a heart in the right place

I know many of you remember the Wendy from my new years blog post. Today, the new issue of Hand Eye features a full article on Wendy Golden-Levitt’s therapy work with children utilizing textiles. She facilitates the process through a rare sensitivity to the child’s needs allowing for textiles to help channel the stories the children have to tell. Here is a recent photo she sent me of another child with the “magic talking stick” – a drumstick with a tail of silk shibori ribbon attached. Such a simple pleasure.

Over the past year that I have communicated and shared my work with Wendy a simple email from her telling me a story of how a piece of ribbon or scrap of silk or indigo helped a child tell a story inspires me endlessly. This article has really got me going today.
Plus, I am happy to report that all the cats have been located and none of them were blue. Must have been the wind we had that “blew” the lid off the indigo vat and not one of the cats falling in…phew! The lid has been secured and PETA does not have to cite me for unethically dyeing a cat indigo blue!

a little moondancing

after spending way too much time on paperwork today i finally made my way out to the studio as the sun was going down. it is the first full moon of the year and as such also known as a wolf moon. in addition it seemed brighter than usual so i looked it up online and see that this will be the brightest moon of 2010 due to its closer than normal proximity to earth. interesting.
time for a little indigo moondance.
i was gifted a lovely assortment of vintage fabrics from my friend donna who is trying to cull her collection of such things down to a manageable amount so i got to pick out some things i thought might make friends with the indigo. i started out just test dyeing some various scraps and progressed to a few more indigo moons.
i’m really enjoying the process of working with some of these older textiles. they are mostly cottons and linens with a few silks. i’m learning a lot about how different weaves and fibers work with the indigo. more interesting stuff.

i’ve had boro on my mind lately with all these indigo scraps and ordered “the book” that everyone is getting. i’m starting to amass my own little indigo boro-esque fabric collection right here. got some ideas a-brewing…

indigo rags (sorry for the crummy photo-it's from my iphone)

a shibori picture show

Just thought I’d post a link to the top 50 flickr photos in slideshow format.
These are the top 50 photos from my almost 1500 photos I’ve loaded up to flickr- automatically generated as viewed by flickr viewers.
(click here)

kinda fun to see what’s “popular”. not all are my favorites but there are many i am quite fond of- for various reasons. for me, there are memories and lessons attached to most of them. it’s quite apparent that people like flowers and jewelry.
but i’m pleased to see the indigo moon rise quickly to the top 50. i am working on more. it takes time. enjoy the photos. you might want to poke around in some of my individual photo sets while you’re at it.
And if you are are already signed up for my upcoming shibori class you might want to start collecting some of the following materials:

resists

clamps

dye and water containers and applicators

more indigo practice

First, a little business and a reminder that my new class at Joggles starts Feb. 18. If you are signed up for the class, you will receive a supply list email one week prior ( Feb.11). I’m considering trying out a few new interactive ideas with this class. What if once a week for the five weeks I set aside an additional 30-45 minutes to take a few 5-10 minute Skype calls from students? We could make appointments through the forums. I don’t know- it could be fun. Kind of like the teacher having office hours. You could show me your work and ask me questions via video conference. Of course this assumes your computer has isight or a camera.
Just a thought. Well, I simply have way too much to do right now but wanted to remind you about the class- go ahead, sign up and learn some techniques for creating some beautiful silk fabrics with Colorhue dyes. Colorhue is simple to use but does have it’s limitations in regards to making certain colors. The techniques you will learn can be applied to any dyeset of your choice.

I’ll leave you with some indigo I worked on today. All of this is already spoken for but in time there will be more posted in the etsy shop.

rainy day break

well, i survived another show.
today is rainy and my car is still packed with my booth. i’ll wait for a break in the rain to unload (i hope!) or just go ahead and do it in the rain i suppose.
the surfers in the house thought they would be going surfing today and i decided in my head that i would join them- build a fire in the rain and cook some food, perhaps sitting in the car, stitching or reading while watching them out on the horizon. but they have checked the surf report and seen that the waves are not to their liking so who knows what will happen today? in the meantime, i curled up on a couch and read some more Burchfield. i find a lot of comfort in his writing- his ups and downs, his highs and lows, torn between belief and disbelief. such passion. i read:

Salem
August 30, 1914
I sometimes feel, as tonight, that not until I at some time give my passions full play will I ever attain any kind of peace. And yet I fully know that such indulgence brings a worse state of mind. Thus is a man always fighting.

i see my feelings about doing shows changing these days. there are lots of reasons-many having to do with the changing tide of my own work. perhaps it is the moon’s gravitational pull on earth. as if the recent moon work is creating its own spring tides and pulling me towards it. i don’t know.
some of the other reasons have to do with the fact that i am creating work that is simply less commercial these days and still trying to support myself. and the work i am creating simply takes a lot of time. while everyone that passes by my booth is quite taken by the beautiful silk, the riotous colors, the fine pleating of the scarves and ribbon, the price remains higher than affordable to many in this economy. i am still figuring all this out and the current economy is proving quite the challenge. i do find it interesting though that while sales are down all over, costs continue to rise. booth fees, shop rents go up. one would think that in order to keep vendors coming back the fees would stay set or even drop a bit but apparently there are waiting lists (or so we’re told) of many waiting their chance to take an empty space.
i do so enjoy the contact with the customers though- really a necessity for me. if i don’t see them face to face from time to time i can’t come up with ideas that inspire them to use what i do make. one of my favorite things at a show is when a mom will bring her kids in. really. i love to talk to them about what they like to do with their creative time. i always give them a length of ribbon to take away and explore. the way they fondle the pleated ribbon, opening and closing it, feeling its softness- you can almost see the wheels turning in their heads. they pick a color- such unexpected happy fun- for both of us!

