Jim and his little pouffy pants

This is the third year that Jim has been juried in as an artist at the Renaissance Faire. Each year, he wants something a little different with his costume. This year's addition is little pouffy pants.

Me and my Tutu

The Renaissance Faire organizers require that artists be in costume - and this was mine. How shall I put this delicately? I failed to remember that restroom facilities consist of port-a-potties. The tutu had to be removed and the rest of the outfit is a jumpsuit. At least I didn't drop my tutu in the toilet.

Here's the inspiration

This Quilt Is Talking To Me, But I'm Not Hearing It

I woke up this morning with a quilt design dancing in my head, and I've been working on the quilt. I keep not being satisfied. I do some rearranging, then do another project so my brain gets a chance to think, and then go back to the quilt. I think I'm closing in on what needs to be done, but I'm open to suggestions.

Blue Painted Purse

For this purse, I played with the assorted shades of blue and purple paint. Then I used gold Luminere paint and quilted with a holographic thread.

The beads on the bottom are some I made in my clay class.

Orange Painted Purse

I've been playing with painting on fabric. This time, I used some Luminere paint for the copper accents. I quilted the bag with one of my special verigated threads. Then, I used some of the buttons I made in my clay class. I've been experimenting with brass and copper luster on the buttons.

Kyoto Jacket - Side Two

I had fun picking out fabrics and putting this jacket together. The jacket is reversible, which is great because I love all of the fabrics I used and really don't want to "hide" any of the fabrics in a lining.

Kyoto Jacket - Side One

Painted Purse with Hand Made Clay Beads

I painted some fabric to make a purse. I had made some clay beads last semester, and I was wondering what I was going to do with them. I used them to keep the purse flap from flapping about.

Painting White on White

This is the latest painted blouse. I used some leftover white fabric with a subtle white design. I like how it came out.

Fabric Painting

This is my second attempt at fabric painting. I used more water and fewer colors. Then I grabbed a few leaves from the Mexican Bird of Paradise, a few stones and tried sun printing.

This is my first attempt at fabric painting and I discovered I needed to put more water on the fabric, more water in the paint, and use fewer colors.

My Body Doesn't Define Me

I never did like sex role stereotypes. People should be able to do the things they love to do without being critized for doing something only men or only women do. And so I made this quilt.

The uterus and fallopian tubes are made from metallic copper lycra. Yes, I have exercise clothes made from that lycra. I quilted the quilt with holographic thread. A fellow quilter introduced me to holographic thread a few years ago, and I'm not sure I could sew without it.

Anesthetic Doesn't Make It Go Away - What my mother said to me

These are some of the hurtful, hateful things my mother said to me and about me.

Don't be like your sister. One in the family is enough

You can't come with us to the cottage. You have to stay home and take care of your father.

You're not the only one in this family.

How come she gets all the boys and all I get are girls?
(This was about her sister in law who kept having sons and all my mother had were girls.)

You can't go to the party. You have to stay home and watch your brother.

You can't get married then. It's our bowling night.

Nobody likes you and you know that's true.

It was so peaceful while you were gone.

As I made the two quilts, I felt the memories growing smaller. Now, they don't seem to be a part of me anymore.

Anesthetic Doesn't Make It Go Away - What I wish I could have said

These are things I wish I could have said to my mother, but it wasn't safe.
The individual tear drops say:

Why won't anyone believe me?

I'd like to hit her so hard her false teeth fly out.

If I'm real quiet, maybe she won't hit me.

Motherhood requires something more than just being too stupid to use birth control.

Maybe if I'd been born a boy, she would have liked me.

Why did you steal the money I got for confirmation gifts?

I tried to kill myself when I was 11.

Art Injury

I pulled a hamstring when I was using the kick wheel in the clay studio, and I made a quilt to commemorate the event. On the right side of the quilt, I quilted "Ouch!" Across the top, "Art Injury." Across the bottom, "Pulled Hamstring." On the left side, "Massage," "Hot tub," "Rest."

Moral: before doing art, be sure to warm up and stretch out.

Healing Spirit Doll

This is the doll I made to remind myself that we do heal - both physically and emotionally. I made here while I was having some physical problems that while not serious were darned annoying.

Passover Doll

We were in a restaurant in Albuquerque the Friday before Easter when I saw many of the waitresses putting bunny ears on their head. I hoped that was for Easter and not what I was afraid it was for. And then a sculpture filled my head. I saw a doll with ears, wild hair, her heart on her sleeve, a tattoo on her chest, and the words: If it doesn't pay enough to live on, I don't need to know how to do it.

I was going to call it the Femist Backlash Doll, then I started thinking about Passover. Passover is a time of freedom from slavery. There are lots of things that enslave us - including sexist attitudes. And so she became the Passover Doll.

This doll also had a kiln surprise. The words on the front of her were in red, but they faded when she was fired the secnd time. Then again, how many times have women had to repeat themselves because men don't bother to listen to what we say?

