52 Weeks of Play: Weeks 41-44

The last few weeks have brought about some major life changes. Not only have I sold my business which is a huge personal transition, but we as an entire human race are facing a major challenge. Like everyone else, I am just trying to grasp onto everything and anything that helps to bring about comfort at a time like this. And for me, that is art.

Week 41: Drawing

I never have felt confident in my drawing skills so I treated myself to a new sketchbook and have committed to starting a drawing practice. I would love to be able to incorporate more of my own imagery into my quilts. You can't get better without practice!

Week 42: Couching Stitch

I used this week to put the finishing touches on my latest quilt. I always liked the look of couching but never really used it much in my own pieces. I really wanted the figure to stand out against the background so I used the couching method of embroidery to outline the figure. As you can tell from the finished piece, this was created during the turbulence of the last several months and finished as the news of the pandemic was growing.

Week 43: Monoprints

By this second or third week of social distancing, I turned to some fun online art classes! There are so many wonderful free resources out there for people to learn new techniques. One of my absolute favorite artists is Laura Kemshall. Besides her paid online classes, there are many free ones to choose from. I took her monoprinting class and got some terrific results! Here is a link!

Week 44: Paper Stencils

What I have found to be the most comforting during this time of global crisis is the notion of "play". Having an escape from the news to get into a meditative state of creating where you can just make a mess without any pressure. There are so many ways of doing this. For this past week, I used basic office supplies of cardstock, paperpunches and an exacto knife to make some easy paper stencils.

I encourage everyone to pull out their art supplies- even if that means crayons and coloring books.  Having a creative outlet can take you out of yourself and allow you a few minutes (or more!) of peace.