Cathleen Margaret's Blog

Goldenrod blooms in late August, its yellow/golden statement the sign of autumn’s arrival.
​Autumn reinvents; its transformative voice slow and measured. Suddenly, stunning red vines drape like stoles across the shoulders of a chain linked fence. Then, another cluster, a red spray. A red lipped leaf becomes a reflection on roads less traveled; brilliance in the midst of bland.Berries cling to dying vines.
Berries swing in time with the wind.
Yellow, brown, green and red coexist as death arrives. Humans try to fence nature out, tell it where, how, and when to grow. But nature is nature, pushes, even through iron. Autumn reinvents.
2020 needs immediate deliverance.
​Drift wood reminders of scenes from movies,  Deliverance and Daughters of the Dust.

This painting is called The Man In The Blue Shirt Stares Into The Aqua Cave .

Such a long titled because I painted this piece three months ago and didn't know what it was.

Usually, when I finish one of these abstract pieces, I turn it around, look at all angles and something pops out. This one didn't.

Well, last night I was sitting in front of the TV eating a bowl of popcorn and happened to look over at this painting which was propped against a house plant sitting the window.

​All of a sudden, I saw the little man in the red shirt and guess what? He was staring into the aqua colored cave.

That's it. That's the post.

​Happy creating!

With fabric shops closed during the pandemic, I began looking for alternative sources for fabric. Purchasing fabric online is always an option but there’s something about the feel of fabric that’s missing on the computer screen.

Goodwill proved a great find. I was amazed about the exceptional fabric used in men’s dress shirts, lovely cottons and linen. And the colors! There were the regular dress whites and plaid work shirts. But the pastels really got my creative juices flowing, pink, lilac, baby blues.

I knew I wanted to highlight the pastel, a quilted wall hanging that would embrace a man’s gentle side. As I began cutting the fabric, I couldn’t help notice the tags – all not made in America. For some reason, this made me laugh. All this negative political stuff going on and America can’t even sew her own clothes. What a farce. Really put things into perspective. Hence, the quilt’s title, Not Made In America . Not Made In America (detail) I cut squares, half quarter triangles and strips from the men’s shirt fabric and one woman’s striped blouse. For the border I used purple batik. The quilt back is a mixture of shirts, the batik and other fabric from my stash. The quilt measures approximately 41 ½” and 50” give or take. My quilts are never perfect. Not Made In America is machine pieced and stippled, hand stitched hem, polyester batting. Not Made In America , 2020, cathleen margaret
 Price on Request. Use the Contact Form at the top of the page. Not Made In America, Quilt Back                                                                    Further Detail Happy quilting and other wonderful, creative things.  My latest find from Goodwill. There’s wonderful adult coloring books out now. Beautiful flowers that need doing.

In my opinion, line drawing is the most relaxing of all “art as therapies.” By therapy, I’m referencing relaxation and peaceful environment. Your idea of therapy is your idea. Explore those definitions.

The concept of line drawing is simple. Have you ever doodled on the back of an envelop while on hold or while talking on the phone? This is line drawing.

The materials are simple. A blank canvas, whether paper (with structure) or anything that will take ink and, like we called them back in the day, magic markers or Sharpies in various writing widths, from very fine to fat. I like using black markers. The starkness of black on white is pleasurable to me. There are other colors as well. Sometimes I’ll throw in a splash of red for interest.

Lines:
___________ thin to fat and fatter, straight, zigzag, squiggly. Circles with the same concept in mind, thin to fat, big to small and everything in between. Take a look at your “Wingding” fonts for ideas.

The fun is in the doing, the drawing and connecting. Start with small renditions of your lines. Don’t try to rush it by thinking you need to fill big spaces all at once. The magic of line drawing is total nothingness. Forget time. Focus on the line you’re pulling, or the circle you’re drawing. And never fret about whether the circle or line is straight. Better that they aren’t.

When you’ve completed the piece, look for symbolism, hidden meaning or images of people or structures that you had no idea you were drawing.

If you don’t find anything, it was not meant to be. What you’ve completed is your peacefulness on the page and what can be more beautiful than that?  This is Shoes, Circles and Tumbling Boxes
This is art as therapy. Try your hand. There are no mistakes or rules, only Sharpies, a surface, your hands and heart. The first one will probably feel a little tentative, but then watch how you feel the next time you try. Here’s to happiness!

