General Discussion

Re: Do you feel confident in your quilts artistic merits?

Caribquilter — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 13:32:22 GMT

Hi Rachel,

yes I remember your post sometime ago. But if what you tell us today is not empowerment I don't know what is. All the same I've always felt that it is unimportant whether others "get it" or not, why should they? After all each of us has a different approach to things we see or experience that is so totally personal that it is a wonder that 2 people are able to agree on things sometimes. Each vision is "colored" by all kinds of factors: socio-cultural, background, education to name a few. Add to that the artists typical and extremely intricate ways of expressions and it is easy to understand that some get confused by what they see or perceive.

I never explain my art, rather I ask people what they see, and everyone sees something different and that's ok. I know what I put out there and that is what matters to me: my inspiration, the translation of my feelings or experience. Tell you what though: ask kids and they'll tell you exactly what your piece represents, at least that is my experience.

Keep going Rachel, your art is a pure translation of who you are, it is logical that others don't know you on that deepest inner level, so it is understandable that sometimes they "don't get it."

Myriam

Re: Do you feel confident in your quilts artistic merits?

1onerach — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 04:05:14 GMT

Earlier in this post, I wrote about a friend of mine who didn't get my quilts. I believe "potholder" is how she described them. She came to my house the other day and saw one of my quilts hanging up. She immediately said, "Ohh, I get it now." Maybe I didn't explain it good enough, but I'm glad she no longer looks at me like I've lost my mind. My friend also wants to get a sewing machine.

Rachel

Re: Do you feel confident in your quilts artistic merits?

Kathleen M Tenpas — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 10:48:11 GMT

There's a small gallery/frame shop in the next little town that has shown (and sold one) of my quilts. Stan bought me two watercolors there for Christmas and while he was the there, the owner asked who he was. When Stan told him, he said, "Your wife does beautiful work." And here I thought he just put them in because he knew me when I was a tiny girl.

Comments like that put you on a firmer footing with what you're doing.

Re: Do you feel confident in your quilts artistic merits?

Whidbey2 — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 04:28:00 GMT

Hi Caren,

I spent several years feeling like a fish out of water. Some people said they liked what I did but didn't really appreciate it. 8 years ago we moved and I found quilting and quilting guilds. No body appreciates your work like guild sisters. Nobody challenges you like guild sisters. I still do totally different things than the traditional quilters but they are very supportive. I belong to several guilds and I found an Art Quilt mini guild. I am now stretching my abilities way beyond what I could have done alone or just listening to my family and non creative friends. Now my Husband even has learned to appreciate my work. I call him my Patron of My Arts.

Follow your own heart but open your world to more creative people. You can't help but grow.

Happy new year to you and yours

whidbey

Re: Do you feel confident in your quilts artistic merits?

caren12 — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 18:08:45 GMT

I usually feel great about what I am currently working on.... Then others see it and don't "see" it the way I do, or I see simialr themed quilts or quilts with similar techniques and think...Wow there's look better. Or why didn't I think of that. Usually it's because I go from concept straight to a pair of scissors without thinking things through as long as I should. But I am easily distracted!!!

But even others may not love my quilt as much as i love my quilt. I know its all subjective. And in the end It's my opinion that matters. I usually, keep my art quilts. Mainly because very few people I know would truely appreciete them. And it does hurt my feelings when one of my creations leave for a household where they are not appreciated. My traditional quilts have found many happy homes.

I don't think giving away your quilts means you don't value them. It probably means you enjoy giving them to those you care about. It's a lot of work to make a quilt and it means a lot to give it away.

I am also always on to the next thing. Being easily distracted I don't always finish what I start!!

Happy Quilting

Caren

Re: Do you feel confident in your quilts artistic merits?

Whidbey2 — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 02:44:45 GMT

This is the story that I tell new quilters about being insecure in your abilities. Maybe it will help. It always helps me to remember art is in the eye of the beholder.

My Star Dancer

I was on my way to buy paint for my kitchen when I decided to stop in the fabric shop to see what was new. There was a big sign that said CHEMO CHALLENGE. I had never heard of a quilt challenge or a Chemo quilt or even been to a Quilt show. I had only made one quilt and a couple of wall hangings my skills were definitely primitive but I had a lot of blessing to pay forward so I thought I should do it. I took home the fabric which I thought looked very much like some kind of tribal healer gown. So I drew up a dancer and begin to sew by hand. I got the dancer finished and added ribbons in her hands representing all the cancer ribbons. Then somewhere in my infinite wisdom I decided to hand appliqué stars all over the top of the quilt. 77 hand appliquéd stars in various sizes placed in the shape of several hearts. I hand quilted the quilt in my own clumsy fashion. And there it was my STAR DANCER FOR THE CURE. When I went to turn it in the other quilts were hanging. Beautiful perfectly pointed quilts with the most awesome machine quilting. I had never seen anything so beautiful and there was a whole room full. I was embarrassed with the thought of my quilt hanging among them. But the STAR DANCER made me smile so I figured it might make some quirky person smile too so I left it. And I left town.

