Something From Practically Nothing
The Artistic Journey of a Creative Elder
I'm Vera, 75 years old this year and I'm still in love with Creativity. It's my Therapy...My Anchor to Sanity.
The main purpose of this Blog effort is to spark inspiration, encouragement, ideas and maybe even laughter...and to speak truth to as many hearts as I can reach. I entitled it 'Something from Practically Nothing' because that is, literally, the theme that has been and continues to be the connective thread in the fabric of my entire life's journey. That thread is what keeps me connected to my mother and keeps me grounded in this life. She is the person who first introduced me to the act and the challenge of “making something from practically nothing”. And I have grown to love that challenge.
When I was a young girl in the 40's and 50's, growing up in a family that was headed by my mother, I learned at a very early age how to make something from practically nothing. I watched my mother turn meager provisions into a small feast, an empty flour sack into a beautiful dress, scraps of cloth into beautiful, warm quilts, plain threads into fancy scarves for tables and chairs, and braided rags into bright colorful rugs for our floors. I remember loving dresses that my mother made for me so much that she had to wait until I'd fall asleep to get them off of me. So, when I create anything, I feel a true connection to her. In turn, everything that I create is dedicated to my mother, Martha, and to my Father, The Creator. I believe our Creator has installed in each of us a creative vein which, if tapped into, will render great results and spiritual satisfaction.
One of the ways that I express my creativity is through the medium of hand-coiled and stitched fabric-wrapped basketry and I've found that I can make something extremely beautiful and functional from practically nothing (a piece of cardboard, some rope, strips of cloth, a needle and thread and my imagination). The technique I use is the coil and sew method. The coils are kept in place by the thread and the work is tedious and time consuming, being done stitch by stitch and coil by coil. The stitch oftentimes enhances or dominates the design of the vessel by the way that it is sewn in. Meticulous care in the choice of fabrics lends to the aesthetic beauty of each vessel, while the detailed stitching ensures that each piece is not just beautiful, but functional as well.
I am always intrigued by the translation of fabric design after it has been stripped, wrapped and coiled into a finished vessel. When I look at fabric, I don't just see the design that is initially visible to the eye, I see how that design can be transformed and redesigned once it is cut into strips, wrapped over rope and coiled into a totally new version of visual beauty. I get extremely excited when I look at fabric design! I start hyperventilating as soon as I enter any store that sells beautiful fabrics! My husband used to wait in the car when I'd go shopping for fabrics – that was before he actually went into the store with me. The first time he went with me, he saw me start to pat my chest at the door and asked, “What's wrong?!?”...Me: “Oh, Nothing.” Right! I was hyperventilating! From that time on, he learned to always accompany me when I shop for fabrics. And it turned out that he liked the experience! He helped me and kept me grounded when I got too excited for my own good. I'm joking folks - that's not possible! Something good always comes from my excitement! But, just for our financial safety (and the safety of our marriage) we told all of the fabric shops we visit, that if they see me in the store alone and my eyes are glazed over with glee, to call Al immediately!
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My Creative Journey has led me to exhibits in wonderful art galleries, like Vale Craft Gallery, located in Chicago's famous River North Gallery District (where my work was showcased right in the gallery's front window!, the Roger Harvey Art Gallery which was located in the beautiful downtown area of New Buffalo, Michigan and a short but wonderful relationship with a beautiful store called FORM, that was located downtown in beautiful St. Joseph, Michigan. Because of my own artistic expression, I've met so many wonderful people - artists, art lovers, curators and gallery owners. It has taken me to places like Savannah, Georgia to be an exhibitor in their First Saturday Art Exhibit on the famous River Street boardwalk, and it has afforded me the honor of being amongst the talent that is curated in the annual Through Our Eyes Exhibit, held in the historic LaVilla Museum in Jacksonville, Florida. I have compiled a gallery of images that will offer a visual documentation of some of my artistic ventures and opportunities. There's a story wrapped up in many of those images...and so much inspiration.
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My creative path has meandered in and out of so many exciting and pleasurable ventures and, more importantly, has connected me to so many amazing, talented people who are expressing their creativity through so many different mediums - some I'd never seen before (but will never forget) and would have never seen, had I not been on my own Creative Path...Creating Something from Practically Nothing.
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