Friday, February 20, 2015

prosaic sherry crease



I've looked at life from both sides now,
From win and lose and still somehow
It's life's illusions I recall
I really don't know life at all.     Joni Mitchell


Back in Florida but you wouldn't know it.  Today it's in the high 30's, yes, an improvement from Boston, but geesh...  I'm running out of sweaters, have two on at a time!  Hope this passes quickly because the guest room will be filling up on Tuesday with a munchkin and his mom.  And we ALL need it to be warm weather for them.

Since I got back I have done nothing but work on the new house-  things need signatures, things need samples, things need attention-  today I am headed for the lighting store and dropping the dogs at the groomers on the way-  but it's NOT 'on the way', it's in opposite directions and about an hour between them.  First I stop at the studio to print out the order-  I can't wait to have a printer at home-  might be worth the cost of the house actually.  Then I have to deal with the appliance guy again because it seems he left off a dishwasher from his order.  Really?  As if I don't need a couple of them!  Also there is a problem with a microwave that doesn't appear.  Then I race home to tend to the usual crapola and wait for the dogs to be finished.  Yesterday it was bocce (we lost both games) and cabinetry-  it went well but took for ever to get all the pages signed and dated- and get to the tile lady for those samples.

In the same office park where my studio is located is an art dealer that TY went into while I was getting tiles-  he was drawn to a 10' male torso out in front that looked like it was wrapped in steel fabric.  But inside was a whole warehouse of art, mostly paintings by artists from other countries that I pretty Much hated until I was leaving and saw an oil that pretty much blew me out of the water.  I practically had to peel myself off of it, huge thing, maybe 65" square of an acrobat.  I have no affinity for acrobats, I certainly don't like where it was done, but OMG, I wanted this thing so badly-  ONLY $14,000.  So I am wiping it from my head today.  Unless of course one of you want to buy ten quilts, your choice of whatever.  Not interested?  I don't blame you.  Sigh.  I think I might be able to get the dealer down to only needing to sell 9 quilts if I break down crying.

And that is pretty much how this house project is going-  I find things I love, I check the price and can't do it, then start looking for substitutes, which of course don't exist or are poor imitations.  I am a rich woman in so many ways, just wish it was money too sometimes, greedy thing that I am.  

Opened up my mail a bit ago and this amazing crocheted portrait came up from a Boston artist friend:
(enlarge it any way you can to see the stitched details!)

It was published in the Smithsonian in an article about innovation, showcasing Janet   Echelman for their American Ingenuity Awards in the November 2014 issue.  Of course you must all know her amazing work with billowing nets and fibers she hangs over urban sites on a grand scale like these:


But as much as I love Janet's work, I was curious as to who the Smithsonian had commissioned for this portrait work and came up with Jo Hamilton, a young artist born i Scotland but residing in Portland OR.


Masks: Yoghurt, Turmeric, Fragments, Mixed crocheted yarn, 42 x 28 inches, 2014

a commission of a beloved pet,

And the portrait of her adopted home, 'I Crochet Portland'!  How cool is that?
Jo Hamilton’s crocheted portraiture is a fascinating combination of traditional technique with contemporary subject matter.  A native of Scotland, Hamilton earned a degree in painting and drawing from the Glasgow School of Art. After moving to Portland, she translated her artistic vision into the medium of crochet, which she had first learned as a child from her grandmother.  Her subjects range broadly, with an enduring interest in portraiture, ranging from people she knows, to commission subjects, mugshot images, larger than life nudes, and recently, 3-dimensional mannequin-like whimsically masked heads. Each piece is compelling and poignant, informed by the vivid color and complex detail of her process and the rich tradition and contemporary approach to the crochet technique that informs them.


And this guy pales by comparison!

PS- back from the trenches doing my jobs today and fortunately being asked to partake in NATIONAL MARGARITA DAY just before I fell over from frustrations.  Had some Huevos too and the Margarita kept me going long enough to pick up the fluffy dogs from the groomer, who are busily chewing off their pretty tails and furry legs right here at my feet as they prefer to look like Dingos.  Today I wasn't able to get the chandelier my heart was set on for the living room-  I knew it was too good to be true at 64" across!  And the appliance guy is arguing with the cabinet guy over my microwave, and as I was leaving the house this morning the agent called to show the house at noon so I came back in and did the preparations for that.  So frustrating, one thing after another.  And I am cold and haven't slept well since I got back Tuesday night-probabky because the Canine Companions decided it was poop time at 4 AM and it was 35 degrees out there!

But hey, at least there wasn't any snow.

I am grinding my teeth to get back in the studio.  Grrrr.

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