Last weekend - more coffee and art

It is a good thing that John likes coffee and he now isn't sure if I suggested Inversion cafe because of the location or the Art League Gallery adjoining it.

Table top mosaic

There we found the coffee shop renovated since October's visit.  It is lovely now and the coffee is good.

We sat outside where there was a lovely piece of fibre art:-
I thought Pily might like this No Hay Pedo - another Mafi Mushkila type phrase meaning - "there's no problem"...

A Forged Utopia
Giovanni Valderas
Detail below

And then we went to the main gallery where I learnt the little known fact that 400-1000 women disguised themselves as men and fought for both sides of the American Civil War.  Some were discovered and sent home and others stayed on the battlefield and worked as nurses.  Others fought as men with distinction and only came out as women when safely living again at home.  Many more were killed on the battlefield.

And She Was
Margaret Meehan

I enjoyed my time working on a still life series

karin millson March 2016

Exhibition Entry and more

When I came to Texas I didn't know what my working days would be like.
Turns out activity has been cyclical with periods of mixed media

Just exercise! 

Karin Millson

and other  periods (= hours and hours)  of very computer focussed slogging.
There have been times of gallery visiting though.
Last weekend we spent a lovely Saturday in and around the downtown area of Galveston. It was a delight, and very inspiring.

I wasn't expecting to see up-liftingly colourful works of Rene Wiley  in her gallery and the stunning fibre art  that she calls Textile Mosaics, by Brenda J Bunten-Schloesser who includes weavings and collage in her art.

Reaching (Old Red) 40 x 20 "

 by Brenda J Bunten-Schlosser

Photo Credit to renewiley Gallery 2128 Postoffice, Galveston

Who represent this artist.

Later we gallery hopped and got all inspired to take photographs after a long chat with  Peter A Bowman (Photographer).  I am still enjoying learning about my new camera E-M5II with its sweet little lens that can fit in my handbag, but it does have inter-changeables (though I just have the one)... aren't I proud.

I can't help it -  I love texture and look at those colours.

Wall Sauce

Karin Millson 2016

I am ready to post a package off to Wendy again... it will be pricey with what it has to contain, let's just say beads, cape, music box.  Life is certainly diverse and full of challenge right now.

Latest drawing ?exercise...

Why think of these things as exercises. Are they not just as much a piece of valid art as any other thing done today?

January and February... Lots going on, included Texan Viruses.

It has been an interesting and busy time. Here are a couple of highlights.
Trip to Calgary to work with Wendy.
Can't show you much but.... here is a photomontage of some of the stuff I have been up to...

Then there was an afternoon spent in the company of High School Students at West Island College where they showed me new and exciting things to do with Shibori...
I was particularly interested that one young man was fascinated enough to spend the entire time working his photographic skills on samples... I was so impressed.  The students were fighting their desire to be off on the long family day weekend... so all credit to them for sticking at it.





























It was Valentine's day whilst I was away but this thorny clawing image provided a tongue in cheek reference to the lover's day - Photo taken in Glenbow Museum lobby.... it is a very large bear sporting all those roses. (no animals were endangered in the making of this display).




Then I went to the exhibition of Hardy's Kaleidoscopic Animalia, work following on from his residency at the museum... I loved it.  There was so much to see in such a modern way of displaying works from the Museum's vast collection.  And being a fashion designer there was plenty of fibre to be seen.... Love those hair prongs  - Knitting needles.

The puppets in Wolf in Sheep's Clothing was such fun - I took the shot for Wendy.  For a laugh.


Then off to Vancouver for the holiday.


Once back in Houston I had a day in Katy and discovered the kcam or Katy Contemporary Arts Museum.  Great venue, lovely works on show.   with Gestural by Chuck Hipsher Some textile related... oil on canvas and velvet with bleach back... hmmm.... Also an interesting piece with some puckered gathering like you get on a cushion that turned out to be little anuses!  Don't ask.


As I said on my Facebook page... I don't rate the gallery for their decision to only allow long shots of the gallery spaces and none of individual works.  This I think very short-sighted of them.  anyway loved the colours in some of the works by Hipsher.  And I certainly enjoyed myself looking around.
They have a small gallery shop where Katy's artists can be represented.  Do drop by if you are in the area.

Thanks to my dear friend L Hawke who drew my attention to the sewers of the road.  This another Whoosie . I think I might use it as my new profile picture....
And this is my stitching to be included in the stitch activism I have decided to be a part of:- THIS
I doubt it will do much good... in this State.

