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Color Mixing: Day 2
It was another busy day. Today's picture is not particularly interesting. My camera battery died just when I was getting ready to snap a shot of the huge piles of fully dyed 1,000+ ten inch squares. What you see in this picture is a room full of folks all working very hard.
We all worked from 8:30 AM until 6:30 PM and there wasn't much down time along the way. By the time we left the studio, all of individual squares had been washed, pressed, and sorted, ready for cutting tomorrow.
We've got another long day tomorrow, but we get to start working on yardage--the fun stuff!
Color mixing: Day 1
Yes, it really is going to be over 1,000 swatches! I've seen the swatch book that's going to result from all this work and it's pretty amazing. Carol is organized beyond anything that I've seen in quite a while, but she's organized without being uptight. That's nice. So, we do two straight days of dying/overdying--Yellow, Red, Blue--in regular, bright, and earth tone families. Then I gather that there's going to be quite a good bit of ironing, cutting, and assembling of pages.
This picture picture tells the tale: graduated cylinders, buckets, and spoons. We're dying even solid colors so every bucket needs to be stirred for about 90 minutes. I'm actually a little sore. (Not enough gym time).
OK, off to dinner with a big group. One of our class, Michelle, is local and she's leading a bunch of us to an out-of-the-way Asian place. Funny thing...I met Michelle the last time I was at ProChem for a workshop...nice to reconnect.
Installed at Hampton Inn, Fall River
I'm in Fall River, MA this week for Carol Soderlund's course "Color Mixing for Dyers" at Pro Chem. I'm looking forward to the results of the class (hopefully better color control), but I'm wondering what it's going to be like to create 1,000 color samples in 5 days--at least that's what the course description promises.
The supply list is 1 1/2 pages of office supplies--notebooks, sheet protectors, stapler, tape dispenser, etc.--and odd things like empty soda bottles, party cups, and plastic spoons. It's such a pile of stuff that I ended up buying a cheap laundry bag to carry it all. I found it at--gasp--Walmart where I was buying 2 liter bottles of soda to pour down the drain. I certainly wasn't going to try to carry all that on Southwest.
Here's a picture. The full bad is only slightly smaller than the hotel nightstand! And I'm going to distill all of this down into 1 notebook of swatches?
Rayna sighting
I attended my very first guild meeting this morning--Potomac Craftsmen Guild. I've never belonged to a guild before so I'm still in the easing-into-it phase, trying to figure out how I'll fit in. It seems like lots of knitters and weavers, but there are definitely quilters and dyers in the bunch. The special guest for today was Rayna Gillman herself.
Here we are together. I think it's the only picture I have of us together. At least she looks good. Me, well, I'm happy to have a picture of the two of us.
Rayna gave her "Oops" lecture about making art out of mistakes/accidents. It definitely fits with my mode of working. If I threw away everything I made that went awry then I would have very little to show for all of the time and effort. I think there's a great deal to be said for sticking with a difficult piece until you get it right. Though I have to admit that there does come a time when enough is enough, and it's better for a piece to go in the trash can than back into the dye pot.
Shameless self-promotion
I love my blog. It's given me a great way to ease into having a web presence and I've met some really nice folks as a result. But a blog and a website are different things with different purposes. After a bit of fiddling I've put together my first website dedicated to my art. It's a place where people can see the type of work that I do and learn a little about me without having to read months of blog postings. In theory it might be a sales tool at some point in the future, but that's still a distant glimmer on the horizon.
Take a look and let me know what you think. I always welcome suggestions.
Super, over-the-top, great news
If you've been following my sporadic blog posts over the last several weeks, then you might recall a bit of hand wringing about photographing my work and trying very hard to prepare a submission for membership in a juried artist group. Well today, much to my shock and surprise, I received an e-mail informing me that I made in into the 25-member Art Cloth Network (http://artclothnetwork.com)! Nobody--and I really mean NOBODY--could possibly be more shocked than I am. I read the e-mail at work and almost had to leave for the rest of the day because I was just about silly afterward.
I'm little conflicted right now. I know that if I need my art to be validated in order to function as an artist, then I'm in for a seriously bumpy ride. However, at this stage in my development, a little validation goes a long way. What I got today feels like a lot of validation and a big step forward. I'm looking forward to connecting with the group through their online member space, then meeting many of them in person at their next meeting in New Jersey in September.
I have to give credit here to two people who I think helped make this all happen: a friend and mentor (whom I will allow to be anonymous in this instance unless she chooses to out herself) encouraged me to apply; and Dan supported and encouraged me. Thanks to both of you.
Wow! What a day.
Silly self-analysis
Rayna posted a thing on her blog on Thursday. It's this site that you go to, answer about 10 questions about your personal preferences (don't worry, it's not bedroom stuff), then it tells you what punctuation mark you are. Rayna is an exclamation mark. Big surprise (heavy sarcasm). Here's the site if your interested:
http://www.blogthings.com/whatpunctuationmarkareyouquiz/
Curiosity (silliness) got the better of me and I answered the questions. Heaven forbid that I should be something as cool as an exclamation mark. No, I am a colon. It sounds dirty. As punctuation marks go, I'm rather fond of the colon, but I would never think to describe myself as one. Here's what the site said. It's somewhat accurate. Ah well, sometimes you just have to play the hand you're dealt.
