Design Wall Today....

Having fun.....raw silks, indigos...what could be better??

There is a reason I do not do bedspreads BUT....

Okay, here is the way it is.....remodeling guest room, (low budget of course).  Doing boom swaps, given a ton of black background, rose/floral material (did I mention my house is victorian)..and I say to self--self you can make the bedspread for the room--save big money LOL.  Many months later, I have finished  piecing the top of the comforter and still have the shams to make.  The low budget part, haven't bought the batting yet $70, paid for quilting yet $100, bought pillow forms??? you get the idea...BUT..I will have a comforter with blocks made from many friends and it will be special...will I do it again...ummmm NO!  Do not try to find a place for  your eyes to rest...there is none :-(

I really like doing the art pieces much -more-better....

Haven't posted in a while.....

Been rather busy and have not been in my studio as much as normal.  However, I do have 11 smalls, composed and ready to begin working on.  This picture is the first one I have stitched and started to paint on.  Can you believe I am actually doing a floral still life!!  If you look closely you will see the vase is not even close to balanced as it was created out of an irregular scrap...love irregularities.  This is just pinned on a background as I decide what the next progression will be.....

 I think this will be a pretty one when it is done.....onward.

Houston International Quilt Show

Alas!  I did not win an award but my quilt was one of 19 selected for the exhibit, 'Festival Gallery of Quilt Art: Home', and will be showing at the International Quilt Show in Houston this week.
The show opens tomorrow to the public so if you are one of the lucky ones attending please check it out.  I have never been able to go to the show BUT one of these days......I will.

The proper title of the quilt is, "Checkered Cab Take Me Home".  And the thought behind the image is returning from a trip, getting into a cab and returning to your land, your domicile, and your people.  All of which comprise 'home'. 

time to work on gifts....

In between art projects, so I am starting to work on gifts for the Holiday Season...here is a traditional? scrappy top ready to go to the long armer.  Have been making scrappy blocks on and off for the last 4-5 months when I needed something brainless to do.  Now they are all together and will be a surprise for someone!  It is a bit bright and bold but so is the recipient... :-)..now on to the next project....

Lollipop and the Giraffes...

I have NO idea what I was thinking when I made this piece!  I started with making this at a demo when I was, how you say, getting bored out of my mind.  So to entertain myself, I did the center portion and named her 'Miss Lollipops'...now, you have to admit she has a certain charm about her so I couldn't throw her away.  She did so want to live.  The rest is history...and she is watching the giraffes (I ask why not?) parade below her window.

I do not know if this is a masterpiece LOL but you have to love it.....di

I am going crazy-but of course in a good way?

"Get the bookworm out of here and give me some eyes!" before I breath fire all over you.

Prince Charming says, "Stripe my crown, give me some eyes-I have a kingdom to rule...".

I do not have to talk to myself because my ornaments speak to me.....LOL

So much fun!!

Sometimes I think these guys become a part of my family. I am currently in the process of finishing painting them and glazing etc.  Some demand names, and their personalities just jump out and make me laugh.  These are the end batch of the ornaments that I will make this year.  There are a few, I will just hate to sell.  However, it is fun to think of someone smiling every year when they place one of my creations on their trees.

When I make these, I think of the saying that -"Creativity is intelligence having fun"- and that is so true.  Birthing an image, deciding on a nose shape, and letting them come forth is more fun than should be allowed.  

"Abstract Narratives"....

What is abstraction?  I once had a professor who said that everything that was not realism is abstract.  Now, I think he was a little extreme in his definition but he did have a valid point.  My work is abstracted/stylized imagery that creates a little world of somewhat illogical happenings.  Chairs, ladders, angels, spirit people all live in compositions that hopefully will encourage a lingering glance and a smile.  These are five in 'process' artworks that I am having fun working on this week.  Enjoy.....life, love, and art!

Christmas is around the corner....yikes

It has been a while since I posted.  We went on a family vacation-visiting everyone and now I am back to work.  The time has come to make smalls for the holiday season so that is at the top of the list at the moment.....

The ornaments are fun to create but am looking forward to doing a big art piece in the near future...

