Michelle's LoveLight

I was recently commissioned to create a memorial LoveLight. The project consisted of creating a mandala featuring the name Michelle. It was to be presented to her parents, so their hand prints were embedded into the design. Then as a special gift, her eight siblings were to be presented with a 'limited edition'. I was given tracings of the siblings along with the parents hand prints and a batik 'tie dyed' effect fabric was selected. Then my work began.

I started by making a stencil of the name Michelle. I do this on folded freezer paper. When the stencil is unfolded, snowflake style, it reveals a design that is unique to the name. The stencil is then pressed into place on the fabric and the design painted. Colors are selected intuitively. When the stencil is removed from the fabric, I am always completely surprised by the design that is revealed. After drying for a day or two, the design is ready to be layered and stitched with decorative metallic threads. Again, I intuitively work with the color selection and placement of the stitches in the design. I can't really explain how this is done. It is a leap of faith, every time a new LoveLight is created. I simply give myself over to the project and do the next step that presents itself. Not much thinking goes into this practice as I allow the piece to speak to me and tell me what it next wants for it's completion.

To create a 'limited edition', a photo image is taken of the completed piece before the hand prints are stitched into place. Then I print the image on fabric, layer it with batting and backing fabric, and stitch over the quilting lines of the original design. I was then able to trace and stitch each individual hand print of the siblings to give each their own unique mandala of the original design. This technique makes a truly personalized, unique gift for the recipient. The pieces are then signed, dated, and framed.

I delivered the commission this week and am waiting for the comments from the family and friends. Hopefully, they will be touched by the work of my hands and their spirits lifted with the healing color mandalas. At least, that is my prayer.

Until next time ~ Live your Light.
Kasia

Family Vacation

Dear Ones ~

The days (weeks) flew by since my last post.  The bonspiel at Alpine Curling Club with Jerry and Chris was a lot of fun.  We played our best and had some really great games, but in the end we came home without any trophies.  Sorry about that Skip, maybe next time.  One of the best features of bonspieling is the socializing with the friends that we have made through the years.  Chatting with my friend Darcie, who I only see once a year at this event, was a highlight.  The week after our curling weekend was spent in a frenzy of  last minute details in preparation for our family vacation.

Several years ago, Ron and I decided that instead of a party to celebrate our 40th Anniversary, we would like to make a family memory by taking a vacation together.  At the time we first made this pledge, we did not have any grandchildren and were thinking of a European vacation with our adult children and their spouses.  As the years went by, our little ones arrived to fill out the family tree and changed our travel plans.  Now we were considering traveling with a 5, 3, and 2 year old and a 7 month old!  What could we possibly do that would accommodate everyone?  After a month of research, we decided on a Western Caribbean Cruise aboard the Disney Magic!  We made the grand announcement of this plan at Christmas.  That gave everyone several weeks of happy anticipation.

 

Even though our anniversary is actually in August, the winter snows of Wisconsin made the thought of sunshine and beaches even more appealing in the month of February.  So it was decided that we set sail on Feb. 6th from Port Canaveral.  We then visited Key West, Cozumel, Grand Cayman, and Castaway Cay with a couple of days at Sea thrown in for relaxation.  

The kids were enthralled with the Disney characters, the stage shows, and especially the Mickey Mouse Pool.  We agreed prior to leaving home that we wouldn't try to stay together every minute.  Each family could do their own thing,  but we were to meet at dinner to share our events of the day.  As it turned out, we usually found each other around the pool deck and spent a good deal of time together taking turns watching the children and running for snacks.  We shared a lot of laughs and made some memories for which we will have stories to last my lifetime.  It was GRAND!  The whole week exceeded my wildest expectations.

The children were very well behaved.  We are proud  not only of them, but of their parents as well.  The youngest, Gavin, was especially easy going and adapted to sleeping in his stroller in the middle of all the noise.  Precious!                                                   

One night, in the dining room, we were surprised with a cake to celebrate our special occasion.  Served shortly after we had finished our dessert, we took it back to our stateroom and ate it for breakfast the next day.  Mmmmm - - - yunmmy!

 We did incur a bit of an adventure on our return home.  I'll save those details for another post after I have an opportunity to upload more of my photos.  (Sometimes one look is worth a thousand words.)  Let me just say that DREAMS really DO come true if your heart is in your dream!  And for that fact, I am eternally grateful~

Until next time,

Love & Light ~

Kasia

Inspiration

Sources of inspiration come as a blessing at times, surprisingly, from out of nowhere. Inspiration could arrive with a beautiful hand dyed fabric or in viewing the artwork of the children which is found hanging in the local grade school.  I  never really know for sure when an idea for a new creation might appear.

