ARTJOURNEYS

Plen Aire Oils

2011-04-17T17:53:00.000-07:00

As posted on my Home page, I've taken the plunge and have spent the last two Mondays painting with the Monday Morning Plen Aire Painters. I researched the group some time ago and wrote articles for the Artist Workshop of Sonoma County and the Artists Roundtable newsletters. I first painted at Goat Rock, on the Sonoma County coast. I have some studio work to do on that piece, and if I like the result, I'll post it another time.
My second session was at the Apple Orchards on Darby Road in Sebastopol. This is the second piece from that session. I've reworked it after the critique and like the result so much better.

This is the first piece I painted at the Darby Road site. Once again, the critique focused my attention on the blossoms and I learned it is better to blend the colors than to try to create individual blossoms, which I did on my first attempt. I have so much more to learn!!!

New Work

2011-04-17T17:36:00.000-07:00

"Whooo Are You?"
I'm thinking about playing with watercolors. So I created this piece using watercolors, but with no instruction. I like the image but have no idea if I've done it correctly.

Painted on site, "Plen Aire" on Darby Road in Sebastopol. It's my second time out painting with Monday Morning Painters. The critique was terrific and I made changes in the studio based on the critique.

This was the first piece I painted at the Darby Road site and reworked it in the stidio based on what I learned at the critique. I find it very educational to paint plen aire and the critiques are essential to a new plen aire painter.

Go there!

2011-02-04T16:51:00.001-08:00

Jane Dunnewold has put in print a lecture that those of us interested in how the world of Art Quilting, Fiber Art, Mixed Media, whatever you want to call it, has and is evolving. It is definitely thought-provoking. I encourage everyone to read it.
Copy and paste this into your browser. Comments are appreciated.

http://existentialneighborhood.blogspot.com/2011/02/formnot-function-lecture.html

2011-02-02T17:16:00.000-08:00

This is my entry for my "12 Connected" group.
Changed - Cathy Ortelle

I might have taken this challenge too literally. I first heavily rusted (Change!) some Pima cotton fabric; it reminded me of a topographical map.

I then quilted some turquoise hand-dyed fabric to batting and overlaid the rusted fabric. Voila! Clear blue lakes nestled in Northern California mountains. I tried to machine quilt around the obvious places. Disaster! It looked horrid. So I ripped out the machine quilting and tried some hand work. Even worse. I don't have the dexterity to do good hand work any more. So I will be doing more machine work in the future.

I missed last month's challenge - sorry again. I have a huge Christmas party and my whole house is turned upside down and things are packed away. I still haven't found the challenge that I had almost completed before Christmas. Maybe it will turn up some day.

There's lots of fun work in this challenge. I'm looking forward to the next!

The theme was "Change".

I've also been setting up my Etsy shop and designing new patterns for my Arashi Shibori silk scarves.

I also am working on some articles about plen aire painting for a couple of newsletters.

I've found it's really difficult to try to master different types of media. I'm entered in the Sketchbook challenge and find it difficult to do one a day. But I do several in one night, so I guess it works out.

Fun Ways to Improve Your Art

2011-01-05T16:34:00.000-08:00

3 Creative Studios Launch Party!

Terri and Vicki Thank You for being a part of 3 Creative Studios. Look for the January newsletter (January 16) announcing our first Guest Artist and other new programs for 2011. Let’s celebrate with some prizes!

Here’s the first prize of our launch Party. It has 4 original prints and original fabric from Terri, a journal from Sue Bleiweiss, hand dyed and painted fabric and note cards from Vicki along with sequin waste and yarns.

The second prize package has a handmade purse from Terri, a journal from Sue Bleiweiss, hand dyed fabric and note cards from Vicki along with sequin waste, glitter, Angelina fibers and yarns.

The third prize package has Terri‘s book, Creative Paper Quilts, a journal from Sue Bleiweiss, hand dyed fabric, hand dyed scarf and note cards from Vicki along with a package of Texture Magic, buttons and yarns.

As the week goes by, each of these packages will have some additional surprise items added to fill the mailing box! We want to get the word out about our new presence on the web so we are offering you several opportunities to enter to win one of these great prize packages.

One entry for just posting a comment on this post
One entry for subscribing to the newsletter (or already being a subscriber) – leave a separate comment about your newsletter subscription
One entry for “Liking” our Facebook Page – leave a separate comment about our FB “like”
One entry for posting about this giveaway on your blog – leave a separate comment here with a link to your blog post

The drawing will occur Saturday, January 8 at midnight EST. Winners will be announced on the blog Sunday.

