First order of business….
I have organized my quilt pictures to a degree….
An album has been created on my Photobucket site that ONLY
has pictures of quilts that are completed, in my stash and that I am able to
part with.
For those who haven’t heard my complaints… I do not sell my
quilts. Generally, their value is not
known to those outside the art/craft world and I have had way too many bad
experiences with people who think that Wal-Mart bedding sets compare to a
handmade quilt.
“You should charge less because you like to do this”
“I can buy a full set of sheets and a comforter at Wal-Mart
for 39.99”
“Fabric doesn't cost that much”
Etc.
Etc.
However…
I love to trade my quilts with people who appreciate them
and have a similar product that is also undervalued. Artists and craftspeople are my favorite
barter partners. I have put together the
album so that I have a single link that I can present to potential trade partners.
The album is here.
Cold Connections Class
Trading quilts segues into me talking about the class that I
took at the Studio at Rush Creek a couple days ago – “Stamped
and Riveted Pendant.”
How does it relate? I’ll
get there…. Let me tell you about the class first.
What I want to talk about mostly are the people in the
class. This class was mostly women with
a lot of experience in various art forms – jewelry/beads/etc. I knew one from several classes and I think I
recognized a couple others (I am so BAD with faces). I was absolutely THRILLED to be treated as an
artist by other people present!
First story: Karen (not the studio owner) is someone who I took at class
with AND also got tapped to give her a private lesson on the glass powder
crackle technique (I think I mentioned that here). She asked me about working with her on my “quilting
on glass” technique! She made the
comment that her art is so undisciplined and mine is quite discipline; that she
wants me to demonstrate how I do that.
Let me try to explain why this thrilled me SOOOO much. I have an inferiority complex about my
art. I cannot draw, I cannot copy still
life to paper, I do not have a lot of what I call “unique ideas”. I refer to Brandie as being far more an “organic”
artist than I am, and I see that as true art.
I am geometric, I copy, I steal and adapt, I do the same thing over and
over again – changing a few colors, positions, etc. In some ways, I do not regard that as “art.” Quilting and now fused glass – where I can
make squares and be technical has been so enjoyable to me.
But, how does that translate to the rest of the world as
art.
Well, given that my skills are admired and desired…
obviously it does translate positively!!
Second Story: The teacher of the class is an established artist; someone
who I see in that “organic” world of art.
She teaches a lot, and sells pieces.
First, let me tell you my “bad” actions…..
I’m enthusiastic… I am also “clueless” in a lot of
communication/interaction things.
Social awkwardness and inability to read people/situations
is a core of my being. It is also
something I am well aware of, working on in therapy and trying to adjust. That awareness – I think – makes me a bit
easier to take some days. However, I
know that I run roughshod over people, interrupt, and do not always function in
my “place.”
I had been at the studio the week before this class and I
had played with the stamps, flame treated copper, bronze AND nickel, and had
copious amounts of little samples and test pieces that I brought to the
class. Several times, when people asked
things like “what happens when you flame treat bronze”, I didn’t wait for the
teacher to respond, but interrupted with “I’ll show you”.
Now, on one hand, it was a higher level class, and I was
interacting and showing things that she did NOT have samples of herself, but on
the other hand – I should have waited for more cues. I was a little afraid that I offended her,
but it did not show, and I think that the class ended with her having some
positive feelings for me/my work.
I would like to think that artists recognize each other, and
realize that personalities in the art world are unique and that socialism is
different. It’s not the highly defined
and unspoken social rules that exist in the work place, high school, and other
places with a larger contingent of “normal” people.
After two hours of
class, and me putting together a variety of things, Julie (the teacher) asked
me if I did most of jewelry in metalwork!
Ummm….
I’m just learning and playing around!
I took the comment as a huge compliment!!
Here are some pictures of the things that I was working
on. Most of them are not yet finished;
they need bails and/or dangling beads from the bottom holes.
And, as promised, and almost forgotten….! How this all relates to my album of quilts
available to trade.
One of the women in the class had on a gorgeous
necklace. It was large beads and each of
those beads was made from hundreds – if not thousands – of tiny seed beads!
I went up to her, and examined it closely…
Which sounds a little odd… to go stare at someone’s neck…
But totally acceptable amongst artists!
I asked her if she was interested in a full/queen/king sized
quilt as I would gladly trade her one for a necklace like that of my own! I think she was impressed that I “got it”;
that I recognized that a LARGE quilt with MANY hours of hard work and quality
materials was the equivalent of that necklace.
I’ve spoken here many times about people not appreciating
the hours/materials/skill that go into our handcrafted (NOT “Homemade” – that implies that cheesy,
crafty, etc., look; our things are true art) pieces. She also spoke about someone offering her
$140 for a piece that took her over fourty hours. And, yes, she had told the person how long it
took before they offered that amount.
I get it… I get the effort that goes into art.
So, I put all my tradable quilts into a single album that I
can show people quickly! Hopefully I can
add some art of others to my collection at home soon.
Cleaning and Purging
One short story about the cycle of (craft) life, and then I
am off to bed. I have more to write, and
quilt pictures to show – hopefully I write again tomorrow!
Something set me off, not completely sure what, but I
organized several of my storage areas for craft/art supplies. I also got the strength (yes, strength) to
purge a lot of items that I would never use for various reasons, mostly that
those things were more “crafting with the kids” items than things I would use
in my current/future art.
The end result was that I had enough bags to fill the back
of my car (not the trunk that is glass studio storage!). I had foam sheets, plastic canvas, wired
ribbon, envelopes of every shape, size, and color, two bags of pine cones, and
entire paper ream box of plastic beads and much more.
I asked one of my teammates at work if her daughter’s school
wanted the stuff. Rather than school
though, she stated that the after school program wanted any and all craft
supplies they could get. Today she
pulled up next to my car in the work parking lot and I UNLOADED.
I think I surprised her with how much I had, and the
quality. (Although much was in bags, it
was obvious from what was visible that there is good stuff there).
So, I feel good that I am passing on things and I have
visions of happy little children playing with my purged supplies!
