Author: tierneycreates: a fusion of textiles and smiles
Quilter, crafter, obsessive tea drinker and lover of all furry creatures (especially dogs and cats) - join me on my tierneycreates blog as I share stories from "A Crafter's Life".
Yesterday’s post with quilts from the Women of Color Quilting Network and Friends Show Visioning Human Rights in the New Millennium: Quilting the World’s Conscience (Curated By Dr. Carolyn Mazloomi) were just to whet your appetite.
This post features more powerful quilts from the show. If you are just joining us you can click on this link – WCQN – to view the two previous posts (Part I and Part II).
As I mentioned in the previous post, some of these quilts made me want to just step away from my sewing machine and find a new hobby.
I’ve seen many beautiful art quilts over the years – at shows and online – but I’ve never seen in person such a collection of powerful inspirational quilt all in one venue.
Sandra Scott – Bloodties
The photos do not do this quilt justice. This is definitely one of the quilts in the show that made me want to just give away my sew machine because now I see how art quilts “are done”. It is an absolute masterpiece and reading the Artist Statement and viewing this quilt in person can bring you to tears.
Speaking of quilts that can bring you to tears, this one had me quietly sobbing…
Dorothy Burge – Stop Killing Us
And now the piece that attempted to completely blow out my tear ducts – a piece inspired by news story of a young Syrian refugee child discovered washed up on the shore.
April Shipp – The Waters Returned Him: In Honor of Aylan Kurdi, Age 3
This quilt was a 3D quilt with a large set of hands coming forward holding a handmade doll representing the drowned Syrian refugee child. If seeing this quilt in person did not stir someone, then they were emotionally dead inside.
I got to chat with the amazing artist who passionately shared the story behind her inspiration. While listening to her I was desperately trying to keep it together (the tear ducts were starting to crumple) as she shared her beautiful compassion and intense feelings of heartbreak over hearing the news story (okay so I am getting weepy just trying to write this…).
Yes I kept having that “imposter syndrome” feeling being at this show with these significant pieces of work and these amazing artists (some of who are professional artists).
Here are a couple more quilts in the show to close out this post with a little less intense topics.
Carolyn Crump – Deeds, Not Words
Sharon Ray – Hamtramck, My Home
I hope you found these pieces as stirring and amazing as I did. In the next post I will share the rest of the sampling of pieces from the show.
If you are an artist/crafter have you ever attended an exhibit that made you want to just put away your art/craft supplies and find a new hobby?
This is what happened to me (no worries, it was only for a moment), when I saw the art quilts in the opening night of Visioning Human Rights in the New Millennium: Quilting the World’s Conscience at the Fitton Center for Creative Arts in Hamilton, Ohio on Friday August 17, 2018.
This post is a continuation of the post Visioning Human Rights in the New Millennium, Part I and rather than ramble on about how many of these inspirational, provocative, powerful, creative, masterpieces made me want to shut down my sewing machine and walk away, I will just share a sample of images of the amazing quilts in the show.
I’ve included the Artist Statements that explain these amazing art quilts inspired by United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Note I am going to share images of quilts from the show over several posts.
Earamicha Brown – A Woman’s Worth
Behrooz Assani – The Dawn of Human Rights
This quilt was not by a “Woman of Color” but by a Persian man, originally from Iran who wanted to show that although this part of the world has a reputation for the violation of human rights, Persia was in ancient times a forerunner on the concept of human rights.
Barbara McCraw – Every Man, Woman, and Child
Cynthia Lockhart – Created to Be Me
Beverly Smith – Plant a Seed
Glenda Richardson – Article 25
I will leave you with these 6 quilts to think about and next post I will continue with more quilts from the show.
Over a week ago I attended the opening of the show Visioning Human Rights in the New Millennium: Quilting the World’s Conscience at the Fitton Center for Creative Arts in Hamilton, Ohio.
This show is curated by Dr. Carolyn Mazloomi, founder of the Women of Color Quilting Network (WCQN). It is inspired by the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
According to the United Nations’ website (un.org):
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is a milestone document in the history of human rights. Drafted by representatives with different legal and cultural backgrounds from all regions of the world, the Declaration was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in Paris on 10 December 1948 (General Assembly resolution 217 A) as a common standard of achievements for all peoples and all nations. It sets out, for the first time, fundamental human rights to be universally protected and it has been translated into over 500 languages.
Dr. Mazloomi invited members of WCQN and friends to design a quilt inspired by one of the 30 Articles in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
As those of you who’ve followed my blog for a while know, I designed a 50″ x 50″ quilt inspired by Article 1 and Stories My Father Told Me (this is a new category on my blog which contains all related posts about the first quilt in a series of quilts I plan to make inspired by stories/lessons my father told me as a child), titled The Lesson and The Equation.
The Lesson and the Equation (2016) by Tierney Davis Hogan. Photo by Dr. Carolyn Mazloomi.
The Lesson and The Equation debuted at this show along with many mind-blowing and inspirational quilts.
Friday August 17, 2018 was the “soft opening” of the show and contained about 25 – 30 quilts, half the entire show. The entire show will be opening in the future at a larger venue and there will be a book that accompanies the show.
Here are some examples of books from other WCQN shows that can be found on amazon.com (just search “Carolyn Mazloomi”):
In addition the soft opening of the show, Friday 17, 2018 was also the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Fitton Center for Creative Arts.
Around the exhibited quilts, there were placards with the Preamble and the corresponding Articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, below are a couple examples:
I was very overwhelmed to be part of the this amazing show and here I am absolutely amazed that I got to be an “Exhibiting Artist”:
I was also overwhelmed and very honored that two of my long-time blogging buddies Sandy and Cindy of graybarndesigns.com came from Ohio and Western NY to meet me and see the show!
Tierney and the GrayBarns Sisters!
Next post I will share images from the amazing and inspirational pieces in the show!
“Our hopes for a more just, safe, and peaceful world can only be achieved when there is universal respect for the inherent dignity and equal rights of all members of the human family.” – UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka
My 18′ x 40″ quilt from recycled materials, The Recycled Love (2018) is part of the – Threads That Bind Central Oregon SAQA exhibit at Cascade Sotheby’s International Realty Gallery, downtown Bend, Oregon that opened August 3, 2018 and is running through August 2018.
Cascade Sotheby’s International Realty, downtown Bend, Oregon
I did not get to attend the opening but luckily I met a friend for lunch the morning of the show’s opening. After our lunch we peeked into the gallery and luckily the pieces were already hung in preparation for the evening’s opening.
I took photos quickly as I needed to return to work – here are images from the show (apologies to the artists for the less than stellar photo images of their amazing quilts – the quilts were all perfect rectangles unlike my camera image portrays!):
Each art quilt had a placard with the name of the piece and the artist’s name, but I wish the Artist Statements were also displayed. Our SAQA group met in June at one of the member’s gorgeous homes (the house was a piece of art itself!) and we took turns unveiling our pieces and sharing our Artist Statements/the background on each piece.
The art quilts in this show each have an amazing story and I am sorry I cannot share those stories with you (I should have taken notes at the unveiling). I do remember part of one story, a piece by the incredibly talented Jan Tetzlaff – it was inspired her trip to South Africa and seeing the prison where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for for 27 years:
In case you are new to my blog, you can read more about my piece The Recycled Love in this post – The Recycled Love.
It’s time to continue my ongoing series, The Library Stack, sharing my stack of borrowed books from my beloved local public library.
