2019 | The ART of IMPROV | Alison Schwabe

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Alison Schwabe

The ART of IMPROV

Alison Schwabe is an Austrailian born artist who grew up learning to sew and embellish cloth. Stitchery became a passion. As she has moved around the world the landscapes of her life have inspired her art, from Sunburnt Textures in Austraila, to the Ancient Expressions of the American Southwest. Her recent series Ebb and Flow is inspired by the give and take that our lives encounter as time passes and changes occur over periods of time. Alison publishes and shares about her work, on her blog alisonschwabe.com/weblog/ Her work is exhibited regularly in the USA and Australia, she teaches workshops, and welcome opportunities to speak to textile art groups. She has recently been invited to teach improvisational piecing in September at a big annual patchwork and quilting festival in Gramado, Brasil.  Now that sounds FUN!!! We thank Alison for sharing with us on The Art of Improv.

Circulation - layout diagram and finished quilt Alison Schwabe

What does working improvisationally mean to you?  How would you define the ‘Art of Improv’?

If you take dictionary definition literally, improvisational means that you proceed without any  preconceived idea of where it's going to take you. While the element of serendipity can certainly be part of working this way, I think skilled improvisational textile art is not this chaotic, either.  To me 'improvisational' quilt making has become synonymous with the organic-looking lines that result (and can be emphasized) when one is working totally free hand, i.e. without precisely measured cut shapes and straight lines. Single designs or repeated motifs equally lend themselves to improvisational construction.

Have you always worked improvisationally?

I learned to draft and construct traditional geometric patchwork in the late 80s, and loved it.  However, since first learning the basics for improv construction in a Nancy Crow class in 1992, it became clear that in addition to enabling us to work faster to get through the large amount of class work, it was such a satisfying, liberating, way to piece fabric.  Free hand cutting and piecing is my automatic go-to technique. I can do plenty of other textile art techniques, but just love improvisational patchwork.

Do you work improvisationally, consciously, intentionally?  If so, how do you begin?  If not, how do you find yourself getting there?

Yes, I do work improvisationally by intent. My art is based on patterns of lines and shapes I see everywhere in nature especially- and to me any line is a potential seam.  Very influenced by repeat block layouts of traditional p&q, I tend to sketch out simple diagrammatic assemblies of lines and go from there, building units one by one, and I sometimes alternate them with plain units in which quilting lines echo the more obvious pattern unit.  I rarely sketch out an entire design in advance, rather they grow to the dimensions I have in mind, which is a consequence of how I work.

Auditioning fabrics is an important part of my process, and always includes scrap bag diving (I keep a large heavy duty see-through plastic bag of scraps and off cuts too small to put back into my stash)  Once I have assembled what I'm going to work with, I simply begin cutting and sewing.

Ebb and Flow Alison Schwabe

How often do you work with improvisation?

I always piece like this.  One feature of many of my designs is that I love grids of repeat units, and usually measure and cut these units precisely with straight edges and 90 degree angles or equilateral triangles.  There have been a few times when I've cut the units themselves free hand, but mostly I love the straight edge juxtaposed with the organic.

Please share a bit about your process.  Do you have methods to getting started?  Do you have tricks to getting unstuck?  Do you have motivators to finishing up?

I don't have any tips about getting unstuck - except that I only ever start something I really want to do.  Occasionally I feel a bit of indecision or irritation so leave it pinned on my board a while to focus on something else, but never have more than a couple of things going at the one time as it becomes too confusing and then I don't progress with anything. I finish each piece as I go while thinking ahead to the next. I like that moment when the sleeve and signature are done and the work is 100% completed bar the catalog entry and statement.  I listen a lot to recorded books when working on a piece, which helps me through the tedious stretches  - so while I'm absorbed in that I'm moving right along at a good pace.  I walk further when listening, too!

What advice would you give to someone interested in trying to work improvisationally.  Can you share some good advice that you received that helped you become more comfortable this way? 

I have a free 2-page .pdf of basic instructions on my website's blog that many have found helpful.

Tide and Time Alison Scwabe

How would you finish the sentence, ‘What if, . . .?’

The only answer I have to the question "What if...?"  is:  "Just try it and see what happens." I am a strong advocate of sample making when trying anything new to me, or testing an idea.

 What are you reading, listening to, watching, or any other inspirational obsessions you would like to share?

Inspiration is everywhere if you take time to look and listen, and as many of us have smart phones these days, or small point and shoot cameras,  there's no excuse to not whip out a camera to take a snap of something interesting and record it's essence.   I once made a quilt from a long list I wrote of colours that I observed in a landscape we were driving through, because I did not have a camera in the car.  A pencil and tiny sketch book or some scraps of paper or back of an envelope do just as well as long as they are actually in a pocket or bag at all times.  I visit museums and art exhibitions featuring various media, not just textiles. I read a lot, fiction and non-fiction. I'm currently reading John Sopel's  "If Only They Didn't Speak English" (kindle)  "Warlight" by Michael Onaatje (book) Coming up next on my kindle will be "Fear" by Bob Woodward. I frequently dip into Pat Conroy's reading of his own book "My Reading Life" He's one favourite author, and I love hearing about books and people that have impacted his life.  I write myself, and find writing about things often helps crystallise ideas. My textile art related blog-cum-visual diary is on my website alisonschwabe.com and I write another blog pickledgizzards.com 

I love news and current affairs on tv, and watch only a few other programs, often crime and forensic thriller kinds of things.  I play mahjong and enjoy a good night of cards. 

Alison, thank you for sharing your insight on improvisation with us. I too am trying to finish the sleeve and labeling of my works as I go and I like the idea of taking this time to get inspired by a new work. I find it is a good way to honor the piece, giving the completion of it a little time to sit with. Your ‘what if’ advice resides with me as well and I have had many good things come from this inhibited way of just making to explore the possibilities, it makes me want to head directly to the studio now! Thank you for sharing your work and for the generosity of sharing techniques and methods via your blog, it is just what we all need when we are not sure where to go next.

To learn more about Alison, check our her website, blog, and instagram account!

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If you would like to be featured on The Art of Improv please contact me!  I would love to hear how improvisation impacts your art making process.

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2019 | The ART of IMPROV | Deborah Krajkowski

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Deborah Krajkowski

The ART of IMPROV

Our guest this week is quilt artist DeboralhKrajkowski. Deborah is owner of QUILTOGRAPHIC a home-based, longarm quilting service located in Stuart, Florida. Deborah made her first quilt over 30 years ago – she wanted to make a quilt for her first child. At that time, she never realized how important quilting would become –   artistically, socially and professionally. Living in NJ, she had the opportunity to attend lectures and take workshops from a multitude of nationally renowned teachers, as well as enjoy quilt shows and art exhibits throughout the metropolitan area.  As an adult, she returned to college and earned a degree in art, focusing on textiles and photography. She has taught in local quilt stores and night schools, won ribbons at shows, been published and has sewn samples for several quilt markets and quilt vendors, as well as presenting lectures and workshops at quilt guilds. These experiences, combined with a lifelong love of learning, have inspired Deborah and led her on a journey of experimentation and discovery. She has completed hundreds of quilts and loves all kinds – from traditional to modern to art quilts. Let’s learn more about her quilts and her process.

Cone of Uncertainty Deborah Krajkowski

What does working improvisationally mean to you?  How would you define the ‘Art of Improv’?

Many people think of improv as a style of piecing but it also a way of designing. I like to let ideas flow spontaneously on the design wall, growing and developing. The design wall is a valued tool. I always want to make a quilt that is my own, not from a pattern or someone else’s design.

 Have you always worked improvisationally?

I began quilting in the 1980s and have experimented with many quilting genres.

As a young quilter I focused on my craft, trying to cut and sew accurately and make my points meet properly. I yearned to make every traditional design I saw.

In the 1990s, I took a class called Freedom Quilts with Diane Rode Schneck and we made improv log cabins. Oh no! I totally didn’t get it. I was working so hard on precise piecing and making a certain type of quilt that improv was lost on me! It took a few more years before I discovered Gwen Marston’s books. And then I took a workshop with Sandi Cummings.  Her process opened my eyes to breaking the grid and adding small improv elements to my traditional blocks. Baby steps.

Do you work improvisationally, consciously, intentionally?  If so, how do you begin?  If not, how do you find yourself getting there?

Sometimes I have an idea in mind and I work in that direction. More often my quilts are the result of experimentation. Making blocks, moving them around. Adapting how I make the blocks (perhaps changing the scale or orientation), make more, assess, repeat.  I am conscious of where I want the viewer to look, how to move the viewer’s eye across the surface and keeping the attention focused inside the piece.

DK meet EK Deborah Krajkowski

How often do you work with improvisation?

I continue to work in many different styles. A lot of my recent work has been improvisational but I also work with more traditional piecing, designed in a more improvisational way. Improvisation is always a welcomed partner.

Please share a bit about your process.  Do you have methods to getting started?  Do you have tricks to getting unstuck?  Do you have motivators to finishing up?

When starting a project, I limit my choices and make rules. Sometimes I purchase solid fabric bundles and limit myself to those colors. Other times I choose a shape or block to explore. Sometimes I have other artists working in my studio and a dialog begins. There are so so many possibilities and that is often more intimidating than too few. Finding a way to focus and move forward on one idea is infinitely helpful. When I am in the zone, I try to work as much as possible to maximize my productivity.

Where do you find inspiration?  How do you use it?

Where isn’t there inspiration? The trick is to keep your eyes open and really see. To take a minute and breathe it all in and not hurry past. I continually look at the work of others – quilts, photography, modern art, sculpture, books.

My Teenage Bedroom Wallpaper Deborah Krajkowski

What advice would you give to someone interested in trying to work improvisationally.  Can you share some good advice that you received that helped you become more comfortable this way?

It is like finger painting. Messy. Tactile. Unpredictable. Just do it. Don’t overthink. Sometimes it looks awful for 90 percent of the process until the design begins to gel. Stick with it. Focus on the process, rather than the end product. And take a lot of pictures with your cell phone as things are moved around.  Often an idea that was rejected at the end of the day, looks fabulous a couple of days later. If you really don’t like it, you can always cut it up. Take one step at a time – I don’t make all the decisions in the beginning but see design as a process.

How would you finish the sentence, ‘What if, . . .?’

