Where are they now? - Helen

Where am I now? That's  the question I was told to answer for this blog series. But you know me. Rebel to the last.... I think the most interesting question actually is: how did you get where you are today? Because today has been a day I would not have imagined last time I posted here ( which was February 2014, with  this post.

I started the day out on the golf course. Not what you expected? No, me neither, but read on and I'll explain. Then I packed up some of the art from a solo show I did at the View Two Gallery in Liverpool in May and popped it in the car to take to the Stockport War Memorial Art Gallery third ( and for me the final) show with the Etcetera Group. Whilst at the gallery I talked to the curator and agreed to do a little mini show of six more of my pieces later this year. then I got in the car again and drove to talk to a different gallery owner about a proposal for a duo show with another artist. then I came home to deal with a contact for representation by a second Liverpool gallery. None of that was even in my imagination in February 2014!

So what happened?

Urban Myth - 20/12 series

When the Twelve by Twelve Project ended, I was a person who still had a great deal of difficultly believing my myself as an artist. I wanted the group environment because it gave me an identity/ If they were artists and I was a member then I must be an artist. Identification by Association if you like. I was only just finding my voice - if you look back the 20/12 series shows a big leap in how my work looked and was when my current voice started as a tiny exploratory whisper. But in the intervening years I have done a lot of coaching and Masterclass Work with Lisa Call on redefining myself in my own mind and coming out boldly as an artist and I have dome that so much I almost don't recognise myself now!

Brick Lane A - Transitions Show, Etctera

Last year I had just done the first Etcetera show which hung in the Platform gallery in Clitheroe and had sold art work from that show for the first time. I was yearning to be an artist not just within what I perceived as the 'safe environment of the quilt world where I was known and accepted, but in the wider art work and also by people in my day job. But boy was I scared. Some of that was due to the peculiar constraints what is and is not acceptable in  my day job. and I was worried about crossing boundaries when I wasn't sure where the boundaries lay.  But far more was that  I was scared people would pity me. That they would say whisper, behind my back, that I was the person who thought I was good enough to be an artist and I didn't even know I wasn't. Scared I would be the Florence Foster Jenkins of the textile art world!

And then I had an Idea. Its a long story ( which you can read here) but it involved a charity project with other artist/barristers called Artists-in -Law and it required me to stay up in conference rooms full of colleagues and actually say the words "I am an artist'.  Effectively I leapt out of the closet and once out I just had to keep going because saying I was an artist and not being very good was better in my mind than saying I was one and not actually producing any art! Plus I didn't catch anyone sniggering at me. So I put some of my art on sale and people bought it. For real money.

Here I will always stay - Liverpool Skyline

At that stage I was playing around with the beginnings of my graffiti based work. the first quilt in that series went to the SAQA Wide Horizons IV juried show and I was playing with adding paper collages over graffiti backgrounds to make Liverpool scenes, which turned out to be commercially popular but not quite where my soul was. I was still stretching, trying to find the real me.

Graffiti from Berlin

In December 2104 I went on a city break to Berlin with my family to celebrate my Dad's seventieth Birthday. Now I love my family but really, we all needed some respite  from each other, so the deal was that we all got to do one thing alone if we wished. I chose to go on  a walking tour of graffiti in the old East Berlin. I took photos every step of the way, finding huge inspiration in the overlap of tags. The close up photos of the edges of other peoples art seemed to me to create new, unintended pieces of abstract art.  The tour ended in an abandoned margarine factory where we were given an A4 piece of canvas and access to spray cans. My mind went into overdrive and I called the tour guide over and explained, with the aid of pictures of my quilts on the iPhone exactly why I needed much much, more canvas and much much more information about spray can suppliers! That night I usde the hotels wifi to shop online at a Graffiti supply shop back home. (Who knew such places even existed!)

Note to Self

On my return home, I made a quilt in my old style and then took the cans and spray painted it. I maintain it is interesting but truly ugly but others clearly went with just the interesting as it was juried into the European Quit Triennial. That quilt was called Note to Self and it contained both readable (just) and disguised messages to myself about being bold and having belief in myself. It was the first thing I made that felt to me like something no-one else was doing (probably for very good reason!) and its acceptance gave me huge confidence.  Months before I had been talking with my coach about the artists I looked up to  and I made made a list of them in my journal because I had been reading an about the power of physically writing down goals and aspirations and dreams. When I got the list of participating artists in that show, all bar one on my list were in that show and the missing one was  a juror!

