Virginia A. Spiegel

Thank you to all the readers who have shared their experience of reading Wild at the Edges. Some excerpts :

It is such a RICH book. (I love this comment as this was exactly my intent in creating the book — to have something new to look at, read, or study each time you opened it).

I am dazzled by your courage and strength to go out in the wilderness and hang out. Your spectacular artwork, combined with the enlightening text, and the beautiful photography; this book is a treasure!

I realized how powerful (at least to me) your art is when coupled with the photographs. You really should do an exhibit of both!

I just got your book yesterday and have read just the first third or so of it.  It is lovely – I know I will enjoy the rest of the journey!

To read more comments by readers of Wild at the Edges,  flip through a multi-page preview or order, click here.

Two more good reasons to purchase Wild at the Edges for yourself or a friend:  25% of all profits are donated to the American Cancer Society through Fiberart For A Cause AND Blurb is a print-on-demand publisher so we are saving some trees.

Just finished Malcolm Gladwell’s What the Dog Saw.  Galdwell is always an interesting writer who takes things we think we know about and makes us look at them in new ways.

If you, like me, are thinking about the New Year, take the time to read his essay, Late Bloomers:  Why do we equate genius with precocity?.

To summarize:  Some artists and writers are like Picasso.  Made lots of art, started young and carried on throughout his life creating masterpiece after masterpiece.  Other artists and writers are like Cezanne.  Painted a long time, but really only became a great painter later in his life and frequently had to be supported emotionally and financially by his friends and family.

Picasso knew what he wanted to paint, executed it and that was that.  Cezanne painted the same subject many times, refining, exploring, always seeking, seldom finding.

That doesn’t mean Picasso was a better artist.  Gladwell’s conclusion is that late bloomers proceed by trial and error, use the process of making art as a way of refining their vision and revel in the process, not the end result.  This takes time.

I find it very reassuring as I approach the New Year, with a not-very-clear idea of where my art wants go, that others have trod this path before me. Some of us come to art relatively late in life after perhaps being successful in other venues; spend a lot of time experimenting, refining, thinking; and find fault many times in what we do create.

Gladwell’s essay made me realize all of this is part of the process for late bloomers and there is nothing I need to do but carry on searching in the New Year by making more art.

Since Blurb is in the holiday mood until December 31 (with a $10 off coupon), check out this list of creative and inspirational books compiled by Judy Coates Perez.

Who doesn’t love a sale?  The hardcover version of Wild at the Edges is now $10 off through December 31.

All the details are here.

Carol Larson received her copy of my book and shared,

The spectacular artwork, combined with the enlightening text, the wondrous haiku and the beautiful photography all combine to make this book a treasure for anyone who loves nature, art or life!  Additionally it is such a powerful lesson for women about life on the edge, facing the fear and truly living in the moment. What an inspiration, Virginia!

Thank you, Carol.

(If you bought a copy of my book prior to this coupon becoming available, fear not!  Drop me a note and I will send you details of a little thank-you for being such a super-supporter.)

Once December comes, I’m always looking for peppy things to make me happy (and the winter seem shorter).  I came in to my studio yesterday and noticed all the cheerful blue.

Do you like my “Blue Moo?”  Really it’s a WittFitt “chair.”  I found my “Blue Moo” after seeing an article in the local paper about schools using these “chairs.”  If you are like me, sitting and sewing for hours on end (even with breaks) just kills my legs.  This seems to be an excellent solution.  I have absolutely no affiliation with WittFitt, but love the product and their customer service.

Notice the rolled art quilt (Boundary Waters 51) with the blue backing.  It’s rolled because it is my entry to a hush-hush juried invitational.  I hope to finish it up early in 2010 and MOVE ON.

This is not Photoshopped in any way.  The sun came up through the clouds and snow this morning and the world was pink.  I went out later in the normal white world and it was a photographer’s dream.  Shoveling, not so much.