Susie Monday

Artist, maker, teacher, author, head cook and bottlewasher.

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The art I make is the result of a life-long love of pattern, texture and color. How I teach is a skill honed by experience (I started teaching creative arts to younger kids when I was 12). After earning a B.A. in Studio Arts from Trinity University, I helped lead an internationally recognized educational foundation, designed curriculum exhibits for schools and other institutions, wrote and edited for a major daily newspaper, opened the San Antonio Children's Museum and then, a dozen years ago, took the scary but essential (for me) leap to become a fulltime artist and art teacher.

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This weblog is about the maker's life. The teacher's path. The stitching and dyeing and printing of the craft of art cloth and art quilt. The stumbling around and the soaring, the way the words and the pictures come together. Poetry on the page and in the piecing of bright scraps together. The inner work and the outer journeys to and from. Practicalities and flights of fancy and fearful grandeur, trivial pursuits and tactile amusements. Expect new postings two or three times a week, unless you hear otherwise. 

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    « ReThreads: How to make your own altered jacket! | Main | Now for something completely different »
    Tuesday
    Mar112008

    Altars for Archetypes

    DateTuesday, March 11, 2008 at 08:32AM

     Juliasews.JPG

    Julia stitches on her altar. 
     

    Some powerful images were birthed at the weekend retreat. I have had promises from all to send me pictures of the finished altars, but these in-progress shots should give you an idea of day 2 in the studio. Day 1 was devoted to a series of exercises, and one of my favorites was this one from a book by Evelyn Virshup, Right Brain People in a Left Brain World (actually I found it quoted in a section of Eric Maisel's Creativity for Life).

     I reccommend you try  part one of this exercise before reading part 2 (at the bottom of the photos).

    Part 1:

    "Create two animals on one piece of paper. They don't have to look like anything you've ever seen.Take about 10 minutes to do the drawing. 

    Julia's%20archetype.JPG 

    Julia's altar. 

    Marthaarch.JPG    Suearch.JPG 

    Martha and Sue, in progress. 
     

    Margaretarchetype.JPG

    Archetypewkshp.JPG 

    Margaret, above, Pat and Julia, at work. 

     Part 2:

    "Describe the animals. Write down three adjectives that describe them.  Note the animals' expressions. Can you make up something the animals might want to say to each other? Can you write free verse or fantasy about what the animals say or do?

    "The second animal often has qualities that contrast to those of the first animal. The exercise generally reveals polarities, contrasts or conflicts within a person; it will show different, sometimes opposing facets of personality...Observe and learn from the fantasy animals you've created."

    AuthorSusie Monday | Comment2 Comments | Reference1 Reference |
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      Response: Frog Ring
      at Frog Ring on March 29, 2008
      Frog Ring

    Reader Comments (2)

    That was so much fun creating my two animals, and what they said to each other. The second one did indeed contrast the first and reveal some polarities.
    Julia's altar looks amazing. Sorry I missed the workshop.
    March 12, 2008 | Unregistered CommenterRobin Early
    how wonderful to see ms. martha on your blog! looks like a great class, susie...
    March 12, 2008 | Unregistered Commentercarol

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