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Thursday, January 17th, 2008

Tonight, my thoughts turn to the four seasons, much celebrated in song, in verse, and in buy viagra online paypal fabrics. At the present moment, I’m recalling the words of a song called, “The Circle Game,” that states that we are “captives on the carousel of time.”

The seasons go too quickly, although one can’t truthfully say that when we are shivering in the dead of winter, or sweltering in the heat of summer, or swatting gnats in the springtime. So far, I’ve never found any fault with autumn, and that is a good thing and probably why it is my favorite season. I’ve put together some photos for you so that you, too, can experience the change of seasons in New England, if buy viagra online paypal in this manner.

Winter

The old mill brook in back of our house that formerly was used to run a mill next door that dyed cloth blue for the wool uniforms of Union soldiers during the Civil War.

Spring

Beautiful lupines that grow in the Sugar Hill, NH area, site of the annual Lupine Festival in the spring.

Summer

Charlotte Croft’s Log Cabin quilt set up in the sun, ready to quilt in summer.

Autumn

Once a year, God gets out his paintbrush to color the trees in New England. What do you think of the azure blue water captured by Jim’s camera?

There you have it. As songwriter Joni Mitchell said … The seasons do go round and round, the ponies do go up and down, and we are, indeed, “captives on the carousel of time.”

Patricia Cummings,

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Thursday, January 17th, 2008

The Museum of the American Quilter’s Society will have an exhibit titled “New Quilts from an Old Favorite, 2008: Sawtooth” from March 28 to June 17, 2008.

To watch an enjoyable tour of the museum, hosted by Judy Schwender, Curator of Collections, visit: , on the web.

Patricia Cummings

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Tuesday, January 15th, 2008

In art and in storybooks, “Jesus” is painted as a tall, European man with a kind-looking face and long flowing tresses that are somewhat curly. Some Nativity scenes depict the baby Jesus and all around him as Black. I have no knowledge of how Jesus is presented in Asian figurines or paintings, or even if He is visible at all, in any Far East cultures. Scientists recently came up with a model of how Jesus probably looked, considering that he was born in the Middle East. They have stated that Jesus more than likely resembled someone like Yassir Arafat.

photo by James Cummings of sculpture of Jesus; artist unknown

When we think about it, that is not too surprising. On one level, how Jesus physically looked is probably not important. The point is, we generally seem to relate best to people who look as we do. So, the western European version of a “white” Jesus has been the one most often promoted.

In thinking a bit about Jesus this morning, I can see that He embodied the essence of goodness. Reportedly, he loved little children – “Suffer the little children to come unto me,” he healed the sick and the lame, and he even brought Lazarus back from the dead. He walked on water. He multiplied the loaves and the fishes so that there would be enough food to feed the masses, and he turned water into wine. He even gave His life in atonement for sins, yours and mine.

For all these extraordinary things that Jesus is reported to have done, there was always a skeptic, a critic, and a naysayer with a half-baked explanation of why these other-worldly events could not have happened. Even the “Shroud of Turin,” has been scientifically-destroyed. If you would like to read an interesting book, find buy viagra online paypal about which I wrote a book review that is on our website.

Visualize Jesus in any manner that is helpful to you. After all, it is all that he represented that is loved, which supersedes any physical qualities he may have possessed in this earthly life. For more than two thousand years, the story of Jesus has been repeated. That’s a pretty good track record for anyone, in terms of being loved and worshipped.

Will someone remember you or I in two thousand years? That’s rather doubtful, no matter how much money we make, or friends we have, or accomplishments we achieve in this fleeting life. Enjoy what you do, and remember that you have come after the most powerful person who has ever lived. In Spanish, God is called, “buy viagra online paypal,” the most powerful one. Whatever you believe, you can’t help but acknowledge that Jesus, “son of God,” is one person who has truly changed the world.

Patricia Cummings,

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Sunday, January 13th, 2008

At the time of my brother’s death in 1994, a relative by marriage who was working on a Native American Indian reservation in New Mexico, flew home for the funeral. In his luggage, he carried a bottle that contained water from the Pacific Ocean. His instruction from the Medicine Man was to dump the water into the Atlantic Ocean, and bring him back water from the Atlantic Ocean. In this way, the seas would be joined, presumably in kind of a global unity. So, in the midst of my grief, I was dragged off to visit the Atlantic Ocean in the dead of December for this rite of symbolic passage.

