Looking Backwards and Forwards

Oscar Night is a perfect example of my life at the present moment. I would have never made a piece like this a couple of years ago. I was kind of mired primitive or totally experimental. Nothing in the middle because even though I had hand embroidery artist on my business cards, I really didn't think I was an artist at heart. To be honest I really felt insecure about making real things. Motorcycles, birds, gowns are all things you can find looking right out your door and I was afraid the comparison would not end up favorably. But I have been lucky to have many wonderful friends, family, fellow artists and store owners who obviously saw something I wasn't ready to see myself. I became an artist last year, fully and completely. Everything about me is an artist now. I look at life so much differently. We are an interesting bunch because for the most part we march to a different drummer, a unique drummer.

OK enough psycho babble, lets talk about Oscar Night. She was residing in Valley Artisans market since late summer, early fall. And some wonderful person took her home during the Christmas holidays. I so enjoyed making her and along with the birds, the motorcycles, and the crazy colorful pieces,my work shifted in a more whimsical and fun direction. Out of all the successes of the past year, this piece was my favorite success. It was a departure. A good departure from my old work, something in between abstract and primitive(although I still love me some holly and berries). So as I look forward I am more ready to embrace art and take more risks. And I'm finally at the point where I can look at myself and say I'm just fine the way I am, dancing to my own inner drummer.

Sorry no music titles today, although I am still loving the Black Keys. The great thing about finding out about an artist 10 years after they formed is that you have 7 CDs that you can rotate and never get bored of. And every single one of them is great. The range of voices from a 20 year old who can sing the blues better, faster and gruffer then the old men to a more mature polished falsetto on El Camino. Just incredible from both sides of the spectrum. I'm really glad I found them at this later date as they sort of embody my embroidery life,willing to do the older blues from the Big Come Up, to writing all the songs on Magic Potion to the pure fun and whimsy of El Camino. They are also my favorite band to listen to while embroidery so lets just leave it at that.

Have a great day and a great weekend and I'd love to hear the wonderful things that happened to you last year and how you will build on them this year.