Part of my morning is a familiar “tink.” Or maybe it’s more like a “clunk,” or a “tunk.”
It’s a wonderful little sound made by the plastic scoop as it taps the inside of my favorite canister, in which I keep my coffee, a clay piece created by my daughter.
I used this form, along with some clay cereal bowls, also created by my daughter, as the main characters in “Arriving at Morning”
I created this work a little over a year ago, and I am pausing to take a look at it again now because it is hanging in the members’ show at Florida CraftArt galleries in downtown St. Petersburg. The show runs till March 20. I haven’t visited yet. But the pictures I’ve seen reveal an interesting show with a great mix of artwork.
(I exhibited this work once before, in the Representational 2023 show. For the Heartland Art Club in Kirkwood, MO. I like envisioning my textile composition, with its simple rendering of form, on the walls next to more detailed oil and acrylic paintings. I think the mediums speak to one another well.)
Some of the first still life works I created when I discovered mixed media collage and fabric were simple still life compositions. I love still life works and I still have some I like a lot on my website.
Still Life is an opportunity to see something beautiful in something simple. It is an opportunity play with light and shadow.
Still Life contains accessible characters, often evoking memories in the viewer. Almost everybody has a favorite coffee cup or teaspoon or vase. These simple things we can touch are vehicles for remembering.
In “Arriving at Morning” I also enjoyed creating a stage for these characters to inhabit: the foreground table that defines the uneven edge of the quilt.
I created a companion piece for “Arriving at Morning.’ This is “Morning Water, Morning Song.”
I attended and spoke at a state-wide meeting of SAQA art quilt artists in Stuart, Florida this weekend. We talked a lot of about creativity and decisions in creating work. These still life pieces remind me that content can be simple—and still interesting and able to evoke emotional response.
As always . . . the lesson is to create what you love and what speaks to you.
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May I take just a moment – to reply to the many readers from other countries who are kind enough to read this blog, and to reply, and who have recently written to me with heartfelt concern for the terrible turns in American governance since our 2024 election. I thank you for your concern. And I sincerely appreciate the caring voices. I am also baffled, and a bit overwhelmed, and so very, very sorry for the face my country is showing to the rest of the world. It is heartbreaking to me as an American.
To my fellow Americans: We cannot lose sight of who we are meant to be. There is a lot of work to do!
. . . . . . .
You are invited: STUDIO TOUR. It’s just three weeks away. I would just love it if any readers within driving distance of DeLand made the trek for a visit. There are 18 DeLand-area artists on the tour altogether so it’s well worth the trip. And it’s FREE!
For all the artmakers: Happy creating
For all the art lovers: Happy appreciating
Thank you for reading. I always enjoy questions and comments.
--Bobbi
How I keep in touch:
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