“Craftivism”
I’ve finished most of the stack and enjoyed flipping through the books with a couple pots of tea. I’m still finishing up one book that I wanted to spend extra time on: How to be a Craftivist: The art of gentle protest by Sarah Corbett.
Image credit: Amazon
As the author asks in the book: “If we want a world that is beautiful, kind and fair, shouldn’t our activism be beautiful, kind and fair?”
This book is by the founder of the Craftivist Collective and provides an alternative to responding to injustice with apathy or aggression – responding instead with gentle, effective protest.
The back cover summary provides as excellent overview of the book so I am going to just quote it: “Quiet action can sometimes speak as powerfully as the loudest voice. With thoughtful principles, practical examples and honest stories from her own experience as a once burnt-out activist, Corbett shows how activism through craft can produce long-lasting positive change.”
If you are interested in Craftivism (using craft as a form of activism according to the author), I highly recommend you borrow this book from your library or pick up a copy at a local bookstore (or online).
The author shares a Craftivist’s Manifesto and I’ve listed her ten (10) actions below but I refer you to the book for more details and explanations:
Be the tortoise
Craft is our tool
Solidarity not sympathy
Find comfort in contemplation
Empathy never points fingers
Small and beautiful
Humility holds the key
Provoke don’t preach
Embrace positivity
Make the change you wish to see
The book is peppered with powerful quotes by great thinkers and activists and below are several examples, which are explored deeply in the book:
There comes a point where we need to stop just pulling people out-of-the-river. We need to go upstream and find out why they’re falling in. – Desmond Tutu
Our greatest strength lies in the gentleness and tenderness of our heart. – Rumi
An unexamined life is not worth living .- Socrates
We must combine the toughness of the serpent with the softness of the dove. A tough mind and tender heart. – Martin Luther King
If you want to go quickly go alone. If you want to go far, go together. – African Proverb
Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world,. Today and I am wise so I am changing myself. – Rumi
Anger is the enemy of non-violence and pride is a monster that swallows it up. – Mahatma Gandhi
Handle them carefully for words have more power than atom bombs. – Pearl Stracha Hurd
Evil flourishes when good people do nothing. – Edmund Burke
Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.. – Winston Churchill
UPDATE 8/6/18
There are several TED Talks by the author, here is one of her awesome TED Talks:
NOTE: Being sensitive to the fact that my American blog readers may have differing political views in regards to the current U.S. President and protest events such as the Women’s March, please be thoughtful in any comments you make in the “Thoughts” section of this post about these topics.
My Craftivist Future
A couple of weeks ago I had a wonderful conversation with my sister who challenged me on what direction I want to take my art.
I already plan to continue by series Stories My Father Told Me (see post Creative Inspiration: Stories My Father Told Me ) which is focused on sharing positive stories through textile art of how my father overcame the challenges of discrimination, segregation, and racism. However after talking to my sister, I am starting to explore other series that will have a “Craftivist” flavor.
Ultimately I would love to make art that inspires dialogue. I am still early in my artistic journey and finding my voice.
Of course I also want to make pretty/visually pleasing traditional and art quilts in the future too as well as many other types of textile crafts. Now to just plan to win the lottery so I can devote all my time to my art! (Oh wait, do you have to play the lottery to win?)
Postscript
Speaking of “winning the lottery”, I had one of those awesome early morning walk experiences last Friday (or maybe it was Saturday) that felt like a mini-lottery win.
I’ve been trying start each morning with a 2 miles walk around 6:00 am before it gets hot.
The Balloons Over Bend Hot Air Ballon Festival was in progress (July 27 – 29) and much to my surprise during my morning walk I noticed hot air balloons floating over my neighborhood at a fairly low altitude. One of them dipped so low for a moment that I thought it was going to land in my neighborhood park!
It did not land however and took back off up into the sky.
It was 60 degree Fahrenheit with a slight breeze and absolutely crystal clear blue skies. Seeing the hot air balloons float by was an exquisite experience and the moment made me pause and realize that life is filled with many wonderful little sweet surprising moments!
Hello, my name is tierneycreates Beastie and I am a Monster, but the good kind of Monster.
The regular blogger Tierney, appears to be too distracted lately to write a blog post, so I told her I will take care of getting a post up this week. She did help me take photos since I am not very good at selfies due to my limited arm range.
Here I am ready to start a long overdue blog post:
Tierney made me a make shift deskSometimes I have to look over my glasses while writing
But first – if you are new to this blog (welcome new readers, glad to have you join us!) you can read my story and see some of my adventures in the series of posts – Beastie Adventures. I was born in Dublin, Ireland and moved (well was shipped) to Central Oregon to join Tierney of tierneycreates in June 2018.
I am so glad my maker, Helen of Crawcrafts Beasties (crawcraftsbeasties.com) , made me a laptop so I could help Tierney with blog posts!
So what have I been up to? Well as you know, just like Tierney, I have locs in my hair (you may know these traditionally as being called “dreadlocks” but the current term is LOCS, as there is no “dread” in them!). Like Tierney, I am always wondering how to style my locs and sometimes I get lint in them as Tierney does with hers.
Tierney and I were playing with different hairstyles and she french-braided my hair:
French-braiding attempt
The cool thing about Tierney’s attempt at french-braiding (let’s be honest, she is not going to win any “French-Braiding Awards”) is that my adorable ears get featured:
My ears are normally hidden with my hair flowing free but here they are – popping!
Although I enjoyed showing my adorable ears, after a while the french-braid felt too tight and we returned to my regular hairstyle:
While writing you, my miniature schnauzer Mikelet (named after Tierney’s dog Mike) began staring at me and I suspected he wanted to go for a walk:
I was pretty sure he wanted to go for a walk when he got insistent:
I wanted to put the final touches on this blog post, so I told him to wait.
He got bored waiting and wandered into the living room.
Realizing he probably really needed to “go potty”, I went to the living room to get him for a walk before finishing my blog post and found him hanging out with “Big Mike”:
Big Mike’s beard was looking a little messy so Terry the Quilting Husband (TTQH) began combing it while Mikelet looked on:
Mikelet wanted his beard combed also (he wants to do everything Big Mike does), so TTQH attempted to also comb his beard:
Finally, with a freshly combed beard, Mikelet was ready to go on his walk:
Postscript
Tierney is not totally goofing off. She is still working on an art quilt for a special exhibit in which she cannot share photos until the curator announces the show.
This year I’ve decided instead doing a series of posts on photos from the show, I am going to share my favorites from the show in ONE POST. This post is about quilts that captured my eye or captured my heart.
If you would like a more extensive virtual tour of the 2018 SOQS, there are three (3) Central Oregon bloggers that have extensive photos, stories from SOQS and even videos of SOQS – check out their sites:
They have excellent high quality photos and/or video on their sites above and I recommend you visit their sites for a deeper feel for the 2018 Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show.
Main Street (Cascade Ave) closed to traffic and open to SOQS attendees
Now onto my favorites from the 2018 SOQS show…
Blogging Buddy at Quilt Show
It is so awesome to see in person a quilt made by a quilter whose blogs I follow. In 2016, I got to see a modern quilt by Claire of knitnkwilt.wordpress.com at the SOQS (see the 07/17/16 post Return to Sisters). This year I got to see in person an amazing quilt by Becca of Pretty Piney:
The quilt is titled: “I Didn’t Want to Make This Quilt” and above I share an image of the tag on the quilt from the show so you can appreciate the story behind it!