You were sewing now. Now. NOW!

What are reading, listening to, watching, or any other inspirational obsessions you would like to share?

There are times when I spend less time quilting and focus on photography. I enjoy shooting abstract images, everyday items but so close up they are unrecognizable as what they are. Photography sharpens my ability to see, to frame and focus. Working in another medium hones my senses.  

 I love to quilt! The part of the process where the three layers become one object and an additional design element is applied to tie it all together. The quilting process is of utmost importance to me. As a longarm quilter, I am looking at the work of others, some traditional, some more modern or focused on art quilting. The variation of the styles brought to me is challenging and inspiring, sometimes daunting. It is amazing to see a quilt before and after it is quilted, so much life is added in the process. But it can go in several directions so spend a moment to think about this. A so-so top can become fabulous. I collaborate on the quilt design with my clients, many of whom do not think the quilting is an important part of the design process. There are so many ideas to explore in the quilting process and it is so often overlooked. There is a dimensional aspect to consider.  That ending part is so fun and happens quickly for me – quilting and binding. It is very satisfying. Quilting the work of others lets me explore a range of finishing options that inform my work.

Thank you Deborah! I think it is important to have some creative play in our everyday, and your finger painting idea sounds like a really wonderful way to explore and play. Limiting choice and making rules is how I start often too and I love the idea of working with a precut bundle, and your idea to invite others into your studio to start a new, different dialogue or add to the one you have started is simply brilliant. I have a few artists in mind to invite right now!!! When they read this they will probably know who they are, and if ever you are in Indianapolis you are always welcome too! Thank you again for sharing with us and joining this discussion, I have found it so inspiring and I know others will too!

To find out more about Deborah, her work and her process, check out her website and find her on Instagram.

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If you would like to be featured on The Art of Improv please contact me!  I would love to hear how improvisation impacts your art making process.

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2019 | The ART of IMPROV | Amanda Smith

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Amanda Smith

The ART of IMPROV

Our guest this week is Amanda Smith is a painter who has also recently begun working with quilts and textiles. Smith earned her MFA from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and her BA from the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, WA. She has exhibited and lectured nationally and internationally, with exhibitions in New York, Kansas City, Houston, the Twin Cities, Miami and Seattle, and Chile. She was a visiting artist at Temple University, Rome, Italy, and has been an artist-in-residence at Fljótstunga in Iceland, the Kimmel Harding Nelson Center, Arrowmont Pentaculum, Art 342 in Fort Collins, with upcoming residencies at Monson Arts in Maine and Est-Nord-Est in Quebec. Her current exhibition, Limbo Thicket is on view at Watkins Gallery, Winona State University on Winona, MN through March 8. Her quilted work that she shares with us here, is part of a series she calls past lives. She sees quilts as objects built for time travel, as they are commonly passed from generation to generation while maintaining relevancy as objects of visual pleasure and tactile comfort. She also describes these works as creating retrospective heirlooms that mark and become evidence of the time spent making, revisiting her intuitive vision.  The textile paintings, in this series are compressed packages of thoughts and questions, offering a series of choices, source inspirations, and relationships that were arrived at over a length of time, but presented to a viewer all-at-once.    

Do make sure you take a look at her website, amandasmithart.com  you will get lost, and not be disappointed! Read on!  We are so lucky to get her perspective. 

Past Lives No. 4 Amanda Smith

What does working improvisationally mean to you?  How would you define the ‘Art of Improv’?

Working improvisationally requires an attitude of openness and responsiveness. Cultivating the conditions to turn that attitude into something productive, generative, and sustaining is how improvisation intersects with art. This is something I’ve been thinking a lot about lately--the difference between improvisation and impulse. I don’t think improvisation is just making choices spontaneously or on a whim, but rather more of a scaffolding for surprise.

Have you always worked improvisationally?

I’m a painter who has started exploring painting outside of itself, recently through quilting and textiles. Incorporating improvisation as a significant part of my process is something very new to me. Until fairly recently, I would develop fairly clear compositional plans before beginning my paintings. In the past year I have begun working in textiles, and thinking about my painting ideas through quilting has helped me establish a balance between decision-making and process, a balance that has eased me into trusting improvisation as a larger part of my practice.   

Past Lives No. 6 Amanda Smith

Do you work improvisationally, consciously, intentionally?  If so, how do you begin?  If not, how do you find yourself getting there?

It really depends on the materials and associated process that I am using, but often my way into improvisation is to start with something that is very predetermined or straightforward. Inevitably, I will get bored with the straightforward thing, and look for ways to complicate it, deconstruct it, merge it with other things, undermine it, or make it weird.

The series of quilt works that I made in 2018 all started in response to a single painting that I made about 8 years ago. I felt compelled to reflect on my life at that time and now, and this painting has a quality of openness and unresolve that continues to feel exploratory but specific. I’m not interested in making that same painting over and over, but rather in starting from the same spot again and again to see how I navigate from it differently each time.       

Please share a bit about your process.  Do you have methods to getting started?  Do you have tricks to getting unstuck?  Do you have motivators to finishing up?

 When I get stuck, the only thing that tends to get me unstuck are big, dramatic changes.

For example, the first 2 works I finished in 2019 are these stuffed “raft” or “cushion” forms, and both of these started as one 90” square quilt. The quilt top was probably my most involved piecing project to date, and I quilted it with the intention to paint on it while I was at the Arrowmont Pentaculum residency in January. Once I got to Tennessee and started painting on it...well, it went south pretty quickly! The pattern I had pieced together was just too busy to serve as a space that I could add to. It was frustrating and disheartening to see all of that effort fail, but I chopped the quilt into quadrants, disassembled the layers of the quilt, and worked with the sections as textile to mix with other components. Doing this then led me to push the work into a 3D space to help balance the optical overload of the pattern. I’m really excited about this new direction, and I don’t think I would have explored it without that initial failure.

Past Life Raft Amanda Smith

Where do you find inspiration?  How do you use it?

As someone who works and thinks in collage-like manner, I find inspiration in many, many different places--films, architecture, wordplay, quilts, design, print material, travel, landscape, swimming, climate, podcasts--the list goes on and on. I don’t know that the specific sources of inspiration are ultimately that important to the end result or interpretation of my work. I am more interested in the conditions of all of these inspirations sharing space in a composition, especially if they are sources that might seem to be formally or conceptually irreconcilable.

 What advice would you give to someone interested in trying to work improvisationally.  Can you share some good advice that you received that helped you become more comfortable this way?

I’ve heard several anecdotes about advice from artist Elizabeth King, and they’ve resonated with me as I work more improvisationally: “Process saves us from the poverty of our intent,” and “make more, think less.” Improvisation allows us to think through our materials, and develops a strong sense of intuition.  I’ve felt this particularly as I work to translate painting ideas into a material that does not behave like paint.

Thank you Amanda, for sharing your work and your process with improvisation. I love your idea that improv is the ‘scaffolding of surprise’, I too see it as a building component to the overall process of art making. I find it so interesting that in your way through being blocked is to make a dramatic change. I have often heard that it is important to keep your beginner’s mentality as a tool to aid artistic exploration and progress. Your story of your project at Arrowmount reminded me of some of my own experiences, being new to quilting and finally have the courage to cut up and reassemble what’s not working. I think this takes real courage to experiment with something that you have put so much time into, so BRAVA and congrats on following your intuition!

You can find more about Amanda and her work, on her website, amandasmithart.com and on Instagram. Enjoy!

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If you would like to be featured on The Art of Improv please contact me!  I would love to hear how improvisation impacts your art making process.

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2019 | The ART of IMPROV | Brian Phillips

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Brian Phillips

The ART of IMPROV

Photo by @annamazurekphoto for @fbairprogram

Brian Phillips is our guest this week. He is a self taught artist born in the midwest and now working and living in Austin Texas. Brian assembles wood ‘canvas’’ of salvaged wood remnants and then applies his signature illustrative painting onto the repurposed assemblies, his sense of humor shines in his typographical works and his love of animals is evident, as he often and beautifully depicts them. I have been so inspired by Brian and his free spirit to making and experimenting with what he finds, he works with what he has around and brings the beauty out of what many would discard. I love this and have adopted a similar attitude toward the materials I use to create. Brian has recently completed a large scale installation at the Austin Facebook Headquarters as part of their artist residency program and continues to inspire me with his creativity, his wit and his huge heart. Read more to see how he might inspire you!

Mustang On Peyote (Part of the Peyote Series) Brian Phillips

 What does working improvisationally mean to you?  How would you define the ‘Art of Improv’?

To me, the 'Art of Improv' helps keeps things fresh and original in art. Beginning a project with no clear cut endpoint is a way to keep stretching your boundaries and when mistakes happen (as they usually do) helps you grow as an artist. 

Have you always worked improvisationally?

Pretty much. I've never been good at "studies" or "thumbnail sketches" of ideas, so I just jot down the basic idea and then figure it out on the fly.

Do you work improvisationally, consciously, intentionally?  If so, how do you begin?  If not, how do you find yourself getting there?

Consciously, most of the time. My way of working is sporadic, and a lot of times, I just find myself beginning to tackle a project that I had no intention of starting when I started the day, so I try and just roll with it knowing that some energy pulled me that direction so it must be time to work on it.

Rattlesnake. On Peyote (Part of The Peyote Series) Brian Phillips

How often do you work with improvisation?

Almost daily.

Please share a bit about your process.  Do you have methods to getting started?

Most mornings, I work on small pieces to get through a couple cups of coffee. Smaller pieces are fun for me and I like working on them as a way to get going to the bigger projects in the day.

Do you have tricks to getting unstuck?

When I don't feel inspired to paint, I spend the time making my salvaged wood "canvases" to paint when I do feel inspired. The sizes of my random pieces of plywood pieces usually dictate the sizes I make my pieces, but if I only have large pieces, I cut them into random sizes. Not many pieces I do are conventional frame sizes.

Do you have motivators to finishing up?

Paying my bills is a pretty good motivator I've found. Ha. Kidding. I've become pretty good about seeing works to the end. I used to let pieces sit unfinished, and it still happens sometimes, but I've gotten better about following through.

Where do you find inspiration?

Honestly everywhere. I find more inspiration from DWELL magazine than I do from art magazines. Not sure why, maybe because I'm a fan of form and function as well as interior design. But I find inspiration from my surroundings, music, television, internet. It's everywhere.

