4 COLLAGE ARTISTS

A few piles of painted papers,

rubber stamps,

scissors

& paste.

Tri-folded white strips

or design on a rectangle.

Each came up with their own design.

So here's work

by mom & kids....

THE WHOLE FAMILY CREATES

My new friends seem like old friends. I first got to know them through STATIONS, an invitational art exhibit in Paris. I wasn't able to be at the opening but they attended & turned up in this photo looking at my piece "TOUT" "ALL".

We've been building a friendship on FB, blogs and emails for over a year now. Today we finally met in person & did what we've been planning for months...creating in the studio...the whole family !

While cutting, pasting, & rubber-stamping we talked about their experiences in Paris & I shared some of the art I've done cross-culturally. Time slipped by so quickly. So much more to share and create. It ended too soon.

After lunch, I sent them off with my postcards and big hugs. Once again I feel so rich having all these wonderful relationships being built through art.

Tomorrow I'll post their finished pieces.

EMPTY STUDIO ? NOT REALLY

Actually my studio is not so empty but I like this shot, taken last year. Today I was out and about-so nothing creative happening.

Tonight I'm setting up to do collage with new friends coming through in the morning.

Check back tomorrow to see the creative activity.

FRIENDS FROM INDIA

My friend, called to ask if she could bring her family over, visiting from India & Florida. Of course!

I brought out the big National Geographic Atlas and located where each is from in India. We eventually made it up to the studio where I shared the Creation quilt, they discoved their language in the design of For God So Loved & of course they wanted to see the story ropes having heard so much about them from Mina.

That called for telling my story. I brought out the suffering collages to show, as I told about the dark pieces of fabric on my story rope - my long dark depression.

Much conversation up in the studio. Before leaving, I gave them postcards of the quilts - enough to share with their friends back home. I love these women from India & feel so rich with all my friends from around the world.

ZACCHAEUS QUILT lesson 2

We began designing a little quilt top for practice today, learning how to simplify images (buildings) and try out techniques (heat bonding material & zig-zag stitch) that will be used in the Zacchaeus quilt.

At home Nilce wrote a contextualized version of the story of Zacchaeus, which takes place in a city with high buildings. Working with colorful scraps, Nilce & Raquel created buildings & a street with a cross-walk. Next class we'll add windows, doors, maybe some trees.

Nós começamos a projetar uma superfície de quilt simples para a prática de hoje, a aprender a simplificar as imagens (edifícios) e experimentar técnicas (material de colagem de calor e ponto zig-zag) que serão utilizados na colcha de quilt de Zaqueu.

Em casa Nilce escreveu uma versão contextualizada da história de Zaqueu, que acontece em uma cidade com edifícios altos. Trabalhando com retalhos coloridos, Nilce e Raquel criaram edifícios e uma rua com uma faixa de pedestres. Na próxima aula vamos adicionar janelas, portas e talvez algumas árvores.

'HOW TO MAKE A STORY ROPE' video

I developed the story rope in Rwanda as a way for genocide survivors to process their stories. Since then I've taught many how to use it in their cross-cultural work. Most recent 'how-to' requests have come from people wanting to use it in India, Uganda & Australia. Pat Butler & I partnered in making this video to share the process.

'How to make a Story Rope' http://vimeo.com/26931171

Please let me know where in the world you are making story ropes & I'll put a pin in that spot on a world map. You can contact me in the comment area.

ZACCHAEUS QUILT lesson 1

My new Brazilian friends, Nilce & daughter Raquel, came over for their first lesson in making a picture quilt.

How do you make a quilt that tells a story & where do you start? That's what we talked about today, looking at examples & materials to stimulate creativity.

Nilce wants to make a quilt about the Bible character, Zacchaeus. She plans to use it when teaching immigrant children. Contextualizing the story to make sense in our culture will be a creative challenge. More after the next lesson.

Hoje minhas amigas brasileiras, Nilce & Raquel, vieram para sua primeira lição de como fazer uma colcha de imagens (técnica de Quilt).

Como você faz uma colcha que conta uma história? Por onde começar? Foi sobre isso que nós falamos hoje, olhando para exemplos e materiais para estimular a criatividade.

Nilce quer fazer uma colcha sobre o personagem bíblico Zaqueu. Ela vai contextualizar a história para fazer sentido em nossa cultura, com os filhos de imigrantes com os quais ela espera para trabalhar. Continuaremos na próxima lição.

RAINY PAGES

2 spreads from my book, RAIN.

Thinking about next book.

Did you see the cover?

Click - to see yesterday's post.

Next post on Monday.

ON MY BOOK SHELF

A new book has appeared on my shelf of children's picture books. Mine!

RAIN

by Marge Malwitz

My husband, Nelson, used the online Blurb program to create this beautiful hardcover book from the scanned pages of Sketchbook Project 2011, RAIN.

A wonderful birthday present! Thank you, my dear!

Some book pages tomorrow.

As always-click on photos to enlarge.

I blogged the creative process of making RAIN. Click to see.

CONQUERING APERTURE

Finally organizing my photos, which we moved from I-Photo into Aperture a few months ago. Conquering the new program is a challenge - hours of time.

The painted papers & glue are pushed to the back & collaging put on hold, while I work on my laptop.

HIGH TIDE OVER BOARDWALK

As I looked through the scraps with the idea of sea, sky and sand, I found a little scrap of striped fabric. Ahhh-a piece of boardwalk, I thought.