I have much to learn about Native Americans. Their previous mistreatment and poverty are within my awareness. Their sacred hunting grounds were wrested from them. In the most egregious act of hatred toward Indians, a forced march occurred under the Indian Removal Act of 1830. On the infamous, “Trail of Tears,” 1/2 million tribal members of the Cherokee Nation and others were relocated to Oklahoma from Georgia, to be resettled there permanently. Taking nothing with them, except for their clothes, many perished along the way due to smallpox, other illnesses, and malnutrition. You can well imagine that children and old people were most affected. We can thank our former president, Andrew Jackson, for that situation. The Cherokees had a nickname for him, “Jackson, the Devil.”

Today, Indians are still crammed onto reservations. The country will take their sons for military duty, and see them die on foreign soil. The rest of the Indian population lives in abject poverty and poor housing, without proper care or education, and given nary a thought by most other Americans. It’s mindboggling to think that in the 21st century we have not yet solved the human problems for which we need solutions.

Alcoholism is very prevalent on the reservations. Along with that comes spouse and child abuse. The frustration for all is enormous.

No, we just don’t hear much about the Indians or “Native Americans,” any more. Some people felt justified in putting them (the savages) “in their place” because they wanted what they had. Now, native languages are in danger of dying, Indian culture is not what it once was, and certainly, their lives are not on a par with other, more affluent Americans.

To learn how important a bottle of Atlantic Ocean water would be to a medicine man was quite astounding. Haven’t the Indians always made a stab at friendship with the white man, ever since Plimouth Rock? Like any story, there is always another side to it. I’m no expert on Indian affairs, and I am knowledgeable about certain brutal incidents inflicted by the Indians here in New England and Canada. Consider the situation in Deerfield, Massachusetts.

I’m just happy to learn that some of the beliefs and values of Native Americans have not yet been corrupted by modern culture. Let’s hope we can capture some of their spirit, wisdom, and ways before those beliefs are lost to history, just like that of the Anasazi tribes of the Four Corners area.

Patricia Cummings,

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Friday, January 11th, 2008

My train of thought tonight is turning to the subject of seeds. Of course, there is the literal meaning of the word, “seed.” A couple of lines from the song titled, “The Field Behind the Plow,” say – “… watch the field behind the plow turn to straight dark rows; Put another season’s promise in the ground.” Seeds are nature’s way of saving genetic material that becomes the blueprint for new life, and in that role, seeds are essential to the survival of a species.

Every January, (this year, December), we begin to receive seed catalogs. In a yard that has many perennial flowers that we can rely on to reappear every spring and summer, we generally don’t order many flower seeds any more.

Jim has begun to pick up any needed flats of vegetables at local greenhouses, especially tomatoes, peppers, and hot peppers. In recent memory, he started seedlings inside the house, using grow lights. Although we are pretty much set and probably won’t order from the catalogs, their arrival is like a breath of fresh air as we ponder the upcoming growing season! We peruse the pages and re-think what kind of additional annuals we might want to add to a few spaces in the yard.

Aside from the obvious association, the word, “seed,” takes on other meanings. We speak of “seed money” for those who hope to start a new business. We refer to planting the “seeds of hope,” in destitute nations and in despairing individuals. The Bible provides the parable of the mustard seed, which states, “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed.” Matthew 13:31. I vaguely remember another Biblical passage that admonishes a person not to spill seed on infertile ground. The word “seed” appears to envelope the essence and meaning of life and its continuance. Any “seed” is important only because of its potential life-giving power.

Following the agrarian model, an old motto says, “Reap what you sow.” Of course, that idea can be applied to many life situations. Little kindnesses in any human relationship can help to “grow” love and affection.

Turning to another use of language, for some reason people who are considered marginally acceptable by society, and of whom we may be suspicious, are sometimes referred to as “seedy characters.” In that case, I’m not sure I understand the association with the word, “seed!”

As we drove along today, on a little trip to the other side of New Hampshire, it was apparent that the snow cover is dwindling. Some of the open water of brooks and ponds remind me that January is not forever, and cold weather shall, indeed, have a terminal point. So, my thoughts are now affixed to the idea of Spring and I smile whenever I recall the wonderful line of that song: “Put another season’s promise in the ground.”

