Today

I've got all day to make me something. As so often, I did not know where to start: will it be fabrics or paper and paint? Then I came along Julie's blog and she has a post today on Portion Control. I had to try that right away, as I love Julie's tutorials!

So those materials are on my worktable now and I am about to go spray painting outside...

The little fabric collage in the picture I did yesterday. It is a very first trying at collaging in this size, did not give it too much thinking, just pulled out some prefused scraps, cut cut cut and tada. The tada effect is clearly visible I think, LOL! I feel that working on such a small scale (4"x6") is all about compsition. Need to exercise quite a lot on this, but it was fun doing!

Thought to pimp it up a bit by adding a frame in Big Huge Lab.

Now it is time for my espresso, have a lovely day

Sold! And a giveaway...

Art in the Park 2009 has been very successful!

Lots of visitors and participants and a very lively atmosphere. I still was the only participant with 'fiber' stuff, yet received plenty of compliments and positive feedback on my creative products. And what's so funny: I had no expectations at all on selling anything, maybe some small items and guess what happened: sold some quilts, pillows and bags and just a few of the smaller things!

Because I am so happy with the success and positive words that encourage me to continue this way I want to share it with you and do a giveaway (is it do?? or keep??).

The first three commenters on this post will be rewarded with a present

Since I am a beginning blogger and visitors are not yet in the hundreds a day (ha!), you have a big chance to win,!

So leave a comment on this post before next wednesday 11 Febr 13.00 pm (New York time)

and maybe you are a lucky winner...

this beauty left my booth

and this quilt has a new owner too...

Enjoy your Monday!

How it can start...

And here I am again, back on this beautiful tropical island.

Coming from my home country full of shopping centres and lovely cities, with endless possibilities of buying, exhibitions and culture, I had some trouble in the very beginning to find my art materials and inspiration here. The lack of opportunities to view art other than painting is what bothered me most. As an artist I am always on the lookout to make my surroundings more beautiful, and though I know that beauty lies in the eye of the beholder, this need to create has to get out, be met with!

But over time I have come to even appreciate this 'scarcety'

Because it can happen:

that I once again find inspiration in this old cherished Peruvian (I think) bowl

dig in my fabric stash and
find some used, but almost new curtains I once received from a friend

combine it with this tablecloth I could not resist to purchase just for the fabric
(I felt so happy that day!)

and create them in something like this...


Have a wonderful weekend you all !

Some results

Most of this week's activities refer to

Art in the Park, which will be Sunday next

Enough stock to sell by now. I only

have to make me some business cards and voila:

here I come!!

Don't you love this bag of Ikea fabric?

Kura Hulanda (the museum)

The day after Barack Obama was inaugurated as the 44th President of the United States I visited the Kura Hulanda museum on Curacao. This splendid anthropological museum is located in the old neighbourhood of Otrabanda and is part of the Project Kura Hulanda. You can read more about it here and here. The museum consists of several restored old houses, each of them holding a specific theme, like e.g. Countries of Abraham, Dogon Culture, African Kingdoms and Evolution.
And although I had visited the museum before, I was even more impressed this time! I am sure I was partly influenced by the emotions of the day before, actuality put on a kind of extra 'layer' for me. A prominent part of the museum has been dedicated to slavery, it's trade and abolition in the USA and elsewhere, shipment, slavery today etc.. And while I was walking through this part, reading all the miserable stories, looking at the pictures and instruments of torture, I felt ashamed. I know, I know, it was not me, but I know that until today there are people of my race (hate that word!!) out there who are still feeling superior and are still thinking like the old slave traders and owners once did.
In my blog I usually focus on beauty and art, but for once I felt I had to write a more political and personal tinted post. This is the reason I had to wait until today, I had to get my thoughts clear on how I wanted the focus to be. Now that load is from my mind, I can only fully, once more, agree:

YES, WE CAN!!!

(click the pictures for details)

words by Nydia Ecury (Antillean poetess)

instruments of slavery

feeling ashamed by this...

Dogon Culture

African Kingdoms

Den Kunuku di bo mente:

Rosa rabia.

Planta pas.

In the garden of your soul:

Weed out rage,

so as to sow peace.

In de tuin van je geest:

Woede wieden.

Vrede zaaien.

(Nydia Ecury)

Inspired by: Peeling paint

(Kura Hulanda Museum, Curacao)

I really love these peeling surfaces...

(wall on old building in Scharloo, Curacao)

would like to catch these bubbles in my fabrics and/or painting

One of the very valuable things I learned from reading many blogs and seeing all these pictures:

to look at my surroundings in a different way. There is beauty all around, if only you see it!

Art in the Park

Next Sunday there will be our annual Art in the Park on the Dutch part of Sint Maarten.
As I will participate once again, I need to have some small fiber stuff to sell, so I remembered these cotton coasters. I made quite a bunch of them some years ago and they really make nice presents. So I took out my sewing machine today, cut the cotton and the batting and started sewing: this is the result of a morning work! Now I need to make some more in vibrant colours...
Have a very nice Sunday!

Volgende week wordt op het Nederlandse deel van Sint Maarten het jaarlijkse 'Art in the Park' georganiseerd. Omdat ik weer zal deelnemen had ik wat klein textielspul nodig om te kunnen verkopen en ik herinnerde me deze onderzetters. Een paar jaar geleden heb ik er een flinke hoeveelheid van gemaakt en ze zijn heel leuk om b.v. cadeau te geven. Dus heb ik vandaag mijn naaimachine tevoorschijn gehaald, lapjes en vulling gesneden en ben begonnen met naaien: dit is het resultaat van een ochtend werk! Nu moet ik er nog meer maken in wat vrolijker kleuren.....
Een fijne zondag!