"LoveLight Nolan" was inspired by the name of our first born grandchild.  This little angel baby stirred such a love that only another grandmother could know.  I wanted to create something really special for him to remember his Kasia.

Fabric gifted from fiber artist Cindi Huss was deemed special enough to meet the creative needs of this new art piece.  The hand dyed fabric hung on the design wall for months waiting for inspiration to arrive with just the right design to bring it to life.  One day, while taking an open art studio class, I wandered through the hallways of the elementary school where the class was being held, and was instantly inspired by the kaleidoscope designs of the children's names.  The idea struck me like a lightening bolt that it would be fun to attempt to re-create this idea using fabric instead of paper.  That's the day that the"What's in a Name?" or  "Hidden Messages" LoveLights were conceived.  I immediately started playing with paper stencils to form the name mandala in the center of the dyed fabric kaleidoscope.

Playing with Cindi's fabric and auditioning others to compliment it, I came up with what I thought would be a good choice.  When I took the leap of faith to layer, stitch, and  finally cut into the layers of fabric, I had no idea what the final design might look like.  As the piece evolved, you can only imagine the awe that I felt when it finally emerged and revealed itself to me.

Here is the finished inspired piece that I feel is worthy of the name Nolan.  Can you find his name in the design?  Not everyone will be able to see it, but that's what makes this Art so intriguing, in my opinion. 

Enjoy ~

Until next time, Be Well!

Sacred Space

To find the creative mode, I need to surround myself with special music that quiets the ego, photos of family and dear ones (my angels), books that inspire, and knickknack treasures that center me.  The colorful ART collection that hangs in view and the new pieces waiting for attention on the design wall all help me to cross the threshold into the state of creativity where time does not exist.  I simply love my sacred studio space.

I didn't always have such a beautiful spot to play in, but it was always a dream and a wish.  Through the years, the workspace evolved from a corner in the basement, to a counter top in the laundry room.  When our daughter went off to college, the corner in her bedroom became my "sewing niche" on the main floor of the house. That arrangement worked fine until, like most hobbyists, my collections of fabrics and supplies expanded to overflowing the room.  There was a file-box here and a cutting table there with a pile of reference books thrown in the middle.  It was difficult to stay organized.  Gratefully, about that time we decided to relocate our home. My dream studio became a reality in a beautiful room of my own with a view of nature and furniture to house all of the fabrics, supplies, and notions.  It is an answer to a prayer, my little piece of heaven and the place where I find my bliss.

Pagenkopf Commission

 The commission pieces of the past few months have kept my creativity alive over the otherwise lazy days of summer.  It took a leap of faith the day that I contacted Cindy Pagenkopf to share with her my style of mandala fiber art and my vision for possibilities for the funeral home decor.  She was moved to tears when she actually saw with her own eyes what I was trying to describe over the phone.  The idea that "one look is worth a thousand words" really rang true in this case.  She had an idea for the funeral home, a kind of a quilt that would be used to honor the deceased during the farewell ceremony at the Angel's Grace Hospice.

So in early June, I met with her husband Kevin who is the 4th generation funeral director of this family owned and operated establishment and their staff.  This meeting was my opportunity to "show & tell" my 'LoveLights'.  We brainstormed ideas and came up with a design that would incorporate the Pagenkopf name with the center mandala that used the word "Peace", as in 'rest in peace'.  Cindy has a great sense of style and had her vision for the remodeling project that was about to take place during the summer months, so she and I immediately went out and shopped for the fabric in just the right color & texture to be used for this project.  My creative spirit was alive with excitement at the prospect of bringing forth the perfect art piece to reflect their ideas.

Once I put my hands on the fabric and started to play with the paints and threads that could be used for this project, I found myself in the "zone" and the MUSE took over.  At the final outcome, I was completely surprised and grateful that my hands were used to bring this piece to life.  It's always a mystery to me how these beautiful projects evolve on their own and I somehow get all the credit.  For this, I am eternally GRATEFUL!

What Talents do you possess and what Blessings do you count daily?

It's a WRAP!

My artist friend, Casey Puetz and I traveled to Madison, to take part in the Wisconsin Regional Art Program (WRAP) Annual Exhibit and State Art Conference on Saturday, September 19, 2009 held  at the University of Wisconsin - Madison.  The conference was an opportunity for us to network with other artists of many mediums from around the state of Wisconsin.  After viewing the art exhibit which took up three floors of the Pyle Center, it touched my heart to listen to the guest speakers; Artists Henry Hawkins and Helen Klebesadel talk about their art.  They shared slides of their retrospective bodies of work and spoke of the struggles, joy, and passion of being an artist today.  The program was educational and comforting to hear first hand accounts of their inspiration, point of view, finding their voice, and how they find Joy in working on their Art.  Viewing the exhibit was sheer pleasure for my soul and it was a special thrill to see my art "Gaia ~ Fire & Water" hanging amongst all that talent.  I was proud of Casey as she received the Stateline Artists Award for "Aspen Duo".  This thrilling day came on top of the Delafield Art Walk the night before.