Then Sings my Soul - Urban Scrawl 

Then one day I was at work and I decided to go for a little  lunch time stroll. I remembered that someone had told me about a gallery I had not heard of before so I went to try and find it. It was open and I climbed up many flights of stairs to find the top room and found the owner. We got chatting, he asked to see my work, he liked it, he asked me to give him three pieces for a Christmas show and I nearly fell down all these stairs again with joy and shock. I had, entirely by accident obtained gallery representation!  Email correspondence followed and within the week we had agreed that I would have the whole room - 100 feet - for a solo show which I called Urban Scrawl. I maintain that that only happened because of all the work with Lisa to get me to a point where I could both say those words : I am an artist and here is my portfolio"  and actually have a portfolio on my phone!

Paving Stones - From Urban Scrawl Show

I had four and a half months to prepare for that show and, as most of the work I did have I either deemed unsuitable or had committed to Etcetera shows, I had to start from scratch. My husband (who we call Thirteen because of his role in selling the Twelve by Twelve book some time ago at Festival of Quilts) was a star in supporting me by feeding me on my arrival home from the day job and sending me up to the studio to work. You can read some blog posts about the preparation and the work in the show on my blog at www.helenconwaydesign.com. It was the intense work put in for that show that helped me finally, finally (finally!) make art I was proud of and actually would hang in my own home! The preview night was heaving with people and I sold seventeen pieces, most to the very people I had at first been afraid to tell I was an artist in case they laughed at me.

 Again, the work I had done on the Masterclass and reading other artists blogs on subjects such as setting up studio systems, publicity, how to present myself on social media and the like played a huge part in that show.  I used to have a keyring that said; behind every successful woman is a pile of washing and ironing. That remains true but I also want one which says: Behind every artist is a legion of fellow artists who have gone before and are generous with their experiences.

Empty Street - Urban Scrawl Show

Once the show was over I decided, pretty much on a whim, to learn to play golf. I had tried at the instigation of a dear, golf obsessed friend about 20 years ago and was dreadful. Really, humiliatingly bad. So I had spent 20 years defining myself as someone who was not sporty. Someone who couldn't even  though I wanted to. However, the process of redefining myself as an artist allowed me to see that I could refine myself as a golfer if I wished. So I took lessons and joined a club and now I am a baby beginning golfer (and loving it and improving quickly) much as I was a baby beginning art quilter when Twelve by Twelve started off my art career.

So the short answer to the questions are:

Where are you now?
Deeper in in the art world than I ever thought possible when I started making log cabin quits. Exploring  more graffiti based ideas, contemplating moving those ideas into encaustics as well as textiles. Making what I want to make even if its unconventional or I think people wont 'get it'. working on showing in art galleries where there are no other textile artists. Trying hard to balance time in the studio with time on the golf course and time at the day job.

How did you get there?
By other people believing in me and taking a chance on me before I did that for myself. And learning overcome fear of people laughing at me, of being a beginner. That started with the day Diane Perin emailed to ask if I wanted to join  an art quilt group. I remember telling my husband and he asked, a little confused, "Do you make art quilts?' "I do now,"  I said. and so I did. I still have fears of being the Great Pretender but I like the line at the end of the Florence Forster Jenkins Movie: "They may say I couldn't sing, but no one can say I didn't sing."

They may not like my art but no one can say I am not now an artist.

More images from my Urban Scrawl show can be seen at www.helenconwaydesign.com/portfolio

Colourplay Installation at European Patchwork Meeting

Today was installation day at the European Patchwork Meeting.  Here is our blank canvas:

Here is hanging in progress:

The installation technicians were superb.  Very thoughtful and seeking to show our work to its best advantage;

The black background panels were designed to be placed on black drapes and carpet walls but they also work satisfactorily on the white walls.  These photos are from before final adjustments:

And in this photo, you get a glimpse of Helen's work in the adjoining SAQA exhibition - Wide Horizons:

I (Brenda) will be at the exhibition all of Thursday, Saturday and Sunday and Françoise will be around on Friday and other times.  Please stop by and say Bonjour!

