listening...

boy oh boy did yesterday's quilt scare the bajeezus out of me. looking at it i could see that i had stopped listening and was only projecting what i thought i wanted. disaster. for which i am thankful.

it got my attention...

when i started the daily practice of making a small art quilt, my intention was to turn off all my conscious input and just listen. i wanted to listen closely and allow whatever wanted to happen to happen. however it came out would be okay. i would get out of the way and trust the process. but yesterday was different. the three quilts that made up the now defunct "alphabet series" were different.

the difference was simply that i had thought about the series for a while. i wanted them to relate, to be able to be turned into a book. aaah! there you have it; my ego stepped in. i wasn't anywhere near being in the moment as i made the quilts; i was off on a book tour somewhere. i could see it! but seeing isn't listening...and listening is the key part of my daily practice...

its clear to me now that there is a difference between my daily practice and my other work. the daily practice is all about being in the moment and relinquishing judgement. my other work is not as immediate. there is the wrestling with an idea that can go on for days or months. there are a number of attempts to resolve the problem or question i've posed. there are revisions, and more revisions. there are decisions about size and scale and color and medium; a whole host of issues that aren't addressed in the daily quilts. at least not consciously. the daily practice has allowed me to be so much more relaxed and open when i approach my other work, though, and the work is much better as a result. there is more joy; much less angst.

i know i have an alphabet series brewing in me. but i know now that it's not meant to come about through the process of my daily quilts. it will require more thoughtful decision making. more tweaking. more allowing my designer's eye to edit and finesse. and none of that is part of the daily practice.

the quilts provide me with a feeling of pure joy. they let me know that i will never be berift of inspiration. there is a well - a deep, deep well inside me. and a surge of energy that comes through me from somewhere beyond. i feel it. i know it. i trust it. before i started the daily practice i wasn't at all sure about that.

and all i have to do is: listen, allow, trust, honor and let go.

so today i returned to listening. and here's what came of it:

12.31.2012

be still and listen
the ancient ones are singing
what was is no more

i'm so glad that i realized all this as the year comes to a close. it is no small gift these quilts have given me.

: : karen anne

wyatt earp on the brain...

what happens when you watch an old cowboy movie about wyatt earp? you get a letter "c" quilt with cowboys and cacti making an appearance, albeit in an abstract way...

not to be contained, this quilt insisted on unfinished edges and a patriotic red, white and blue scheme. go figure, huh?

12.30.2012

the alphabet series: c

and, yes, it does look like the "c"s are ready to be branded on the rump of some unsuspecting cow, doesn't it?

poor cow.

: : karen anne

late entry: i'm not at all sure this is going as I thought it would, and i think it's because i had: A PLAN. and: AN IDEA. the critics are back in my head and yammering at me loudly. i'm ready to run back to my fields of rich color and the freedom i normally feel. a change may be in the offing... i mean, i look at the quilt for today and just think "uffda" (that's scandinavian for "oy"). maybe my series are meant to be realized after - not before, huh?

today is brought to you by...

...the letter "b":

12.29.2012

the alphabet series: b

it seems the quilts want to share a bold, graphic quality. and a similar size and selection of colors. they also have wanted me to finish their edges as i did with the earlier quilts; bringing a back layer up and over and then stitching it with three rows. it makes them nice and tidy and contained. 

it's been interesting to reflect on my thoughts as i work on this new series. names of friends and family come to mind, as well as types of "b"insects and other creatures. this one also had me thinking of music - where "b" is on the scale, and the types of music that begin with "b" (bebop and blues...) and composers and musicians (bach, beethoven, billy joel, bonnie raitt...) 

so there you have it. behold the letter "b"!

: : karen anne

a new series...

i've been thinking a lot about communication; about how important it is, and how we sometimes stumble, grumble, and mumble trying to make ourselves understood. so often it's best to just stay with the basics and be as simple and clear as possible. easier said than done, though, isn't it?

anyway, all this thinking included thoughts about the visuals we use to communicate, and it all led to a new series of quilts: the alphabet series.

