now where was I?

Ah - the European sensibility vs the U.S.  Some great comments, the last two of which I need to respond to but am too tired tonight.  Thanks, everybody!  Will get back to this topic because honestly, there is more to think about here - and more to say. So hang in.

Summer is back after a lovely two-day break.  Hot, muggy, and the crickets are still at it outside my open window.  I just made myself a glass of delicious salted lassi - my favorite drink for a hot summer night.  If you google it, you'll find lots of variations on the recipe but the basic one I use is this (and I really don't measure)

1 cup non fat plain yogurt
1/2 cup cold water
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cumin seed
throw in the blender with a few ice cubes, blend, and drink! Some people add mint, some add cilantro, some add cayenne.  Some people add more water because they like it thinner, but the crushed ice thins it. Try it - it's great!

I left my camera in the studio (that happens too often) so I couldn't post last night. But I did clean up the front half of the space (except for the fabric on the table, which is a whole other problem I don't have time for right now). Next week, I'll tackle the back half. Major project but has to be done so I can have my classes here.

This afternoon, my package of Aurifil threads arrived and I felt like a kid in a candy store!  I spent a good deal of time taking off the wrappers so I could take note of the numbers on the threads and cross-reference them with my chart.  This was more or less a grab-bag (you get what you get) and that was fine with me, since I love them all (well...there is that PINK) and can never make a decision.  This way, I'll see what I don't have and know what I want in the future.  But for now, this should do me, along with the spools I brought home from FoQ.

Gosh, I don't think I've ever had so many colors of thread at one time!

Tomorrow I'm cooking for Rosh Hashanah and after that, I have Miss Emma for a few days while her parents go away. Aw, gee. We were there Sunday, picking up her equipment (bottles, diapers, pack 'n play, etc). The rest of the family is taking turns with her - she is so much in demand - LOL.

 she likes grandpa's beard

Well, she'll have plenty of chance to play with it over the weekend.

Open Studio now Closed

Our open studios were mobbed this year! There was another building with open studios not far away, so we all benefited from it. I was so busy that I didn't have time to even go across the hall to visit the other artists in our building. Among the crowd, lots of friends and lots of interesting people who were quite fascinated with the fiber art and asked lots of questions. I think it was a eye opener for a lot of people and only one person used the "Q" word (and she was a q'-er). Rachel, Karen, and Aleeda insisted on posing in front of my work. Ditto, Susan Brauner who is in my crit group and came with her friend. And here I am with Sujatha, who is wearing the batik scarf she had just bought. Scarves flew out the door -I don't have many left to take to Michigan with me, but I will take what I have. Not likely that in the next 3 days I will have time to make more. Books sold, too.And here is Lauren, a musician and storyteller, showing off her new apron, which makes a great outfit with her sweater! The day flew and tomorrow, I am Brooklyn-bound, where I will play mommy and empty Jessica's kitchen cabinets while she lies on the couch and supervises. Kitchen and bathroom will be renovated, so there is preliminary work to be done. I plan to take public transportation rather than fight the lower Manhattan tunnel & bridge traffic coming home at rush hour. Anyway, I always find it more interesting to observe life in NY when I am walking and taking the subway. So with a big yawn, I bid you bonne nuit.

I was at the studio again today, hanging and re-hanging work. There is still one empty space on the wall, so I have to hang a transition piece.This will be a last-minute decision, as I sew one more piece of canvas to stretched canvas and take along some quilts. Here is another canvas piece that is already on the wall.

I swore I was finished making scarves but last night I want back into three and improved them, and this morning, did the same with a 4th. While I was arranging them this afternoon, one of the other artists came in and bought one, which she plans to wear tomorrow.

Each scarf is so individual and so different that I can never replicate any of them -- and sometimes it breaks my heart to sell a particular one. This one is a favorite: old wall, deconstructed and screen printed.

Then, I decided that I loved this one too much to sell it, so I took it home with me and may wear it myself, tomorrow. We'll see.

Some of the artists are putting prices on their work, but two of the artists are not. They both said that people are not coming to buy, they are coming to look.There are, in fact, several curators coming tomorrow: one from a museum and two from galleries.

I may have a sheet with the prices of each piece but I had better get busy and do that tonight. When you have open studios, do you put a price on each work?

Before I wrap up, I need to pass along this call for entries I received the other day, just in case you are interested.

Juried Art Services is pleased to anounce that the application for Rochester Erotic Arts Festival is now available on JuriedArtServices.com.

Application Deadline: February 1st, 2010

Event Location: Rochester, NY

Event Dates: March 26th, 2010 - March 28th, 2010

Application Fee: $35.00

"Celebrating sensuality, sexuality and eroticism in artistic expression" The Rochester (NY) Erotic Arts Festival is a tasteful yet enthralling event featuring an international erotic art exhibition, intriguing workshops, poetry contests, spicy entertainment, and living erotic art. This show is an international juried exhibition. We are in search of high quality original works that are creative, erotic and thought-provoking. Accepted media include drawing, painting, printmaking, mixed media, collage, digital art, photography, film, and sculpture, for exhibition and possible sale. I think I'll skip that one. I am sewing sleeves onto a piece that was accepted into a national juried show after having been passed over by another one. That other one sent me one rejection notice and then, wanting to make sure I understood English, sent me a "reconfirmation notice" of rejection a week later. Perhaps they meant to discourage me from ever submitting another piece. Time to finish sewing sleeves.