If you have ever taken part in a county fair, church festival, or worked a booth at a conference, you will appreciate the physical demands of setting up and taking down an exhibit. There is a certain amount of stress related to 'remembering to bring everything' and 'opening yourself up to public opinion'.  But somehow sandwiched in the middle of all that stress are hours of FUN when you see your friends, meet and greet new people, Show & Tell the Art, and then find a new home for your 'LoveLights'.  The activity is a real roller coaster ride of emotions.  Again, Casey stands by my side as we share the ups and downs of this experience.  When all is said and done, we are in awe of our journey since we started our 'Stand by Me' meetings a few short years ago.  We are so grateful to the Powers that Be for putting us together in the first place - - - but that's another story.  For now, this grateful spirit needs to rest her mind and aching body.

Until next time~
Remember that "Colorful Art lifts the Spirit!"

LoveLights

My obsession with mandalas (I see circles everywhere I go!) has resulted in years of study and exploration of these magical circular forms.  My bookshelves are full of colorful books on this subject.  I use them for inspiration in creating my version of these ancient icons which are affectionately called "LoveLights".
As was stated in an earlier post, I turned 50 with a bang!! My appendix ruptured on the night of my birthday. The upset stomach that I felt the next morning caused me to regret eating that second piece of ice cream cake.  Little did I know then what had really happened and I lay around for a couple of days thinking I had the flu.  Needless to say, when I finally was admitted into the hospital, I was critically ill and stayed there for a week!!  I learned a great lesson through this experience - - LISTEN TO YOUR BODY!!  You know; that little voice that says "get help quick!"  I tried to ignore it, but when the pain grew too intense, I had no choice but to surrender to the moment and ASK for help.  The outpouring of good wishes and prayers from family and friends also taught me what it feels like to be surrounded by LOVE. It was an eye-opening, AHA! moment and I'll always be grateful for the entire experience.
 After recovery, when I was finally able to get back to my sewing, the first "LoveLight" was created.  You see it pictured here.  The black background supports the red marble mandala that is filled with the colorful butterflies all trying to get out.  (It reminds me of my spirit looking for it's voice back in those days.)  The name "LoveLights" had been revealed to me years earlier through my morning journaling ritual ~ but we'll save that story for another post.

Until next time ~
Be Well,

Kasia

Why Fabric?

My lifelong love of fabrics and working with my hands to create something from an idea, started at an early age under the guidance of my mother. She taught me how to thread a needle and soon started the journey of sewing doll clothes by hand. By the age of twelve, I was constructing my own clothing on a Singer treadle sewing machine. As the years went by, my experience as a homemaker had included all forms of sewing: home decorating, crafts, and clothing for my children.

I became an instructor at Stretch & Sew Fabrics in 1977, teaching hundreds of women the basics of sewing with knit fabrics. The introduction to the world of quilting in 1995 came while working in a quilt fabric shop where I quickly became a garment and serger machine specialist.  I taught classes in  garment construction, fit, and Jacket Jazz wearable art. The fashions that were created won ribbons in local quilt shows and had been exhibited nationally; one piece, in particular, traveled in the Hoffman Challenge trunk show in 1999. Next, I wanted to try my hand creating Artquilts and began concentrating on nontraditional designs using many of the quilt techniques that I had been using in the garments. Consequently, I discovered the joy of teaching and lecturing at guild meetings and area quilt shops.

I turned 50 with a bang!! My appendix ruptured and I was critically ill. It was during this time that Spirit touched my heart in the form of mandalas ~ sacred circles. I began to see circles everywhere I looked and naturally, they found their way into my sewing. At about this time I was invited to join MArQ ~ Milwaukee Art Quilters group and began to explore the possibilities that took my sewing hobby into a new direction. I studied Mandalas and while working with unusual fabric textures and specialty threads, began to create quilts “in the round”.

The meeting of artist/teacher David Walker, in 2003 had a profound effect on my self esteem and a Fiber Artist was born. Since that meeting I have been passionate about my mission to share my Love and Light in the form of LoveLights™ ~ my healing color Mandalas. Sharing this art in the virtual gallery of my web site gives a purpose to my LIFE. It is my hope that you will visit often, and are blessed by the work of my hands.

Until next time ~

Be Well -
Kasia