Wabi-sabi

                            "Masquerade" (private collection)

Janet Tanguay, creative director of Art-N-Soul, writes the following in her artist's commentary:

"The Japanese have a concept they call wabi-sabi that speaks to the art of imperfection and/or the willingness to accept things as they are.  Wabi-sabi is really about process, not the end result.  (It) requires that we take time to pay attention to imperfections.  To practice wabi-sabi means to accept nature's process, including impermanence."

Since reading Janet's narrative, I've given a great deal of thought to the way I approach my art.  Because I am essentially a left-brained, mathematically-saturated person, I've addressed my creative endeavors with my focus on the product: How well did it come out?  Did I achieve what I set out to do?  Did I waste very little time discovering how to do it?

One of my goals for this year is to embrace the process of creating fiber art and to accept the fact that the end result may not be what I envisioned . . . it may be, however, what was envisioned for me.

The quilt pictured above, "Masquerade", was begun in a class taught by Laura Wasilowski and departed quite dramatically from the piece I had originally imagined.  Its imperfections are there for all to see . . . and I have learned to love every one of them.