How do you use it?

Well, I do my best to just let it ignite some creative spark, then go for it on my own. It's best if I leave the inspiration behind as to not steal the idea, but build your own creative energy from just seeing something that inspired you whether that be a color study, style, design elements, or simply just drew your attention to it. Make the inspiration come back out of you in your own way.

Always Pull For The Bull Brian Phillips

What advice would you give to someone interested in trying to work improvisationally.

GO. FOR. IT. Planning too much can kill the excitement of a piece and make it sheer stress the whole process. Have fun, just go for it.

Can you share some good advice that you received that helped you become more comfortable this way?

Being self taught, I'm pretty sure all advice I've been given is the opposite of how I approach working. But one thing I always remember if from a gallery owner, she told me to "lose your ego" when it comes to your art. This quote has helped me to not take rejection personally. It has helped me realize that I don't like every piece of art I see out in the world, so don't expect everyone to like mine. That's the beauty of art, there's something out there for everyone.

How would you finish the sentence, ‘What if, . . .?’

"What if, as artists, we stopped trying to "get discovered" and just go with our ideas as a way of really opening up the channels of creativity and self-acceptance? I think subconsciously we as artists have that inner self doubt that sometimes prevents us from taking a creative jump. The more I take the jumps, the more I find my style and the more I have fun in the process. I'm trying to get better at making it happen more often than not. The fun comes out in the work.

What are reading, listening to, watching, or any other inspirational obsessions you would like to share?

Music, music, music. It's constantly on around me. Silence and I don't get along. I listen to mostly slower music while working. Classic country is my main staple, but I listen to a wide variety from jazz to classic rock, old hiphop to heavy metal, it all depends on my mood that day.

Thank you Brian, I’ve loved getting to know a little bit more about how you work your artistic magic! I agree that we all would benefit from opening our creative channels and accepting ourselves just as we are, and losing our ego, especially when it comes to our art. I believe that in learning to take these creative leaps we channel who we really are and what we our are here to do, AND going for it is the quickest way to get there!!! Thank you for sharing with us here, I know it will inspire many to consider taking the leap as well. To learn more about Brian visit his website and check out his day to days on instagram.

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If you would like to be featured on The Art of Improv please contact me!  I would love to hear how improvisation impacts your art making process.

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2019 | The ART of IMPROV | Sarah Hibbert

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Sarah Hibbert

The ART of IMPROV

Sarah Hibbert is our guest artist this week. Like many, Sarah is hesitant to call herself an artist, but I am not. She works her day job as a freelance bookkeeper and manages to produce beautiful quilts and collages all from her kitchen table! Sounds like The Art of Improv to me!!!! Oh and she had five quilts exhibited at QuiltCon 2019 in Nashville just a few weeks ago! (I was there and so happy to meet her!) Her Blue Collage quilt has been chosen for QuiltCon 2019’s traveling exhibit! She also recently learned that the Quilters’ Guild of the British Isles has acquired her quilt Reflections for their permanent collection to start their modern archive. Well, I would say it’s official, Sarah, I hereby declare, (and nothing makes me happier), YOU. ARE. AN. ARTIST!

Happenstance Sarah Hibbert

What does working improvisationally mean to you?  How would you define the ‘Art of Improv’?

I would define the ‘Art of Improv’ as being freedom to play, I try and focus on enjoying the process of making – that way if others like my work it is simply a bonus.  It’s the unknown with improv as to which path it will take you, I sometimes have a clear view of how the piece is going to look and then a colour or unit size just does not work for me, so I remove the offending piece and start again.  Improv is a license to grow and change.

Have you always worked improvisationally?

In some ways yes, I have been quilting for over 30 years and I am so enjoying the style I am now creating.  From the beginning I mainly reconstructed traditional patterns and made a twist in the colour combinations, placing a block the wrong way or carrying a piece into the border.  I still follow this method if I work today on an old block pattern.  I recently put together a maple leaf quilt but also incorporated some ghost blocks, where I just pieced neutral linen to replicate the usual block, to break up the design. I love this combination of old and new; of the traditional and contemporary; patterns passed down through the generations and my personal contribution bringing something new.

Do you work improvisationally, consciously, intentionally?  If so, how do you begin?  If not, how do you find yourself getting there?

I am purely a part time quilter using my kitchen table as my studio and the floor as my design wall.  Therefore, I only have brief amounts of time to snatch when working on a quilt or wall hanging, I have a very patient husband who is happy to have supper on his lap when I am working on a design.  It’s usually the fabric that draws me in to an idea, either the colour or the design of the print.  I like to let that take me on a journey.  It also dictates the direction of the piece as either an old-style block or improv piecing which can grow for a little two pieced unit.  I love using linen at present, mainly hand printed by individual designer or Japanese linen by Nani Iro or Kokka.  I have been known to buy a piece of fabric sometimes just for a 2” area in the middle of the design which then leads to marrying it up with neutrals or a spark of colour.

Blue Collage Sarah Hibbert

How often do you work with improvisation?

Depending on the mood I feel and the fabric to hand it might be each time I sit at the machine, or I work on a traditional piece and then it alters direction and then the final piece plays no relationship to the original idea.  Last year I challenged myself to make a small 7”x 9” piece using discarded blocks from larger pieces.  I sliced the blocks up and added additional fabric and then match stick quilted each piece.  I made one a month and I so enjoyed the discipline.  I would very much like to follow this on.

Please share a bit about your process.  Do you have methods to getting started?  Do you have tricks to getting unstuck?  Do you have motivators to finishing up?

Even though I so enjoy reading various articles about quilters and love hearing their stories to where they are today, I very much like to work on a piece from my imagination and see how it grows, I have been known to stop a piece half way through as it is just not working for me.  I will put this piece aside and maybe revisit once I have found the correct colour or print to slot in.   The last couple of years I have taken part in The 100 Day Project on Instagram, creating paper collages (@cornerstonecollages ).  From these I have taken the collage as starting block for a design.  One of my current pieces was taken from an advert from well know jeans store cut up and re stuck down on card, this I blew up to a large piece on the photocopier and broke each panel down to piece in a workable size.  I then quilted as you go, a new angle for me as I usually quilt my pieces straight line on my domestic machine.  I am pleased with the overall piece and would like to use these collages in further pieces.

Where do you find inspiration?  How do you use it?

As a daughter of a Graphic Designer/typographer I grew in a house full of colour, mainly red!  I have always been drawn to type and logos especially the likes of Saul Bass and Alexander Girard together with fabric designers Marimekko and Lucien Day.  I also enjoy art galleries and abstract painters very much like Sean Scully, Mark Rothko and the blues of William Scott.  I have been interested in the Bauhaus movement with weavers Anni Albers and Gunta Stolzl for many years and it was a thrill to see the recent retrospective of Anni Albers at Tate Modern London, it was a delight to see her weaving and note books up close.  I think I find a little piece of inspiration from all types artwork, once I have visited a gallery I am always buzzing to figure out how you can adjust these ideas into fabric pieces, I always carry a sketch book for ideas from an advertising hoarding or even a pattern in the pavement blocks on the way to a gallery!  I also get inspiration of words and their meanings, and I recently came across the word ‘Haiku’, which is a Japanese poem made up of 17 words.  This word played around in my head for a while and I thought how great it would be to make those words into small pieced blocks setting them out into the 3 traditional rows of a poem.  I very much enjoyed making these tiny improv blocks, each one with a different angle or colour, different spelling.  Once I had completed 17, I played around with the concept reading the size of the block and shape to make them flow together so it would read across the quilt in a poem, including a purple full stop.

Haiku Quilt (block details below) Sarah Hibbert

What advice would you give to someone interested in trying to work improvisationally.  Can you share some good advice that you received that helped you become more comfortable this way?

Buy yourself a random selection of prints or colours together with a couple of neutral pieces.  Cut the pieces into 2”/4” squares and some various sized oblongs, throw them behind your machine, pick up two pieces and if they match size wise sew together, throw back and re pick up two pieces and again if they match sew together.  After a while you will have various working pieces to join with your neutral pieces.  Enjoy the process, there is no right or wrong way of working.  If the piece doesn’t talk to you after the exercise, re slice and start again.  This is how my quilt Serendipity was created. I constructed 5 large panels and then placed on the floor and decided where to join, sometimes re working the large piece to incorporate a colour that would link the panels.  I have repeated this method with a calmer palette even incorporating a couple of my Fathers drawings printed through my photocopier.

Serendipity Sarah Hibbert

How would you finish the sentence, ‘What if, . . .?’

I had more time….  I wish…  as quite often I have two or three ideas bouncing around, but my time allocation is so limited, something must give, usually one of the designs or maybe not cooking supper!

What are reading, listening to, watching, or any other inspirational obsessions you would like to share?

I have several books on the go, ranging from Gwen Marston’s Minimal Quiltmaking to Carrie Bloomston’s The Little Spark.  I am always jumping back into Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert either in reading form or audio books for the car on long journeys.  I find her attitude of ‘just give it a go’ so inspiring, I was lucky enough to meet her on the book launch in London… A dream, she was gorgeous.  Another set of books I love dipping into is Austin Kleon, How to Steal like an Artist and Show your Work…. It gives you permission to just free ride your path, which I would love to be able to achieve one day.  Overall, I get excited extremely easily with ideas popping up randomly.  I have so enjoyed the Instagram quilting community who have given me such encouragement and good advice which I treasure.  Also, to have the opportunity to attend 3 Quiltcon’s has been amazing, especially travelling from London to meet like minded quilters that I have admired for many years.  With this special community it has brought me such opportunities to revalue my work for going forward, giving me chance to grow in confidence and I especially thank you Jen, for allowing me to share part of my journey. Happy Sewing!

Thank you Sarah, I agree that the IG community is amazing in the way it supports one another. I am so happy to have found you and your work there and to be able to express my support of you and your art by featuring you here and making it evident to you that you are an artist, I hope you see that clearly now. Interestingly it was The 100 Day Project that reignited my artistic journey, and led me to acknowledge that I am artist as well. I am totally inspired by many of the same books you recommend here and refer to them often to motivate me to create with confidence. So keep the book recommendations coming and keep playing with YOUR art of improv!!!

