A Weaverly Path Trailer from Kenny Dalsheimer on Vimeo.
It turns out that one of my favorite tapestry artists, Sylvia Heyden, lives in Durham and gets her inspiration from the Eno River. This is a trailer for a film made about her work.
slowly she turned
Living the Slow life in North Carolina
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I’ve had another one of those moody weeks. I decided to take the week off from working with my hands to give them a needed rest. Now I’m itching to get back into the studio, make some prints, design a new warp and get that started, since it will take a while.
Week before last, the Greensboro Fiber Guild met for the first time since March and what an energy-filled meeting that was. Deb Bartz was back in town from a two-year stint at Haywood Community College for their intensive fiber art degree. She is raring to go and will lead a fun hands-on workshop in surface design at our next meeting on November 30. That program sounds so amazing. Ah, to have the time and money and ability and courage to pursue your dreams – what a gift that is.
I went over to Susanne’s on Tuesday night and learned how to marble with her students. Now that is a fun technique. Right up my alley since I love a surprise factor in my art.
The bad news, the news that nearly flattened me yesterday and made me bawl, is that Teesha announced that she is going in a different direction and is no longer going to do Journalfests. And the coming Artfest is the last one, although it is at a time of year when I can never take off work anyway. Journalfest was transformative for me, one of the most wonderful experiences in my life. It was not just the event, it was the combination of the place, the classes, the people who all understood your passion, the teachers, and the energy. I missed this year’s Journalfest so reluctantly, but I kept telling myself that it is so successful that it would endure and I’d get to go next year. It has been the light at the end of my tunnel for a couple of years now. Never did I suspect that it would disappear because of a change in life direction – it was such a shining star in so many lives.
Now is not the time for me to give up anti-depressants, to paraphrase this guy.
I haven’t heard yet about the dates or cost of the Portugal trip, but I realized that I was basing my expectations on my hope, which isn’t very realistic. First, I was basing the expected cost on a workshop she scheduled in November with herself as an instructor. Then, I was basing it on being scheduled at a time when I can take off work and the airfare would not be sky-high (yes, that’s a pun). Now I’m scaling down those expectations and realizing that we may not be able to do it. Thus, I had already marked the dates in my 2012 calendar for Journalfest and was hungrily digging through all the photos and posts that the artists returning from Journalfest last week were uploading this week.
Sigh. I told you that I am addicted to art retreats.
One bright spot – one of the teachers that I am absolutely nuts about, India Flint, is planning two workshops in New Hampshire in August. The bad news is that one of them is impossible for my work schedule and the other one is workable but barely.
India Flint’s work is so inspiring that I can only take it in small doses before I realize that I am oxygen-deprived.
Another bright spot – I sold three books at the gallery in the last couple of weeks.
Okay, time to stop blogging. The coffee pot is empty and the studio is waiting for me.
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Howdy.
I’m taking my lunch to work and I am going to find a few more corners to cut in order to save up for a trip to here: http://www.artparadiseinportugal.com/ with Sandy next year. It will be our 25th wedding anniversary year. Leighanna Light is going to teach a class there and I just loved the one day class I had with her a couple of years ago. This prospect has picked up my spirits considerably.
Susanne had another pulp painting class in her back yard a few weeks ago and I really, really loved doing it. I’d like to work with this some more after my hands get better. I miss making paper. It is doable as long as somebody else is schlepping around the heavy water vats and pulp buckets, but obviously I don’t have a servant at home.
It’s funny but although I miss making paper, I don’t really miss making books that much. Maybe I just needed a break. I have plenty of blank books for the gallery right now, so I’ve switched all over to weaving scarves and stitching occasionally on my magic cloth, which has magically transformed into a healing cloth. My back studio almost feels like a meditation room when I am not playing music or podcasts. I lose track of time so it is good to play This American Life episodes since I know that an hour has passed. I weave for 1-2 hours before I need to take a break for my hands and back. Weaving is not so hard, but preparing the warp and tying it on the loom is, so as much as I look forward to the next color combination, I also wish that I had a weaving elf to do that part for me. Surgery on my left hand is scheduled for December 23. This way I only have to take one sick day from work, since I have the week off after Christmas anyway.
