Undecided

I'm at that point where I realize that my idea was much better in my head than on fabric. It's a frustrating feeling under normal circumstances, but now, with no tools, limited fabric and threads, and limited ways to get to sewing machines, tools and other helpful items, I'm feeling very frustrated.




I did the straightforward part of my quilt with rental tools at the Arts and Crafts Center on post, but since I need a car to get there in a reasonable amount of time, and a babysitter to keep an eye on the kids while I'm there, it's not practical anymore (car and hubby are already en-route to Hawaii). For the rest of the piece, I borrowed a friend's machine, which is great for the sewing part, but I'm out a rotary cutter and mat for anything else.

I did a test and felt that with a few changes I was on the right track. Now, I'm pretty much done, but I'm not entirely happy. My sketch is much better than it's stitched version. It's partly because the drawing is just plain better, and partly because the quilting stitches are uneven and wobbly (see blurry photo above).

I have a few ideas for re-doing the quilt, but they require getting to a place with tools and other thread and essentially starting over. My plan is to set it aside for a while (particularly since my neighbor needs her machine back to make a theater costume) and re-address it next week with fresher eyes.

Worst case scenario, I'll try my other idea, but it's possible that that one is better in my head as well.

Beginning

I played around with a bunch of metallic stuff yesterday. I also flipped through pages and pages of the St. John's Bible and even sketched several compositions. I am going through one of those periods where the idea is just barely bubbling to the surface but it has no real cohesiveness. I know I want to do some kind of illuminated page. But what form will it take? Must I actually use some kind of text? If so, what will it be? A biblical passage? How would I choose? A more contemporary source? What would it be?

I am reminded how much work art can be. The actual hours I spend "in the cloth" are minimal compared to the time it takes to come up with an idea that is worth pursuing. And let's not even talk about the time spent on failed ideas.

Here is all the metal stuff I dug out of various bins and boxes. I like using the foils and adhering them with Wonder Under.

I even swiped a bit of foil from an art kit that Claire received as a gift.

I also found this delightful little assemblage on Etsy.

At this point, I am just asking myself, "Now what?"

Neon

As shown on my blog, earlier in the year I did some fabric painting and then played around with some effects in Photoshop. This particular glowing example caught my attention (click to enlarge):

I even got as far as experimenting with some thread drawing to see if I could achieve a similar effect:
At the time, I concluded that the effect would be lost in a large-scale piece. However, there might be some potential for a 12x12 inch illumination...

Oh drat!

I had what I thought was the greatest idea, even had a design in the works, then I had this moment of, ahem, illumination. This is not going to work.

My idea was to use a wonderful quote about light and do a piece in the style of an illuminated manuscript page. A two-fer, using the theme in two ways, as it were. Then it occurred to me that the quote is undoubtedly protected by copyright. It is a song lyric. I don't know why I didn't think of that sooner. It was only as I was thinking about potential possibilities that some or all of these pieces might someday be published that the lightbulb went on.

So drat. I am back in the dark again. (this illumination theme is useful.) I have nothing.

So since I won't be using it for my challenge piece, I guess I can, at the least, share this lovely thought.

"Ring the bells that still can ring

Forget your perfect offering

There is a crack, a crack in everything

That's how the light gets in."

Leonard Cohen, Anthem

Tack

Tack.
That is all I can think of. I read all your posts on beautiful buddhist mediations, illuminated manuscripts and cross cultural celebrations and all I can think about is Blackpool.
Really I want to work with the idea of Eureka! and Achimedes in his bath.
But all I can think about is Blackpool illuminations
So I think I will just have to go with it. But be warned. I am actually beginnng to understand why manufacturers make neon thread. Plus, I am thinking emebllishments the tack of which you have never seen before.
You may wish to use the poll function on our yahoo group to nominate someone to make a reserve quilt for the mosaic!

Lantern Parade

Lismore is too far away but I would love to see their Lantern Parade tonight. A quick Google search shows images from lantern festivals around the world. I found this photo from the 2006 Taipei Lantern Festival on Wikimedia Commons - a database of royalty free images.

Meditation

To me, Brenda's theme "Illumination" immediately said buddhism, meditation, awareness,...
Today, I carved a couple of printing blocks.

I've also been manipulating some of my new pictures on the computer. More about this on my blog.

In the spotlight

While I have been away at the Sydney Quilt Show, it's been been fascinating to read the other posts about the theme of illumination and ideas that are developing. I must confess that, despite putting forward the theme, my own ideas are very embryonic and follow many different strands including moonlight; sunrise; theatre lights; street lights and neon lights. I was intrigued to see that the Martin Scorsese documentary on the Rolling Stones is called "Shine A Light" so maybe that's another source of inspiration...

Eastern Illumination

I have discarded the idea of abstraction in favor of the concept of eastern illumination or enlightenment. I will be the first to admit I don't know a lot about the religion, and I know there are several versions of it, but I like the idea of working towards peace within oneself.

Hongzhi Zhengjue
Hongzhi Zhengjue (宏智正覺 Japanese: Wanshi Zenji, 1091–1157) was a Chinese Chan Buddhist monk who authored or compiled several influential Buddhist texts. Hongzhi’s conception of “silent illumination” is of particular importance to the Chinese Caodong and Japanese Soto zen schools; however, Hongzhi was also the author of an important collection of koans, although koans are now usually associated with the Linji or Japanese Rinzai schools).

I know the poem below is a long one, but I think it gets to the heart of what I want to depict in this piece.

Guidepost of Silent Illumination
By Hongzhi Zhengjue
Silent and serene, forgetting words, bright clarity appears before you.

When you reflect it you become vast, where you embody it you are spiritually uplifted.

Spiritually solitary and shining, inner illumination restores wonder,Dew in the moonlight, a river of stars, snow-covered pines, clouds enveloping the peaks.