Demonstrating at Arrowmont last weekend

Had fun demonstrating at the Southern Highland Guild store 'Arrowcraft' in Gaitlinburg this past weekend.  I worked on composing some smalls and have now brought them home to get them ready for the rest of the processes involved in making these little artworks.  It was a LOT of cut and paste.  On the afternoon of the second day, I picked up my sissors and they weighed  twenty pounds!  That is when, I knew it was time to quit.  Met lots of lovely people and had a great time.  Here are some of what I came back with-you will see them finished in the near future (or maybe not so near future ....)

Art Bee Round Robin

We started off with a 6" square and off it went to different members of the group.  Absolutely love how it is turning out....will still go to someone for embellishment....different perspectives melded together create really special end results....will post it when it is done...

Mini Quilt Swap piece

This is a piece I made for a 'mini quilt swap'.  My swap partner is currently redoing a guest bedroom in sea glass colors and she loves dragonflies.  Hope she loves this, I do.  The quilt is 9x15 inches.  I have fun participating in these because it gives me a challenge, new themes to work on, and is not overly time consuming.  This little jewel is going to DragonNana....how is that for an avatar name!

Time for some more smalls.....

 Finished my last competition piece for the year and now I am going to work on some smalls.  I love doing these because I can just be inventive and do whatever makes me happy.  The middle of July, I will be in Gatlinburg doing some demo time at Arrowcraft, sooooo....that means I have to build up some stock because I just know every piece I bring will just go walking out the door.   I will be prepared for success  :-)  ....

In October, I will be in a tour of 'Artist's Open Studios', in Sweetwater,  which should be fun.  Also, have a couple more things on my schedule wihich I will share later.  But for now it is 'get to work' time.

Peek-competition piece shhhh!

This will be the background for a new piece I am working on...I will do all this piecing and then put it in a dye bath and see what happens...then there will be some bleaching and then the foreground will be applied.  All of this has a lot of 'happenstance'(is that a word?), so we shall see...working great so far....keep your fingers crossed  :-)

Silly Project....

I have always been fascinated by the school girl alphabet samplers.  They make me pause and wonder whose hands stitched the letters, houses, etc.  So, I decided to make something that in years to come when sitting on a shelf in a thrift shop will, hopefully, cause someone to stop and reflect about my hands working, and my mind creating.  I am doing a 'bio' piece for the year 2014.  Taking something that impacts or reflects my month, making a small reflective piece, and eventually sewing them all together, I am creating a time capsule of my year.  There will be some embellishments, etc., after all the pieces are sewn together and I think I am going to frame it.  We shall see.  I am halfway through the year and who knows what the rest of the pieces will be.  It is fun to work on and hopefully interesting enough that no one will throw it away before the 100 years I would like it to last.  I do have my delusions...LOL

+

fronts and backs....

sometimes the back is as fun as the front...just finished these two smalls and wanted to show both sides!  They will be matted and framed so the back really doesn't matter but I just like to see the linework...

Quilt in "Art Quilt Whimsy" show

This quilt is currently showing at the "Art Quilts Whimsy" show in Cary, NC.  It is called 'Joy in the Village'....I think it is fun and joyous and of course it features ladders, ram horns, houses, and chairs    :-)

been busy working!

Haven't posted in a while because I have been working on some pieces that I want to enter into some shows.  Since some of the shows do not want you to show pictures of your work before the show opens, I just make it a policy not to show any competition work until after the unveilings.  Of course, there is a strong possibility that the work won't be accepted so I will show you after rejection notices....

This piece I think I am going to donate to an auction-still have to square it up and do the final flourishes but it is getting done ahead of schedule...so all is good in the world...

no title yet...

GALLERY ON MAIN-new gallery in Sweetwater

Now being represented at "Gallery on Main" in Sweetwater, TN.  Lovely shop filled with artwork by local and regional artists.

Mid Arm Machine back...

now back to work.......when did I get so old?????

In the interim.....

