Spring Classes Cancelled. Call me.

Thus comes the inglorious email message to end my seventeen years as adjunct professor teaching a host of fiber arts at the local community college.

Any California teacher who hasn't been apprehensive about the future with the current state of the state budget and the legislature's utter disregard for access to public education would be a fool. But of the two college districts for which I work, this was the "sure" one.

The not-so-local community college has kept it's faculty on edge for endless months of daily email updates from The Board, the chancellor, the president, the dean, the head of the department... They are forthcoming!

But all things had been put in place for business as usual here: schedules printed, facilities reserved, Student Learning Outcomes written, and even an extra class assigned to me subbing for a fellow instructor on leave.

It's no wonder we are in shock with a single week of the present semester at hand.

This is 50% of my income.

God comes to us disguised as our life. - Paula D’Arcy

And, once again, I avow that God always provides what we need.

I am now free to pursue teaching additional 1- and 2-day workshops, finishing patterns for retail sale, getting work into galleries, scheduling more quilt guild lectures, maybe opening an Etsy shop...

Oh, boy - what to do first!?!

(Thanks to Mary Tabar, fellow unemployed instructor and pal, for hosting the Textures group last evening for a Discharge Dyeing class. Clearly it was fun and cathartic.)

My World...

of china, glass and broken figurines is becoming an artful cake plate!

Collecting these precious relics from the dinner table on and off and on for about 15 years, I've longed to repurpose them in a mosaic project.

Happily, my HS friend, Vickie, invited me to join the girls for a day in her well-appointed garage (she's a fine woods craftswoman), to begin the process.

I've purchased and read a library full of books on the subject. I've examined the mosaic compositions at juried fine craft shows. But there's nothing like DOING IT to reveal the nuances that lead to good work - better supplies, best tools, inspired techniques.

What a gift to have the time to enjoy their company and muddle through together. Naturally, Vickie and I chose round bases and I used too much adhesive at first, allowing the tesserae to slip and slide from their carefully engineered positions. After what seemed like too much time working to remove the excess goop and realign the shiny bits, I found a way to successfully seat them on the sanded ceramic surface and make satisfying progress.

Our work time was deliciously interrupted with Vickie's wonderful cooking. 'A light lunch' included sourdough paninis full of muenster and mango chutney, and a tender chicken salad perfectly seasoned and dressed with fruits and nuts.

I feel like I had a vacation!

Thank you, Vickie.

Schefflera BLOSSOMS!

Here they are -- first time ever this tree's shown flowers! (At least in the 17 years I've been at home with it.)

Having grown up in So Cal and seen 'umbrella trees' everywhere, this is news to me.

There are photos of spiky, reddish blooms in Google images, but nothing quite like these.

Being nothing of a botanist (except for the rigorous "Spring Wildflowers" science class at UCR - with the trudging up and down the rocky hills of university reserves in the late 80's), I attribute the spectacle to the fact the house was "tented" 18 months ago.

All the shrubbery has been impacted by the chemical cloud to deter termites. And I think they live on...

HOT, HOT, HOT... but look at these skies!

Pretty warm weather for cleaning up the garage, but I'm making progress and can now enjoy an uncluttered work bench - yeah, tools! More (packing) boxes and bags recycled... More yardage sorted and ready to be dispersed... Making room to work on messy projects out there...

During the afternoon heat I'm in the house designing a major quilt for the fall semester (?!).

I've unpacked 55# of gorgeous, soft, soft, soft merino wool roving and packaged almost 200 bags-full for felting.

Taking a 20-minute nap in the hottest time for a little renewal.

Consuming lots of icy beverages.

Missing all the San Diego girls.

Watching the clouds go by.

IQS Long Beach - Truly a Festival!

This is my favorite image from the weekend (Friday/Saturday)... absolutely luminous color, subtle shift in hue and value, compelling composition.

It looks like dyed silk panels placed side by side in a frame (about 10' x 12') and welcomes guests to the elevators in the Hyatt lobby.

One after another amazing quilts in the special exhibits. I decided to make a list of the things that grab me in a quilt (artful or traditional):

- layered rectangles (Aryana B. Londir, Stacy Hurt)

- exciting fabric patterns together (Mickey Beebe, Ann Horton)

- rich color (intense and complex, usually strong value)

- slanted line/shape (Joanell Connolly, Luella Morgenthaler)

- geometric composition

- coarse textured fabric (Laura Fogg)

- hand stitching (Karin Peirce, Leslie Gabrielse)

- torn edge/raw edge strips

- almost all hand dyeing (Carol Henke, Sandy Gregg)

- folk-style figural images (Pamela Allen, Bodil Gardner)

Staying overnight felt like I had a real vacation and gave me time to chat with friends.

