Hello all, this seems to be a very busy time of year for me, and a hard one to get a lot of art done in. Every year at this time my husband and I go up to Quebec for a music festival (let’s see if I can get my french approximately right…) le Festivale Internationale Musique Actuelle Victoriaville.  (my high school french teacher would be appalled)  This is a quirky little festival devoted to “new music”, mostly avant-guard and experimental forms. It lasts for 4 days and is an interesting yearly immersion and exploration into the genre.  Art is my passion, music is my husband’s.  Since he is so supportive of my artwork I am more than happy to join him in this weekend, and I have rather come to enjoy the music.

Sitting in the hall last night surrounded by hundreds of others silently enjoying this unique art form I was struck by the experience of the modern festival phenomenon.  We’ve attended this festival now 5 or 6 times so many of the faces in the audience are familiar.  Familiar strangers.  It’s an odd anonymous communal connection – If you’ve ever attended a multi day festival or conference (the encaustic conference that I am about to attend is similar in many ways) or even just a big concert or sporting event you’ve probably felt something similar. You are surrounded by strangers yet you share a common bond; you all enjoy new music, you are all artists, you all love this band, or this team; for a moment you a community yet you are all anonymous.

Enough with the philosophy, we are off to explore one of my favorite parts of the festival, each year there are “Sound Installations” which are part sound/part art. I’ll take some pics and post them here next week.

I got a couple of books on crazy quilt embellishments in just before we left and fortunately one of the postcards for the conference wasn’t glued down yet so I was able to try my hand at some beading before I mailed them off:

Encaustic Monotypes, machine and hand stiching, beads, pellon, on arches watercolor paper; 4″ x 6″

It was so much fun doing the beading!  I may just have to start in on the crazy quilt for my Great Aunt Norma after I finish the quilt for my Great Grandmother – better get back to the crotcheting ….