Hibiscus Hope

“We dream to give ourselves hope. To stop dreaming - well, that’s like saying you can never change your fate.” 
― Amy Tan, The Hundred Secret Senses


        I'm kind of overwhelmed by the reaction to my early morning rant Wednesday!  but I have to say I am not missing FB, news, talk radio, nor the paper.  I have been more relaxed and productive for the first time in a long time!  Cleansing negativity out of our lives is something I highly recommend.

Tropical Hibiscus

          I had this beautiful tropical Hibiscus last summer on my patio and we had such a mild winter that when spring came, it began greening up and putting out leaves.  It was a lovely green plant all summer long.  I watered it religiously along with all my other stuff but it never bloomed.  Then came our unseasonably hot fall...followed by cool weather finally...and some welcome rain! Lo, and behold! My green  Hibiscus has put out several buds which have bloomed into these lovely blossoms! Last fall, I just left it out which I will do this winter too unless we get some cold forecast. So we'll see. Maybe I'll have some fall blooms next year!

       

Hope Springs....

           When the world says, "Give up,"   
                   Hope whispers, "Try it one more time."
                                                                ~Author Unknown

Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth

     I am so fortunate to live in such a neat city...Fort Worth is also called "Cowtown" because that is where it all began...as a center for the cattle market. Big meat packing companies operated here...Swift-Armour for one.  This is where the cattle drives of yore ended up.  In fact today, in Northside where the packing houses were located, there is a twice daily cattle drive with the Longhorn Herd which is quite the tourist attraction!

     But I diverse!  As I so easily do....The Modern Museum, which is in the Cultural District (also home area to the annual Stock Show/Rodeo right across the street!!)  about 15 minutes from where I live, has an auditorium where they show Independent Films several times a year.  These are sooo good!  A couple weeks ago, my book club went to see "A Man Called Ove" because that happened to be our book for the month of November. 

                                                              

The author, Fredrik Backman, is Swedish...a very young man and this is his first novel!  I will be eager to read his next book.  The film was in subtitles, which is OK...I've gotten in the habit of using closed captions on television especially for the British Shows on PBS which I love but have a bit of a problem with the accents!

     I highly recommend this book....I keep a running list of the books I read and rank them...this is a definite five star in my opinion!  We did have a big discussion about the differences in the film and the book.  I thought they did a great job of sticking to the story line.  Others thought it was quite different.  As always, I recommend reading the book first then seeing the film.  In this case, the film was just shy of two hours so they had to leave out a lot of the filling out of the characters, etc. but as far as the story line, it was spot on!

      They also have previews of upcoming attractions, and that is where they get me!  I want to see them all!  A week later, one of my friends and her son and I went to see "The Dressmaker", a very dark comedy/tragedy starring Kate Winslet, coming home to serve revenge on the Australian Outback community which had been very unkind to her as a child....many twists and turns!

       Several of these films may be available on Netflix or the IFC channel.  And some even make their way to public theaters.  "Boyhood" is a good example of a film that started out in art theaters then made it big. You may recall....the filming over 12 years of a boy's journey through life. 

       The next one up for us is "The Handmaiden"...not the Margaret Atwood story.  This takes place in Japan...a geisha and her life....doesn't look very pretty, but these films can be a bit on the bleak side.

    And I just looked Fredrik Bachman up to see what he has coming up and "A Man Called Ove" is not new, was published in 2012.  His next book out was "My Grandmother Asked Me To Tell You She's  Sorry"-2013; then "Britt-Marie Was Here"-2014; the latest-"And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer".    Hmmmm.....looks like I have a new favorite author!

     

Our Beautiful World

“There is some good in this world, and it's worth fighting for.” ― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Two Towers   

        A couple years ago, I was participating in a blog named "Our Beautiful World". A group of gals had started a photography based blog with a weekly theme.  Each week participants would post a photo of the given theme to share with the world! If you click on the highlighted link, you will go to their blog and see all the entries as well as the gals who are running it.  I have decided that was a pretty good activity to do so I am getting involved again.
     The theme is announced on Sunday and we have all week to post a picture.  This week the theme is "Hobby" so I have posted a picture of one of the challenges I am doing with my studioQ group.  This particular challenge was chosen by my friend Heather, inspired after our visit in Philadelphia to the Barnes.  This ongoing challenge is where we take a masterpiece and create a wall hanging from it.  And this masterpiece is "Seated Ruffian" by Matisse-1916...such lush colors!