SAQA Benefit Auction 2014: Dream Collection

The annual benefit auction is the signature fundraising event for Studio Art Quilt Associates. Your purchases help increase the recognition for art quilts and the artists who make them while supporting SAQA’s exhibitions, publications, and education outreach. The 2014 SAQA Benefit Auction is coming up in September and Dream Collections are starting to appear online.  The dream collection set out below is comprised of works donated by six of the Twelves that are up for auction:
    Nightfall: Deborah Boschert             Sky Blue Pink: Gerrie Congdon            Undecided:  Karen Rips                   The Visitor:  Terri Stegmiller                    Eye of the Crow: Terry Grant                   Neptune's Necklace#1:Brenda Smith

Talking of SAQA, congratulations to Helen! Her work Graffiti 1 was juried into the “SAQA exhibition Wide Horizons IV that will premiere at the Carrefour Européen du Patchwork/European Patchwork Meeting  in Alsace, France:18-21 September 2014.  Don't forget, all 144 works from the Colorplay Series will also be on exhibition at this event.

Graffiti 1:  Helen Conway

Many of the Twelves enjoy the educational, networking, mentoring and exhibition opportunities offered by Studio Art Quilt Associates. If you’ve been thinking about joining SAQA, add the discount code “BGS” to the application form and you will receive a 10% discount on the membership fee.

Life after 20/12

Leave My Land Alone
my last 20/12 series quilt

After the 20/12 series finished and my fellow Twelves decided not to do another group challenge right away, I confess I felt a little bereft. The great thing about the Twelves is that we were a cohesive group and all of us were there right to the end. So embarking on a 'solo' career was a little daunting and I wandered a little trying to find an identity as an artist that was not so inextricably bound up with being a Twelve.

I think I am getting there and part of that has been dusting the cobwebs off my Helen Conway Design website and moving my rejuvenated blog over there. If you want to update your links and follow my blog at www.helenconwaydesign.com I'd love to see you over there.

Looking forward, Diane Perin Hock and I are starting a duo project  with a reveal at the end of this month (watch this space for details). Personally I have been working on two series. One  of maps of a township in South Africa Called Joe Slovo and one about Brick Lane in London which is part of a body of work on the theme of Transition with a newly formed group called Etcetera (Web site under construction - watch this space again!) It has been good to build relationships in the flesh with quilters I can actually meet and eat cake with.

Brick Lane

I have a bad tendency to make a quilt and move on and not to recognise that the art is lasting, as is its effects on people. Today I had a lovely reminder of that when a UK quilter commented on a SAQA UK Yahoo group about the quilt she had made for the SAQA Trunk Show. She said that I had given her the motivation to make her current quilts because of the way I highlighted social issues in my Twelve by Twelve quilts. I certainly didn't make them with a view of influencing anyone else but I am delighted that the Twelve by Twelve project continues to inspire in a way none of us thought possible when we started out.

I say that not to brag but to encourage you. Whatever stage you think your art is at, put it out there and you will be surprised how the ripples of inspiration spread. By giving me that compliment the SAQA member entirely unknowingly validated some of the conclusions I had come to in my journal recently about where I want my place in the quilting community to be. So, whether you be a newly art quilter or a long established master, please contribute to the online discussions and lets all keep making each other surer and more confident artists.

Stunning Quilts Up for Auction

The third round of the SAQA 2013 Benefit Auction begins on Monday! Four of the twelves are featured in this round. Check out these beautiful 12x12 art quilts!

Brenda's contribution is somewhat reminiscent of her quilt from our Color Play Series, Lorikeet theme, Lorikeet Circus. At least they are both inspired by birds! You can read more about the creation of this quilt on Brenda's blog post. I love Brenda's brilliant way of making a quilt seem both organized and spontaneous!

Helen's SAQA auction quilt is a small version of her spectacular Brick Lane quilt. There are several videos about the process of creating this quilt on Helen's PlanCreateSuceed blog. I just love all the elements in this quilt and how thoughtfully they are combined.

Kristin's contribution is part of her Villages and Rooted series. It's even got a chair on it! Maybe I shouldn't have included her quilt here. Now you'll all want to big against me! Kristin is a master at combining so many wonderful elements and giving meaning and context to each of them.