In darkness it is most bright, while hidden all the more manifest.

The crane dreams in the wintery mists.

The autumn waters flow far in the distance.

Endless kalpas are totally empty, all things are completely the same.

When wonder exists in serenity, all achievement is forgotten in illumination.

What is this wonder?

Alertly seeing through confusion

Is the way of silent illumination and the origin of subtle radiance.

Vision penetrating into subtle radiance is weaving gold on a jade loom.

Upright and inclined yield to each other; light and dark are interdependent.

Not depending on sense faculty and object, at the right time they interact.

Drink the medicine of good views.

Beat the poison-smeared drum.

When they interact, killing and giving life are up to you.

Through the gate the self emerges and the branches bear fruit

.Only silence is the supreme speech, only illumination the universal response.

Responding without falling into achievement, speaking without involving listeners.

The ten thousand forms majestically glisten and expound the dharma.

All objects certify it, every one in dialogue.

Dialoguing and certifying, they respond appropriately to each other;But if illumination neglects serenity then aggresiveness appears.

Certifying and dialoguing, they respond to to oeach other appropriately;But if serenity neglects illumination, murkiness leads to wasted dharma.

Whe silent illumination is fulfilled, the lotus blossoms, the dreamer awakens,A hundred streams flow into the ocean, a thousand ranges face the highest peak.

Like geese preferring milk, like bees gathering nectar,When silent illumination reaches the ultimate, I offer my teaching.

The teaching of silent illumination penetrates from the highest down to the foundation

.The body being shunyata, the arms in mudra,From beginning to end the changing appearances and then thousand differences share one pattern.Mr. Ho offered jade [to the Emperor]; [Minister] Xiangru pointed to its flaws.

Facing changes has its principles, the great function is without striving.

The ruler stays in the kingdom, the general goes beyond the frontiers

.Our school’s affair hits the mark straight and true.

Transmit it to all directions without desiring to gain credit.

Illumination

I just love this theme. I'm traveling quite a bit between now and our August 1 reveal, so I hope I can find time to put together something meaningful. We'll see.

When I first read the theme, I immediately thought of the St. John's Bible. I read about it years ago when the project first began. In 1998, St. John's University in MN commissioned former calligraphy to the queen Donald Jackson to illuminate and hand write the bible. They have created a fully comprehensive and completely inspiring website which describes the whole process.

Donald Jackson and his assistants did tons of study and research. They used hand made inks and hand ground pigments. They invited school children to illuminate their own favorite passages.

They thought carefully about the mission, the history, the vision, the tradition and the translation.

They created spectacularly dramatic images and used beautiful gold leaf.

I'm not exactly sure what my quilt will look like, but it will incorporate letters and something metallic!

My other illuminating thought

Deborah asked what my hokey idea was, so in the spirit of sharing and encouragement I've decided to bite the bullet and post it. I also wanted to try a little blog cross pollination since my once creative blog is now languishing in banal posts about moving. So, come on over and read what this is about:

Illumination Ideas

Sunrise on the Sea of Galilee

Kristin asked about other ideas for this challenge. I would love to abstract something like this sunrise. I did not take this photo, my friend David, who is a professional and has an awesome camera, took it. I just love it.

I also have photos of sun dappled trees which inspire me.

Thoughts on Illumination

Immediately after reading Brenda's announcement of "Illumination" as our next theme, the graphic designer in me thought of illuminated manuscripts, and both "The Book of Kells" and medieval Books of Days or Hours in particular (I could loose hours reading and looking at everything on the Colophon's site).


(via About.com)

As the medium is the message (a defining concept for me), I had to find a way to tie egg tempera and parchment to thread and fabric. It dawned on me this morning that embroidered monograms could have a possible connection, often being highly decorated letters themselves. In looking for historical monograms online, I ran across a Brintannica article on the "Sacred Monogram" referencing none other than The Book of Kells. The most famous sacred monogram, is of course, the Chi-Rho; the first two letters of the Greek word for Christ, often with the alpha and omega of the apocalypse on either side. By the way, it's the Chi-Rho that's been simplified to the X we now use in Xmas. Anyways, the sacred monogram angle connected the stitched letter back to vestments and to bibles, which are the original illuminated manuscripts.

So, what I thought was a dead-end idea last night, might actually have some merit. I found some exquisite examples here, and letters here. I have another idea too, but I'm worried it might be too hokey.

Artist Gallery Pages Now Updated

The Artist Gallery pages of the Twelve by Twelve website have been updated. Each artist now has their very own page displaying the challenge quilts that they have created so far.

While many of us are using this challenge as an opportunity to experiment with different techniques, the distinctive style of each artist is quite apparent when you see their quilts grouped together.

Click on the mosaic to link through to the Artist Gallery.

Illumination(s)

Every Autumn, in order to extend the tourist season in Blackpool ( a dingy, out of date resort on the North West coast of England) The Illuminations are held. Six miles of lights are strung along the coast roads which include the Golden Mile - a strip of Bingo Halls, rock shops and Amusement Arcades. Street vendors sell Kiss Me Quick hats, sugar dummies and flurescent plastic chokers.There is only one way to take this and that is with gusto. Ignore the peeling paint of the dated guesthouses and the worrying tattoo parlours. Abandon any finesse you may posess and go for it with gusto.
My advice is to park at the North End in rather more decent Cleveleys and start with ginormous portions of fish and chips and traditional puddings at Cleveley's Cafe. Then, jump on one of the creaking trams ( illuminated naturally, in the shape of a spaceship perhaps) down to the Funfair. Watch other people making themselves sick on the rides then, grabbing a stick of candyfloss for sustenence, walk it all off by beating the crawling travel with an on-foot meander through the tack and neon. And who says Northerners have no class?