Having a main machine malfunction!  My mid-arm is in the shop and I can not quilt my competition piece as planned.  Luckily, I have plenty of time before the deadline so there is no real emergency.  Instead of working on some project on my list...hmmm... I decided to put together a 'boom' quilt that I have just gotten all the blocks back from the  other participants.  What is a 'boom swap,' you ask????  A boom swap is when you have a group of quilters that each send a fat eighth of  their selected fabric to each and every participant.  Then everyone makes a block out of the received fabric and sends it back to the original sender thence the fabric 'boomerangs' back.  Hopefully, that is fairly clear!  I like to participate because I get to play with color and make different blocks.  Plus the camaraderie is always welcome.  I consider activities like these my fun as oppose to the art quilts which I take somewhat seriously.  Soooo, anyhow- here is a pix of the king size to be quilt for my guestroom that I am making out of blocks from all over the US....this is just the center portion.  There will be borders, pillows....etc.  It may take a while...

I received 15 blocks and as  you can see I will have to add some extra....

Other note of interest- have had a quilt accepted into the "Art Quilts Whimsy" show in Cary, North Carolina  April 23-June 22 

A peek....

This is a peek at a quilt I am working on for a competition so I can not show you the whole thing but as you can see it is colorful!  It must be this dreary winter making me burst out in color as a protest against perpetual gray.  When I look at this quilt it makes me smile.  I still have quite a bit to do on it.  All the pieces are sewn on and now it is time to highlight and shadow the fabric to give it more depth.  Then will come a checkerboard border (I think) and some thread embellishments.

working on more smalls....

I really enjoy these smalls...it is a chance to dance with little leftover pieces of fabric and create my own world full of color and pattern...and then of course the embellishments/inks are just frosting on the cake....I am so fortunate to love what I do....it is play

Special Order Done...

This is a request for a friend.  I do not have a final title for it yet but am thinking, 'Thanksgiving, Prayer, and Praise', not sure yet.  May let her name it. She wanted warm colors and long and narrow...so here it is.  I used bleach discharge, inks, chenille embellishments and an applique technique. 

As usual I have to wait a week or two before I am sure it is done-but I do like it.

Carry on and play it forward....  :-)

Working on smalls....

Am currently (among other things)..working on making some small pieces to sell. I need  something that people can buy without it being a major purchase.  Normally, I make some ornaments but I really do not like making them as they aren't as artsy to me. The problem is I do not know what the framing costs will be yet..so we shall see if I can keep the prices low.  Below are two compositions that I have just done without the stitching, hair, embellishments..etc, done yet.  I am enjoying making these as they are fun composition exercises and I get to play with colors and my vast stash of scraps!  Will post when I get a couple framed.  I like to think of them as mini art quilts.  Their sizes are under 10" and more then 4", so they are quite a manageable size.  I am liking them....

PS: Note the pink floor.....

 

Here is one with the stitching, hair, buttons....

One more goal accomplished for January!

Quite awhile ago, or if  you prefer 'Once Upon a Time", I traded some of my quilted/collage yardage for some of a talented friend's  felted wool/mixed media yardage.  I have been 'meaning' to make a coat/vest out of it forever.  Well, on my January list of things to do was to make this vest and I am thrilled with it!  (though I am not sure I put the button on the correct side :-)...I am left handed what can I tell you!)  The fabric is just drop dead gorgeous thanks to artist Geri Forkner...who happens to be in Thailand having a show and teaching fashion/textile students.  Just thought I would drop that tidbit.  Now back to some art quilts.....

"Urban Dreams"

Last spring, I was looking at our lovely backyard gardens and I thought how someone living in the city could only dream of having all this beauty surrounding them.  That  thought was the beginning of this piece entitled , "Urban Dreams". 

Am also working on two other projects that are nearing completion....should be able to post them in the next week or two.....keep tuned!

I am in and I am working......phew

 

I am sure everyone is tired of my talking of my 'studio' but it is a dream realized and now it is ready for all sorts of wonderful things to be created in it.  I promise the next pictures will be of art!  I am so happy to have this space...it is actually bigger than I thought it would be.  My husband (the engineer) says it is 532 sq. ft..  Didn't sound like a lot of space but it is more than ample.  Of course you know it will fill up with lots more stuff because that is the law of nature (and quilters).  I have to admit it is a little bit of a pressure to have this space because I have to use it and not be a slacker.....SO-here it is, pink floors and all.  I still have some valences to make and some area rugs to buy...but it is 98% done!!!