Everyday Magick

Circular Arguments, 11" x 10"

Since I keep items that I think will be useful in a future textile project, I store my fabric scraps in a vintage suitcase. It’s filled to the rim. I’ve created a quilt top with these scraps, and more recently I made a textile piece called “Circular Arguments,” which is a term for a type of fallacy where the assumption is that the argument is true without providing any supporting evidence. I found this title to be appropriate for society’s unfortunate lack of fact checking and relying on a lack of reasoning.

I did not start out with that title or end purpose in mind, though. I’m an intuitive artist for the most part, so I began by pulling a bunch of colors I liked from my scrap pile. Because I was using the collage approach, I had to find a way to make the random small pieces of fabric adhere somehow before stitching. I used some fusible interfacing and ironed down the fabric scraps to white fabric once I had them arranged in a way I liked. I then gathered random threads and began to stitch. I found myself making circular shapes. I liked the first one, so I just kept going, filling spaces that called out for a circle. As I kept going, the title occurred to me, and I stuck with it.

I was happily surprised by the outcome, and even more happy when an acquaintance asked to purchase it! She has been a supporter of my work, and I was so pleased she wanted it. I decided I would frame it for her, and in my zero waste quest, I went to the thrift store on my lunch break. It was my lucky day, or what I prefer to call “everyday magick.” In the pile of framed pictures, I found a frame that would fit my art without having to trim it. Since I do not do a lot of planning prior to creating, I often have sizes that do not fit the standard frame sizes that can be purchased at retail stores. The frame I found had a drawing with a mat. I removed the print, kept the mat, and put in my art. It was magickal.

I know another artist, Chris Manfready, who is a talented carpenter. You can find his work at Eastern Grey, Ltd. He also saves scraps and generously framed a piece I had on canvas. Without the frame, the piece looked unbalanced and a bit lonely. It’s mixed media with felt, twigs, lichen, and buttons. Chris took some of his scrap wood and made a gorgeous frame – one so nice that I’ve kept it! Another form of everyday magick. His framework is pictured below.

Art and magick go hand in hand. I use the spelling magick to distinguish from the type of magic that a magician does, which is more or less a trick or sleight of hand. The magick in my art is letting my intuition guide me and then finding ways to showcase it. Magick also occurs when the piece finds its rightful owner, whether it’s a piece of art or a repurposed barbie serving as a pin cushion.

Bird on Twig, mixed media