SPRING SPRING BREAK!!

Some lil things I've been cooking up down here...

Well, it all began last Thursday. We FINALLY had a critique in my ceramics class. It was the first of the entire term. it went quite well, one of the neatest projects was by my friend Annalise. She made molds of legos, cast them in clay and built a castle out of the pieces. Inside, she places casts of random objects, like pieces of fruit and a baby doll head..... very cool, fantasy world that I wanted to play in. If you are in town. go check it out in the ceramics department.
This critique was followed by a delicious steak, made by Adam, who is secretly quite an excellent chef! (much to my joy and elation) I really love steak. I really need to learn how to cook it better, I usually dry it out. (Suggestions????)

Friday was the beginning of the Saint Patrick's Day Bonanza weekend. The Parade started at 11 am. Laura and I ventured out to watch. it was amazing, I think that all of Savannah was out on the streets to watch. People were so happy (most of them incredibly drunk) and it is so amazing to be surrounded by hundreds of thousands of jolly people. Before we knew it Laura and I were bestowed with some green bling, and we didn't even kiss anyone. I promise. We watched the whole parade, and then headed home to FINALLY relax and just HANG OUT!!!!! WEE HAW. I made a gigantic plate of cookies and started working on these fabric bracelets that I've been working on in my head for a while. They are made from strips of linen with patches of upholstery fabric that Sydne Didier of Essentials (Northampton/Amherst) gave me a few months ago. I'm really excited to finally be putting them into production, because they are the first really new item I've made in a while. I think that they will be called The Essential Ali+Lex, because they are SO the type of thing that my friends Ali Schiek and Lexi Paladino would wear. And I have long wanted to make something a la those two. (if you know them, you will know why!)

More pictures and more about Spring break to follow. I promise. (so many promises, fulfilled and to be fulfilled, I swear!)

xoxo

Story Scarves

Hey Darlings---
here is my artist statement from Images on Fabric....specifically about the story scarves. I'm trying to attach some pictures!!!! Blogger is having issues, but hopefully I'll get them up by the end of the day. big love + wild dreams of a new beginning.


ARTIST STATEMENT MARCH 2008
Of the late, I have been thinking about a line from the 1980s film Moonstruck. Nicholas Cage says this to Cher, “we weren’t put here to be immaculate. We were put here to take risks and mess up and love the wrong people.” I love this idea; I think that there is such a lot of pressure in the world to do “the right thing” and there is a very narrow window of that which is regarded as the right thing. When I really think it over, I begin to believe a couple of things. The first is that there is not a single way to live a life, there are many paths to Nirvana, to inner peace, to achieving what is good. Another is that good and doing a good job are relative and personal terms. If one wants to do a good job they need only to listen to their deepest, truest, innermost voice and they will be on the right track.
As I create more work and become further involved and connected to it, and that work becomes more and more of the vocabulary that I live my life thru it becomes easier for me to listen to that voice and know that it is right and good for me to follow what it says.
When starting out on this project, I tried to give myself a lot of space to figure out what I really wanted to create. It quickly occurred to me that it my work I hope to encourage people to listen to their innermost voice and to act according to it. I think that often times people are afraid to do that because they feel like whatever that voice leads them to do will not be accepted. I want to create pieces that totally support and nurture that aspect of the people that I know. I want to love people for the right reasons and make them feel bolstered up and admired for the pieces of them that they are most truly connected to.
These story scarves are meant to sing a little song to you about the messy thrilling lives of the people that they are about. Like a song, I hope that although each scarf has a specific story that it tells and person that it refers to, you will feel some connection and find ways to apply the imagery and the story to your own garden of dreams, wonderings, thoughts and ideas.
The scarves are made of a variety of fabrics; depending on the person they’re about. Each one is hand dyed and embellished in honor of these souls that I feel so connected to. Each scarf has a Milagro sewn to it someplace. Milagro means Miracle in Spanish and refers to small metal charms that the people of Central America nail up on doors, walls, windows and chairs. The different shapes and figures mean different thoughts and prayers. I added them to the scarves because they add an element of magic and we could all use a little of that.

FINALS! AWESOME VISITS! SUNNY DAYS!

Hello Dears, far and near!

today has been an absolutely scintillating day so far. my friends Jason and Joellen are down here visiting from Virginia. we had a fabulous weekend hanging out and catching up with them.... inbetween million hour stretches of homework! This morning, Laura made pancakes and we all (including Reeves!) ate together while blasting Fleetwood Mac. It is an exceptionally beautiful day her in GA. (I feel like I write that here all the time, and I promise that it's true.)

I just finished putting all of the pieces of my story scarves in the steamer! Which is the final step, it sets the dye, before washing them out. I really wanted to show you some pictures, but I still have no money and have not bought a new camera cord. BUT! I promise I will just make some scans of the scarves later today when they're dry. It's awesome to be this close to the end of the quarter. we're all trucking along. I expect to be mostly done by tonight!
today begins this great week of visitors from the north! Ian is arriving here today, with the Yale Frisbee team! They rent this huge bungalow out of Tybee, where they hide out and talk frisbee. I am however, planning to snatch him away for a few hours! Later this week Elena gets here! and then next week LEAH! and ELIAS! and JULIE!!! I could not be more excited to just sit and soak them up. I promised Riva that there will be lots of outtings and dates with Murray over the next week. Whenever I leave the house with big bags of stuff, clearly headed for hours at school, she gives me this look......... so I promised her that there will be constant hanging out and a lot of treats as soon as all this craziness is over.

