Susie Monday . El Cielo Studio

The next workshop here at El Cielo is set for Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 2-3, 2006. Here's the workshop brochure (you can find it after today on the page "Coming up: Workshops," a link on the righthand  sidebar of this site).

Artists Journey: Dark into Daylight

At El Cielo Studio, Pipe Creek, Texas

With fiber artist Susie Monday 

The days are dark: literally --as the light wanes toward Winter Solstice -- and politically, as peace on earth seems quite distant. This workshop retreat will give participating artists a chance to explore the movement and balance of the dance of light and dark, of war and peace in our lives and the lives of our planet. How in design, images depend on their opposite to give meaning and beauty, and how, in life, light and dark are both part of the cycle of creative growth. A chance to look at our own stance in the ongoing struggle between war and peace –in our emotions, our own homes, our everyday interactions. To ignore the shadow is tempting, but some of our most meaningful and most generous work as artists comes from paying attention to the darkness in our souls, the paths through pain and loss.

We will journey through techniques that allow work from dark and light opposites, and have the joy of doing so supported -- exploring shadow/light, darkness/daylight and the spiritual traditions that are part of this season. I am not a trained therapist: this workshop is not for deep psychological work, but the small group format insures a safe and confidential environment to explore dichotomies through journaling, conversation and creativity.

On the technical, art-making side of things, we will cut a plethora of Notan expanded squares and experiment with other Notan exercises (NOTAN is a Japanese word which means "dark-light". NOTAN as it relates to design is defined as the interaction between a positive and a negative space. ...). We will make fabric art quilt peace flags to send to an international collaborative art project. All the while playing with contrast as an element of design, and manipulating photographic images with software to create high-contrast images suitable to silkscreen and thermofax production.

WHEN:

Sat. Dec. 2,  9:45 am - ?*
Sun. Dec. 3, 9:30 am – 3:00 pm*
*Supper will be prepared by the group about 6 pm. We’ll conclude the day’s work with favorite poems, and time in the hot tub, with hillside walks, amazing vistas and a nurturing environment. Call 210-643-2128 for more information.
Or email susiemonday@sbcglobal.net

We’ll share meals (bring a sack lunch for Saturday, Saturday supper and Sunday brunch are included in the fee), vistas from the deck and strolls down the country roads or into the cedar as the weather permits, as well as participate in a variety of fun and meaningful exercises using simple materials, most of which are included with the tuition.

FEE, including meals: $145 per person. 10% discount for registration before 12/1/06 ($131.50). Limited enrollment. Overnight accommodations are available for a modest fee ($15-$30) per night. Supply List: your favorite kind of journal or notebook, assorted pens, 1 -2 yards of black dischargable fabric, scissors, favorite poem about dark/light.

Susie Monday has taught adults and children for more than 30 years. Her art cloth and quilts have been included in international exhibits and private collections. Recent teaching credits include Gemini Ink, Southwest School of Art and Craft, University of the Incarnate Word, King Ranch, and McNay Art Museum. See her work on-line at http://monday.myexpose.com

As with all my workshops, both beginning art cloth and art quilt makers and experienced practitioners are welcome.

I promised myself a day of work on a new quilt, even though the iggly piggly little nits and bits that plague the self-employed are heaped high on the desk. But My Artist Self is just a little kid, and if she doesn't get to play, she gets very ornery.

 So today, rather than great words of wisdom, we all get play time with color.

Not that the play is completely fret-free. This large Sirena has been hidden in a stack of dyed fabrics, scraps of embroidered dresses and a batt of cotton already top-coated with a layer of WonderUnder and she is a little cranky about showing up. I spent most of the day trying one shape, one pattern and then another, rescuing, undoing trying to balance the rather tricky orange and aqua. Being fearful that this was a big giant waste of good cloth -- boy. where does that come from?

This is one intermediate stage (note feet of The Artist standing on the cutting table):

And here's the next one --

I sure hope I don't decide I liked the larger pieces of Guatemalan belt better -- as you can see, what was a nice bold set of stripes is now a mosaic of little squares. This mermaid  is boating through a coral sunset, juggling the rising moon, and I wanted to get the sense and movement of reflection on water when the ocean turns pink and aqua, silver and gold.

So, I'm still not sure, but with the larger pieces ironed down, I'll leave the little bits and textures to settle overnight, and hope that I'll either like it all in the morning -- or, as can happen, tear it apart and start  again. But one thing is sure, we had our swim.

Whirling dervishes, she said.

Or do I mean juggling mermaids? 

 
Whether  it's Jungian truthtelling, real-time verification of quantum mechanics, or simply anecdotal wishful thinking, I do believe in synchronicity.  This week, a number of loosely related happenings all arranged themselves into a vortex of positive energy: I spent two mornings teaching workshops at a beautiful Hill Country venue on the Guadalupe River, (with small sales at the event), a large art quilt was purchased at the Kerr Cultural Arts Center, and, tonight, an email from art biz guru  Alyson Stanfield let me know that she will feature one of my quilts in her Monday newsletter. Not to mention a friend's note that a book about creativity that we've been working on together has reached the proposal stage -- and, so far, looks good. And that another friend and I have just been selected  in a competitive bid situation to design a major  interactive children's exhibit for the San Antonio Botanical Gardens. Whew.

But synchronistic energy takes ground work - it doesn't spring from wishful thinking, but from "next best steps.

Sometimes. Like everyone. I don't KNOW what I should be doing. So I just keep moving. Experience has taught me that, even if I make a wrong move, I can undo it, or at least get past it, backtrack and start again. But if I freeze up in a stance of "what if"  or "where next" or "why me (or why not me)" I can almost certainly expect more of the same.

So, in that light:

 I started this blog, though I wasn't certain how to make it distinctive or interesting (I'm not certain yet, so tell me your opinions). I have noticed, that as others have observed, writing an on-line journal is as helpful for the writer, if not more so, as for any particular reader.

I've been taking Stanfield's Promotion on-line course, and from its 28-day curriculum, have enough work and thoughtful pondering to take me though 28 more, at least.

I puzzled out a new notion of community by poking around in the Hill Country towns nearby, especially Kerrville, which has a longstanding and well established artist network. 

I reconnected with Art Cloth friends -- and made some new ones -- by going to the Atlanta/Decatur meeting. 

I go into the studio every day possible, even if its just for stare, shuffle and sketch.

I move consciously, dance as much as possible, and keep my eyes open. When I move beyond known worlds, interesting opportunities tiptoe -- or tumble -- into vision.

This seems to work for me.

P.S. Check the link on the righthand sidebar for a new workshop listing -- this is for January 2007, but an even sooner December workshop is coming to this page soon! (OK, it's a bit cattywhampus, but I'm moving!)

OK. I can't do two things at once. Like take photos and teach a technique.  I forgot. Sort of. Anyway, here are three snaps taken during the rock-dyeing, with my examples, the rock and one teaching shot.

What we did:

Wrap and rubberband silk scarflets around different sizes and shapes of limestone rocks.

Paint each piece with low-water dye mixtures, using Procion MX dyes that are mixed colors -- rust brown, Chinese red,  bright green, rust brown were the choices I premixed with a soda ash solution.

Microwave for 2 minutes.

Unwrap and wash, revealing interesting shapes, textures and colors.