Matisse Painting

My interpretation 

                                             

Hope

“When we love, we always strive to become better than we are. When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too.” 
― Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

   
         Tonight I went to my church to be in community with people of like minds.  This is the weekly meeting of the Buddhist meditation group which I have been considering attending for several months but just hadn't gotten around to it! There had been an invitation to come this evening to meditate and share.
         There must have been 30-35 people in attendance...only about five were of the original meditation group. It was a very multigenerational group....from young adults to the octogenarians like me!  Our minister Shari led the  group, first in a lighting of the chalice; then in song.  After that, we sat in meditative silence for 15 minutes!  It is very mesmerizing to sit that silent for that long.
         Then Shari passed out notecards and asked that we answer how ever we wished, two questions: 1. "What breaks your heart?" 2. "What gives you hope?"  Then after requesting everyone to be respectful and listening to each, we went around the circle to give our thoughts...first one question, then around again with answers to the second.
        I don't know how most people feel about their church, and 30-35 may not sound like many to some, but we are a small congregation...small but mighty!!!  I am so proud and thankful to be a part of these people, my church family.  The responses were all the way from sheer despair to rage over the state of affairs we face. (N0w, I haven't forgotten I am not discussing politics, and I'm sticking to that so no names mentioned!)  Very emotional for all!
       Then the responses to the second question: hope...which if you have noticed, that is the theme of my quotes!  Again very emotional and yet uplifting!  We are a people of love and optimism so I left feeling much better about where I am in all this mess!  My personal response of Hope was that "This too shall pass"! And then we ended with a rousing rendition of two favorites..."We Shall Overcome" and "This Land Is My Land"!
        I so enjoyed the time together that I am going to try to get to the Meditation meetings more often.  I like a great deal of Buddhist thinking, not all but the teaching of meditation is certainly one I can really get into.

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!!! 

SAQA Meeting and Stella

     Last Saturday, I went to Dallas with my friend Heather.  Our SAQA meeting is held at a fabric shop on Commerce in Deep Ellum....a very interesting place!  The place, Petit Atelier, is very unique; has wonderfully fancy fabrics; and the owner, Michael is such a nice host. We have over 20 members of SAQA (Studio Art Quilters Association) but only nine were able to attend this week.
     The last time we met, we had decided to begin a challenge for all to take part.  The month before we had gone to the Modern in Fort Worth to see the Stella exhibit...a great day...we had a docent which was good because a lot to Stella's art is very abstract and having a docent to explain made the show so much better.  Anyway, as a result, we decided to use a Stella as our inspiration for our first challenge.

This is the Stella the was selected as our inspiration 

     When we have challenges, as in my studioQ group, we can create a work of art anyway we wish...using the design or color or whatever strikes one....that is what inspiration is!  "Inspired by" !

And my process begins with the selecting/auditioning of my fabric.

      I decided to take the colors that Stella used but instead of circles overlaid with squares, I decided to reverse that, using a square and overlap with a simulated circle.

My Stella...not quite finished... I need to do the binding and remove some loose threads.

     I was kind of handicapped this week because I have been receiving a treatment in my right eye so it was too blurry to see well.  Trying to thread a needle with one eye is really hard!!!  Ok, enough whining, I'm good now so will get it finished this week.

      Here are what some of the other members did.

Donna

Kay

Andrea

Heather

      One of the main things I like about our challenges is to see how differently everyone will interpret the same picture.  We meet every other month and try to visit galleries and museums on the alternate months.  There is another artist, Kaws, at the Modern now and we are going to try to visit his works with a docent too.  And we decided to choose his work for our next challenge.  I don't know which work it will be yet but will keep you posted, my readers!!

My living room/fireplace do over!

     I had a gas fireplace when I first moved into my condo...and a white tile surround,  painted mantle, and a white entry way which is actually part of the living room. My first year here, I re did my kitchen; the second year, my bathrooms; and now for my third year, a redo of the living room!

My Original gas fireplace, white tile, and painted mantle                                                                                 

After tearing out the white tile and gas fireplace and rebuilding area for an electric fire place.

The new hearth which has been enlarged, placement of the electric fire place and
starting of the brick front.

Hearth and brick front are finished but I didn't like the look from the side.

And I decided I really wanted a new mantle out of real wood
 so here it is in the rough...oak!

Sides and mantle attached                                                        

The final product with my accessories back in place!                                                                

And the entry way process

This is the sub coat put on after the tile was removed...goes into a closet too.

And the finished project..it is river rock cut into slices...goes along with my "rustic" look!