To learn more about Sarah and her quilts check out @quiltscornerstone, and to see her collage work @cornerstonecollages on Instgram.

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If you would like to be featured on The Art of Improv please contact me!  I would love to hear how improvisation impacts your art making process.

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2019 | The ART of IMPROV | Kim Duhaime

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Kim Duhaime

The ART of IMPROV

This week we learn how painter Kim Duhaime uses improvisation to create beautifully intricate and richly textured works that evoke a sense of peace. Abstracting motifs from nature these works create a sense of calm amongst the chaos. The colors are luscious and the layered patterns complex, the overall compositions abundant with interesting stories that I want to know more about. Let’s find out more about Kim’s work and her experience, use and process of improvisation.

The Purest Unity Kim Duhaime

What does working improvisationally mean to you?  How would you define the ‘Art of Improv’?

To me, the “Art of Improv” has more to do with the experience of making art, than  it is about producing an object. Working improvisationally means approaching the canvas with an open mind, allowing the painting to evolve as a dialogue between my intentions and what’s happening with the materials. It means being fully present and focused, perceiving and sensing what’s happening, then responding spontaneously. I love to work this way: leaving room for serendipity, following the unexpected, being inventive, taking risks and exploring avenues that may or may not lead to something I like. Improvisation also means letting go of trying to control things by opening up to receiving inspiration from what can feel like a higher source than the conscious mind (or tapping into a deeper one). I guess that’s what people mean when they talk about “getting into the zone”.

Have you always worked improvisationally?

Pretty much yes. I was a graphic designer and art director for many years before becoming a painter, and I always felt most satisfied when I could infuse projects with the spirit of improvisation. When I became an artist, once I had established a basic technical foundation, I quickly moved from painting landscapes to exploring abstraction so that I could improvise with greater freedom.

Do you work improvisationally, consciously, intentionally?  If so, how do you begin?  If not, how do you find yourself getting there?

It’s definitely an integral part of my process, and I do it intentionally. I begin every painting by making random marks on the canvas and covering it with washes of colour, and I let things evolve from there without really knowing exactly what is going to happen next. I know some people have a phobia about making those first marks, but for me it’s the best part because a blank canvas feels like the ultimate freedom and I’m excited to see how this new painting will evolve, and what I’ll learn from making it.

A Stain of Ocean Kim Duhaime

How often do you work with improvisation?

Nearly always. It’s really part of my nature to work improvisationally – it’s the part of creativity that I find most exciting. If I knew exactly what my paintings were going to look like before starting, I probably wouldn’t make them. I’d find it boring to make work that follows a fixed pattern.

The exception is when a painting is nearly complete: at that point, I feel like I need to be very deliberate about bringing in marks or moves that I think (rather than feel) will bring the composition into balance and harmony. If I start improvising at this point, the piece is likely to fall into irredeemable chaos and end up in the burn pile.

Please share a bit about your process.  Do you have methods to getting started?  Do you have tricks to getting unstuck?  Do you have motivators to finishing up?

I work on several pieces at once, with the intention of creating a series that communicates a coherent theme or mood, so even though I’m working improvisationally, it’s not just random flinging of paint. I decide on a colour palette, and I’ll repeat marks and design elements so that there’s a cohesive look that holds the series together. With that as a starting point, I build up layers of textures and marks, responding intuitively to what’s going on with whatever the piece feels like it needs. If I feel like I need to break my own rules and bring in a new colour or element, I’ll do that.

I find it a lot easier to work with the focused spontaneity and openness of possibilities of improvisation than to work in a rational or deliberate way. While things are still “open” and I’m building up the textures and layers in the painting, it’s all play, but the closer it gets to being done, the more reluctant I am to keep working on it.

I have a few tricks to get myself unstuck. The first is to put the painting away and work on something else for a little while, and come back to it later with a fresh perspective. After a few days, I’ll make a latte and just sit in front of it for a while, to see what ideas come up around what parts feel unbalanced, or what kind of thing I could try to make it feel complete. It’s the hardest part because often, there might be a little part of the painting that I really love, but it has to go because it’s not working alongside the rest of it. Or the opposite happens and I find that I was stuck because the thing is actually finished, and doesn't need anything else. If it still feels unfinished and I can’t see what it needs, I’ll just put it away again.

Where do you find inspiration?  How do you use it?

I find inspiration in the natural world, and in the emotions it inspires in me. I don’t feel compelled to reproduce what I see, but rather to use the colours, textures, motifs and moods of nature as a language beyond words to communicate a deeply personal experience in a way that others can connect to and then make their own.

The Well of Color Kim Duhaime

What advice would you give to someone interested in trying to work improvisationally. Can you share some good advice that you received that helped you become more comfortable this way?

I would say that the most important thing is to be both patient and devoted to your  process, and to approach art-making with curiosity. Accept that not everything you make has to become a finished piece destined for show or sale, and have the courage to explore.

Working improvisationally can take you into some very enriching territory and open up possibilities for your work that you would never have arrived at otherwise. The most interesting experiences and learning happen when you open up to interacting with the unexpected, when you take risks and follow unlikely paths.

How would you finish the sentence, ‘What if, . . .?’

What if the sky weren't blue? How would that affect the colour of everything on earth?

What are reading, listening to, watching, or any other inspirational obsessions you would like to share?

Listening: The Savvy Painter podcast, with Antrese Wood

I love how Antrese goes deep into discussing process with the artists she interviews. It’s fascinating to see how there are so many common threads running through everyone’s experiences no matter what genre or medium they work in. And people share tons of tips and tricks about materials, techniques and ways of getting your work out into the world.

Reading: It’s All About Music, by Jean-Michel Pilc

Interesting reading about the expressive nature of improvisation and some great exercises to help you tap into your creativity.

I’ve also been listening to a lot of improvisational jazz, specifically Jean-Michel Pilc. And Prince’s recently released album, Piano and a Microphone.

Thank you Kim, for sharing your work and method of using improv with us all! I can relate to choosing a palette and letting loose with an open mind of not knowing how the piece will evolve, this is the magic of creating for me. And I, like you, have no fear of the clean slate of a blank canvas, in fact I relish in it. Your recommendation to put away work when it is not working, to get some time and space away does make the heart grow fonder, no? I am adding It’s All About Music to my reading list and I thank you for bringing it to my attention. I look forward to the exercises especially!

To find out more about Kim, check out her website, her blog and see more of her process on Instagram.

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If you would like to be featured on The Art of Improv please contact me!  I would love to hear how improvisation impacts your art making process.

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2019 | The ART of IMPROV | Scarlet Sparkuhl Delia

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Scarlet Sparkuhl Delia

The ART of IMPROV

Our guest this week is Dr. Scarlet Sparkhul Delia. Scarlet is a woman, a wife, a mom, a maker, a doctor and an artist. Her love of art and creativity just might surpass my own. She is a maker of quilts and garments. Her love of art, creativity and making is obvious in her work, and with all of her creative endeavours,. She has been very supportive in cheering me on and I am so excited to be able to return the favor, by sharing her work and wisdom of improv with you, I know you will find it inspiring.

Union Scarlet Sparkuhl Delia

What does working improvisationally mean to you?  How would you define the ‘Art of Improv’?

Working improvisationally is more of a lifestyle that spills over into my creative endeavors.  I can make a grand plan, organize, get my ducks in a row so to speak.  But often things don’t go as planned, and at the intersection of “This is not what I planned’ and “Oh well, jump in!”, that’s when improvisation is usually my go-to choice.   Improvisation in art can involve working with a design but not a specific color scheme.  It could mean working with a color scheme, yet without a specific design.  It can also mean working with what I have on hand (scraps, fabric remnants, unusual materials, repurposed textiles), letting the materials drive the design concept.  Improvisation is also a form of play for me.  Like a child digging in the sand at the beach, the imagination roams.  Working without a predetermined plan makes space for the mind to wander, the artist to emerge, almost as a return to childhood in some ways.  In essence the practice of improvisation becomes an art in itself, the “Art of Improv.”

Have you always worked improvisationally?

I have always worked improvisationally in some facet of life.  Paper collage as a child was an ongoing pleasure, classroom doodles in a notebook, costume-making for dress-up.  In college I studied contemporary dance and Contact Improvisation was a formal dance class.  Improvisational quilting became a particular pleasure after I learned to quilt in a very traditional manner.  I learned to quilt by first taking a class, learning precision cutting and piecing, then practicing the traditional blocks.  I would often start a quilt and get bored with the repetition of the same blocks and motifs coming together.  I quickly broke away from that tendency.  But like many things in life, knowing the basics is critical (can’t quilt if you don’t know how to sew first!).  Having that foundation, those traditional techniques, allowed me to jump ship and find my way to improvisational quilting with confidence. 

Pleasure Scarlet Sparkuhl Delia

Do you work improvisationally, consciously, intentionally?  If so, how do you begin?  If not, how do you find yourself getting there?

Let’s say I have an idea about a quilt, the theme, the colors or a loose design.  Whatever it is, it floats around in my head for a bit, maybe a few weeks or months.  A subtle pressure and anticipation builds over this period.  I gather materials that I have on hand, are given or can be sourced from second hand sources (thrift stores, creative re-use centers).  Sometimes the materials or the colors will drive the design, so I may decide early on to improvise as I go, remaining conscious of the materials, their limits and how to showcase them best.  Then, one day (usually late at night) I will just get to work furiously.  Cut, combine color, cut again, arrange the strips, run the machine, combine, toss a color out, run a line of stitches, cut again...  It’s all quite a conscious and intentional effort. 

How often do you work with improvisation?

I work with improvisation about 90% of the time.  It just steers the ship that way.  I won’t try and control these tendencies, or change direction. That’s what my insides tell me, what drives the design, what pleases me, and eventually what gives back to anyone who observes the work.  Occasionally I’ll turn back to the traditional quilting blocks and do small projects to revisit my past or participate in group projects.  This is becoming more of a chore than a pleasure, so for the moment I’m stuck on majority-improv work.

Journey Medalli Scarlet Sparkuhl Delia

Please share a bit about your process.  Do you have methods to getting started?  Do you have tricks to getting unstuck?  Do you have motivators to finishing up?