Sandy and I marched as two of the 99% last Saturday in downtown Greensboro, and that made me cheer up more as well. It was a very family-friendly event with a diverse crowd. The organizers of Occupy Greensboro did a fantastic job, and they are still working their butts off planning more educational events and protests from their encampment downtown next to Festival Park.
For a video showing the entire “parade” of marchers, see this. If you had any stereotypical images of the protesters, it will surprise you:
Definitely not a bunch of homeless hippies or elitist radical hipsters or old-school Democrats. Certainly no Republicans, except for a few trying to ambush people with economic questions on video, and except for one guy dressed as Gumby carrying a sign that said “Thank God for the Rhino Times.” (How sad is that.) I wish that I had a demographic breakdown of this crowd. My guess is that many of us are unaffiliated or thinking about going that route. There were libertarians and socialists and anarchists there, but there were plenty of people who were not extremists and were simply disgusted with the way corporate money influences every aspect of our political system.
To solve a problem, first you have to admit that there is a problem. Then you bring awareness to those around you about the problem. I don’t expect the Occupy Movement to solve our vast economic problems, but I’m thrilled that they are waking people up out of their apathy to voice their grievances and demand some action from our so-called leaders. That is the value that this movement brings. The protesters don’t have to have answers. We elect people and pay them to come up with the answers, and they aren’t doing their jobs.
In conclusion, my butterbeans are producing heavily and are very delicious cooked with a few pieces of bacon.
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The most wonderful thing about weekend mornings is that when I have a hot flash I can strip off all my clothes and stand in front of the open refrigerator.
Last weekend I did get the studio cleaned up and the warp wound on my loom. I ended up going back to my original idea of weaving towels or bread cloths, but in plain weave. I’ve gone almost full circle with my weaving and now simplicity of structure is more appealing to me that complicated treadlings. It’s comforting to get into that rhythm and the present moment when the world outside seems so full of chaos. I love the place where four fibers connect. # That center space carries all the color to your brain.
I’d post photos, but the lighting is so bad in my studio that the colors are all way off. Maybe I’ll take my DSLR camera out there later this weekend and see if it does any better.
Sandy set up an easel and an art space in one corner. I take my laptop out there and play downloaded podcasts of This American Life, Book Artists and Poets, and quiet music to keep me company when he is not there, although I have no problem with silence either.
Mmmm, ice pack to the face and neck feels so good.
I’m afraid that the basement might be flooded again and will have to check on that once the current storms finish moving through. My plan was to go to the farmers’ market this morning, but I lost heart for it. I’ll hit Deep Roots later when the day and my mood is a little brighter.
Anyway, I cut the first cloth off the loom and washed it in hot water and dried it in the dryer. I like to make sure that these can be laundered without worry. Other than the tension being a little off on one corner it looks pretty good. The tension should be better in the others because I had run out of warp sticks and that is no longer a problem, plus retieing it to the front helps. The first has a wine-colored weft and the next two will have blue, then light green wefts, all relating to the colors in the warp. Hopefully I will be finished with these and warped up for scarves by tomorrow night, which I’m going to try to knock out quickly for Christmas sales. I have SO much yarn that it is shameful for it to sit unused on the shelves.
I desperately need something light and amusing to read. Just finished Her Fearful Symmetry and Tess of the d’Urbervilles. God, what a mistake that was for somebody who was already depressed about oppression and has a history of stalkers. It followed me into my dreams. Now I’m reading The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver, in which I just learned about when our own army massacred a bunch of WWI veterans and their families in Washington D.C. in 1932. Good Lord. I think that I might have to go back to Stephanie Plum novels. How ’bout that sexy Ranger, huh? Isn’t Grandma a hoot?
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Gosh, can I even remember this week? Is it worth remembering?
I can tell you that I spent much of it in a blue funk after the political hatefulness that occurred against my friends and family in this state. It made me realize that I cannot sit back and ignore the news, even though I desperately want to do so.
Hmmm. Sleep has been my friend this week. Also working in my art journal.
Sandy continues to be fascinated with painting as his right brain is developing and he begins to see.