You Are a Colon |
 You are very orderly and fact driven. You aren't concerned much with theories or dreams... only what's true or untrue. You are brilliant and incredibly learned. Anything you know is well researched. You like to make lists and sort through things step by step. You aren't subject to whim or emotions. Your friends see you as a constant source of knowledge and advice. (But they are a little sick of you being right all of the time!) You excel in: Leadership positions You get along best with: The Semi-Colon |
Yes, I am married, no matter what you say.
Both houses of the Maryland legislature are again considering ways in which to provide some measure of civil rights and legal protection to those of us in non-traditional marriages. (See, there I go, I’ve already used the word “marriage”.)
There is, of course, a simultaneous effort to amend the state constitution to deny any and all recognition of same-sex relationships. HR1345, "Maryland's Marriage Protection Act," currently includes the following lovely statement:
ONLY MARRIAGE BETWEEN A MAN AND A WOMAN SHALL BE VALID OR RECOGNIZED IN MARYLAND. THE UNITING OF TWO PERSONS IN A CIVIL UNION, DOMESTIC PARTNERSHIP, OR OTHER SIMILAR RELATIONSHIP SHALL NOT BE VALID OR RECOGNIZED IN MARYLAND.
I want to share with you something that my friend Howard sent me today. It’s the testimony offered by Maryland State Senator Richard Madaleno (District 18) before the Judicial Proceedings Committee at the first reading of SB290, “Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act”, of which he is a sponsor, and which seeks to repeal a previously passed discriminatory law. It’s short, to the point, and wonderfully written.
Now, I admit that I have a strong and unyielding sense of right and wrong about this issue—one with which some people disagree. Plain and simple: I am married to my partner, Dan. Our families, friends, and the majority of our faith community recognize our relationship. We deserve equal protection under the laws of the state and country in which we live. Senator Madaleno expresses these thoughts very well. It's worth a quick read.
SB290 – Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act
Sponsor Testimony
I come before you today to ask that you give SB290 a favorable report, and in doing so, grant my family, and the families of thousands of our constituents, the rights and responsibilities of marriage. Until this bill is passed, Maryland will remain a state where some families are at risk of being torn apart not because they lack the strength of commitment, but because they are invisible in the eyes of the law.
This bill is simple. It reiterates that no religious denomination will ever be required to recognize, perform, or bless any marriage that is against its beliefs. At the same time, it provides full equality under the law for thousands of same-gender couples in our state- couples like Mark and me.
With marriage, we can live our lives secure in the knowledge that we have the same legal rights, responsibilities, obligations, and protections that you enjoy.
Without marriage, I am at the mercy of doctors, nurses, and security guards for my partner to gain access to me in a hospital.
Without marriage, all of our financial planning and savings could be wiped out by inheritance taxes if one of us suffers an untimely death.
Without marriage, we live in a state of legal limbo that exacts a significant emotional and financial toll on our family, our children, and ourselves.
Without marriage, instead of security, we have fear. A fear that is always there. The fear that at the moments we are most vulnerable, afraid, and alone, our state could step in and take everything away from us – just because we cannot have a civil marriage.
That even one family lives with this fear is bad enough. But it is not just one family – not just my family. Thousands and thousands of Maryland families live with this fear.
And when that fear is created by the laws of the state itself, that is untenable. And just as untenable would be for this General Assembly to turn its back and do nothing.
At the same time, as important as the legal rights and responsibilities associated with civil marriage are, they are only part of the story.
Many of you know Mark, my partner. “Partner.” We had a church wedding seven years ago, and in the eyes of our religion, our families, our friends, and in my heart, he is my spouse. But under Maryland ’s civil law, he is a legal stranger to me. He is just “my partner.” Even that term cheapens our relationship. It makes it sound like we are in a business. It is a badge of dishonor I must wear every day, whenever I introduce Mark to anyone or even talk about him to someone who does not know us, because my state refuses to grant us civil marriage. I would never ask any of you to relegate your wives or husbands to being only your partners.
Without full and equal civil marriage, Maryland makes sure that thousands of its families never forget that they are outsiders. That they are not quite equal.
Our state and our nation were founded on principles of fairness and equality. These principles are timeless; unfortunately, their application has not been. Yet every generation of Americans has held out their hand to some who had been left out of the promise of equality – held out their hand and brought them fully into our civil society, saying, “You are not the other. You are us.”
This year marks the 60th anniversary of the first state court decision to overturn the laws banning interracial marriage. In its decision, the California Supreme Court wrote “human beings are bereft of worth and dignity by a doctrine that would make them as interchangeable as trains.” As a friend observed, when you are denied the freedom to marry the person precious and irreplaceable to you, it is not like you can just catch the next one.
