Korean Alphabet

Artist: Misik Kim

"Korean Alphabet"

ㄱ ㄴ ㄷ ㄹ  ㅂ   ㅅ  ㅇ  ㅈ  ㅊ  ㅋ

ㅏ ㅑ ㅗ ㅛ ㅜ ㅠ ㅡ ㅣ

나는 이번 challenge를 하면서 다시금 우리 것에 대한 것을 생각해본다.

기호를 보면서 문득 떠올랐던 ㄱ ㄴ ㄷ……..

Korean Alphabet…

While I am working for this challenge, I think about our identity.

I don’t know Why I am thinking about it.

ㄱ ㄴ ㄷ… are Korean Alpabet

ㄱ + ㅏ = 가

ㄴ + ㅗ = 고

ㄷ + ㅜ = 두

This gave me the opportunity to be thinking about our character.

"Korean Alphabet", detail

No Second Guessing

There is a fine line between looking back with the goal of improvement and second guessing oneself. 

I walk this line often.

No Second Guessing - Front

As an individual and especially as an artist, I strive for continual improvement. I want to be expanding my boundaries and skills by challenging myself and assessing my progress toward my goals. To this end, I am constantly evaluating what could have been done differently; what improvements could be made. I ask myself what choices I made and what else I might have done to further emphasize or clarify my artistic vision.

And though I am a firm believer in self-evaluation, I realize such inquiry can deteriorate into destructive criticism despite the ostensible goal of constructive learning.  One type of inquiry is enhancing and empowering while the other is negative and demeaning. I created the symbol for “No Second Guessing” to remind myself to stay out of the mire when evaluating myself and my work.

No Second Guessing - Back

The background includes four, affirmational statements repeated as a quilting motif:

•  Trust your instincts
• You already have the answers
• Keep it simple
• Everything happens exactly as it should

  

Happy trails to you on your creative journey, and stay out of the muck!

Alpha State

Alpha State

When I was in college, I remember hearing about research done on alpha brain waves, and the discovery that throwing clay on the potters' wheel produced a very high level of them.

Alpha waves are connected to the following:

Light Sleep / Dreams / Meditation / Daydreams/ Creative Visualization / Connection to the subconscious I also recently met an archaeologist, Beth McCormack, who is doing some fascinating research into traditional textiles.  Her blog on textiles and the multi tiered cosmos is here: Miri Textiles She posits that there is a distinct link between weaving and an altered state of consciousness, and that some of the images produced during this handwork are entopic images, produced directly from the subconscious. So, for my symbol I chose a spiral to represent the hypnotic effect of working on a wheel, also including an *ancient* picture of myself doing same.  The material used is handwoven, and the quilting is by hand, all meant to reflect the traditional labor involved in this work, which is also deeply connected to the images produced.

 Alpha State, 18x24

Alpha State, detail

Mirror, Mirror

"Mirror, Mirror" depicts that shocking "whoa" moment when you glance in the mirror and discover a *much* older person has replaced you, seemingly over night!  It has nothing to do with vanity, not the loss of youthful beauty, it is the disparity between the reflection and and the way we see ourselves!  The way we feel inside.  The enthusiasm, the curiosity, the joy in living and yet......the reflection's reminder, "where has time gone"?  And there is still so much to do!  Though not related to a specific number, for some this phenomena does seem to have a correlation with numbers.  It is an experience that crosses cultures and gender.....one many of my peers have experienced, alas. Thus, I offer a symbol that represents those incongruent feelings we share about our creative, youthful vision of the world vs our aging selves.  It is a reminder to ourselves and others not to judge.

"Mirror, Mirror", detail

"Mirror, Mirror" was created from a "whoa" photo, overlaid with an old photograph, and manipulated in Photoshop. Variation in fabrics allow the perceptual illusion of one or the other silhouette standing out. The 9 image repetitions only very loosely relate to V9, 9 women, 9 creative spirits. The piece is created with raw-edged, cotton, commercial and hand dyed fabrics, that were fused and machine appliquéd.

Turas

“You never know where life will take you”. I’ve heard that phrase many times. But does life really take us like we’re riding along on a rollercoaster’s track or do we forge our own way, one of many possible paths?  My made-up symbol represents a collection of choices and influences, big and small, seen over a lifetime, spilling over from one generation to the next. I’m calling it a Turas, the Gaelic word for journey.

The shape is inspired by two things: first, a Celtic spiral representing the cycle of life. But instead of the line beginning at one point and circling outward, the line continues in both directions, connecting one spiral to another.  The second inspiration was a Mobius strip with time folding over itself, representing infinity.
I used positive/negative versions of the same print fabric because life never offers the perfectly clear black & white choice. There’s always a mixture of pros and cons, and we might lean one way or another at different points in our lives.  We’re constantly adjusting priorities trying to find the right balance. 
Using red thread, I stitched phrases onto the fabric strip to represent every day choices. Not huge world-changing decisions, but the small ones that add up over years like “Do one thing today that supports a larger goal” or “Don’t save money by buying cheap food”.  I purposely made the text hard to read.  It’s not meant to preach to other people.  They’re daily reminders to myself.

