Archive for May, 2009

I’m working on a commission right now – this is one I am excited about and can live with, and I basically have free reign with it. That was not always the case when we first started marbling fabric.

In earlier versions of our website, we offered custom work on silks, cottons, and several other types of fabrics. We actually had quite a good business going, and rarely has to refund an order. Then we ran into the two years where nothing we did worked – the paint literally washed right off the fabric. We had to stop the custom work, as we had no control over what we were doing.

As frustrated as we got, we eventually realized that custom work put too much pressure on us as artists, plus we rarely had time to do any pieces for ourselves. After all, it’s our art, so why can’t WE have some fun with it. That ultimately seemed to be a good decision, especially since we “got our groove back” and were able to marble again.

We don’t marble as often, since we’re not under any deadlines, and when we do, we’re back to trying new designs and new fabrics, always looking for that next great piece to turn into a fiber art design.

“Ocean’s Bounty” (below) is on its way to Alaska, (photo doesn’t begin to do it justice!) and I’ll post photos of the commissioned work next week when it’s hopefully done – got a lot of sewing the next few days!

I can never be happy with just one book at a time, especially since I do more nonfiction reading now. So here’s what’s on my nightstand right now….

* Majestic Descending by Mitchell Graham, your basic summer trash. Blown-up cruise ship, stem cell research, and a budding romance between two lawyers. Good for the beach.

* The Green Collar Economy by Van Jones. Part way through – part of a summer book club from Ideal Bite. Interesting look at trying to get the country to go green to solve environmental and economic problems. Interesting.

* The Source by James Michener. Haven’t read this since the early 70s, and it’s harder going than I remember. Interesting look at the state of Israel and what it means to be a Jew, written before the 6-Day War.

* Hot, Flat and Crowded by Thomas Friedman. I’m finishing this. The beginning was pretty depressing – the planet is in serious trouble, but the second part is much more hopeful. Some really great ideas here. I love reading Friedman – he makes economics interesting – and readable.

* The Pact by Jodi Picoult. First time reading her, my niece has read most everything and it’s on her GoodReads list. This is an interesting look at teenagers, and it makes me wonder – and worry – about more of my students.

* The World in Six Songs by Daniel Levitin. How the musical brain created human nature. Small doses to absorb it all.

* Boom by Tom Brokaw. Finishing this – great look at the sixties and how they formed the people who are running the country now. I’ve lived the years, and the retrospect is wonderful.

* Feng Shui for Your Garden by Richard Webster. Now that I have a backyard, I want to set up several relaxing areas.

* Kiss My Math by Danica McKellar (Winnie in the Wonder Years). This is her second book (Math Doesn’t Suck was first) and I’m getting loads of ideas of how to present some topics in a better format for my algebra students next year.

* PhotoShop User – magazine by the National Association of PhotoShop Users. At least now I understand some of the articles I’m reading – I am so improving my skills!

What are you reading? Let me know, so I can put new titles on my list!

I’ve decided to keep myself on track and do a “Photo Friday” to stay focused on my Garden Fantasy idea. This shot of a hibiscus was in the butterfly exhibit at the Tucson Botanical Gardens this past January. I’ve never seen a two-tone hibiscus, and I’ve loved the flower since living in Hawaii. I’m amazed at the number of plants in Tucson and the desert. The detail and layers within this flower are amazing on their own. I love this photo, but I decided to try manipulating, mostly to practice with Photoshop.

I’m getting pretty good at selecting portions of a picture to put on a new layer and just work with that. This layer makes the flower look like there are more layers to the flower than there actually are. I played around with some of the options, most of which I didn’t like. But I did finally fnd a gradient I liked….

The details on this flower are just amazing. The center and the stamen are so clear – I particularly like what happened with the gradient to add the blue into the center.

Finally I decided to look at changing the background, which I had already lightened from the mostly black original. I liked it lighter, and now that I know how to manipulate filters for a background, I am quite partial to the sponge effect.

Not a wow, but I’m enjoying the practice.

This is a perfect day for my first Thursday Thoughts – the last day of the school year. I had a fabulous year, compared to the past 12 teaching in Tucson. I took on a challenging group of students and loved them – they have grown so much in their math skills, and hopefully in their work ethics. I held up the graduation robe that we started the year with and said, Three more years and you will be wearing this. Lots of hugs as the kids left.

