It really should not be like this. I should be gathering supplies, making lists, hauling out the luggage. But (and I am going to show my age here), do you remember Lefty The Salesman?

At the end of the JSG, Pat shows me her box of borders. What that means is that she pulled an Altoids box full of tiny stamps, mounted on acetate and asked if I would like to buy a box of borders, just like Lefty. I was dazzled, smitten, taken, befuddled. But I declined, hopped on my train and dejectedly walked home.

The lightbulb moment came when I realized Pat had already given me a few empty boxes of Altoids and I own crack Fun Foam. And I had just bought some acetate!

And not only that but, did you see this post? That there is a very high quality and addictive drug. Tags, I mean. And I just happened to buy a box of one hundred...on my way home...from meeting up with Lefty, I mean, Pat.

Yesterday most of the JSG got together to study. We often get together and go to museums and the idea for the days artistic exploits came from one such day. We used Pat's Faux Screenprinting (Cloth Paper Scissors Sept/Oct) article/technique to get the job done.

We met up at Shirley's apartment to interpret a Master Work of Art in...Fun Foam! Funny, ludicrous and ironic as this may seem, I would like to do his often and push it's limits. Read Shirley's post for a more in depth story on why we decided to do this.

Shirley and I used the same painting as inspiration, Judith with the Head of Holofernes. Pat interpreted a scholarly crumudgeon (a very appropriate choice), St. Jerome as a Scholar.

Saint Jerome was a nice pagan man when he was visited by God or a messenger of God and told to amend his ways. He went with it and became a scholar of the church. But he didn't go lightly, he chastised, wrote letters and affected changes in the church at every turn. He also grew his beard to epic proportion. I am glad Pat chose a clothed and sane looking version of the Saint, things could have gotten out of control.

Early on in the creation of the Journal Study Group we decided that for each day that we met to do a project we would make an edition of tags to give each member of the group. Shirley has a very broad interpretation of this rule, she tried to get away with creating her edition after hours (her stamp was huge and her pads inadequate to the task) But Pat and I helped her to see this was not a good choice.

My stamp is the left most tag in the above photo.

Judith was a woman who knew how to bring home the cauliflower. Her home life and village was threatened, war was all around her and she knew a lascivious drunkard when she saw one. She took matters in her own hands, walked into the Generals camp, wooed him with her womanly ways, got him rip roaring drunk and took his head. His forces ran, she cleaned up and posed with the nearest artist.

And if you were wondering no, it wasn't Judith's head that was taken, it was Holofernes'. But sometimes an image is just so epic that it doesn't fit on a mere tag, this was Shirley's challenge. And, if you are here reading this blog off of Shirley's link...did you know she was quite this messy? Pat and I kept having to push her crap back to her third of the table. But if you follow me on facebook, you know crap is a good thing. I mean, we are talking Fun Foam, right?

And, well. Arrow hasn't been featured too often lately. His crinkly forehead means he is happy.

I am going to be at Quilt Festival 2010 and will be dye painting during Open Studios on Friday from 5 to 7. Will you please Join me?

I will also be teaching:
Thursday: Freezer Paper Paint, Oh My!

Friday: Sampler: Bead Embellish, Encrust 10-12 Friday
Lecture: Journaling as Inspiration for the Quilt Artist 3-4
Open Studios: Dye Painting 5-7

Saturday: Stamping in Depth

I would love to see you, play art with you and have some fun. Please come visit me or take a class.

Jane Lafazio is an awesome person and an inspired and invigorating artist. I stumbled across her blog years ago and have been keeping up ever since. I am happy to call her my friend and am even happiler that I weill see her and play with her next week at the Houston Quilt Fest. We share readers and have shared students in our classes. From them I have heard that Jane is a great teacher and I believe it! We are exchanging interviews this week and I would love if you'd check us both out and comment!

Melly Testa: One of the things that really interests me about you is your use of working small in daily life. Of making small pieces of portable artwork that you may or may not make into a larger piece. Can you tell me where and how this started and what purpose it serve for you as an artist?