Having the materials I want for a project is the biggest motivation to get started.  For example, I received a large box of men’s dress shirts from a friend who was helping her husband downsize his wardrobe.  As soon as they were in my house I immediately had to cut and piece, make something out of them, even if it didn’t end up being a quilt.  That something may end up a nothing.  But it might also end up a big something.  Using repurposed materials continues to be a large part of my process.  I struggle with the impact of textile waste, and am ever-aiming to utilize what I have or what can be reused. 

I am rarely stuck.  If anything I dive deep and have a hard time coming up for air or stopping.  Time is my worst enemy.  Career, family, physical fitness, artistic endeavors; each is just as important as the next, and all require time.  Finishing up can be a struggle, but the best technique I’ve found for this is having an almighty deadline!  Whether it’s to enter a quilt in a show, having it finished up for a special occasion, or just a timely post on social media.  Personal deadlines are an important motivator for me to finish up and show my work.   Goal + deadline = MAGIC (said who?).

Where do you find inspiration?  How do you use it?

Inspiration is everywhere frankly.  In nature, fashion, the work of peers/mentors, even my kids inspire design with their focus on love, excitement and bold colors.  We homeschool our children, and let me tell you, improvising has saved my soul over and over again.  Improvising inspires me to just relax, let the little things go, and enjoy the time and intimacy we are sharing as a family.  The day of the week can be an inspiration, usually on a Monday when the week’s duties come tearing at me, in the car or on my bike ride to work.  It’s in these totally inconvenient moments that ideas start flooding in.  I wonder what the psychology is behind the that!  I am also inspired by fewer choices when it comes to design.  We live in a world of choice overload.  Give me a few colors and textures and I’m good.  It’s when the choices are too abundant that my inspiration and focus dulls. 

What advice would you give to someone interested in trying to work improvisationally.  Can you share some good advice that you received that helped you become more comfortable this way?

For just one day forget the rules, forget the rulers too!  There are so many rules with precision cutting, piecing and quilting, if you focus on them.  They are written about in books and tutorials online, and the quilt police is always happy to chime in.   Just let them all go for the moment.  You’re the boss.  Don’t be afraid.  Start somewhere, anywhere, and try to start with what you have.  It doesn’t take much once you get going, and man is it difficult to stop.

Special Occasion Scarlet Sparkuhl Delia

How would you finish the sentence, ‘What if, . . .?’

What if I never had to work again?  I am not sure this would be a good thing.  As much as I sometimes think it would (because who doesn’t want to make art all day?), my work engages me with the world in an intimate and powerful way.  As a physician I spend much of my time educating patients and shepherding them through illness and health.  This relationship with humanity deepens my creative drive, and further inspires me to cherish the time and energy we are given to engage in artistic endeavors. 

What are you reading, listening to, watching, or any other inspirational obsessions you would like to share?

My husband and I are on sort of a self-improvement kick.  We enjoy reading the same books together lately, and I am very proud that we can share this deep, personal connection to improve our relationships with our children, with each other, and the world at large.  The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People is one of the better reads of late.  I think once you are inspired by a healthy philosophy, it trickles down to every part of your life, including your art.  This book does just that.

Jen, you have recommended some stellar motivational reads as well: Pep Talks for Writers by Grant Faulkner and You are a Badass by Jen Sincero.  Perhaps my all-time favorite book for artists to revel in their talents and honor their gifts is The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron.  This book never lets me down, and I always come away feeling empowered and ready to get to work.

Thank you Scarlet for sharing with us all your love of art, making and improv, it is so inspiring! I am not surprised to learn that The Artist’s Way has inspired you!!! I agree that improv is a form of play, art is too really, but we get caught up in taking it too seriously sometimes, no? So I love your advice too, to forget the rules. It is important to know them, but sometimes more so to know when to break them. I am so happy to know that you’ve enjoyed some of the books I’ve recommended on IG and @for.the.love.of.your.art, just knowing one person has been creatively inspired really means alot to me. I will for sure look at ‘The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People’! Please keep sending out the creative love and encouragement, I can tell you that it is so appreciated.

If you want to feel the love and learn more about Scarlet and her work, check out her website. Find her on IG @scarletkumquat.

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If you would like to be featured on The Art of Improv please contact me!  I would love to hear how improvisation impacts your art making process.

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2019 | The ART of IMPROV | Melissa Marginet

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Melissa Marginet

The ART of IMPROV

Our guest this week Melissa Marginet, is a Canadian designer, author and teacher whose art quilts demonstrate the many quilted designs that are highlighted in her book ‘Walking Foot Quilting Designs’. As a teacher she enjoys sharing her knowledge and inspiring her students, but finds that they always inspire her in unexpected ways. She works improvisationally and encourages her students to work this way too, as there is no right or wrong way, we each have our own way. I love this! Let’s find out more about Melissa and her process of improvisation, shall we?

Melissa Marginet

What does working improvisationally mean to you?  How would you define the ‘Art of Improv’? 

Working improvisationally means keeping an open mind as you work. It means allowing yourself to veer off the path, and sometimes allowing yourself to return to that original path. The Art of Improv is pure unbridled creativity. 

Have you always worked improvisationally?

When I began quilting I would buy quilt magazines and I would look at the patterns. I would sometimes follow one but I would always change something. It could be as simple as adding more borders or eliminating the ones they suggested. Or it could be a complete revamp of the pattern using only the concept. Sometimes you couldn’t even tell where my original design came from. As I’ve progressed in my quilting, I rarely buy magazines or books and I start with my own ideas but I still change things as I go.
 

Do you work improvisationally, consciously, intentionally?  If so, how do you begin?  If not, how do you find yourself getting there? 

It is just in me to work this way. I was brought up to make do with what you had. I’ve lived in remote locations where supplies were not readily available. I now have a large stash but much of it is hand me down fabrics, and thrift store finds (vintage fabric, shirts, ties, etc.)  When I visit quilt stores, I tend to buy from the remnant bin. I never know how much to buy off the bolt but when it’s a remnant, there is no choice. My stash is organized in categories rather than by colour and is in open shelves. Sometimes I have an idea in mind and sometimes I stand in front of those shelves until inspiration hits me. 

Melissa Marginet

How often do you work with improvisation?

Improv is defined as: created without preparation, using what is available, or creating spontaneously. I often work improvisationally according to these definitions. I don’t, however, often freely slice into fabrics and put the wonky pieces together that we think of when we are talking about improv quilting. That is the improv that is hard for me. (What if I cut off too much, or what if it’s not enough? If I waste the fabric I may run out and not be able to finish my piece.) This type of improv is easier for me if I start with scraps. The scraps will tell me where I am going. There is a parallel between improv quilting with scraps and buying remnants at the store or thrift store fabrics. With both I am working with limits I cannot control.

Please share a bit about your process. Do you have methods to getting started?   Do you have tricks to getting unstuck? Do you have motivators to finishing up?

My process usually begins with the fabrics I chose from standing in front of my stash. I consider the amount of each of the fabrics and design within the quantity limitations. I have many designs on my computer and on paper and sometimes one of those designs will fit with a selection of fabrics that I have so I begin to work with that idea. Sometimes my design is based on a 5” grid but the amount of fabric I have will only allow me to work with a 4” grid. Sometimes I move up in size in order to use up more of the fabric.  Sometimes I start to clean my studio and run across something that sparks me and off I go again. Unfortunately, my studio rarely ends up clean.   I’ve always been a finisher. I get such satisfaction out of that last stitch in the binding that I have no problem plugging away till it’s done. Labelling my work is another issue. I struggle with that final step and sometimes just sign and date my quilt with a marker.
                                                                                                                      

Where do you find inspiration?  How do you use it?

There is inspiration everywhere. Patterns, textures, architecture, nature, etc. I carry a little sketch pad with me all the time to jot down ideas when they come to me. One little idea can send me down the rabbit hole and there is no turning back.

Melissa Marginet

What advice would you give to someone interested in trying to work improvisationally? Can you share some good advice that you received that helped you become more comfortable this way? 

Trust your ideas, allow yourself to work with them, and don’t worry about what others think. My advice to others is to take part in some of the many challenges found online or in your quilt/art groups. Start with something small. You don’t have to actually enter it, just do it. Make yourself stay within the parameters given and you will grow technically and creatively. Then begin to challenge yourself to tackle some of your own ideas.

How would you finish the sentence, ‘What if, . . .?’ 

What if I had more time? I have enough ideas and inspiration to last me several lifetimes. I need the time to execute them.

What are you reading, listening to, watching, or any other inspirational obsessions you would like to share? I don’t do much of any of these but what I do find most inspiring is my grandchildren. They have such open minds and creating art and quilts with them stimulates my creativity.

Thank you Melissa for sharing your work and your process with us all. I appreciate your advice that improv is all about trusting your own ideas, and I agree that children with their honest and open creativity is a great source of inspiration. You can find out more about Melissa on her website, by following her on Instagram, and checking out her Facebook pages: Melissa Marginet-Quilter & Walking Foot Quilting Designs.

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If you would like to be featured on The Art of Improv please contact me!  I would love to hear how improvisation impacts your art making process.

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2019 | The ART of IMPROV Daniela O'Connell

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Daniela O’Connell

The ART of IMPROV

This week’s featured artist, is self taught, quilter Daniela O’Connell. Daniela is an architect in Germany who started sewing and quilting, after walking into a quilt shop during her honeymoon in Joshua Tree, California. Having never touched a quilt before she was not just intrigued, she was hooked. After reading her interview you will understand that she has caught the bug of living a creative life and her quilts are proof she is on the right path. Let’s find out more about her use of improvisation in her making. 

Splinter Daniela O’Connell

What does working improvisationally mean to you?  How would you define the ‘Art of Improv’?

For me working improvisationally means that I have the freedom of choice. When I follow a pattern I feel restricted and the final result is set. With improv you never know what the final result will look like, there’s a lot of editing and mixing things around involved to achieve a visually pleasing design. It’s exciting and I love that process.

‘The Art of Improv’ means to me that there is an idea to start with but it might develop into something unexpected. Improv can be very challenging at times. But I keep coming back to it as it challenges me as a modern quilter and it keeps pushing out my comfort zone.

Have you always worked improvisationally?

No, well, kind of. As I started quilting I followed patterns but always adapted something. As a self-taught quilter I was always looking for tutorials by quilters who gave me a rough idea of the method they used and encouraged me to try out my own designs.