I gave five large boxes of books that I had gathered for altered book and collage purposes to Susanne and John Martin, who teach art. Monday night Susanne hosted her book/paper art class in her back yard where the students chose from about a dozen vats of colored pulps to make multi-colored papers. I didn’t participate, although I was invited, because of the overwork on my hands the day before. It was inspiring and educational to watch because I realize how easy it is now. Maybe this IS something I can do with several small vats.
I have continued to clean and organize the back studio and I believe that today really is the day when I will wind on that warp that I began almost a year ago. There are tons of spiders and I killed many of them this week. I am eaten up with bites and can assume that some of them are spider bites. I just hope that none of them are brown recluses. I don’t want to bomb the studio with pesticides because it is a small space and I don’t want to remove all my yarns and fabrics or get pesticide residue in them.
Because I want to weave off this warp quickly, I’ve decided to use rags for the weft. My little Baby Wolf is not heavy duty enough to weave a sturdy rag rug, but it will be good enough to get rugs to use on my bedroom’s cold floors on each side of the bed over the winter. Then I’m going to enjoy knocking out some cotton flake scarves for Christmas gifts and sales.
Also, I’ve been playing with a bucket of walnut dye on the back deck. This took practically no effort at all – just pouring water over a bunch of green black walnuts and popping in some folded, tied, and/or clamped bundles of cloth. I toned down the green of the rayon scarf that I dyed in the shibori workshop, and the white areas turned a dusty pink – strange. Photos later. It’s time to get off this computer since the coffee pot has run out.
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A blighted area of rundown turn of the century industrial buildings and warehouses beside the river becomes a hub of creativity as artists and restaurants and a brewery move in. What a lovely idea. We spent a rainy Labor Day morning strolling around the River Arts District in Asheville. Unfortunately, Mondays, and especially holidays, are not the greatest times to catch artists in their studios. What we did get to see was fun. I was sad that I didn’t get a chance to go to Asheville Bookworks, but that is an excuse to visit Asheville again.
The mural on the front of Cotton Mill Studios, where Cloth Fiber Workshop is:
An old building next door waits for transformation and a labyrinth lies behind it:
A transformed building for studios and the sign at the front:
The patio area at the Wedge Brewery, still another reason to go back:
A light lunch at Clingman Cafe:
Update: Nesting Blog wrote a post about a lovely garden in the RAD that we saw but didn’t photograph because of the heavy rain. I really want to visit Curve Studio when I go back.
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On Sunday, our first stop after a lazy morning in bed was the Folk Art Center on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Murphy fiber artist Sandra Rowland was one of the featured artists and she was demonstrating sun prints on fabric outside. Her quilts were fabulous because of her richly hued nature printed fabrics, but I wasn’t allowed to photograph inside. I bought one of her printed squares to include in my Magic Diary Cloth. She was also fun to watch and generous with her information.
This led me directly to Earth Guild in Asheville for Setacolor fabric paints, even though I suspect that any transparent acrylic fabric paint would do. I liked her style. The trick for me will be to work outside when it is hot enough to set the paints yet cool enough for me to deal with my hot flashes and the mosquitoes. I guess that an electric fan and bug lotion will have to be used because I’m doing this.
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Another thing that I love about Asheville is that it is a Slow Food city. Its restaurants, for the most part, take supporting the local farmers and food artisans seriously. I ate at a variety of places in Asheville, including a bowl of Cheerios at the Days Inn, where Juanita loudly groused, “You don’t like how I do my job? Hey, I’m 80 years old. I’m outta here!” and the poor girl from the front desk kept saying, “Nobody’s upset with you, Juanita.”
So that was a real world experience that I enjoyed. And I was reminded that I really do love Cheerios.
On Saturday, I lunched at the White Duck Taco Shop in the River Arts District. I wish that I had taken a photo of my duck taco and watermelon side, but I was too busy scarfing that bad boy down. I recommend it, and there was a long line at the counter, so obviously it is popular for good reason.
On Saturday night we picked Cúrate, a Spanish tapas restaurant near Pack Square on Biltmore Avenue. It was a delicious, beautiful, and unusual experience for us. We sat at the bar and watched the chefs bustle through their orders. Next time I will definitely try their ham, which is their specialty. And cheese. I love manchego cheese.
pimientos de padron
“peppers from smoking j’s farm served with bonito flakes “unos pican y unos no” translation “some are spicy and some are not,” will you take the challenge?”