Gerrie's quilt is so wonderfully organic and textural. It's luminous too. You can even get a sense of the sheen of the discharged silk in the photo. That's saying a lot! I can only imagine how gorgeous it will be in person. You can read more about Gerrie's quilt here. 

For first dibs on any of these amazing quilts check out the SAQA auction site at 2 pm ET on Monday. Auction bids for the week are as follows. All the other pertinent info is on the SAQA site.

Section 3 - September 23 at 2:00 Eastern - $750
Section 3 - September 24 at 2:00 Eastern - $550
Section 3 - September 25 at 2:00 Eastern - $350
Section 3 - September 26 at 2:00 Eastern - $250
Section 3 - September 27 at 2:00 Eastern - $150
Section 3 - September 28 at 2:00 Eastern - $75

Judge's Choice

A certain Twelve -- Helen Conway, to be precise -- is too modest to share her good news, so I will leap in to reveal her happy news.  Her original art quilt, "Brick Road," won a Judge's Choice award at the Festival of Quilts in Birmingham, UK last month.  Congratulations, Helen!

Beneath the Southern Sky: Final Exhibitions

The exhibition tour of Beneath the Southern Sky is drawing to a close. The final venues are:

• Festival of Quilts, Birmingham, UK: 8-11 August; and
• International Quilt Convention Africa: 6-8 September 2013.

Brenda is curating another travelling textile art exhibition in 2014/2015. See the Living Colour! website for more information.  Entries close on 31 January 2014.

A Sweet Update

Following Helen's completion of her quilt, here's an updated mosaic of the Sweet mosaic:

 

And here is an overview of Helen's 2012 Series:

Sweet reveal: Leave my Land Alone

You might recall that I for the special 12/12/12 reveal I managed to produce only an insipid, contrastless, unexciting map.  You can read the sorry tale here . Since than the map - which looked like this

 



has sat unloved on a corner of my work table. every now and agan I'd pick it up and mutter 'Sweet, sweet, sweet. Come on. Think. Sweet.' but no ideas came. I did not know whether to bin this and start again.(But I had no alternative ideas). Or to make this work. (But I didn't know how.) I hated it. I hoped everyone would forget that I never finished it. then I got news that the 20/12 quilts were wanted for exhibition. I had to finish it.

Then one day I was tidying up some boxes of scraps and bits and this sample Maasi warrior fell out onto the top of the sweet map.

 Ta-Dah! Of course.. it needed a man. That much should have been absolutely obvious from the outset. Mostly because the quilt is about the story of how the government are taking the land of the Omo tride in Southern Ethiopia to make sugar plantations. The maps shows their current land and how much will be affected by their forced relocation.(Read more here). For me the stories in my quilts are always about the people and their lives. Not the landscape. So, how I didn't think to add an Omo tribesman with his traditional body paint I will never know.

Especially as the first page in my Studio Filofax, which I open almost every day, is, um, a picture of an Omo tribe family.. (Doh!)

And the great irony is that this most hated and loathed quilt is now my favourite of my 20/12 series!

Time will do great things.

Beneath the Southern Sky US Debut

Beneath the Southern Sky is a travelling exhibition of 30 textile works curated by Brenda.  The exhibition includes Helen's African inspired work The Things We Carry.  The exhibition opens today at AQS QuiltWeek™  in Lancaster, Pennyslvania, USA and continues until Saturday, 16 March. Neither of us can be there in person.  We would love to hear reports if you get to see the exhibition!

Normal service will be resumed in the New Year

There have been many things about being a Twelve which have been 'sweet'. The friendships, the personal challenge and development, the publication of our book and, oh yes, the fun of signing autographs in restaurants whilst at Festival of Quilts with the quilts. Life is such that good times like that are usually balanced with bad days but I can honestly say that looking back there have been none for me.

That is because they are not in the past. They happened this week. I am living the horror right now. I knew from the start what I was going to do for this theme. The story was about how the Ethiopian Government is forcing traditional pastoralists off their land in the Lower Omo valley to make way for sugar plantations. Human Rights organisations are concered about land rights, the loss of traditional ways of living and military quelling of dissent. Eco groups are concered about the effect of the associated hydro electric dam on the valley ( which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site) and further afield on Lake Turkana. I confess I was feeling a little proud of that interpretation of the theme.

