Inspiration with Humor

My life has been way too serious lately. Especially, with all this moving and throwing away of things. This is why it was refreshing to see that the next issue of FiberArts magazine is featuring the works of Janice Jakielski. Two things that really caught my eye when I first saw her work, the first was that they were very humorous and poked fun at hearing and seeing and costume. The second was they these little bonnets (for lack of better word) straddle the fine line between historic costume and girly steam punk. Who wouldn't be a fan. The colors and presentation are fantastic, plus she welds the feminine and the bizarre together seamlessly.

The Little blurb on the FiberArts website says this:

“Often, these days I find myself craving time. Time has become tangible to me, I can taste it, I dream about it at night.” I wrote these words in my application essay to the Roswell Artist in Residence Program. In 2009, I was chosen to receive the Roswell “Gift of Time” Artist Residency, a year-long artist-in-residence program established in 1967 by businessman and artist Donald Anderson in Roswell, New Mexico. Each year six artists working in different disciplines are selected for a fully supported year-long artist residency, living on a complex in separate houses with attached studios and access to a wood shop, printmaking facilities, digital media room, and ceramic kilns. At the end of each residency, artists present a solo exhibition of their work at the Roswell Museum and Art Center.

As I reflect upon my experience during the last year as a recipient of the “gift of time” I am overwhelmed. How can one sum up such an extended period of creative isolation? During this time I was able to wade through the four-foot stack of unread papers and books awaiting my attention, to spend time looking, really looking, at what I am choosing to make-without distraction or burden. I had the opportunity to learn new skills and perfect old ones, the opportunity to fail and to learn from those failures. And in the end my craving of time has been satiated, temporarily."

Oh, someday I hope to be able to do a residency like that....sigh,

In a different direction (Non-Fiber) I've been thinking about bikes a lot lately. Thinking of finally trying to find one that I would like and that is comfortable. This means professional help. Enthusiasm for bikes runs deep in a lot of my friends. If I can't get all that excited about the riding, I can at least get excited about furniture made out of bike parts, yup, you heard me right, check this out.