Showing posts with label naomi s adams. Show all posts
Showing posts with label naomi s adams. Show all posts

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Every Family Needs an Artist

My recent trip to Texas was all about attending my oldest daughter's Master's art show. And I can truly say she knocked my socks off. I've seen lots of her art, but this show was just overwhelming.

As a writer, I think a lot about what it means to be an artist. If you write something, it may or may not be art. And if you build a building, it may or may not be art. But the visual arts are pretty clear-cut. If you draw a picture, it's art.

And what Naomi does is the real thing. She proves every day that just talent is not going to get you anywhere. This child has a work ethic like no other. So when you combine natural abilities with a real drive to produce and excel, you end up with the success she has had.

It's very hard to explain her work and I spend a lot of time taking pictures of her quilts from the side. Her work is 3-D and very sculptural. This work called "X" is so brilliant in its color. Both my son (pictured here with his artist sister) and I loved this one best. Her show consisted of a room of handmade books and another room full of these sculptural quilts. You can see more of her work at her website. She has a link there to purchase something if you want to have a piece of her art in your own home.


















I love it that art crops up in the most unexpected places. The more I travel, the more surprised I am how public art is finding its way into airports. This gorgeous tunnel in the Detroit airport is a combination of art glass, lights and music. It's truly an experience to walk through.

Have an artistic experience today. Visit her website. Or go to an airport. Or read a book or listen to Brahms.

As the Pirates of Penzance say,  "For what, we ask, is life
               Without a touch of Poetry in it?"

Friday, April 6, 2012

Where have I been and why am I here?

Where have I been for the past two weeks? Walking in the sunshine and enjoying the glorious flowers in my yard? Spring cleaning? Taking care of all my responsibilities at home and church?
No. I've been sitting in my office doing heavy edits on two books. And I'm whupped.
Going over something you wrote for the second, third or fourth time is a real energy zapper. But I have learned to love the editing process almost as much as I love writing. Once I got it through my skull that editing is just another way to write, it got a lot better.
The progress so far is a really clean copy of my LDS romance called Magnolia in the Snow which went out to beta readers yesterday.  And I'm almost done with a complete rewrite of Snarky and Sweet's sequel which might be called Sassy and Sweet or not.
A whole ton of stuff including taxes has been ignored and I'm hoping today to do a lot of it. I have a big trip to Texas coming up next week.
And I'm going to Texas because my darling Naomi is having her Thesis Art Show to finish up her Master's program in Fiber Arts. If you're not familiar with her work, click on her name and check out her website and blog. She's been doing some amazing work.
In Texas I also get to see all my children and their families. The Utah family of eight is moving to Texas. And, of course, all the others live there already.
So the question remains, if all of my children and their families are in Texas, why am I here in PA? 

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Just how happy can a postcard make you?

Just how happy can a postcard make you? When it represents a major life achievement by one of your children, it can make you downright joyful.

Here it is: the postcard advertising Naomi's art show that is one of the final requirements for her M.F.A. in fiber arts.

Naomi hasn't just been a student for the past three years. She's been a working artist who has racked up a set of awards that many folks wait a lifetime for.

Her three-D quilt work in this piece also won her a major prize at Quilt National, the premier exhibition for art quilting in the world.

I'm not proud of her or anything.

I get to go. I already have my plane ticket. If you live in the North Texas area and would like to see an amazing body of work by one of the up-and-coming young artists in America, here's the info:

University of North Texas
Cora Stafford Gallery
Oak Street Hall
1120 W. Oak Street
Denton, TX
940 565 8798

Gallery Hours:
April 10-13, 2012
10AM to 2PM

Closing reception:
April 12, 2012 5PM to 8PM.

Hope to see you there. If you can't make it, you can see more of her amazing work here:
killerbeedesigns.com