Saturday, February 23, 2013

brisk grocery landau


Oh yeah?  Well I can TRY, can't I?

Ars longa, vita brevis.  
In English, "life so short, the craft so long to learn."


Collectors Weekly article about Improvisational Quilts
    with many references to a show from the 80's at the NEQM that blew me out of the water, called 'Who'd a Thought It?' curated and collected by Eli Leon.  Since then I have had an extreme interest in this type of quilt and hit every show I can find.  Not being an African American I cannot actually make an African American quilt but seeing their unrestrained, unconventional, and amazing work has greatly influenced me to drop conventions and work more freely with what's at hand.  I understand that Eli Leon is still in Oakland from a friend who visits with him regularly.  He is one of my most-admired quilt influences.  Good thing I was exposed so early in the game.



These gorgeous cut-newspaper installations are by American artist Pat Shannon. She meticulously cuts away the text, leaving only the sweet little houses behind. She does this with all sorts of newspapers {comics, want-ads, inserts}

The project is titled Ritual of Identity ,  Ange-line Tetrault (http://vimeo.com/retrotetro)  and here’s part of her statement-
“... the object is my clothes and the subject is myself. Everyday I get dressed and everyday it’s a long process of me trying on many outfits before I finally get the right look. Some days a certain outfit feels like me and other days the same outfit feels like someone else. What’s the rational behind this? Is it all about the persona I feel like projecting that day? Can people tell the persona I’m projecting based on what I’m wearing, or I look the same no matter what I wear? “
I couldn't resist showing you this in relation to Ange-liine's work-  it's a 4-part collage of my own called 'Measuring Up' that I did to explore women's body issues through sewing and pattern making.  At it's first exhibit one of the pieces sold by accident (It was supposed to be ONE piece!) so I have never shown it since because it's now 'incomplete' even though it's only to me!  Sick, I know.
Note: It's supposed to hang in one long horizontal but that's not good for picture taking.  Plus the missing piece is either #2 or #3 so it throws off the clothesline symmetry.  

And that brings me to what I have been doing since Lisa got me started on it last week!  It started with me complaining as usual that my closet was overwhelmed and she was going to 'help' me and she did.  She could be ruthless with MY stuff and got some of it cleared out and also suggested that my massive hangers might be a problem.  So, $48 and four trips to TJMaxx later, (because I needed to have all the same color but had to settle on teal and gray- none of the TJ's had enough of any one color except magenta.  I don't DO magenta...) this is what I have, with thanks to Lisa for being tough:

and three lawn-and-leaf bags in the garage waiting for a Goodwill trip



Artist Brad Downey created sandcastles in urban environments which were inspired by his interpretation of the famous situationist publication, 'Beneath the Paving Stones'






Wanna see my Lego Parakeets again?  OK, Just thought I'd ask.

                         For Nate-




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