Yeah. Pride. Fall. You know how that goes.

I have made an abysmal excuse for a piece of art and there is no way, reveal or no reveal, it is standing as my last 20/12 piece. I had the feeling early on that it was not working but I thought if I added the hand stitching it would come right. It didn't. So I got pen and paints out and made it far worse. Now, this happened to Diane too so I should not be suprised it happened to me as we are so alike. But it happened to her when she had time to make another one and I - wail! - simply do not. Nor will I until the holiday rush is over.

But seeing as you are all nice readers I will humilate myself and show the Dog for your amusement. It has no contrast. It is too literal an interpretation of a map of the UNESCO site with the sugar plantations superimposed and the rivers as my series-required thin blue lines. It is visually overcomplicated and distracting. You can't even see most of the writing and handstitching that I wasted hours on. And the paint dobs look like, well, to be honest, I am not sure what they look like but I am sure they do not reference the Omo tribe's body paint in the way intended. It does not even deserve the time for a decent photo so here it is trapped in my microwave door on its way to the kitchen bin.

 

There comes a time when one needs to walk away from the quilt and this is it.

I am sorry.

 

Posted with Blogsy

Beneath the Southern Sky - Coming to America in 2013!

One of the many joys of our online collaboration has been to observe how each Twelve has explored different techniques, materials and motifs in that ongoing process of developing a distinctive creative voice.  When our challenge started in 2007, Helen was a newcomer to the textile medium but she immediately engaged us all with her story-telling and fearless use of unconventional materials.  Early on, with her Community-themed work District Six, Helen introduced us to her abiding interest in African socio-political issues - a theme that she returned to in 12N 12W, her entire Colourplay series and this year in her 2012 series.

As curator of the Beneath the Southern Sky travelling exhibition of textile works, I was delighted to include Helen's submission The Things We Carry.as one of the thirty finalists.  Helen's African woman carrying burdens with grace and determination often attracts attention as shown by this photo from last week at the opening of the exhibition at The Q, Queanbeyan, Australia. (More photos on the Beneath the Southern Sky Facebook Page.)

 

I am excited to report that the Beneath the Southern Sky exhibition is touring to America exclusively with the American Quilter's Society shows in early 2013. The exhibition will premier at AQS QuiltWeek™ in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA 13-16 March 2013 and travel onto Paducah 24-27 April 2013.

While I am teaching at AQS Paducah (three workshops and a lecture about the Twelve by Twelve project !), I will also present a free curator's floor talk about the Beneath the Southern Sky exhibition on 27 April. Check the AQS website for details in the New Year. 

To whet your appetite, here is a video interview with Luana Rubin about the Beneath the Southern Sky exhibition at the Australasian Quilt Convention in April 2012.
PS: In a wonderful full circle, Helen's African-inspired work will travel with the Beneath the Southern Sky exhibition to the International Quilt Convention Africa: 6-8 September 2013.

Sweet in progress

I am on the last minute with my Sweet quilt despite knowing for a long time what I was to do. By the usual warped workings of my Google- assisted mind, I managed to almost instantly connect 'sweet' with the Omo tribe in Ethiopia, which gives me an excuse to revisit the gorgeously inspring photos of Hans Sylvester.

Sadly my quilt will bear very little resemblance to the beauty of the tribal costumes but there is a little homage to the body painting in there....

 

Posted with Blogsy

Maverique

Using the Google It mode of design I wrote about earlier I quickly found that Mavericks was a 'Revue Bar' or 'Gentleman's Club' in Cape Town. Or, as  High Court Judge Desai put it, "In less polite language, Mavericks appears to be a 'strip club'".

I am sure you all know me well enough by know to recognise that it was the High Court Judge bit of that introductory information that got me intrigued. At the time of writing Mavericks is embroiled in a hotly defended legal battle relating in the first instance to the  withdrawal of their corporate permits to  employ a total of 200 foreign workers as 'exotic dancers'. Permits were taken away for alledged lack of compliance with the Immigration Regulations and the conditions of the authorisation certifcate.

There was a hearing in the High Court of South African ( Western Cape High Court) on 3rd February 2012 when the club sought an interim restoration of its certifcate pending the fuller hearing of the issue. Not only did they fail, they got themselves into rather hotter water still once Judge Desai looked into the 'employment conditions' of the dancers.