Also, over break I'm hoping to get some serious studio work done! It's time to develope some new spring products. I'm working on warm (new england spring) weather knit scarves. so far they're made out of beautiful naturally dyed Patagonia cotton, which is my ABSOLUTE favorite yarn. I'm planning on embelishing them with some flowers out or fabric I've dyed and stitched. la la la. how about just finishing school first though!
love to you all. and hello hello hello in particular to LEXI and AMY. And to Ashleigh: I love you anyway.

MARCH FIRST

I can't believe it. March First...... we went to the beach! It was one of those days, so glorious, that I thought I would just explode!! Brooke and I just watched "Swing Time," the Fred and Ginger movie and now I'm getting ready to do a little work, because I didn't do any at all yet today. I'm going home to start my story scarves and plot a nice dinner for tomorrow. We've started doing nice dinners every sunday night to keep ourselves calm in anticipation of monday! Tomorrow I'm making spegetti and meatballs. I've never made meatballs before. Adam says he likes small ones. And lot's of them..... so I will be profecting my small ball rolling skills and further abandoning my fear of raw meat. heres to that.

love you all so.

At Long LAST!

Hello Dears--
well, this has been quite a full few weeks. I don't think that any of us here have stopped and looked around until for quite some time!!! I finally did yesterday, and spent the whole day working on my back yard. It was totally dumpy, years of fallen debris and leaves. I've been wanting to clean it up for monthes. Yesterday was the day. It's so wonderful to be outside and doing soemthing so gross motor, rather than the detailed work that I love, but am feeling a little pent up doing, because I'm doing it so constantly now. I feel so much freer for having spent yesterday well.
Things are winding down here, we had our Fibers Open Studio last week, it was spectacular, the building was wall papered with beautiful work and there were so many people there soaking it up. Now we're at that AMAZING point that happens right before finals get crazy. I feel so calm and capable, just one project to do in each class........ hopefully a sentiment that will walk me thru the next two weeks!
Riva is finally doing better, the incision is healing up nicely. I brought her to a different vet who is really great and helping us out a lot!
I'm starting to work on some story scarves, for my images on fabric final. each scarf is about a different person who I feel very close with, one way or another. These scarves will be dyed, sewn, embroidered and otherwise embellished.... lots of cool stuff attached. I'm looking, yet again, at the work of Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson which is so great and full of narritives. My mom bought me her most recent book "Symphonic Poem," a few years ago and it has launched several of my recent projects.
I have spoken to many of you lately about the tragic loss of my camera cord, which is preventing me from posting lots of pictures of the goings on. I promise that I will soon buy another one. I promise.
I'm adding a few new links, blogs of friends and the such. I hope you check them out and love them. Alrighty-oh. onward with the day. much much to do. I'm trying out two new home made breads this afternoon! Semolina and Maple Nut!
love to you all. come to Savannah, it's sunny and beautiful.

TRUNK SHOW DAY

I just FINALLY finished the spread sheet...... I'm about to run off to the house and start setting up. If you're in Savannah, do drop by 406 east 35th street from 1-5pm.
I promise to give a detailed reoprt including pictures after the show............ cross your fingers it goes well! xoxoxoxo

F is for FIBER ( and February, too!)

Greetings All---
today is one of those exceptionally beautiful southern days, I've been out in a tank top, which even after all this tine, feel remarkable! IT'S FEBRUARY THIRD!!!!!!!!! February is a really exciting month for all of us here, the Fibers department is featured in ShopSCAD, a chic boutique of student, faculty and alumni work. ASLO: we have out open studio coming up in a few weeks... lot's of excitement surrounding that. I;m working on developing a good fundraiser for the fibers club, something easy and fun that could be made in mass quantities in just a few weeks. I was thinking that little pins with "Fiber is Good" or "I think I love fibers" or "F is for Fiber" might be a good idea. Cayewah suggested making a set of note cards with images from people's sketch and process books on the front. I think this is a marvelous idea as well, we would call them process cards. so, the next few weeks are going to be full of fabu studio production.

FIRST, however I'm doing a trunk show. It's next Saturday in my house on east 35th street. it will feature some really awesome work, including VALENTINES by Brooke Allen, Janelle Proulx, Jessica Rogers, Lexi Paladino, Mim Shafer, Marsha Lieberman ans Me. Books, earrings, cards, dog leashes, hats. ipod cases, magnets, flags and more. If you are in town, stop by. it should be a really good day.
I was going to post my 2008 Valentines on the etsy site, but have decided not to because I have a limited number of sets and I want to be sure that there is enough for the show. BUT, if you-- mostly Northampton Folks--- would like to buy a set, let me know and I can send them. The picture above is of the two types that I've made-- they each are made from beautiful canson paper and have decorative paper hearts stitched on and one of two simple messages. I wrote "Soul Journey" on the red ones because those colors reminded me of luminous old maps. "Milagro," the message on the yellow cards, means miracle in spanish. Each set has 4 cards and envelopes, you may choose a combo set, a soul journey set or a milagro set.

Alright, I have to go do a little image research. Happy super-bowl sunday.... Brooke and Chris and I are making spinich pie and Baklava and then going over to my friend Jessica's house for a potluck dinner, during which the game will most likely, not be watched...... enjoy your day, football or not, I hope it's glorious.