Art and Wind

Oh hey. Monday…first full day at my residency at Dorland Mountain Arts in Temecula…really just a week away from all the shit I need to get done at home and a chance to try out some new and/or different stuff. Right now, I’m waiting for the midday wind to die down so I can make more dye paste. I made some this morning and had to make more print paste. When I went out to make the rest, the wind was a bit crazy, so I did some thread painting instead.

Meanwhile, I had two pieces in the Infinite Rivers exhibit at The Front Arte Cultura gallery in San Ysidro on Saturday night. This is My Body. My Choice.

It’s about abortion rights, looking at different types of people who might need an abortion, pushing back against the bubble people who try to force their beliefs on everyone.

This is Same As It Ever Was.

When I got there, the little girl was leaning up against the quilt and eating. Her mom or grandma was selling some baskets and woven things, so they were sitting next to it. I asked the little girl not to lean on it (it is mostly washable, but I try to avoid it if possible) and then later told her she needed to be in the photo, so she produced a perfect smile (unlike me, who often produces some fake smile and I don’t even know where it comes from).

This quilt is about a lot of things…white women’s feelings about Roe v Wade falling, while people of color, indigenous folks, and LGBTQIA folks remind us that for some, it has always been this way, big red-faced white men in suits and robes yell at us about all the things we don’t get.

It’s a great show with a lot of variety. I’ll try to post more when I get home. Some things are just easier on a computer than on an ancient iPad.

I’ve been cutting out more Wonder Under up here…now 3/4s done.

I will probably finish tonight, ready to sort and iron when I get home.

I packed Saturday night and Sunday. I wasn’t sure it would all fit; I’ve got 4 different types of projects I’m working on here and they each use a different part of my stash. Kinda nuts really.

Here’s the cottage I’m staying in…

And the porch where I’m dyeing…

Fabric dyeing. Not end of life dying. that silent ‘e’ is really difficult in a conversation.

Did a short hike yesterday…up to the tiny lake, down to Sunset Point, up part of the Dorland Mountain and Bee Canyon hikes. It’s too warm to hike until 7 PM-ish, which doesn’t leave much time. I’m not an early riser. I also prepped some of the chemicals for today. I should have done more, but I didn’t realize the wind would be so boisterous.

I also prepped the fabric. Then last night, I tried some line drawing with the machine…

Thread tension was cranky as shit, even after I cleaned everything out. But eventually I got something to play with. Then today, I tried some thread painting.

Got a lot more to do on that one.

I still have the dye stuff set up outside (consolidated now because the wind blew most of it off the table…wind is not joking)…

Storing some in the bathtub so it doesn’t dry out.

I’d like to take a nap (didn’t sleep well), but I feel like I’m waiting for the doc to call with biopsy results and don’t want to sleep through it. Silly. I’m sure I’d hear it. Just tense about it.

Ok, the wind is still nuts. I know it calmed down last night. So I’ll do some more stitching inside until it chills out. Here’s a treat from last night…

More art tomorrow…