This morning was the faculty breakfast, and I was pleasantly surprised. Administration cooked, student council served – and then the entertainment started – videos put together by a bunch of the tech guys – most of whom I don’t know. Hey, after all it’s a staff of 200! The films were just hysterical – spoofs of professional learning communities, our pigeon problem (neutered feral cats….), the “most interesting man on campus”, and a take-off on Apocalypse Now – looking at the state of education and our budget problems in Arizona.

The doings reminded me of the send-offs at Baldwin High School on Maui, where I first started teaching. At Chittenden East in the 70s we did some serious partying – Kathy and I gave the best parties each year. Cartwright – Bingo and some good get-togethers at the local watering holes. When I went back to Vermont, we were all older, and most had kids, so we didn’t get together much except for sedate dinner parties.

In the other two schools I have been at since moving to Tucson, any levity was wrung out of us over the years by stress. Last year I just wanted out of that school.

But this year has been so different – good, professional people, great teammates, needy kids, and a chance to really teach algebra concepts. This will be a great place to finish out teaching……by the way, only 20 more sets of report cards before I retire……

And now…..I’M ON VACATION!!! And…I took a nap on a rainy afternoon – doesn’t get much better!

I talked about how I created this piece, and you can read about it here. But for the last two weeks I have been thinking about that light background and I haven’t been really happy with it. The eye went to the light and kept going back to the light – and I didn’t want that. I wanted focal points to be the interior images. So I decided to see about a darker background, and Voila! I’m not sure it’s finished – I think I need to look at it on a couple of different monitors – plus I think I’m going to have it printed on a tote bag from VistaPrint.

I am so enjoying working on these – some of the pieces just fall into place. I have started scanning some more marbled paper to expand the number of patterns I have. I’ll post those when I have them all scanned.

In the meantime, last weekend I worked with another native image:

I am really taken with many of these indigenous images, and I like the use of the marbled fabrics to add a huge amount of texture. From here I started adding marbled patterns for colors. I didn’t do anything with texturizing until I was happy with the colors. What you see here are the filters and blending modes after all the colors were in place.

More color –

The background was where I really started to learn a few new techniques. I finally figured out how to apply filters to just the background, as opposed to elements within the design. What I particularly like about this background is how it makes the shadows (that look clear) turn dark and look like cording.

I would love to hear your views on how these are shaping up! Feel free to comment.

First time at Marbled Musings? Check out the overview.

What do I listen to when I’m quilting or sewing? Over the years I’ve seen lists of music that quilters listen to, and most of the artists I’ve never heard of. So there are times when I figure I’m pretty ordinary. But I love music, and I have found it really works to get me in the mood for work. For example, when I was writing my master’s thesis, almost all of it was written to the sound track of the movie Glory, a piece I had heard while walking through the mall one day. It was a year later when I saw the movie and realized some of the best, most “uplifting” music was during the bloodiest battles. I haven’t used it since! I wrote my study skills book with Yanni in the background. But when I quilt?

* 1. John Denver greatest hits – all 5 CDs. Most of the songs are perfect for free-motion quilting – great rhythm – kind of get “one with the machine.”

* 2. Josh Groban – No matter when “You Raise Me Up” comes on, I always stop what I’m doing and get refreshed.

* 3. Yanni – Live at the Acropolis – great for cutting and piecing and ironing – nice rhythms, even though a neighbor thought he was pretty bland. I don’t care – at least he’s not John Tesch.

* 4. Mozart’s Eine Kleine Nachmusik (sp?) – especially when I have some difficult sewing ahead – soothes and keeps me focused.

* 5. Anything Celtic, especially when I am sewing bindings. So easy to develop a nice rhythm and keep your mind occupied on mindless sewing.

* 6. Local radio station Mix FM 94.9 in Tucson – Seventies Saturday – lots of old favorites – just makes you feel good and want to continue working.

* 7. David Lanz – New Age music – just about anything he has done. I love just piano – again soothing when the sewing or beading is complex.

* 8. Original Broadway soundtrack for Man of La Mancha – it just makes my heart soar – even the most complex sewing becomes easy to the tune of “Impossible Dream.”

* 9. Original Broadway soundtrack for Funny Girl – I just want to sing like Fanny Brice….

* 10. Celine Dion – almost anything, but the duet with Streisand is fabulous.

