Long Absence

Life sometimes gets in the way of art, and bloggers go silent for months.  I get frustrated when it happens to my favorites, but I understand.  Somehow blogging just didn't come to the top of my priority list recently.  But I may be having a few extra visitors soon, so I thought I'd better catch up.  As far as art quilt news, here's the finished Tipping Point on display at the Whatcom Museum.

It's just a quick iPhone shot, because, as usual, I was rushing around at the very last moment getting the hanging system to work and didn't remember to snap a photo before heading over to the museum.   

Sadly, I missed the opening artist's reception at the beginning of July, due to one of the reasons I have been away; my younger brother had a very bad stroke and I went to L.A. and later to D.C. to spend time with him and support his family.  He's doing well, now, though has a long road ahead to recover.  

I have to say the thrill of seeing my work in "the museum" was everything I'd hoped.  I went alone on my lunch hour, and perused the exhibit without immediately searching the room for my piece, but finally it appeared!  Being an open call, there was a wide range of work displayed, an I felt that mine compared positively as far as the level of professionalism.   As you can see there is a slight ripple in the bottom edge and the upper corners don't lay flat.  Hanging systems are something I have not spent enough time on.  

The title of the exhibit is "Nature in the Balance," and several themes were suggested -

What is happening to the Earth?

Why is it happening?

What are your visions of the future?

How can people make a differerence?

I chose "What is happening to the Earth," and my artist's statement (100 word limit) was:

This piece explores the complexity and interconnectedness of our planet’s ecosystems, oceans and atmosphere.   Many climate scientists refer to the possibility of a “tipping point,” when the combined effects of warming, sea-level rise, ocean acidification, and pollution on the planet have accelerated and reinforced each other to a point where no human action can bring them back into balance.  I suggest we are perilously close, if not already at that point.   I tried to interpret this theme abstractly by using a variety of different but related patterned fabrics to represent the variety and diversity of life on the planet.