HE's BACK!!!!!!

Thanks to my neighbors I was able to get him this morning from the local corner store.

I have not blogged in quite a while but today's events made me come back here. One of my dogs, Emilio, was taken from the front stoop of our home some time between 1 and 3PM Sat 5/19. Our aprox. 7lb bundle of joy is a neutered Maltese mix with big light brown ears and large eyes. He was groomed in April and looks close to this picture but his hair grows long all over. He was on the stoop with our other 2 dogs but he is very friendly and  cute and was probably the easiest to take. He ha on a brown collar with several tags on it - 1 of them had his name and info should he be lost. I am  almost positive that he did not run away or wander off since the dogs are accustomed to staying close to the house and sunning themselves on the stoop. I am devastated and hope that someone decides to Do The Right Thing. Who ever took him or anyone that has him can bring him back to us or drop him at the 32nd precinct. We Love Him. We Miss Him. The other dogs are very sad to lose him. Contact Raymond or Laura with Info at 212 694-0262.

In Memory of Black Jack

I had to put my cat Black Jack to sleep early this morning. He was diagnosed with Leukemia 3 weeks ago and took a turn for the worst last night. We decided not to let him suffer through the night. He has peacefully gone on to join his brother Bingo, and other beloved pets from our past: Hunter, Littlebear and those from my childhood. Blackjack was a great cat and he will be missed.

Photo by Shimoda

Featured in this month's "Quilters Newsletter" magazine.

It's Official. I just recieved the Oct/Nov issue of Quilters Newsletter from its publisher and there is a very nice picture of my quilt: Terrorism, Tragedy and Tribute. The featured quilt is part of the Fiber Artists for Hope exhibition on racism titled "The Unspoken Truth About Color" curated by Jeanette Thompson. Terrorism, Tragedy and Tribute is inspired by the bombing of the East 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, AL in 1963 and a painting by my father marking that event. I hope to have both the quilt and the painting on view in my gallery this December.
For more on the Fiber Artist for Hope and this exhibition visit this blog: http://unspoke-truth-and-hope.blogspot.com/

Playing Well with Others :o)

Last night 3 of the "Harlem Girls" got together for a playdate at my place. This was a chance for us to try out a new fabric medium that we had each wondered about and purchased but never used before. With a little salmon spread and some sour dough bread in our bellies we feverously attacked the fabric discharge process using Decolourant in several colors and Jaquard Discharge medium. We let the fabric fly (literally) and a couple of hours later we had learned something new. Ife dove right in y cuuting screening and stamping. Paula meticulously staged a trial and error test with different fabrics to see what the effects would be while I go a late start but did put some work in once the group left. The result: we eached learned someting new to extend our knowledge base when attacking a project not to mention the wine consumption and the laughter.
Grown folks need play dates too. I remember when I was a teen my mother Beverly, godmother Ocie and my friend's mom Miriam would get together and practice belly dancing, playing the recorder... with a glass of sangria somewhere near by. My girlfriend Lisa and I would sit at the top of the stairs laughing our heads off while secretly vowing to never be that insane. Well - over 3o years later there is yet another generation of crazy but still productive. Some thing to think about when arraning your own playdate:
- Keep it small: too much crazy in the room can be dangerous but just the right amount keeps it fun.
- Plan around a particular activity: this gives the play some structure
- Gather like minds: I have many art and quilt friends but for this evening I gathered those that had a similar interest (fiber art and new mediums) and those whose schedule would allow them to break away from there usual routine. Also there was no one thier who had a high anxiety when introduced to omething new or needed their hand to be held.
So get some folks together and learn something new.