Week 11

Mimi Thinking of Bibi - Thread, string on vellum.  Bibi  Self - Found objects, drawing.

Mimi Thinking of Bibi, detail

Mimi: Thinking of Bibi 
I started working and was thinking of Bibi.  I don’t usually do this as I work and said to myself – no, I should try to tune into the ‘source’, but she stayed on my mind.   I played and sewed and the piece turned into a map of sorts.  It didn’t really feel like me, maybe it was about Bibi?

Bibi  Self,detail

Bibi:    Self

I had a stack of stuff as supplies for this project and had no idea what I would use today. I had a beret of mine that was chewed and decided to do a self portrait.  I did a pencil drawing of my face which I hadn’t done before.  It doesn’t necessarily look like me, but I realized –it is what it is, and I wouldn’t redo it or throw it away. It is here and is honest, a self examination, self growth, self realization.

When I spoke to Mimi, she said –For some reason, I keep thinking of you.  She said she didn’t feel much attachment to it. Maybe it is about me.

                                                    

                                               Self    B. H. M.

                                               Self - I

                                               Self - intention

                                               Self - examination

                                               Self - knowledge

                                               Self - confidence

                                               Self - portrait

                                               Self - discovery

                                               Self - respect

                                               Self - support

                                               Self - will

                                               Self - concern

                                               Self - heal

                                               Self - love

Week 9

   

Mimi (L) Keep Steady-Fabric,newsprint,thread on vellum. Bibi (R) Walking Away From Feeling Small-Photo, pencil.

                                                                                 

Mimi Keep Steady, detail

Mimi:  Keep Steady 

I went to work as usual on the new date, but had forgotten we had set a new time.  I was not able to work, and I felt stymied and stifled.  I left the studio to call Bibi to tell her nothing was coming to me.  She reminded me we had set a new time and to try again later.   I went back to work at the correct time and immediately knew what to do.  I was thinking -blue, keep steady, large, where do I want to go?  I created a collage from sky blue net fabric with a pocket. In the pocket I inserted a square cut out from a comic with lines like an animal's (elephant's) hair.

  

Bibi Walking Away from Feeling Small, detail

Bibi: Walking Away From Feeling Small                                    Mimi called around 11am to say she didn't "get anything". She had forgotten we had changed the time to 1pm.  It made me realize that we needed that connection between us to make it happen.  That morning I had a dream of a very small elephant walking through a jungle. I woke up thinking, "Why do I feel so small?" I decided to do a piece about not feeling so small anymore. I worked with images from the St. Louis Zoo and a field in the Midwest. I noticed that I had cut out a hole in the field accidentally.  The elephant is walking away from the emptiness of the hole.  When talking to Mimi after we were both finished I realized I had the negative space (the hole) in my piece and she had the positive (cut out) in hers.

                                       

                                       Walking Away From Feeling Small  B. H. M.

                                       Move on

                                       Move to

                                       A new plane

                                       Walk in

                                       A new direction

                                       Take on

                                       A new course

                                        Jump start

                                       A new progress

                                       Moving  on

                                       toward

                                       A new zone

Week 8

Mimi (L)  Round and Round - Thread, pastel on vellum.  Bibi (R)  Sequoia - Photograph, collage

 

Mimi  Round and Round,detail

Mimi:    Round and Round

As I began working I had this going through my head:round and round and round we go - like a children’s nursery rhyme. Circles, cycles repeating.  Magical and complex.

 

Bibi:    Sequoia

I received a sequoia tree as a Christmas gift earlier that week. I was concerned about what I would do with it: where it would be planted and if it would survive. It was a big responsibility to have this tree, since they can live a long life and grow to be extraordinarily big. I was deciding if I should donate it to a park. I had the tree on my mind.

Two days before I made this piece, I went to get my Town Dump Pass which turned out to be number “99.” I first wished that it was #100, to be even, but then decided that I liked #99.

Bibi  Sequoia, detail

Mimi’s birthday was the 22^nd of December, the day before this project. I liked the configuration of the numbers of that date: 12/22/2011. It made me think of the #99 and the song “99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall” came into my head. I wondered, “Why beer?” That didn’t make sense to me as an appropriate children’s song, but it stuck in my head and I started to hum it.

I had decided to use a print of which I had many reject prints. I liked the green in the teacup print and it related to the sequoia tree. As I was cutting out Christmas tree shapes from the prints, I was tallying them likes this: XXXX. I was singing “99 Cups of Tea Passed Around.” I just kept repeating that line over and over as I worked.

I talked to Mimi later that day. She said that she kept hearing a children’s theme in her head and the words “around and around” seemed to swirl in her brain. She ended up creating a circular piece with stitching and the words “around and around and around” are repeated throughout the circular pattern. 