If you stand back a slight distance from the quilt, the illusion of movement and depth was very impressive. Plus there was a slight breeze gently moving the quilt so the rippling effect was more pronounced. It was fun to stand near it while I took photos and listen to all the great comments by onlookers. I told them that I knew the quilter and several onlookers said to tell the quilter: “She did an awesome job!”.
Ode to Beloved Retrievers
This quilt absolutely captured my heart and the woman who made it was standing nearby talking to her friend about her quilt so I got to chat with her about her inspiration.
She had many retrievers throughout her life – yellow, black and brown labs and golden retrievers. She honored all her retrievers with this quilt filled with images of her beloved dogs. She pointed to some specific retrievers in the quilt and told some stories.
It was very touching and I wanted to hear more of her stories but I needed to move on as I was showing my Sister-in-Laws visiting from NY around SOQS.
The Quilts I am Really Going to Make Someday
At the show were several quilts that I either have the patterns for, have already started the blocks or just really want to make someday. Below are images of some of those quilts:
The first image is a Farm Girl Vintage Quilt and you can check out my series of post Farm Girl Vintage Blocks to see the blocks I have completed so far.
Perhaps seeing images of these completed quilts will inspire me to finish making them someday…perhaps…
Quilts with Words
I love quilts with words/messages and the SOQS had many on display. The ones below were my favorites:
Teachers’ Tent
Each year at the SOQS internationally renown quilt teachers teach classes at the show. It is rare you get a opportunity to take classes from Master quilt makers during the Quilters’ Affair the week before the show all in one place.
Instructors and presenters at the 2018 SOQS Quilters’ Affair included:
Jenny Doan of Missouri Star Quilt Company
Rob Appell of Man Sewing
Violet Craft (queen of modern paper piecing)
Kathy Doughty from Australia of Material Obsession
Sue Spargo (queen of appliqué)
Resident nationally known instructors such as Jean Wells Keenan and Valori Wells (owners of the Stichin’ Post); and Anna Bates of Quilt Roadies
Joe Cunningham
Rosalie Dace from South Africa (amazing art quilter!)
As well as many more big names in quilting. In previous years Tula Pink has taught classes at the show (I tried to take one last year but did not register in time) as has Angela Walters. If there is a big name in quilting, then likely they’ve been an instructor at SOQS!
Living in Central Oregon, I do have the opportunity during the year to take classes from the big names in quilting during the year when they visit the area. Someday I am going to take advantage of this! The classes are not cheap but I think they would be worth it!
The visiting instructors show their work in the Teachers Tent at SOQS. Here are images of a couple of my favorite pieces on display in the Teachers Tent:
The Central Oregon SAQA (Studio Art Quilt Associates) group has an annual exhibit at SOQS. In several previous post I’ve discussed the evolution of my piece Recycled Love which is part of this exhibit.
Here is is at the Threads that Bind Special Exhibit at SOQS:
Please check out Kristin Shields’ post Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show Part 7 for high quality images of the entire exhibit (Kristin is an excellent photographer in addition to being a very talented art and modern quilters).
Vincent Van Gough Quilt Exhibit
Cherrywood Hand Dyed Fabrics has an annual Challenge and Exhibit. This year it was Vincent Van Gough Themed small quilts. The exhibit was mind blowing and below are a couple images of my favorite pieces:
No Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show visit is complete without a stop at the shop that started it all the Stitchin’ Post.
I get to visit the shop all year long since I live in Central Oregon, but it is fun to peek inside during the craziness that is the Stitchin’ Post on SOQS Day!
You can barely move in the shop and they convert the classroom in back into an awesome shopping area. Here is an example of some of the treasures to be found:
Finally, let me close this post with an image of a quote, rather than a written quote. It was on the billboard of the local flower nursery in Sisters, Oregon:
Hello! Are you as warm as I am? We’ve been blessed with 95+ temperatures in Central Oregon. I am writing this on my porch (which is shaded) as our two little evaporative coolers are not keeping the house as cool as I would like it to be (someday we dream of installing central air conditioning…)
Photo credit: “The Sun” by William Picard, free images.com
It’s dropped down to 92 degrees so it is now cool enough (ha!) for me to work on a blog post. I am continuing my series of posts about the 2018 Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show (SOQS), that began with this post: Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show 2018, Part I.
Terry the Quilting Husband (TTQH)’s sisters from New York, Sue and Diane, came to town for the show and to visit us for a week. We took them on a Central Oregon Quilt Shop Hop (they are both quilters/crafters) on Thursday and Friday before the SOQS on Saturday.
As a result of all that quilt shop-hopping, new projects were purchased by my sister-in-laws and we’ve had many enjoyable evening sitting around my living room, backyard (when it cools down in the evening), or my dining room table crafting together:
They’ve been working on two different wool appliqué candle mat patterns by Bareroots Little Stitches. One is a cat themed candle mat and the other is this dog themed mat pattern called #195 Puppy Love.
Here is one sister-in-law’s progress on the kitty themed wool appliqué mat:
As you can see there are many little pieces. Luckily I had freezer paper, appliqué glue stick and of course basic sewing supplies on hand.
Here is the progress my other sister-in-law is making on her dog themed wool appliqué candle mat:
The mats are super adorable! One of my sister-in-laws taught me how to make french knots which I’ve never made before.
Oh you wonder – what I am working on during our crafting sessions? I am working on a wool appliqué miniature pillow that I started in March during a class with Kathy Cardiff (see post Trends Show Part II: More Classes).
I will share on Instagram (@tierneycreates) the completed images of our pieces.
Next post, I will share images from the 2018 Sisters Outdoor Show (once I weed through the zillion of photos I took!) If you cannot wait until my next post, here are two Central Oregon quilting bloggers that are already sharing awesome photos and stories:
What does the phrase “Soulful Simplicity” mean to you?
The last several months I’ve listening to some awesome audiobooks from my public library while I go on daily walks, sew, or do errands. I plan to share highlights from the audiobooks in upcoming posts and I thought I would begin with my current listen: Soulful Simplicity: How Living With Less Can Lead to So Much More by Courtney Carver.
image credit: Amazon
Here is the summary of the book on on the Deschutes Public Library website:
Courtney Carver shows us the power of simplicity to improve our health, build more meaningful relationships, and relieve stress in our professional and personal lives. We are often on a quest for more, giving in to pressure every day to work more, own more, and do more. For Courtney Carver, this constant striving had to come to a stop when she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Stress was like gasoline on the fire of her symptoms, and it became clear that she needed to root out the physical and psychological clutter that were the source of her debt and discontent.
In this book, Carver shows us how to pursue practical minimalism so we can create more with less-more space, more time, and even more love. She invites us to look at the big picture, discover what’s most important to us, and reclaim lightness and ease by getting rid of all the excess things.
The audiobook is read by the author (which always adds a high degree of authenticity to the listening for me) and focuses on “being more with less“.
I am 2/3rds through the audiobook and wanted share one of my favorite stories (that the author shares in her book) about what really matters in life. As the author states, there are many versions of this story. Here is the version from her website: Be More With Less.
The Mexican Fisherman
An American investment banker was at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one Mexican fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellowfin tuna. The American complimented the fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them.
The fisherman replied, “only a little while”. The American then asked why didn’t he stay out longer and catch more fish? The Mexican said he had enough to support his family’s immediate needs. The American then asked, “but what do you do with the rest of your time?”
