World Wide Blog Hop

I was invited by blogger-friend, Sherrie Spangler from Gig Harbor, Washington, USA, to take part in a World Wide Blog Hop -- to answer questions about my art work and introduce you to other quilters and artists and keep this blog hop traveling along.

Sherrie’s fabulous post was last Monday, September 29^th, which you can read here! 

QUESTIONS

1.     What am I working on/writing?

2.      How does my work/writing differ from others in this genre

3.      Why do I do what I do?

4.     How does my writing/working process work?  

 

I am currently working on several things at the same time: a scrappy quilt, improving my drawing skills, jewelry making and (hopefully) writing my life story!

scrappy quilt swatch with bits and pieces of brilliant fabric which would otherwise be destined for the trash!

Traditional quilting such as log cabin, flying geese, double wedding ring and such like that, is very beautiful and takes a skilled hand to be sure. But, I don’t tend to be successful or find quilting in that manner enjoyable. I much prefer free form, raw edges utilizing primarily recycled and repurposed fabrics and ephemera. During random moments of free time, I can be found making stacks of “swatches” which eventually get incorporated into a bohemian shoulder bag or similar, an art quilt or nap quilt.

I must create, it’s in my soul—my mind is busy making something all the live-long day! Sometimes when working a long shift at the hospital, I end up with several new sketches in my art journal—idea’s I’ve rapidly committed to paper with scratched out directions, so I won’t forget the original inspiration and can then expand on it later when I’m home.

I have recently renewed my interest in sketching and drawing and have set out on a mission to improve! When vacationing recently in South Haven, MI I found a wonderful series of sketchbooks by Quarry Books. Each book has a theme (nature, flowers, animals, etc.) and each page has one or more drawings with lots of blank space for practice—so much fun!

 

Can you tell which drawings are the original and which are mine? Humor me, say NO!!!!! ha-ha!

This past summer while on a yearly retreat with a long-time girlfriend group, we had an art session led by jewelry artist, Heather Powers, and I fell in love with beads and semi-precious stones all over again!

 

Heather led our group in making memory bracelets and gorgeous copper earrings that began with 18 gauge copper wire that we pounded and textured and oxidized with chemicals. It was awesome. So much so, that I went home and continued to make more of my own...what do you think?

 

 

Say, did you know that November is NaNoWriMo? That stands for: National Novel Writing Month! You can find detailed information here.

I plan to follow the rules and write my first novel during this marathon season, November 2014!
I’m sure I have loads of material!
It's going to be a busy year!!! I’ll keep you posted!

On a personal note:

I’m not gonna lie, 2014 has been a pretty tough year for me, both personally and emotionally which has affected my artistic creativity and productivity. I lost people and pets much too early, who were very dear to me; I moved in the middle of the sweltering summer with NO air conditioning, and ended a long relationship with my S.O. At times it felt like just one terrible setback after the next.

However, I am a very positive person, and with the power of prayer, support of a wonderful family, loving friends and an excellent work situation, I have begun to re-write my life story!

I am sincerely grateful for the life and opportunities I have. My art evolves from that feeling of gratitude and happiness and is expressed with a passion for giving back and doing my part to preserve the environment through reusing and recycling!    

Thank you so much, Sherrie Spangler for choosing me to showcase my art. I’m sad and embarrassed to say, that I have no other artist to introduce you to. The several that I invited were either not able to participate due to previous commitments or did not answer my requests.

However, I do have a fabulous acrylic artist friend, Dori Sherman, who plans to establish a blog site soon, it’s just not ready yet for this posting. If you wish, you may read about Dori’s art on her Face Book page here!

Thank you so much for reading my contribution to the World Wide Blog hop. Hope to see you again! xo