Thursday, November 10, 2016

Day One

            Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness. Desmond Tutu

      On Facebook this morning, at 3:30 AM, I declared I would no longer have Facebook in my life; no more news broadcasts; no more NPR talk radio...I changed my radio stations to all music; I vowed to not get on FB anymore except for the occasional peek at some individual pages to keep up with pictures; I have cancelled my subscription to the daily newspaper, and I will not watch any news on television.  I also vowed to not have any political discussions on my blog and I will keep that promise.  In the past, my blog has mostly been an outlet for my art. I would like to expand it with some book reviews, some humor, general knowledge, etc.
     I was finding myself spending up to a couple hours a day on FB; an hour to an hour and a half of news every evening; so with my new found time, I plan to make my day much more fullfilling!  For example this morning, after I couldn't get back to sleep at 3:30, I lay in bed reading for a while then turned out my light, but still couldn't get to sleep so at 4:45 so I got up, went into my studio and finished stitching a binding on a quilt I was working on.  Then at 6:00 I took a shower and got dressed, ate my meager breakfast (half an English muffin w/a teaspoon of peach jam), took a vigorous walk as soon as it was light outside, came home to make a couple phone calls and realized nothing was open yet! It was only 8:15! Wow! It's a whole new life!!
      The quilt I finished is one of the challenges my studioQ group  did last month. We have been doing a masterpiece challenge and this is the picture for last month.


Georgia O'Keeffe's "Autumn Tree-the Maple"


      My process-selecting the fabric                                                                                     
Starting off the lashing and placement
Then to the design wall

More Fabric added

And more...

Auditioning which borders to use

Dark, Light or a combination of both
I decided on a combination of both.

And then to do the quilting and add the binding which I did at 4:30-6:00 AM!!! 



10 comments:

  1. You know this already, but I LOVE your piece! The colors are rich and the lines and shapes are flowing and sinuous. Gorgeous!

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    1. Thank you, Heather I really appreciate such praise coming from you!

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  2. Beautiful, Jay. I also admire your dedication in giving up Facebook and the news. I am not sure I would be able to but it would not waste as much time if I did.

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  3. Jay, It is stunning. Wish I had at least a 10th of your creativity and talent so I could better channel my anger and disgust. My good news is that I talked to all my children and reached to friends and family.

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  4. Jay, I feel honored that you would ask me to belong to your blog. Thanks so much as I admire you and love your artistry. I think I'll also give up facebook as it seems to be detrimental to my mental health.
    Love, Joy

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  5. That is so beautiful; I really love the colors.

    I gave up most TV more than a year ago, except for KERA and PBS. (I've never had cable, so no worries there, ha ha.) I got rid of my newspapers several years ago, too.
    I generally keep up through Twitter, and was somewhat addicted, but I have been able to lessen it to a greater degree. I am not, typically, too preoccupied with Facebook. I like to know what is going on, so I don't see me giving up much more than I have at this point. But, gaining time is certainly a gift that we can give ourselves is it not :-)
    Thank you for inviting me.

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  6. Thank you for adding me to your blog. Sometimes it is best to ignore the outside world just to let our own light shine. Love your art.

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  7. Your art is beautiful, Jay, and your sentiments are also well-received by me! It's like you are going through a "cleanse" which can be very beneficial. Thanks for including us in the blog!

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  8. That's a lovely and recognizable interpretation of the great Georgia painting. Now you've got more time for photography, writing, how blogger works, etc. I look forward to hearing more what you're up to. Hugs.

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  9. Jay, your work is unique, genuine, and beautiful. Your study, research, learning, integrating, and processing show clearly in your personality and your artwork. I think this is so rare. I hope you know what I am so awkwardly trying to say. As far as our current state of affairs concerning our government, media, and organizations, I am still trying to find a productive way to transition my personal journey. I feel bruised. My love, Joy C.

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