(One-day visits make me feel rushed to see all I can.)

I volunteered in the SAQA booth Saturday AM and enjoyed sharing with visitors about this fine organization devoted to educating and encouraging quilt artists.

And it was good to see my rooster again -- he's traveling in the IQS Town and Country exhibit.

When a piece of work has been gone for awhile, you can look at it with fresh eyes. I like what I did.

Happy is as happy does...

The proposal itself didn't have as happy an ending as the mania did! I didn't get the commission.

A couple very sad days followed the news as I practiced my mantra, "If at first you don't succeed, try not to look astonished." Or something like that...

And as is my custom, I best work out 'hard stuff' by making art.

I started a series called 'I Get the Blues' that will face up to some of my worst moments! In reality, they'll be pretty funny, maybe.

The Fourth of July was wonderful with the kids here and then I had four days with Esly that couldn't have been any better. She is happy and funny and fearless. What a good role model!

All my SDCCD/Point Loma classes ended yesterday as a result of the California budget debacle.

Palomar classes continue as scheduled! (All colleges make independent choices as to what kinds of cuts they make and who/how many will be affected. No quibbles about how this is done. Education is in a chokehold.)

With half a semester to go I've organized some workshops for those eager to study more artful quilting. Details of each will follow, but here is the schedule:

F/S, July 31/Aug 1 - Art Quilt Cafe/Pillow Angel Workshop in Falbrook

S/S, August 8,9 - Felting Workshop at Quilter's Paradise in Escondido

F/S, Aug 28, 29 - Art Quilt Cafe/Color Workshop in Fallbrook

Sun., Aug 30 - Artful Log Cabin Workshop at Quilter's Paradise

I'm blessed to be able to throw yet another iron into the fire...

ENOUGH WITH THE QUAINT ADAGES!!!

Proposal mania comes to a happy ending

My life has been completely devoted to this project the last month - between classes and taxes and one lovely brunch.  I loved working out the concept and building the models, writing the narrative and compiling the images resume.

The artists' meeting with the architect, builder, county director of libraries, art administrator, friends of the library... was hugely inspiring.  And I am pleased with my hard work and will make the deadline to deliver it all to the library by 3 PM today.

So I rush home from class with the two fresh ink cartridges (blew through a new black and a color this last week creating images for the model and, of course, there are no cartridges available without some travel),  printed out the final draft of the handsome proposal text and tucked it neatly in the specially tabbed presentation folder.  Remembered I wanted to initial the scale model (40" wooden "beam" with three 12" x 7.5" baffles hanging from it, each side covered with the colorful history 'maps'), and in doing that I broke one of the carefully measured and knotted hanging cords.  Replaced it (Are these as strong as I thought?), and put the model, folder (with CD repositioned so it won't fall out again), and textile sample in the car at 2:15.

Yeah, I'll get there in plenty of time!

Handed the three pieces to the librarian who said, "Don't you have something to put these in? 

This isn't the final destination; they're going to be moved."

I said I would leave the parts and be back with Something to Contain the Work, though she wanted me to take the presentation with me.

I'm thinking, "Breathe.  I can do this.  I've got 25 minutes."  Artist portfolio?  Office supply store?  Nothing.  UPS store?  Several explanations of size later, they have a 12x12x48 box for $14!  Okay.  They have a box cutter and clear packing tape.  I cut the cardboard in half length-wise and make a nifty new fold for the depth of the "beam."  Tape all the long edges and make new closures for the ends.  Tape one end and leave 'raw" tape exposed on the other one to close after I insert the three exhibits.  Draw arrows on both sides of the not-too-professional container to protect the delicate balance of the hanging cords.  Will they hold?  I've built the final component!

Made it back to the library - 2:48!  I'm so pleased.

The librarian says the man already picked up some of the work and mine is not still there.

Okay.  Now I'm ready for a margarita.

 

re: LSHS 1969-2009 (no Y)

These are the words that define my 40th high school reunion weekend celebration.  

It was too good for any other description.

Bless you, Lancers.  Especially Jeff-and-Julie and Vickie and Leanna and Carol-and-Scott and Daphne and Leslie and Pam and Sue and Bonnie and Debbie and Ken-and-Heidi and Terry-and-Lane and Jeanne and Jim and Les and Steve and Bob and Greg and Kim and Barbara and Alexis and Karen and Cindy and the twins and Janis...