Good Luck!

Arashi Shibori Silk Scarves

2010-12-11T17:02:00.000-08:00

What I've been doing lately. I've been currently pretty busy with fiber work. I've been using the Arashi Shibori process to create one-of-a-kind silk scarves. Some I leave with the result of the discharge process.

They can be used in diverse ways: as neck scarves of course, but also as belts and headbands. I also plan to use some in future fiber art work.

Others I hand paint. This is a close up of part of a hand-painted scarf.

And another.

This is what the scarf looks like before painting and

I leave some like this as I love this look. It can be worn with anything.

These scarves are 52 inches long and 11 inches wide. They are perfect year round as the silk is so comfortable, adjusts to body temperature and it keeps drafts off the neck and down the back. They are also light enough for spring and summer use.

Contact me if you are interested in purchasing these one-of-a kind pieces of wearable art.

Day of the Dead

2010-11-14T19:44:00.001-08:00

Puppet from 2010 El Dia de los Muertos parade in Petaluma

I've been totally remiss about reporting on my experiences with the "Day of the Dead" or "El Dia de Los Muertos" events in which I participated. I am a member of the Petaluma Art Center. I have participated from the sidelines for several years now. A couple of years ago, Nancy McDermott invited me to a DOD event at the Art Center. I became intrigued with the idea and started my research.

Local couple dressed for parade

I volunteered on several occasions, selling decorated T-Shirts to the guests. I have attended the events for the last few years, so I knew what to expect when viewing the ornate altars, decorated by loved ones. That didn't stop me from getting lumps in my throat and tears in my eyes as I viewed the messages to their loved ones. I think these tributes are amazing to honor those we love who have gone before us.

Ornately decorated gentleman who participated in the parade.

I first volunteered at a poetry reading at the Petaluma Art Center. As we set up chairs, no one was sure how many would attend. Who wants to go to a Poetry reading on a Friday night? Well, the event was very well attended, and because my job was to sell T-shirts, I was seated away from the poets. But I could get an idea of their thoughts. Some used comedy in their poems, some were straight forward. Some were heart-wrenching, the poet barely being able to speak their work. I was enthralled, not only by the poems, but by the audience response. They urged the poets on and were generous in their appreciation. A pot luck followed the readings and I was introduced to Pozole and a Mexican chicken stew with some of the most flavorful chilis (from Santa Fe). They were so good I searched the internet to replicate them. Yummy!

Artwork by a local painter.

I also volunteered for the main celebration, which included a procession from downtown Petaluma to the Art Center. Over 1,000 people participated. Mariachi bands, Ballet Folklorico, Aztec Indian dancers and just regular folks, some carrying large puppets, some gloriously costumed carrying lighted candles made their way up the Boulevard and down Washington Street to the center where they enjoyed dance demonstrations by the Aztec dancers and several

Mexican dance groups. I enjoyed seeing so many Petaluma families with children who joined in the festivities. Food vendors cooked up enchiladas, tamales, churros, corn on the cob and many other delicasies. Some artists also staffed booths showing their wares.

A food vendor who made up for the night.

I also participated in the take-down of the exhibit at the Center. Families with little children attended, removing the offerings on their alters. Organizers also provided food, including homemade enchiladas, Albondiga (meatball) soup (yummy), shrimp, fabulous rice and even brownies. Sangria was lusciously laden with lots of fruit. and I had my first mojita(sp?) Amazing. And it will be my special drink for the summer get-togethers as it is so refreshing.

So I encourage you to learn about the celebrations surrounding the event. I believe Petaluma has the largest but I noticed Sonoma and Santa Rosa were also commemorating the event.

This may not seem art-related, but I was so inspired by the images, who knows what may be represented in my future work.

Comments are always appreciated. Thanks.

Studui Art Quilt Association info

2010-11-13T19:31:00.000-08:00

Christmas is coming, and we're all a' planning, but that's not today's issue.

Just a quick note about SAQA. Studio Art Quilt Association is an international organization of like-minded artists involved in promoting Art Quilts, Fiber Art, Textile Art. Whatever you call it as long as stitching and layering is involved. The organization is currently surveying members to re-define the art quilt definition.

I'm fortunate to belong to the Northern California region. Today's meeting was a wonderful retrospective of SAQA's "12 Voices" led by former SAQA president Judith Content. It is currently on exhibit at the Pence Gallery in Davis and is definitely worth a trip. Works by Judith Content, Linda Colsh, Elizabeth Busch, Clare Pflug, Kathy Weaver and others are displayed.

