Happy 200th Birthday, Mr. Lincoln

This is the earliest known photograph of Abraham Lincoln taken around 1846 or 1847 by Nicholas Shepherd.

I grew up in the Land of Lincoln where our 16th President was much honored and revered. How I wish I could have been in Springfield today for the celebration of his 200th birthday.

Graffiti Street Artist

Untitled
1984

I first became aware of Jean-Michel Basquiat through a film - Basquiat. Roaming around Blockbuster at least 10 years ago, I rented the movie* simply because of the artwork on the VHS box. I was blown away by the amazing work of this young man, originally a graffiti street artist, and have been a huge fan ever since.

A Google search yielded much information, including short clips of the artist at work. Below are just a couple of the images I found.

The following write-up about Basquiat was done preceding a 2005 show of his works at MOCA in Los Angeles.

Jean-Michel Basquiat, photo by William Coupon

"The story of Basquiat is one we're all too familiar with when it comes to any visionary's overnight rise to fame. They often fall as fast.

Born on December 22, 1960, to a Haitian-American father and a Puerto Rican-American mother, Jean-Michel Basquiat was raised in Brooklyn. Although active for just one decade, he is considered one of the best-known artists of his generation and received unprecedented international recognition. When still in his teens, Basquiat first gained notoriety among New Yorkers for the cryptic graffiti poetry he sprayed on the walls of Lower Manhattan under the pseudonym SAMO. In 1981, when he was 20 years old, Basquiat burst upon the art scene under his own name with an original body of work that quickly developed into a complex and highly diverse, mature style, marked by innovation, sophistication, skill, and a stirring emotional depth. By the age of 21, he had already enjoyed five important one-person exhibitions and been included in the prestigious Documenta 7 in Kassel, Germany. Basquiat died of a drug overdose in 1988 at the age of 27."

*The film also covers the interaction between Basquiat and Andy Warhol. I'm fairly certain it is still available. See it if you can.

Color Inspiration

I love the color of blueberries!

I'm gearing up for an April visit from my youngest (and very energetic) sister Patty. We want to do lots of "stuff" while she's here. I've laid in a supply of Lutradur, soy wax, paints, collage materials and of course dyes. Patty had a week at Nancy Crow's barn with Carol Soderlund a couple of years ago. Maybe she can tell me how to replicate the color of blueberries!

Is It Spring?

We were given this beautiful arrangement after my DH provided photography for his aunt's 90th birthday luncheon Saturday.

The roses are just opening. I loved the addition of the baby cabbage.

Following several days of morning temps in the low teens along with a bit of snow and ice, our high broke a record yesterday. It was 74 degrees! We hope some of the warmth moves to parts of the country which have suffered so with the recent ice storms.

Framed............or Not Framed

Surface Design Study

Techniques used: Hand-dyeing, painting, stamping, resists, scrunched, hand and machine stitching.

After years of teaching surface design, I had lots of samples lying around. Late last year I decided to turn several of the fabrics I'd created into a small wall hanging. The study was originally framed. It looked okay, but not great.

After looking at it for a while, I changed my mind about the framing. I felt the glass over the stitching detracted from the tactile qualities of the piece. I also didn't like the fused binding I'd used. I knew as soon as I'd started to fuse it that it was not the look I wanted, but it was too late. Using a fusible is not an easily reversed decision.

The piece is now out of the frame where it can breathe! Here are a couple close-ups of the quilt's more textural areas.

I often leave frayed edges of fabric as a textural element. I'm also a fan of loose threads and the combination of machine and hand stitching in the same piece.

A resist of Elmer's School Glue formed the white lines of the wavy half spiral above. Once dry, the fabric was painted with diluted Setacolor transparent paint and sprinkled with salt.

Elmer's School Glue Gel makes a wonderful resist. Its pointed top is great for writing and drawing. The glue takes a long time to dry, so plan ahead. BTW - our drug and grocery stores carry this product. Look for the blue stuff and make sure it is the No Run Gel.

Deka Silk paint was used for the pinkish-rose colored stitched Shibori. Using a variegated floss, I accentuated the resist lines with free-form embroidery. Triple wavy lines of multi-colored orange threads accentuate the hand-dyed purple fabric.

Caran D'ache Neocolor Crayons are a favorite tool. I like them for coloring a whole piece of fabric. Sometimes the fabric is damp when colored; other times it is colored and then spritzed with water and "finger-painted."

I've put this piece aside while I ponder the next step. I may keep it just as an example of a less than desirable fused binding!

Aunt Camille Turns 90!

Camille's 90th birthday cake was
beautiful as well as light and delicious.

It was a warm spring day, perfect for a birthday celebration. My DH's dear Aunt Camille is 90! Family gathered for a lovely luncheon hosted by Camille's sister Rossi and her husband Frank at Carmel Country Club.