This will be an interesting exercise for me – what are the Top Ten of various things I do? I’m hoping this will inspire me to keep creating. Gotta go play John Denver as I quilt…..

Two more days of school, and then summer vacation starts, which isn’t always as productive as I would like. I usually get really ambitious right before school starts again. But this spring and summer look to be a “new leaf.” Since I started in March, and then took the blogging course in April, I have been extremely productive. Let’s go back to March….and then this post.

Website has been mostly updated – still need to get the new pages up and the links checked (which I’ve done on my school page…)

CafePress and Etsy? Way more thinking than doing, but I am getting a lot closer….

Shutterfly and iBook – not there yet.

Art shows – entered (and was accepted) at one, awaiting the results on another.

Garden Fantasy work is coming along nicely, as is general digital marbling – at least three new good pieces.

Trade name finally done and OURS!

And…we took a marbling class and have improved our production techniques. So overall these two months have been excellent. Now for my goals for next week:

Get Etsy shop operating.
Set a calendar of blog topics.
Order tote bag from Vista Print to see what it’s like.
Watch at least three tutorials from Photoshop (NAPP) on blending and masking – a really weak area.
Get entry ready to be mailed to Alaska.

Just when you don’t think education in Arizona can get any worse, the state legislature pulls another stupid one. One of the state senators actually said education wasn’t important to business – getting good business in Arizona was what was important.

Yeah, I know….but it gets worse. We are facing a 16% to 18% budget cut for next year – which will basically cripple the district. Imagine having 35-40 kids in math class, all of whom failed math in middle school. Can you imagine the nightmare? We’ll have less monitors and one less assistant principal for a school of nearly 3000 students. No new texts, no supplies for next year, and 600 teachers cut district-wide.

Yeah, I know….but it gets worse. Our governor who managed to hold the legislature in line and not let them decimate education is now in charge of Homeland Security, and we have a bunch of bozos in the legislature. They insist on balancing the budget on the back of public education. At least the charter schools are facing some of the same budget cuts. Bus routes cut, support staff cut – and a new superintendent who is trying to bring this district into the 21st century – who can’t believe the turf wars and unreasonableness of the state.

Yeah, I know….but it gets worse. I do have a job, but no raise again this year, and I am looking at either losing my extra 20% of my contract with a class cut, potentially losing more in my contract due to a proposed salary cut if things get worse, and watching this affect my last three years’ earnings for my retirement. Yes, I have a job, but in 30-plus years of teaching I have never worked in these kinds of conditions. Vermont friends – you have no idea how wonderful it is back there!

Yeah, I know….but it gets worse. We still have to meet all of the state and federal mandates. In fact, we just had to sign on Wednesday (and the paper was due Wednesday PM – convenient for the board) that we approved the new 301 monies for the extra work we do (funded by sales tax), and without a 70% (I think) vote we wouldn’t get any money at all next year – and still have to do the work (and a “I didn’t vote” vote would count as a “no” anyway).

Yeah, I know….but it gets worse. Now the state is threatening to take away our “carry-over” money – savings we have worked to keep as a result of becoming more fiscally responsible. And ya know – not once has our state superintendent stepped forward to have his voice raised to support education (Well, maybe once – to tell us we were being too worried, and the cuts would only be about 2%). Better believe he ain’t getting re-elected….

At least I still have a job – I don’t know how effective I can be for kids who are terribly at-risk and need the best we can give them. No child left behind, huh? At least I know this year my students have learned math and now think it’s okay – still hard, and they’re not fond of it, but they know they CAN DO IT.

Ooohhh, it’s my turn! Someone tagged me – and I’ve never been tagged – even when it was a game at school (always the last one picked, etc.)! That wonderful person is Anne of El Milagro Studio, who has introduced me to a new world of collage and texture – plus she’s a riot to read!

Here’s how this works….
A. Name & link back to the person who tagged you.
B. List sijavascript:void(0)x (un)important things that make you happy.
C. Tag six bloggers & let them know they’re *it* by leaving them a comment.

Okay, things that make me happy….

