Quotes: Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

"The objects we possess ... They tell us things about ourselves that we need to hear in order to keep ourselves from falling apart." 

–– Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (1934-2021), Hungarian-American psychologist and author

Source: Austin Kleon newsletter, May 14, 2024

Quotes: Sherry Turkle

"We think with the objects we love; we love the objects we think with." 

–– Sherry Turkle (b. 1948), American sociologist, professor, author 

Source: Sherry Turkle. Evocative Objects., 2007 via Austin Kleon newsletter, May 14, 2024

Watermelon Patch

Watermelon patch; Photo © Karen Thiessen, 2016

During the high humidity and temperatures of late August and early September, hubby and I took to evening walks when the summer swelter had abated somewhat. One evening I spotted a mysterious front yard plant whose leaves intrigued me. Hubby knew what it was in an instant: a watermelon plant. The light was dim and I didn't have a camera, so I had to go back the next afternoon in the unfortunate heat, but it was worth it. 

I couldn't believe that I had never seen a watermelon plant, even though the fruit is significant to Mennonites and my family. My Opa loved loved loved watermelon. According to family lore, he would stash his crop covered in straw in the hayloft on the ground floor of the barn and disappear after lunch for some secret sweet sustenance. My Thiessen clan would gather for spontaneous Roll Kuchen and Arbuzen (watermelon) suppers. Some Mennonites made watermelon syrup when they had a more than sufficient crop. It's made like maple syrup: take a lot of watermelon pulp and boil it down until it forms a syrup, then can it as you would peaches or cherries. Watermelon syrup cake is mighty delicious, as is pickled watermelon.

The long story short is that I have a new leaf to explore and interpret for my accidental Mennonite series and it's a very satisfying leaf to work with.

Studio Series: Chortitza oak leaf silhouette

Chortitza oak leaf silhouette © Karen Thiessen, 2016

Twyla Tharp, via her excellent book The Creative Habit, taught me to dedicate a box or two to each significant project. I have one for each my tags project and an ongoing Mennonite project. The latter box gets more action and is filled to the brim. The other day I was searching for a specific image and after some silent swearing, I found it in another place. There is something to be said for the collision of images in a very full box: It can be great for ideas to emerge unexpectedly. 

That being said, I realized that I needed a categorized repository of images. Deep in my office closet teetering on the top shelf, I found an empty binder and my filing cabinet offered up some empty page protectors and some page dividers. With these previously used office supplies I set to create order. It's still a work in progress, but I'm excited to be able to simply go to the "flora and fauna" section for my drawings of wheat, Chortitza oak leaves, and outlines of doves. For now my images of the Red Gate mingle in the "places" section with outlines of Pelee Island, and copies of Mennonite villages. In time, I may move the Red Gate images to a "structures" section that I hope to fill with images and drawings of windmills and the like. The "words" section is filling up, whereas the "food" section contains one lone drawing of Zwieback. The above image of the Choritza oak leaf silhouette will be filed in the "flora and fauna" section once I've finished writing this post.

Studio Series: black & white collage I

black & white collage 1 © Karen Thiessen, 2016

Three weeks of three day mini-retreats reset my studio practice. I completed two dresses and have started to wear them. While sewing the first one, it didn't occur to me to test how it functioned before cutting out the second and third dresses. I haven't yet sewn the third dress and I have enough fabric to restyle the pockets. Although I don't like the pockets in the first two dresses, the garments still feel good and fit properly. Tackling and completing a host of personal projects has injected new energy and confidence in my studio practice. I knew it would. Above is a collage that I did in my sketchbook yesterday.

Studio Series: Work In Progress

WIP collage 3'X4' © Karen Thiessen, 2016

This is week two of three weeks of mini-studio retreats. The above 3' X 4' unfinished collage is the largest that I have ever made. I am using papers that I have screen printed as well as found papers. I need to live with it for a while to see where it wants to go. It needs taming, but how I do not yet know.

WIP collage 3'X4' © Karen Thiessen, 2016

Once it is finished, I will hang it on the wall where it is propped. The hall is a busy, narrow space so I collaged on 1/4" plywood and will either hang it with metal mirror clips or I'll screw it to the wall with brass screws.

