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Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Asking The Right Questions


I visited a blog that's new to me today, and found myself challenged by its writer, Bethany Stephens; visit her blog here . She asked a very astute question, and answered it herself, beautifully, in the post. 'What is your reason for your art of choice?'

My answer, to my surprise, was very short. I wrote:

"My blog is called 'artmixter', and I work in a number of different
media, often together. Why? Because I want to break down barriers,
challenge perceptions and create change. Thanks for asking, it has just
made me very clear about what I do and who I am... Oh, and did I mention
joy? The creation of joy. "

You know, for years, I have wondered why I don't fit into quilt groups, no matter how art focussed (and there aren't many of those around...if you know better, please let me know). Now, I know. People who do what I say I want to do, aren't always easy to get on with. They challenge things, people, ideas, concepts. They argue. They don't accept the easy answers, and they ask difficult questions, like, 'why?' The upside, is that they're genuinely interested in the answers, and may well make you see things differently just by being around and asking odd questions. I'd like to thank those of you who are regular blog readers; you stick around where others would give up in disgust... or annoyance... or something. I hope we can learn lots of new things together; it's such an exciting journey.

Happy as I am to be here, now, in Spring, the quilt image I've shown you here is Summer Garden. The colours in the original are even stronger than those in the photograph, and if you look closely, there are lots of roses quilted into the piece. But I mentioned joy, and for me, this piece is truly joyful.

8 comments:

Heather said...

Your quilt is very summery and I love the spiral effect your rose quilting pattern produces.

Cate Rose said...

We should live closer together, Marion. I feel the same way as you do, my art straddles categories. In everything I do, I've always been on the cusp of...

The WestCountryBuddha said...

Yes, I think there's quite a few of us out there. Blogging has taken the role of a group for me as I find I don't fit in. I always assumed it was because I was in some way difficult or odd, but perhaps I'm not as bad as I think!! Thanks for the explanation Marion, I like it :)

Art Weaver said...

Artmixer - love it! Having a lifetime of wide-ranging interests, I don't like to be pigeon-holed or categorised, but be free to explore the limitless options and adventure that is art. Thanks for sharing your inspirations with us.

marianne said...

interesting question ideed- and not one i'm sure i could answer as clearly as you did. bears some thinking about. love the quilt- it's beautiful and, yes, joyful.

Bethany Stephens said...

hi, all. I just wanted to share the site that I shared on my blog that really can help rein in some of your thoughts (it helped me put mine in actual tangible words anyway!). It's so easy to not be able to clearly translate artwork into words, but it's a necessary evil!

http://www.mollygordon.com/resources/marketingresources/artstatemt/

Anonymous said...

Just found your blog (just as I am about to fall asleep, I hope) so I shall definitely be back tomorrow. (Anyone who answers the question "Favourite book?' with your answer, and anyone who breaks the boundaries in fabric, is my kind of person!!)
Corinne

Michelle | Business Cards said...

It really is more than just a piece of cloth, it's a very artistic one. I really like the girly tones, pink is definitely my color.