Susie Monday . El Cielo Studio

Here it is Thursday night, and my time in the studio devoted to art making has been not quite zip. This small art quilt is the only physical manifestation I managed all week.  The rest was business, art ed consulting (stuff like ordering a boatload of supplies, chasing down helpers, figuring out the first workshop), and general disorganizing.(OK, Shuffling the deckchairs around.) 

This is a commission piece, and one that has had its challenges. Here is the second try, the first having crashed on the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe. The woman who had requested that I make this piece in memory of a mutual friend turned out to have negative experiences and associations with that image. Who knew?

However, the altar has already sold at the 1550 Gallery show, and I think the second piece is really closer to the spirit of our friend. In both pieces, I incorporated pieces of clothing and tried to capture the energy and wonderful earthiness of this lovely woman we both knew and loved. She was gutsy and brave throughout her life, and kept her own counsel. As a native Minnisotan, she embraced San Antonio's color and vibrant life, but kept hold of her roots, her accent and her wry sense of humor. When I leave my body, I hope someone makes art from my clothing, cut up and stitched into something playful, bold and full of color. I really can't think of a better legacy, even more so than the quilts I hope to leave behind, scattered around on the walls of friends and strangers.