Look at this photo, recently shot by photographer, Karen Amendola. It's the little piece of art come to life! High tide splashing over the boardwalk - Brewster, Cape Cod Bay, Massachusetts.

Thanks, Karen, for letting me use your spectacular picture!

WORKING ON VIDEO

Been working on putting together a 15 minute video of my artist friend, Pat Butler, making a story-rope. We shot the clips earlier in the year. Editing done. Just need to make an intro. Coming soon.

What's a story-rope?

Stay tuned.

Click here for previous story rope posts.

BAYSIDE HORIZONTALS

at the Cape

sky, sea & sand

1 painted paper strip

4 fabric strips

minimal

collaged in Kolo Journal

SUNSET OVER BAY

Sunset & Sea colored papers were on the table. Worked with those.

2nd sunset appears on opposite page. The 2 relate nicely. Minimal. 3 pieces of acrylic painted paper.

Creating series: click here

Have a great weekend.

See you on Monday!

CAPE COD SUNSET

Fabric scraps & painted papers. As is or just a cut or two or three. More inspired by the paper & fabric scraps than design direction.

Next collages will be pretty spontaneous. Maybe I'll be leaving the Outermost House on the beach.

Creating series: click here

BETWIX & BETWEEN

I'm between projects. Pulled out the Kolo journal I started last fall at Cape Cod. 9 pages of collages inspired by the Outermost House.

Now's a great time to design more collages inspired by that famous house.

To see earlier posts of Outermost House collages ...click here.

HOW MANY CARDS?

1000 postcards for our friends.

Hope in the Neighborhood.

The quilt they called 'theirs'.

for 3 blog posts about

this quilt & the people

who wanted this postcard -

from the 'Back of Beyond'.

click here.

HOUSE ON THE WALL

The Bible story of Rahab is told through 4 houses on top of the wall. They are the same house but represent 4 scenes in the story. We jump into the story with Joshua sending 2 spies to enter the walled city of Jericho which he plans to take.

Scene 1: Rahab is a prostitute who lives in a house on the wall. She invites the spies to lodge the night. Joshua 2:1

Scene 2: Men in the city come looking for the spies, having heard they are at Rahab's house. But she hides the spies on the roof under the hay & tells the men, they (the spies) were there earlier but left the city. Joshua 2:2-7

Scene 3: The spies escape down a rope from her window and promise Rahab that she and her whole family will be saved if she identifies her house with a red cord hanging from her window.

Joshua 2:8-18

Scene 4: When Joshua attacks Jericho, the red cord is hanging from her window. She and her family are saved and the city is burned. Joshua 6:24

Why did I make this quilt? I know there's a reason. To be continued, I'm sure.

Click on quilt to enlarge.

Rahab

Finished Rahab Quilt-will post tomorrow.

WIND, EARTHQUAKE & FIRE

I loved the challenge of designing this narrative quilt, Elijah at Horeb. click on photos to enlarge

We enter in the middle of the story: Elijah fears for his life & escapes to a cave in Horeb. God speaks to him there.

“Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out & stood at the mouth of the cave. I Kings 19.

Elijah at Horeb sold at the Round Top Center for the Arts, in Maine. I made it early in my quilt years, before I had professional photos of my work taken.

DESIGNED IN MY HEAD

I created The Flood quilt in the '90's - Genesis account of the great flood. Designed in my head before sketching - ark to go across the whole quilt - picture the story progression in sections through & around this big boat. Click on quilt to enlarge.

1. Judgement from God on all people but Noah & family

2. Noah obediently builds ark

3. animals to ark

4. God shuts door/rain starts/people swept away

5. safety aboard/rain stops/great wind/water recedes

6. bird to find dry land

7. all leave ark/Noah gives thanks/God sets rainbow-promising never to flood entire earth again.

The Flood in invitational exhibit of Narrative Quilts @Yeshiva University Museum in NYC. What fun to be at the opening, watching people excitedly discovering all there is to see in this piece. Quilt in private collection.

•Filling order for giclee - adding rainbow with colored pencil.

SEQUENTIAL STORY QUILTS

I'll share the finished Rahab quilt in a couple of days. Rahab is the 4th narrative quilt I've designed in which the story sequence is pictured across the quilt.

Here I am with the Creation, in a seminary class I'm teaching in Jos, Nigeria. This quilt has logged a lot of miles with me, traveling to destinations in Asia, Africa, & Australia. The design engages & stimulates conversation, even in hard places.

Click on quilt to enlarged .

Genesis 1 - Creation account

• the spirit moving over waters

• light separated from darkness

• sky separating water

• dry land/vegetation

• sun/moon-day/night

• seasons-narrow band

• sea life/birds

• animals/man

SKY SKIFFS

3 more skiffs in the sky?

I almost forgot about them myself.

15 skiffs in...

click on it:

Drop Your Nets.

click on skiffs to enlarge

SKIFFS, NETS & WATER

In the previous post I showed 3 skiff quilt blocks. At the time I thought they came out too large - the reason they never made it into the quilt I was planning.

I went on to reduce the design & made these12 skiffs. They were stitched to of a background of nets & water, creating this quilt.

Drop Your Nets

© Marge Malwitz

click on photo to enlarge.

THE INSPIRING SKIFF

SKIFF

A shallow, flat-bottomed open boat with sharp bow & square stern.

3 individual quilt blocks.

Unfinished project.

Still perking.

Inspiring Rockport, a lobstering seaport on the north shore of Massachusetts.

Lots of skiffs.