Do you work improvisationally, consciously, intentionally?  If so, how do you begin?  If not, how do you find yourself getting there?

Improv is definitely my choice of work and I do it very intentionally. I usually have an idea in mind and I mostly sketch ideas before I start to work with fabric. I create rules for my work, whether it’s a colour scheme, sizes of e.g. fabric strips, squares or triangles. And then I intentionally break the rules. This can be with a colour outside the colour scheme, changing direction or shape. I just do what feels right. I love making design decisions and see if they work or not. My overall goal is to achieve a cohesive design and create a quilt with visual impact. My education as an architect definitely helps as I apply design principles like the golden cut, the rule of thirds or unequal numbers. Even though in my field of work there is a lot of planning done before something is being built I still enjoy just playing with fabrics and see where that leads me without having everything planned.

Three Daniela O’Connell

How often do you work with improvisation?

The quilts I made in the last two years have mostly been made using an improv method. Almost every new idea I have has something to do with improvisation. I don’t enjoy precise piecing that much (half square triangles or flying geese drive me nuts) and I get really upset if my seams don’t match, so I spare myself that hassle and just piece as my heart desires.

Please share a bit about your process.  Do you have methods to getting started?  Do you have tricks to getting unstuck?  Do you have motivators to finishing up?

A start of a project can be very different. Sometimes I have fabrics that spark an idea because I love the colour combination and can imagine in what shape they will look best. Sometimes it’s a design I have in mind and I sketch rough ideas. When I get stuck I leave the quilt blocks or pieces of fabric on my design wall for a couple of days and keep on looking at the design. I rearrange things and see what works better. Deadlines are certainly a good motivator. I also never have more than three projects I’m working on at the same time. If I have too much going on I get nervous, I like to really focus on one thing and give it my uninterrupted attention.

Where do you find inspiration?  How do you use it?

I can get inspired by all sorts of things. I commute to work on public transport and while everyone else is looking into their mobile phones I look around. I see advertising boards, graffiti, people’s tattoos, patterns on people’s back packs or clothes, I see patterns in pavements, walls, stairs, and ceilings or anything really that creates some interesting shapes or has something repetitive. I always have a sketch book with me and if I see something interesting I sketch it. Sometimes a sketch develops into a concrete idea and I then start to play with fabrics.

Purple Haze Daniela O’Connell

What advice would you give to someone interested in trying to work improvisationally?  Can you share some good advice that you received that helped you become more comfortable this way?

I started to work improvisationally with a simple 12.5” log cabin block. I had three different sized squares and a lot of strips in different widths ranging from 1.5” to 3.5”. And I just sewed them together and stopped as the block was big enough. That way I learned to make decisions and to combine fabrics. I picked printed fabrics but combined them with matching solids. The next step could be using the same block using wonky squares and strips and cut without measuring. Restrictions help to narrow down the overwhelming amount of choice there is, so I would pick an easy block design and start from there.

How would you finish the sentence, ‘What if, . . .?’

Oh, that got me thinking. If you think of what happened in the past and you ask yourself questions like ‘What if I had started quilting earlier?’ then this beginning of the sentence is daunting. I do ask myself that questions occasionally though, thinking that I have missed out on so much. But it doesn’t make sense that I feel bad about starting quilting relatively late (I was already in my early 40s…) instead I am so happy to have started quilting at all! Because if you think of ‘What if…?’ as opportunities then this is the best beginning of a sentence ever. What if I make a quilt using only solids? What if I cut fabrics without measuring? What if I just do what feels right? There are endless opportunities that are exciting and might lead you to some unexpected and very rewarding outcomes. So, what if you have an open mind and are willing to leave your comfort zone? The best and only way is to find out!

What are reading, listening to, watching, or any other inspirational obsessions you would like to share?

Although I am a very visual person, I do like to read about other artist’s design process. I really enjoy interview series like this one. Every artist/ designer has a different design approach and from each and every one of them I try to get something out that I can use for my own work. My ‘visual inspirational obsession’ is definitely QuiltCon with roughly 500 modern quilts on display, but where I gain most from are the lectures at QuiltCon.

Four Daniela O’Connell

Thank you so much Daniela for sharing your work and your words with us. I studied and worked as an architect as well and I understand the value that an architectural education can have on establishing an artistic life, and impacting a person’s aesthetic. To me good architecture is the ultimate art of abstraction and understanding the language that a well designed building uses is quite similar to that of anything else that is well designed. I can see through your quilts that you speak this language, fluently. It even shows in your response to what inspires you. . . everything. . .just look up, watch, listen and see. Keep your mind open to what you see, and experience and get outside your comfort zone. Such good advice! Thank you for sharing it, your work, and your experience working with improvisation.

To find out more about Daniela and see more of her work, visit her website and follow her on Instagram @blockmquilts.

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If you would like to be featured on The Art of Improv please contact me!  I would love to hear how improvisation impacts your art making process.

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2019 | The ART of IMPROV | Michele Landel

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Michele Landel

The ART of IMPROV

This week I’m excited to feature the work of fiber artist Michele Landel. Michele is an American living, working and teaching in both Sèvres and Paris, France. She holds degrees in Fine Arts and Art History. Michele creates intensely textured and airy collages using burned, quilted, and embroidered photographs combined with paper and fabric to explore the themes of exposure, absence, and memory. Her embellished mixed media collages have been exhibited in France, Italy, Poland, the UK, and US. She recently won the Surface Design Association’s “Innovation In Technique Award” and her work is featured in The Collage Ideas Book. I am excited to share more about how improvisation impacts Michele’s work.

Alone on the Beach Michele Landel

What does working improvisationally mean to you? How would you define the ‘Art of Improv’?

Improvisation means to create work spontaneously, without a fully formed plan or vision. It is trusting yourself and trusting that something interesting will happen.

Have you always worked improvisationally?

I don’t always work this way now. Sometimes only part of the process is improvised, while the rest is highly planned and controlled. For example, I have been working on a series called “For there she was.” I start by hand dying the fabrics using natural dyes that I brew in my kitchen. Often, I cannot control the colors and don’t know how the different dyes will react to the fabrics. Then I carefully select, digitally manipulate, print, and cut apart the photographs I will use. There is little that is spontaneous during this part of the process. I lay the images and the fabrics out on my table and pair the fabrics with the images. This part is much more spontaneous. Finally the stitching is often improvised based on the tension that naturally happens between the photographs and the fabric.

Do you work improvisationally, consciously, intentionally? If so, how do you begin? If not, how do you find yourself getting there?

Improvisation is a natural part of my process. Sometimes to relax or in between series, I make large abstract works that are purely improvised. I start with a blank sheet of paper and layer it with ripped out pages from magazines. I am looking at the colors and focused on finding my pallet. I don’t really care about the content of the pages. When I am satisfied I glue them in place. Over this, I might add another layers for texture (i.e. pages from old books, postcards, paint, gilding, etc.). At this point I might fill-in some of the color with thread and embroidery. Then I will begin burning thinner pages. I often work-in images that I printed for other projects but never used, a bit of a balcony, a face, waves… I have folders full of bits of burned paper to be reused in other projects. Then I will add more thread and sew all these bits in place. The embroidered lines are always improvised based on the way the paper folds or is burned. Here, here, and here are examples of this process.

I don’t know who I am Michele Landel

How often do you work with improvisation?

I think it is always a part of my process.

Please share a bit about your process. Do you have methods to getting started? Do you have tricks to getting unstuck? Do you have motivators to finishing up?

I always work in series. This helps me to stay focused and keep moving forward. My work is highly process-driven and there is often a deliberate tension between the improvised and planned.

Even when I am working with photographs, I prefer to print on handmade or watercolor paper where I can’t control how the paper will absorb the ink. It also means I can’t control how the paper will tear when I rip it.

Where do you find inspiration? How do you use it?

I find inspiration from fellow artists and friends. I joined a group called Thrive Art Studios a year ago and the women I have met there are constantly inspiring me. I was feeling block in September and the artist, Heather Kocsis from my group encouraged me to think about flow and the energy of water. She said, “the stream might get really tiny, but it finds its way through.” She told me to find my flow, open up to it, and keep adding momentum to it until things start to move more easily. It was great advice and really worked. I looked at what I had been making and there was a tiny thing “silhouettes” that kept coming back again and again. I took that and kept making it bigger and bigger until the block went away and everything started “flowing” again.

Me Too I’ve Been Waiting to Feel Less Angry Michele Landel

What advice would you give to someone interested in trying to work improvisationally. Can you share some good advice that you received that helped you become more comfortable this way?

Trust yourself.

How would you finish the sentence, ‘What if, . . .?’

This is one of my favorite games to play! It’s right up with “Would you rather…” and “I spy.”

So, what if, . . . I had more time! Honestly, I’d probably be less efficient and more distracted. What if, . . . I had an enormous studio where I could throw paint! My work would be really different, but you know I am not sure that would be a good thing.

(See videos of burning paper! and more beauty burning here! (video at the bottom))

What are reading, listening to, watching, or any other inspirational obsessions you would like to share?

I am in a 2-person book club with my dad who lives in Florida. We just finished “The President is Missing.” Before that we read “Together We Rise.” I live in France and so we only see each one or two times a year. This is our way to stay connected. We’re always texting each other about the books. I still read the New Yorker on the metro and I love to listen to podcast in my studio: Jealous Curator, Pod Save America, On Being, RadioLab, This American Life, Meet the Composure, and How I Built This. When I am not listening to podcasts, I have the French radio station FIP on or KUT Austin.

I don’t read a lot of the business of art books, but two that I have found helpful are Daybook: The Journal of an Artist by Anne Truit and The War of Art by Steven Pressfield.

Thank you Michele for sharing your work and your process. I am mesmerized by your process of burning paper, and more importantly the results! I love your advice for someone wanting to start using improv and believe that it essential not just in improv but in the creation of authentic art. It is also something I know alot of us struggle with regularly, so thank you for the reminder of of trusting oneself its importance! Your 2-person book club sounds like a wonderful way to keep in touch, and reminds me what a loving thing reading is to do with someone. Congrats on your recent SDA Innovation award, I am sure it is the first of many!

Please be sure to check out Michele’s work on her website, on Instagram, and in the link content of the interview, and DO NOT MISS the burning fire videos!!!

