"Coming Out Of The Dark"

 (I thank you all from the bottom of my heart for the many expressions of support, encouragement, and optimism you sent along after my last post.  I am blessed to have you in my life.)

Several months ago, Dawn Browning of Bee’s Fiber Art (check out her blog -- she's doing some wonderful things) posted a link to artist Alisa Burke’s blog, and that link has sent me on a soul-enlightening path along my creative journey.  I fell in love with Alisa’s incredible artistic expressions, especially her journals.  I immediately purchased the Koi Sakura watercolor paint set pictured in her article, gathered up pens and pencils similar to those she used, and sat down to follow her tutorial.  

My first attempt at depicting a seashell looked more like the top of a Dairy Queen ice cream cone; it didn’t matter to me – I was hooked on watercolors.

I then took inspiration from a greeting card I had kept, and the results tickled my heart. 

Emboldened by my tiny successes, I branched out to try my hand at fantasy flowers, using Alisa's techniques.

And then it was Christmas, and these ornaments came forth in the spirit of the season; a few Zentangles worked their way into the scene as well.

I am now finishing an online class with Alisa, called "Sketchbook Delight," and I am learning SO much and enjoying it tremendously; you can sign up for this class at any time.  Do check out her blog; her lessons and her inspiration have truly lit up my life.

Diane

When Life Gives You Lemons . . .

I always intended that the purpose of this blog would be to share with you my adventures along the journey of art quilting.  Lately, though, I've been making more lemonade than anything else, and I wanted to briefly let you know why I haven't been posting or commenting on your blogs as often as I'd like.

This past September, our son, who is a journalist, travelled to South Africa on an assignment; while there, he got into a wrestling match with an all-terrain vehicle, and the ATV came out on top.  Sean ended up with a broken arm, six fractured ribs, a broken wrist, and fluid surrounding his lung.  He IS, however, alive, and we are unspeakably grateful.  He was operated on in South Africa and came back to our home to recuperate; he also needed lung surgery in NYC and seemed to be on the mend.  

They say that, if you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans.  It turns out that Sean's arm required MORE surgery this past week, because it hadn't knitted at all.  He's back upstate with us, and this time the recuperation is slow and extremely painful.  We're taking everything one day at a time and hoping he turns a corner soon.

On top of this, we just learned that our beloved dog, Doyle, has lymphoma; it was an especially difficult diagnosis to hear, since he's only seven years old.  We don't know how much longer he'll be with us, so we've decided to celebrate his life each day the best we can.

I feel as though I have a wonderful support group with all of you who read and comment on my blog; it is this sense of community that makes it easier for me to share my thoughts with you when life isn't so gentle.  Your thoughts, prayers, and advice are more than welcome; please know how grateful I am to you for our continued connection.

Diane

"Try to Remember . . ."

“Just A Doodle: #15”  ©2010 Diane Evans

A year ago, Alyson Stanfield offered the following advice on her Art Biz blog; I read it over recently, and it’s every bit as relevant today:

“You’ve been going at it all year.  You do.  You try.  But then, you look back at that task list and become discouraged.  Instead of thinking about what you still want to achieve, focus on acknowledging all you have done.  Take time to write down your accomplishments for the past year.”

She offered a list of questions to jump-start your thinking, such as:

(1) How did you promote your art?

(2) Who were the top ten cool or influential people you met?

(3) What did you try that was uncomfortable, but helped you grow?

(4) How did you improve your studio habits?

(5) What was the single best thing that happened to your art career this past year?

She then advised: “Be grateful for the energy you found, the people you came across, and the experiences you learned from . . . Celebrate!”

I found Alyson’s ideas to be eye-opening (the list of questions for 2010 is posted again here); she motivated me to take inventory of my plus-column for the year, and the exercise was a real boost to my self-esteem – another way of reminding me to view the glass as half full.

So here’s to 2011; may it bring us wonderful accomplishments, continued friendships, and unimagined creative artistry.  And you, dear readers, are the coolest people I’ve been fortunate to meet.

Diane

(Please share your answer to Question #5 -- it'll make us ALL feel good.)

(Wo)Men Of A Certain Age

"Just A Doodle: #13"  ©2010 Diane Evans

There was an Internet blurb sent around recently that made me smile:

“Be the kind of woman so that, when you wake up in the morning and your feet hit the floor, the devil says, ‘Oh, crap – she’s up.’”