The Mexican fisherman said, “I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take siestas with my wife, Maria, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine, and play guitar with my amigos. I have a full and busy life.”
The American scoffed, “I am a Harvard MBA and could help you. You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat. With the proceeds from the bigger boat, you could buy several boats, eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would sell directly to the processor, eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing, and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then LA and eventually New York City, where you will run your expanding enterprise.”
The Mexican fisherman asked, “But, how long will this all take?”
To which the American replied, “15 – 20 years.”
“But what then?” asked the fisherman.
The American laughed and said, “That’s the best part. When the time is right you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich, you would make millions!”
“Millions – then what?”
The American said, “Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take siestas with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos.”
In the version I heard many years ago, the Mexican fisherman states at the end of the story: “Why would I go through all that to get what I already have?”
The first time I heard this story it deeply resonated with me. As I have discussed in my series of posts on My Minimalism Journey, I’ve been working on appreciating and enjoying the life I have; taking care of my physical, emotional and spiritual health; and curating my possessions to only those things I truly love (but darn it, I love all my crafting books and magazines!)
In my pay-the-bills health care job, I’ve been offered the opportunity to attend my employer’s leadership track nine-month program to move into a leadership position. I declined the opportunity as although it would be more money, it would be much less time doing the things I love such as blogging, crafting, spending time with my husband and dog, enjoying nature, etc., etc., etc.
I am already happy with my job, salary and work schedule. I do not need to climb the “corporate ladder” to become happier.
Actually I think climbing the corporate ladder at this point in my life would be the path to less happiness as I remember a lot of stress in my life when I was previously in leadership for 8 – 9 years.
Terry the Quilting Husband (TTQH) fully supports this decision as he remembers his very stressed wife during her years in a leadership role.
I am quite content in my life’s version of a “little fishing village”.
Fear less, hope more; Eat less, chew more; Whine less, breathe more; Talk less, say more; Love more, and all good things will be yours! – Swedish Proverb
Are you ever intimidated by the work of other artists? I struggle at times between feelings of inspiration and intimidation but I try to focus on INSPIRATION.
This post is part two of the posts on the July 2018 QuiltWorks Gallery exhibits. In the previous post, QuiltWorks Gallery July 2018, Part I , and in this post I will share images from the other side of the gallery – the show of the Featured Quilter Betty Gientke.
Betty is a member of my SAQA (Studio Art Quilt Associates) group and an unbelievably talented art quilter. Her use of color and her color palettes are amazing and very inspirational (note I am focusing on “inspiration” not “intimidation”, ha!)
Betty gave me permission to share the images from the show and here she is at her show:
Here are some of my favorite pieces from the show – enjoy!
And then there was this piece. Mind blown. The photos do not capture how spectacular it is:
Turquoise and Orange – what an incredibly yummy color combination. In addition to the impressive palette, she had many different fabric textures in her pieces.
I took photos of the Artist Statement of several of her pieces but forgot to tie them with the piece, so I am just going to share some of her Artist Statements below alone. Even without the piece to directly connect them to it is still interesting to read about her inspiration for each piece:
Well the weekend grows near and I hope you all have summer fun or summer crafting planned.
My beloved sister in laws (both quilters) are in town for the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show(Saturday July 14) and I took time off work to go play with them. Terry the Quilting Husband (TTQH) and I are taking them quilt shop hopping around Central Oregon!
The important thing for you is to be alert, to question, to find out, so that your own initiative may be awakened. – Bruce Lee
Are you inspired by the work of other artists like I am?
Last Friday was filled with inspiration as I attended the QuiltWorks Gallery opening of two shows: Tree Quilts and Featured Quilter Betty Gientke.
Here is a view of the downstairs QuiltWorks quilt shop from upstairs in the gallery:
This post I will share some of images from the Tree Quilt Show, held on one side of the upstairs QuiltWorks gallery, that my piece Tree of No Hurry was in (see my post “Tree of No Hurry” at QuiltWorks Gallery).
Next post I will share images of mind-blowing art quilts (including orange and turquoise together in inspirational and spectacular combinations) of Betty Gientke, who also belongs to my local SAQA (Studio Art Quilt Associates) group.
Note – the July QuiltWorks show was crowded and I did my best to take photos quickly between groups viewing the quilts – so apologies on the less than stellar photos…
Tree Quilt Show
Central Oregon Winter by Joan Fox
Her Majesty by Bonnie Tomsheck
Pretty amazing or should I say “majestic”, huh?
Leaves All Around by Mary Stiewig
Hope by Martha Phair Sanders
Okay this one took my breath away (the piece itself and the Artist Statement) but then I know Martha from the SAQA group I belong to – and she is incredibly talented.
There were also these two wonderful pieces in the show that I forgot to photograph their Artist Statements, so I have no talented artists to credit:
I like the modern quilt interpretation of trees set in a bold red-orange background!
And then there was my piece, with it’s simple message to slow down as all will be accomplished:
Yes my piece was not as “artsy” as the other pieces in the show but the message in it makes me smile!
As I mentioned in the post “Tree of No Hurry” at QuiltWorks Gallery, QuiltWorks hosts monthly fiber art shows in their upstairs gallery. The shows open the first Friday evening of the month and includes appetizers and drinks for opening attendees. There is also drawings for fat quarters and other treats. The shop/gallery owner, Marilyn Forestell, always makes opening night fun and is usually showcasing one of her eclectic outfits!
Marilyn Forestell, QuiltWorks owner, modeling the cool vintage skirt she wore at the opening
As a bonus, Marilyn’s dog Piper can usually be found wandering around the shop:
One of the things I love about the QuiltWorks shop (besides Marilyn and her dog) is the inspirational words in the windows about the shop (one of them is the feature image for this post).
Here are the word posted in the windows around the shop:
Create
Inspire
Dream
I think those are very good words!
Next post: Serious art quilt masterpieces by Betty Gientke at the QuiltWorks Gallery July 2018 show (the other side of the gallery from the Trees Quilts Show).
Postscript
Speaking of trees, here is a follow up to the 07/07/18 post Creative Inspiration: Bark, with a couple more B&W photos of tree bark that I took yesterday while wandering around a local park:
Okay I think I have collected enough inspiration for the piece I am working on. Enough with the tree bark for now (smile).
Are you inspired by nature? If you are an artist, is your art inspired by nature?
As part of my ongoing series of posts on sources of Creative Inspiration, I am sharing my latest nature-based inspiration: TREE BARK.
Wait. When you saw the post title, did you suspect I meant “dog bark” or the barking of dogs? I do love dogs, however their barking provides little source of creative inspiration (smile).
Studying Tree Bark
For the latest project I am working on (a secret project for a future exhibit not yet announced by the curator) I needed to study the texture of tree bark. A trip to a local park provided plenty of study subjects!
I was particularly taken by this tree:
And I took a couple B&W photos so I could study the lines of the bark texture for my piece in progress:
Although I did not take more photos, I studied the lines of several more trees in the park and on my daily walks I’ve paid closer attention to trees in my neighborhood.
Speaking of trees, next post I will share images from the Tree Quilt Show I attended last evening.
For the true nature of things, if we rightly consider, every green tree is far more glorious than if it were made of gold and silver. – Martin Luther
Tree of No Hurry (2017) will be part of the Trees Exhibit at QuiltWorks Gallery which opens on Friday July 6, 2018. The show will run through July.