So what to do for my next redo?  Well, I'm going to have to build up a little reserve first, then I am thinking of replacing the tile in my kitchen....it is also white and the grout has gotten a little too grungy!

Another Process-A Wall Hanging

   

Group shot of Westside Unitarian Universalist's congregation

      The work I am going to show in this blog is one that I did for my church's water service.  We have a delightful new minister who just came to us about six weeks ago.  She is young and enthusiastic and I believe she will be a great asset to our church.  So for her second time in the pulpit, we had a Water Service...a  service whereby members of the congregation brought water from a favorite place, a special vacation, or even tap water to symbolically represent a memory. Then at a appointed times during the service the water was poured into  crystal bowls representing the direction from which it may have come..North, South, East, West as Rev. Shari read about the directions' meaning. Ultimately concluding the need for water and how all waters flow together, etc.

     In preparation for the service I volunteered to make a wall hanging to be displayed behind the pulpit.  So in my mind, what could represent the ultimate water?  The ocean and more specifically, the strength of the ocean as shown in waves. I have always admired Hokusai's  "The Wave" so I used it as an inspiration.

Hokusai's "The Wave"

   First the auditioning of the fabric...yes, that is what we fiber artists and quilters actually say when we are selecting just the right fabric to use!

Background

Definition added

     Then I sketched out the shape of the waves on freezer paper.  Freezer paper has been adapted to the fiber world as a wonderful tool because the waxy side can be ironed on to fabric to give a nice foundation for cutting shapes. So I could place the paper on my background on my design wall.

Freezer paper shapes

After deciding the shapes, I chose the fabric for the waves themselves.  I had ironed Mistyfuse to the back of the fabric to fuse it in place to the background.  Mistyfuse is a very fine adhesive which can be adhered to fabric then ironed onto another piece.

The waves...on freezer paper...before adhering to background

The fabric is called shot cotton.  It is very light and has a shimmer to it which doesn't show up very well here.  It is made up of two different colors of thread which changes color slightly as light hits it.

Then I added some white caps

and because I really enjoy doing beading, I decided to bead the waves.  It has been  three or four years since I had done any beading, and I had forgotten how slow a process it is!  I burned the candle at both ends for several nights but did get it finished!

In cropping the picture to show the beading better, the picture got a little fuzzy.

The final wall hanging is about 60" x 36".  I would like to do some more beading along the top of the large wave on the left side and maybe a little on the lower wave.  

The final project!

I am glad I did the beading...it reminded me of how much I enjoy it and will be doing more in the near future.

       

Another Challenge with studioQ

     I am having some work done here at home, so I don't want to get into anything that I can't get away from if needed.  So a perfect opportunity to continue getting caught up with my series on studioQ challenges on my blog.
    This challenge I am going to show...process to finished project..was inspired by the painting "Seated Ruffian" by Matisse.  A few of us had gone to Philedelphia last spring to the Studio Art Quilters Association annual conference and while there we visited the Barnes.  Many of the pictures in the collection were by Matisse including this one.

Seated Ruffian by Matisse

   As usual the first thing I did was to select the fabric I wanted to use.  I just happened to have a one piece fabric which incorporated all the colors I needed.  I rarely buy fabric with a specific use in mind at time of purchase; I am more inclined to buy because I like it!  And then there it is when I need it!

My one piece of fabric with the chosen picture on it...what could be better!

     Now the decision to be made...what design do I want to use? Do I want to be realistic? Abstract? What parts to emphasize? So I start cutting up strips and laying them on my design wall.

First layout

Then more added

Now I'm ready to sew!

     I enjoy the design and sewing  phases best...now I have to figure out which parts should be sewn together first...then there is a certain amount of slashing and inserting various sections. 

Almost finished!

    The final steps are to square it up and to quilt and add the binding. I'm not real particular about whether my quilts are perfectly squared; in fact, I sometimes leave them a bit off angle to add to the design element.  The quilting is my least favorite part to do.  Since the color choices and design elements are more important to me, I usually do a very simple straight line quilting stitch by machine. I kind of like to do the binding too..not much to think about there...just what color to use and then I hand stitch my bindings which is a relaxing end to a project for me.
     

Finished

     And here is the finished project...approximately 15" x 20". When we first started this challenge, we decided we would all do a uniform size, but having our artists' minds, we all come up with "close to the chosen size"...and close is good enough...give or take a few inches! So here is the work of some of my fellow members of studioQ for the same challenge!

All together!