Motivation...

It is foolish to tear one's hair in grief, 

...as though sorrow would be made less by baldness." 

(Cicero)

I was looking for a motivational quote this morning to push aside the doubts and negative thoughts that were creeping in (and do creep back from time to time).   There were lots of deep and meaningful ones but this one did exactly what I needed... it made me smile!!

I have lots to smile about at the moment...

1. Mum arrives tonight!!
2. I get the keys to my new flat on Thursday!!!!!
3. I have some wonderful friends who are going to help me move my stuff!!!!!!!!!
4. and the boss has given me Friday off to make he move happen.

I must keep everything in perspective and not dwell on the "what-ifs" or the "remember-whens"...   I need to remember that it's no longer about whether or not the decisions that I've made recently are right, it's about HOW I am going to make my choices WORK FOR ME!!!

My 'bridges' idea is starting to come together...

I've found a couple of images that fit my original idea (I've explained before how I get a feeling for a project, but not exactly an image - this time I managed to find the images that matched the 'feeling' I was looking for) and have sketched and traced and layered and adjusted to create a design that will work - technically and visually.

I can't wait to get started but there are a couple of other projects that I need to finish first...  hopefully my enthusiasm won't fade before I get the chance to start sewing.  Actually I don't think that will happen because I've actually developed this idea to the point of starting, and not just in my head! so even if  it takes a couple of weeks to get to it, I still know where I'm headed.



This slow-growing scarf is one thing I must finish...  I love it - the way that it twists - but it's just a bit slow growing.  I've used one ball of the Noro Silk Garden so far and will definitely need 4 or maybe even 5 balls... I'd better keep knitting because I was planning on having this done by the weekend...

Something else that I was hoping to have finished by the weekend (and I haven't even started yet) is a Baguette Bag - a Nicole Mallalieu Design.  I have made this bag before and absolutely love it! but it takes a bit of concentration...

I think I may be a bit too ambitious here...

Mystery tour...

Mural at the "Melbourne Story" exhibition at Melbourne Museum

On Saturday I took a girlfriend on mystery tour of another collection of my 'favourite places'.  This time it was the Bellarine Peninsula.  My friend has just moved back to Geelong and so we took some time to catch up and explore...

We started with KYO at Ocean Grove... a HUGE warehouse full of furntiure, homewares, textiles and more from around the world.  For me it's like an Aladin's cave of interesting "stuff"!!

Then we wandered the main street of Queenscliffe... I love Queenscliffe... I love the boutique clothes shops, antiques, second hand books, galleries, homewares, gourmet foods and the cafe's... and of course the ice-cream shop (although we didn't indulge in ice-cream... we were full froma gorgeous lunch and afters of hand-made chocolates and hot-chocolate....).

Top Designs - Fashion students' work

On Sunday I took myself to the Melbourne Museum and was flooded with inspiration... the Top Designs 2010 exhibition (the works of VCE students) was impressive!! I would have love the opportunity to do works like that when I was at school - there was everything from fashion, furniture, film, photography, advertising and so much more. What was really impressive was the folio's that supported their work that included their research, inspirations, designs etc.

I was also impressed with the animal display - and the buzz coming from the kids and families as they viewed it... And the bugs in display boxes always amaze me... I've done this before when I was at Uni and really enjoyed it (I don't think I have any photos) but still love the 'en-masse' display.

My head is now swimming with ideas for my artwork! I'll have to write some down before they get lost because right now I'm still on the hunt for bridge images to satisfy last weeks inspiration...

Inspired!...

Today for the first time I have been inspired to do something creative...  I won't start it yet... the idea is still developing and I have a weekend of visiting ahead of me, but the ideas are flowing, the search for images is on and the sketches have started...

It came with the quote that I posted earlier in the week:

"The hardest thing in life is to learn which bridge to cross and which to burn" (David Russell)

I found it (on the internet of course!) when I was feeling pretty low.  I've been using quotes as a 'pick-me-up' or 'mantra'.  I re-wrote this quote onto a sticky-note (gotta love post-it-notes!) and it has been attached to my computer screen all week...and it really has helped to keep me focused on the "bigger picture".