Tree of No Hurry (2017)
QuiltWorks is a Central Oregon quilt shop that has a gallery upstairs and supports the Central Oregon traditional and art quilting community through its monthly shows featuring the works of local quilters, quilting groups and guilds.
Here is more about the QuiltWorks Gallery from their website:
If you are new to my blog, Tree of No Hurry began in an appliqué class with the wonderful teacher Janet Shorten at the Stitchin’ Post quilt shop in Sisters, Oregon in May 2016. Here are the related posts about the beginning of the piece, it’s evolution, wrangling embroidery floss, etc.:
Tree of No Hurry is part of my “Nature Stories” series of quilts. You can view my current four series of art quilts on my Art Quilt Stories page.
Here is the Artist Statement/story behind it:
TREE OF NO HURRY (2017)
25.5” W x 27” L, cotton fabric, embroidery floss
Designed, pieced and quilted by Tierney Davis Hogan
THE STORY OF THIS PIECE:
How often do we hurry about in our lives attempting “to do” everything we feel we must accomplish?
This quote by ancient Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu reminds us that a force as powerful as Nature (with a “to-do list” greater than we could imagine) does not hurry and still gets the important stuff accomplished.
Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished. – Lao Tzu
I mentioned in this post that I had two pieces in the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show (July 14, 2018) this year. Originally I was only going to have one piece, my 18″ x 40″ quilt for our annual Central Oregon SAQA themed show: The Threads That Bind
The Recycled Love
The Recycled Love (2018)
However a couple weeks ago I got an e-mail from Jeannette Pilak asking for additional quilts for Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show (SOQS) Sponsors. The “Sponsor Quilts” are hung in the local businesses that financially support the show a week before the show. “Sponsor Quilts” help support sponsors by encouraging SOQS attendees to visit their shops and businesses to see additional quilts.
I was honored to be included in the list of those invited to help out, so I decided to also put this quilt in SOQS as a “Sponsor Quilt”:
Additional Conversations
Additional Conversations (2018)
I am listing Additional Conversations for sale as the show as I’ve been invited to create another quilt with the same inspired design for a very special show, that of course is secret and I cannot share information on yet.
Speaking of secret shows, if you are wondering why lately I have not posted photos of any works in progress it is because I am working on a secret quilt for a future Women of Color Quilting Network Show and I cannot share images until the show is announced.
I know several of you have worked or are currently working on secret quilts too for special shows/books/events. It will be fun when we can all reveal them!
Other SOQS Stuff
Terry the Quilting Husband (TTQH) does not have any quilts in the show this year. It is not like 2016 when he had FIVE quilts in the show and SOLD TWO! I also had five quilts in the show and SOLD NONE. He teased me quite a bit about that as he was a very new quilter and I am a long-time quilter. He was in the special Man Made exhibit so that might have given him more exposure (or his quilts were just more appealing than mine).
For this SOQS one of my blogging buddies, Becca @Pretty Piney who lives on the East Coast of the U.S. has a quilt in the show this year and I am going to take photos for her and send them on to her. I met Becca in person in NYC September 2017 while we were both attending Quilters Take Manhattan and we were both trying to photography our mutual blogging buddy, Mary @Zippy Quilts piece! It was one of those “talk about a small world” moments!
I have a bunch of blog posts on previous Sisters Outdoor Shows and if you would like to read those stories and see some of the amazing quilts people display at the show, check out this series of posts: Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show
And I will likely do a series of posts on this years show. I am especially excited about this years show as my two beloved Sister-in-Laws, who are both quilters, are coming for a visit to see the show and to hang out with TTQH (their brother) and me!
For next year there are rumors that some of my California-based Quilting Sisters might come for a visit during the show! We had a blast a couple of years ago when they visited and I might need to check with them before I share some of the hysterical shenanigans that occurred during their visit…something to do with a quilter’s cutting mat and I can say no more at this time – ha!
For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone. – Audrey Hepburn
The show postcard for the Women of Color Quilting Network (WCQN) show Human Rights in the New Millennium: Quilting the World’s Conscience has been published and the show’s curator, Dr. Carolyn Mazloomi shared it on her facebook page, so I am sharing it on my blog:
The show opens August 17, 2018 at theFilton Center for Creative Artsin Hamilton, Ohio. The show is based on the United Nations (U.N.) Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Show participants had to select one of the thirty (30) Articles in this declaration and make a 50″ x 50″ quilt inspired by the Article.
I will be attending the opening and I am excited and honored that my piece The Lesson & The Equation (2016) will be in the show.
The Lesson and the Equation (2016) by Tierney Davis Hogan. Image courtesy of Dr. Carolyn Mazloomi.
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood. – Article I, U.N. Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Continuing my ongoing series, The Library Stack, sharing my stack of borrowed books from my beloved local public library. This is not my most recent stack but a stack from last week. I’ve returned a couple of these books and added a couple more but I’ll just use this stack as an example of a latest stack (smile).
In this pile is a book that was in the previous stack – Writing for Bliss: A Seven-Step Plan for Telling Your Story and Transforming Your Lifeby Diana Raab – in my 05/13/18 post.
The book is so good I borrowed it again to finish reading it. A couple of days ago I decided to just buy the book as it is one of those books you want to work through slowly, underline passages and take notes!
The author Diane Raab encourages people to read and write poetry and states that “poetry is the voice of the soul”; and “writing and reading poetry can be a springboard to growth, healing, and transformation.”
She defines and discusses different types of poems; and introduces a type of poem I’ve never heard about before – the “Acrostic” poem – a poem in which the first letters of each line form a word or a phrase if written vertically.
So I thought for fun I would take a stab at writing an Acrostic poem for you:
It Will Never Be Done, and That’s Okay
Quite wonderful is our hobby, even if it fills our lives with
Unfinished projects, gadgets and tools, stashes of precious fabrics and
Impulses to buy even more fabric.
Look at your completed creations and
The smiles they brought to the recipients who are
Intrigued by all the work and love that went into your textile art.
Now step back and realize thank
Goodness you will never be done.
I know, I know, you are thinking: “don’t quit your day job”! Thanks for reading my first Acrostic poem tand I think I experienced a moment of bliss by completing it!
Postscript
I mentioned the previous Library Stack earlier in this post from 05/13/18.
Well here is a little update on the cookbooks I borrowed:
I decided not to buy an Instant Pot or and Air Fryer at this time. Actually I did buy an Instant Pot and then I returned it. I got overwhelmed with bringing new kitchen gadgets into my life at this time and decided to focus on reacquainting myself with neglected appliances such as my slow cooker.
I ended up using one of the Slow Cooker Cookbooks in the stack above to make a couple delicious dinners including slow cooked shredded barbecue chicken that made wonderful sandwiches.
I will revisit the Instant Pot and Air Fryer in the future as I enjoyed looking through the recipe books and all the great (and seemingly) easy dishes you can make with these appliances.
You can’t use up creativity; the more you use, the more you have – Maya Angelou
My tiny studio is nothing to “write home about” but I share photos to encourage other crafters who have not yet created their own little crafting space in their abode to do so.
I’ve proven you can cram a lot into a tiny bedroom (and someday I will install decent lighting into it)!
My studio makes me smile even if is it missing the sense of crisp, coordinated, moderns, elegant, organized, etc. style that I’ve seen in other quilters/crafters/artists’ studio (you’ll never see it featured in magazines such as Where Women Create).
