peace of mind...

look where I am going...
a cottage in the woods for an entire week.
I think this will be good...

Just what we both need plenty of r&r, yoga, late coffees, early nights, and deep breathes.

We leave tomorrow for the week, no internet, no tv, not even our cell phones. Truly away from it all.
And we lucked out to find someone to watch the apartment full of kitties in the city...so no
worries there.

I cannot contain my excitement.

desiring to nest?

here's a peek into my nest collection:

the nest made of pages on birds:


my blue birds, a sign of good luck.

my hair nest.


I have always wanted to do a large wall installation of nests, now if only I had a place to do it?

don't know much,

but I know I love her...
Artist Monica Bengoa:


Could not find info on the above work, but it is gorgeous, and it is embroidered plants, know that just sounds like something to make my heart flutter...I love them.


blending the everyday with the embroidered moment.

gorgeous, I just need to research her more... anyone know of good spots on her...

from one of her residency projects titled Exercise on project one hundred and sixty three. Not much information but stunningly beautiful.

Please notice the insane scale here...so inspiring.

I need more time to do more research. Her website is worth the peruse.
And thanks to Deb who brought her to my attention.

custom stitch...

I recently mailed this off to Nikole at forty sixth at grace...hoping that she is loving it.



If anyone is interested in a custom embroidery or just one that you have seen, the text embroideries are from $85-120 in general depending on the size and # of words.




You could get your blog name, i love you, marry me, i hate you, happy wedding, hug me, i'm sorry, whatever you want. Let me know if anyone is interested...my needles are always at work...

(un)common thread

Annette Messeger, Two replicants together

the uncommon thread is what makes us all in common...
My friend brought this show to my attention and I think I need to take a trip to see it asap.
I loved that even in its diversity it had so many of the artists that I love and have featured in the show...

(un)common thread

Nancy Grossman, (Concerning a Drowned Girl)

Mimi Smith ,Basic Black

Betye Saar , Blend

Be honest?

Have I been mopey and self indulgent?
Yes.
This job stuff has been a rough patch for me and I feel like I have been taking it for granted.
My work has always been a bit self indulgent, but that works for my work, it is about fantasy and ideals. Reality is not.
So I apologize, I will know be channeling my self indulgence back toward my needles and thread and away from here. Hooray.
And hopefully the shift of energy will bring good energy to my life.

i saw it and it was...

I saw the LB show at the Guggenheim and it was in many ways what I expected...
I loved it and I did not love it.


Her old work and her new work looked wonderful in the space and how it was curated.
The cells looked horrible, in my opinion, they were installed in a way to open, lined up, see one and then step right up to the next... a bit like a "wax museum" is how my freind described it. They just seemed like they should be viewed differently.



I was suprised by how much I loved these pieces. (above and below)

This piece was stunningly beautiful in person.....the white marble, soft and shiny in spots with the wood...

And in general I loved her new work the best...but as many know she has moved more towards fabric in her older years...and I have always loved her fabric work the best. (This piece is not in the show but a similar piece is)

The 3 new lithographs were amazing!!!! But I cannot find images of them online, but really they are worth the visit in themselves.
So all in all it was great, it was not, it was what I expected.
The online info and show is great of you cannot make it NYC so make sure to check it out.

I wish that the guggenheim was selling these, but they are not, and the Tate is all out, too bad!

yeah, going today...

to finally see the Guggenheim exhibit.



Cannot wait, here is a great online exhibition video: here
If you peruse around the site, note that there are lots of great little video clips....

simplicity...

I often think "oh I just want to go back to when life was simple" and then I realistically think about things, and life has not been simple since I was 5, at least to my mind at the time...

But oh how I would invite some simplicity in my life now, the job search is so dismal it is depressing, and that essentially affects my entire life...
I have to admit that I am a woman who loves routine, who loves planning my day, my week, my month, I like flexibility too, but I like the plan, it gives me purpose, it gives me motivation, it gives me a to do list that I can check off one by one...
My routine is so non-existent in this up and down roller coaster ride... I don't know when I am going up and when I'm going down.
I am so ready to get off and get on the predictable but still joy filled carousel for a bit...

needles for a good cause...

I have never been one to make political art but then again "the personal is political"
yet I especially love political art that becomes personal. This project was done quite a few years ago but I find it lovely, inspiring, and heartbreaking...
Knitter and artist Nina Rosenberg decided to make a project to acknowledge the devastation of the Iraq war. In an attempt to knit a small red sweater for each fallen American soldier in the war...


Originally she wanted to do all those who died, American or not, but that number was too large to be feasible.
The idea and the final outcome are powerful and inspiring...and reminds me of the amazing work here...


I especially love that she considered this:
...people are different. So how will you represent individuality? By using different knitting techniques. By asking other knitters, all of whom knit slightly different than one another, to make a red sweater.
Read more and see more images.