Of Note: Truitt, Manley, and Masko

Here's what tickles my fancy this week:

1. Anne Truitt, Working documentary by Jem Cohen. It was extra on the DVD for his film Museum Hours and it is only 13 minutes long, so I watched it twice. Truitt's descriptions of colour and her work are what make the documentary. The documentary was made in two parts: an interview in black-and-white film with Truitt at Yaddo on November 10, 1999 and a colour film of her Washington, D.C. studio in January 2005, just after her death in 2004. I found the filming to be very frustrating. In the Yaddo interview, Truitt is mixing colour and is describing various colours and their functions of either sick, dead, or lifting colours, BUT Cohen filmed this riveting interview in black-and-white. Also, I really wanted to see footage (in colour) of Truitt's sculptures in gallery and museum settings. The more I read her Daybook: The Journal of an Artist, the more of her work I want to see and learn about. 

2. A Little Sole-Searching? The Story of a Pair of Boots by Claudia Manley, of the blog Proper Tension. It's a well-crafted essay about boots and relationships and it has stayed with me the almost six weeks since I read it. I hope she writes more of these.

3. A Flowering Snowball class, taught by Johanna Masko. Masko is a friendly, patient teacher who explains each step clearly and has developed several hacks and techniques that make piecing curves and installing zippers easy. This week I  made my first stress-free zipper installation. I was apprehensive about the class because I had heard about her rigorous safety stance on rotary cutters. Once you get past that, she's really worth learning from.

Studio Series: Zwieback screen prints

Zwieback screen prints a © Karen Thiessen, 2016

Early this year I set up my ironing table to be a print table. It's only five feet long, so I can only print small runs of textiles. Of my designs that I've printed so far, the Zwieback pattern is my favourite. It's looser and more open than my usual designs. Layering the prints in various colours has been fun. I'm printing on cotton fabrics that I dyed using plant stuffs: black walnut, avocado pits and skins, and honey locust bean pods.

Zwieback screen prints b © Karen Thiessen, 2016

Above is a printed textile in progress. I'm printing with Speedball fabric inks on cotton that was dyed with honey locust bean pods. On its own, the honey locust colour colour is rather bland, but is a nice backdrop to colours like off-white, mocha, and rust. I'm curious to see how the Zwieback prints change once I stitch them into tags or piece them into larger textiles.

Studio Series: Mennonite series tags

Mennonite series tags; Photo © Karen Thiessen, 2016

Off and on, I've been playing with words and symbols of my Dutch German (Russian) Mennonite material culture for more than twenty years. Until I discovered the tag format I hadn't been able to pull it together. Above is a random assortment of the strongest tags pinned to my studio wall. I'll present them differently in a gallery setting with proper spacing, probably in a long line and I'll install them with specimen pins.

Mennonite series tags detail; Photo © Karen Thiessen, 2016

I have over fifty completed Mennonite material culture tags, but only thirty work well together. The collection now has a voice and an aesthetic has emerged.

Mennonite series detail; Photo © Karen Thiessen, 2016

As of this week I have thirty textile tags set up for stitching. The collection is growing. It's about time.

Studio Series: Chortitza Oak Leaves prints

Chortitza Oak leaves prints © Karen Thiessen, 2015

Happy days are here again: my printmaking class has resumed for the fall! I'm screen printing as usual, and I'm printing with found materials. My personal leaves of significance project continues in new ways. This summer I visited several Chortitza oak descendants (Quercus robur) here in Southern Ontario and gathered leaves: some to take rubbings from and some to print. To preserve the leaves, I soaked them in a glycerin, water, and surfactant concoction (1 part glycerin to two parts water, plus 3 to 4 drops of castile soap to act as a surfactant) for a week. Once the leaves were preserved, I inked some up with a brayer with black Akua ink and then ran them through a press. In the above photo, you'll see prints on abaca (a.k.a. tea bags), Japanese kozo paper, and old German book pages. My thanks to Christine Mauersberger for the idea to preserve the leaves and then print with them! In the near future, I plan to print with preserved mulberry leaves and birch leaves from the tree that shelters my late-brother's grave, although I'm certain that the birch leaves will be too fine to print with. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Of Note

We have finally reached zucchini nirvana and for the first time ever have far more zucchini than we can possibly eat. This is a good problem that I have been aiming for. Today I learned that a zucchini can double in size in just one day. 