#ArtAsTherapy

 This is not a post about berries. It is, however, about train of thought, how one thing leads to another, especially when you're in a creative mood.

The other night, I was putting finishing touches on a mixed media piece titled Carnival and suddenly, I thought of blueberry muffins. When I got to a place where I could reasonably take a break from Carnival, down came the cookbooks. This time I wanted to make something without so much butter and sugar, just something I could snack on, or maybe have in the morning with coffee.

​Time was running out, I needed to get back to Carnival, so instead of muffins, I made muffin bread. No need to grease and flour all the muffin tins (didn’t have any muffin papers), so I greased and floured a bread pan. This is the result. It's easy to slice and stays well in the fridge uncovered. I thought I would have to toast it, but no, just slice a hunk off and enjoy with coffee or tea. Of course you could toast if that's your preference. Here’s the recipe. It’s a one bowl thing. I left out the sugar because the blueberries seemed sweet enough. I used oil instead of butter, and egg whites instead of whole eggs (those pesky yolks and their cholesterol!).
​I like King Arthur flour. This time I used King Arthur white wheat, but I suppose any flour will do.

Prepare pan. 350 oven
​Ingredients: 1 ½ cups of flour, 2 t baking powder, ¼ t salt, 1/3 c oil, 2 egg whites or one whole egg, flavoring, pint of berries.
Wash and dry berries. Sprinkle a little flour, about a teaspoon or so, on the berries and toss for even coverage.
Put dry ingredients in bowl, stir.
Put oil in a measuring cup; add two egg whites and enough water to make one cup
Add liquid to flour mixture
Stir, just enough, it’s not a cake, you want it kind of bumpy. If it's too wet add a little more flour; if it's too dry add a little water.
Add teaspoon or so of flavoring (vanilla, lemon)
Fold in blueberries. I’ve made it with strawberries and will try raspberries
Scrape batter into a prepared bread pan (you could make muffins if you want)
Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes or so
Cool in pan about 5 minutes
Scrape sides of pan and turn onto plate Now, back to Carnival. This is acrylic paint on canvas, magic marker (sharpies in different size nibs); and sequins. The yellow fading into the darker colors made me think of a carnival or circus tent.  This is art as therapy. Try your hand. There are no mistakes or rules, only paint, a surface, your hands and heart. The first one will probably feel a little tentative, but then watch how you feel the next time you try.
Here’s to happiness!

#ArtAsTherapy

One final thing. Squirrels are the bosses. I noticed when the squirrels leave, the birds come out. Here's the male cardinal singing. He was really getting into it.

They're working on the train tracks. I can see the big machines, the workers in their orange vests. The construction noises from the big machines are loud, but comforting. When the work is complete, the next train comes along. I say, hi train. The whistle is blowing loud and really long. This is significant because the conductor does not always blow the whistle. Today the whistle is laughing about something, or maybe just happy to get the train moving again. Did you know Nature produces many shades of green? I'm reminded of that because of the foilage outside my window. I'm waiting for the deer to pass. They usually come in the morning. Maybe they'll come later. After the train goes by I realize something's different. Then I notice in the midst of green is a sheath of gold. The beginning of August, and gold is reminding that Autumn will be here soon.  Coffee, leftover rice, fresh veggies, eggs, oranges and toast for breakfast. Energy. Maybe I should eat like this all the time. Maybe I should workout.

I read somewhere that it's not healthy to workout everyday. Something about the body needing to recalibrate, recharge, heal. Maybe I should finish the painting I started the other day.
Maybe canvas, acrylic paint, wheat paste, beads, pearl cotton thread, hand embroidery

Like AWB sings in School Boy Crush, I was "just out walking," getting some fresh air and exercise. The other reason was to get to know my new, refurbished camera, a necessary tool for visual artists.

It is 84 degrees and 9:30 a.m.

By the time I get going, it's nearly 90 degrees. Mask on and sweating, I make my way to Riverfront Park along the Monongahela River.

