Monday, April 25, 2011

One Part Inspiration

Thomas Edison once said “Genius is one part inspiration, ninety nine percent perspiration.”  Which means, of course, that ideas are plenty, but what actually is important is that one spends time actually working to see the idea come to fruition.

I have shared my journals and process in the past , as well as written about some of my inspirations.  Today I am going to share what I am working with right now.

On my birthday, I was gifted with a book about the life and art of the textile designer Vera.  I had read an article about her in American Artist magazine when I was a teenager and have been inspired by her work ever since.  That same day we also visited the Franklin Park Conservatory, and I took nearly one hundred pictures of the plants and wildlife on exhibit that day.

Here are a few of the images from that trip:

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I loved the red and green striping in this plant, and see several pattern possibilities in the structure.

 

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This piece is crying out to be rendered as an abstract stitching to explore the different textures and colors.

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This may end up being a knit piece.  Or perhaps a machine embroidered piece with individually embroidered petals.

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I love this tree with all the different eyes.  The fringy bark just puts it over the top.  So many ideas, cannot pick!

With these photos in mind, I made a few sketches in my Moleskine, and translated one of them into fabric.

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Vera’s Conservatory, 2011  18” X 24”  Hand dyed cottons from my friend Diane Eyerman’s collection, commercial batiks and commercial cottons.  Machine appliqued and machine quilted.

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Detail of the tree bark.

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Detail of the machine quilting. 

I really enjoyed translating my experience at the Conservatory that day into a piece of wall art.  I already have plans for more pieces based on the images I took.  Lots of inspiration, now it’s time for the perspiration! :D

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Today is My Birthday

Today is my birthday, and I am so so happy to bring you this guest post from the most amazing Goddess Leonie.  If you are not familiar with her exuberant, joy filled posts and products (my favorite is the Goddess Year Workbook), I encourage you to run right over to her website and take in all the goodies she offers! 
And now, a celebratory message from Goddess Leonie!
 
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Every year, I celebrate my birthing day with style.
And by style, I mean the style of an overexcitable eight year old girl who thinks unicorns and lollipops and rainbows and birthday cakes are pretty much the best thing ever.
I'm not one to NOT celebrate.
Birthing days are magical and wonderloose and opportunities to unleash gladness.
Like April Fool's Day… but less fools, and more fabulous.
It usually includes:
Calls to my mama to hear my own birthing story
Mysterious adventure packs complete with maps and directions
Incredible picnics
Ridiculous cakes
Singing loudly, proudly and profoundly offkey a happy birthday song just for me
And finally, walks to the top of the mountain…
to give thanks for another year
and to welcome in the miracles of another.
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And most of all… to deeply, wildly and unconditionally
love and celebrate and adore
this Leonie I was born to be.
This is how I celebrate my birthing day.
And I want you to know:
Wherever you are,
whatever age you are celebrating,
you can make your birthing day
one that utterly & ridunkulously
celebrates the magnificence of you.
goddess leonie mountaintop 5
____
Goddess Leonie is the creator of GoddessGuidebook.com, a popular creativity + spirituality blog for women.

Just reading this post made me grin from ear to ear.  And I couldn’t help but think of this joyful song from the wonderful Loretta Lynn.
Now I’m going to go call my own mama and find me a mountain top!