Domo Arigato

More cute robots. This guy's arms could have had a bit more contrast. You can't see them on the blue body that well. I should have done purple or black. C'est la vie!
I appreciate the comments on my last post. Art doesn't have to have a reason. Right now, I'll make art and not apologize for it. Much like B.W.O., which I linked to some time last week, in which people who want to blog can just "blog" without apologizing for not "blogging" lately. Apologize to your friends for not writing, don't apologize to the ether for not blogging. In that same vein, why make art for a reason if you don't have to? I mean, I do have some reasons to make art: A postcard project for CyberFiber, and some online ATCs, and I would like to finish the journal quilt that I missed the deadline on just to complete the idea and get it out of my head. So there are bunches of things I can do, I just don't have to be sorry about it.
On another note, two things are going on here: One is we are having built in bookcases put in the next 2 week sometime. We're very excited to finally have our library come together. Second, I'm pulling together some cool stuff for a giveaway on my blog! Woo woo! So if you are a regular reader, you could be a winner! Oh, and if you work at OfficeMax in the Chicago area, and you visited my blog on 8/20/08, please email me, you were my 5000th visitor and I want to send you something cool.

Crossroads or Crisis?

I often think about my art work in the "why" sense. Or I should say the "where is this all going?" sense.
Lately, many things have come up that have made me consider selling my art. Should I do it or not? In one case, the local farmer's market invited me to join them, but I had no inventory to speak of to sell, and no tent, and no supplies, and in the end I think I made the right decision. I often get asked if I make my small weekly quilts to sell. Well, no. They are too personal to sell. I then think about patterns. "Oh, I'll make patterns and sell them til the cows come home" and think about funding my hobby with the income. Right. Somehow, the art is still to great an emotional investment to part with. I haven't found the price I would be willing to be paid to part with it (unless I was making it for a gift). So no selling for me.

I then thought at the beginning of this year that maybe I was meant to enter contests, and make art to show in that arena. I can't seem to find the time to work on the project in enough time. The deadline approaches (or passes) and I'm not ready, or the work is very not ready. This was tough, because I wanted to "get out there" and "be seen" and "make a name for myself". But if I work full time, how can I meet the deadlines? I love my career, but want to be an "artist" too. After several attempts at entries into shows this year, without any real success at getting the ENTRY done, I'm going to put this off until I have a year with a little less travel and more free time. I'm not giving up, just delaying a bit.

So that brings me back to "Where is this whole thing headed?" Why do I make quilts? Why am I making this art? It's not to give away, it's not to sell or turn into patterns, it's not for a contest. It's for me. Why does being an artist need to be for one of those reasons? I fi said I did it because I like it, it would be half truthful. It feels like there is much more to it than that, but I can't put my finger on what.

I'm 35 years old. This hobby of mine has an average age of about 55-ish, so I have 20 years to perfect this craft of mine and get to a point of being comfortable with this in my mind. I'm not the first or the last who will go through this, but it kind of sucks when it's happening to you.

Even evil robots need love...

After seeing Wall-E, sad robots in love are quite popular. This is my take on a sad, slightly evil, cute robot with a broken heart. I love the blue circuitry fabric, of which I only have a small bit left.

Signature Styles

I recently had someone tell me that they knew a project was mine because it was my "style". Really? I has a style? This made me take a look at some of my past works, and I looked at sketches of upcoming projects I plan to work on. Indeed, a formation of a style is there. If you look at my Japanese Doll theme, and it continues with the Robots theme, I do have a signature look to the work. It actually came about before these works were thought of. My Journal Quilt, that was not made in time for jurying, was very much in this same vein as these recent themed works. Is it original? Well, the work is original, but is the style?

In clothing, it's easy(ier) to say that this dress looks like Betsey Johnson, or that looks like Michael Kors. Surely a painting style can be attributed to being "after Picasso", or "after O'Keefe", or whoever has the closest style to your painting. It seems like my style copies so many things that I am influenced by, that I did not originally see my own style. Am I inadvertently copying the style of someone else? Who is the original artist if my style and the other artist's style are developed independently? Is it then in the realm of who is more famous? At what point does your style become yours? Back to clothing, the recnet Project Runway winner Christian Siriano has a look that is becoming his own, but it is often still described as "Vivienne Westwood meets whoever". The point is: when does it become his own?

After discussing this with my husband for his feedback he had 2 comments:
1. This whole thing goes back to "are there any truly original ideas anymore" and because I am influenced by what I see, by natural extension my work is going to incorporate those influences. His own work has a style that I recognize, and someone mentioned to him previously, but he does not.
2. That I should not get caught up designing to meet my "style", but to continue to make art and let that style develop over time.

This second one is true. This got me thinking about why I am so concerned with even wanting/having a style at all, which led me to "why I make (my) art". Oh boy, that is a topic for another post!

Destroy! Destroy!

Sitting in the bookstore, drinking a cup of coffee with my DH, I mentioned I did not know what I would do for August's theme. It's a 5 weekend month, meaning there will be 5 of this theme.

DH says "You should do Robots".

Immediately, these robots come to mind. Cute but Evil Robots. My dad likes robots, we're both fans of The Day The Earth Stood Still. We're eagerly waiting for the remake.

I didn't expect to be overflowing with so many cute robots for ideas! So Robots it is... For you Muppin!

Monthly Quilt- My Cats

If I had to enshrine anything, it sure is my girls. This is Bastet, Vermithraxis Destroyer of Worlds, and Lillith. I used my Gocco machine to screen the little faces onto my beloved hand dyed fabrics. My girls get only the best! Next time I need to use more contrast on the faces.

The Gocco did not have the sticking problems on the screens like the last time, because I tried the ironing technique mentioned on Flickr.com's Gocco group. I still may stamp their names onto the fabric near their little noggins, but for now, I'm happy with the cute results.

I love you Project Runway...

But maybe you have jumped the shark...or "Nuked the fridge", or whatever the cool kids are saying these days. pic stolen from this funny blog.