We've participated in a "Whisper Challenge" which our regional reps got published in "Quilting Arts" magazine. We critiqued part of SAQA's Trunk Show which culminated in a SAQA Journal article. We have consistent quality quarterly meetings with amazingly inspirational show and tell from our membership.

It's a great organization, and I hope you all consider joining.

Shibori discharge day

2010-11-09T22:54:00.000-08:00

I had an interesting day yesterday as my friend Leslie and I tried discharge dying on black silk. I've discharged fabric for years, but never done silk as it is not conducive to chlorine bleach discharge. I bit the bullet several months ago and purchased Thiox from Dharma Trading Company. I waited for a clear day as I heard that Thiox has a very unpleasant smell. Understatement!! We worked in my studio with the outside door open, but the fumes were still noxious. I heartily recommend a respirator if you try this method. It also took hours to achieve these results. I have a pole-wrapped piece drying that I used with diluted Jacquard discharge paste. I'm looking forward to see the results from that.

So here is the result. I'm especially pleased with the first piece on the line. I used rubber bands wrapped around a pencil head to create the resist. I had planned on over painting them all but I love the subtle green left in the piece. Some of the other pieces were clamped and others were twisted and pole wrapped.

I made little surface design rollers with miniature rolling pins and stick-ons. I purchased the little rolling pins from a teacher's product site online. Fun stuff. More discharging tomorrow using Rit Color Remover.

I find that I am much more motivated to create when I work with someone else. More fun!

Best wishes to Sandy for a full recovery from her breast cancer surgery. And wishing Maureen and her family well for Noel's stroke rehab.

Innovations in Fiberart

2010-11-05T20:08:00.000-07:00

Innovations in Fiberart V is being exhibited at Sebastopol Center for the Arts in Northern California through December 4. This exhibit, juried by Melissa Leventon, features many Art Quilt pieces along with other thought-provoking, unconventional and innovative fiber artworks expressed in a range of materials from copper and brass to teabags. There are many other works exhibited. I didn't get pictures of each item. If you are in the area, stop by to see the exhibit.
I don't know all of the artists who created these pieces, but I credit them if I do. Please do not copy these photos. I am sharing them for educational reasons only.

The piece to the left is by Napa Artist, Cathy Zeleny. Cathy is a member of Northern California's Pointless Sisters group and exhibits nationally. Ms Zeleny's focus in her quilts is on value change.

Hundreds of used teabags make up this twin-sized bed covering which is stitched and quilted together. There are many different brands of teabags and their colorful tags add a touch of whimsy to this piece.

SAQA member Carol Larsen created this colorful piece. Hand-dyed fabrics with many layers of surface design add texture and create movement throughout.

This piece is made with a see-through wire armature and colored threads are woven down to mimic man's shirting.

Surface Design Associate (SDA)member Joy Stocksdale hand paints silks and creates exquisite free-floating designs mounted on Acrylic armature.

This small wall-hanging features a portrait of a woman totally thread painted, including the background. Commercial fabrics border the portrait.

Hand made and commercial papers were rolled and secured to create this imaginative art work.

This piece uses screening as its base and looks to be created with painted fibers. The technique is unusual but very effective.

Hand-dyed, shibori-clamped pieced and quilted wall-hanging seems tame and almost traditional in this setting.

This dress is created with eggshells glued onto a screen base.

Who knew old books can be re-purposed to become art objects?

Two beautifully-woven pieces.

Copper wires, some round, others flattened and woven together form this dramatic piece.

This dress was made with recycled plastic bags. Oh so clever.

Ebullient!

2010-10-05T20:26:00.000-07:00

Ebullient is the word and it's my latest mixed media challenge. It consists of digital images printed on metal then glued and stitched onto a batik base fused to Timtex.

It's a new technique for me and I hope to explore using it further.

The large piece is the detail.

Go to http://12connected.blogspot.com/ to see the rest of the challenges and paticipant's work.

2010-08-01T11:43:00.000-07:00

This collage is my piece for the 12 Connected Fiber group. We were asked to portray the word "reminiscence" in a piece of fiber art. My "date" with Paul was a perfect way to reminisce about the Beatles and their music. The rest of the group will be posting their pieces on the 12 Connected blog today. Check it out.

Paul and Me!

2010-07-11T20:56:00.000-07:00

Looking good, sounding great!