In his judgment  he refers to them having "a flimsy one sided contract. They are guaranteed nothing. they have to share a room for which they pay rent on a weekly basis. They are not paid at all and given no benefits whatsoever. More alarmingly they have to pay Mavericks R2000 per week. "

He went on,
    "Although there have been several cases involving Mavericks and I assume that others have has sight of the contracts into which the dancers are obliged to enter, it apepars that it has been blandly accepted that these are exotic dancers whetever that may mean. The conditions under which the foreign dancers are procured, housed and expected to work makes them suseptable to exploitation. They are in a vulnerable situation and the fact that the person in control of them demands or at least expects large sum of money on a weekly basis places him in possible contravention of Article 3 of the Protocol to Prevent Supress and Punish Trafficking In Persons. I have not afforded [Mavericks] an opportunity to to be heard on this matter and there is insufficnet evidence with me to come to nay firm concludion on it.
  "However, I shall refer this matter  the Human Righs Commission for it to invetsigate..."

That case is underway and so I cannot tell you the conclusion. However, whatever the outcome against this club, human trafficking remains a very real problem. And it is not just an African problem.

The 2010 Trafficking in person report by the US Department of State found that there were 12.3 million slaves around the world. California was found to be a hot spot for domestic and international human trafficking. The United Nations estimates that 700,000 to 4 million women and children are trafficked for the purposes of forced prositution, labour and other forms of expolitation each year. Trafficking is estimated to be a US$7 billion dollar annnual business.

The irony of this quilt is that the term 'maverick' in terms of cattle comes from Samuel Maverick who did not brand his cattle as proof of his ownership. In my design  I have used a thermofax screen made from bar codes, airline baggage tags and boarding cards to brand the dancer as if she were a piece of cargo or cattle to be traded and shipped. The background is embroidered with the money symbols for dollars, pounds, euros and the South African Rand. anyone taking a close look will see some patches without seed sitching. I am tempte dto say they represnet the lost women with no voice. the actually respresent fact that I ran out of the thread the day before I ha dto post this due to going away and I live in a backwater where DMC thread is not on sale. It will be completed on my return from a place wth better shops!

Maverick Embellishments

I do have a theme to my quilt that actualty links to a maverick subject but I think maybe I will qualify just because of my materials..... this is what I am working with today...

Maverick Methodology

In a private email to the Twelves, Deborah suggested that we post about how we get to our end design, especially as Maverick is not the most obvious of subjects. At first I was resistant because my work is always linked to a story and I like to reveal the two as a linked suprise. But then I realised that as part of my process usually involves some dead ends, I can show you my methodolgy and still give you a treat on reveal day.

So, for  the current Maverick theme, my warped mind thought like this:

1. Go to Google. I first search for the theme word, but with my own twist. Because I am already working in a series I can add to the word Maverick any number of words that I have pre-defined as being relevant to my series. So I might Google 'Maverick Africa'.
2. Know what you are looking for but keep an open mind. Again, because I have set parameters in my series I know I want to link Maverick to a human rights or human issue story. So discovering a company called Maverick which is the largest manufacturer of manhole covers in South Africa was not really exciting me. But finding that there is an African made military vehicle used in peacekeeping operations known as a Maverick had possibilty.
3. Follow through. I take a possibilty and reserach it further looking for the nugget of story that makes me excited. Excitement usually comes from a story that combines a lot of issues or themes I am personally interested in, or is maybe a compelling story in its own right and which invokes an emotional reaction I want to replicate in the art. So I will re- google combinations like Maverick Peacekeeping or Maverick Soldiers until I have a fuller picture. This actually did not tell me a lot as information was scarce. The vehicle was used for crowd control at the African Soccer World Cup but thats not exciting me. So as I say this was another deadend but let's imagine I really was excited about those controlled crowds and go with it for now.
4. Consider images. At this stage I leave Google and start to think about associations and images. carry this around for a short while making connections between key words and thinking of symbols that fit. Sometimes this is easy. So for Urban Myth the urban theme and orevious work made me alight on a map background very quickly. Peacekeeping though is harder. I thought about doves and guns and the like. The obvious comes first but sometimes you need to get more obscure. Well, I like obscure anyway!
5. Combine themes Dead ends can be useful in suprising ways by forcing unexpected connections in your brain. The manhole covers reminded me of a quilter who would take Markel Oil Sticks on holiday and make fabric rubbings of ornate manhole covers. Which made me think about the tires of the Maverick vehicle and the possibility of rubbing the tyres on my car to get a background pattern.
6. Cheat ( just a little and only if necessary) Sometimes I will allow myself to 'flash browse' Google images. By this I mean a maximum of one minute flicking through images on a search of my key words. No longer because I want only a subliminal inspiration not a formed image I then have to avoid copying or having my work be derivative of.
7. Think. Now I have a range of ideas, key words and images or symbols. I find a moment when I am relaxed ( bed, bath or walking are good times) and I sort of shake them together in my brain. Without fail some fall away and some coalesce into an idea that pleases me.
8. Make it Them I go to the studio and make the thing.

