Breaking Silence

My friend, Pat Pauly, is in the Textiles in a Tube show in Greenville, SC at the Riverworks Gallery. I wish I could take the time to drive over there and see it. Her piece, Breaking Silence, is a manic mix of hand-dyed, printed and discharged fabrics that noone but Pat can handle. Her deft manipulation of the fabric she creates is phenomenal. The piece looks vibrant, dark and explosive as if breaking silence would create a cataclysmic event (and, of course, we know that can be true).

This innovative show challenges fiber artists to create work that will fit into a standard 36" x 3" mailing tube. Works as varied as an umbrella with a pieced top to a series of hand-dyed and printed 3" circles (1008 of them!) were accepted.  Kathleen Loomis, a highly respected, award-winning quilt artist and the judge for the show, has posted a photo and comments about Pat's quilt here: Pat Pauly, Breaking Silence. Take a look at what many fine quilt artists are doing with their work on Kathleen's blog.

Making art with thread and fabric

Paula Kovarik, 2012

I love the medium I have chosen to pursue. Making art out of fabric and thread is a meditative, rewarding and challenging practice. There are many of us out there. All trying to say what we say with the tools of this medium — thread, fabric that is purchased or found, dyed, ripped, shredded, frayed, embellished and manipulated, batting for padding and ballast and a heart with the yearning to create. Our necks ache, we have bruises on our fingers and elbows, we visit chiropractors and yoga studios to bring symmetry to our backs. We wrestle with the equipment, read manuals and experiment with inkjet printers. We go all the way. And there are few places who let us show the work we so earnestly create.

One of those places, the Dairy Barn in Athens Ohio, puts on one of the best shows in the country for cutting edge quilts. The Quilt National call for entries was just announced and you can bet your last cookie that there are a lot of artists out there trying to finish up that last edge hoping to be included in the show.

I have added a number of links to other quilt artists websites and blogs on my sidebar today. These are people who are recognized for their skills and vision. Take a moment (or two) to get a look at their work. It blows me away.

Sharing and rules to consider

I am working on a large (for me) quilt that I want to enter into the Quilt National juried show in September. The show is considered one of the most respected art quilt shows. Thing is, the rules state that I can not show the piece anywhere that draws visitors from within 100 miles of its venues. I can also not post it on any website (except my own) for public viewing. That can be a problem if someone pins me on their Pinterest page. Thus, I will need to modify my site to stop any Pinterest viewers from using my images on their boards, or, not post an image of the quilt.

I am choosing not to post an image of the quilt for now. I may reconsider as it progresses. Since I use this journal as a record of my process as well as a site to share my thoughts, it might be a little difficult to stop that. It might also mean I post less as I get more and more consumed by the process of making the piece.

For today I am posting this simple pattern I made while musing on the shapes of clouds.

Clouds, Paula Kovarik, 2012

threats

A four-day weekend to get some real work done. I am still toiling away on the spiral piece with the working title of Threats. The base is a circluar linen tablecloth, circa 1960 or so is my guess. If you look closely you may notice that EVERY grain is on the bias which means that EVERY stitch I add creates new billows. A threat indeed. I have learned to go with the billow, pushing, nudging, letting it be imperfect. Because, after all, we are all imperfect right?

threats, 2012, Paula Kovarik

compost heap gives back

Didn't plant it. Didn't plan it. Wouldn't have thought to do it. The compost heap has given us a squash vine worthy of praise. Leaves the size of dinner plates, the vine travels in three directions and probably measures over 50 feet long. We actually need to name it since it has started to climb over the back fence to greet us. I'm looking forward to a plate full of baby yellow squash in about a week. And now that the worst of my gum surgery convalescence is over I might even be able to eat it.

Amazing bounty.

squash vine, 2012