Mandala CLIII

(Above:  Mandala CLIII.  Framed with buttons and poker chips:  24 3/4" x 24 3/4".  Found objects hand-stitched to a section of a vintage quilt. Found objects include:  A rotary telephone receiver; eight, unique thread spools for multiple colors of thread; chess pieces; jump rings; miniature, white dominoes; shower curtain hooks; paper binder rings; garter hooks; casino chips; a wooden, folding ruler; buttons and beads. Click on any image to enlarge.)

This is my second blog post today.  I'm behind schedule.  I'm short on time.  Why?  Well, at dawn on Tuesday morning I head west to conduct a workshop in Scottsdale, Arizona.  Yes, I'm driving.  I drive because I bring EVERYTHING needed for everyone in the workshop.  It is the only way that the supply list isn't extensively long and outrageously expensive.  It also guarantees that everyone will have everything they need.  So ... today is my "hunter-gatherer" day for supplies and materials.  Tomorrow is my "pack the car/van" day.  Then, I'll be focused on driving and the workshop.  So ... in addition to packing boxes, today I'm trying to play catch up with my blogging. 

(Above:  Detail of Mandala CLIII.)

I will not succeed in this task.  I can't succeed.  Why?  Because some of the recently finished artwork hasn't been photographed, entered into my inventory book, and ... well ... they are "done" but not quite ready to be blogged.  Yet, I feel compelled to blog those pieces that are ready.  I really do like to write about my work when they are fresh in my mind ... not a couple of weeks later and after I've already finished other things!

(Above:  Detail of Mandala CLIII.)

Many people think that I'm very active on social media.  I guess I am ... just not in the ways others assume as "active".  I really don't scroll down and look at many posts from friends.  I'm not one to ordinarily jump down the "rabbit hole" of the Internet, losing hours at a time.  Yet, I know that social media has expanded my work to audiences that would otherwise never see it.  I've even sold artwork due to this exposure, but writing my blog is really where my mind feels most at home.  This is where I truly feel like I'm SHARING.  It gives me a chance to organize my conceptual thoughts and serves as a great system for documentation.  

It is here where I get more of a chance to talk about the miniature dominoes used in this Found Object Mandala!  They are half the size of some of my other dominoes!  This is where I get to say that I adore wooden folding rulers.  Sure, I can write this on a Facebook or Instagram post ... but after a year, I can't even find that post!  Here on my blog, I'm organized.  (I'm not at all organized in the room that stores my stash of found objects.  That place looks like the aftermath of a small tornado! LOL!)  So ...  before I leave for Scottsdale, I'm trying to "catch up" ... because this is important ... at least important to me!