I was reading through Lilla Rogers book I Just Like To Make Things and read this line:

Enjoy being a beginner

I have spent quite a bit of time mulling this over. We have all been beginners. I thought about learning to walk. I don’t remember that experience, but I’m sure there was some fear, some incredible excitement, a sense of pride when that foot moved. And so it is with beginnings.

In Bloom 2007 one of my beginning pieces.

It is somewhat like falling in love. That beginning, that apprehension, the excitement and emotion.

When I floated the idea of an online presence, I felt all of those beginning emotions. My website launched in November, I was relieved and excited. What an incredible amount of work. I had no idea! As well as the relief and excitement, I felt somehow vulnerable and exposed. It was a beginning.

Five months into this I still feel like a beginner. I still struggle with aspects of technology – but I have learned so much. I still have moments of feeling fear and vulnerability and doubtfulness. But oh, the joy, the excitement of a letter of acceptance for your work or the thrill of a kind comment on a blog post. None of the joy would be possible without beginning, taking the first step, being brave enough to put yourself and your work out there.

Be brave, simply begin.

A number of weeks ago I submitted some images of my work to hopefully be included in a book being curated by Sandra Sider entitled 1000 Quilt Inspirations. I received this from Quarry Books last week!

 Banner images are from Quiltmaker’s Color Workshop by Bill Kerr and Weeks Ringle (Quarry Books, 2006).

Good news! 

At least one of your images has been accepted for Sandra Sider’s new book, 1000 Quilt Inspirations! You will be hearing more from us about this exciting project in April.  
In the meantime, our online submission module will remain open through March 31. Please help us spread the word about our extended deadline!

Sincerely,

Quarry Books 

www.quarrybooks.com 

www.qbookshop.com    

 

Needless to say I am over the moon with excitement and will let you know as soon as I know which image Sandra has chosen.

I am happily spreading the word about their extended deadline. If you are a quilter or a textile artist, you can find more information at the following link

http://submissions.rockpaperink.com/1000-quilt-inspirations/

Deadline is March 31.

Oh, and, Happy Spring!!

The Dhahran Art Show was last weekend and I was totally surprised that my piece “dream” took first place in the Fiber Arts category!

This piece was thermofax screened onto commercial cotton and then quilted with fun variegated thread. It is mounted on stretcher bars and measures 6″ x 6″ and I love to keep it on an easel in my studio!

When all of this talk of building a website and making art began, I felt that I needed to learn how to take pictures of my art. I am still learning, but what I hadn’t expected was to fall in love with photography. Yet another surprise!! Just for fun, I entered two pieces of my photography in the show.

Nightfall London was taken in August. Speaking of surprises, the trip was a surprise for my birthday, complete with surprise guest from far away!

Venetian pigeons was taken in Venice last fall. I just love the color of the lamps.

These photographs were printed on canvas and mounted on 2″ thick stretcher bars measuring 12″x 12″. I really liked how they looked. The final surprise of the weekend was that these two photos sold at the show. I was thrilled!

Surprises are such fun. I would love to know what was your best surprise ever!

I am definitely a rule follower.

And I think it all began as a child.  One evening, we went for a family drive. My dad knew this great ridge where we could see the lights of the city. Sounds great, right? When we arrived at the entrance to the ridge, there was a gate, with a sign, NO TRESSPASSING. This is a red flag for me that immediately tells me I should not go there. But, we do, we go. The view was pretty spectacular. As we go to leave, the gate is  locked. I quietly go into panic mode in the backseat. My dad says he will go and get help, but I am pretty sure we are all going to be arrested! I was terrified, knowing we had broken the rules, and very afraid of the consequences. Well, my dad came back with the guy with the key and we were off. The police were not called, and all these years later I wonder if my dad knew the guy. That would have been useful information for me, while I quietly panicked in the backseat of the car.

This is how life has been for me. Thousands of others can get away with little infractions of the rules, but as for me, I always get caught and questioned and life seemed for me to be less complicated when I lived inside the rules. A little more carefree and much less time spent in panic mode!

Then I started to play with art and being creative.

I have been working on a series of Arabian Doors. This is outside of the lines and the rules because the designs and patterns that I am using can be found in various doors, however, I am making my own patterns and using colors I want to play with.

Yep, someone said something! Someone mentioned to me that these are not the colors used in the doors. I felt like I had trespassed, colored outside the lines, yes, broken the rules.

So I started a door in the traditional colors and I felt like a fraud! I felt like I was totally copying the work of someone else. And more than that, I was not enjoying the work. It was then that I realized I was using the beautiful doors I had seen as inspiration. As an artist, I can interrupt what I see as I like, that is what makes me, well, me!

I edged closer to doing mostly textile art instead of quilts because it just felt freer. I got to decide. There is not this list of rules for the work I do, because it all comes from me.

I do find it interesting that I do still follow the rules of life and community. When it comes to art, I am totally outside of the lines, breaking rules and loving it!

This piece form WishHunt.com sums up exactly how I feel about creating art.

I hope you are having all the fun!