Patricia Cummings,

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Thursday, January 10th, 2008

One time, a dear friend of mine was out shopping with another friend. They were both weavers, so it was no surprise that they were attracted to a stand that was selling baskets. After picking up one misshaped basket after the other, the friend of a friend said quietly, “I think she is making ‘statements,’ not baskets.” That became an inside joke between them.

When I see an art quilt that the originator has put together haphazardly, using a disparate collection of techniques, that has no apparent reason for existing, I simply wonder why it was made. The thought arises as to why anyone veers from good design and wise color choices, just to be “different.” Then, I remember my friend’s recollection of her story and it all becomes abundantly clearly. The artist was not making a quilt but a statement.

In speaking with another dear friend, tonight, I realized that life is all about the struggle to be considered different and unique. Accompanying that thought is the idea that people are all about ego. As much as anyone would like to deny the fact, ego drives most of us to do most of what we do. Psychologists talk about the need to have a healthy ego, a sense of oneself of which confidence is a part. Ego, in moderation, is not bad. Without it, in fact, we could not properly function in the world.

To reiterate what I said recently, I wonder how many of us can separate our egos from the objects we make.

I like to ponder life and all things artistic and creative. I like to provide fodder for others to ruminate on. I’m told that I’m “buy viagra online paypalhigh brow” for some circles, or perhaps at least for the person who made the comment. If the choice were between being high brow and low brow, can you guess which description I would prefer? Call me names, just don’t call me late to supper! Now that is a statement. By the way, I don’t make baskets!!!

Patricia Cummings,

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Tuesday, January 8th, 2008

Today, I mentioned the art concept of “ma” (a Japanese word for the idea). This has to do with leaving negative space in one’s work for the eye to rest. So many times in compositions, there is no blank space. One embroidery technique that relies heavily on “ma” is Assisi embroidery.

Assisi embroidery

This is a nineteenth century example of Assisi embroidery.

On this pillowcase, you can see that the flower shapes are defined by the blue cross stitches that surrounds them.

Good art adheres to the principles of proportion, scale, color, composition, and negative space. My problem with many colorwash quilts is that they are all prints, and the prints are all terribly “busy,” leaving no “ma” at all.

Sometimes, a way to improve a piece is to lessen the confusion on the surface and to isolate the elements that you really want to stand out.

Can you think of any traditional quilts or art quilts that effectively use this concept?

Patricia Cummings in New Hampshire, who refuses to be put down by the callous remarks of mean-spirited trouts, and who celebrates the goodness and kindness of some of the very talented ladies I’ve met this week.

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Monday, January 7th, 2008

When I first saw the quilt, “Amigos Muertos,” I was astounded. A full page color image of it came in an envelope, to my mailbox, at a time when Jonathan Shannon was trying to persuade the American Quilter’s Society to place the quilt in their Paducah, KY show. He was soliciting my help and that of three or four hundred other quilters, according to his with The Alliance for American Quilts.

Reportedly, the AQS show organizers felt the quilt to be potentially disturbing to show attendees. It portrays two skeletons, one of them playing a celestial guitar, for certain. I have marveled at his ability to create such a wonderful instrument, out of cloth.

Though the quilt was made from Jonathan’s personal angst and grief at losing not one, but two, of his friends to AIDS, one would not know the tragedy involved in the quilt’s making. Anyone could take the quilt at face value, or at the very least, learn to better understand the traditional and cultural thoughts behind the annual Mexican ceremony: Day of the Dead. Knowing the quilt’s background enhances its meaning to the viewer. Although rejected from the Paducah show, a sign of “politics” to Shannon, the quilt went to the National Patchwork Championship in England, where it won first prize.

Another wonderful quilt artist is Hollis Chatelain with her images of native people, her abstract art quilts, and those devoted to nature. In her gallery online, I especially like the quilt she calls, “Nature’s Gift,” because of its intrinsic surprise element. Who would expect to see a tree growing at the top of a cliff? I also enjoy her quilts that show African people going about their daily routines. See her work at:

All art is rooted in the traditions that have gone before and quilt art is no exception. Even the evolution of being able to retain certain colors on cloth surfaces has its own very rich history. Artists often have influenced each other. They also tend to vacillate in their approaches, over time, as they grow and become more skilled and knowledgeable about the technical execution of their craft.

One artist that intrigues me is the Spanish painter most of us simply refer to as “Goya.” For the sake of contrast, look at his dark painting of “Dos Viejos Comiendo Sopas,” (“Two People Eating Soups”). Then, compare it to the light colors and mood of “La Vendimia,” which shows a bucolic harvest scene, including a woman with a basket of fruit on her head. One would not suspect that these two paintings were rendered by the same artist.

