Where I Stand - Year One | Fibra Artysta

19 October 2008

Sun, 10 Jan 2010 23:06:51 -0500

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It is the burning decay that sets the color on fire in this season. The idea that beauty can be found even in endings is somewhat at odds with its normal definition. Yet as I stand still and smell the dank earth reclaiming what the summer took so long to grow, a calm stills over me. There is a schedule and a purpose to be met, an agenda that will override everything else. The loss of control is soothing as time slips through the cracks.

12 October 2008

Sun, 10 Jan 2010 23:06:48 -0500

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Words are replaced by senses, taking over where thoughts once resided. Crisp snapping of leaf edges as I walk over them, a painter's palette of color spilled everywhere, a fluid chill sliding around the sunlight, a stillness hanging in the air like a lullaby. I could stand at the edge of this season forever, easily slipping into step with its well worn melody.

05 October 2008

Sun, 10 Jan 2010 23:06:45 -0500

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As the earth stills and becomes sleepy, a surprise pushes past the wooden fence, determined to stretch into the cold air. The pale wash staining the petals mingles with the burning autumn colors, completely at ease with the stark difference. The wind pushes around me, shifting everything into a small sway. It carries with it a quiet peace, welcome and easily embraced.

28 September 2008

Sun, 10 Jan 2010 23:06:40 -0500

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The energy present in the artwork hanging before me moves through the air, wrapping itself around anyone who dares to move closer for a better look. Each quilt bears the mark of its maker, telling its own story, proclaming its own message in a loud tone. They all patiently wait to move on to their next venue, knowing that this is only the beginning of their journey and there is still much work to be done.

21 September 2008

Sun, 10 Jan 2010 23:06:32 -0500

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The expression is always the same, looking up from below, eager to see what my next move will be. He moves around my feet constantly, replacing my shadow at every opportunity. He has claimed a portion of my life that I am glad to turn over to him. As I move through my day, I can count on him, trailing behind me, inspecting my activities, seeking a moment when he can shuffle beneath my hand for some contact. He is the definition of unconditional love.

14 September 2008

Sun, 10 Jan 2010 23:06:29 -0500

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It's like moving through a daydream, the world trapped beneath a darker shade of pale. The sky is burdened with water and weight from Hurricane Ike, unable to move from beneath his intent. Day has not looked like day for forty-eight hours now, the sunlight unable to claw its way through the grey. We wait for the rains, knowing that Mother Nature is not entirely done with the storm.

07 September 2008

Sun, 10 Jan 2010 23:06:26 -0500

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The summer's heat tantrums have left scars behind. The cool, wet air is too late to reverse the effects. Autumn is waiting its turn to make a full appearance, offering up previews of gentler weather and the emergence of a color palette only it can get away with. Soon the earth will be able to rest under its blanket of respite.

31 August 2008

Sun, 10 Jan 2010 23:06:22 -0500

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As the information from my computer slips along the black wires to be copied, I reach for my yarn and needles to pass the minutes needed to complete the task. The yarn eases through my fingers and the wood slides back and forth as I knit, purl, knit, purl, knit, purl. Technology and ancient handwork seem oddly at ease with each other. Without the reach of the internet, these crafts might somehow be lost in the shuffle of new and modern and trendy. Something meant to create a slick world by easing the burden of doing things by hand, aids to keep artists immersed in these crafts connected and sharing.

24 August 2008

Sun, 10 Jan 2010 23:06:18 -0500

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The camera stares down at its subject with no bias, no expectations, no second thoughts. It draws the image into pixels and color blocks and megabytes. The world is seen through a clear lens, always looking, always seeking. It grasps what its envrionment has to offer and honors it for what it is in its most simple and basic form.

17 August 2008

Sun, 10 Jan 2010 23:06:14 -0500

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The wool and alpaca fibers pool at my feet in a cloud. The spindle rolls in one hand while the other helps the raw fibers find new purpose. The process turns to meditation and the mind stills as the rest of the world hums by.

10 August 2008

Sun, 10 Jan 2010 23:06:11 -0500

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It is candy apple red toenails painted by a friend for my amusement.

It is the soft cusion of new grass beneath bare feet.

It is the smack of raindrops on the leaves.

It is the touch of my mother's hand on the back of my head as she walks past.

It is the sigh of my dog as he settles beside me to wait things out.

Patience and life's pleasures are found in the smallest dots of the days. Seconds pool into minutes and hours and days and weeks. This pause is something of a bizarre gift as the world and I get to know each other again.

03 August 2008

Sun, 10 Jan 2010 23:06:06 -0500

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The body and mind often have different agendas. Where one becomes broken, the other seeks to soldier on. The healing is slow and impatience creeps around the edges, blurring peripheral vision, bringing in the corners. The possibilities of what lie ahead weighs heavy and the burden presses down without remorse.

