Saturday, January 13, 2007

Some of what I've been up to...


This is the cover of my new year diary. My friend Lisa gave me a diary which was bigger than the one I had last year, so of course I had to make myself a new cover for it, didn't I? I used a piece of silk fabrication I had leftover from another project, stitched to a lovely piece of purple hand-dye. I added some shisha mirrors (which Lisa also gave me), stitching the entire thing on the longarm machine.



This is what it looks like closed. I'm very happy with the whole thing - I feel it looks suitably arty-farty for the artist I intend to be in 2007.

I have been thinking about my intentions for art practice, what I hope to achieve, etcetera and so on. I am hoping to manage my time better this year than I have in the past, to not waste moments, hours, days in procrastination. I want to be nicer to myself, not berate myself over time lost and things not yet achieved, but to get on with things without regrets over things I can't change.


This is a baby quilt we (myself and my sister and a friend) have made for another friend who is expecting her first baby. I have yet to decide on a border for this, but I'm tired and lacking inspiration this evening.

I have been fairly productive the past couple of days, finishing the magazine project that was due and getting it in the mail, doing some piecing on the baby quilt, then rewarding myself with some creative time, sketching and even painting.






This is a canvas I have painted over a couple of evenings this week. I gessoed, then added scrunched tissue paper and PVA glue, let it dry then applied glazes of acrylic paint, allowing the texture of the tissue-prepared canvas lead the way. Rob thinks it depicts 'our mountain' - Mt Kembla, which we live at the foot of, and he's probably right though I was working intuitively without a particular intention of painting this particular landscape.

The other thing I've been doing over the last few days is listening to an audiobook - a new pleasure since I got my Ipod. I downloaded "The Time Traveller's Wife" on recommendation of some of my blogging friends, and have been totally caught up in the story. I spent the last hour weeping at the beauty of the story, and have that utterly pleasurable feeling of being emotionally spent - don't you love it when a novel gets you like that?

6 comments:

Lisa Walton said...

Wow - you have been busy. The painting looks amazing and I love the diary cover. Congratulations on a productive start to the year.

Anonymous said...

You've been very productive! Love the book cover and the baby quilt is going to be sooo cute! I love bright fabrics (over pastels) for baby quilts.

Karin said...

Great colours in all 3 projects. The book cover is a real beauty!

MG Quilts said...

I'm listening to 'The Time Traveller's Wife' as well. Great story that has gotten me hooked. Love the diary cover. How big is it?

Ali Honey said...

Love your diary cover and the quilt too. I'm reading The Time Traveller's Wife, book at the moment.

Susan said...

Love the diary cover - it's amazing what one can do on a longarm. =)

I like the idea that you will be kinder to yourself this year. We are always kinder to others than to ourselves!

The baby quilt is wonderful. Love the colors and the movement - it just seems happy!

The painting is amazing! I'm in awe of your having the ability to make something that looks like what it is, and that is so beautiful! I am strictly a stick-figure artist. =)