LETS REFRESH...

KITTIESSSSSSSS!!! i'm going to try this blog thing again.

almost there

i found the perfect chair for the performance on my walk home one evening. The nice family that always walk their dogs on campus were selling Chapel Chairs for $10 each. And, I've got 120 hankies sewn now.I've begun piecing my quilt together. this first photo is what will eventually be the outside. the top that is wrinkled looking, is the hood.

This is the beginning of the inside of the quilt.

chicago airport

entertaining my special friend.

Also...

This is Ann Hamilton from the we love kinji party and celebration. She was great to work with... super super kind, and not at all an art snob! (yay!) It is spring in MN finally. These are candles we found at the Mississippi River

SERGER

I have FINALLY begun sewing my handkerchiefs. I found a kind woman willing to let me borrow her serger for a month, and I have 70 sewn now. Now, I just have to START my quilt.

I love this thing. seriously. love.

decisions to be made

i have all of my handkerchiefs cut out. (500 12 x 12 cotto/cotton blend)

my original intent was to iron and sew double-folded hems on each side of the hankerchiefs. I decided on the double fold so that there would be no exposed edges. My decision would have been a wise one if I had more than 7 weeks to complete the project. I started ironing edges...and it took me an hour to iron two sides each of 12 handkerchiefs. I did the math- that means 83 hours of ironing... BAD IDEA.

new plan: find access to a serger. SERGE the edges, print. fold. done. boom.

as far as the quilt goes... i have all of the pieces cut into squares and am ready to put them together again. BUT, i need to decide whether or not to print on the fabric... or let it be simply as it is.

performance/exhibition:
-short floor riser for quilt
-shelves/drawers for hankies?
-remnant of hanky? how? what?
-move through crowd to give out hankies, or let them come to me? why?
.....

Basic Outline for Position Paper

1. Me/my work/self/objectives
i. brief thoughts on art
ii.communication, sharing, story…
iii. print specifically
iv. honesty

2. The development of my work/mindset over the past few years
i. from traditional print to more conceptual
ii. from discussing other peoples problems to my own
iii. move towards more research heavy/historically referential
iv. materials: fabric, the print, language, symbol
v. artist/cultural influences

3. themes/processes
i. home, pattern, comfort, woman, growth, family, independence,…
ii. writing, experience, choosing material, ideation
iii. interaction between me, the work, the audience
iv. importance of symbol and research
v. every aspect of a piece requiring a reason/meaning

4. self-reflection
i. how my work affects me
ii. how I want it to affect others
iii. how I think it functions
iv. problems/concerns (fear)
v. things I do well

5. why do I keep doing this?
i. what is my right to make?
ii. self vs. viewer
iii. issues with gallery very brief)

6.conclusion
i. myself as a better person when making
ii. hopes in sharing/honesty
iii. recording/evaluating personal history
iv. goals, direction

p.s. i miss kansas

kansas is golden.

I know. its almost gross, but this is on Christmas Morning

achoose

I did most of my research and planning a few weeks ago and have spent most of my time lately just cutting down my fabric to 12.5x 12.5 squares. At this point, I am stuck on a few things:

thread color= when i put together my sample hems, i just used what was already in the machine and it ended up looking pretty nice. BUT, why would i use color anyhow? i am under that a project with such few variables, every decision has got to be made perfectly.

quantity/display= i've cut almost 200 handkerchiefs now, and together they only measure about 6 inches stacked. My display needs to be GRAND... and if 200 reads without grand impression, I am going to go have to spend a ton of money on fabric. I am wondering at this point, if folding them into quarters might be effective. But, we'll see.

print method= if i want to get as many of these made as possible, embroidering them is absolutely out of the question. Screenprint is quick, but not beautiful. Lithography is my dream child but not as fast as it should be. I am thinking intaglio?????

fabric types= 20 yards of cotton cost me $66 dollars. Luckily, I already had about 10 yards of my own various whites/cream fabrics. At this point, i am happy about using different fabrics as long as the assembly and printing is identical on each. It helps to bridge the individual vs. manufactured issue.

These are just the designs that I was working on for the print. I have decided to only print BELOVED in english and include a performance aspect to the project.