27 July 2008

Sun, 10 Jan 2010 23:05:58 -0500

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Some things are built to weather every season, every occasion, every turn in the wind. Whether hard or soft, their constitution is stubborn enough to claim their stake and not budge. The ability to bend without breaking lies side by side with the memory of each storm.

19 July 2008

Sun, 10 Jan 2010 23:05:53 -0500

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The brewery is one of those places. History is trapped in every pore of every surface, its walls and floors and tabletops used well and used often. A fair dotted with outsider art lines the wall, drawing in thick crowds of people. Beer, coffee and good company tangle together, creating hazy contentment.

13 July 2008

Sun, 10 Jan 2010 23:05:37 -0500

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It is the constant draw of the unexpected. The base knowledge of how the dyes and chemicals and fabrics will react speak logically and loudly in the background. But staring down at the mixture and knowing that the ticking by of seconds will be the jury of the final result is what lends beauty and mystery to coloring fabric.

06 July 2008

Sun, 10 Jan 2010 23:05:34 -0500

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This way, one way, the only way.

The arrow's arrogance of knowing which way to go draws me to study it. Faced with uncertainty at every turn in my own life, I long for the confidence of the arrow. It knows with certainty what the best course is, it is sorely worn with the long duty of it.

This way, this way...

29 June 2008

Sun, 10 Jan 2010 23:05:31 -0500

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The wind nudges swollen clouds around, casting a grey hue to the air. The rain is intermittent but deliberate as it throws itself over everything. The ground's inability to absorb any more moisture creates an imbalance and anxious pools of water swirl over my driveway. The summer season is continually suppressed by thunderstorms, each one leaving behind a surplus of humidity and weighted air.

22 June 2008

Sun, 10 Jan 2010 23:05:27 -0500

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The air has grown swollen with heat. The summer season is official, the sun casting heavy shadows at every turn.

The relief of the halfway mark of the year lingers in the air. The temperature will not break from the upper limit for weeks, ticking off the days that will lead to the second half of the year.

15 June 2008

Sun, 10 Jan 2010 23:05:24 -0500

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I found myself beneath that big tree this morning, walking barefoot among the shade's inhabitants.

On this day, when fathers are honored, my heart reaches out to the things that remind me most of the man that helped to shape my life. The breeze pushed its way through the garden that he nurtured and began and my mind stilled, knowing he is there amongst the life the helped to create.

08 June 2008

Sun, 10 Jan 2010 23:05:20 -0500

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The numbers in every column on the pump climb, showing no signs of bumping into a ceiling.

Frustration and anger take root as my mind swirls over the reasons why. Soon gas companies will report record profits while the average person adjusts lifestyles in order to avoid feeding the machine.

01 June 2008

Sun, 10 Jan 2010 23:05:16 -0500

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The sun burns high in the sky and its heat pushes down through the humidity.

The stagnant water offers a mirror to the light in the sky, its reflection wrinkling on the surface. Occasionally the wind slides over every surface and all things organic breathe a sigh of relief for the moment of respite. Summer is staking its claim, auditioning its skills for the new season.

25 May 2008

Sun, 10 Jan 2010 23:05:13 -0500

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The tracks snake through the city, carving out lines to carry passengers from one destination to another.

The platform stands solitary and steady, bearing the impatience that comes with waiting for the train. While out-of-towners find the experience novel and charming, the air is heavy with daily routine and schedules to keep.

18 May 2008

Sun, 10 Jan 2010 23:05:09 -0500

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The metal staircase tugs me along from one floor to the next.

Rows of people stand still and move at the same time, watching with patient apathy as the lower level falls away from them. The diagonal line of it tethers up and down together, eliminating the seams of that which ws not built as one piece.

11 May 2008

Sun, 10 Jan 2010 23:05:05 -0500

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Flowers smear the landscape with color, their intensity requiring attention.

As people walk by, small smiles dance on their faces as memories of how flowers marked major occasions in their lives sneak back into their minds. Their petals, stems, endless variety of shape and colors help celebrate milestones, bring comfort and remind us of the little miracles.

04 May 2008

Sun, 10 Jan 2010 23:05:01 -0500

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The need to reuse and recycle has become overwhelming.

People are looking at their planet in a new way; turning it over, seaching for the expiration date.

The street fair is full of insight into small ways each person can help preserve the ground we walk on. As always, creativity creeps into the scene and finds purpose in the most unexpected way.

27 April 2008

Sun, 10 Jan 2010 23:04:47 -0500

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The local coffee house has so much more to offer then its chain rivals.

The furniture is mismatched and worn, the walls covered in political messages, the mood slow and steady. A constant stream of people move between the rooms and in and out of the entrance.