12.28.2012

the alphabet series: a

i've challenged myself to do a series of 26 quilts - using one letter each day from the roman alphabet. i'm curious how the letters will reveal themselves. i'm hoping that they will be equally abstract and apparent - but you never know with my quilts...they are always a surprise!

i've loved alphabet books my whole life and have a number on my bookshelves that i've collected over time. perhaps these will make an interesting book. what do you think?

this new series excites me and i look forward to seeing where it leads. i hope you're intrigued, too!

: : karen anne

out with the old, in with the new...

i've recently lost some weight and am the lowest i've been in well over 13 years. but i've been so happy and busy doing other things that, while i've noticed, i hadn't really acknowledged the loss.

it hit me the other night when i spent well over 2 hours going through my closet trying to figure out what to wear to a holiday party; everything i reached for was too big. way too big. these were my go-tos for the past few years and last year they were almost too small. it was odd to feel frustrated because something was too big. it never would have occurred to me that i would feel frustrated by that, but there i was, nearly in tears instead of rejoicing.

it hit me then that i'm really in need of a break - not from losing weight, but from the studio, the house... from all the things that have taken my attention for the past months.

so i'm going to take one. just for a week. enough time to be present for my family and enjoy all the traditions that come with christmas. enough time to get acquainted with the way my body has changed and take pleasure in that instead of being frustrated.

take a break with me. go hug your family and bake some cookies. stay up late. sleep in...

meet me back here on the 28th, all refreshed and happy and ready to look at the new year with fresh eyes.

see you then!

: : karen anne

p.s. snow is forecasted! just a flurry, but still:

12.21.2012

snow in the forecast
a chill wind grips the land
children wait with sleds

p.p.s. merry christmas!!!

taking a deep breath...

at long last there seems to a balance in my creative life. i feel like i've found my voice again and that i'm not committing fraud when i say i'm an artist. since i finally feel at ease in my skin and ready to put myself out there, it was time to take a deep breath and publish a professional website again. 

here is a screen shot of the home page:

www.karenanneglick.com

i still have work to load and pages to add, but i'm pleased with it thus far.

i hope you'll visit and take a look - and please let me know of any typos you might find. it's next to impossible to edit one's own work, isn't it?

: : 

cheers,

karen anne

: : 

don't you need one???

a cd-sized 2013 desk calendar that is - and one designed by lil' ol' me to be precise.

well, now all you have to do is go to my esty shop, add one to your cart, pay for it, and before you know it you, too, can be holding one of these beauties in your hands and looking forward to a new year filled with twelve lovely months. each month features a detail of one of my favorite wee quilts, and they are all printed on a glorious silk finished card stock that has a soft sheen. they come stored in a clear plastic jewel case that flips back to form a spiffy little easel that will sit right on your desk. and, after the year is over, you could cut the calendar part off and frame the images to hang anywhere you want a bright pop of color. sweet! they come in a packaged in a clear cello bag to protect the case from scratches, and i've included a special gift tag with each one to make it really easy to give as a gift. just add a bright ribbon and there you have it - easy-peasy!

behold:

pretty nifty, eh?

: : karen anne

the harried season...

yup. it is definitely the beginning of harried season; that time of the year when we all start running around like we're on fire and getting crabby about all we have to do and all we haven't started, finished, or written a list about.

i really thought another quilt was going to appear today since i've been thinking a lot about paths lately. but no. the harried season came out:

12.5.2012

rush rush always rush
couldn't you stop for some tea?
i really miss you

it's interesting to me that some color is beginning to return to the quilts. maybe the quiet spell is giving way to something new? 

i have taken time, though, in between bouts of frenetic doing, to photograph the amazing clouds we've had the past couple of days:

looks like they might have informed the composition of today's quilt, don't you think? 

i got a lot done today, so maybe tomorrow i'll play a bit. there are cards that need to have glitter applied and that always makes for a good time.

but i will take a break to look at the sky and see what magic is happening up there...

: : karen anne

a mere comma...

today's quilt is a new favorite. i love its simplicity. i love its colors. i love what it had to tell me.

12.1.2012

life is the comma
holding space between two worlds
what was, what will be

and i love where the comma is in the last line.

it all just feels perfect to me. and, as with all my quilts, it surprised me.
U
i love these daily surprises!

: : karen anne