Creative Life Sampler

Wishing everyone a new year of  hope, health, peace, and creative fulfillment.  Happy 2020!!! Ring out the old, ring in the new, Ring, happy bells, across the snow: The year is going, let him go; Ring out the false, ring in the true.  Alfred Lord Tennyson 1809-1892  Note: A prolific and successful English poet in the Victorian era, Tennyson was made England's the Poet Laureate in 1850. His work includes such titles as "Lady of Shalott", "Ulysses", and "Charge of the Light Brigade."

Merry Christmas All!!!! Christmas decorations appeared on our walk at the beach last year.   Love the simplicity of its seasonal message; sharing cheer in an unexpected spot. It appears the impulse to make a mark, decorate, and adorn can strike wherever we are.  May peace and joy touch each of your hearts, today and every day!

Linen Closet- Hawaiian Wreaths Quilted wall hanging created with the Hawaiian appliqué technique. Wall hanging quilted in the Hawaiian quilting technique. These wreaths make a regular appearance in our home at this time of year. The quilt was created in 2011 as part of a series of triptych wall hangings that hang from a rod over the bed. Echo quilting traces the outline of the hunter green and cream Hawaiian appliquéd wreaths in ever expanding circles, like the ripples of a pebble dropped in the water. The pattern for this block is from Elizabeth Root's Hawaiian Quilting: Instructions and Full-size Patterns for 20 Blocks. Note: triptych- work of art divided into three parts/panels

What I've Learned from Baking For most of the year I spend as little time as possible doing anything in the kitchen. (Members of my family are nodding a vigorous agreement as they read this.) It hasn't seemed satisfying to put so much time and energy in to something that was eventually consumed in less time than it took to create it. Oddly enough, that aversion goes out the window when the holidays roll around and the kitchen becomes my creative workshop. I usually end up baking at least a dozen different varieties of tasty treats. Everybody has their favorites and I always want to try a few new recipes. Between this apparent disparity in my attitude toward culinary pursuits and an ongoing exposure to reality baking shows, (particularly Great British Bake Off, which highlights individuals' creativity, baking techniques, and gentle competition in the kitchen), I've been reevaluating my long held prejudices. With the judges' "feedback" to baker...

Holiday Travel (5 of 5) We started our trip before Thanksgiving and after that weekend, on our return trip, all kinds of festive decorations blossomed forth. It was fun to see the transformation! Dulles International Airport These intriguing installations greeted arriving passengers at the airport in Cleveland: These installations appear to be made with dowels and heavy felt gathered together at a base. I always appreciate how airports are transformed from a utilitarian building to an inviting, more aesthetically pleasing environment. I'm sure it helps the mood of travelers year round,... but it's really welcoming this time of year!

Another Museum Highlight  (4 of 5) A Tiffany window greeted the visitor to this gallery. (I could definitely see this border incorporated in a future quilt.) Cleveland Museum of Art has just added to their collection of Tiffany pieces. So, while we're on the subject of light and it's effects, let me share some really lovely stained glass work from the studios of Louis Comfort Tiffany. Love the vibrant colors and the botanical patterns! Note how the peony petals in the design below break the horizontal lines at the edge in much the same way as the floral arrangements in the museum lobby. (see this link for the post on the arrangements:  https://creativelifesampler.blogspot.com/2019/12/mental-preparation-for-trip-to-art.html For my stained glass artist friends, this lamp shade shows a neat technique. Brass filgree on the inside of the shade, (seen in the image on the right), adds texture and fine detail to the leaves and flower centers. So many cool...

Unconventional Material for Art    (3 of 5) After a quick perusal of the featured exhibits, I made a snap decision that none of them would be of interest. So, I decided to explore the permanent collections. Fortunately, visiting exhibits are scattered throughout the museum and I eventually wandered in to a gallery with work of Liu Wei, from Beijing, China. The exhibit was entitled  Invisible Cities . Large architectural pieces share this gallery space in the Invisible Cities exhibit These unique sculptures are made of wood, steel, and... raw hide. Yes, rawhide. As in dog chews. Quite an unconventional material, right? The lighting of the exhibit was especially effective.  Given the warm browns, ochres, and golden colors of this natural material, the art work fairly glowed. Light illuminated the planes and compartments within the structure, revealing lovely translucent qualities.  Hanging sculpture by Liu Wei Of course this...

Mental Preparation for a Trip to the Art Museum   (2 of 5) F lower arrangement in the lobby of Cleveland Museum of Art  Continuing on my walk to the Cleveland Museum of Art, I decided that, during my visit, I would keep my eyes open for art work that embodied this idea of contrasting elements. I thought I might find other work that balanced hard lines with free form shapes such as I had observed in Frank Gehry's Lewis Building and the art work displayed in the incongruous environment of that lobby. But, the more I thought about it, the more that seemed rather limiting.   I realized that what had attracted me to these items was a sense of the unexpected. So, I entered the museum with an open frame of mind, expectant of discovering examples of art that “pushed the boundaries”. And right off the bat, I ran into the work of the Women's Council of the Cleveland Museum of Art, which provides flower arrangements for display in the museum lobby each week. Fr...

Fruits of Travel   (1 of 5) I’m excited to share some of the visual inspiration I brought home from traveling through Cleveland, Ohio recently! "Sfinito" by Afro Celotto, (blown glass) It began as I passed through a building near our hotel and ran across these pieces in the lobby. What caught my eye was the juxtaposition of the art work's organic shape, color and lines against the structure of the buildings in the background, which create a kind of gridded environment for the art. "Untitled" by Cleveland artist, Fred Schmidt (painted steel) The graceful curve of the sculpture is mimicked in the background arches. Then, as I continued on my way to the Cleveland Museum of Art, I spied this building. Here I was struck by the lines of the bricked portion of the building in contrast to the organic shapes of the metal portion. It was especially intriguing to see the traditionally ridged brick material appear to bend and give way to th...

Permanence is Fleeting Much loved crib quilt  One reason I chose to concentrate on quilting as a means of creative expression is that, after all the work involved, there is tangible product to enjoy and share. I haven’t pursued ice sculpture, or sidewalk chalk painting, or sandcastle building, though I appreciate and admire each of these art forms, and so many more. I suppose I just like the idea of having solid proof of my skills, effort, and creativity “for all time.” This affinity for memorializing creativity, and my own quilting journey, has inspired me to read a lot on the history of quilting. As with all art forms, quilting could be mapped out in the form of a family tree, with many branches and offshoots emanating from the trunk that is the art of quilting. One influential limb on this tree is the Amish quilt; admired for its simplicity and the skill level of the Amish quilter. Collectors of early Amish quilts consider them a textile expression of the moder...