show & share: every child is an artist

Every child is an artist.

The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.

Pablo Picasso

You would never have known it by reading my blog that I have done some serious stitching. I have mentioned it in passing in a few posts over the last year or so. Four, to be exact. Click on my new sub-heading, 'Stitchery' - or click on the 'Stitchery' category to your right to see those posts.

I actually defined myself as a Quilter for almost 20 years. I was into quilting big time. More on that later. Early in my quilting 'career' I discovered crazy quilting...and re-discovered a childhood passion for embroidery.

Last week, while searching for something else I stumbled across these 'artifacts':

My first embroidery

cotton floss on polyester cotton fabric

age 5

(signed backwards - natural for a lefty)

Crewel embroidery pillowcase

wool yarn on linen

age 10

My mother taught me

while she embroidered

a bedspread.

Embroidered sampler (purse)

wool yarn on woolen fabric

age 12

I believe this was from

an Erica Wilson book

Folk Art embroidered purse

cotton floss on muslin

age 14(?)

Yesterday I was showing them to my daughter, Erin, and telling her about this Show & Share link-up. She suggested that I make this week's theme Kid Art. So here we go...

Take a photo of some childhood art - your own or that of your children or grandchildren...or any child you know. I hope you will join me. It's not nearly as scary as showing your First Quilt.

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An InLinkz Link-up

friday finds: albuquerque part 2

Last week I shared some images of Albuquerque that I had 'found' in my photo archives. I love this part of the country for its pre-historic culture as well. I have been fascinated, haunted and inspired by the archeological treasures of the American Southwest for years.

It started over four decades ago, on a family vacation to Mesa Verde National Park...more on that in a future post. For now it is enough to enjoy the rock art I found here five years ago.

Even though it was still fairly early in the morning I could feel the heat of the sun as I hiked the  Rinconada Canyon Trail. There were only a few other visitors, so I pretty much had the place to myself. This is definitely not the place to be dragging disinterested family members...did I mention how hot it was?

Several years ago I bought a wonderful book, A Field Guide to Rock Art Symbols of the Greater Southwest. It is probably one of the most-used reference books in my Art History library. I have this book too... Imagine how excited I was to see up close and in person so many of the 'famous' petroglyphs I had studied for years in those books. Like visiting the VanGogh museum when I was in Amsterdam. Well, almost.

Deer, snakes, badgers, birds, stars, moons and suns abound, as well as some amazing anthropomorphic and zoomorphic characters. Part of the appeal is its enigmatic quality: we think we have some idea what these images are all about...but maybe not. Was is merely 'prehistoric graffiti'...or something more significant?

I incorporated petroglyphic imagery in my stitchery for many years, like this little 'quilt' I made in 1997. The primitive quality of petroglyphs suited the style of British appliqué artist Janet Bolton. I have coveted her talent for years.

Hale-Bopp Comet

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I'm continuing my exploration of the Print module in Lightroom, as well as the image enhancing features, which in this case really clarified the petroglyphs and unified the tones of the various rocks.

And because I can't resist experimenting with Photoshop, I wanted to see what a light touch of texture would do for the layouts. It's not readily apparent in these 'busy' images, but it did add a bit of slightly grungy punch. I used Kim's kk_promenade (Multiply 60%) and her scratchedmagic 2 (Screen 35%)

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Linking up with

Friday Finds

Weekend Walk

a thistle for lynn

I made this little piece for my dear sister-in-law, Lynn, as a thank you gift for hosting Kelly &Aaron's wedding. I stumbled across this wonderful quote from Jonathan Lockwood Huie when I was messing around with a thistle photo a couple months ago, hoping to combine the quote with the photo.

I immediately thought of Lynn when I read this...and laughed out loud. You see, Lynn has attempted to obliterate this particular "weed" from her garden: the stubborn Canada Thistle (yes, Canada - lol) that has invaded our state in recent years. While she admits that its magenta blossom is pretty, she cannot abide the thorny stems and leaves, and its aggressive nature makes it really difficult to control. Several months ago, when I told Lynn that Kelly had chosen the thistle - albeit the Scottish one - for her bridal bouquet, we both laughed at the irony.

xoxo

Cindy

a timeline

I have always wanted to be an artist. Since I was a little girl, making art has been vital to my existence.

It’s who I am. Who I’ve always been. I could always draw just about anything. Anything I could actually see in front of me, that is, as long as it didn’t move. I learned to draw by copying pictures...not coincidentally the way my father learned to draw as a child. By the 5th grade I was into oil painting, in addition to sewing and embroidery.

My parents strongly encouraged us kids to get a college degree, and so I got my BFA in painting at the University of Denver. It was at DU that I learned to combine my love of drawing and painting with my love of fabric.

I’ve explored many different media over the years; quilting and embroidery held my interest for over twenty years, and as I acquired skills I shared them, teaching classes and designing my own line of quilt patterns - Columbine Designs. As you can see, the patterns are still selling, even though I haven't added any new designs in over 10 years.

Then, about 12 years ago, I started to burn out. My avocation had become my vocation, and I no longer stitched or designed for the joy of it. It had become Work. I was truly in despair. I floundered for a few years, trying desperately to get my “mojo” back. In the mean time I was looking for something different to do, and somehow discovered rubber stamping and then scrapbooking.

The “paper arts” industry gradually morphed into mixed media - which, for me, is just a fancy way of saying I love to play with all sorts of materials and methods - and I followed the trend. More and more, technology opened new doors for me: with the computer came the internet, digital photography and photo editing...and now blogging.

A turning point came in 2006 when I read Ali Edwards’ groundbreaking book, Life Artist. I came to the realization that my favorite theme is, and always has been, quite simply, Everyday Life. I have always been interested in family history; my parents each worked on their own genealogy, and I have access to a treasure trove of family photos spanning over 100 years. I continue to document our lives and our family history with scrapbook pages and various mixed media projects. I still love to play with everything artsy, from fabric and paper to paint and plaster to beads and metalwork, and now photography and photo editing...and blogging.

The adventure continues...