A fantastic How-to Book by MY VERY GOOD FRIEND Robyn Steel-Stickland!
Published 3 April 2006 by Penguin RRP $24.95 Paperback, 144 pages ISBN 0143004328

The Fabulous Robyn.

Keeping a journal is exercise for the soul.

The Artist by Judy Minall Any artist will tell you, Be they a potter or a painter (a jeweler, quilter, or scrapbook decorator) That in between the peaceful zones Lies the art of the creator. Be they idle or creative, Be they cautious or debative, The lives that lead them onwards Are often found evasive. So what makes us who we are? What makes us turn the pages? What makes us into realists Is the art of The Creator. *** Judy is a reader of this blog. She'd written the poem in 2005, and sent it to me as a response to my Quantam Physics entry in March 2006. Thanks, Judy! And here is a quotable quote in response to your poem: We must accept that this creative pulse within us is God's creative pulse itself. Joseph Chilton Pearce

Back from Horsham
Wednesday 26 April 2006
What a time! I attended my third annual Horsham Textile Forum last week. There were 18 in the feltmaking class with Master Felter, Alexander Pilin of Russia. Master Felter, yes, but not full time. Guess what he does for a day job? He is a machine gun engineer and instuctor! You wouldn't have guessed it though. Alexander was the nicest Russian man I'd ever met. I've met a few. Well, three others that I can remember. He also barely spoke English. "I speak the language, Felt Language." He told us. Luckily, as the days passed we picked-up his unique vocabulary. I made a few samples - nothing particularly worth photographing, which seems disappointing, but I did learn some new stuff. You can always learn stuff, you know.

Alexander did more than instruct us in felting techniques. He also readily shared his opinion if he disliked our design - something many arts and crafts tutors in Australia refrain from doing. He told a few of us to "destroy" our work. With better English, he might have made his request with more delicate words "May I suggest," or "Have you considered?". I grumbled as I pulled out the blanket stitching I'd added to a piece. But for all my groaning, I knew he was right. The design was better without the stitching.

Besides the workshops, the tutor slide lectures, the fashion parades and class exhibitions, we launched Robyn's new book published by Penguin Australia: "Felt". See the cover at left. This was a highlight of my week. I was a celebrity through my association with Robyn.

And besides the textile art stuff there was fun stuff. I wore everything I packed, so I looked and felt the part of "artistic type"! (Those who read my previous entry will, no doubt, be pleased about that.) See one of my party outfits at right.

I came home six days later to cuddles from my darling 46 and 13 year old house-mates. There was also a letter from the TAG exhibition committee. One of the two pieces I submitted had been accepted - the Exemplar 1 wall hanging shown below in my 4 April entry.

You are what you wear
Sunday 16 April 2006
Happy Easter! I'm actually celebrating the holiday with my Greek Orthodox family next week - my husband's family that is, as I am not actually Greek myself. I'm more of a mongrel.

Just quickly want to share a photo of a felt collar I made this week:

I had made the patchwork jacket a couple of years ago, but the collar really finishes it all off now. I had to update this article to wear at the Horsham Textile Fibre Forum Retreat this week. I love the Fibre Forums, and try to get to one annually. As I write, I expect Robyn to ring my doorbell any minute now to whisk me away. We are doing a feltmaking class with Alexander Pilin from Russia. I'll report all about it when I'm back at the end of the week!

But if I can just leave you with this: It took me a long time to pack my suitcase with clothes and accessories. Next to the stuff on the class materials list, my wardrobe is the most important thing I take to Forum. Last year I wasn't concentrating when I packed and I was so cross with myself. I had not brought enough ARTIST clothing. This year I wasn't gonna make the same mistake twice. The artist look is tne layered look - plenty of scarves, leggings, etc. Yes, you produce better art when you look and feel the part, I am convinced of this fact!

Courage
Wednesday12 April 2006
Yesterday I received a very courageous phone call in response to my previous blog entry. It was from the stamping teacher who had made the critical remarks about me regarding myself as an expert. She phoned me to apologise for not expressing herself more clearly to Helen. Her criticism was not so much about Fifi (me) claiming to be an expert, but that she feared the Fifi column would put-off beginner stampers rather than inspire them to improve their work. It was a good conversation initiated by a very brave person and I'd like to acknowledge her for it. She put me to shame because, had I been in her shoes, I wonder if I'd have been brave enough to make a call and resolve a possible upset.

My self-esteem, because I might have felt hurt in response to the criticism, when in fact I was not. The other person's generosity, for in her efforts to make things right, she unwittingly reminds me about areas in my own life where I need to make improvements.

It's all about me
Tuesday11 April 2006
Last Thursday Jacquie Byron, editor of Get Creative magazine came to my house with photographer Mackenzie to interview me and photograph some of my work for the July issue. It is an absolute ego trip being profiled for a magazine. It's a celebration of achievement which just motivates me to want to press on. I am indeed proud of who I am and guess what - I'm still a work in progress! The best is yet to come.

You know what I think there is too much of in the arts and crafts world? Humility. Humility isn't always admirable when we allow it to keep us small, undeveloped and unproductive.

I hadn't heard the term "Tall Poppy Syndrome" till I was in my mid-20's and had just moved to Australia from the USA. That was 21 years ago. Around that same time, a work colleague said to me, "American women are more self-assured than Aussies because no one has told them that it is wrong to behave like that". He meant it as a compliment, and it sticks in my mind - a conversation to ponder every now and again. I rarely give thought to my American-ness, or how that might set me apart from others in Australia. But when an Australian hears my accent, they immediately categorise me as a Yank and start looking for stereotypical behaviours. Hmmmm.

I learned recently from a customer and friend of mine, Helen, that I'd been criticised by another stamping teacher for taking the attitude that I was an expert stamper. My first reaction was, "But I never announced I was an expert." (See the Tall Poppy Syndrome coming into play?) Then it occurred to me that, through my alter ego Fifi Hedwigger, I have professed expertise. Eventually I worked my way around to this thought: "Well, I actually AM an expert. And what is wrong with that?" If this person also teaches stamping, then why would she not regard herself as an expert, too? Very strange. Strange indeed.

But not something I'm going to waste my time worrying about.

Exemplar 1
Monday 4 April 2006

Whoa! That's a big picture, eh?

This is a wall quilt I made yesterday (Sunday the 2nd). It measures 300mm x 530mm. The background is hand-felted and I've appliqued wool fabric patches and polymer clay letters on top.

I love the exemplars done by calligraphers (not to mention those quaint samplers done by young embroiderers in the olden days) . . . so this is my response using my materials of choice: Felt and polymer clay. I've entitled this piece "Exemplar 1" because I'm pretty certain I have other exemplars brewing inside of me!

I think another inspiration for creating an alphabet wall piece has been Lynne Perella's latest book, "Alphabetica - An A-Z Creativity Guide for Collage and Book Artists" (It is available from Studio Astarte for AUD $39.95 plus postage. Not on the website but Aussie readers can email me if they want a copy.) I love this book. I love the colours and textures! I love that Lynne and many of the other featured artists can work so "sloppily" and yet their results are so wonderful. Talk about letting your hair down! I am still too cautious and controlling when making art.

The alphabet is an amazing set of symbols. Just think how profoundly those letters influence us daily, or their impact on history. The alphabet song is one of the first things we learn as little children. Don't you find, when you look at a picture of an entire alphabet, you mentally start reading - or singing - letter by letter, as if to reassure yourself that nothing's been left out. If all 26 letters are there, then all is in order; all is well with the world.

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