Breast Cancer Angel

This is the doll I made in honor of a friend who has been diagnosed with breast cancer. I started squeezing clay, and this is the doll that came out of my hand. I had no idea I was going to make this doll. She also comes with a kiln surprise. I thought the glaze was going to be even, but there's a line shortly below the remaining breast. I've decided that's the radiation shield to protect the rest of her from radiation during radiation treatments.

Moon Rise over the Mountains

Rather than trying to make each piece the "right" color, I simply chose whatever glaze was at hand.

Flying Geese

Art Deco Tile

Chocolate Pot

I experimented by making a chocolate pot in my clay class. I used high fire clay and low fire glazes. After bisque firing the pot and then the final high fire, I used low fire glazes and fired the pot again.

Mirror Images

I've been playing with mirror images here lately. Some of the playing has been with fabric, some with tile. Here are a couple of the tiles. I haven't quite figured out how I want to put them together.

I seem to have been "memed"

I'm not entirely sure how this works, but I think I'm supposed to answer the questions. Here are the questions and the answers:

Four Jobs You've Had:
Secretary (I was terrible)
Sports Journalist
Lawyer - solo practice
Lawyer - Public Defender Department

Four Movies You Could Watch Over and Over:
Cassablanca
The Big Chill
The Maltese Falcon
African Queen

Four Places You've Lived:
Williamsville, NY
Columbia, SC
Buffalo, NY
Las Cruces, NM

Four TV Shows you love to Watch:
Northern Exposure
Monk
Law & Order CI
Law & Order


Four Places You've Been on Vacation:
Duluth, Minnesota
Littelton, Colorado
Freeport, Maine
Edisto Island, South Carolina

Four Websites You Visit Every Day:
New York Times
NASA Astronomy Photo of the Day
New Mexico Courts
???????

Four Of Your Favorite Foods:
Macaroni & Cheese
M&M's
Chai
Bagels

Four Places You'd Rather Be:
Hawaii
Ireland
Quebec City
West Virginia

Four Albums You Can't Live Without:
Phil Ochs - Greatest Hits
Tom Rush - No Regrets
The Chieftans (any album)
Saffire, The Uppity Blues Women (any album)

Four People You'll Pass This On To:
Carole
Subrata
Isabel
Delores

In Progress

I'm making a set of four Hawaiian quilts - two in each color combination. I've never done a Hawaiian quilt before, and I haven't yet figure out how I want to quilt these. But... I'm having fun and that's what art is all about.

Hawaiian Quilts

I've been wanting to try my hand at a Hawaiian quilt. I picked out two one-yard pieces of fabric which appealed to me. Then I sat down with the scissors and paper and cut out paper snowflakes until I had four designs that I liked. I'll post photos of the finished quilts whenever I get them finished.

Close Up Of The Quilting

I did the quilting with gold holographic thread.

Which Way Is Up?

Here's Cabin Fever from another angle.

Cabin Fever

I had an urge to work on a traditional design, so I played around with log cabin squares and had fun putting the sqares together in different ways. I haven't decided on which side is the top, so I haven't sewn on the sleeve. That's why I had to take the photo with the quilt on the floor.

Does a bear........

This is a wall hanging I did for one of my Spanish classes. The wall hanging has a number of "colorful" phrases dealing with bathrooms and bathroom functions. And yes, I did explain every one of them in Spanish.

The Latest Artful Socks

These are my latest socks. Notice how the socks do not have to match. I've been playing with color, yarn and texture.

Rose Sculpture

We had to do an organic sculpture in my clay class. I picked the last rosebud and used that for my inspiration.

The Newest Artful Buttons

Here are some of my latest Artful Buttons. I'm planning on using the coffee cup shaped buttons for a quilt. The other buttons may end up on vests.

Working but not photographing

Here are two closeups of the beading on Tropical Dreams.

I've been creating but I haven't been photographing. We took a trip to Taos the day before Thanksgiving and I bought some great yarn and some incredible Chinese orange brocade. I promise, I'll take photographs and post them soon.

Artful Beach Socks

These are more of Jim's Artful Experimental Socks. The verigated yarn at the top of the cuff is cotton and the color is called "life is a beach." Who could resist a yarn with that name? The verigated yellow is bamboo. I've discovered that bamboo is very good for socks. It feels good on the foot and it seems to wear well. The white portion is a silk alpaca blend.

Jim's Artful Socks

I've been working on some Artful Experiments lately. I've been making Artful Socks for Jim, and I'm playing with texture, color and various types of yarn. The varigated part of the sock is a cotton blend and the yarn is alternately smooth and fuzzy. The white toe is a silk alpaca blend. I love silk alpaca - it has the most wonderful silky soft feel.

Tropical Dreams

This is my latest quilt. It's not hanging properly because I was so excited I couldn't wait for Jim to make the quilt stick before hanging it.

New Work

Here's Jim in his Polynesian Wizard costume at the Las Cruces Renaissance Faire. Yes, I made the costume.

Latest Artful Sock

Here's my latest Artful Sock. The top is made from I'm not sure what. It's a combination of yarns, some fuzzy, some sparkly, some bucle, and I fell in love with it. The foot part is made from cotton bucle.