Our country also has a long tradition of recognizing the difference between civil law and religious law. In that respect, I seek common cause with each member of the Committee. We all agree that each of our religions must remain free to define marriage as it so chooses. That has always been the case in Maryland, and this bill ensures that that will remain the case. None of us wants to live in a nation where the civil law dictates the tenets of our faith.
Just as importantly, we should not allow the teachings of a religion to dictate the civil law under which all of us must live. Some religions do not recognize divorce and subsequent remarriage. Some religions do not recognize a marriage unless it is performed in the name of Jesus. Others don’t recognize a marriage that is performed in the name of Jesus. Some clergy will not perform or recognize marriages between people of different faiths.
But our civil marriage law is rightly blind to our rich diversity of often-conflicting religious doctrines. Civil laws, unlike religious ones, apply to everyone, regardless of faith. That is why we do not allow the many different religious definitions of marriage to determine the definition of civil marriage.
With the Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Act, Maryland can end an injustice against thousands of its citizens while respecting the critical independence of our religious institutions.
This bill represents the best ideals of Maryland, and that drive to live up to our ideals is the story of America.
A couple new pieces
I worked on these two pieces last weekend. I'm happy with the way that they turned out. The only downside is that they're printed on raw silk noil that I had left over from a workshop. It's nubby and rough and has a hand like a cheap, worn out gym towel. I don't have any idea what I'm going to do with this cloth other than look at it, since I can't stand to touch it. OK, I'm being overly dramatic. It's just not to my taste. Let's just say I won't be making boxer shorts out of it and leave it at that.
The piece on the left was printed in 2 layers, processed, discharged, then overdyed with golden yellow. The one on the right painted and screen printed in several layers, processed, then overdyed with golden yellow while stuffed in an old stocking to produce a few random highlights.
It rained here yesterday. Rained, and rained, and rained. We had 3" of standing water in the garage. Dan was not happy since that's where his newly acquired vintage Buick is living. The basement leaked a little, but the studio area is in a high spot so all's well on that front. I love this house, but they just didn't know much about waterproofing basements in 1941.
The sun is out today and I've got all sorts of plans. Let's all have a great Saturday and shake off the winter blahs.
Thoughts on Bultmann
A word of caution to my friends who are most interested in reading about my artistic endeavors, this post might not be for you. Then again, if you are interested in Christian theology read on.
This week for EfM I was reading about the theology of Rudolph Bultmann (see this Encyclopedia Britannica page for a nice summary). This wasn’t my first exposure to Bultmann, whose work comes up frequently in the EfM New Testament class. However, the deeper discussion in this year’s course on contemporary theology really struck a cord. Bultmann was a proponent of demythologizing the Bible, particularly the gospel stories—reducing them to their essential meaning, rather than dwelling on the detailed events of Jesus' life. The idea here is an existential one. Bultmann’s point (as I understand it) is that the gospel stories are mythical in nature. They're stories told and arranged in such a way as to speak to the people of the time in which they were written about their place in creation and about their relationship to the divine. They were written and read within that cultural setting, just has they are read within the cultural settings of today. As such they might mean different things to different people. What I find meaningful in Bultmann’s ideas is that to understand the text we need to understand the reality of the time in which it was written. Who wrote it, why, and for whom? What did they believe and how did they envision the cosmos? That's the existential part. In addition to what the stories might have meant to the people of the time in which they were written, my experience gives meaning to these stories for me. This makes a great deal of sense to me. It’s liberating. I don’t have to obsess about whether or why Jesus cursed a fig tree and made it wither. I’m not saying that none of the stories about Jesus’ life are true; far from it. I think there is great "truth," in them. But I'm also comfortable with the idea that some of the "facts" might be left over from a different time and make less sense today. They might even get in the way of some of the truth.
In the class discussion a couple of folks noted that myths are grand tales of the gods, and that the Bible stories don’t fit that mold because they are too “folksy”, therefore they must be more than myth. Someone suggested that we use the term “folk tale” instead, which almost touched off a riot.
For me, “myth” is the correct word and I do not believe that it trivializes the essential truth of the gospel stories or devalues them. The problem here is that modernism relegated myth to the realm of fiction and fantasy because it was not based on scientific observation and measurement. And I guess that’s the bottom line: I’m a post-modernist. To demythologize is not to whittle the gospel stories down to the verifiable, observable, repeatable facts of Jesus’ life. There aren't many left when you do that. For me, to demythologize is to look beyond the literal for the essential. It is the essential truths that exist outside of human time—things like loving others, caring for and defending the disenfranchised and oppressed, welcoming into your life those who are different, and valuing our relationships with God and with other human beings more than with objects. While the “factual” elements of the gospel stories are most meaningful in their original 2,000 year old cultural context, the essential truth of the stories endures.
After 3 1/2 years of EfM, the great Ah Ha moments are coming less frequently than they used to. This was a good one and I wanted to share it.