Where do ideas come from?

Often from the materials themselves. And where did I find extra thick wool felt? The hardware store, of course. There's a great little arts supply section at Ace Hardware in Half Moon Bay!  Thus, a new medium. It will still be a quilt: three fabric layers stitched together. Just how that will happen will unfold.

In the Meantime

Thomas found a handy perch. He's just occupying the ironing board until I need it for the next quilt.

It's always landscapes

They pour out of me. It comes from primordial outdoor images. Those Sunday drives in the Iowa countryside. Hills and wooded riverbanks, planted rows of corn, farmhomes, and gravel roads. It's Grant Wood everywhere. And it's my place to start: my entry for the SAQA trunk show "This is a Quilt." A little 8" x 8" landscape.

A Body of Work

It takes about fifteen pieces to make a show. I know this because I made thirteen and then hung them. My friend Marilyn went through the show and said, "Great work but you need MORE." And I knew she was right. It's a feeling, this sense of critical mass. So I devoted 5 days to completing two more quilts, each requiring about 30 hours. That could be what led to the the burn-out.

I've selected a THEME, and I've outlined 15 quilts. In the last two weekends I've I developed two quilts. 2 down, 13 to go. I'm going for the critical mass...

The Blank State

Now What? How to begin again?

"The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing. "

Walt Disney

or it could have been any number of sensible people who get things done....

Walker Zanger displays Afrigraphica(s)

Pat McIntosh is the manager of the Walker Zanger tile and stone showroom at the San Francisco Design Center. She enthusiastically welcomed my tall, thin textile panels to her showroom during Fall into Fabrics 2009. In fact, she installed them prominently on the front doors, inviting the designers and their clients into the showroom. Check out her blog on my list ("You are invited to...") to see her sublime photography and check out her showroom to see her handsome product displays. She is an artist, a lovely person, and an ace for all matters of stone and tile. Thank you, Pat.

Ocean of Wisdom

The Mongolian name for Dalai Lama, Ocean of Wisdom, draws on the Water symbolism of Feng Shui. Inspired by the hand-painted silk fabric of swimming koi, each coordinating fabric conveys its own meditation on the theme. My friend Yasmin owns this quilt. She even painted her walls to match the art! As a Feng Shui Consultant, she knows what to do. There is a Thai ikat-weave silk in the quilt (lower right corner). She pulled that color to paint her kitchen aubergine and it's fabulous!

"Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible."

Dalai Lama

Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can't help them, at least don't hurt them.

Dalai Lama

Tom must be a Buddhist. He always tries to help and steps very lightly.