For me steps 1 -7 can be very quick. Couple of days max. It did tend to be a little longer before I had a series in mind as the scope was wider and there was more to explore and then shake away. Then once I know what I am doing I am happy to let the idea sit on a to do list until I have scheduled time to work on that project.

If when I am working or while I am waiting for the scheduled time to arrive the idea changes then thats fine with me.
So, I am interested. What is your methodology for working to a theme? Have I given enough away that you can guess what my Maverick theme is?!

Posted with Blogsy

2012 SAQA Benefit Auction

Congratulations to Helen . Her distinctive African figures feature on the promotional materials for the forthcoming Studio Art Quilts Associates 2012 Benefit auction.  Bidding begins on 10 September and Helen, Terri and Karen have works in the first tranche (pieces by other Twelves follow).  In the meantime, check out the "Dream Collections".

Urban myth

 

It was an easy step to make to go from my last 20/12 quilt, 'Vilakazi Street', straight to urban mythology. My first step was to google South Africa Urban Myths and very quickly I found a list of myths about AIDS. One of those is that having sex with a virgin is a cure. Obviously acting on that belief has very negative connotaions for any uninfected adult involved. However, as I read further I found many links leading to the same story, a story which outraged me, which moved me and which galvanised me to make art about it at once. It says a lot about the fact I have done child protection work for many years that it did not suprise me.

I am conscious that others reading this blog may be less battle hardened though, so I have decided to walk a middle ground with this post. The link to the extra information that spurred me to make this quilt is here.

If you are here for pretty art and don't want to know more that's fine. The explanation that follows still makes sense. But, I make no apology for saying what I have said so far. I hope you will read the link, because this quilt was made not to shock for effect but to express my strong feelings that unless the world knows about the dangerous urban myths and debunks them, nothing will change.

In thinking how to visually portray the urban myths I got to thinking about how we cling to perceived truths to protect us even when there is no scientific evidence behind that belief. I have used the African amulet to symbolise the myths, referencing the tradition of placing a piece of writing from a holy book inside a pouch on a hunting shirt to give magical powers of protection. This amulet contains a list of urban myths about how to cure AIDS, wrapped in a piece of kuba cloth and bark cloth with additional wax print to represent the spread of AIDS all over the continent. ( On a momentary light note I nominate myself for the Most Odd Use of Prairie Point Prize). The Cowrie shells are an African symbol of life and regeneration. The amulet is hanging over a grid of streets and city blocks. The background is, like my other 20/12 quilts stamped and scraped with screen inks.

Underneath, I have literally taken the virgin cure myth, writ it large and ripped it to shreds.

Myths in Manchester

Last week I went to see the We Face Forward exhibition of Contemporary African Art in the Whitworth Museum in Manchester. The first part however was a selection from their collection of tradtional textile pieces. I has already determined that my piece for the Mythology challenge involved the mythological beleif in the power of amulets so it was good to see an amulet covered hunters shirt which I had until then only seen in photos.

But the piece that amused me most was Aso Ikele (1948) by Victoria Udondian.

 

It is accompanied by a leaflet about its history. Which is complete baloney a carefully crafted myth about the origin of this supposedly historical African piece The artists bio says,

"Combining materials and narratives from Lagos and Manchester, Udondian weaves myths and histories into her own textiles, creating her own hybrids and questioning how stories become histories'.