Went to Barnes and Noble last night, and found a couple of books that have TONS of inspiration for quilts, they are both about castles and palaces around the world. The ornamentation in them are amazing!

It's very easy to see looking at some of just the floor patterns, where the traditional quilts patterns came from. The aristocrats didn't build their castles on their own, the carpenters and peasants did, and their wives no doubt, made quilts.

I also found an older used book on women and the surrealist movement. I actually picked it up because the front cover is one of Frida's "self portrait with monkey" pieces. Only got to read a few pages before I went to sleep, but so far it seems interesting. It wasn't until I saw that book, that I gave thought to the fact that the only female artists I really know about are Frida, and O'Keeffe.

I'm not saying they don't exist. What I am saying, is that in my art classes in high school, we didn't even talk about Frida or O'Keeffe, let alone any other females artists. Van Gogh, Picasso, Rembrandt, Da Vinci, Matisse, but no female artist. I have to wonder..did I have sexist teachers?

One thing that I find absolutely wonderful right now, is the quilting world. Although she is having some growing pains, the quilting world is opening up an entirely new medium for women to be recognized in. It may be a slow process, but it is happening. The Houston show had a record attendence this year - and ya know what? I don't think they were all quilters! This means to some degree, the art of quilt making is being recognized in the "outside world". And for the first time in history, we are starting to have "big names" in our community. Alex Anderson, Ricky Tims, Carol Bryer Fallert. (I'll be the first to admit that I one day want to have my name be recognizable by the quilt industry.)

I am so excited about the direction that this art form is going in. And I am so pleased that a predominately female genre is doing so well!

I did some fabric dye painting awhile back:






Quilting on my longarm has been going great. But trying to come up with new pieces ideas is so excruciating right now. I am so sick of winter right now...being in Minnesota, all I have seen for four months is shades of grey outside. I miss grass, and leaves, and the birds that leave us in the winter, open water that is frozen into an oversized ice cube. I miss the SMELLS! It's amazing how lacking in smells winter is. No dirt smell, no flower smell, no fresh cut grass smell! Ugh!!!

Off to try and come up with ideas despite my winter depression! lol