Its history is engrained on every surface. It is the ideal meeting spot for conversation with a friend, a most perfect way to start the day.

20 April 2008

Sun, 10 Jan 2010 23:04:43 -0500

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The water washes over everything in its path, painting different colors above and below its surface. Its energy is relentless as it continually shapes the shores and earth. Its contradictory nature of soothing and uncontrollable speaks volumes.

13 April 2008

Sun, 10 Jan 2010 23:04:40 -0500

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The removal of the usual work environment forces my artwork into a new light. As people moved past the table, asked questions and saw it for the first time, I rediscovered the magic of marrying unlikely objects

into unusual pieces.

Processes that were previously hidden inside my mind were forced into the light and are now heading off in directions of their own. It was an awakening that inspires action and movement.

04 April 2008

Sun, 10 Jan 2010 23:04:37 -0500

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Spring is audible at every turn. Even the plants pushing themselves through the tired ground breathe new sounds into the world. The earth sighs with relief as the temperature warms and light becomes abundant.

The ground is soon to be drenched in color and life, blooming and growning and stetching itself as far as the eye can see.

30 March 2008

Sun, 10 Jan 2010 23:04:33 -0500

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BE ANYTHING and EVERYTHING

The center portion of this new artwork looks up at me and repeats those words over and over again. As I look down at the six new pieces waiting to travel to Open Studios at the International Quilt Festival with me, I am once again struck by the knowledge that my work floats somewhere between the traditional quilt world and the mainstream art world.

Yet somehow the oddity is what draws me back to it time and again, always seeking something new and different.

23 March 2008

Sun, 10 Jan 2010 23:04:30 -0500

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For three years these steps led me in and out of a business that would change my life.

My store was the beginning, the first stepping stone into creativity. The people that moved through it became permanent friends, the connections made have remained.

Without it, the future may have held a different course, one that would surely be lacking the electric undercurrnet that now pushes me through life.

16 March 2008

Sun, 10 Jan 2010 23:04:27 -0500

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The sun pushes against what is left of winter and as the snow submits, the streets become lined with rushing streams. Its like listening to a heartbeat gaining strength. The earth prepares itself for the growing season, shaking off the restraints of the cold and ice.

The water makes that hollow tin sound as it falls through the grates and there is no doubt that the thaw has begun.

09 March 2008

Sun, 10 Jan 2010 23:04:24 -0500

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The conservatory is near the water, housing plant life foreign to this part of the world.

The trees strain against the glass ceiling and the concrete floor builds a strong foundation for their cage. While I welcome the opportunity to be surrounded by growth and life, I feel somehow sad for my friends.

They are arranged in neat rows and beds according to plans they never consented to. The contradiction between life and restraint creates an electric environment.

02 March 2008

Sun, 10 Jan 2010 23:04:22 -0500

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The building is bursting with other worlds and imagination and alternative realities. Refuge is easily found in the pages of books.Even the carpeting promises an escape.

There is a hush, pages rustle, people station themselves at every surface suitable for seating. Sitting inside this fortress of words, my mind settles and the tension trickles away.

Here, among the thoughts of stranges I will never meet, is where I can truly rest.

24 February 2008

Sun, 10 Jan 2010 23:04:18 -0500

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Art creates the outlet for expression, but it also offers the hand of friendship.

I stand with my friends, united in the quest to create things, comforted in the knowledge that none of us stand alone. These are people I might never have met otherwise and while art itself pulls from me the stress of life, they create a unique family that builds the ultimate foundation for a creative life.

17 February 2008

Sun, 10 Jan 2010 23:04:15 -0500

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The glaring color of the floor covering in my studio reflect my Muse's frustration with me. It is angry, sullen, unhappy with my lack of attention.

Fatigue is my constant companion and the ability to switch between engineer and artist has been momentarily stifled as numbers and calculation and metal take over every corner of my mind.

It is at these moments when the aching to create turns to throbbing and I quietly shut the door to my studio in an effort to silence the nagging coming from within.

10 February 2008

Sun, 10 Jan 2010 23:04:12 -0500

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The tiles have copied the colors of nature but they are just as cold and harsh as the winter raging outside.

The small windows cast deep shadows, adding to the already tired mood produced by the absent sun. The cold has seeped into every crack, every corner and although the city battles back as best it can, its inhabitants suffer under the weight of the gray skies.

03 February 2008

Sun, 10 Jan 2010 23:04:09 -0500

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He will follow me through the day, supervising my activities. He is happy to lead me on a walk down the street or pop his head out the passenger side window during a slow drive.

He is my companion and when I am sick, he lays on the sofa with me until I am better. My life is richer because of him, my furry little friend.

27 January 2008

Sun, 10 Jan 2010 23:04:03 -0500

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There is a constant dance between opposites that defines life.

