Mark your calendars!

Tuesday, July 9, 2019

That’s when the Art Raffle for Bach Festival starts. It runs through the Festival until July 27. There will be tickets available for purchase during any Festival event at the Sunset Center.

I turned in BWV 549 this afternoon. You can stuff the box for my doily at any time the gallery is open.

Hope to see you in Carmel.

From despair to completion

The tatting is done! Now to finish it.

I’m leaning towards just starching this piece. Most of the time I like to either let it be with just a blocking, or if necessary, mount it on a piece of fabric, even framing it under glass.

But this one just doesn’t want to be tamed!

I like people being able to touch and handle the tatting. Maybe because I always want to feel clothing and tablecloths and napkins and well, anything made with thread! I’ll be starching it tomorrow. Don’t expect pictures for a few weeks. The show will open soon and then I can post.

In the meantime, listen to BWV 549. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwvHiPOrcJ4

Falling apart

Last month I had a feeling that the pattern based on BWV 549 as designed would need to be mounted on fabric. Well, since then, things have fallen apart. Literally…..

I started over. The finished art ready to hang must be turned in next week. 

And I’ve received a jury summons notice for, wait for it, next week! 

Gahhhhh

Breathe….

Time to walk by the Bay!

Sometimes simple can be difficult

BWV 225

When we learn something new, we start out with the simple parts, the baby steps, or the familiar.

Then we build on what we know and learn the new, right?

Well, simplicity can be difficult to execute!

Singing unison is tough. If you’re used to locking in the harmony, matching pitch exactly can be really tough. It demands that each singer have either a high degree of pitch accuracy, or that you all agree on who to match.

When I designed BWV 225, I wanted something simple. The Cantata is shorter, clear statement of the Chorale, and the architecture of the hall is not ornate. I set out to feature chains without picots. Little did I know that my design would prove to be tricky!

Those meeting in Georgia in September for Palmetto Tat Days have a chance for all to be revealed. It’s not tricky, really……

The gig economy

I often find “news” about music amusing. As if....as if....how “discovering” music, at least to that reporter, that has been around for centuries could be enlightening. Lest you think me snobbish, I’m not laughing at them but chortling in glee! Which could be construed as insanity I guess…..

Lately there has been much in the news about the “gigeconomy” that has been around for centuries. Bach worked in much the same way as did many, many artists and musicians. Even academics! I’ve worked in the gig economy my whole life. Every wedding I’ve played (I hope there will only be one for each bride or groom!), every funeral I’ve assisted with (I know there will only be one of those per person.), every lesson I’ve taught (I hope there will be more than one per person!) has been a limited time of employment. I’ve had a “business name” and filed appropriate tax returns, but I’m always thinking about what I can do to earn money for the next round of bills.

Tatting is no different. If I’m not careful, I make mistakes as I’m finishing a ring or chain because my mind wanders. Usually it is wandering through the fog of “the next project” or “the next piece” or…..well, you get the picture. Did I mention insanity? Guess you’d have to be a bit nuts to spend all that time knotting thread, getting pipes to sing, or just creating.

Know what? I like my version of the gig economy.

Why beads matter

I stated in the previous post that I hold the opinion that a tatting pattern should be pleasing to tat in many combinations of materials. I also stated I use beads intentionally in some patterns. BWV 549 is one of those intentional patterns. 

Beads represent when the pedal states the subject and/or motif. You see, Bach used the pedal division of the organ to highlight a compositional idea. On the organs he played, some of the lower pipes (read tuba, double bass viol) spoke very slowly. They always remind me of the lumbering elephants; not unimportant, not without emotion, not flashy or piercing. Other lower pipes (read horn, bassoon, trombone) spoke quickly and pierced through the sound of the rest of the organ. They could accent the piece and be memorable. Bach often used the pedal division to sum up his fugues. The last statement of the subject is powerful and memorable.  

In BWV 549 (Prelude and Fugue in c minor) Bach extends the last fugue subject into a flourish of sound with the pedal leading the way. So beads….

Just enough to be memorable.

BWV 549 in orange

In my opinion, a good tatting pattern works nicely in any color, any size threads, with beads or

without beads, and doesn’t need a ton of starch or sewing onto fabric to be recognizable. That said, I often specify such elements when I design based on a specific piece of music.

This design is one of those specific style of patterns. Where the beads are placed matter. Color doesn’t so much. I chose to use several hues of orange because I liked the way they look together. The green sample is nice, but just didn’t end up grabbing my eye as much. But where the beads appear does matter here. More on that later.

I do hope that once the pattern is finished and all the ends hid and good and blocked, that the piece will lie nicely without starch or mounting. Something tells me I may need to resort to that with this pattern. At least for this iteration.