                               
         Sequoia        B. H. M

0+9=9     0+9=9

9+9=18      1+8=9

9+9+9=27     2+7=9

9+9+9+9=36    3+6=9

9+9+9+9+9=45    4+5=9

9+9+9+9+9+9=54    5+4=9

9+9+9+9+9+9+9=63   6+3=9

9+9+9+9+9+9+9+9=72   7+2=9

9+9+9+9+9+9+9+9+9=81   8+1=9

9+9+9+9+9+9+9+9+9+9=90  9+0=9

                                                                    99 sequoia trees

                                                                    a cup of tea

                                                                    pass it around                                      

                                                                   grow grow grow

                                 

 

9+9+9+9+9+9+9+9+9+9+9+9 =108                        1+0+8=9

9+9+9+9+9+9+9+9+9+9+9+9+9=117                       1+1+7=9

9+9+9+9+9+9+9+9+9+9+9+9+9+9=126                    1+2+6=9

9+9+9+9+9+9+9+9+9+9+9+9+9+9+9=135                 1+3+5=9

9+9+9+9+9+9+9+9+9+9+9+9+9+9+9+9=144              1+4+4=9

9+9+9+9+9+9+9+9+9+9+9+9+9+9+9+9+9=153           1+5+3=9

9+9+9+9+9+9+9+9+9+9+9+9+9+9+9+9+9+9=162        1+6+2=9

9+9+9+9+9+9+9+9+9+9+9+9+9+9+9+9+9+9+9=171     1+7+1=9

9+9+9+9+9+9+9+9+9+9+9+9+9+9+9+9+9+9+9+9=180  1+8+0=9

Week 7

Mimi: White (L) - Vellum, mono-filament, thread.  Bibi: We Are Where We Are Supposed to Be (R) - Found objects

Mimi:    White

Mimi: detail

That morning I dreamt I was at a drawing workshop. and Bibi showed up. She brought a huge white flower (like a hydrangea) to show us.  She used tweezers to extract tiny stamp-like drawings of rough faces from the flower.   They were simple black lines that had the feeling of my father.  They had a natural sticky substance on the back and easily stuck to my sketchbook pages. She then took out large drawings that the bees (?) had also made.  The bees and the flower made the drawings cooperatively. It was an amazing dream with many elaborate visual details.  

I thought about the dream, as I worked with 

vellum, mono-filament and blue thread.

Bibi: detail

Bibi:    We Are Where We Are Supposed to Be

That morning I started to use a white paper cover-up from the doctor’s office that I had saved.  I wrinkled it to make a big white flower.  It was too big so I discarded it.

So then, I grabbed a basket and attached a blue ceramic figure to it with a long wire.  I had a tough time getting the wire through to attach, but then it went through the basket fine.   I felt detached from the piece.  I used a red bandana and sewed it with blue thread which made me think of sadness.  The red reminded me of my accident but I felt like this piece was about Mimi. The basket would only allow me to stitch in certain spots. It felt like– there is only one way to get through your sadness, but once you get through, you will be happy. Just focus and go through.  We are where we are supposed to be. 

                                                           We Are Where We Are Supposed To Be    B. H. M.

Only

One point

One place

Straight through

Standing tall

Singing

 

Week 6

Mimi (Left) Free Falling Through  - Yarn, vellum. Bibi (Right) Be - Photograph, found objects

Mimi  Free Falling, detail

 
 Mimi:    Free Falling Through
As I began working, I was feeling sadness.  I was thinking about going through that feeling to get to the other side.   Maybe I will see things differently on the other side. I worked again with yarn, vellum and thread.  The piece developed very effortlessly.  

Bibi:    Be

After the yard clean up, my Buddha sculpture had to be moved to a new spot. I was thinking of Buddha and randomly chose things to work with that morning. I drew a template of the Buddha shape and traced it on a recent print. As I cut out the curves of the Buddha shape, I saw the photo in a different way. I was able to notice the details instead of viewing it as a whole image. I was looking at it “askew” and realized that I had to look at my life that way. I needed a new perspective on things; I had to perceive things differently.

The idea of the clothes hanger kept popping into my head all morning. I had gathered many different ones, not sure if I was even going to use then. I ended up choosing to hang Buddha from one of Maya’s old hangers. It turns out that the photo I just cut up was one I took of Maya. I had cut 5 of the Buddha shapes altogether, so when I had to cut the batting in the Buddha shape, it came naturally. The curve of the cut was almost instinctive.

I have had the feather for at least 30 years. It was almost as if it was just waiting to be used in this piece.

This piece taught me to have a new perspective on life… to just “BE.” I shouldn’t worry about things that I can’t change. To focus on myself and not worry about others so much. To trust my instincts to do art and live in my own reality.  While making art, I am happy.   Mimi was sad that day. I told her about my experience of looking at things in a different way.  Perhaps it is a way to work through the sadness.

