"What did I tell you," my mother said with a stern look into my face.
"Not to ride my bike. That was Lisa's, " I said.
I do not remember being slapped after that, but you can understand I was a bit precocious and head strong. Right now, I have no desire to argue. I have not touched much of anything since Friday. Another friend says I am allowed to draw. I've been on a tear since Friday night drawing and planning out twenty quilts. I have eight sketches left before I recoil and decide on whether I need alternatives. It is the Native American and Celtic Cross designs that are in play. It is nice to return to old work with encouragement and new methods to play out. Before I was hitting my head into a wall trying to force piece work out of woven design. I still have yet to find quilting from a reservation. Maybe I am just not looking hard enough. Scratch that. I did find Seminole piecing. I am just craving more from other sources. In all this searching and building competencies to art, I refuse to think that the dividing line is wovens to indigenous and sewn to those of White European descent. Life changes with a needle and thread and drastically curve balls come the sewing machine. I wonder if there is a Native American equivalent to the Indian kantha.
Sorry, I digress. So. I am tired and in a little bit of pain. Life outside of the studio calls as well. So, for this week, I might just might be a little on the intellectual side, raid the bookshelf, and have a comment or two about anything art historical. Picking up Klee again is definitely on my mind and I am also wrestling with my artist statement in the back of my mind. Sooner or later I am going to have to acknowledge I am a quilter as well. The days of play are long gone. For some reason I refuse to acknowledge the point I became serious. Still it has not become an extension of the core work. Not that I have to put a carbon copy on every medium I use of imagery. I am craving more art quilter websites as well. This twenty I've started I am begging of completion out of my current stash and not to be derivative of a damn thing. Though, giving respect where credit is do haunts me. I may be on the verge of reverse engineering to find sources and references. Though if I remember correctly there were few in the books from interlibrary loan. I'll try again. I owe my ancestors, especially the cultural and intellectual ones, that much.
Ack! I need put myself to bed.
Hope you are well.
As ever, stay hungry and curious.