The sugar bowl

 
Oh, that sugar bowl! Is there anyone who, as a child, did not lick their finger and, when no one was looking, stick it into the sugar bowl? Oh dear, maybe I was the only one. Sugar has always been my weakness. Sigh. It just isn't good for you, but it it calls to me. Still.

I carried home my grandmother's silver sugar bowl and creamer after she died, and I get them out so seldom I can't actually remember the last time. But when I do I am still tempted to stick my finger in for a quick rush of pure sugar.

I have been overdying shirting fabrics and some of the greys reminded me of the color of sterling silver, with a slightly purple tint to it and I wondered if I could actually make those plaids and stripes represent the reflective surface of the two pieces. The lemon is there for compositional purposes and because sweet and tart together is even better than just sweet. Here is a closeup:

This is very much the same technique I used for my portrait of the original Maverick. Like Mr. Maverick, this piece works better when viewed from across the room!

I'm not really satisfied with this piece. I had hoped to end this phase of our challenges with something really great and I feel like it is just OK. But, "sweet!" is how I feel about this whole Twelve by Twelve experience. Everything about it from the first challenge, to writing the book, to meeting other "twelves" (I still have three more to meet!), to seeing our work exhibited to the world and right up to today, it has been a truly sweet experience. One I would not trade for anything!

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.

 

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Sweet Serendipity & Sweet Dreams

Sweet may have lots of meanings but, once I had dismissed doing a sugar cane piece as part of my Grass series, there was only one meaning I could pursue:  Sweets = Lollies [candy].  Simple and sweet.

I have often remarked how threads, fabric swatches and paint chips remind me of boiled lollies. So these were my inspiration:

I pulled out one of my rainbow sets that I dyed as guest artist this year and made a start in my Dreamlines mode:

I was searching for some lighter value pinks when I made a serendipitous discovery - some pink lozenge units culled from a previous project.

  I played around with some designs in Electric Quilt but favoured the more abstract composition sitting on my design wall:

And so, today at 12:12am on 12/12/12 California time (7.12pm Copacabana time), I present you Sweet Dreams:

Sweet Dreams by Brenda Gael Smith

In making this piece, I had in mind raspberry drop boiled lollies but this is the closest lolly image I could find online.  Then, after I wrote my Sweet Memories post, I found this photo of Pink Pez by Purr_fer_Meow:

 Raspberry Drops or Pink Pez - take your pick!  I look forward to seeing the other sweet creations when I wake up tomorrow morning. Sweet dreams!

Flash Back!

As I was preparing to enter an upcoming show, I discovered that two of the pieces I had intended to enter did not fit the size requirement. Grumble! I decided to try to create a new piece of work on a tight deadline. Rather than start from scratch, I thought it would be interesting to reinterpret an existing piece. I chose my 12x12 quilt from the Brown/Sage/Blue theme in the ColorPlay challenge.

Spring Suggestion, March 2011

12x12

Using the same basic colors and composition, I was able to put together this quilt in about a week. It was really fun!

Shelter and Stream, December 2012

39x39

I entered this quilt in the upcoming SAQA exhibit called Deux. I work about my experience preparing my entry on my blog last week. I discussed creating new art work, choosing which quilts to enter, titling the quilts, photographing and filing the paperwork.

Here you can see a few of the subtle changes I made from the smaller version.

The blue strip became wavey shapes. The cream colored Y stitches became leafy stalks and the brown felt leaf morphed into three leaves.

My participation in the 12x12 project continues to be such an important part of my artistic life. I really didn't imagine using my 12x12 artwork in this way, but now I'm looking at other pieces and thinking how they might inform new works!

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 Memories

This challenge has prompted a small trip down memory lane.  First up, I re-read The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles, a whimsical tale to an imaginary land reigned over by an extraordinary creature with a love of "wodge".

He held out a large box of candy..."Aren't they good?"  The Whangdoodle munched one happily.  "This is my favourite kind.  I have a very sweet tooth you know.  Would you like to see it?..."It's this one here", he said, indicating it with his tongue.  "See the little daisy on it?"

Apparently, there's a movie of the book but I have never sought it out, preferring the fantastical images I have in my mind.  However, I can just imagine Terri illustrating the Whangdoodles sweet tooth! 

I received The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles as a gift for my 9th birthday from family friends who had immigrated to New Zealand from America.  I vividly recall when their grandmother came to visit bearing gifts including American candy - cinnamon flavoured chewing gum; bright pink Hubba Bubba and cute Pez dispensers and lozenges seemed very exotic to a young child in small town New Zealand.

Growing up, sweets (or "lollies" in kiwispeak) were special treats.  These are same random memories:

• sucking on homemade hard toffee watching fireworks on Guy Fawkes nights;
• making home made honeycomb when I was babysitting - watching the golden syrup foam up when you add the baking soda;
• going to the movies with 10 cents in my beaded purse - enough for a packet of slightly effervescent Fruit Tingles and a popsicle.  I like Fruit Tingles better than Sparkles boiled lollies;
• chocolate fish, musk sticks and big bags of pink smokers;
• trying to avoid getting any Harrogate flavoured Mackintosh toffees in Christmas lolly scrambles;
• going to Jesus Christ Superstar as a ten year old at Her Majesty's Theatre on Queen St in Auckland and sharing an enormous bag of chewy Milkshakes  (Her Majesty's was a Victorian-era venue demolished when I was at university);
• working as an usherette (my parents ran the local cinema) and intervening in Jaffa and Snifter fights; and
• reading American books and not being completely sure what M&Ms and Mars bars are.

