Getting ready

I´ve stayed home alone from Dec. 26th on. People may think I´m so unfortunate but I myself am having a ball. In fact, Lua, hasn´t been gone travelling either (or I´d have gone along with her). 

Xmas was fine, friends and family joined us and we had a real good time. I don´t complain about the lots of work it takes, and truly say it was fun and I´m grateful to have had their loving company. 

After Xmas I just needed some time for myself, though.  I´m so happy to have a few days off. 

No tasks, no daily chores except those I choose to carry on. I´ve spent most of my time online, taking a look at what the "addicted to quilting" people is doing. I go from one site or blog to the other, and other, and other... skip sleeping hours but get my eyes filled with Beauty. It´s worthwhile. 

What I like most is being able to notice particular regional cultural characteristics that make each work special. I understand there are traditional patterns that are repeated, or rather reinterpreted. There is also a modern quilting being developed by artists from various parts of the globe.  There are  the ones (either traditional or modern) which carry the crafter´s  personality and the signature of the artist´s culture. These are the very best.  The ones to last.

We tend to remain unaware of our own cultural symbols because we just take them for granted. Thus, it´s much easier for someone who belongs to another cultural environment to notice and value them.

Language, art and religion are said to carry the main symbols of each culture. Geografic environment is just as important, I think, and  communicate at first glance.  I love to see a kangaroo in a quilt! I immediatelly identify where it´s been created.

Not only images call my attention. Globalization hasn´t, as yet, been able to completely erase our intinctive tendency for the use of color and hues of color  in the different regions. This is true for clothing, home decorating, anything colored. I could go on writing about this (and will, eventually) but I don´t think it necessary right now because those who create know what I mean.

Just wanted to mention this so that we all think about the value of including our familiar regional symbols into our works of art. That, I suppose, comes by using our very first choice of motif, color, that which seems the easiest solution and that "lacks sophistication" (... thus not being considered good enough in general). 

It´s said that the more we stick to our cultural tradition the more globalized (because it is more interesting, more informative and new to other peoples) our creative production becomes. This is true in literature, in music, in films, in the fine arts, crafts ... in each and every field of human expression.

Both ashamed for my lacking of technique and proud do have got something accomplished I´m showing here what I´ve done. 

This....

            

           


and this...

I like to think they have a tropical, Brazilian look .

Keep in touch! 
I´d like to hear what you think about this.