It is a little sanctuary where I have hung on the wall quilts by my Quilting Sisters Kathy R. and Judy D. reminding me of the beauty of life-long true friendships. It is where I enjoy my collection of little toy schnauzers and rabbits, my collection of fabric treats and delights, and a closet full of projects to be made!
From the book Your Creative Work Space: The Sweet Spot Style Guide to Home Office + Studio Decor by Desha Peacock:
A mother bird doesn’t complain that she doesn’t have time or space to create her nest, she just makes do with the resources available to her at the time…Her job is not finished when the nest is built. She still needs to protect it until her babies are strong enough to go out on their own…think of what would happen if the momma bird neglected to actually build the nest because she couldn’t find the perfect materials. Don’t let your creativity suffer or, worse, die because you can’t find the perfect lamp…don’t worry if it’s not perfect. Use the resources you have around you and allow them to blossom with age and use.
Once you create your space, do not abandon it. Protect it fiercely with that momma bird love… – Desha Peacock, Your Creative Work Space (2017)
I hope you all make a nest for the precious baby birds of your creations!
On our morning walk yesterday, I came upon a moth sitting in the middle of the sidewalk. A very large and surprisingly quite beautiful moth. As I approached closer it did not move so I thought I would be a wonderful photo opportunity.
I got a little bold as the moth was just sitting there, and gently prodded it to open its wings and it complied. Usually I dislike moths and would not have anything to do with a moth, but I was intrigued with this one.
I thought I would post a couple of my photos as part of my ongoing series of posts on sources of Creative Inspiration. I think these color palette in the moth is sublime as well is the speckled sidewalk background – it would make a wonderful future art quilt!
Much thanks to the moth who participated in the photo shoot!
After a moderately successful trip to the public library, I figured the tierneycreates Beastie (see Beastie Adventures) and her dog Mikelet were ready to a day trip to Sisters, Oregon.
The annual Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show is approaching (July 14, 2018) and I needed to drop off a Sponsor Quilt for the show.
Terry the Quilting Husband (TTQH) thought we might as well make a day trip out of it and bring Mike our miniature schnauzer. I thought we might as well also bring the tierneycreates Beastie and her miniature schnauzer Mikelet!
(I will have two quilts in the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show this year and I will share more about that in another post.)
The Drive to Sisters
TTQH recently got a new (well, a new used, 2016) car so we got to ride in “air conditioned luxury” to Sisters. No TTQH did not get a luxury car, it is just that his previous car was a 2005 Ford Focus with no air conditioning. We only had manually rolled down windows if we wanted to attempt to cool down in heat!
It got a little crowded in the passenger seat as tierneycreates, Mikelet and Mike all wanted to be in the front passenger area with me. At one point tierneycreates and Mikelet moved to the dashboard for a better view of the road:
Dashboard Beasties
Mike and Mikelet got along well when supervised and Mike shared his view out the window with Mikelet:
Mikelet is to the left of Mike, he sort of blends in with all that gray fur together
The drive to Sisters was beautiful, punctuated by the Three Sisters Mountains:
When you get into Sisters, the mountains are visible everywhere, as shown in the photo below of a Farmstand/Nursery we stopped at for a wander:
And pretty much everywhere you drive/look in the area such as in this neighborhood next to downtown Sisters:
An independent woman, tierneycreates tried to walk Mikelet around Sisters on her own, but at times she agreed to be carried as with her tiny legs she is a bit slow:
Big Mike asking tierneycreates and Mikelet to hurry up
The Stitchin’ Post
I’ve been to the amazing Stitchin’ Post quilt shop a zillion times and since the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show drop off location for quilts was in another building, I was going to skip a visit to the Stitchin’ Post this time.
However I caught tierneycreates peeking into the shop when we walked by it:
So I agreed to take her in and show her around.
Of course, as a Beastie, she couldn’t help being mischievous and before I knew it I was trying to keep up with her and all her wanderings.
I tried to show her around the fabric, such as this beautiful Kaffe Fassett fabric display:
But soon of course I found her in the yarn/knitting section the moment I was not watching her:
When we took this photo, I noticed one of her boots were missing!
I had to backtrack to all the places I’d seen her hanging out and finally we found her boot in the back of this display of yarn:
We talked about her being more careful in the future with her boots!
As we left the Stitchin’ Post, tierneycreates insisted on a photo with the iconic sign:
Paulina Springs Books
After the Stitchin’ Post we wandered over to Paulina Springs Books, a wonderful little indie bookstore (I love Independent Bookstore – check out my 12/23/16 post on Independent Bookstores) off of the main downtown street in Sisters.
Mike and Mikelet checked out the Dog Book Section:
In case you do not see him in the photo, Mikelet is next to the book Unconditional: Older Dogs, Deeper Love by Jane Sobel Klonsky
There were several authors at the bookstore for book signing (I think it was a special event) and tierneycreates and I stopped and visited with writer Julie O’Neil, author of the book Living Without Walls: One Woman’s Journey from Fear to Wonder in the High Sierras.
Julie is a world traveler and on her way next to Honduras to work with children. I got a signed copy of her book for a world traveler friend.
Julie was gracious enough to let tierneycreates be in the photo, though my Beastie friend forgot to look at the camera, I think she was checking out a shelf in the distance to browse.
Sure enough, the moment I turned my head, she headed over to a shelf that caught her attention – books about Oregon.
I understand her curiosity about Oregon. It is her new home after all as she recently moved here from Ireland!
The Biscuit Scam
It was at Paulina Springs Books that Mike learned a very neat trick: be cute inside of shops and you will get dog biscuits. Even though Mike can be a little grumpy (he is territorial with anyone coming near his beloved TTQH) he still charmed the staff at Paulina Spring Books and next thing we knew they were feeding him dog biscuits.
This happened at several more shops, to the point that Mike started pulling TTQH towards the front door of every shop we passed hoping we would go inside and he could score another biscuit.
In Mike’s defense, he is very cute and who would not want to give him a biscuit?
Time for a Break!
After a late morning/early afternoon of wandering around Sisters, it was time to stop for lunch. We found this place:
The staff was very nice and brought water out for Mike and Mikelet while we were waiting for our pizza to be ready.
Mikelet however was a little challenged accessing the water bowl:
But he was absolutely fascinated by the pizza:
A tiny schnauzer vs a giant pizza
We were not too sure about tierneycreates and “adult beverages”. I gave her a little sip of my local microbrew and she started to kick her boots off…
We decided Beasties and alcohol are not the best mix and we had her stick with water.
After lunch, and a stop at the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show quilt drop off warehouse, we headed back home (in glorious air conditioning!)
Postscript
Had to add this one – a random photo of the tierneycreates Beastie on a glass horse outside an art gallery in Sisters, Oregon.
Every so often I enjoying changing out my WordPress blog template and trying something new.
Previously I had two blogs I managed: 1) my personal blog, tierneycreates; and 2) a collaborative blog, Improvisational Textiles where I kept my art quilt portfolio.
Improvisational Textiles is now inactive and I’ve transitioned my art quilting portfolio over to my tierneycreates blog.
I also added a “landing page”/Welcome Page (“Home“) when you first arrive at tierneycreates.com to make it more like a “artists website” and not only a blog.
This is all part of my pretending that I am an art quilter!
I still need to move some of the blog posts that relate to my art quilts over to my tierneycreates blog; and I want to update my “Tierneycreates Studio Tour” page (located in the “About Me” menu) with current photos.
