As my husband is still fully employed, we have only managed one visit abroad with the group and that was to Australia.

We are so looking forward to our "outgoing exchange" this October...we are going to Ghana! On this trip we will stay three weeks in country, one with each of three participating families.

During a typical week-long exchange the host shows his guest this local community. It's a bit like hosting your favorite aunt or uncle or cousin who hasn't visited in a long time. You visit the markets, the local museums, the parks, the beach, a local soccer game...and in Haydee's case, we will also visit a bead shop and a yarn shop. But the best times are the meals together! We always have a couple of potlucks with friends, neighbors and some of their fellow travelers. I can't say enough about it....check out the website and see if there isn't a club in your area.