A Brief Interruption for a Word from Our Sponsor

I have been photographing Pearl the Wonder Whippet, my muse, for an entire week. And when I say a week, I mean we have been attached at the hip, ankle, head, waist and thigh -- Pearl likes direct contact wherever she can get it -- since her adoption on Sunday last. It goes without saying that I am here to give her what she wants. Read More...

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First Night 2012 Nomination; Akron Art Museum Talk on Aug. 4

I've been riding a whirlwind the past year, not the least of which is finding my new home, a glorious studio, at Summit Artspace. (Summit Artspace is an artists' pomegranate. Break it open and you will find a juicy labyrinth of artists groups and independent studio artists deliciously housed inside. Read More...

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The Charm of Invisibility

Artists like to rhapsodize over their materials, their tools, their process, their muse. Fertile ground one and all. You've heard people say their dog ate their homework? Well, my dog Emily turned me into a quilt artist. Oh yes, she did. And even though Emily is no longer with me, her presence is keenly felt in my artwork. This one is called Walking the Dog. Read More...

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Animals as Art

In the next few days, which are dripping with anticipation as I await the arrival of my new Whippet Wonderwoman -- Pearl -- a 5-year-old sweet as candy -- I find myself pawing through my art quilts, reminiscing the animals who have inspired my artwork. They are legion. I am posting photos of some of them on page 2 of this blog entry. Click to enlarge. Read More...

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Due Date for Pearl

I lost my one and only dog after 11 years together on May 9. Emily, my heart dog, the subject of dozens of my Pets columns in the Beacon Journal, will always be with me in spirit. I apologize for the platitude, but it seems like that's the only way we Americans talk about death. You know what I mean: "She's in a better place" and all that bull. The truth of it is that for those of us left behind, death is a corridor of raw and painful emotion. We have to walk through it. It hurts. Readers of my Pets columns, which ended when I left the paper at the end of 2008, heard a lot about Emily. How she changed my life. Filled a hole in my heart. Made me want to create. Connected the dots between my lifetime of sewing and the world of art. Heck. She practically handed me the keys to my studio at Summit Artspace. She was one powerful dog.  Read More...

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