mind mapping

Sometimes the only thing I can do in the studio is not focus. I flit from piece to piece with nary a thought to consistency or plan. Often my eyes rest on this old timer. I am calling it my mind map. Though it would probably be more accurate if I called it mind unmapping.

Mind map, detail, Paula Kovarik

I use this piece as a collage of thoughts and images. All of it is random. All of it pieced from other works...many that traveled along a detour, got a flat tire and ended up stashed away in some far away failure drawer. Sometimes I just hand stitch on it. Other times I add detail with my machine. I will continue to add layers and layers until it all makes sense.

Maybe it will make sense someday. Maybe not. For now it is a great resting point for me. There are no risks with this piece. I know if I don't like it I can cut it up.

Mind map, stitching, Paula Kovarik

I don't know why, but I really like the way this silly pink flower looks against the hand stitching below it.

faking it until you make it.

Sometimes you just have to think bigger than reality.

Quilts = Art = Quilts

The Schweinfurth Memorial Art Center in Auburn, NY will open the Quilts=Art=Quilts exhibition this weekend. Quilts=Art=Quilts 2014 is the Schweinfurth Art Center's 34th annual juried quilt exhibition. The Art Center has long recognized the importance of quilts as a visual medium, and has been presenting quilts in an art gallery setting since 1981. View 77 quilts by 73 artists from around the world including Australia, Canada, Italy, Japan, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States.  

Memory's Playground, Paula Kovarik, 2014

My piece, Memory's Playground, will be there. This is one of those quilts that needs to be seen close up. It was inspired by that game we play identifying cloud shapes as objects. Then morphed into a study on how the brain categorizes images and connections.  If you are in the Auburn, NY area, take a moment or two to see this wonderful exhibition. And let me know your thoughts on the work!

Memory's Playground, detail

Variations

I have spent the last year and a half experimenting with different website layouts. My provider, Squarespace, announced new templates to choose from last year. I played around with them and was mightily confused about how the tools worked. So I abandoned the project. Then, about a month ago, they announced a new interface for the tools and I was encouraged to try again. The new templates allow for bigger images and the pages change based on what type of screen you are using. It wasn't as fun as I expected, very challenging, but worth the exercise... I think. You are seeing the results of that effort now. And I don't think I can turn back. There are probably bugs that I haven't noticed, navigation that is different, and  a new feature for a newsletter subscription. Join up by going to the contact page to see what I might come up with in the future. And let me know if you see anything that is not working or spelled wrong.

Meanwhile, back at my design board, I worked on this piece yesterday coming up with six variations that I am considering. The piece started as a focus on immigration, changed to refugees and now might be better titled...followers. I snapped a pic of the current layout (upper left) then using Photoshop, I experimented with a number of compositions seen here. Not sure yet which I will pursue. If you have a vote, let me know!