Natural Objects as Art and Inspiration

Source: etsy.com via Katrina on Pinterest

Source: etsy.com via Katrina on Pinterest

Source: bookhouathome.blogspot.com via Katrina on Pinterest

Source: etsy.com via Katrina on Pinterest

Source: etsy.com via Katrina on Pinterest

Source: etsy.com via Katrina on Pinterest

Source: thelateststory.com via Katrina on Pinterest

Source: corikindred.com via Katrina on Pinterest

Source: ratio3.org via Katrina on Pinterest

This evening I am all things leaves, pine cones, mold, feathers, and stone. You and I both know I have a stack of projects-in-progress on my studio work table but it's so much more fun to show you a little collection of nature-inspired crafty goodness. I can't imagine a time in my life when a wander through the forest or a few hours at the coast didn't reset my inspiration and inspire new projects. Perhaps the two are truly linked for some of us, some of the time.

I love how these artists are not just using natural objects to inspire their work but they are oftentimes using the object to make the actual artwork (as is the case with the leaf prints, crochet stone, and pine cone assemblage too). And they are not just looking at the grandiose landscape or the always-inspired horizon but they are isolating the tiniest object and making it a world all its own.

Sometimes I want to tackle the grandiose through theory and debate and research and then more research. And sometimes I just want to be very, very quiet and grow intimate with the fragile details of things. The older I get, the more time I want with the details and the more time I want to study the details carefully. Perhaps it's like that infamous Robert Frost quote, "The only way around is through."

xoxo,
k

My Beloved Northern California Coast

We drove north a few hours and stole away for an entire week on the California coast. We befriended seals and rabbits and frogs and hawks and jays and vultures and fawns and bats and sheep and cows and also goats. We were greeted by waves crashing and reaching and tumbling and lulling along the beaches and against the cliffs.

We passed our days swimming and reading and cooking and dreaming and practicing yoga and then long walks and drives to various little towns along the coastline. We were without cell phone reception or internet access and the modern world just gently slipped away. Sweet bliss.

And now, we are back, and slowly making our way through our beautiful but busy urban lives. I'm amazed, how just one week away can feel like another life was lived completely.

xoxo,
k.

View of My Work Table, Residencies, and Exhibitions Too.

(My most recent inspiration lines, above my desk.)

(Paper garlands in-progress, mostly recycled security envelopes.)

(An Alabama Chanin pattern, modified by yours truly.)

(A little embroidery tool stash.)

(New summer Polaroids, waiting to be scanned.)

(My poetry manuscript received edits before being sent out to presses. Eep!)

(The results of our recent cherry-picking adventure: a few jars of jam.)

Hi friends,

Suddenly, it is Tuesday. And I usually try to get here to post on Mondays but some Mondays turn into Tuesdays before I have much of a say in the matter. You know? I know you know. So I wanted to show you a few views of my work table. A few views of projects-in-progress. My heart is set on making the quilt I've been posting about, but there are a few other projects swirling around my studio periphery.

I'm also dreaming about these artist residency centers in various corners of the country: Elsewhere in NC, The Wassaic Project in NY, and the Recology AIR program at the San Francisco dump! They all sound magical. And I am swept up in thoughts of large-scale projects I might create as a resident. Projects I might begin. Other projects I might finish. But mostly the time and space and place to indulge in another large-scale craft installation. Yes, someday.

I'm also super excited about these shows close to home: Ratio 3 is exhibiting a Margaret Kilgallen solo exhibition and who doesn't love Margaret Kilgallen? The BAN6 show at YBCA is worth seeing--I thought Suzanne Husky, Allison Smith, Brion Nuda Rosch, and Mauricio Ancalmo took the cake. And the Stein exhibitions are beckoning again and again.

Oh, summer. You make me happy.

xoxo,
k.

Quilt Commitments: Denyse Schmidt Fabrics

The quiltspiration has paid off. I've purchased eight different fabrics designed by Denyse Schmidt in various shades of blue, yellow, and red. I was thrilled to see her spring collaboration with Joann Fabrics resulting in the gorgeous DS Quilts line of modern, vintage-inspired, eye-popping, summer-affirming stripes, dots, blossoms, and squiggles. (Read more about the fabrics here or here.)

I'm still working out the details of my quilt pattern, but I think it will be similar to the one I've sketched above. Mostly stripes, free-form, similar heights but varying widths, a simple back with one stripe of detail, machine-quilted but the binding will be hand-stitched. Hooray! I've washed, ironed, and carefully folded the fabrics and now I'm ready for the big quilter's commitment: the cutting.

Tonight I'm scooting off with friends for a true 4th of July American tradition--barbecue and fireworks. For my friends stateside, I hope you are enjoying the same. xoxo, k.