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If you would like to be featured on The Art of Improv please contact me!  I would love to hear how improvisation impacts your art making process.

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2019 | The ART of IMPROV | Laura Hartrich

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Laura Hartrich

The ART of IMPROV

Our guest this week is Laura Hartrich, a textile artist and award winning quilter from Chicago. Laura designs and makes quilted, embroidered, and collaged art, all beautifully. She curates Quilt Stories an IG feed that voices the stories behind the quilts she features. Laura has recently returned to school, working toward an art therapy degree. As part of her art curriculum she has incorporated and highlighted quilts as sculptural objects and explores quiltmaking and the collaborative possibilities of their creation. I am happy to share her work and find out more about her experience with improv.

Susan’s Wedding Quilt Laura Hartrich

What does working improvisationally mean to you?  How would you define the ‘Art of Improv’?

As a quiltmaker, I work two ways. One way is to sketch out my plan before I begin cutting and piecing, and to execute the sketch in fabric, exactly how I drew it. The other way is to begin piecing without a sketch. When I work this way, I often (but not always) have an idea in mind that I want to work toward. With or without an idea, when I work without a sketch I consider it improv. This means that I am responding to the shapes and colors of the composition as it unfolds. Even if I have an idea of how I want the end result to look, I haven’t worked out how I will get there. So I am making little decisions all along the way. To me, if you are continually answering questions and making decisions as you work, you are working improvisationally.

Summer Laura Hartrich

Have you always worked improvisationally?

Almost! I made my first few quilts by following patterns. Then, still early in my quilting journey, I was lucky enough to discover Gwen Marston. From reading Gwen’s books I learned I didn’t need patterns. I could put fabric together like a puzzle that had no wrong answer. In a book she co-authored with Freddie Moran, I read about her concept of “the parts department.” She explained her practice of making blocks or sections, setting them aside, and eventually building a quilt from the various pieces she had accrued. I immediately tried this idea, making a mountain of wonky star blocks and log cabins of different sizes, and eventually puzzling them into three different quilts. That was really my first foray into what I consider improv, and I haven’t stopped yet.

Do you work improvisationally, consciously, intentionally?  If so, how do you begin?  If not, how do you find yourself getting there?

I guess I do a little of all that. I might work fully improvisationally, with absolutely no plan, just letting the fabrics and shapes speak to me as I sew. Other times, as I’ve said, I do have a plan but it’s not fully fleshed out. So I’m consciously working toward a plan, but making decisions and accepting surprises along the way. I often begin with an idea or a feeling I want to communicate. Or I might have a color palette that I want to play with. Or I might begin with a traditional block or piece of patchwork that I want to incorporate into a larger piece, and I will improvisationally build around it.

Sunset Waves Laura Hartrich

How often do you work with improvisation?

In my quilting practice, I would say I work with improvisation about 50% of the time. I like to always have two quilts in progress… one that is planned and one that is improv. Making a quilt that is completely planned beforehand can feel like a slog. Improv feels much more playful. I like the balance of working on these two different types of projects at the same time.

One thing that’s terrific about using improv in my practice is that it has taught me to roll with the punches even when my intention is to make more precise work. If I’m trying to recreate a sketch, and things don’t go to plan, I know I don’t have to chuck the whole thing out the window. I can call on my improv mindset and work with whatever I momentarily perceived as a mistake. Improv is a great talisman against panic, and a delightful agent of play.

For Kathy Laura Hartrich

Please share a bit about your process.  Do you have methods to getting started?  Do you have tricks to getting unstuck?  Do you have motivators to finishing up?

Oh, I don’t know. I don’t think my process is too interesting. Basically I always have 10 more ideas in my sketchbook than I have time to make. I always feel like I’m running to catch up with my ideas. At this point in my life I don’t have to look for motivation to get started. I just have to find the time to get into my studio and work. What will often happen, for me, is that I’ll think about my current project(s) obsessively… while I shower, while I drive, while I’m on the train, while I’m in class. I do so much work in my head that when I finally get into my studio I’m pretty much ready to WERK, as in pedal to the metal, get shit done. Finishing a quilt is one of my favorite feelings in the world, so it’s usually easy for me to push through to the end. I just have to find the time.

Winter Laura Hartrich

Where do you find inspiration?  How do you use it?

I’m super inspired by quilts old and new. I love the endless variety of quilts and the reasons people make quilts can be totally inspiring. That’s why I started an instagram account called @quiltstories. I don’t post as regularly as I would like, but it’s an awesome collection of quilts and their stories in the words of their makers. Please follow and submit your own quilt stories!

I’m inspired by color. From time to time I’ll try to tone it down, either because I’m making for someone I think would appreciate something more subtle, or just to try my hand at a different look. But it’s never long before I’m playing with bold, bright colors again, the more the better.

I think I’m a bit of a magpie of inspiration, like many artists. Museum visits, Pinterest and Instagram, bits of paper ephemera that I’ve been moving from house to house for a decade… I’m a collector of styles, shapes, color palettes, and ideas. Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon was a life-changing read for me. When you ask how I use inspiration, that book is pretty much the answer.

What advice would you give to someone interested in trying to work improvisationally.  Can you share some good advice that you received that helped you become more comfortable this way?

I think my advice to another quilter would be to take a workshop if you can. It helps immensely to see someone else do it in front of you. If that’s not possible, a great book is the next best thing. I admire so many improv quilters, but there are three teachers/authors who impacted my journey the most, and they are Gwen Marston (I have a handful of her books, love them all), Victoria Findlay Wolfe (I took her 15 minutes of Play workshop), and Sherri Lynn Wood (her workshops and book are both wonderful and inspiring). I would also say that improv doesn’t have to mean complete freedom, because it can feel overwhelming if there are absolutely no limits. It’s okay to put some constraints around the work, to help guide you. Sherri Lynn Wood is particularly good at explaining this, and her book provides several examples of constraints to help you get started.  

Quilt for the Taylors Laura Hartrich

How would you finish the sentence, ‘What if, . . .?’

What if you knew you couldn’t mess up?

 What are you reading, listening to, watching, or any other inspirational obsessions you would like to share?

Oh my gosh. I watch so much tv, it’s embarrassing. All that content sort of blends into a blur that I only half-pay attention to while I sew… but there are a couple stand-out shows I have loved in the past couple of years. Offspring is an Australian dramedy that I found on Netflix (content warning for miscarriage and traumatic births). I’m not sure exactly why I love it so much but it’s about a very tight knit family and all their various misadventures. It’s not perfect but it makes me laugh and cry. It’s got a lot of heart. The other show I think is brilliant is Detectorists. It’s so slow and subtle and peaceful. But again, a lot of heart. I love it so much.

I listen to a lot of podcasts but the ones I play first each week are Throwing Shade, Judge John Hodgman, and My Brother, My Brother, and Me. It’s so fascinating how podcasters you listen to each week for years start to feel like such a part of your life. I’ll recommend another podcast called A Piece of Work, which is a fun look at modern art, hosted by Broad City’s Abbi Jacobson. I learned so much. I wish she would put out more episodes. I also recently listened to and enjoyed the book Big Magic by Liz Gilbert. She presents a way to look at creativity that is somehow both mystical and practical. I found it to be liberating. I should listen to it on a regular basis, whenever my insecurities start to creep up and threaten to strangle my creative confidence.

Thank you Laura! I too am so grateful to have discovered the work of Gwen Marston and the improv movement early in my quilting practice. I love your take of using improv to balance out and aid in dealing with ‘mistakes’ or what I like to call the ‘happy accidents’, of precision piecing. Your description of your process is in fact quite interesting and leads me to believe that you are an artist through and through. I have just started listening to podcasts, at an embarrassing rate I might add, and am looking forward to adding A Piece of Work to my subscriptions list and thank you in advance for this recommendation. ‘Big Magic’ changed my life, that and #100DayProject resurrected my artistic life. I am glad your artistic life is alive and well and that you are pursuing it and exploring improvisation along the way!

To learn more about Laura, visit her website, and her out on Instagram @laurahartrich and @quiltstories.

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If you would like to be featured on The Art of Improv please contact me!  I would love to hear how improvisation impacts your art making process.

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2019 | The ART of IMPROV | Michelle Wilkie

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Michelle Wilkie

The ART of IMPROV

This week I am pleased to introduce and share the work of Michelle Wilkie. Michelle is a self taught textile artist, and modern quilt designer living in North Carolina with her husband and son. Michelle’s education in the STEM field has helped shaped her aesthetic of precise minimalism and her bright bold and playful improv style. Her quilts are award winning and have been exhibited nationwide. I was excited to learn that she has authored a book about the process of quilt design and look forward to its release next year.

Rails Michelle Wilkie

What does working improvisationally mean to you?  How would you define the ‘Art of Improv’?

Improvisation allows me to catch my breath, destress and relax.  I love the freedom and the less planned nature of improv, where I am not worried about the details like measurements, accuracy, color combinations, or how I am going to write a pattern.

Have you always worked improvisationally?

I tend to be more of a planner and type A perfectionist, so no improvisation was not my first go to. I think I started with paper-piecing and other more planned (quilting) styles. When I did try improvisation though, I loved it. It soon became one of my favorite techniques.

Do you work improvisationally, consciously, intentionally?  If so, how do you begin?  If not, how do you find yourself getting there?
This really depends on what I am actually creating. Many of my quilts are original designs. When I have an idea in my head, and I know to accomplish that idea I will need to use improvisation, it is much more intentional. There are times though, I will sit down with my scraps and just start sewing to see where it will go. I usually feel the need to do the latter, when I am seeking a balance in my life.

Sunday Best Michelle Wilkie

How often do you work with improvisation?
I am split between improvisational quilts and minimal geometric quilts. I think I use both techniques pretty evenly. I love the results of both but for very different reasons.

You say you love both the techniques of improv and minimal geometry, I'm wondering if you would elaborate?

I see shapes and design in everything and I love interpreting those images into minimal geometric designs. Taking something and simplifying it but not losing its impact, meaning or interaction with the rest of its surroundings is not as easy as it looks. I find this design process challenging and thought provoking. Many of my minimal quilts designed with meaning and tell a story or experience. 

On the other hand improvisational quilts, I can just go with the flow. For improvisational quilts, I review and edit, check for balance and color placement regularly throughout the making process, but its much more of a creative feel than planned. I love including a lot more color and a splash of unexpected in these pieces.