On one of 2 pianos

Bear with me, I'm telling a story here. We drove to SF in plenty of time, wanted to visit Coit Tower murals. Traffic up Lombard was horrendous so we hit the Wharf instead. What a mistake! Saturday in the summer - the streets were so full you couldn't move. Off to North Beach. Almost as bad with tourists. So we decided to find a good place for dinner and ended up at the Mona Lisa restaurant. After a glass of De Loach chardonnay, I had a plate of Osso Buco on a bed of fabulously flavored polenta. Heavenly for this Italian mama wannabe chef! A damn fine meal and I'd recommend this place to anyone who likes real Italian.
So then we're off to ATT park via GPS directions. Well, it was obvious that GPS wasn't raised in The City. A roundabout route took us to our destination. Thousands of people already milling around the front of the park! We should've skipped all our gallavanting around and gone straight to the park very early. Finding parking was a fright. $60.00?? You've got to be kidding! Several blocks away from the park and we settled for a $30.00 space in a garage many blocks away from the park.
Now to hot foot it to the park. Well, this was interesting for me and I went the farthest I've gone on foot since my stroke. Good exercise tho. We finally made it to the park with plenty of time to spare. Here we spent a lot of time being pushed and shoved around as others jockeyed for their best position. I can't remember how many times I almost fell and wanted to cuss out the rude pushers and shovers. Oh well, concentrate on the concert! We finally made it in. I took my first escalator ride in years and did fine. We had to hike aways around to get our seats, but were grateful to find our box well under the overhang which cut down on the wind. SF in the summer is not too warm.

Long story short, the concert was all I wished for. I took well over 100 photos, called friends to let them listen and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. I wish I could've shared it all with you. So this is the best I can do.

I love you John

Song for Linda

2010-07-09T19:26:00.000-07:00

Crab!
I was lucky to have a fresh caught crab before the season ended. A friend and my son-in-law went ocean fishing and decided to drop a crab pot. I think they didn't get any fish, but the crab pot was so full they had to return many to the ocean. Look at the gorgeous color! I will try to capture this somehow in my art.

Pair of Bullock Orioles

I've been so lucky to watch this pair of Bullock Orioles make their home on my property. I've been trying to photograph them for weeks now, but today I got my shot. I can't wait to paint them. I love the brightness of the male. I'm hoping to see little ones in the future.

I spent most of yesterday and today machine quilting some charity quilts. And I did it on Mille, my big APQS machine. It took awhile to feel comfortable with the long-arm, but I was able to free-motion simple stitches. Next I'll try a laser image.

Tomorrow I'm off to San Francisco to see Paul McCartney and am really looking forward to seeing him in person after all these years since I saw him in their first SF show at the Cow Palace. I hope we're allowed to take photos. I'll share if I can.
Leave me a comment!

2010-07-06T19:39:00.000-07:00

Crookneck Squash flower

A promise of yummy things to come. I really enjoy the delicate taste of these squash, and to make this art-related, I plan on painting a few of these!

Female Oriole

I've been watching a few pairs of Bullock Orioles feeding at my hummingbird feeders. I've yet to get a photo of one of the gorgeous male birds, brightly colored yellow-orange specimens, one larger than the other. I will definitely be using them in future artworks if I can ever get a couple of good shots.

Peach Segments
t.
I couldn't help drawing there darker peaches that I segmented to eat. They had a wonderful scent and great flavor.

New work

2010-06-30T18:59:00.000-07:00

I don't usually post photos that are not art related. But I have these three miniature Angus steer in my pasture and I couldn't help recording and posting this. They don't look too tiny to me!

Oil painting of my barn road and gate, still unfinished. Drying time, you know.

Paint on fiber. Actually, Caran d'Ache watercolor crayons on Pima cotton to create an ethnic image for a challenge.

Paint on fiber silkscreened on Pima cotton for a piece I'm creating to add to an upcoming challenge.

2010-06-29T21:36:00.000-07:00

Penciled Peaches

After all that fabric dying the last couple of weeks, I haven't had enough energy to do much. So tonite I put pencil to paper to capture the image of the first peaches I purchased this season. I used Caran d'Ache watercolor pencils on soft press watercolor paper and I planned to soften the image with water, but I like it the way it is.

Art = Paint and Fiber

2010-06-24T19:18:00.000-07:00

Sonoma Grasses

I made the 4 little pieces as a color exercise in a Liz Berg design class based on a Liz Berg design.I really liked the way the different color ways gave each piece a different feeling. I liked them so much I decided to mount them together on 12 x 36 canvas that I painted with acrylics. This piece will be exhibited at the Sprint show next month.