I returned to home to find a phone call on my answering machine. I had won first prize but of course I was gone and missed the press photo session and the award presentation. When the MAC unit of our local hospital called to ask if it was ok to hang it in their permanent collection in the Chemo waiting room I was very pleased. I was also secretly relieved because I wasn’t sure the quilt would last long with daily use or heaven forbid a washing machine.

The STAR DANCER FOR A CURE has been used along with the words on the label by the American Cancer society to end their corporate presentations. I still hear from people who have just seen my quilt for the first time as they go in for Chemo. It makes them smile at a very difficult time in their life.

Why did this quilt win? It certainly wasn’t my skill as a quilter. You could see all of my appliqué stitches. I didn’t use premier quilting fabric (I didn’t know the difference at the time. It was the colors that concerned me). There was no perfection anywhere. This quilt was just different, quirky and made people smile. NEVER BE ASHAMED OF YOUR QUILT! It is your heart made of cloth.

whidbey

Re: Do you feel confident in your quilts artistic merits?

arlijohn — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:08:24 GMT

My standard reply: " Do whatever you usually do with your wall art>" Kind of giveds the message.

Re: Do you feel confident in your quilts artistic merits?

sha1non — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 01:38:26 GMT

so true. And those in your life that "get it" are your biggest fans, defenders and support.

Sha1non

Re: Do you feel confident in your quilts artistic merits?

okieLinda — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:24:28 GMT

It makes no differance if its a big piece or a little , people just look like that , unless its a quilt like their Grandmother made, I think it confuses their brains because if its a quilt it has to be traditional , luckily some do 'get it' right off the bat and those are the ones you start showing it to first :)

Re: Do you feel confident in your quilts artistic merits?

sha1non — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 22:25:33 GMT

And when you show them the sleeve and provide the hanger you still get the funny look--like aren't you odd with your "little blankets."

sha1non

Re: Do you feel confident in your quilts artistic merits?

Muppin — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:46:26 GMT

Yes, all the time! The hanging it up part always gets them...

Cheryl / Muppin

Re: Do you feel confident in your quilts artistic merits?

1onerach — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 22:35:56 GMT

Cherly,

Do they ever ask you,"But what do you do with it?" When I tell them to hang it up, they just look at me funny. As if a quilt hanging up for decoration is out of the realm of fantasy.

Rachel

Re: Do you feel confident in your quilts artistic merits?

Muppin — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 22:19:17 GMT

Rachel- OMG

1onerach:
The first art quilt I showed to my friend was about one foot by one foot. It was very densely quilted, and cute. I sat there nervously awaiting her reply. "It looks like a pot holder," she turned to me and said. At that I had to laugh.

This is so me! This happens to me all the time. Like the "so are you going to sew these little ones all together to make a BIG quilt?" I get all the time too.

Cheryl / Muppin

Re: Do you feel confident in your quilts artistic merits?

arlijohn — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 14:58:26 GMT

Love all the feedback. From what I'm hearing, I think it reinforces what I already felt and do. I make what I make because something inside myself pushes me to, once it is done it's done and I move on. I really enjoy reading everybody's input.

Re: Do you feel confident in your quilts artistic merits?

Caribquilter — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:49:07 GMT

I just finished my 1st solo piece. It was quite an ambitious project so I'm really pleased to have achieved it. I laid it on my table and I admire it and have shown it to my friends and neighbors who think it is wonderful (so much for my doubts). Only I know there are mistakes in it, after all it is a learning project but that does not bother me at all, the fact that I made it beats everything right now. I'm enjoying the feelings right now because I refuse to get attached to anything, so one day I know it will go, just like one of my paintings went to a little girl who admired it for so many weeks and then she asked me to paint her the same, that is when I gave it to her.

I believe creating is revealing who you are, part of your spirit comes to life and is free to express itself. There are many ways to express yourself and it seems logical to me that when you're done with one thing you move on to the next, because creativity is an eternal beginning. Once my piece was done I had satisfied my need to express something that was important to me. The minute I was done, and despite my great satisfaction (I was grinning all over) I was like "and now what?" and the same night I dreamt of my next piece. It is good to learn to let go off things, they only clutter our lives and while we hang on to things we have less and less space to move about in our inner house, there comes a time when clutter also restricts our power to create. And work or art only has the value each of us attributes to it. As the product of your creativity your art will always have value and therefore by definition it is invaluable because how do you quantify creativity? Most important is that we have fun in what we do and so we move on to something new and exciting. Have fun always, I know I do, even when I'm sweating over my piece, I think I'd not trade place with anyone.