I make things

There is a whole back story I won't tell now but I recently rediscovered a skein of fancy yarn my dad gave me two or three Christmas' ago. I remember thinking at the time, "Weird, Dad. Thanks." That's because he liked to give what he liked to give. Know what I mean? Things that he liked or at least understood. Although there is a rich history of needle craft in our family, including among some of the men, yarn is not something my dad knows much about.

So, I rediscovered this yarn and did a quick YouTube search for "how to knit with..." and came up with a video about ribbon yarn. I wasn't totally sure that is what I had but a few minutes into the first video, the British woman showed a yarn engineered just like what I had! It's flat and has a cord attached along one edge.... I'll add a picture. There you go!

I learned from this lady in England how to knit with this fancy yarn properly to end up with a gorgeous ruffled scarf! It's fun and fast. This is part of my "I make things" revival.

I also recently did some finishing work on a tapestry I ended my time at the University of Arizona with. That piece is a work of art. Knitting is not what I consider high art, but right now it is more accessible to me than painting, weaving and ceramics. 'Finishing' the tapestry means getting it ready to hang properly. It is an interpretation of what is commonly believed to be Vincent Van Gogh's last work, Crows Over Wheatfield (pictured here).

Although I don't love all of his work, there is something about some of his paintings that speaks to me. Impressionism in general is of interest to me since I love texture. Interpreting thick brushstrokes in fiber makes perfect sense to me. The colors, too, of this particular work are jewel-toned and intense. Garish, some art historians say. I don't know about that. If he hadn't taken his own life shortly after creating this painting would anyone call is 'garish'? I think it is luminous and beautiful.

When I was at the Carnegie Museum of Art in 2002-ish I came to the Impressionist section, spied a mural-sized Monet and thought, "Oh, yes. Monet." Then I spotted a tiny Van Gogh I had never seen before and I got chills. I had the experience of thinking, "He touched that!" I couldn't name the painting, don't even remember it enough to describe it. Just seeing it, laying my eyes one something he laid his eyes on, he created, just stopped me in my tracks.

Any time I travel I try to take in some art whether it's local or international. In April I went to SFMOMA and enjoyed the largest Rothko I'd ever seen. In June, I was privileged to see a huge Pollock at the Munson Institute in Utica, NY. Munson was also showing an exhibit of works from The Warhol which I had already seen in Pittsburgh some years back. And, I am lucky enough to live in a place where the arts are highlight appreciated, Tucson.

I'm starting to think of myself less as an artist and more of a maker-of-things. It does not have to be art, per se, but I love to make things, build and create. Hence, this blog and my carefully curated Instagram account. What do you create?