Hello world!

This is my first foray into the world of blogging.  I have recently begun to follow a few blogs by fellow mother-craftpersons.  (Once I figure out how to add links I will do so) I have enjoyed reading how these women balance their creative lives with the demands of motherhood.  It has proved to be an inspiration to me as I start moving away from the immediate demands of new motherhood and settle into a more integrated life. 

I studied sculpture and painting while in college during the nineties.  I was most interested in creating artwork that examined a concept.  In particular I fashioned my work after those artists from the 60-70’s who were described as minimalists.

Even within this movement I was most interested in how female artists interpreted minimalism.  Since it has been so many years since I studied art history I won’t (and can’t) go into depth.  I will say that I loved the work of Eva Hesse and Agnes Martin.  The work they created was very formal, yet maintain a connection to their process.  Hesse’s work was often woven and stitched from industrial materials; while Martin’s linear drawing are rendered with a soft hand and the lightest touch.  

When I think about the work I made a decade ago and the artwork I have only recently resumed I see the connection between the two periods of my life and how my experiences have changed my work.  I gave up creating any art in 2001.  In retrospect I think it was a due to the combination of demanding employment and an inability to feel my artmaking was relevant to my life.  How could I continue painting geometric forms when I wasn’t interested in making such conceptual work any longer?  In the subsequent years I have painted a little here and there, but really decided that I wasn’t going to be an artist.  Things changed this summer.  I had really thrown myself into gardening.  We have a fairly large yard and I maintain a decent vegetable garden.  It was really fulfilling work to dig in the soil and create new beds.  I found that my garden really gave me a good deal of strength as I was emerging from a year of postpartum depression (more on that later).  About mid-summer I began to worry about what I’d do once the rainy season returned to the Northwest.  I decided I would start making some crafts for Christmas projects.  I had always wanted to do needle felting and bought some supplies for it.  Well, I quickly gave up my gardening obsession and found myself huddled on the couch with needle and felt in hand.  Thankfully my daughter takes pretty decent naps.  As I made various felted pins and barrettes, I found that I was drawn to creating two-dimensional pieces that weren’t functional in any way.  So here I am still making craft projects, but also having created 5+ art pieces in as many weeks.  I am trying to remind myself to go slowly–to even my pace.  The difference from were I was creatively in 2001 to now is that I am more willing to create art that I enjoy making and that reflects my experience.  I am currently making a series depicting my post-partum experiences…something that I haven’t even talked about with many of my closest friends. 

I am hoping that this blog will serve as a tool to help my clarify my thoughts and connect me to other women artists/craftpeople who also try to type (and sew) with their beautiful/squirming toddlers on their lap!