Jane LaFazio: I've always been drawn to small things, ever since I was a kid. Working small is immediate gratification--I can be done with one in one evening--if it's lap size! And by working small, creating a number of like pieces, I can create a larger work. I like to assemble and rearrange small pieces into a whole. Don't know why, just do. It's become my most successful style, I think. There's something about not having a plan (I rarely plan my artwork) and starting with only a color scheme or technique, and the challenge of making all the pieces work together into one.
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MT: Then I wonder if you might talk about the media you use, I mean, I know you have watercolor training and you journal. But you seem to be a gal of many media and yet, you are quite focused and driven. I wouldn't quite call you an art quilter, or a journaler, or a mixed media artist. I would call you all of it. Perhaps you are a quester. What are your thoughts?

JL: Quester is good! I love trying different things--traveling to different countries. I just love a 'new' experience, so it's the same with my art. I love to learn a new technique or try a new direction. And I have lots of interests, especially when it comes to art making.
I have a degree in Graphic Design, and while in school, dabbled in watercolor, silk screen, ceramics, typography, graphite, figure drawing, and more. I just like the diversity of media, I guess.

In 1992, when I got into fine art, I started with drawing, then watercolor, then collage, then sewing on my watercolor/collages, then about 8 years ago, starting working with cloth. In much of my work, sewing is the common theme. I sew on paper and cloth and seem to always some stitching in my work. Embroidery was the first artist skill I learned, as a teenager, and I guess the process of hand sewing is still one of my faves.

MT:One of the best things I like about you is your attitude, your ability to laugh, to embrace wonder and joy. I think it inspires your readers and students. Can you talk about this? How do you turn lemons into lemonade?

JL: My mother was a very positive person, and as such, instilled confidence in me. I'm blessed to have an inner cheerleader (versus an inner critic). Looking on the bright side is my natural tendency, my core self. I want to make other people feel good too (part people pleaser/ part always finding something positive to say.)

Growing up, with her and my older brother, laughter was a big part of our lives together. Not joke telling, but kidding, teasing and witty sarcasm. And I'm all about laughter. The supreme compliment for me, is being labeled with "a good sense of humor."

MT: What is your current dream and vision for your art?

JL: Staying with the path I'm on. Making lots of art, and writing articles teaching, traveling & teaching and spreading the joy of art making. I'd love to have a steadier, larger monetary income, and have a slightly cleaner house, but otherwise, all is good.

I've said I'd like to write a book on "Sketching & Watercolor: Journal Style" and I'm teaching that subject in an online class right now. I have the feeling that I've got more to teach on that front, and that maybe, just maybe it will (magically I hope) turn into a book. (I've put off writing a book proposal for nearly a year now...)

I also love teaching kids, and I'm in the 3rd year of my Mundo Lindo program, and have spoken aloud about a book for teachers or parents with how-to art projects for kids. I'm just starting some online tutorials for those projects, and secretly thinking they might turn into a subscription blog or something like that.

MT: Is there anything you would like to talk about?

JL: A psychic recently told me that my teaching is not as much about teaching art as it is helping people heal. I'm breathing in that prediction, and seeing what will come of it.

MT: What would you like to say to an emerging artist?

JL: Keep making art. Take lots of workshops and classes, but then make it your own work. Trust your instincts. Make art that you love, not what you think will sell; people can instinctively recognize art made from the heart.
And, learn about marketing; you've got let people see your art!

MT: If you don't have it already, go buy her dvd, The Small Art Quilt

Yesterday morning my Man and I left the house early and walked over to Park Slope, here in Brooklyn. If you haven't caught it yet, this photo is of a reflection taken off the Gowanus Canal

While I have been working on the poppy piece (as yet unnamed), I have also been working on the tea piece, which is coming to the finish line but is not yet complete.

Last night I continued working on the circle discussed in this post. I had been wanting to jog the piece and move it away from the structure of the image and the tea bags, so I what if'd and added a square of emboidered tick marks. I rather like them, I didn't think I would at first but I do.

I went away on retreat and left town, blogland, went. I may still be gone.

I started this piece last week. I started it to be able to have something to work on while at retreat. It has swept me away and I am going with it.

The drawing from this piece was done last spring... at Spring Street Studio. I didn't blog this particular event but did post about another similar studio. I love that we live close to all this wealth of fabulousity!