Electronics and stuff

Currently I am working on a few projects simultaneously.
Electronics for Jelly Fish
Colonoscopy in Science fiction
Poetry in stitch
Painterly Art Exercises

I can't post about 3 of those items for secrecy reasons... so here is this painterly work instead.

Oh and below is a contemplative image taken this weekend in Columbus Texas, close to the second oldest tree in Texas.
I am just learning about my new camera and the software support it gets from Olympus... another uphill climb.

Work it out - Where is your passion? Your answer provides the only true solution.

This blog entry was going to be about some motivational course that is on offer in the textile forum this month.  And how I am not taking it, why not... and what I do instead.
However, in putting today's blog entry together I eventually found myself watching this:-
https://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_changing_education_paradigms
and felt that all my blog entry need be is that link.  I hope you enjoy it if you haven't seen it already.

Should you be intrigued as to what took me there, here is the former blog entry for today.
There is a move in the textile world to do a 10 week online course on overcoming boundaries and improving motivation.... "Do I need this now?"  Is the main question one should ask before signing up.  I have many items on my desk and I am working on them.  Video, film, stitch, and daily 'drawing' and writing.  And I am getting through the work.... I have strategies, hard earned and seemingly successful.  We can all continue to improve though.


This holiday I joined Ali in making my own gelli plate. My friend Nikki made hers years ago and they last.  Gelli plates are a good, cheap tool that encourages 'play'.  Play is what we do when we get our minds out of that controlled state and into free creativity.

Here is my drawing 'workout" for today.  It might not be finished, who cares.  Changing the orientation of the image can lead me to different meanings in different orientations.
I do wonder what I would have ended up with in a parallel universe where I concentrated on lines instead of circles on the ground... but hey, that is going all analytical  - which I agreed to leave at the door.
And stream of consciousness writing can prove useful based on such daily created images.
As a daily activity this can develop ones free creativity, and break barriers. These ideas are not new. See the work of Ken Robinson for his theories.  He is one hell of an inspiring guy!
I want more Ken Robinson - - Local Library here I come.

Contemplative Photography is for me. A whole blog post about one photograph

My Nikon P6000 has been a trusty friend.  It is a digital compact camera with a mechanical viewfinder.
Unfortunately the viewfinder is no longer working - and I am forced to shoot blind most of the time because the back screen is awful to use... and I really do wish the camera makers would bite the bullet and provide us with digital compact cameras with proper viewfinders (of course at reasonable prices).

In a photo magazine that John bought us for Xmas, is an article about improving composition in ones photos.

Although many of the photographers documented how they had composed the shots illustrated in the article, .. use of “leading lines,” ignoring rule of 2/3, soft focus in some areas, mimicry of line etc etc….Some of them emphasized that the composition can just come naturally.

The ideas expressed in the style of photography called “Contemplative Photography “ works on exactly that principle. Simply do not compose your shots… just let them happen after enjoying what you have really seen.

I was so pleased with the shot below taken on Reginald Hill, Saltspring Island.

As an artist one is always so self-critical ( I suffer from low self esteem) and one shouldn’t be so, I am told.

So, in this case  at least, I am going to bang on about why I am happy with this photo!!!

This is a 21mb file, but is shown here as a tiny jpg... if you want to see it in its full glory you must email me.  Will anyone?

Karin Millson: Behind the Scenery
Nikon Coolpix P6000 f/2.6, 0.0254s, ISO 400, focal length (36mm) 28mm.

Now the interesting thing is that this photo has elements that are text book... and yet I didn't think about any of them, I just thought about what I liked when I really saw it. Turns out it works ('it' being the 'Contemplative Photography' theory.) Leading line is the log, taking your eye to the mid-ground trees.  These Arbutus tree stems are irregular providing a strong contrast to other  'lines' in the image.  And what about that diagonal of the grassy bank.... where did that come from.... magic elves of the wood I think... It divides the shot nicely in two.

The foreground is in sharp contrast which is fed well by the sprinkling of leaves there.  And depth of field has allowed the beauty of the Arbutus bark to give strong colour harmony to the photo.  

The background is misty, with a soft focus but still the vertical lines of the pines provide interest and one can't help but think about the mood in there in the dusky woods, as the sun disappeared. 

Yep, I am proud of this one.

I am not making any new year resolutions, just an acknowledgement that photography IS important to me. 

Next question... what camera did Nikon replace the P6000 with and is it worth its salt?