Wars, Babies, and a Question
I’ve been busy and have lots of art images to share. I’ve been creating art, entering shows- not getting into some of them, getting into others - adapting the already xeric (native drought tolerant) garden for extended hot, dry conditions, and using squash, green beans, raspberries, and chard in my cooking.
The first two art quilts below are dismal. Sorry, I can’t help it! But then I shift gears with two new art quilts of babies. Ahhh. Then I ask a question: What makes a piece of art original? Then I share a reworked quilt from my last blog. Finally, I end with a quick recipe for granola.
I welcome feedback on any of these subjects, so please leave a comment. Thanks!
No Escaping is a piece that I recently reworked. In it people are forced to leave home because of the interwoven conditions of extreme weather, war, and pollution. Forced migration is not easy or pretty. I just added more black, data centers, AI, and more plastic!
No Escaping, 19 X 19, $450
No Escaping detail
Dire Consequences shows the pressing reality of climate change, with repeating black circles, an atmosphere of chaos, and raw edges. The bottom portion was an old piece that I reused, adding new bits here and there. It shows deadly heat increasing over time. The top portion is all new with darker colors and larger circles. If you look closely you can see 78 at the bottom edge. People started being aware of terms like green house gas and global warming in 1978. Scientists were making predictions. On the bottom left edge is my name and the date 08. That is when I created the bottom portion. Just before the black top portion there is the year 16. Things are heating up. Fires are common. On the top right edge is the number 26. That is the current year. What will the climate be like in 2036?
Dire Consequences, 40 X 33, $1,200
The next image is of a very young child who is hanging onto overturned chairs - cruising, learning to walk. The child pauses and looks, taking in all the richness of the world. This work belongs in my Unity and Wonder series, ( a goal for 2026 explained in my Unity and Wonder blog) A little person is a kind of sprout, don’t you think? That’s why the child are green!
Pause and Look, 22 X 33, $950
Pause and Look detail
Below is another ‘feel good’ piece with a different cute baby. The reference photo (taken by grandma Linda) has been waiting so long in my “photos of possibility” category that this baby is now the mother of another very cute baby! Oh my!
Water Wonderful, 19.5 X 15, NFS
Two winters ago my husband and I joined my daughter and her family and the other grandparents (Mimi and Opa) for a February adventure in Finland. The reference photo for Dusk was taken by Mimi from inside our van. At the time grandpa Felix thought it was a ridiculous thing to do. But it was not a ridiculous thing to do! I love this image! Such an interesting perspective and composition.
Dusk, 20 X 16, sold
Over the years I have used many reference photos for inspiration, some taken by me and others by friends and relatives. With the emergence of AI, there are now many more heated discussions in my various art groups about what should be allowed. When I enter a juried show I must attest that the work is original. What makes the work original?
When someone crafts a quilt based on an amazing oil painting (with permission), and then wins a big award, what do we think about that? All colors and brush strokes were faithfully copied. Were there rules about doing this? It seems wrong.
If someone makes a stellar quilted garment inspired by a 50 foot sculpture seen in South Dakota, titled “Dignity”, is it okay that she receive big prize money? The majesty and pose are not her own. The soul of the piece has been copied from another. Changing the medium does not make it original. (Most quilt artists don’t yet understand this, having started in the traditional quilt world where patterns are seldom original.)
When I use someone elses photograph, I am using their composition. Sometimes I have made enough changes to have transformed the image into a new artwork. Other times I have copied the colors and cropping with acurracy. I am currently working on a piece based on a photo taken by my son of a person walking a dog. Anyone familiar with the photo would recognize that the quilt is a copy. So… this piece is fine for sale or for giving as a gift, but not okay to enter into an art show. I have used photos (taken by others, with permission) to create some of the commissions done for public art locations. It is part of the process and is all above board. I am happy to report that Pause and Look is based on my own photo! From now on I will use my own reference photos exclusively.
Friends Invited, 27 X 21, $750. On the advice of my critique group, the top left corner has been changed. See the ‘before’ version in my Breathing Together blog.
Ten minute granola: combine 4 c. organic oats in a large glass bowl. Add ¼ c. ground flax seed and ¼ c. of almond flour. Heat in the microwave for 5 minutes. While oat mixture is heating - Combine in a 2 c. glass measuring cup with spout ¼ c. oil (I use olive oil), ¼ c. honey and 1 t. vanilla. Heat this for one minute and pour over the oat mixture. Stir well and add roasted pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds totaling a ½ c. Stir every so often while it cools. Let cool completely before storing in two glass quart jars with lids.