When I started making this piece, I wanted to challenge myself and this is how I engaged that personal endeavor:

I decided to do a figure, as the last time I created a large nude was prior to writing my book.

I wanted to try some new techniques, I embraced a form of deconstructed screenprinting (more to come).

I challenged myself to work more akin to how I journal in creating this piece. By that I mean, I wanted to gather the imagery and have a more intuitive experience than I have had since writing Inspired to Quilt. I didn't want to plot out or create a map, instead I wanted to embrace the ambiguity of making a thing.

The piece is not yet complete. It has actually changed since taking this photo. It is exciting me and feels like a captivating and pivotal (personal) piece.

Last weekend my Man and I went to the Botanical Gardens in Manhattan and Brooklyn, you will be seeing more inspirational photos from both places. These African House Sparrows are hooping it up in a fountain. They were adorable.

Many folk revile this bird because it is an invasive species and it takes over homes and areas that native birds could be living. I feel uncomfortable with this. For the most part, our human ancestors could not leave their homelands without taking physical memories and transporting them here, both flora and fauna, can I despise a bird for past human ignorance? I am unsure.

This pool has koi in it and this dog was quite aware of them. His humans said he waited to come to the pool and once there stood at attention watching the fish. He had his own set of admirers.

I continue to work on the Greater Scaup Tea and Ephemera inspired piece (Judy will be in Houston and showcasing the technique!-click that last link to learn more).

I am intrigued by India Flints Eco Colour book. I have already begun using bits of my first attempts at Eco Bundling with Eucalyptus in the Greater Scaup piece. I don't know what this cloth is! It was given to me. It is silk, it seems like satin but is stiff. You can see I have drawn a circle onto the piece in pencil. The eucalyptus dyed piece fills in part of the circle. More stitching to come.

I will do a full review of this book but will hold off till I have a little more experience with it.

Last weekend my Man and I went to the Botanical Gardens in Manhattan and Brooklyn, you will be seeing more inspirational photos from both places. These African House Sparrows are hooping it up in a fountain. They were adorable.

Many folk revile this bird because it is an invasive species and it takes over homes and areas that native birds could be living. I feel uncomfortable with this. For the most part, our human ancestors could not leave their homelands without taking physical memories and transporting them here, both flora and fauna, can I despise a bird for past human ignorance? I am unsure.

This pool has koi in it and this dog was quite aware of them. His humans said he waited to come to the pool and once there stood at attention watching the fish. He had his own set of admirers.

I continue to work on the Greater Scaup Tea and Ephemera inspired piece (Judy will be in Houston and showcasing the technique!-click that last link to learn more).

I am intrigued by India Flints Eco Colour book. I have already begun using bits of my first attempts at Eco Bundling with Eucalyptus in the Greater Scaup piece. I don't know what this cloth is! It was given to me. It is silk, it seems like satin but is stiff. You can see I have drawn a circle onto the piece in pencil. The eucalyptus dyed piece fills in part of the circle. More stitching to come.

I will do a full review of this book but will hold off till I have a little more experience with it.

Jane LaFazio presents three separate and very different approaches to working with cloth and making art in The Small Art Quilt. She is both concise and engaging and her teaching style is very approachable.

Jane's confidence and spirit both inspires and motivates me to move into the studio and try out her techniques. I have followed Jane's artistic growth through the internet and love the vigor she brings to every piece of art she creates, this video showcases that enthusiasm and simplifies the techniques she uses, making her processes easy and accessible at the same time. The details of her work and the peak into her studio are quite a treat too.

I am happy to call Jane a friend, glad that I am able to see her at teaching events and retreats throughout the year. Jane's humor, passion and love for what she does shines through with authenticity and charisma. Please, go get a copy of The Small Art Quilt today, you won't be disappointed.

B, beep, beep... This just in: Jane LaFazio has posted a tutorial about using Absorbent Ground!

Having this new, small and portable camera is a boon to image and texture collection. This painted and repainted wall is normal fare here in New York, but wouldn't I like to be able to print a texture like it?

Last night I went to my 4th Moku Hanga class and got all three blocks carved. You can see a 'strike off' image in the middle. It needs COLOR, not just black, white and grey. I will research Japanese prints this week and see how I can make this image sing.

