Artist, Feminist, Atheist, Activist

While some of you may know me from my atheist and feminist activities and advocacy and perhaps from Secular Woman, you may not know that I have been an artistic creator my whole life.  My family is made up of women (60 years without a male being born into it!) who create.

My recently deceased grandmother had the most incredible stitches, she sewed all her own clothing including formal wear through college.  Yes, my grandmother graduated from college in the early 1940s!  She also did tole painting and needlepoint.  One of the saddest things was to see her eyesight diminish and her Parkinson’s increase to the point she was unable to create.

My mother is a whirlwind of talent.  She won a state fair for her sewing, loves sewing dresses for young girls, adores decorating, does silk painting, makes kimekomi balls, and I cannot remember anymore of her endless list of interests and capabilities.

My sister dives right into things, sewing Vogue patterns with little experience, crocheting, lace making, and right now delving into woodworking.  I don’t think she wants to talk about how her new step stool was the reason her son dislocated his elbow.  The stool has been banished.

I adore fabric, but to not have any talent for sewing clothes.  I enjoyed quilting though.  I have a clear memory of Middle School Home Ec.  We were sewing bubble letters.  I was *very* afraid of the sewing machine.  It just brought back memories of kindergarten and a young boy stapling his finger.  I have conquered my fear of the sewing machine, but will never be a seamstress.  What I adore about fabric is color and the movement in the design.

With paper I get all of the design, color and movement of fabric without the heartache, ruined projects, and stomach churning stress.  I get to play, explore, and enjoy.

What started as card making exploded into a huge craft room with an office in the corner, quilling wall art, and creating artist trading cards.  I am confident this list will grow.  You can find me regularly posting about my creative endeavors at Craftisan Studios.

Cards Beyond Belief is an atheist pay-it-forward project where I mail handmade greeting cards to people.

Cooking is something I taught myself in my twenties.  Both my parents were excellent cooks.  We had homemade bread, pizza, and lobster souffle.  But, neither were interested in having kids in the kitchen; so, I left home not knowing how to boil an egg.  Literally (not the *new* literally).  I have had a decades long love affair with creating in the kitchen: mayonnaise, garlic bread, cookies, Mongolian Beef, crepes…fearless!  When I post recipes it is on Rippere.com.

If you are looking to connect with me on twitter, I am @KimRippere.