I want very much to be that woman – I really do.  I am finding, however, that I have become the woman for whom a good night’s sleep is now a distant memory.  I face my bed each evening with a fair amount of dread; it has become my enemy, since I lay awake for long stretches during the night.  I blame it on hormones.  Come to think of it, I blame MOST of my troubles on hormones these days.  I know they’re responsible for my fuzzy thinking, because my doctor told me that the estrogen isn’t running all the way to my brain anymore.

"Just A Doodle: #14"  ©2010 Diane Evans

Therefore, I’ve decided to surrender to the sleeplessness by drawing; my reasoning is that, even if I can’t face the morning with renewed energy, I can at least have something artistic to show for the last eight hours.

So I ask all of you out there who are old enough to have received your AARP cards in the mail to let me know if you’re experiencing any of these same sleep issues and if you’ve found a remedy. Especially if the cure involves something artistic – I’ll be excited to hear about it.  I’ll look forward to reading your thoughts at 2:00 in the morning.

Diane

Arts At The "X"

"Ornamentals: Yuletide"  ©2010 Diane Evans  5" x 7"

If you live near Westchester, NY, you can jumpstart your holiday shopping (and if you’re like me, you haven’t yet begun) at the Arts Exchange next week.  Located in White Plains, ArtsWestchester’s Arts Exchange is sponsoring a Handmade Holiday Exhibition that will feature artwork of local artists and craftspeople.  Small works from all mediums will be offered for sale, including ceramics, mosaics, jewelry, fiber arts, painting, watercolor, and more.  I am honored to have been invited to participate in this wonderful event, which will run from December 13 through 18; the address is 31 Mamaroneck Avenue, and the exhibit’s hours are 12:00 PM to 8:00 PM each day.   Stay out of the crowded malls – come to the show and have a Handcrafted Holiday!

Diane

Tree of Life: Summer

Tree of Life: Summer  ©2010  Diane Evans  6" x 4"

I’ve decided that I probably didn’t spend enough time in kindergarten, because I’m enjoying my explorations with paints and inks so much lately.  I have NEVER believed that I had much artistic ability; this notion was firmly reinforced by my third grade teacher, Miss K., who, I am certain, was at least 7 feet tall (although I never measured her) and never smiled.  She told us one day to paint a picture of what we had observed on a recent field trip; since I had seen a field of cattails for the first time, I was excited to begin my drawing. 
 I painted three, really large cattails that covered most of my piece of paper and proudly showed them to her when she came by my desk. She looked at them and said, with a frown on her face,  “Oh, no, dear – that’s not what I wanted – you should have done something more like THIS,” and she pointed to Ronnie’s little masterpiece on the desk next to mine.  It was forty years before I touched a paintbrush again – seriously.

So now, thanks to the inspiration of so many of you, I’ve been encouraged to try again, and I’m having the time of my life. Here’s one of my latest experiments -- this design was printed from my photocopier onto pre-treated fabric; following a suggestion from quilt artist Jill Buckley, I coated it with Aloe Vera gel to make the surface smoother.  I then colored it in with Tsukineko ink pens and quilted it with Sulky rayon thread, adding French knots for a little texture.

What fun!  I even stayed inside the lines.  If only Miss K. could see how far I’ve come . . .

Diane

Textile and Fiber Artists United!

"Ornamentals: #6"  ©2009  Diane Evans  5" x 7"

(for sale in my Etsy shop)

I’ve recently joined a terrific on-line organization of talented men and women; it’s titled the Textile And Fiber Art list and is the brainchild of artist and computer wizard Rachel Biel of Paducah, KY.  TAFA went live on February 1, 2010, and members include artists, gallery owners, suppliers, and other fiber/textile people.  As Rachel states, “Our common connection weaves us together: a love for textiles and fiber art, new and old, traditional and contemporary.  Some of us sell them, some of us make them, others collect or design with them.  All have an established web presence.”

Our group has recently launched an Etsy team comprised of TAFA members who have Etsy shops.  The goals of the TAFA Team include: helping our Etsy sellers reach a larger market and increase sales; encouraging each other to grow and improve our shops, marketing abilities, and product development; and growing and building on TAFA’s inner community to create real relationships within our group.

One of the promotional tools that Rachel is trying out is a blog written by members of the TAFA team.  Each of us is invited to submit a post from time to time, and Rachel rotates us into the blog.  You can click here to see an article I wrote recently.

Rachel added the video clip – if you have a few minutes (and you don’t mind Barry Manilow), take a look at this lovely video.  It made me fall in love all over again –  bear in mind, however, that I’m a huge Manilow Maven.

Want to see more or learn how to join TAFA?  Just click here.  You’ll find the energy is contagious and the members are incredibly talented and supportive.  Come join us!

Diane