Memories and stirrers-of-memory have converged in my head and in my studio this week.
Last week I blogged abut my work-in-progress based on Margaret Atwood’s poem, “Morning in the Burned House.” I received some thoughtful and insightful e-mails form readers about their own memories and the process of looking at them. The sense of being-someplace-while not-being-in-that-place resonated deeply with my correspondents. Experience. Memory. Loss. (Thank you for writing and sharing!)
At the same time, I have been reading a very good book on writing, “Writing Down the Bones,” by Natalie Goldberg. Here’s a paragraph that grabbed my attention.
In the studio, I have begun sketching and working out fabric patterns for this new Atwood-inspired work, and looking at those smoky, misty ephemeral windows. They are powerful.
I was inspired to spend some time with works I had created this year. All of these are born from inner experience. They come from what I see when I look back on my childhood and the journeying beyond.
“Look Through to the Memory” 42” x 42” art quilt (detail)
“Adrift” 42” x 42” art quilt (Detail)
“Overlooked” 42” x 42” art quilt (Detail)
:Growing Unseen” 42” x 42” art quilt (Detail)
“This is the Way to Get In” 42” x 42” Art Quilt (Detail)
When I open the door to inside, these images are what come out. So, I am comforted and encouraged by Natalie Goldberg’s conclusion that creating with the raw material of who I am and what I know is just what I am to be doing.
If you would like more information on the quilts detailed above, you can visit them on my website. Click on the quilt title, Here::
LOOK THROUGH TO THE MEMORY
ADRIFT
OVERLOOKED
GROWING UNSEEN
THIS IS THE WAY TO GET IN
I did some work this morning on the work-in-progress based on the burned house poem. Here are the base layers being painted. Wheat paste patterns and more layers will go on top.
Thank you for reading. I always enjoy questions and comments.
--Bobbi
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