Aunt Camille has for decades been the primary genealogist for Bill's family. There is nothing she doesn't know about generations of Moravian Crouses. Her cousin George had uncovered several letters Camille had written in 1931 and 32 to his mother. Highlights were read aloud before they were given to Camille. For her, there could have been no better gift than the written word. Letters are history.

National Wear Red Day

Today is National Wear Red for Women Day. By wearing red and making a donation to the American Heart Association we can all raise awareness of the nation's #1 killer - for both women and men.

My DH and I will be participating in the Cupid's Cup 5K and wellness walk, a local fundraiser on Feb. 14. Info can be found here on my personal page:

http://events.carolinashealthcarefoundation.org/site/TR/Events/CupidsCup5K?px=11

Exhibition Photos

The Mint Hill Arts exhibition, Quilt Evolution: Traditional to Contemporary, ends tomorrow. (See right sidebar for details.) I hope some of you were able to see it. Several pieces were selected for other venues in Mint Hill. My three quilts will hang in Town Hall; others will be displayed at BB&T bank.

Here are a few photos from the show:

Verde detail

Canvas, tyvek, beads
Linda Stegall

Ivory
Janet Lasher

Ivory Detail 1

Ivory Detail 2

Saga Van Atta's
beautifully framed work.

Saga Van Atta
Detail

Linda Stegall

Linda Stegall - Detail 1

Linda Stegall - Detail 2

Bambera
Janet Lasher

Bambera Detail

Several panels held small works.

Jean Zoet
Detail from lower right-hand piece on above panel.

Leaning That Way
Phyllis Tarrant

Shrimp Creole - Detail
Ellen Guerrant

Toast with Jam - Detail
Ellen Guerrant


Orange Slice - Detail
Ellen Guerrant

The 'Big' Snow

Daffodils in snow.

I didn't know of it until I stepped outside at 6:50 a.m. But there it was - no doubting the white stuff. It was snow!

Snow is a really big deal in Charlotte. The mere mention of the possibility of snow in the forecast causes a run on the grocery store. Every supermarket is jammed with panic-stricken people laying in supplies for "the big one." In an hour, every loaf of bread and gallon of milk has been sold.

When I got to cardiac rehab this morning, I saw that the parking lot was nearly empty. Uh oh, I thought. Maybe class has been canceled. There were only six people in the 6:45 class; about the same in my class at 7:20. Conspicuously absent? The fellows from Buffalo and Michigan.

Schools were closed as were many businesses. Our quilt guild meeting tonight was canceled although after a day of bright sunshine, there is not one flake to be seen this evening. As a former midwesterner, I still haven't gotten used to this.

Here are a couple of pix of our big snow.

Snow against our neighbor's fence.

Snow on a deck table.

It Can't Be!

I felt exactly this way when I heard!

I have every issue ever published.

My favorite magazine is no more! I received notice last week that Mary Engelbreit's Home Companion has ceased publication! Martha Stewart Living will be substituted for the remaining time on my subscription.

I don't know why I liked Home Companion so much, why I kept every single issue. Maybe it's because I'm a nester and the magazine had such a comfortable and homey feel . I liked the way I always felt reading it - almost like sharing a cup of tea with an old friend. I can't imagine I'd have the same feelings about Architectural Digest. (My apologies in advance to AD fans.)

New Source of Inspiration

Bulletin Board in NoDa

Charlotte has a funky little arts area on North Davidson Street, commonly referred to as NoDa. The galleries, ethnic restaurants and atmosphere attract hip people of all types. My DH was there for a personal photo shoot recently when the images on a public bulletin board caught his eye. Talk about inspiration for collage! My fingers are itching to get started.


Photo credit: Copyright Bill Guerrant

Quilt Restoration

Repairs are now complete on this 1982 Shoo Fly design.

The first bedsize quilt I ever made was a Shoo Fly. It was the quilt on my son Matthew's first big bed, the one he ran his Matchbox cars on, pretending the three sashing strips were roads. It is now the quilt he and his wife Suzie snuggle under when watching tv. I brought it home at Christmas, as it had a few repair issues - after a mere 27 years of use! You may remember seeing the photos I posted Dec. 31

This large hole near the center of the quilt was the most challenging repair. It was missing both fabric and batting.

I still had some of the original fabric which had come very close to being donated not three months ago. A "little voice" told me to pull it out of the box!

The major repair

The blue calico had faded a bit, but not as much as I would have expected. You can see that the replaced strip is much brighter. Muslin from the removed hanging sleeve was used to replace the half-square triangle.

Just one more hole.

I've made several small repairs on the backing and replaced the entire binding. (See my tutorial, parts one and two - Jan. 25 and 28.) Just one more half square triangle to replace and I'll be finished (hopefully by the end of the Super Bowl). It really felt great to be sewing again.