connections

Everything's connected, ©2014, Paula Kovarik

Inspired by that game we play of naming the shapes in clouds, several of my drawings have new colonies of these simple outlines of cats, dogs, gears, cars, clouds—whatever pops into my head. Using that as a starting point I started making shapes that nested into each other on this quilt. It looked like nonsense to me but I wasn't too worried about it. Trusting the process was part of the fun. Then I started wondering why these particular shapes showed up in my experimentation. Why was I compelled to draw a chicken, or a gear, or a tractor, or a headed blob?  What point was I trying to make? Then, last Saturday, I went to see A Fierce Green Fire, the Battle for a Living Planet. It is a documentary summarizing the environmental movement. One of the narrators explored the concept of connections. Simply, Everything is Connected. Even if we don't see it. That's why I added these dotted lines.

Who do you think you are?

Kindergarten, ©2014, Paula Kovarik

What do you want to be when you grow up?

Do we really get a choice? Is the accumulation of experiences and genes what defines our pathways? Watching my grandsons grow up I note with astonishment how different they are one to the other. The same could be said of my sons, my siblings, my cousins. Each of us seem to pop into existence with a ready-made set of emotions, behaviors and urges. So, do we really get a choice? Can we switch our inner compass? That's the story of this quilt.

serendipity

Kindergarten, Paula Kovarik

Walked into my studio this morning to see this. I finished the Kindergarten quilt last night and had hung it on the door to review the details. The sun shined through this morning revealing the fact that I used a polka dot fabric for the backing. Lovely.

compulsion

Kindergarten - detail, Paula Kovarik, 2014

One aspect of this art form that reveals my inner self. Compulsion. An outlet for repetitive thinking.... Working on the background stitching of my kindergarten quilt has taught me a lesson in persistance. Each stitch about a quarter inch long. The piece measures about 3 x 3 foot. I am adding approximately 40 - 50 stitches per 2 inch square by hand.

It seemed like a good idea at the beginning.

raw edged

raw edged, Paula Kovarik, 2012-2013

This piece has been on my design wall for over a year. The pic above is only a detail. It started as a failed quilt that I chopped up and reassembled upside down with strips of black and peach colored strips. The raw edges drip into each other to create a nest of layers that appeals to me. Every so often I take it down off the wall and add more stitching. A spiral here, some hand stitching there. It accepts whatever I add with grace and humor. I'm not sure I ever want to finish this one. It would mean that the process would end. And that's been the most satisfying of all that I do in art. The process.