A new direction, different pathways,the journey continues

I do my best thinking in bed. Spirit comes to visit me there more than any other place when I am in need of inspiration and guidance. This morning as I was abed sipping my first cup of coffee for the day I began to have gentle mind rumblings of dissatisfaction about where I was going with my work. This morning I wasn't sure if those rumbling were because I know in the next two months a lot about my life will change. With the change in physical location maybe Spirit thought I needed a gentle nudge toward changes in other things too, including my art. But that wasn't entirely it.

As I linged a little longer in bed than I should have considering I had a 10 AM meeting I realized my sense of unrest was my way of experiencing a sense of LOSS.

LOSS? Yes. What I have lost is my direction, my purpose and my reason on many days for getting out of bed and going into my studio to work. For over three years my art goal and creative direction was toward having enough quilts for my exhibit.

I HAVE ENOUGH QUILTS!!!!

I have worked with flowers for years and I am not saying that I am tired of working with them because I'm not. A flower in full bloom will set my heart singing no matter how horrible the day. I have enjoyed making all of my quilts when flowers have been the theme. But now I want to do something else. But what is that SOMETHING ELSE I asked myself this morning while showering and getting dressed for the day.

Sometimes after these mind expanding visits from SPIRIT, I can better clarify what is going on in my head when I can use one or more of my support group buds as a sounding board. This morning, both Marti and Kathy L filled the bill as we rode to the Carnegie for another meeting for Form Not Function.
I talked to Marti first for about 15 minutes on the way from my house to Kathy L's and talked to Kathy L for 20 minutes as we rode to the Carnegie.

Exploring non-representation abstraction as a way for me to express my creativity has been running around in my mind for a while now, I told both of them, but I could not see how I could go there while I was still working on the solo show. Any work I would have produced would not have the same feel of the work that I summitted to the gallery at the time I made the proposal. Mid stream was not time to abandon the boat.

But now the time is right to start in a new direction and explore different pathways. For the next two years I don't have a committment for more work than I currently have on hand. My next solo show is not until mid 2008 and I have not locked myself into a theme with that show.

JUST KNOWING THAT, and knowing that I have two years to explore where these new directions and pathways can lead is a great feeling. Marti and I have plotted out 7-8 days this month on which to dye a bunch of fabric for our up coming works, We both ordered 180 yards.

While I have always intergrated both commercial prints and my own handdyed fabric in my work, I am at this moment, leaning more toward using just my hand dyes in future work.

My color pallet has changed in the last year and the hues I am using now are not as intense or as pure as what I have used in my work in the past. Not sure if that is because my work is maturing or I am. There was a time when I wouldn't be caught dead fondling a piece of brown fabric. Talk about a different path, yesterday there I was in my studio pulling pieces of different values and hues of brown fabric from my stash. Arranging and rearranging them with some dirty yellows and low intensity reds and greens, seriously contemplating what I can make with the pile that was growing before my eyes.

Come along with me, see where the paths lead and let's hope it's not a bumpy ride.