Another detailed painting that I enjoy very much was painted by Carl Spitzweg. An old man wearing a white nightcap is lying in bed, with his knees up, reading. A black stove, in front of him, takes up much of the space in the small room. An umbrella has been placed near the rafters, and a pile of books is on a table to one side, as if he does not plan to leave his bed anytime soon. The suggestion of hypochondria makes me smile.

Modern art can have a powerful effect, too, as in the art quilts that were made when the Twin Towers came down.

Another very interesting example of art, seen in the process of being made, (over the time it takes to play two songs), is pretty neat. Check out the video on U Tube:

Art and art possibilities abound. Art encompasses the mundane and the sacred. The beauty of art, and the meaning of art, are determined by those who view it.

Patricia Cummings

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Monday, January 7th, 2008

Well, reportedly, I’ve succeeded in leading a few quilt artists to down several bottles of Jack Daniels in order to read my thoughts about quilt art. Yesterday, a member of an online list reported my blog entry to the group, providing only the first paragraph of my last blog, saying that it sums up what I had to say. She missed the mark and she missed the point. She also violated my rights by re-publishing my words, out of context, and not properly attributing them to me, nor providing a link to the source.

That’s fine. Her act of “sharing” did generate a good discussion. I was not prepared for how high emotions would run, or how people would take my comments to make the subject all about themselves, as if defending a personal attack (which none of what I said, was).

Yesterday, my messages to that list, of which I am a member, revolved around being the best you can be, educating yourself about your art/craft, as well as the idea that perhaps art quilts would have more marketability were they more appealing to the general public. My thoughts were met with resistance, scorn, and derision. I found myself and my own tastes being judged. It was clear that I was not “one of them” and was asked why I don’t get off the list.

I can think of one word to describe some of the responses: “hysteria” with a capital “H!” Yet other people, some of whom I’ve known for years, came out of lurkdom to be very supportive and to say how much I’ve done to promote all forms of quilting. One lady said, “Just take a look at Pat’s website and you might begin to think that she buy viagra online paypal just know what she is talking about.” Thanks for the vote of confidence!

There are some fantastic art quilters. Believe me, I’ve spent a lifetime doing art and studying it. Art connoiseurs can be very fickle and I am no exception. I know what I like, when I see it. Sometimes, art is pretty, sometimes not, like all of life. My point is this: I am drawn to excellence of expression, good use of color, and understanding of the elements of composition, and I’m drawn to works with meaning: surface meaning that is abundantly clear, or a deeper meaning that is discernible, or can be subjectively interpreted.

I don’t understand why my thoughts should generate such animosity, reaping inferences that are quite nasty and disrespectful. Seems to me that any art quilter would want to continually reassess what he/she is doing so that improvements could be made. As an educated person whose “education” did not stop at the doors of the universities I’ve attended, I’m not impressed with your education, or the number of shows that you’ve displayed your work in. Show me your work and let it stand on its own merit. That’s all I’m saying.

Off to get my “fuel” for the day: breakfast, not high test.

Patricia Cummings

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Saturday, January 5th, 2008

There are a lot of people today who make what they call “quilt art.” Often, these kinds of quilts reflect the attempts of artists who are not yet well-trained in traditional quilting methods. These dedicated souls spend a lot of time in expressing themselves, with the goal in mind to sell their work. Are they sometimes creating “messages” that have meaning only to themselves? I think so.

I enjoy Art, but you know what? Picasso is not my favorite painter. While I can appreciate the artist’s recollections of the confusion of the Spanish Civil War, when he created the abstract painting called, “buy viagra online paypal,” I would much rather look at a Velazquez painting of a member of the Spanish Royal Family on horseback. In person, the paintings of that master technician are huge and amazing because he painted his subjects in such a large scale manner, yet manages to capture tiny details.

“On Windy Whispers” designed by Patricia Cummings. This is the closest I get to making “art quilts.” This quilt was inspired by Bill Staines’ song, “Redbird’s Wing.”

Whenever I attend a museum show or quilt exhibit, I have to stand and ponder certain art quilts. “What does it mean … what does it mean?” I don’t have a clue until I read the label or the explanation, in which case, I feel that the artist has fallen short of the mark. Works of art should not be a guessing game. They should stand on their own merit, without needing any explanation. I suppose it could be argued that not all art has to have meaning.

