Beth Latture: What to do with an old globe

I bought a globe at the Salvation Army several years ago.  It had been sitting patiently in my closet waiting for its transformation when I once again ran across the story of Indra's Net.

The story of Indra's Net is a Buddhist sutra about the interconnectivity of life.  From Wikipedia: "Indra's net has a multifaceted jewel at each vertex, and each jewel is reflected in all of the other jewels."  

 Still a work in progress, this is an interpretation of the Jewel Net as it encompasses the world.  Unfortunately, it's difficult to represent the infinite reflection!

Julie Booth: "In Process"

It's been a month of being "in process" for me. I have been working with Lesley Riley ("Artist Success") since late December. I am trying to find my "way" artistically. I plan to focus more on surface design and see where it takes me. As part of this journey, I had to fill out an extensive questionnaire for Lesley that included figuring out what was keeping me from reaching my dreams. What stood out was my lack of a permanent "home" to do my artwork. For years, I have been printing on the only large flat surface in my home...the dining room table. Creating large works became a challenge a year ago when I agreed to design yardage for a D.C. gallery (see my first post). I ended up working on the floor of my family room...the only space where I could lay out 9 feet of fabric. I spent weeks on my hands and very sore knees!

I had requirements for my new space...I wanted it to be in my home (so I could work at any time); I wanted it to be large enough so I had the option to work in a larger format; but most important, I wanted it to be light enough. I have had other spots in my home that I have attempted to use as a studio...but I kept migrating back to the dining room table in part because of the amazing natural light. The family room fit all requirements, with the exception that there was not as much natural light and poor artificial light. My commitment to a new working space meant turning this potential space into a place where I felt comfortable working. The past month has included: clearing out the miscellaneous stuff, sorting, tossing and finding better storage options (a work still in progress); hiring contractors to replace the ceiling (which was old ceiling tiles, some removed because of plumbing problems) and put in new lighting; "creating" a table (4' x 8'); and putting together shelving for storage. There is still more work to be done, as you can see but it is coming along...

I decided to see how it felt to work in the new space. Some of my "small totems" needed to have beads sewn on them in preparation for the new show at Potomac Fiber Arts Gallery. Normally, I would have lugged bags of my beads upstairs placing them on the floor as I didn't have enough space for them on the dining room table. How wonderful to have 8 feet of space to lay out the assortment and still have plenty of space to work! My new studio is working out just "fine"!

Ann Liddle

I'm pleased to write that three of my pieces were accepted into the 4th Annual Tribute to Fiber Art at the BlackRock Arts Center in Germantown, MD.  The exhibit opens March 3 and the reception is Sat, March 5.

The pieces I entered are all hand-stitched, stuffed, and painted canvas - essentially bas-relief.  The first one is a triptych - "Arcs with Red Circles."

This is titled "Criss Cross or Fallen."

The third is "Purple Rain."