Can't Even Pin it on the Full Moon

I've been in Wonder Woman mode. More of an apple-shaped, fully-covered, yoga pants Wonder Woman than a scantily-clad, caped, curvaceous Lynda Carter , but a marvel of energy and drive none the less. I thought it must be full moon time, but checked a calendar and nope, the moon is totally hidden, this surge of wild energy is from INSIDE!!

The source of my super powers??? To-do lists! I love 'em, as I believe I've stated repeatedly. They give my days and weeks a structure with specific intentions and tasks to complete to reach them. Sometimes everything seems to fly in all directions day to day but underpinning each one is an overall direction and purpose. It takes a while to go through all the steps and bring items to fruition -- and once in a while it feels like NOTHING will ever get done -- but then I get a period where all the projects that I've started begin to reach the finish line and clang! The cymbal clashes and I feel a swell of excitement that I've accomplished more good things for my physical and emotional well-being and artistic expression.

Almost two years ago, an author from England, Drusilla Cole, invited me to submit images for a new book she was writing. Last week I received a contributor's copy of Dru's excellent compilation titled Textiles Now, in which she has collected and published works by some 120 U.K., European and American textile artists ( and delightedly, I'm one of them, two of my pieces are included)

Textiles Now divides the work into three categories: "Constructed"; "Dyed, Painted and Printed"; and "Mixed Media and Stitched". Each page displays one or two pieces and a description of the artist's process or inspiration. The book is actually available in the States from http://www.amazon.com/. It is 277 pages with color plates throughout and sells for around $23.00. I think it would make a wonderful holiday gift for a fiber loving friend (even without my work in it, I'm impressed and inspired by the breadth of styles and artistic voices). Dru has literally "curated" an exciting contemporary fiber exhibition in print. A quality job on printing by the publisher as well.

Here are a few excerpt pages to whet your appetite further:

This is a wonderful work by Christine White, "Cocoon", arashi shibori dyeing done with felt, which she manipulated to sculpt this interesting shape.

This work is by one of my favorite U.S. artists, Bean Gilsdorf. "Ghost", 420" x 62" (yes, not a typo, Bean worked on 13 continuous yards of fabric to create this piece!) is dyed, painted and bleached. It is a portrait of Bean's 1966 Plymouth Valiant.