1. Sitting near large bodies of water with a relaxed mind (haven’t seen the ocean in 8 years…).
2. Traveling and cuddling with my hubby.
3. Seeing my kids understand math for the first time ever.
4. Making art!
5. The Hupp clan, my second family.
6. Theater – doing, attending, whatever…

Now for the bloggers:

Bliss Fork, she of many talents, winner of a free Ford Fiesta for 6 months – ask her to sing something from Peter Pan….
Mr. Teacher at LearnMeGood, former engineer turned teacher who make you laugh at all the eccentricities of teaching – and surviving….
Dr. Matt Lyon, a former student, who is a wonderful writer, and a chiropractor, and has great ideas of surviving the future!
The Caffeinated Librarian – a mile a minute! And she loved the new Star Trek movie!!
The Edge of the Sea of Cortez – wonderfully amazing book on tidepooling! You’ll want to go dig up the sand….Follow their writings about this amazing environmental resource!

First time reading? Check out this overview.

Yes, yes, yes!! The waiting game is worth it, as I got two pieces into the Fish Follies art show at the Cordova Historical Museum in Cordova, Alaska. You can view last year’s entries here. Suzan Drury is my digital partner, and she won (and sold her piece) honorable mention last year. This is my third acceptance (each of the three years I have entered), and my second fiber piece. Last year Suzan and I had two pieces accepted, and this year we just did one joint piece. I do like the fact that they look seriously at fiber entries. This pic at the top of this post is a close-up of Ocean’s Bounty – I’ll get a full-size one posted soon.

So I could say I have a track record at this show – now if I could just sell something….but I am not going to let a heavily quilted and embellished piece sell for peanuts. Plus, I made the marbled fabric to begin with. Now I’m waiting on the Fort Collins show…all fiber – we’ll see if they like “out-of-the-box” fiber!

Anne (see comments) from El Milagro Studio suggested creating a body of work and shopping it to galleries, which is what a lot of the focus will be this year. I do have a track record of getting into shows, including one rather prestigious fiber show. Some of our entries:

* Textures Gallery and Studio, Scottsdale, AZ, Fall, 2003
* “My World in Black and White,” online exhibition, 2003-2004
* “My World in Black and White,” Ontario Museum of Art and History, CA, 2003 – 2004
* Schullenberger Gallery, Jericho, VT. Artists’ Showcase, December 2003
* Leandro Fabrics and Gallery, Tucson, AZ, May 2004, September 2004
* Expressions in Textiles, juried show, New Haven, CT, August 2004
* Fabric of Legacies, juried show, Fort Collins, CO, July 2004
* Fish Follies, juried show, Cordova, AK, August-November 2004
* Art of the Sixth Extinction, WomenKraft Gallery, Tucson, AZ. Winter 2005
* Fish Follies, juried show, Cordova, Alaska, July – November 2008

And now – Fish Follies, juried show, Cordova, Alaska, June – November 2009!

Here’s hoping for more!

New to Marbled Musings? Here’s a sample of what we’re about!

Now it’s waiting time. I have entered two shows in the last two weeks, one in Alaska and one in Colorado. There are several others that would be appropriate for my work (both fiber and digital), but too many entry fees really add up.

The Alaska show is one I’ve entered twice before and been accepted to, entry fee is reasonable, but I haven’t sold anything yet. My digital partner has sold pieces every time she enters – just not one of “our” pieces! So at least the odds for acceptance are in my favor. My first piece was an art quilt, second pieces were digital art, and this year’s entry is a very involved art quilt.

The Colorado show is also one I’ve entered and been accepted into, and there’s no entry fee, but a 30% commission. Haven’t sold anything, and haven’t entered in the last couple of years. So I’m hoping my work is unusual enough to be noticed. Once I hear something, I’ll post more.

I guess the questions for all of you are those of necessity. Do we need to have a juried list of acceptances to be seen as “real artists?” Do you choose which shows each year you want to enter? Do you set a budget specifically for art shows? Are there some shows you have more luck with?

Inquiring minds really want to know….and…wait for it….it’s the weekend!! More time for art!

First time reading Marbled Musings? Check out the Overview.

Last days for Contest

copyright 2008 by Linda A. Moran, all rights reserved

Marbling is such a fascinating process, hundreds of years old, and much of it still “hidden” to the public, given that the Guilds used to be very protective of their skills and secrets, and would put marblers to death if they shared secrets outside their guild. Not in these days – you have paper marblers involved in antique book restoration, commissions, and marbling fabric. We spent ten years learning the craft, just to consider ourselves passable at marbling. We have so much left to learn! What follows are a collection of links to this amazing art form. What I am trying to do with my blog is document how I am using the marbled fabric we create into other forms – quilting, abstract, wearable, and digital.