(I mentioned wanting to figure out how to do this on cloth to my teacher, she couldn't fathom not working on paper and is a traditionalist-poor thing.) :)

And here is a piece I have been playing with and hope to get to the wash and collage stage by the end of the week. It is retreat time of year again and I need a piece to work on. I don't know how much I have talked about here on the blog, I know I have boiled over on facebook, but I have been in a creative funk. I am tired of Melanie Testa's style, right now.

So, it is time to shake things up.

I am experimenting with deconstructed screen printing, in more ways than one (perhaps there is an article in it about my findings). And I am still working on incorpoating Random, Intuitive elements into my work. This piece is dreamy to me. It is too bad I didn't capture the poppy flowers off the the right side of the work, that really says dreamy~

More images to come.

The title of this post nods to this.
And even though it is wordy, go read this.

Today Cricket and I went on an excursion to Dead Horse Bay. As happens when I hang out with Cricket, there was a flurry of pre-meet-up texting; reminding me to bring plastic bags, be on a certain corner, perhaps the use of an umbrella, a book to read, or an idea to ponder. Although I love reading and never spend a day of my life without, I also love to sew.

While Cricket dropped her fab daughter off at Pre K, I sat, double parked and guarding the car, while stitching (I bet I was very intimidating). Although this is an image of the Greater Scaup, I think I will take artistic license and not color the birds' head black, I like my drawing too much.

I photographed this piece a few days ago. It is a bit odd to hand sew through the tea bags, the paper punctures when I seek the next stitch placement. But I love(!) the patina or texture the stained tea bags lend to the piece, so it is worth it. I got a good 20 minutes of stitching in before we headed off.

Now go read this before proceeding.

Someone else arranged this tableau.

We saw some great birds, Black Skimmers, Plover (Piping?, Black-bellied? I think Black-Bellied, but not sure) and some unidentified ducks.

Pretty furrows in the sand.

Found a few diner cups and arranged them myself.

I don't know what this is, but the pattern of stripes and barnacles? uh, yum!

I took this photo of Cricket accidentally and really like it. The camera fell (the strap was around my wrist, thankfully) and there you have it.

Where did her arms go?

Not sure what sort of duck this is but I will look them up.

And the bottle haul, most of the trash was (were?) bottles, milk bottles, medicine bottles, cosmetics. Some with lids and caps, most without. I love the round bottle and hope to create a terrarium with it. Cricket had the great idea of using a small glass bottle to contain sewing needles, but then Cricket has lots of great ideas.

A few weeks ago on facebook I uploaded two images and asked folks which I should start first, the Boreal Chickadee or the Greater Scaup. It was a tie, oddly, leaving me no closer to deciding for myself.

Because I have already made an Artist Trading Card and embellished a t-shirt using this image and so have drawn it several times previously, I decided to go with the duck.

My Moku Hanga class is progressing splendidly. I have dreams of figuring out how to use this technique with cloth-(and dye?). I think I will try using freezer paper to back some cotton broadcloth figuring out the cloth part will dictate if I can do this with dye.

The technique is geared toward paper and works well with the structure of paper, so I though perhaps 'stiffening' the fabric to a paper like feel might work. Experimentation is in order...

Any other suggestions welcome.

I now have pattern testers and am really grateful for all the offers of help. Thank you.

A few months back I bought Janet Bolton's Patchwork Folk Art: Using Appliqué & Quilting Techniques, and quickly got to work. I love this little piece and it tells a story that it as yet, incomplete. I need to focus and finish this piece. I love Janet's book and encourage you to get a copy.

And back when I was working out ideas for The Northern Pintail piece, I made a few 4" studies. I think this one needs to be sewn, worked on. Finished.

And yesterday, after having a tantrum supposedly related to not having enough space to call a studio, I started playing with Judy Coates Perez's Tea and Ephemera technique. So finishment is in order, don't you think? (I like the word finishment, it really says what I mean.)

So those are my UFO's, aired out and flapping in the wind. If you too have UFO's and a blog, let's air out the closet. Post a link and show us your stuff!

And, well? distracting me from focusing on these little finishments? A new book. Eco Colour: Botanical Dyes for Beautiful Textiles