Funny thing about sunshine and breezes, the 90 degrees part of the equation is not a hindrance, rather a blessing. People all over the world are sick, some dying or dead. No complaints from me. I walk for them. The following is a photo and video journal of my morning walk. On the path.
​This first image is a mistake, the camera did its job as it swung around my neck. I forgot to turn it off and this is a picture of the path I walked. Mistakes can be good things. Like Miles said, "There are no mistakes, just new music." This little bird allowed me to take its picture. Then suddenly turned in the other direction so I could get that side too. Texture and color theory. The first is a close up of a huge boulder situated along the path. The second is the same boulder where someone spay painted across the bottom, lines of pink.Lots of shades of green and majestic trees along the Monongahela River. And then bursts of fushcia.

Next came geese walking. Time to sit, relax, reflect.
​
Pardon my shaky hands.
Since I began with AWB, here's School Boy Crush. Back in the day I knew the number to this song on the jukebox at the bar. Here's to relaxation and good times. Listen with earphones so you can hear the baseline. Enjoy!

Underwater, detail Remember finger painting, how much fun that was? So messy and rewarding at the same time. Why is it that when we become a certain age, we stop needing to be messy.

I was reading one of my art journals yesterday, looking for inspiration and came across this quotation by the painter, Howard Ikemoto. He said, "When my daughter was about seven years old, she asked me one day what I did at work. I told her I worked at the college -- that my job was to teach people how to draw. She stared at me, incredulous, and said, You mean they forget?" Horse, by Howard Ikomoto Saturday, I was out walking and decided to visit the Goodwill store by my house. I found canvas boards, new ones and at a much cheaper price than regular art suppliers.

​Thinking of Mr. Ikemoto's daughter, I decided to get messy. I never could draw, but what about the feel of a brush in my fingers, letting the paint become an extension of my good mood. Here's the result that I titled Underwater .  Underwater : canvas, acrylic paint, glitter, embroidery thread, chain stitch
Thanks for stopping by!
​Happy creativity.

Free style quilting allows the quilter to relax and sew. There are no preconceived notions about block construction. You simply reach into the basket, pull out the next piece of fabric and attach it to another piece of fabric. Before long the design wall is filled with interesting and delightful blocks, colors and textures playing nice. For this quilt and others like it, after your design wall is filled with your blocks, start to rearrange them. See where the quilt is taking you.

​After several weeks of piecing and finally arranging and rearranging quilt blocks, one block emerged as the spokesperson, displayed a window motif, hence this quilt's name, Golden Window. When I was piecing this quilt, I watched a documentary about the great jazz musician, Sonny Rollins, titled Beyond the Notes. Mr. Rollins said something about horn, without the words and I thought, quilt without fancy technique. Simple movement through color, shape, lines, texture and thread. 

In this same documentary, the bassist, Christian McBride, said improvisation is the genius that allows for music composition on the spot, while the thing is going on. He also said, "Learn everything you can about playing jazz and then forget it."

That's how I feel about quilting. Learn everything and then have fun. Those techniques are your foundation, your toolbox to pick, choose or discard as the need arises. We needn't be overburdened by doing something "right," as opposed to doing what feels "right." The Golden Window Quilt photos by Natalie Moffitt This quilt and it's fabric may look familiar. They were born from the same scrap basket. See Golden Window's sister quilt, Bit of Raspberry.

​Thanks for stopping by and happy creating!

This is what you call an old fashioned quilt. It's made from bits of fabric scraps leftover in my stash. You step back, let colors and textures speak among themselves. It’s quilted in sections, so that I wouldn’t have to struggle machine quilting on a machine designed for garment construction.

The middle section came first then I built around that. Once all the pieces were set on the design wall, I noticed a flash of raspberry. Hence the quilt’s name,  Bit of Raspberry , which reminded me of raspberry sherbet I loved as a kid. Raspberry , detail
​This quilt is machine pieced and quilted. Some of the fabric (including the raspberry fabric) functioned as clothes in another life that I purchased from Goodwill. Other material includes polyester, cotton and muslin. Sometimes muslin gets a bad name. It’s an inexpensive fabric that designers use to make a garment before cutting the “good” cloth. I like muslin. It’s sturdy and malleable. It’ll do whatever you want. And it’s great for paints, will accept water color, acrylic and others. I also use it when I want to tea or coffee dye fabric.   Some quilts are for hanging on the wall. Other quilts are for wrapping up in. Bit of Raspberry feels good. Bit of Raspberry