Colorado Art Studio

Oh Happy Day! Yesterday, my SIL, my daughter and I went out for a girls only dinner to my favorite Thai/Asian fusion restaurant in Denver, Thai Basil. On our way to the restaraunt, my eagle eyes spotted a sign that read “FREE FABRIC ?”. We didn’t stop immediately, but I asked my SIL and daughter if they minded if we checked it out on the way home.

All through dinner, I wondered what kind of treasures I would find. When we finally returned to the boxes of free fabric sitting outside of a children’s boutique, I felt like a secret agent marauding the stash under the cover of darkness, my get-a-way car sitting not 10 feet from where I stood. It was dark, so I didn’t know exactly what I would find, I felt my way around…chintzes, cotton prints, linen, velvet, vinyl, silk, organza, batting and fleece were just a few of the fabrics that I recognized by touch.

I didn’t take everything, but managed to stuff a plastic bag to over-flowing. I took a brief look through this afternoon and am very pleased with my loot! I have new fabric with which to experiment. Some cuts are fairly ample, some are simply scraps. But, make no mistake about it, I will create something with my bounty! Thank you to the store for recycling, I will do my best to see that the fabric doesn’t end up in the landfill! As the saying goes, one woman’s junk, is another’s treasure!

Arghhh, I couldn’t upload my photo from Blogger, so I tried blogging directly from my flickr account and that failed too, even after updating my settings etc. I finally grabbed my photo’s url and pasted it here.

But, now, I’ve wasted more time. I had originally written that I am going to impose a time limit on my computer activities, because despite my best intentions hours can pass and my to-do list doesn’t get any shorter. So here it is, a mini art quilt that I completed this morning.

I have so many things I want to do and not enough hours in the day. If only I didn’t need to sleep!

This is constructed from fabric, felt, embroidery floss, thread, fused applique and beads. Click here to bid.

I have learned quite a few life lessons in the past 5 years.

#1: I try not to take myself too seriously. Now, when I write that, I don’t mean that I am cavalier in attitude and don’t care about much. Quite the opposite. I’ve learned from eating a little humble pie, that life is complex and I am human prone to occasional errors and conceit. Since taking a leave from grad school last spring and resigning from my job last summer, I am enjoying a simpler life.

I have slowed down and have embraced a life of domesticity and time spent with my family. I DO work at home. I am developing an arts and crafts business, in addition to taking care of my home and family. I am not trying to change the world through my art. I am simply trying to provide a little bit of joy and happiness through my light hearted efforts.

There is such a drive today to succeed and it is often validated by how much money one earns, or positions held, cars driven, houses owned, colleges attended etc., etc. I’m rebelling against that in a way. It sometimes goes against how I think I should be acting and the pressure to be “successful”.

As an undergrad, I wrote a research paper on some 19th C women artists including Berthe Morisot, Rosa Bonheur and Mary Cassatt to name a few. My initial thesis was that they broke ground for women breaking into the arts today. As I delved into their lives, backgrounds and the cultural norms of the day, I found out that not much has changed. Rosa Bonheur was a lesbian with no children, Berthe Morisot was married with children but enjoyed having a wet nurse, nanny, and staff to do the things that many women do today allowing her to paint and make connections with prominent male artists and gallery owners, and Mary Cassatt came from a wealthy US family and was single, her stature and wealth allowed her to pursue a career in the arts. All 3 women did go against the norms of the day, but they did so because of their station in society. If they had been poor wash women, they wouldn’t have had the luxury to follow their passions.

As women today, we do have choices, stay single, childless, pursue an education and a career, have children, stay home…you name it. Some women can do many of the aforementioned with aplomb. I applaud them! For me it was difficult to do all of the above at the same time and without compromising relationships and my health. I do have a child whom I dearly love and I am married to a great guy (if I made the money that he does, I would work and he could stay home!) So in a sense, I am fortunate that I have the choice to stay home. If I seem to be rambling and maybe even be on the defensive… I am. I am responding to a fellow blogger.

In the mean time, I’m having some fun with my mini quilts and am making these with the idea that I am developing a portfolio to pursue a possible career in children’s book illustration. It’s fun!

This little mini quilt is 2.5 x 3.5 inches, constructed from fabric, embroidery floss, felt (for batting), beads and yarn.

Click here to bid.