Here's what's rocking my world this week:
1. Japanese Outsider artist Satoshi Morita's stitching is out-of-this-world. Satoshi's work was exhibited in Souzou: Outsider Art from Japan at Wellcome Collection in the U.K. in 2013. Oh my!

2. This week I finished reading Stuffocation by James Wallman. The one tidbit that set my mental lightbulb ablaze was an endnote that cites the research of historian Eve Fisher about what a shirt made during the middle ages would cost in today's dollars. It's brilliant. The $3500 Shirt is a good read.

3. My printmaking class may be over for the summer, but I'm still looking at contemporary screen prints to feed my mental image bank. Linda Linko's prints are delicious. Found via Anthology

4. I am in clean up mode around here. In the process of unearthing two tables in my studio, I found an old Surface Design Journal article (SDJ Spring 2001) about Jeanne Williamson's weekly quilts, and monthly 12" X 12" artworks. She's still at it.

Studio Series: Chortitza oak leaf drawings

Chortitza oak leaves drawing © Karen Thiessen, 2014

My Lenten intuitive mark-making practice continues. I drew these colourful Chortitza oak leaves (Quercus robur) while on the phone with family and friends.

Chortitza oak leaf drawing © Karen Thiessen, 2014

I drew this black-and-white Chortitza oak leaf while sitting in church.

Studio Series: Zwieback drawings

Zwieback drawings © Karen Thiessen, 2014

I drew these Zwieback as a continuation of my Lenten intuitive mark-making practice. It's been 275 days since I began and I've practiced almost 190 hours. That's an average of 41 minutes per day.

And Still We Rise Quilt Exhibition II

Helen Murrell We Are All Warmed by the Same Sun; Photo © Karen Thiessen, 2014

And Still We Rise: Race, Culture and Visual Conversations is an exhibition of contemporary quilts curated by Dr. Carolyn Mazloomi. The quilts were made by members of the Women of Color Quilters Network (WCQN), a nonprofit organization founded in 1985 by Dr. Mazloomi to promote inclusivity in African American quilt making. And Still We Rise was organized by the Cincinnati Museum Center and the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. 

We Are All Warmed by the Same Sun (2012) by Helen Murrell of Cleveland Heights, Ohio measures 53.5 by 54 inches. 

Materials: Hand-dyed linen, cotton scrim lining, cotton batting; cotton, linen, polyester and silk threads
Techniques: Hand embroidery, thread painting, free-motion machine quilting

1972: The U.S. Public Health Service's infamous Tuskegee syphilis experiment, which studied 399 African American men in the late stages of syphilis, ends.

The forty-year study is described by news anchor Harry Reasoner as an undertaking that "used human beings as laboratory animals in a long and inefficient study of how long it takes syphilis to kill someone."

Once again, I am gobsmacked by the intricacy of the free-motion machine quilting. I hope Murrell had a masseuse on hand to soothe her tired muscles after machine-stitching all those lines. The didactic panel does not indicate whether the fabric was hand-dyed, but I do see evidence of resist-dyeing in the background fabric.

Helen Murrell We Are All Warmed by the Same Sun detail; Photo © Karen Thiessen, 2014

Murrell's hand embroidery is impressive. She has balanced the hand and machine stitching in a pleasing way. Normally machine-stitched lines read as hard and hand-stitched lines read as soft but Murrell has switched this perception around quite brilliantly. The mottled background fabric and the fluid quilted lines probably have something to do with this perceptual switcheroo.

Ife Felix Shirley Chisholm: Unbought and Unbossed; Photo © Karen Thiessen, 2014

Shirley Chisholm: Unbought and Unbossed (2012) by Ife Felix of New York, New York measures 49 X 51 inches. 
Materials: Cotton fabric, plastic, cotton string 
Techniques: Machine piecing, machine quilting 

1972: On January 25, Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm becomes the first woman to run for the Democratic nomination for president and the first major-party African American candidate for president of the United States.

Felix's graphic quilt of red, whites, blues, and black is a stunner. Chisholm's collar appears to be three-dimensional. Unfortunately, I don't have detail photos to confirm this. Felix has captured Chisholm's power well. I'd vote for her.