-then there are the stories like this-
two women come into the booth- gaga over everything- love this, so beautiful, etc., etc., and upon seeing the silk shibori pocket squares, one remarks “oh! my husband would LOVE these!” sensing a sale, i encourage her to open some of them up and as she does she sees the price ($20) to which she says “he’s not worth the $20!” . trying to recover the moment i say “oh come on now, you don’t really mean that”. to which she says, “oh yes i do!” her friend nods and they leave the booth. thankfully. the stories i could tell. well, as you can see, shows have their ups and downs.
i was heartened however, to sell some of my indigo moon bookmarks (a few left over and available at the etsy shop). they took a moment to stop, look and read the description i had written and loved them. you had to slow down a moment to appreciate them and it pleased me greatly that some people did take the time.

Burchfield later wrote:

Salem
September 27 1916
Sometimes I wonder at the Multitude of Ideas I gather- does profusion breed confusion? I think it is rather like the prolific quality of Nature, who scatters seed in such great quantities where only one out of a million may grow.

if i only felt i knew which ones to spend my time and energy on…

slow cloth and beyond

I’m going to defer to jude and her post today on slow cloth since as usual, she says it so well. if you think you ascribe to these ideals and believe you can learn from or add to the conversation, please join in.

if i wasn’t so beat i would be working on some slow(er) cloth but since i spent today processing ribbon i am giving myself a break and doing a quick blog post. i have a few things that i’d like to make note of and instead of too many words i offer you some visuals in the form of a slideshow:

so here you see some of the recent outcomes from the studio and ribbon i am preparing for the show next week. also are a couple of small works in indigo using some vintage ossenberg (sp?) cotton i acquired from my friend donna. it loves the indigo. today i was in need of some bookmarks so i decided to make these. i have been studying a book on loan from Japan on Ichiku Kubota. that’s him in the photo. this afternoon i heard the UPS truck stop out front and i knew he must be here to deliver my copy of “The Poetry of Place”, the book compiling much of Charles Burchfield’s 75 journals he kept over his lifetime. after visiting the show at the Hammer twice and deciding i really wanted to own this book i found that it had appreciated in price beyond my budget. i persisted and deep down on a google search i found a bookseller in NY with a copy for $65- still a bit of money but after seeing the book go from $85 to over $500 i felt fortunate to find it- apparently only 3000 copies were printed. our city library system didn’t even have a copy. when i unwrapped it and opened it up i found the pictured inscription written by the editor to a fellow who contributed some family archival materials to the project. kinda cool. i kept going back to read a page or two off and on all day. this one entry really spoke to me today:

Salem
December 25, 1914

…People invariably love the artificial more than the natural. They respect superficiality more than deeper feelings. Most are content with a paper rose. Most buy their perfume in bottles. Rather than real friendship, they are content with superficial expression. They do not care if their acquaintances are sincere, as long as they pretend to be. I would rather have ten sincere enemies than a hundred palaverers.
So I go to Nature when I want sincerity. In nature we not only find sincerity but also innocence. And when, on all sides I am beset with palaver and artifice, I feel the need of drawing a long breath, I ramble the fields.

engendering balance

for Fumiko-tsuki no ai

i wrote about taring the scale and bringing about balance in my work a couple of posts ago and have decided that this is something i intend to place in clearer focus for 2010. i want to to thank my indigo sensei Fumiko Sato and dedicate this piece of cloth to her. she won’t see this post as she works and lives in isolation without email or internet in the mountains of Japan but my New Year’s gift to her is a small piece of cloth to let her know her time with me last year was much appreciated and that i continue on with all i learned from her.
i learn from my work with indigo the importance of simplicity and balance. that striking that balance with the vat means building a relationship with it and letting the work speak to me as i create it. this takes time. and while this work is where my heart is it is not where the money is at the moment. which brings me back to balance. the struggle of making by hand for a living continues and i do enjoy a good challenge, but in 2010 my intention is to come from service more and trust
that the rest will work itself out. try to panic less and balance more.