All of these videos are pretty good – gives you an idea of just how meditative this art form can be. Some of the videos are 7 minutes or longer – but worth the wait. Plan to spend some time, as the work is gorgeous! The websites have amazing work on them, so enjoy!

From YouTube:
Paper Marbling
Turkish Marbling
The Art of Marbling
Ebru Sanati
Ebru Sanati 2

Marbling Websites:
Marjorie Beavis
The Art of Fabric
Galen Berry
Society of Marbling – loads of links here on marbling – some amazing eye candy!
Iris Nevins

Copyright 2009 by Linda A. Moran, all rights reserved.

As I’ve been reading blogs lately, I’m reminded of people I really admire, living and non. The kids asked me to name my heros, and of course they didn’t know any of the names. One even said “Were they around for George Washington?” Nothing like continuing to feel even older! So here goes:

* Helen Keller – actually saw her on television in the 50’s, and have read about her and Anne Sullivan. Remarkable.

* Eleanor Roosevelt – “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” A great first lady, world ambassador, and far-thinking woman.

* Albert Schweitzer – world-class humanitarian; gave up a music career to become a doctor and set up clinics in Africa.

* The Founding Fathers – this was an amazing collection of brilliant minds at one particular point in history; they did what no others have done.

* Nelson Mandela – prison for 25 years for what you believe in.

* Thomas Friedman – NY TImes columnist who makes economics make perfect sense – I actually read him regularly, and The World is Flat” is a must-read.

* Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Ghandi – nonviolence should be the only answer.

* Barbara Kingsolver – her writing makes you want to become an environmentalist, she cares so for the world around her.

* Agnes Smedly – a little-known American woman who was on the Long March with Mao and worked with Margaret Sanger.

* Dorothea Dix, Margaret Sanger, Jane Adams, and Abigail Adams – just amazing women who fostered women’s rights and women’s causes – when it wasn’t popular to do so.

Okay, so there’s more than 10, but by grouping them, I could include those who have made a difference for me.

Other Top Ten’s – Martha Stewart, Inspirational books

First time reader of Marbled Musings? Check out what you can find on this blog.

Wanna enter our Contest?

All images copyrighted by Linda A. Moran, 2009

This is a shot of my new neighborhood, minus the wonderful cul-de-sacs, where spring is blooming furiously. This morning was one of those absolutely perfect days, Josh Groban on the CD, and all’s right with the world. Today, instead of concentrating on posture and breathing, I just wanted to walk for me and the music. Just glorious!

Ocotillo is spectacular this time of year. If we get enough winter rain, the trees get all fuzzy green, with great red blooms waving from the tops. Here’s a few shots – note how the green “fuzzies” just surround the branches.

The textures amidst all this flowering really are great. Rough ark, sturdy cactus, skinny branches, delicate blooms – certainly a very different spring than the East!

In our backyard is a slowly-blooming palo verde, with blossoms the most gorgeous true deep yellow. Depending on the light, the yellow is even deeper!

(copyright 2009 by Linda A. Moran, all rights reserved)

It is official – after almost a year of planning to do this, downloading the paperwork, actually filling it out, finally mailing it, getting it returned because I filled it out wrong, redid it, and then sent it back in, we got official confirmation of a trade name for Digital Marbling.

I’ve been using this in blog posts for over a year, and it describes the new direction we are taking with our fabric. Now we will scan a piece of marbled fabric (or paper), and manipulate it using Photoshop, until we have something totally unique. Today’s picture is an example. I started with a stock image from Photoshop, adding a layer at a time. Then I used some patterns I had created from the marbled fabrics and “filled” them into the flowers. Once I added the black background, the piece began to glow. I went back into the various levels and tried to accent the patterns so the texture would be more obvious. As with all the pieces I am doing, the web and different monitors just don’t do them justice. This piece at its original size is gorgeous – if I do say so myself!

Lately I have been trying new images and writing about the process, and I have alluded to Digital Marbling. But now it’s official – I just need to figure out how to put the little graphic at the end of the name! Not only am I learning how to work with Photoshop – and being pleasantly pleased with what happens as a result, I really like the fact that I am taking myself in a new direction. This week life just got in the way ofd continuing my projects.

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