Light and shadow.

Fragile and solid.

Memory and present.

The events that happen as a result of this balace is what defines us. What we do today will fade into the fold of time and no one may ever know that we stood here, that we stopped and listened to the change.

20 January 2008

Sun, 10 Jan 2010 23:03:59 -0500

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Tile work has a voice like no other art form. Its charged with not only being beautiful but must be able to endure conditions no other medium is built for.

Clay is cut, colored, fired and laid with intent in patterns across floors. People spend their days walking across the labors of the creator, paying homage to its beauty by pausing every so slightly in their stride to admire the beauty beneath their feet.

13 January 2008

Sun, 10 Jan 2010 23:03:52 -0500

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Confused January weather is dong the impersonation of spring.

The snow has receded quickly and an afternoon crawl through Greektown in downtown Detroit offers much needed distraction. The city has been working for some time to find its voice again, to remember who it is. Not all of its inhabitants have hope for the future, though. Nature is barricaded behind steel cages, held captive in a place where it once had the run of the land.

06 January 2008

Sun, 10 Jan 2010 23:03:38 -0500

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The thick winter in Michigan continues, punctuated by the continual thaw and refreezing.

Trees that had not dropped their leaves at the first shock of cold are now giving in and shedding their clothes. It creates the effect of mixed seasons, leaving one wondering if we are to remain trapped between various combinations of autumn and winter.

30 December 2007

Sun, 10 Jan 2010 23:03:33 -0500

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There is only one day left in 2007. Tomorrow will be just like every other day during the year but the day following it will begin the journey of 2008.

Its is a time for farewells and hellos, all laced with the hope for a better year lying ahead. Already my calendar is marked with major life changes and as I brace myself for the good and the bad they have to offer, I find myself hoping to build a stronger twelve months that will form the foundation for happiness.

23 December 2007

Sun, 10 Jan 2010 23:03:29 -0500

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The holiday season signals the end of another twelve months of life. With another block of time spent, the need to recharge is overwhelming.

It is a time for absorbing what the past year gave and took, for allowing myself to really rest. While others seek out the riot of parties, I reach for the warmth of a blanket, the hug of my dog and prepare for the unexpectedness of the new year.

16 December 2007

Sun, 10 Jan 2010 23:03:25 -0500

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Winter has claimed Michigan, covering the ground with several inches of heavy coldness. The wind is steady and the flakes continue to come down, determined to alter the landscape as only it can. I am once again awed by the realization that nature is the real master of the earth, not man.

09 December 2007

Sun, 10 Jan 2010 23:03:11 -0500

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A short blip in the power supply throws into sharp relief how much of my life is dependent on electronics. Even something as simple as finding enough light to read a book by created a challenge.

My connection with the outside world - through the internet, through the television, through the phone - was severed. I sat in the darkness and wondered for the first time what my life would be if I was not able to plug in so easily.

02 December 2007

Sun, 10 Jan 2010 23:03:08 -0500

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Being in downtown Detroit stirs memories of my father. He was raised there and worked there for over thirty years for the city's Public Lighting Department. Now that he is gone, I find it calming to stand in the places he walked on for so many years of his life.

25 November 2007

Sun, 10 Jan 2010 23:03:04 -0500

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The leaves had turned color some time ago but the trees were unwilling to let them go. Their contrast against the sky was stunning but with the temperature dropping near freezing in the evenings, they all came down in one shudder. The ground is covered in a riot of all imaginable colors as winter wins another battle.

18 November 2007

Sun, 10 Jan 2010 23:03:00 -0500

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When I leave for work in the mornings, I am greeted by crunchy frosty grass. By early afternoon it's melted off. The battle between autumn and winter is in full swing. It won't be long before the ground is completely white with ice and snow.

11 November 2007

Sun, 10 Jan 2010 23:02:55 -0500

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We had watched this tree over the summer drop its leaves, its branches becoming skinny sticks against the sky. We had hoped our friend would recover. But with autumn's arrival, it became obvious that it would not be able to stand through the winter.

I watched as it was cut down and hauled away, with only this stump left as a reminder of all the years it had grown on this patch of the earth.

04 November 2007

Sun, 10 Jan 2010 23:02:51 -0500

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During the York Street Cemetery walking tour on Halloween evening, this larger headstone stood out. Not only because of its size but at the base sits a small marble book with its pages open. There are no carvings on it and no explanation for why it is there.

Could it be that there is a story that hasn't found an ending yet?

28 October 2007

Sun, 10 Jan 2010 22:32:22 -0500

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Michigan is trading in summer for autumn. The weather is growing cold, its raining and the leaves have become victims of gravity. It won't be long before my blacktop driveway is covered in ice rather then spotted with leaves.