While it may be true that not all art has to smack of realism, unless a piece is very well done both structurally or has a discernible meaning, I, personally, would never consider giving it house room. I don’t want to own someone else’s “vision,” as lovely as the creator may deem that to be, if I don’t understand it. Of course, there is always an exception to the rule. If someone gave me one of Caryl Bryer Fallert’s art quilts, I would not complain too loudly!

Random squiggles, floating circles, lines that go nowhere and mean nothing, generally are not my thing. I like order and structure to a piece, even if that means repeat designs, reminiscent of the pieced quilts of old. Perhaps that is why I am more of a traditional quilter than an art quilter, except for pictorial quilts which I truly love making!

An unfinished Crazy Quilt block entitled, “La Rosa Blanca,” designed by Patricia Cummings. This quilt was inspired by Jose Marti’s poetry.

The Crazy Quilt is considered to have been the first Art Quilt and truly, I do LOVE crazy quilts. Crazy Quilts have their own sense of order, however. They are all asymmetrically-pieced, and most of the 19th century ones have embroidery, sometimes painted motifs, and ribbon work. They are similar, if not always different from each other. In my time, I’ve seen some drop-dead gorgeous Crazy Quilts, even some completely rendered in cottons such as one Folk Art style one owned by the Shelburne Museum.

If you are not entirely certain what a contemporary art quilt might look like, I can suggest two online resources: The that also hosts a mailing list of 3,000 like-minded art quilters; and a blog site called that shows the work of 27 quilt artists. We all hit our stride as to what we like the best, and we all have our very opinionated preferences. Mine are sited in the roots of the art/craft of early quilting. It’s nice to look around and decide for yourself what you like. There truly is room for everyone.

Patricia Cummings

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Wednesday, January 2nd, 2008

Oh, how I love the British comedy, “Keeping Up Appearances!” I love it so much, I’ve modeled my behavior after the protagonist, “Hyacinth,” who answers the phone with “Bouquet (Boo-kkkkkk) Residence, Lady of the House Speaking.”

When I engage in that buy viagra online paypal of pre-conversation greeting, my friends laugh because they know me, my relatives are baffled (not that they call me that often), and other people don’t know what to make of it.

Now, with all of the political calls, I feel that one has to confuse the enemy … somehow. To that end, the other afternoon I answered the phone with “Buenas tardes,” delivered in such a convincing way, I imagine the person on the other end of the line (a political campaigner) may have wondered if he’d reached “an illegal,” working as a maid.

Life is about taking a few minutes to not take yourself or anything else too seriously. There are enough emergencies, devastations, and personal tragedies to last anyone a lifetime. That is why we need television shows such as the comedies that air on British TV and are piped across the pond to us.

“Hyacinth,” as a character, is a gross exaggeration of someone who would like to be viewed as a member of high society. She goes out of her way to be seen, to travel in the right social circles, and to hold teas using her Royal Daulton chinaware. With it, she can terrorize her poor sister with fear that she might break the china, as she is a known klutz who becomes even more clumsy because of Hyacinth’s fussing.

I love the counterfoil of “Hyancinth’s character,” the heavy set, unshaven, seemingly “low-brow” brother-in-law, Onslo. His wife has been praying for some marital “action” for years, but it never happens – it’s just her dream and fantasy. Onslo and his family always seem to show up in their broken down car whenever Hyacinth might be embarrassed by their presence, at which point they are directed to drive around the block until the coast is clear.

Good comedy portrays real life, exaggerated to some extent. So it was with the irreverent skits of Monty Python, resulting in classic studies in human behavior, I might add. I took a great liking to certain skits – like “I’m a Lumberjack and I’m ok,” and “The Church of the Divine Looney,” and “Trafalgar Square.”

I’m sorry, but I don’t understand people who are so straight-laced that they can’t find something to laugh at. Most of us can start by laughing at the absurdity of the things that happen to us.

My most memorable laugh-a-thon was when I was visiting San Diego in 1989 and my nieces took me to the Comedy Club. I was laughing so hard, I just about fell off the chair (and was not drinking, so don’t blame it on that). The show was hilarious! As much as I enjoy humor, I could never be that funny! However, it affords a little personal joy when I say, “Cummings residence, Lady of the House speaking,” and I hear a slow ripple of laughter coming from the party calling.

G’day to you.

Patricia Cummings

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