Trish Williams And Still I Rise –– A. Philip Randolph; Photo © Karen Thiessen, 2014

And Still I Rise–– A. Philip Randolph (2012) by Trish Williams of Peoria, Illinois measures 51 inches square.
Materials: Hand-dyed cotton fabric, commercial cotton fabric, silk, polyester, fiberglass screen, buttons
Techniques: Machine piecing, machine appliqué, machine quilting

1925: A. Philip Randolph organizes the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, the first successful African American trade union.

Williams' use of black and white striped fabric drew me to this quilt and I especially like the binding. The upper left panel with the blue sky is the strongest part of the quilt. Williams could have eliminated the right and lower panels and the buttons without watering down the message.

Patricia Montgomery The Scottsboro Boys –– The Arrest; Photo © Karen Thiessen, 2014

The Scottsboro Boys––The Arrest (2012) by Patricia Montgomery of Oakland, California measures 65 X 57.5 inches.
Materials: Batik, commercial cotton fabric, pastel, ink, cotton thread, rayon thread
Techniques: Fused collage, machine quilting

1931: Nine African American youths are indicted in Scottsboro, Alabama, on charges of having raped two white women. The jury sentences them to death on slim evidence.

The Supreme Court overturns the jury's convictions twice. Each time, Alabama retries the youths and finds them guilty.

In a third trial, four of the Scottsboro boys are freed, but five are sentenced to long prison terms.

I'm intrigued by Montgomery's use of pastels and ink in this irregularly shaped quilt. The background jungle pattern juxtaposed against prison uniforms conveys the wildness of the criminal justice system. 

Patricia Montgomery The Scottsboro Boys –– The Arrest detail; Photo © Karen Thiessen, 2014

Montgomery's shading with pastels and scribbly machine-quilting is another strong feature of this quilt.

And Still We Rise Quilt Exhibition at The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati, Ohio February 2014
Photos taken with permission.

And Still We Rise Quilt Exhibition I

Cynthia H. Catlin The Beginning of Social Justice; Photo © Karen Thiessen, 2014

And Still We Rise: Race, Culture and Visual Conversations is an exhibition of contemporary quilts curated by Dr. Carolyn Mazloomi. The quilts were made by members of the Women of Color Quilters Network (WCQN), a nonprofit organization founded in 1985 by Dr. Mazloomi to promote inclusivity in African American quilt making. And Still We Rise was organized by the Cincinnati Museum Center and the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. 

The Beginning of Social Justice (2012) by Cynthia Catlin of San Pedro, California is 35.5 X 35 inches. 

Materials: Hand-dyed cotton fabric, suede, wool batting, metallic thread, rayon thread

Techniques: Machine appliqué, machine quilting, free-motion machine quilting, embroidery

1863: President Abraham Lincoln issues the Emancipation Proclamation, declaring that "all persons held as slaves within any State or designated part of a State, the people whereof shall then be in rebellion against the United States, shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free."

Catlin's use of line is astonishing.

Cynthia H. Catlin The Beginning of Social Justice detail; Photo © Karen Thiessen, 2014

The machine quilting is stunning with its complexity. I pity Catlin's neck and shoulders––free-motion machine quilting is not easy on the body.

Sharon Kerry-Harlan United; Photo © Karen Thiessen, 2014

United (2012) by Sharon Kerry-Harlan of Milwaukee, Wisconsin measures 59.5 X 63 inches
Materials: Cotton fabric, cotton batting
Techniques: Discharge dyeing, machine quilting

1909: The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is founded in New York by a group of prominent African American and white intellectuals led by W.E.B. Du Bois.

From my photograph it is difficult to tell whether the quilt is whole cloth or pieced. I suspect that it is pieced, but reads as one cloth. All that pattern works brilliantly with a simple two-colour (discharge) palette. Despite its busyness, the quilt is calm.

Sharon Kerry-Harlan United detail; Photo © Karen Thiessen, 2014

United has the feel of Kuba cloth.

Valerie C. White Julett Miles at the River's Edge; Photo © Karen Thiessen, 2014

Julett Miles at the River's Edge (2008) by Valerie C. White of Denver, Colorado measures 32 X 50 inches.
Materials: Cotton fabric hand-dyed, fabric paint
Techniques: Drawing, hand painting, machine quilting

1858: Kentucky slave Julett Miles tries to escape to freedom by crossing the Ohio River with her five children and four grandchildren. 
Her attempt is discovered and she is sentenced to prison, where she will die in 1860.