This morning I made this rough journal entry using the quote - just as a reminder to myself of the quote...  and then I realised that this is my next project!!  Bridges...  There are heaps (and heaps) of bridge related quotes and sayings ... "build a bridge and get over it" and "it's water under the bridge" and "bridge the gap".  I don't intend to get too deep... it's simply that this quote has me thinking bridges and suddenly I can now see bridges 'working' in the type of images that I create.  It's one of those things where the image has meaning only to the creator...   I'm actually really excited about this one!

Itching to be stitching!!

The fabric arrived from Kimono House on Friday and is it just as I ordered! Actually it's better, as there's a bit of texture to it which I like (Sue and I chose some of the fabrics in the quilt because of their texture) and there is a slight sheen to it, or the illusion anyway, without being 'silky' or 'slippery'.

It's been sitting on the desk teasing me since then and so far I haven't had the time to do anything with it - too busy browsing through houses, talking to salespeople, crunching numbers and deliberating about what is the right thing to do! I'm thinking tonight that I deserve a break from it all to get sewing again.

I can believe how much I feel the need to sew. It was just less than a week ago that I was last at the machine or did anything creative and I'm getting withdrawals! Funny thing is, that it was only about 2 months ago that I had no inspiration to do anything and for the past 12 months I have only done the odd sporadic stint of stiching or creativity and even then I usually walked away disheartened and unenthused. Creating and sewing almost daily certainly drives me to want more!

Phew!......

The garage sale is done! just a trip to the op-shop required tomorrow to get rid of the last of it.

The Geelong Fibre Forum was fantastic and inspirational and I soooo want to go next year!!

The football is over (shhhh!! Geelong lost)

....and it's almost time to start a new week.

So about the forum....

I met up with Jeana and her daughter from Unbecoming Lily at the forum and had a great couple of hours chatting and admiring and drinking everything in. I also introduced Jeana to my 3 favourite places to shop for textile stuff:

1. Artisan Books - is it bad that the guy who owns the bookshop knows me by name?...
2. The Thread Studio - a Perth based mail order (web-order) business that "specialises in unusual and interesting embroidery threads and textile art requirements" run by Dale who blogs at Downunderdale ; and
3. Beautiful Silks - a supplier of fabulous silk fabrics of all types who encouraged us to "feel and touch" (probably knowing that we would be unable to resist if we did - she was sooo right!)

We had coffee by the Great wall of hats - a display of hats from the Blue Hat Project

We walked through the Big Knit - a giant knitting installation by Caroline Love.

I checked out the exhibition "After India" and saw the Mongolian Yurt and the inflatable sculptures by Evelyn Roth about the grounds.

And I browsed the works made by the lucky people who attended the forum for the week.

An overview of the room where samples of each groups work was on display.

Felting by Kitty Chung O'Kane's class - I've taken a class with Kitty and it was a lot of fun

Tthe Wire Jewellery class (I can't find the name of the teacher for this class)

Encrusted surfaces with Pauline Verrinder

(there are more pictures on my Flickr pages)

I know that I missed a few things but I enjoyed what I saw and again vow that I will find a way to be there next year (promises, promises...).

Gallery Review - Lumina

On my way home from work yesterday I dropped into Lumina Fibre Arts Gallery and I was in heaven!! This gallery is run by a friend who I did my Textile Arts course with and is also the gallery where we held our Mythomania exhibition in April 2006 (where I sold this fabric book).

Lumina is retail gallery that "represents over 200 contemporary textile and fibre artists from around Australia". Suzanne also runs various 'themed' exhibitions throughout the year, generally in support of a cause (eg Breast Cancer, Reconciliation) or to coincide with significant dates (ANZAC Day, Poppies for Remembrance Day etc).

Lumina's October exhibition is Fat Quarters in Pink - a tribute to Pink Ribbon Day which supports Breast Cancer research. Suzanne has invited patchworkers and quilters to dress a little wooden free-standing dolly (approximately 12cm tall) with moving arms, legs, complete with shoes - totally in PINK!

Currently the gallery is filled with so many fantastic works with a 'green theme' - recylced arts (Suzanne had a great name for it but I can't remember it). It's like Aladdin's Cave filled with treasures. Suzanne has a dream job in my eyes!!! However the down side for her is that the business consumes so much of her time that she doesn't have any time to create - which is a shame when she's surrounded by so much inspiration and dealing with other artists.