Senior Project-beginnin

Alright, so I dont have any fotos yet, but a basic synopsis follows:

handkerchiefs=
i've done a lot of research on the history and development of the handkerchief as a cultural 'tool.' Among its tasks are snot-rag (obviously), token of affection, token of sorrow, the wiping of teared eyes, class establishment, code for sexual conduct, cheering (like at live game), booing (also at a live game or the passing of a despised leader). I would like to make an edition of at least 200 handkerchiefs with the word BELOVED printed on each one. Beloved because if its many functions and emotions. This list may include: love, sorrow, affection towards a friend, a lover, a family member, a stranger, a memory, etc. If there is such thing as a pure word, I believe 'beloved' is one. Ultimately, I want to use this project as a way to give. Even if the people who receive the hankerchief need only to blow their nose... at least I can give them that. (and then maybe later they will ponder a deeper meaning) I am tired of the process of art seeming like it stops when the viewer/participant leaves the gallery... it should continue. Its not that I want to be remembered necessarily, but I hope that an act of kindness and sincere love could be.

Cocoon Quilt=
This idea is not quite as thought out as the above one but, nonetheless:
This semester for me is about being able to comfort ones self. To deal with sorrow, shortcomings, loss, and the good things too... love, joy, etc. My goal is to design and print at least 3 patterns that deal with the experience of those emotions and the dealing with them: using symbols from history, and some of my own. The next step would be to use the fabric that I print the patterns on, as well as fabric from my grandmother's house to build a quilt. A more dimensional and interactive quilt (can you really make a blanket more interactive?). Ideally, it would act sort of like a sleeping bag... something you could crawl into and then there would be extra pieces that you would use to tie yourself into the fetal position. You would be able to get in and out of the comfort quilt by yourself... and blah blah blah. meaning in layers. make sense? ok then.

photos later.

a lot in a year and now its something else

i've got to start using this blog as process for my senior project class, but first: a few photos from the past months...


Me and my demon cat.
My favorite town-ever. Pattonsburg

Emily is studying in ireland this semester: this is her and her two youngest sisters at the airport

My Grandma and niece over the holidays: Dyhana wouldn't get out of Grandma's chair.

Me and my brothers at Thanksgiving!

Me-Black and White Ball night

Republican National Convention - where Emily and I performed with Sharon Hayes!

Fat pig and Emily and James at the MN State Fair this summer

io abito qui:

the place Emily and I call home.
living room

we found the table and matching four chairs!!

view from our door. the little banner that molly made for me is the first welcome!

teeny tiny little kitchen.

at Lake Harriet.

Sienna. she drinks out of the water faucet.

home again home again

my mom welcomes me home with live entertainment

first full day in the states and i find myself on the golfcourse with my fam.

Willis, rockstar golfer.

James and Greg came to KS to see me for an Atrani Reunion! Swanky car...

me mum and i preparin' some food to bring to Emily's house in Manhattan. We all had a HUGE meal together and a lovely lovely day full of chitchat and laughter.

Emily and I made our traditional stop at the Windmills in Iowa.

In Minnesota now...and James is STILL wonderful and STILL dancing.
Me and Emily . summer summer summer FINALLY
So. alright. I'm in Minneapolis now. Emily and I have an apartment right near Loring Park. Its perfect. We are in walking distance from the Orchestra Hall where we can hear music outdoors all summer, the Walker is only a few blocks away (we snuck into the $75 Andrew Bird concert the other day and it was BRILLIANT), we practically own the park, James is our neighbor..... I'm sooooo happy to be back!

Ciao-ciao Florence, never again.

on my last day in Florence, Beth and I smoked cigars, drank tons of wine, and watched Sense and Sensibility (the girly movie of our time together)
...in highschool i went through this phase where i purposely smiled like a dweeb, this is me remembering those days.

I only managed to get ONE of the 8 different roomates I had in a photo. this is one of my favorites, Carmen.

My absolute favorite person in all of Italy = HOLLAND GUY!!!!!!! James and I always bought cheese there together, Beth and I always bought our peanut butter there, and on my last day, when i stopped to say goodbye I told Holland Guy that his shop was my favorite place, and he started crying. what a wonderful man!

the sun will come

so, i finally made my way to the giant park outside town , where i found all the halfnaked italians sunbathing. glorious right?
this is how packed the streets are now its full tourist season.

view from the Uffizi.... lovely right?!

the little courtyard below my balcony.... i'll miss staring at it

view outside my bedroom window.