I also finished some oil paintings I had critiqued and started a new one. I wish I had more time to paint, but it's hard to do it all!

I've spent the last couple of weeks dying fabrics. I ironed 20 fat quarters one day, dyed more and just washed out 3 loads today. This sure tires me out.

I'm teaching two newbies how to dye tomorrow. Then going to play cards with friends. I'm attending several art demos this weekend so I'll stay a busy girl. Not enough time to do all I want!

Happy Birthday Mag!

Fabulous Fiber

2010-06-02T20:39:00.000-07:00

Want bright?
Some of the fabrics painted with Jacquard DynaFlo in Liz Berg's workshop.

I added metallic to give it a little bling.

I believe this is out of focus, but you get the idea.

This might mix with some shibori-dyed pieces I've been hoarding. All of these pieces and more are painted on a very supple Pima cotton from Dharma and they still have a soft hand. They are for wall art.

Back in the Art World

2010-05-30T19:31:00.001-07:00

Liz Berg

I am getting back in the fiber art world in a color and surface design workshop by Bay Area artist Liz Berg,who is shown strutting her stuff to interested students.

Two whole months since I've blogged!. But I really have an excuse this time. A couple of falls from my "Unbalanced" self left me with a broken collarbone and cracked head with another concussion. But I'm on the mend again and moving on.

Workshop students Selma, Lisel, Nancy, Pat, Eva, and Linda pay attention to the teacher.

Genie and Linda paint fabric

After a day of intensive color theory, we were ready to tackle surface design by painting their fabric. Some of us have used these techniques extensively, others tackled the fabric and Jacquard Dynaflo with a little trepidation.

Fabric drying

We were very lucky to have a gorgeous Sonoma County day after surviving multiple weeks of rain. Half yards of fabric were painted in different colorways and left to dry in the sun.
On to stamp carving, foiling, screen printing and various mark making techniques. What a way to jump back in.!

Peeking - NOT

2010-03-26T18:10:00.000-07:00

Friday, March 26, 2010
Peekin"

I had a great idea for the color challenge. I worked on it again last week and was pretty satisfied with it and took a photo. When I went to upload the photo to the blog, I was aghast. It looked garish and awful. Back to the drawing board. I'm not sure what happened between the original and the photo, maybe I am looking at my work thru rose colored glasses. I write down some goals that have nothing to do with my art. But they are very important to my recovery. I have also beemn reading an interesting book, "The BRAIN that CHANGES ITSELF" by Norman Doidge, M.D. Hello Doctors and therapists, Why aren't you implementing these practices for us? They won't hurt and may HELP! I'm determined to see if they will work for me. Stay tuned...
Posted by Cathy in gorgeous Sonoma County at 5:57 PM

Oil Paintings

2010-02-28T19:38:00.000-08:00

This was an oil painting inspierd by the Maverick's surf championship in Northern California. Even though I never get to see it in person, I imagine huge 30 foot waves conquered by courageos surfers who spend their lives following waves like these. I painted it to the likeness of an amazing photograph, but I was not given permission to exhibit this work. Check our Clark Iittle photos on U-Tube or google him to see his amazing wave photos.

My sister took a photo of this water wheel in Massachusetts on our trip to the East. I've always loved it and am working on lightening a bit, but its on its way.

I'm pretty sure this is the final, and when its dry I will frame it. My friend Augie took the original photo at a Southern Cal mission entry and I've already made a fiber art wall hanging. Great shot.

I love the California coast and was wishing I was there today as our weather was spectular! Clear skies until the next rains come tomorrow. The rain is sure taking a toll on my daffodils, they get knocked down, perk up and get knocked down again. I won't complain after the winter endured by East coasters.

Happy Valentine's Day

2010-02-12T18:56:00.000-08:00

Alex Anderson posted some redwork designs online available for our use. Since beautiful embroidery eludes me, I chose to color the images with Caran d'Ache Supracolor pencils and make Valentine cards.

I made an extra and send to each of my friends. Happy Valentine's Day.

Creating

2010-01-29T12:35:00.000-08:00

Hi guys, another day of rain in "sunny" California. We luckily had sun yesterday and this morning. I needed my bright day fix. I photographed this painter at Fort Ross and made a wall hanging last year. The photo was chosen to be in the exhibition at Houston. I've really been in a painting mood, so here is "Plen Aire Painter",a 9 x 12 oil. I think it's framed to 11 x 14. It mellows me out when I look at it.