It's definitely worth a look if you're ever in Melbourne.

Lumina Fibre Arts Gallery, 89 Waverley Road, East Malvern, VICTORIA

I've been so busy Journalling that I've forgotten to blog!

Everyday on the train trip to and from work I dig out my sketchbook and start scribbling away, making thumbnail sketches and notes. The other day I had to buy myself a pair of scissors and some sticky tap so that I could stick all the pictures I'd printed out and I just couldn't wait till I got home!. I find that by doing this in the morning, I keep thinking about it all day and store up ideas till the trip home where I just can't wait to add them.

There is no organisation in my journal and that is the way I wanted it - if it was too planned and rigid, I'd be afraid to scribble and draw and make notes. At the moment I'm playing out lots of different ideas to see where they lead. I'll work on an idea for a day or a couple of days or sometimes just a few minutes, change to another, and come back to the first again if something else comes up.

I have a brainstorming page at the front where I put words that relate to the theme and questions to follow up. I also have a page at the back where I'm listing my 'ideas' or 'formats' (eg. series, large hand embroidered work, postcards, fabric book etc) as they come to me so I don't forget them. Then when I need a start I turn to those pages and pick something to start designing.

Unfortunately for my readers, this means that there are no pictures at this stage, but I'm working up to it. My latest sketches are leading into something that I will be able to work at on the train, so I'm gearing up towards that for next week.

Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anna from Serendipity gave me the answer to yesterday's question. The pictures are called photograph mosaics or photomosaics.

I'm sending Anna a fabric postcard to say thanks!!!

This is what I was talking about...

(you can download these as wallpaper for your desktop at: http://andreamosaic.org/wallpaper/)

Now that I know what they're called I've found heaps of links.

This one is particularly impressive - Infinitely zoomable photographic mosaic - its a photomasaic that just keeps going on and on and on. When I saw the first picture I couldn't imagine that it was a mosiac, but I was wrong!! note: it needs a flash player to view.

There are also heaps of programs that let you create photographic mosaics using your own photographs. My head is reeling with the possibilities!!

Getting creative...

This week, instead of taking a book on the train (yes I did finish last weeks book - it was a great read!) I've taken a sketch-book. T

he Phoenix group that I studied with and have exhibited with twice are putting on another exhibition. It's not until next year (April I think) but we've been planning for some time and it's about time I got motivated and started creating for it.

I decided that instead of making notes on scraps of paper and then losing them, I'd make a good attempt at a visual journal for this exhibition. I'm going to try to just add to it as ideas come and not be concerned about how it looks. I'm looking at it as my notebook and a resource for when I get stuck. - My usual way is to start a sketchbook but then because I want it to look good I end up not using it and it gets added to the pile of sketchbooks with just the first few pages used.

I've also decided that for the most part I'm going to use a black ink pen and not be afraid to make a mark.

So far I'm doing OK. Some of my sketches are really bad, and some are OK. Nothing is brilliant, but all I want is some ideas and to plant the seed. I'm finding that as I jot down an idea and start to sketch it out (either with words or drawings) that I'm lead to other thoughts and ideas. I'm finding that I'm getting excited about the theme again too!

I'm planning on doing quite a bit of hand embroidery, so as my ideas form into something more solid I'll be able to put the sketchbook aside (but keep it in the bag) and get stitching on the train as well....

That is the intention - I've made it public - now lets see how I go!

And finally, because I haven't posted any pics for a while here is a hint at our theme - can you guess?

Charlotte Ziebarth - An inspiring quilt artist!!

I read about Charlotte Ziebarth in the August/September 2007 issue of Quilting Arts Magazine.

Charlotte is a quilt artist (or art quilter - however you want to look at it) who uses digital photos printed directly onto fabric in her quilts. Her main focus is nature - which certainly strikes a cord with me - and the imagery in her quilts is incredible. I particularly like the way that she's not afraid to repeat an image several times in one quilt, or to only use one image repeated in various sizes and colours.

I'd love to put an image of one of her quilts here but I won't for fear of copywrite contravention. Instead go to her website and browse through the galleries!!! I want to point you to a favourite but there are too many to mention - just go and look for yourself!!

Charlotte Ziebarth - www.charlotteziebarth.com

I love this plant

This an ornamental cabbage (I think). I love the colours!!