The strip was then twisted and arranged into a rough spiral and attached to the background using more stitched text, which anchor the strip and provide the shape.  Those phrases are more big-picture, long term reminders like “You don’t have forever” and “You will leave a mark on your kids”.  A few other phrases exist around but not touching the strip, to represent those passive, non-decisions that still have influence in our lives. “Things I never said” and “I might have…”
Finally I added some text in black, things that exist beyond one person’s control. We might’ve played some role in creating it or we may have been born into a situation.  But each individual has the power to choose how to react, whether to accept or work against their circumstances.  Some are painful challenges like poverty, illness or war. Others are distinct advantages like wealth, education, talent, luck.
It was interesting to step back and think about my everyday decisions, what I want from life and what I’d like to pass onto the next generation.  No, I never did discover the secret formula for success in life. Guess I’ll just have to figure it out as I go.  I only hope I’m going in the right direction.

“Who Stole Innocence Away?”

Artist: Lin Hsin-Chen

“Who Stole Innocence Away?”

The notion of “challenging a symbol that can represent something” is a question no one ever thinks of. Interestingly, this question leads directly to another question. Many questions regarding people, occurrences, and objects exist within this question waiting for us to discuss and explore. Therefore, it seems to be a design objective that extends to other fields.  

Time allowed me to get together with some of my friends and discuss “self-growth” on a regular basis. Together we analyzed the large line picture we drew and assigned one corner of the picture to each person, and referred to these as the “key corners.” The corner that was assigned to me had five lines and for me these five color lines represented five exits in life, five places we can settle into, and five directions we can learn and develop in. They infused me with new thoughts, enabling me to understanding more about myself.  

 “Key corners” made us consider countless questions, just like the wide variety of question marks images. These images, like human beings, have different characters and represent human intelligence, as well as an unwillingness to realize some questions in life, even to the extent that there is no awareness of self. If people don’t know their self, surely they can’t experience the details of life, not to mention solving all kinds of problems. Problems left unaddressed will become unsolvable, just like it can’t be brought under control once seeds of evil grow into a forest.    

There is a Chinese saying, “Sometimes asking is in vain, and that which is not understood remains so.” It means that if we don’t pay attention to what we don’t understand and make efforts to learn, problems will always be with you, bringing negative consequences. 

“Who Stole Innocence Away?”, detail

Sarajevo Roses

The symbol I have chosen is one you may think you know already—a rose.  This symbol generally conjures up ideas of beauty and love.  But this rose is a rose of Sarajevo.  They are all over the city in public areas and are the marks left by exploding shells during the Bosnian war 1992-96, then filled in with red resin.  Over 470,000 grenades and shells fell on Sarajevo during the siege; 50,000 citizens were wounded and 10,650 were killed, 1,601 of them being children.

What this rose represents is the death of an ordinary civilian, possibly a woman or child, who was merely standing in the street or perhaps shopping at a market or filling a bottle of drinking water when a shell exploded; it is a sign of remembrance, like our red poppy, and represents the innocents against whom these atrocities were committed.

But for me, it is a powerful symbol for peace and a caution to us all.  It is a reminder that human beings “just following orders” will kill unarmed people simply to fulfill the desires of a politician seeking glory, riches, and power, with no regard to the cost to humanity. That war has ended but the problem continues. Yesterday it was Sarajevo; today it is Syria. 

I painted the quilt with Setacolor paints and quilted densely in the mortar between the stones. It is based on a photo I took in the marketplace but the rose is a composite of several I saw when visiting the city last month.

Back Away from the Moms

  Are you Mom Enough!!??Really??? 


Just when did being a mom become a competitive sport?  This magazine cover followed on the heels of  

Amy Chua's book....which was then followed by a New York Times article about Wendy Murdoch (yep, Rupert's wife) consulting Chua on child rearing.  It was several columns with photos..really, like this is news.  This simply feeds the insecurity of mothers.

I have met mothers on five of seven continents, and I can say with some confidence that they all want to be the best moms they can be...even those who are poorly prepared and poorly supported.  We all want the best for our babies.  

Now everyone ELSE (not experts by any means) has an opinion that they feel obliged to put forth.  It was one thing when your mother or your great-aunt felt entitled to give her advice...now it's everyone. 

Breastfeed.  Breastfeed for three months.  Don't breastfeed.  Solid food.  No solid food.  Circumcise.  Do not circumcise.  Juice.  No Juice.  Sleep in your bed.  Do not sleep in your bed.  Inoculate.  Do not inoculate.  Spank.  Don't you dare spank.  Get a job.  Stay at home.  Daycare.  No daycare.  Sports.  No contact sports.   

It's time to step back.  Support, inform mothers....don't harass them.  This is NOT a competition.

This simple symbol can indicate a safe zone.  "It's okay to nurse your baby here.  Or not.  We respect your desire to nurture your baby."

'Fragments' from the Pi Challenge

I think Man has an inherent urge to make a mark, whether we look back at ancient times and the marks on a cave wall or today's grafitti in the modern urban environment. These marks are declaring, "I am here." The marks are symbols of humanity.

'Fragments' is the name I have given my quilt and my symbol is in white on the animal hide. It is a symbol for our group Viewpoints 9. We are clustered together, in a circle that is not closed, representing the freedom members have. I chose to set the symbol in a primitive mark making setting as I'm expressing a basic human response.

I've  used stamping, printing and painting with the Decolorant Plus product on black fabric.

Hand and machine stitching, rusted wadding, Xpandaprint [puff paint] and a black felt backing finish the quilt.