Home Michelle Wilkie

Please share a bit about your process.  Do you have methods to getting started?  Do you have tricks to getting unstuck?  Do you have motivators to finishing up?

I use improvisation to get unstuck and destress from work and other deadlines etc. To help get started, I might impose limits such as technique for piecing (machine stitched or hand pieced), limited color palette, limit shapes or limit time spent making per week.

Where do you find inspiration?  How do you use it?

Inspiration is truly everywhere, but I use different sources/drive for minimalism and improvisation. For my improvisational pieces, they originate mostly from feelings that I am tapping into. For instance, “Home” was influenced when feeling homesick for New Zealand. Sunday Best was a 10 week exercise exploring my feelings around my mother’s terminal illness.

Correlation Michelle Wilkie

What advice would you give to someone interested in trying to work improvisationally.  Can you share some good advice that you received that helped you become more comfortable this way?

Two things, think of it as an experiment and two, work out what your limits are and start there. Improvisation means removing some stringent ideas on how to quilt, like needing a ruler to cut fabric for the straight line, use of precision, controlling the colors and placement you use. Choose one or two things to change to start if you are nervous. For instance, don’t use a ruler to cut fabrics and stitch together the rough edges.  You can still use a ruler to square up your blocks.

How would you finish the sentence, ‘What if, . . .?’

What if I had more time in my day? What could I accomplish? With Instagram sometimes, it’s great to be part of a community, other times it reminds me of how much I want to do. I would love to be quilting all day, every day; alas it is really a weekend experience. So, I have learned to savor the experience when I can.

What are reading, listening to, watching, or any other inspirational obsessions you would like to share?

I have started getting more interested in artists in other mediums. My favorite discovery is Carmen Herrera. I am inspired by the documentary of her, The 100 years show, on Netflix. She is a great minimalist artist who was discovered in her late 80’s. She is now 103 and painting every day. Just shows you what can happen if you never give up and do what you love.

Orange Creamsicle Michelle Wilkie

Thank you Michelle, for sharing your work, and your thoughts on and process of improvisation and quiltmaking with us. I look forward to being inspired to experiment and explore by your upcoming book release. And I am with you on wishing there were more hours in the day to make, create and quilt. Also, I share your love of artist Carmen Herrera, whose artwork, life, and dedication has inspired and motivated me many times. WWCD? (what would Carmen do?), she would keep working that’s for sure!

The learn more about Michelle, visit her website and check her out on Instagram @ml_wilkie.

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If you would like to be featured on The Art of Improv please contact me!  I would love to hear how improvisation impacts your art making process.

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2019 | The ART of IMPROV | Jessica Molnar

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Jessica Molnar

The ART of IMPROV

Choker Jessica Molnar

Our guest this week is Jessica Molnar. Jessica is a mixed media artist, textile designer from Bellingham, Washington. Her love of and experience with bookbinding, restoration and printing led to the foundation of Odd Duck Press where she sells her one of a kind, works, art prints, homewares and gifts. On her blog, also at Odd Duck Press, she shares about her experiences as an artist, a mother, and interviews fellow artists highlighting their work, process, and practices. I am happy to share with her beliefs that we are all artistic creatures whose individual lives impact the world through our art of living. And am happy she is spreading the word, and even more happy to spread her words.

Work in Progress Jessica Molnar

What does working improvisationally mean to you?  How would you define the ‘Art of Improv’?

For me, working improvisationally means being adaptable, resourceful, curious, and willing to experiment. I think the “Art of Improv” is a great metaphor for life; forging ahead with free will and adapting to the unexpected. The surprises can be the best part! I find this to be true for many of my projects. This is definitely the case with my painting Happy Accident. It’s a large mixed media piece on canvas and while I was working on it a corner of the canvas caught on fire. This made the colors bleed through. It was such a cool, striking effect that I turned the canvas around and started working on the back. The idea of the “Art of Improv” also makes me think of the concept “beginner’s mind” from Zen Buddhism which refers to having an attitude of openness, eagerness, and lack of preconceptions when studying a subject, even when studying at an advanced level, just as a beginner would.

Circus Book Jessica Molnar

Have you always worked improvisationally?

Yes, I’d say that working improvisationally has always been pretty much a way of life for me. I tend to work this way in the studio, but also in larger contexts, too. One example is when my husband and I decided to move from California to Washington. After we got married, we decided to leave the Bay Area since housing prices are astronomical and the job market is cut-throat. At the time, we were living in our Airstream trailer in an industrial yard. We set our sights on Washington for its natural beauty and lower population density. We didn’t have any savings, but we did have an America’s Cup 12 Meter yacht that my husband bought at a lien sale. After a couple years on the market and no luck selling, we decided to scrap it. We both quit our jobs and spent the next year making scouting trips and living off of the scrap metal from that 65 ft. aluminum sailboat. My husband documented the whole thing here. In March of ’09 we hitched up our trailer and made a break for it. By the time we were ready to go, we only had $1,000 left and no jobs lined up. The adventure that ensued was indeed epic and hair-raising at times. It took us a while to get our bearings, but we managed to land safely and are now settled into our cozy home in the county. That was some serious improv! And that’s just one example ; )

A Little Thing Jessica Molnar

How often do you work with improvisation?

Every day, in one way or another!

Please share a bit about your process.  Do you have methods to getting started?  Do you have tricks to getting unstuck?  Do you have motivators to finishing up?

I like to have a few different kinds of projects going on at once. Right now, I have a few small projects like dioramas and collages, some textile design projects and one ginormous mixed-media piece. I like having different size projects as well as projects that incorporate totally different mediums. That way there’s always something to work on if I get stuck. For me, getting stuck is often an issue of cash flow, so it really helps to have some projects that are purely digital. If I’m feeling blasé about all of my projects, that’s a big red flag that I’m running on fumes and I need to recharge. That’s when I like to go outside, curl up with a novel or prepare some sort of laborious meal like homemade pasta. When it comes to finishing up projects, I find that the biggest motivator for me is seeing the piece come together. My aforementioned ginormous mixed-media piece, spent years in limbo and I’m really excited to see it coming together now. I submitted it to a local gallery to be considered for exhibition in 2019. That feels very motivating!

Where do you find inspiration?  How do you use it?

A lot of my inspiration comes from my lived experience. During my tumultuous 20’s, art-making was my way of processing emotions. I still find a lot of my inspiration from my life stories, but these days, art-making feels less like DIY psychotherapy and more like a celebration. I’m also inspired by process. I really enjoy it when the process is drawn out, laborious and repetitive :D I’ve worked in textile restoration, letterpress printing and bookbinding + restoration; all very tedious, persnickety crafts. And so fun! Another big inspiration for me is the materials that I work with. I love working with found and salvaged materials. I have lots of little collections of things like: individual words cut out from books, wishbones, bird’s nests, hoards of paper and fabric scraps, insects, and vintage magazines. Some of my favorite projects are those that I made as gifts. A while back, I was living in New Orleans and my brother was living in NY. He was going through a rough patch and we were missing each other. I made a little piece of mail art for him out of some random bits and pieces I had lying around. It was a small diorama, (approx. 4”x6”x1”) that I sent out in the mail as is, no packaging. I just addressed the back of it, stuck some stamps on it and popped it in the mail. It arrived intact, he still has it and it’s still one of my favorite pieces.

Mailed Art to Brother Jessica Molnar

What advice would you give to someone interested in trying to work improvisationally?  Can you share some good advice that you received that helped you become more comfortable this way?

I feel that there’s a tremendous tension that comes into play as a professional artist between managing the business side of things and nurturing the creative side. It can be really, really hard to reconcile! I get huge rush out of making progress toward my goals and checking things off my to-do list. That kind of stuff is easily mapped out and understood logically, whereas the creative side of things springs forth from…who knows where! The Mystery! When I’m truly in my creative flow, I feel more like a conduit rather than the agent, which is an incredible state to be in, but getting there…that’s the challenge. I’ve gone through agonizingly long creative droughts, which have been heartbreaking and demoralizing. I’m just now reconnecting with this intuitive-creative side of myself. I’m learning to create the necessary internal spaciousness that allows me to tap into that flow. If I’m feeling anxious, stressed out, exhausted, etc. I tend to get caught up in being busy. I can never access creative flow from that sort of state. I can do business-lady stuff, but I can’t make art. Recently I started doing breathwork, which is a very strange sort of guided meditation. My friend Amy Kuretsky offers this on Patreon. I highly recommend it! On days when I do breathwork in the morning, I find that I’m able to get into that creative flow and operate from a place of inspired action.

How would you finish the sentence, ‘What if, . . .?’

What if I let go of the result?

What are you reading, listening to, watching, or any other inspirational obsessions you would like to share?

I just finished reading Where the Bird Sings Best by Alejandro Jodorowsky. The author is such a fascinating person and a multi-talented artist. He directed one of my all-time favorite movies, Santa Sangre. On a whim, I googled him to see what else he’s done and discovered this book which is an epic, mythologized account of his family going back a few generations. It’s surreal, grotesque, heartbreaking, achingly beautiful and transcendent all at the same time. In the prologue he writes, “Our family tree is the trap that limits our thoughts, emotions, desires, and material life, but it is also the treasure that captures the greater part of our values. Aside from being a novel, this book may, if it is successful, serve as an example that all readers can follow and, if they practice forgiveness, they too can transform family memory into heroic legend.” I love that! Examining and transforming my stories, family stories in particular, is something that I’ve been working with a lot, especially since becoming a mother.

Thank you Jessica for sharing your work and your life of art with us. I love the idea of thinking of unexpected results not as mistakes, as many do/would, but as happy accidents. I think this is at the core of harnessing the power of improv to aid in artmaking and more importantly living a happier life!!! I relate to your description of being in the flow and feeling like a conduit to a mysterious force. It is exciting have figured it out for myself and am always excited to learn and share how others experience it. I believe your ‘What If’ response might be the key! And I can not wait to track down Where the Bird Sings Best, which was interestingly already on my list, but your description just bumped it up to the top.

To learn more about Jessica, visit her website, Odd Duck Press, her blog, and Instagram.

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If you would like to be featured on The Art of Improv please contact me!  I would love to hear how improvisation impacts your art making process.

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