I am self taught on WordPress (thank you WordPress for awesome reference materials and for people publishing YouTube videos with WordPress tips and tricks) and I will keep tweaking my tierneycreates site as I keep learning new tips and tricks!
It is time to finish my series of posts about the annual May quilting retreat I attended with my Quilting Sisters in Vancouver, WA May 17 – 20 at Sew N Go Retreat Center. To read my previous posts about quilting retreats I’ve attended, see my post category – Retreats.
If you’d like to read my previous posts on my May 2018 retreat (it is hard to believe that was over a month ago now) here they are:
Have you ever attended a quilting retreat? If you are not a quilter but another type of crafter, have you ever attended a crafting retreat?
Sure, I could take a couple days off work and stay at home and sew all day for free. But it would not be as fun as hanging out with a group of other quilters, having all meals prepared for you, having no responsibilities (except any pressure you give yourself to complete projects you bring), and the opportunity for Late Night Quilting!
Here is our Quilting Retreat Center during the day:
And here it is at night when there is Late Night Quilting going on inside:
I am not sure why I took the above photo at an odd angle, except it was late at night and perhaps I had been quilting too long and needed to go to bed.
Inside the Quilting Sweat Shop (aka The Quilt Retreat Room)
Whether during the day or late night at night, the sewing machines were humming and churning out projects:
And on the design walls were quilts in progress such as this one by the Quilting Sister Judy:
Sewing was not limited to making quilts, there were other projects such an adorable tote bag by my Quilting Sister Lisa:
A Cozy Place to Sleep
After a long day of quilting, and perhaps a late night marathon of quilting, you need a cozy place to sleep. Here is the bedroom I stayed in which had quilts on every wall and several on the bed I slept in:
Although the room had several beds in it, as we were a small group of 5, I had the room to myself.
Here is a detail of a lovely medallion quilt that was on the opposite wall from my bed:
Getting Exercise
I knew it was a poor choice health wise to just sit around all day and sew, so I found time each day to walk around the rural farmland area of the quilt retreat center, sometimes with another Quilting Sister and sometimes alone. We had beautiful weather!
And like last year’s May retreat, we visited with friendly horses we met on our walks:
Good Thing I Went On Daily Walks…
As usual we had delicious meals at the Sew N Go Retreat. Each meal was a delightful surprise. Here are a couple images – a yummy main course of the most addicting chicken wings I’ve ever had; and a delicious piece of apple cake:
And yes that is vanilla ice and caramel on top as there would not have been enough calories with just the cake!
And of Course There is Abbie
One of my favorite treats at the Sew N Go Retreat is spending time with Abbie the Quilt Retreat Kitty:
Abbie is getting older and is not as active as she was when I first started attending the retreat many years ago. I was actually trying to read a magazine and Abbie ended up laying on top of the magazine so I could pay attention to her instead.
Here is a “vintage” photo of Abbie and I cuddling during the May 2016 Quilting Retreat:
A Wonderful Reminder
The room I stayed in during the retreat had a wonderful needlepoint sampler that I woke up to each morning and served as a beautiful reminder of how I want to face each day.
I am trying to keep these words in my heart now that I am back home.
Okay next post I am going to finish up sharing stories from the annual May quilt retreat with my Quilting Sisters, but I cannot resist sharing another post about my new tierneycreates Beastie that I introduced to you in the 06/13/18 postI’m A Monster!!!.
Last post we left off with my new tierneycreates Beastie getting ready to head to my beloved public library with her new library card:
As my library does not allow pets inside except for Service Dogs, her miniature schnauzer Mikelet had to stay at home. We could have snuck Mikelet inside the library since he is only a couple inches high but I didn’t want to encourage her to break any rules! (Also she left her knitted hat at home as it was a warm day.)
My blogging buddy, Tammie @tammiepainter.com also has a Beastie (she even took hers to Ireland to meet her Beastie’s maker Helen @crawcraftsbeasties.com) and she warned me that Beasties can be mischievous!
At the Library
The tierneycreates Beastie thought the Book Return area in the library’s entry was fascinating.
“What’s behind the slot?”
However before I could slip my books into the book return, she started reading them:
“Oooh that is pretty”
I promised her I would pick up new books for us to read together, so she closed the book and helped me put it in the return slot (she had to be careful not to fall in the slot herself):
Trying not to fall in while returning books
I took her to the Holds Section for books that library patrons have reserved. As I was trying to locate my holds, she thought it was a cool place to explore:
“Books are fun!”
I convinced her to leave the other patrons’ holds alone and we headed to the Self-Checkout area to scan my books.
“Is this complicated?”
She pulled out her Beastie library card, ready to scan it for the books:
Ready to check out!
I had to gently explain to her that we needed to use MY library card instead to check out the books I had on hold:
The non-Beastie Library Card
I thought she had accepted this as she tried to figure out the keypad to help me enter my account PIN:
“Those are giant keys”
But then I found her trying to get her Beastie library card under the scanner and make it work:
Trying to work the scanner…
After some discussion, I got my books and a movie scanned with my library card and checked out:
A new little stack of library books (and a movie)
The “Holds” and “Checkout” area are downstairs in the library when you first walk in, so I thought I would give her a tour of the upstairs library. She tried to work her way up the stairs but finally agreed that I could carry her.
When you are only 6 inches tall, steps can be daunting
When we got upstairs I took her to one of my favorite sections – the quilting book section:
While I was flipping through a quilting book, she wandered over to the next shelf to the left and up – to the knitting books!
I think she wanted to learn more about how she was made…
As I was leaving the section, I next found her over at the Library Catalogue computer trying to reserve her own books!
I think she had a great time on her first outing even though she could not check out her own books. She had me stop and take her photo by this poster on the way out of the library:
She did stop and visit with some of the Deschutes Public Library’s awesome staff who took a photo of her and put her on their Instagram (@deschuteslibrary):
(I am interrupting my planned post to share someone really exciting that arrived in the mail.)
Yes, I am a Monster. Literally. A Beastie Monster!
Blogging for the past 4.5 years has given me the opportunity to connect with people all over the world. I actually now have readers in every continent except Antarctica (hey Antarctica blogger peeps where are ya?).
I have many blogging buddies in the U.K. including the awesome person who made me into a Monster – Helen of Crawcrafts Beasties (crawcraftsbeasties.com) in Dublin, Ireland. Helen makes amazing custom knitted monsters (the cutest monsters ever) known as “Beasties”.
After following her blog for a while and following the adventures of various Beasties, especially Paddy & Plunkett, I knew I needed my own tierneycreates Beastie.
Monday’s postal delivery brought the tierneycreates Beastie all the way from Ireland!
Here is one of the photos of me on my blog that obviously Helen used as inspiration:
Here was the original drawing Helen sent me to approve earlier this year:
And here is my dreadlocked tierneycreates Beastie, with her little knitted hat and her miniature schnauzer:
She is approximately 6 inches tall, nearly 6.5 inches with her hair and hat!
The tierneycreates Beastie has some serious dreadlocks, very creatively done with wool:
She also has a nifty QUILTED BAG with her laptop (so she is ready for blogging) and Beastie Library card inside (because if you have followed my blog for more than a couple weeks you know about my love of my local public library!):
Her miniature schnauzer “Mikelet” (the tiny version of Mike) is ready for his walk:
But first he has to check out the very cute little tierneycreates felted booties:
In addition to her adorable boots, the tierneycreates Beastie also has for colder weather a little hand knit cable Irish Aran sweater!