i have wanted to share a story for the new year that is also a reminder to me that no matter what, i must be on the right path even though some days i really do wonder. it is also connected to indigo and the moon and you too, might remember this piece some time back-

cary the moon indigo style

a little bag made of various scraps of indigo as i was practicing with the vat and various textiles.
i put this up for sale on etsy and sold to a gal who works with children helping them with various problems. the bag was to hold an assortment of other artist’s work which the children use and play with as she works with them. on a whim, when i sent it to her i filled it with various other silks and ribbons. over time this new friend sent me stories of how the children interacted with the ribbons and how fascinating they found them, which of course pleased me greatly. some of the stories were deeply touching and i came to learn that this woman really had a way of reaching these kids and that the various aspects of the shibori silks -the colors, the pleats, the feel, when used therapeutically by her seemed to contain a little magic that allows the children to open up and communicate. talk about inspiring!
one day i was cleaning up around in the studio after some particularly bad wind which had torn apart my shade cover and broken my cheap wannabe ez up frame, i grabbed a used drumstick (household of drummers here) and strapped the frame back together with a little duct tape. i had just received yet another touching story from my friend wendy and a little idea popped into my head. i drilled a hole into the end of the drumstick and dug into my box of odd and and shibori ribbons. stitching a long piece of ribbon to the end of the stick i made a wand like the ones we used to make and play with when the kids were little. i tested it out and decided to steam out most, but not all of the pleats to better catch the wind and open up the colors. packed up a bunch of second silks and the wand and mailed it away. it’s been a while since i heard from wendy but just prior to christmas on a day i was feeling a little down and wondering why i received the following story which she shared with me:

dear glennis,
i am hoping you remember me…..you generously gifted me many pieces of ribbon and a wild drum stick with a rainbow tail!

i wanted to send you a warm and tender hug for all that you have done in restoring many a young heart.
today. a child, four years old, kicked out by many other therapists arrived at my cottage, up here in the woods. the boy and i sat on the front stoop. he said nothing could help him. four years old.
geesh.

the healing began on many levels. i brought the drum stick with the long ribbon attached, outside…in the cold, snowy, shortest day of the year, two o’clock winter time. he looked at me. took it and waved it. then he went into the snow. made track marks. flew around the front part of the forest. we walked into the forest. he wrapped it around trees, held it and marched. made circles and figures only your shibori could. and then he asked me to write a poem in the snow. it said this:

“the ribbon is the eye of a river.
the stick clicks on the trees.
i can hear the talking of trees inside.
when i knock like that.
i love this wavy talking stick.”

we walked back to my little cottage. we sat quietly. we sat together for a long time. he asked me if the stick was magic. i said: of course. he waved it. we were still for 30 seconds. then we saw the wolf, walking quietly. we got a picture just in time……

the little one said:” i think i am feeling better and will come back. tell my mother you and the drumstick lady are my goodest medicine.”

if you ever see josh freese, please let him know his kind gesture of a gift to you, has taken a most healing journey.

i am renewed , humbled, and rededicated to bringing more creativity into childrens lives in 2010. they really can see the purpose of art and craft in their lives.

cueing up the indigo vat

many moons ago

By now most everyone is aware that New Year’s Eve 2010 will not only usher in a new decade, but it will do so by the light of a rare NYE blue moon. (that is if the clouds that arrived last night clear out before tomorrow night) For those of you in the Eastern Hemisphere, you will also be able to ring in the new year with the addition of a partial lunar eclipse! Seems like some sort of special New Years Eve.

this was the place

(cutting some linen for the indigo vat)
Yes, this was the place 10 years ago that the boys were all 9 & 10 and we celebrated the new millennium (2000) with a boy sleepover party thus giving parents the night to go out and party themselves. I was happy to party with the boys and let them have their own little NYE party at home. Each boy was instructed to bring something to include in a “time capsule” that we would make and decorate using an empty oatmeal canister and various other odds and ends. This capsule would be opened 10 years from that night- an inconceivably lengthy period of time for them to comprehend back then.

Each year at New Years, especially in the early 2000’s they begged to open it up and see what was inside. As they got older (and realized I was NOT giving in) they asked less and less until recent years they have been enjoying the anticipation of the coming event. So, tomorrow is the night and each has been invited to join in or stop by to see what treasure they added to the capsule- seems none of them can really remember now. Dan will be missing out as he is in Australia on holiday- he even wanted to skype the event with us (my things have changed!) but he will not be internet available so we will take some photos and video for him.

Well, I was hoping for a little live steel drum music but the band just got a last minute NYE gig for a private party so we will rely on the ipod and the rest of the musicians for music while we spend the evening dipping into the indigo vat which I have been prepping and testing these past couple of days.

We’ll have some food, a hot soup or two, music, a backyard fire, various imbibements, and of course the indigo vat will be available to dip into and take a bit of blue away with you into the New Year. Stop on by if you like but be sure to RSVP me and let me know you’re coming!

coming up blue

anticipation of blue

i’m out of words for today-images will have to suffice. unless of course you have a question or comment.

studio day

much of what i make is only of passing value. in fact i would really say most if not all. each piece is just one step further down a path. i have no idea where it leads. i just know that whatever materials are placed before me i will make something with them.

since early november when i returned from Houston i have had that piece of hand woven pre ww2 linen i bought hanging on my wall. each day i see it and contemplate the infinite possibilities. as i dye, stitch, and work today i further ponder it’s fate. i want to live up to it’s expectations. not disappoint it’s heritage.
sounds silly i know. it is, after all, only cloth.