                        

    Be  Bibiana Huang Matheis                               

Bibi Be, detail

     

    Draw and cut the contour

    Draw from the top

   Cut from the bottom

   Cut -- at first is slow

   Focus around the curve

   Found novel groundwork

   Discover a new way

   Different perspective

   Navigate  it a few times

   No longer need the contour

   Thanks -- I can cut free hand  smoothly

   Transform

   Be -- just

Week 5

Bibi  Nesting - Fabric, wax, paper

Bibi:    Nesting

A week ago, before making this piece I had found batting material that was chewed and had mouse droppings on it.  I thought- they must be using it for a nest and I saved the clean part.  This week Frank set traps and we caught three mice.As I began working, I was grabbing things and thinking of the dead mice and the nice warm nest they had with my batting material.   I was also thinking I was happy to have my own house intact after the big storm.  That is why I made the origami house. I also noticed that the pieces I cut out of the batting looked like mouse holes.

Mimi  Nest, detail - Yarn, balls on vellum

Mimi:    Nest

I started out with blue and orange again, but then said- no, that doesn’t feel right.  I was thinking about the time we had to move into the studio because of the toxicity from the house renovation.  I was remembering all the mice we had caught in here and when we were sleeping here a mouse crawled over me in the night.  This past week we caught three.  I was thinking about the idea of home and what it has meant to me recently.  I have come to appreciate a safe place, a home, and am grateful to be living back in our house.  For the piece, I worked with yarn, forming it into a nest in my hands and sewing it onto vellum.  Felt good to be forming the yarn,

                        
                      
                   
                     Nesting   Bibiana Huang Matheis

                       White - comfort

                      Orange      Yellow            Green

                       pride         happiness        health

                                         Red - love

                       Blue           Indigo            Violet

                       peace         support           tranquility

                                         Pink - harmony

                     Orange       Yellow           Green

                      joy              warmth          grow

Week 4

Mimi  (Left) Blue and Orange-Vellum, fabric, net. Bibi (Right) Ancient Secret of a Bird- Pencil on photograph

Blue and Orange, detail

Mimi:    Blue and Orange

I began working thinking – blue and orange, circle, sewing, net. Creating the piece went quickly, easily.  I questioned  that and thought - I should have used the full hour.  But then I realized the amount of time doesn't matter.

Bibi:    Ancient Secret of a Bird

Ancient Secret, detail

I had the need to draw, but what?  I had a photo I took in Japan, that didn’t print properly, and I made lines from it onto another piece of paper that flowed down.  They reminded me of cables that were perhaps connecting me to Mimi and to the universe.  I decided I would draw a bird and opened my animal book randomly to a Secretary Bird, which I put under the other photo.

I spoke to Mimi before my piece was done and she said she used all blue and orange in hers.  I was thinking perhaps there was no connection this time.  It wasn’t until the next morning when I realized I had had on blue and orange undergarments that day. I remembered thinking when I got dressed- no one will know they don’t match.   When I told her this, Mimi laughed, and blurted out –except me, I know your secret!

             

           Ancient Secret of a Bird  Bibiana Huang Matheis

                      To Draw -

                      Secretary Bird

                      Draw-

                      Like a secretary taking notes

                      Time -

                      Is not matter

                      Secret-

                      Is entrusted

                      Cable-

                      Is a way of modern life

                      Keeper of the time

                      Keeper of the bird

                      Take your time

                      To Draw

Week 3

Mimi: (Left) Mending Together-String spool, thread.  Bibi: (Right) Reconstruct- Bowl, dog hair, found objects.

Mimi:    Mending Together  (L)
I woke up thinking of balls of yarn and using them in the project.

But I said to myself- no, don’t plan beforehand, wait until 9.   It was a struggle when I began to work because I still wanted to use the yarn, but, thought I shouldn’t.  I finally said- yes I will use it.  I stitched thread on it, mending together the threads of the ball.  

Bibi:    Reconstruct  (R)

I woke up at 5:30 knowing I would do a piece called Reconstruct and would use a white bowl with my dog’s hair in it.  Then, I said to myself – I need to wait until 9 and see what idea comes then.  Nine came, I was at my desk, took the bowl, put it back down, and thought to put it out of sight.  I then felt I did need to use it and resigned to that. All the materials I grabbed fit well with the construction, and it flowed well.  I thought – just let the (chi-self) take over and the piece will make itself.

                                          Reconstruct       Bibiana Huang Matheis

Breast

Heart

Feathers

Reconnect

push through with a pin

Emotions

feathers of the Breast

let it out

 Chi

 breath of the Heart

 let it in

The right time