I must have giggled for an hour after opening the package on Monday not to mention the time playing with her and arranging her in various poses:
She is ready for her first outing: a trip to my public library to try out her library card (hopefully the bar code on her library card works).
This is not a political post, but this post is about a former political figure, now a private citizen – former U.S. President George W. Bush, Jr.
Suspend for a moment any political leanings you hold and let me share a very special opportunity I had to see a former U.S. President speak in person in early May and to learn of his artistic journey.
A Once-In-A-Lifetime Opportunity
April 30 – May 4th, I attended a national conference for the industry that I am employed , in Orlando, Florida. One of the keynote presentations at the conference was a conversation with former President George W. Bush, Jr. and the president of a national organization hosting the conference.
No photos were allowed and there was strict security so unfortunately I have no photos from the experience to share (when I first discovered that President Bush would be speaking I had hopes of a “selfie” with a former U.S. President!). I’ve never seen a U.S. President in person so just the experience to see a historical figure in person was very exciting to me.
To be honest, I was not a huge fan of President Bush during his Presidency, but I put those thoughts aside and approached the presentation with an open mind.
He was absolutely amazing and spoke with much wonderful humor, insight, inspiration and Texas twang! He shared the experience of recently losing his mother, Barbara Bush (who I always greatly respected). He also spoke candidly about 9/11 (September 11, 2001/World Trade Center bombings) and other challenges and his Presidency; and about what’s going on in the world and in the U.S. today.
As I do not want this to be a political post I will not share all the specifics of what he said but let’s just say he might not fully support the current choices and political environment of the current U.S. Presidential Administration. He said that the U.S. cannot become isolationists, we have to stay connected to the world and shared specific reasons, in his opinion, why it is important that the U.S. stay engaged.
He did encourage those of us who might feel currently discouraged not to give up on democracy; and that the office of U.S. President is greater than the behavior of any one individual.
He also talked about what he has seen in the world and that those that live in the U.S. should remember just how blessed we are to live in this country (in regards to all the freedoms and opportunities we have available to us that are not available in all parts of the world).
Interestingly during his talk I learned that he is close friends the Dalai Llama and Bono (lead singer of the band U2 who is heavily involved in humanitarian causes) – who would have known?
Overall his talk was very inspirational, spiritual (he is a man of strong faith) and hopeful – he brought many of us to tears several times during his talk.
A Former President’s Artistic Journey
For me the best part of his talk was when he shared how he became a painter and his evolution as an artist/his artistic journey. He talked about the fear he had to overcome to start painting and bouts with self doubt of his painting ability.
He also talked about the moment when he realized he was not too bad at painting. I wish I could have taken notes as there were many gems in his discussion of his artistic journey and I could relate to many of those experiences in my journey.
He eventually combined his love of painting with his post-presidency humanitarian efforts, which include working with Veterans especially those dealing with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). He painted Veterans for his book Portraits of Courage: A Commander in Chief’s Tribute to America’s Warriors (if you click on the link you will see an image of former President Bush painting a portrait) and proceeds from book sales, according to the website, “helps post-9/11 veterans and their families make a successful transition to civilian life and addresses issues of veteran wellness, including post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injury”.
Image credit: bushcenter.org
He shared a couple of amazing stories about the friendships he developed with several Veterans dealing with PTSD while working on their portraits. He tried to capture in their portrait painting not only their physical features but what the individual was dealing with internally at the time, he made an effort to get to know each Veteran he was painting.
I’m so thankful to my employer for the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity they gave me in sending me to the conference in Orlando. I also appreciate the opportunity to share this experience with you all and ask for you to be moderate and thoughtful in your comments on this post as fellow readers have differing political views, thanks.
Postscript
The weather was beautiful in Orlando during my visit and I enjoyed 70 to 90 degree F. weather (21 – 32 C. for my readers outside the U.S.). I brought my work laptop and had to keep up on my work when not attending conference session so I did not get much time for fun in Florida.
Here is the view from my hotel room balcony where I bought my laptop out to work between conference sessions:
I went on a walk around the hotel/conference center property each morning (early before it got too warm and before the conference sessions started) and I wondered why the air seemed to smell so good. Then I realized there were Magnolia trees everywhere! What an incredible fragrance!
The climate, geography and flora is very different than Central Oregon (which is known as a “high desert” area and at 3500+ feet above sea level elevation). It was amazing to see palm trees everywhere!
Although I did not get time to play while I was in Orlando, it was still wonderful to enjoy the warm and tropical climate!
Monday I went on a hike with my friend Laurie and her Bernese Mountain Dog Luna on Horse Butte in Central Oregon. But first she took me on tour of Healing Reinswhere she works as a Physical Therapist providing therapeutic equine based services to children with special needs to begin our “horse themed” adventures.
I met several of the therapy horses in the outside areas. There was a group therapeutic session going on in the large indoor barn riding area with most of the horses and I could not take photos there because of client confidentiality. However here are a couple photo of the horses used for therapeutic riding and Laurie helping them get to the hay at the bottom of their feeder:
Here is Elvis, who is used for therapeutic interventions but not for riding, as he is a miniature horse:
There are also farm animals at Healing Reins that are very tame and used for therapeutic interventions with children. The farm animals include chickens, goats, pigs and a slightly grumpy duck named Michael and his partner:
I had a blast petting the farm animals and got to watch a therapeutic interventions with a pediatric client and the animals:
The staff at Healing Reins clearly love animals as evidenced by their current use of a side door to enter their indoor therapy center as there is a robin’s nest on the electrical meter near the front door (and they do not want to disturb the nesting bird!):
We kept the horse theme going and left Healing Reins to head to Horse Butte/Arnold Ice Cave Trail for a hike with Luna in tow. Note that on the trail sign below “Horses have the right of way“!
While hiking the base of Horse Butte we came across a woman riding one horse and leading another horse (who did not have a saddle). It was like she was taking the second horse “for a walk”. Laurie, who has extensive experience with horses, explained that likely she was acclimating the other horse to the trail.
The base of Horse Butte was scenic but we were lured into the possibility of awesome vistas at the top of Horse Butte and decided to climb to the top.
Unfortunately we could not find a suitable path, only sections of loose lava rock (Central Oregon is region formed by ancient volcanoes). But we decided to try it anyway. You will see in the photo below Laurie headed up and I am lagging behind (I’d like to use the excuse that I was lagging behind to take photos but in truth I was just lagging behind!)
Even more unfortunately on the way up the loose lava rock gave way and I took a spill and banged my knee, but I was able to continue to the top.
Although I had a sore knee, I got to enjoy some beautiful vistas at the summit:
Sometimes you have to suffer for beauty.
Then it was time to face the scary hike down on the loose lava rocks:
Obviously I made it as I am able to write you about it. My knee is still sore but I will survive.
(There was a funny moment on the trip back down where Laurie, who is very fit and sporty, was trying to guide the clumsy me back down the mountain, so I would not take out my other knee. She would preview where I should try and gain a foothold. At one point she yelled: “walk over here, this is best” and then proceeded to wipe out herself on the loose rocks. We had a good laugh about it!)
Luna, the Bernese Mountain Dog (note the word “Mountain” in her breed name) had no trouble scaling up and down Horse Butte!
After the hike we rewarded ourselves with a tasty lunch and microbrew at a new food cart station in the area (there were no horses in the food cart area to continue the day’s theme!)
So I agreed to take her in and show her around.
tierneycreates 