Thursday, March 15, 2007

Morpho Didius

  It seems almost bad manners to attend a quilt show and not purchase a single thing! A few weekends ago I attended the Indiana Heritage Quilt Show for the first time.  I expected it something akin to the size of Paducah but that is not the case.  It was smaller than I imagined but it was a great show quilt wise.  The biggest treat for me was the Men of Biblical Proportions exhibit in what I think was it's entirety.  The interpretations in cloth where interesting to study and figure out.  I would love to see men quilters interpret feminism in a quilt.  I don't know where this wish comes from other than womanism/feminism has been on my mind for a few weeks plus wondering about the impact of international images of African American Black Men and how Urban life could be portrayed in cloth.  It all relates in my mind but don't ask me to explain how.  My thoughts where further stretched when I viewed the podcast link provided by Sonji Says... of Kehinde Wiley.  I wondered what a quilter who defined herself/himself as hip-hop artist would do?   I could ask my brother but he is now of the age where people under 30 are referring to him as "your generation" and its typically not a compliment signaling some sign of "has been"...I remember the first time my brother said that to me referring to the music of Stevie Wonder.  ahhh, what goes around comes around,eh!



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This is my purchase from the Indiana Show. (I wanted to show good manners)  I use to say I didn't like marbles but I find myself being drawn to them now...I think what it was is that I don't like commerical marbles.  The non-marbled off/white/grey piece and the firey piece are actually silk...nothing specific is planned for them but I'm itching to return to a studio at the Mary Anderson Center for the Arts soon.



Dscn2354Do you see this block...take a good look at it...its about one of the easiest traditional blocks one could make, right?  but it caused me great anxiety! I put it off until the 12 hour. The fear of points not matching up and having to rethink how I approached sewing for accuracy was just intimidating! The bottom point came close to being chopped off but I reworked it enough to get a A-.  It was for a group project for Quilter's Day Out.



I finally cleared up my table of all the altered book making supplies and have set up my sewing machine! (The angel Ella Fitzgerald is bebopping to that!) And I'm in the process of going through my sketch books (believe me, my sketch book is only for my eyes...I've see all those fabulous coloured drawings and sketches by some of you, I'm not daring to show mine) to find something new or I might do another Negotiating Territory but I that calls for some more fabric dyeing. 



Dscn2362 Do you see the blue in this blue butterfly?  It is magnificient and this butterfly has held my imagination for over a year when I first saw it in a shop at Mellwood Arts Complex. Its the blueness of the blue and seeing it in the animal kingdom that awes me!!! God amazes me!!!!!  I think if Alice Walker had seen this before writing The Color Purple...ya feel me?!?!  If this butterfly flew past me, a prayer would be in order if not an outright spirit dance!!!!



This past Monday I was given good news on a Right Breast Biopsy that I had on Friday prior and this butterfly was the image that came to me after I hung up the phone.  I immediately got dressed and went to get it.  Its encased in glass so that both sides can be viewed but handling it isn't a good idea because one of the antennas has fallen off.  Here is the back side. Dscn2363



11 comments:

  1. Cudos! The butterfly is perfect You.

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  2. The color is magical! Like you, nature's colors sometimes make me catch my breath.
    Congratulations on the "butterfly" biopsy!

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  3. Glad to hear the biopsy was negative. Beautiful butterfly.

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  4. I am so glad the test came out with great results. I've always found doing the traditional is harder. The rules are set and you know what marks you have to stride for in order to be PERFECT. Original is best, you have only your own rules to follow. And of course, I llllooooovvvveeee butterflies. I always think of God's wonderfulness when I see one.

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  5. Oh!! What a beautiful butteryfly. I think I would have the same reaction to that beauty flying by me. I have been waiting with baited breath to see what you purchased. I also love the marbled silk - yummy. The butterfly looks like luminous silk fabric to me.
    I also think your idea of men quilters trying to represent feminism would be a very interesting exhibition!!

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  6. What a wonderful image of beauty and rebirth! I love butterflies! Glad you got the good news.

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  7. Great news about your biopsy!! WooHoo!!
    We saw these butterflies last summer in Costa Rica - truly amazing!!!
    Take care

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  8. love the story of the butterfly. Also that fiery silk

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  9. Alleluia! I was stressing reading your post about the perfect points until the butterfly biopsy! What sweet relief. I think a hip-hop quilt would be off the hook.

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  10. Karoda,
    Great news about your biopsy....and I think butterflies are messengers.

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  11. Great news on the biopsy Karoda, I'm glad that the butterfly blessed you with wellness! It is just beautiful.
    I'm all about the piddling too these days, it is frustrating, but I feel the art energy storing up right around my belly button, it'll come back, don't worry!
    I love the idea of feminism, womanism as an art exhibit, how about since there aren't many male quilters out there, you ask women to ask a significant (male) other in their life to collaborate with them. I think there would be a lot of good conversation and art that would come out of that!

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