every-single-day

Effeminate Male

Before starting this post I went and looked up 'effeminate' in the encarta dictionary associated with my email program (where I spell check my posts). Now, if thier definition wasn't the most sexist, I wonder where I could find a better one.
Effeminate, definition 1: Like a girl or woman;
similar to or imitating a woman or girl, or the behavior, appearance, or speech traditionally associated with women and girls
definition 2: Overrefined or lacking strength:
weak through overrefinement or an absence of vigorous qualities

Encarta, I beg to differ. Men who are confident enough to 'embrace thier 'lack' of vigorous qualities and embody the qualities behaviors, appearence and speech of women and girls, are actually quite strong. Often facing ridicule from other less enlightened beings on this small planet.

Um, well. Hmmm.
So! My young man has no qualms about standing naked in a field of daisies.

I was inspired to add daisies to this piece after going to to Otakulab. I stumbled on that blog, it seems she/he is on hiatus. I hope it doesn't last too much longer.
Anyway.
I am happy to have gotten so far on this piece. I am going to go to Flagstaff at the end of the week, returning on the 27th. Then, there is a Divas of the Stitch retreat on the 29th! So although I will be away, I have some fairly far progressed art to work on when I return.

What a Difference a Day Makes.

Sunday, this piece began. As you can see in the above photograph I have used freezer paper in the making of the nude. I actually had to go out and buy a new box. Reynolds Freezer Paper, 18" wide. Last time I bought it they sold me 150 yards in the box, this time? 75. The last box stuck to the cloth better and had a different texture. I called them and told them of my woes.
They are going to send me a pre-paid envelope, so that I can prove to them that they changed some component of my old favorite love and sold me half as much of an imposter. They said they would also send me a coupon for a free box.
Has anyone else had this problem? I love(d) freezer paper.
JJ did some slueth work and a local butcher can get a huge roll of "freezer paper" for next to nothing. But he said there was wax on one side... does he mean wax? Does the paper have a residual old-e time-e hanger on "wax coating"? They used to wax it and now they coat it in plastic, but still call it waxed?
Just as an aside? I had this same sort of conversation with the nice young man at Kinkos about what makes a lazer copy. I didn't know that all of thier copiers were lazer copiers and was using the color copier as a lazer copy. I was wasting 81 cents a copy!
Do you remember when the key board had a cent symbol?
Boy am I rambling today. I can because this is the first time I have felt like myself in quite a few days, if not weeks.

So at the moment, this is what the man looks like.
I have been calling him variations of names, ones I don't want bringing traffic to my blog. So I can't write about what I have been calling him. Perhaps it would be fun to figure out how to write it and foil the crawlers.
I have an organza overlay in the washer right now. I had done something that needed to get washed out. Luckily, it came out. Now I just have to re-soda soak it and see if I like it.

And for those who would like to see how well my finger is healing? I did it on the 17th of August, pretty good, huh?

Exponential Stress Levels

Trying to sell a house is stressful in the least, trying to sell a house in a buyers market, even worse.
I don't really know how to survive stress except to go to my studio and create. In the last week and a half or so, there has been almost no fun. And the fun I do have is tamped down by stress.
Friday I went to Manhattan with JJ and checked out Purl Patchwork. I bought myself some gifts!

I like this one alot.

This I like even better, maybe more than I like the next one...

which I went to the store specifically to purchase.

The only thing about this cloth is that it is canvas weight. I love it though and daydream about what I might do with it.

I did get some time to play in my studio today and it did help sooth me. I want more. Addict that I am I need more studio time.

To Sign or Not to Sign.

That is the question.

It is difficult to see in this photo but that is my signature in the bottom right of the above photo.
I have to talk about this. I took a short marketing lecture by Hollis Chatelain, whose work I admire. Her stitch and thread use inspire me no end and I like to daydream about how she paints. Anyway. In the marketing lecture she was adamant that we sign our work.
I have rebelled against this for many reasons. Not all artwork needs to be signed. I firmly believe this. Some pieces ought to be signed on the back, instead of the front and some just need to get signed.
All signatures need to be unobtrusive.
Another thing I rebel against is the label we are asked to sew on the back with our names, addresses, date of birth, blood type. I guess if I were an oil painter I could just write the pertinent information on the stretcher bar and sign the back of the canvas. Stretcher bars can be replaced like, say when you move and your address changes. Labels can be replaced too I suppose, but...
I guess this is the basis of this rebellion: I feel this is an effort by the traditional quilt police to ensure that the legacy of quilt making become/remain documented.
As an artist I feel I should decide what I think merits a signature and what doesn't. And how I want a piece signed and where. And why.
Now I will step off of my salt box. No flaming. I would love to hear what you have to say, in a civil manner.

Here is a first attempt at airbrushing. I learned a few things. Like how to break my perceived rules (I can mix thickened dye IN the bottle, as I go, the dye needs to be pretty thin but still thickened)
It would be nice to figure out what the equivelent of Frisket paper is for working on cloth. Freezer Paper isn't sturdy enough, the dye is too liquid and it seeps under the edge. Contact paper leaves a gooey residue. I have an email into Bear Air, where I buy my airbrush supplies about this. I don't have Frisket paper on hand or I would try it. I will wait for the advice they give before purchasing anything.
I asked for help on Airbrushing with dye from the DyersList, though because I am on digest mode, I haven't heard back yet. We are also all on vacation, it being Labor Day weekend and all. So if any of you know anything about Airbrushing with dye? Please contact me.
And yes! I used a mask to do this.