small town girl

i have never been more convinced that i am a small-town-girl.  as much as i enjoy the universe and sometimes beyond, travelling long distances, and especially into the city, wears me out.  i much prefer the quiet  and slower pace of a rural hearth. after several trips back to back, i am finally home.

i have ventured out of that inner circle, although rarely.  recently, into pasadena to take a class with nina bagley who had travelled from north carolina to teach us her mixed media jewelry pieces at french general. what i mean to say is, i pick my interests very very carefully. and boy was i right.  i had followed nina for years on her blog and read some articles in books about her work, but the speed and intensity of my admiration for her picked up after i discovered she was on instagram too.  i fell in love with her dog walter and the new home she has moved to at heartrock and my curiosity kept growing and growing. she is as real as real gets..,,spontaneous, stream of consciousness talker ( her own words) and funny too.  and she creates the most fabulous jewelry with found objects, mainly from nature. 

a new friendship has blossomed as well as two other more subtle as yet, but just as rewarding. i will always remember the three days we were able to spend together, going out to dinner, laughing about my gps, talking about our lifes and walter ofcourse.

this is nina's handmade book that drew me to sign up for her class.

notice all the natural elements she uses such as wood and stones and mother of,pearl and linen fabrics, string and leather.  her work is so so so reflective of her soul.

this is a necklace i bought from nina breathtakingly beautiful. 

photo of walter borrowed from nina's instagram photostream. isn't he adorable?

(speaking of instagram, my next post will be dedicated exclusively to all the talent i have discovered there.  i highly highly recommend it.)

i have felt a little run down after all the emotions; as i said, i am a small town girl and too many sensations all at once tend to overwhelm me, which is why i have been so quiet, taking it all in, processing what I learned, especially about the creative processes we each embrace.

but i have been busy.  very busy, creating from all the ideas i brought home with me:

like this oversized mixed media heart after one pam garrison gifted kaari meng and her husband at french general

and this junko oki inspired mini pouch created as a gift for kathy dorfer together with a mini painting since claimed to have followed me on instagram too.

i have painted, i have stitched and been recognized again on Flickr's EXPLORE two days in a row and been contacted for an interview about my approach to art.

but now i must focus on tidying up all the messes i have left, sort through snippets of fabric and lace before i move on to any new projects .

i have so many art supplies, especially for my fabric work and most of them are small little itty bitsey pieces, charms, appliques, beads and buttons that need to be sorted and organized better.

and the problem is that i always keep adding, such is this bundle of joy i brought home from french general.  as if i didn't have enough already, but i cannot resist vintage haberdashery. 

the store was filled to the rim with fabrics and beads and charms and decorated with vintage finds kaari has brought home from her scavenger trips to france such as these two schoolgirl dresses.  i wish i could copy the blue one in my size, i have always adored pinafores and they are so comfortable.

i loved this small painted sign next to the front door with a little brass bell that made a belly dance sound as you entered.

and all the tiny treasures.  i could have spent a fortune, but there was a class going on so that kind of stopped me from spending more time browsing.

cupboards with hidden things at french general which i never dared ask to be shown lest i fall into more temptation were everywhere.

and whilst in the midst of all these comings and goings, the season has changed, shifting its colors and moods which leads me, unconsciously i suppose, to paint in muted dabbled colors such as this portrait.  she sold in less than 24 hours after i listed her against richard's will who had claimed her.  but, in the spirit of cleaning out the art room, i have slowly begun to part with some of my work.

halloween and the day of the dead always bring back my urge to create altars and sacred hearts

and bring out my crucifixes to display around the house

and embroider some more at dusk switched on bach or some old black and white film.

this miniature crucifix was embroidered with denim thread and has the tiniest sacred heart wrapped around it, also embroidered.

and finally, a work in progress: running stitch and more crosses.

i am so grateful for these new friendships and how they have introduced me to new artists such as pam garrison who i am getting a lot of fabric inspiration of late. 

the season is truly beckoning thanksgivings.

this is the magnificent piece kathy dorfer was finishing up when i met her and look what she has done with it for her altar.  incredible, no?

may this quieter season be filled with thanksgivings for all of you too.