Sandy liked these better than I did although I did like them, and they were right about the surprise factor in hotness. It’s just that I was diggin’ the eggplant:
berenjenas la taberna
“fried eggplant drizzled in wild mountain apiaries honey, garnished with rosemary”
I never considered putting honey and rosemary on fried eggplant. Mmmmm.
The big hit was the
pincho moruno
“lamb skewers marinated in moorish spices”
When we were outside trying to decide on a restaurant, a woman walking out recommended this dish with gusto. It made up our mind and she was right. Even those pickles were good and I am not a pickle person. Although I do occasionally get pickled.
vieiras con pimiento del piquilla maestro julian
“seared scallops with roasted red pepper sauce”
Wow. Yes, these were delectable. They also cost $6 per scallop. A seafood vendor recently told me the government controls the price of scallops. I don’t know whether that is true, but this price makes me think that maybe he was correct.
The next day, we had brunch at Solace, also in downtown Asheville. I don’t know, is 2 p.m. still considered brunch, or is it lupper/linner? Sandy had a pastrami sandwish, and I had antelope and polenta and most refreshingly, mimosas.
It was a fun, partly rainy day of shopping. We went to the Folk Art Center (future post) and I bought cotton flake mill end cones and other supplies at Earth Guild. We hit the Himalayan Import store where I picked up a patchwork bag and a game store where Sandy loaded up on his passion and, of course, a used book store and Malaprops, Asheville’s awesome independent bookstore. We ate dinner with my niece at Eddie Spaghetti’s, a little Italian place on the outskirts of Asheville.
Gosh, I love Asheville. I really, really, really do.
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Miss Lucy is not only back to normal, she has become quite spoiled with all the extra attention she received in the past few weeks. Thank God, because I don’t think that we could have afforded many more vet bills.
I’m trying very hard to break my addiction to art retreats until I can get some of this home equity loan paid down. I’m still putting aside a little every month to save up for travel, because that has become very important in my life. Funny, when you consider that I am a recovering agoraphobic. I don’t know, maybe not. Part of the cure is that you can’t let yourself slip back into the behavior that got you pinned in the corner in the first place. When I was diagnosed, I didn’t even realize how long I had been there, partly because of the stories I told myself to justify staying home, and partly because I didn’t understand what agoraphobia was.
So, I scheduled an important task at work for the time during Journalfest to stop myself from registering. I want to go so badly. I keep looking at the workshop schedule. I keep looking at other conferences and retreats online, along with the airfare and hotel costs. It has truly become an obsession. I know, however, that I need to find ways to scratch this itch close to home for a while.
Yesterday I went to Galax, Virginia to a quilt show and art event at Matthews Farm Museum with an incredibly talented friend of mine, Laura Frazier, who was demonstrating wool sculpture and selling wool there. My mood needed a pick-me-up, and the beautiful location, weather, and friendly fiber artists provided it. I have photos of the site, but my batteries are currently being recharged so I’ll have to post them later.
I haven’t even finished posting my trip to Asheville! Wow, my life is full. I guess that I need to get off this computer, and go do what needs to be done this morning, which is cleaning up and out my studio in the back. Sandy is eager to use it for a painting studio, and I have a warp that has been on the loom for months waiting to be wound. I want to weave some scarves ASAP, but I need to weave off this yardage first.
I’ll be back with photos later. There is coffee to drink, peas and butterbeans and okra to pick, and some kind of meal needs to be prepared.
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Pole-wrapped sleeves. Hate, hate, hate the pink one. It wasn’t my intended color (I was trying for deep purple) and it didn’t change when I overdyed in dark blue. Silk is tricky. But I do like the red/brown one. It was “supposed” to be brown. These samples are from a silk blouse that I bought at a thrift store for less than $2.
Turquoise folded pattern: This is interesting cloth. A delicate white pattern that must be made with a polymer of some kind on white cotton. The cotton takes the dye, the pattern does not. Pleated, folded, and clamped.
Another sample of the same cloth, folded in a triangular accordion bundle and clamped.
Rayon scarf: Different stitched shapes stitched on a fold, drawn up, and dyed. It’s in a bucket with green walnuts and water on the deck right now. Already there are some interesting marks on it.
slowly she turned 