Today American candy is widely available and apparently Sparkles, Snifters and Tangy Fruits have been discontinued.  My last encounter with a Mintie (an idle impulse at a quilting retreat) resulted in a dislodged filling and weeks of dental issues.  I don't plan on eating lollies again (chocolates are much safer!) but I have enjoyed these sweet memories.

What sweets do you recall from your childhood?

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....

 

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Bittersweet Study

This will be my last Twelve by Twelve challenge. Sweet is thus bittersweet for me. So, I'm currently exploring ways to express the word or feeling. I thought it almost wonderfully symmetrical that something like bittersweet chocolate could be my last challenge piece when Chocolate was one of our first. It was second though, so it's not quite as elegant as I would hope. Anyway, I was also unaware that there is a climbing vine called Bittersweet. There are actually several varieties, first being Bittersweet Nightshade from Europe with it's lovely ovoid red berries and purple flowers, and the second being American Bittersweet named for it's resemblance to the former, but having a wonderful trefoil orange husk. In addition to my usual word association scribbles in my working sketchbook, I've decided to draw some of the more literal bittersweets. This drawing/painting is totally overworked and tortured, but the point of making it was to explore the plant, it's colors, and shapes. I may harvest elements for my Twelve by Twelve piece, I may not. Nine more days to pull something together.

Sweet fabrics

I've been printing some wagashi fabrics for my Sweet quilt.

Only 10 days left before the reveal...

Colourplay Arrives DownUnder

It's always slightly nerve wracking to ship quilts between venues but I am pleased to report that Colourplay arrived safely in Australia today. Phew!

The quilts were transferred from shipping box to suitcase and are now ready to continue on tour:

• Craft & Quilt Fair, Palmerston North, New Zealand 14-17 February 2013;
• Australasian Quilt Convention, Melbourne, Australia, 18-21 April 2013; and
• Pinnacles Gallery, Townsville, Australia, 29 April - 31 May 2013.

Gerrie is in Art Quilting Studio

I was very surprised, but excited, to be invited by Art Quilting Studio to write two articles about my art quilts. They are in the Winter 2013 issue, due to hit the news stands, soon. The magazine is published twice a year and is filled with great articles and lots of eye candy photos of many styles of art quilting.

Here is a sneak peek at the article about my Aspen Quilts.

I received 2 advanced copies. I am giving one away to one of my readers. All you have to do is leave a comment on my blog about the article, Click Here.

La Confiserie

Even the most cursory research shows that sugar has a fascinating history.  According to Wkipedia, " [sugar] influenced the formation of colonies, the perpetuation of slavery, the transition to indentured labour, the migration of peoples, wars between 19th century sugar trade controlling nations and the ethnic composition and political structure of the new world".  In the 21st century, there is an avalanche of literature and scientific reports highlighting the detrimental effect of sugar on your health.  But never fear, looking at these photos won't hurt you.  While on home exchange in France is 2008, I visited the Florian confiserie at Pont du Loup.  They make candied fruits, jams, crystallised flowers and other goodies using traditional methods. Sweet!

    

The Ultimate in Sweet

Sugar cane

My goodness, when I chose the theme of "sweet" I had no clue how challenging it would be for me.  To be honest though I have been rather busy with other things and have just, in the past few days, had time to really start thinking about "sweet".

I am happy to say that I have landed on an idea and I even have a rough sketch.  Yay!

Onward I go!

But first I must go find something sweet.

Bon Bon

I've been working on revamping my website (check out www.BrendaGaelSmith.com!).  While reorganising my portfolio pages,  I came across this sweet themed piece from 2006  Bon Bon.

And, if you happen to eat too many Christmas candies, it's liable to go straight to your hips:

Headed home

I have had all 144 of the Theme Series quilts in my studio for a little more than a month now. It has been a busy time and I am finally ready to return these beauties to their owner/makers. What a journey they have been on! Back in 2010 they traveled to Lark Publishing to be photographed for our book, then headed to Australia and New Zealand where they were exhibited together for the first time. Then they went to Great Britain and finally to the US where they met up with their younger siblings, The Colorplay Series, for exhibits in Houston, Cincinnati, Long Beach and Portland. The Colorplay quilts are off to Australia soon, but the Theme Series are headed home, at last.

After I removed each quilt from the black panels we used for hanging them, I separated them into stacks of each artist's work. Then I packed them into their traveling bags.

Over the next week I will be boxing them up and shipping them to their respective homes. For all the places they have been and all the travel they have experienced, they look great. No damage. No loss. I will hate to see them go, but will enjoy having my twelve here again. They are filled with such great memories.