Virginia A. Spiegel

Shrine of the Planting Moon
Collection of Jane Davila

Fibre&Stitch’s third issue has just been released and includes my article, From Studio Journal to Art Quilt. This article focuses on the way I researched my Moon Shrine series, sketched out ideas and developed a series. Fibre&Stitch is an innovative online zine. Each issue is HUGE; this latest issue has 70 pages of mixed-media projects. Sharon B. of the comprehensive textile blog “in a minute ago” has an annotated summary of this issue here.

My studio journals are a continuing record and treasure house from the time I first stepped into my studio full time ten years ago. They, and my Boundary Waters’ journals, are the only ones I have kept consistently, although I have tried and failed with many formats.

Here are two page from my current studio journal:

You can see I USE the journals - trying out my materials, thinking, doodling, working.

I answer that very question in the summer SAQA (Studio Art Quilt Associate, Inc.) Journal. The issue finally made its way out of customs and includes my article, “Re-start your art through an artist’s residency.” SAQA is an organization to which all artists and patrons of art quilts should belong.

You can see from photos from my residency at Quilt, Inc.’s Great Expectations Creativity Center and at the Kimmel Harding Nelson Center for the Arts that I have found residencies to be an opportunity to take risks and create, create, create. Where else do you have 24/7 with nothing to do but think about and make art? Nirvana!

If you like reading my blog, treat yourself to my new online book, Art, Nature, Creativity, Life, AND benefit the American Cancer Society at the same time.

If you haven’t received your e-mail copy, please let me know. I am asking subscribers to let me know if they prefer an occasional e-mail newsletter or if this blog should become, in effect, the newsletter. Inquiring minds want to know.

Your copy of Art, Nature, Creativity, Life should be in your mailbox if you are a subscriber to my free e-newsletter.

The essay in this newsletter is about Re-Vision, the necessity and the art of editing our own work.

The newsletter is published on an irregular basis and will become even more irregular this year as I return, at last, to my studio.

The photo is a detail of an artist book, Lost Garden, featured in the Behind The Scenes section of the newsletter.

The April/May issue of FiberARTS magazine includes in its Sampling section what I believe (and hope) to be my last fiberart postcard. I sent it to my sister on Valentine’s Day and it was chosen as one of fifteen to be published in The Sampling section of the magazine. All 200 postcards can be seen online on the FiberARTS magazine website.

Don’t forget — tomorrow is the last day for the Invitational Reverse Auction to benefit the American Cancer Society. I’m expecting a last minute rush and will accept bids after midnight tonight at the March 16 minimum bid level.