I'm guessing that Julett Miles is a whole cloth quilt. White depicts Miles just before she attempts to escape and the tension is palpable. 

Valerie C. White Julett Miles at the River's Edge detail; Photo © Karen Thiessen, 2014

The patterns of the head scarf and dress are delights for the eye.

Why haven't I heard of these quilters before? Have their quilts been featured in Surface Design Journal and the now defunct Fiberarts and I just didn't notice? This work deserves more attention.

And Still We Rise Quilt Exhibition at The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati, Ohio February 2014
Photos taken with permission.

Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson Journeys I & II

Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson Journeys I & II; Photo © Karen Thiessen, 2014

In February I was in Cincinnati, Ohio for a conference and I had a free afternoon. One of the conference organizers is a docent at The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center and he offered to give me and a small group a private guided tour. I love African American quilts and researched them in my student days, so I was pleased to see Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson's monumental textile Journeys I & II. 

Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson Journeys detail; Photo © Karen Thiessen, 2014

To say that I was pleased is an understatement: I was blown away by the detail, colour and time commitment. Robinson (b. 1940) has been making this textile since 1968. That's 46 years.

Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson Journeys detail; Photo © Karen Thiessen, 2014

Robinson is now 74. Will she continue making this textile until the end of her days? 

Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson Journeys detail; Photo © Karen Thiessen, 2014

The expressive stitching speaks to me.

Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson Journeys detail; Photo © Karen Thiessen, 2014

I especially appreciate her colourful appliquéd text and the chunky stitching that attaches it to the textile.

Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson Journeys detail; Photo © Karen Thiessen, 2014

Paint, fabric, buttons, cowrie shells, graphite, and thread reside together to make this monumental textile. Does some of the fabric come from previously worn clothing? 

Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson Journeys detail; Photo © Karen Thiessen, 2014

Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson Journeys Text; Photo © Karen Thiessen, 2014

Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson Journeys detail; Photo © Karen Thiessen, 2014

Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson textile 1968 to present at The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Photos taken with permission.

The Art Guys: Suitcase Wheel, 1995

Suitcase Wheel, 1995 by The Art Guys

When a friend travelled to San Antonio, Texas last year, I asked him to snap a picture of the Suitcase Wheel, a sculpture of 1950s and 1960s Samsonite suitcases by The Art Guys, installed at the San Antonio International Airport.

Suitcase Wheel, 1995 by The Art Guys

The wheel is 16 feet in diameter. I have a few of these suitcases and what bugs me about them is that they are wider at the bottom, which means that they create a slope when stacked. Clearly the wider bottom is an asset in creating this wheel. The vintage tags are a nice detail.

Suitcase Wheel didactic panel, 1995 by The Art Guys

The sculpture is on exhibition until February, 2015, so if you are heading to San Antonio, take a look.

Studio Series: Chortitza oak pattern

Chortitza oak pattern © Karen Thiessen 2014

Since January is turning out to be "sit at the computer" instead of "play in my studio" month I'm making the most of it. Learning Adobe Illustrator has occupied much of my computer time over the past two years and in the process my Adobe Photoshop skills atrophied. So it's time to dust off my manual and start playing with making patterns in Photoshop again and maybe one day I'll learn how to create patterns using both Illustrator and Photoshop. Chortitza oak is a very basic pattern of a tree that I am obsessed with at the moment.

Week 77: Adobe Illustrator

Ukrainian crosses © Karen Thiessen, 2014

Another upside to spending January in front of a computer is that I am back to learning Adobe Illustrator again after a hiatus of several months. I'm curious to see how my AI skills will develop this year. It's been a while since I used a manual and now it's time to go back to learning new skills from a book and then playing with those skills.

Week 76: Adobe Illustrator

Ukrainian butterfly © Karen Thiessen 2014

We are in the midst of a deep freeze here in Canada. For a few days it was so cold that the squirrels stayed tucked in their dreys. For those who are missing the warmer weather, here's a cheery pattern to brighten your day. As for me, this is my favourite time of the year. Christmas is over, the light is bright, crisp, and clear, and the tree skeletons are revealed. It's all so ordinary and beautiful.