My oldest daughter was very intrested in horses until she discovered boys! She rode and jumped English and was fearless. Now she's a mother of three and still fearless.I painted this from a photo and gave it to her for Christmas. It's 18 x 24 mixed media. I think she was touched.

My friend took this picture of a southern California mission entrance while he was on vacation. I really liked it and asked if I could use it for inspiration. The result is an 11 x 14 oil painting I titled "Sanctuary."

I also made an 11 x 17 fiber art wall hanging and it will be on exhibit with "12 Connected". I painted a silkscreen with Caran d'Ache Neocolor II and screened it with textile medium onto muslin. I added it to hand-dyed cotton embellished with painted cheescloth and painted and stamped fabrics.

I have the tv on and I decided I want David Bromstad and his Color Splash crew to come and redo my house! Wouldn't that be nice? Okay, back to work. So now you know I'm staying out of trouble and hope you are too. It would be good to hear from you.

A New Year, New Work

2010-01-02T19:32:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! I spent a quiet Eve with Ryan AND Dick and finally hit the hay around 2am. It was a pleasure to sleep in the next day, although I got an 8 am wakeup from a friend who was in my driveway. EEk! Luckily he stayed there. The roses were one of thr centerpieces I made for my annual Christmas Eve bash. Lots of family and Santa!

This is my glass tree in the family room. I've collected glass ornaments for years and have enough to decorate this whole tree.

My daughters did the honors and decorated the trees. Lights blew out, not once but twice but the end result is a thing of beauty. I wonder when it will come down.

It has been raining here for days. This afternoon I finally saw some blue sky. I worked off and on all season creating first Christmas cards from an old Italian card. I painted silk scarves for my Stitch an B!@#$ friends. I made a Twin-sized dinosaur quilt for my nephew.I spent most time working on 2 paintings. I hope to get pictures soon as I forgot to take pics before I wrapped them. They were both mixed media pictorials. One of my daughter riding English in a show many years ago. I think she liked it. The second was of 2 dogs that belonged to my brother and his wife. A huge yellow lab and a sweet Golden Retriever. Unfortunately the dogs are no longer with us, but were vital members of their family. I saw tears and that could mean anything.

I've been working on my piece for the 12 Connected group. I finished my "Whisper Challenge for SAQA and stitched some UFOs that I'm going to mount on paintd canvas. Pictures later when allowed. I've been reading this year's words on the QuiltArt list and haven't come up with anything new. "Create" has been my mantra for several years and I plan to continue. I'm trying to find some balance between my painting and fiber art.My number one goal is to keep getting better.Thanks to all I've learned from this year.

Famous?

2009-12-08T21:07:00.001-08:00

Well, the magazine "Machine Quilting Unlimited" has an article about quilting with disabilities. I was interviewed for this article, but have,'t read it yet. So if you get it before me, let me know what you think. Oh, and I've been so busy trying to complete Christmas presents so I can't show pics.

Here is the piece I created for SAQA's Art and Science. I didn't get chosen, but I love the piece of the DNA module. It's all hand-dyed fabric and soft edged appliqued. I used Shiva paintsticks as highlighters on the modules. I added silkscreened images of a man and woman after these pics were taken. Machine quilted. I enjoyed doing it.

This is a scan of a Christmas card my Italian grandmother received many years ago. I saved it because I thought it pretty, so I decided to use it this year, and today finished my fiber Christmas postcards and sent them out. This is the first time in many years I've gotten them out on time!

What's New

2009-10-31T18:54:00.000-07:00

Polar Bears on Ice was made for a Pointless Sisters challenge about Water. I started it awhile ago and had very specific instructions to follow. It needed to be blue. Okay, I can do that, so I painted some fabric that looked to me like water. I then fused ice flows and the mommy polar bear and her babies on the ice flow. I painted them to add some texture. I then zig zag quilted around each of the ice flows and echo quilted the water. I added stitches to the sky. I was really happy with this little piece, so off I went to the Pointless Sisters meeting where we planned to lay out these pieces that we were going to hang together to show as one large piece. All of the pieces being laid were landscape. As the pieces were laid out, I had a moment of terror. Landscape! Mine was the only vertically challenged piece. I had somehow missed this on the instructions that I looked at just this morning. So I blamed it on my impaired brain. But I've since realized that even though I read the instructions, I made the piece the way I wanted. Rebel? Who knows. I now have a piece of my own that I can add to a category of political-social consciousness. Since I learned about the effects of global warming, I have felt great empathy for the polar bears, who may cease to exist from the effects of global warming. Because I want others to learn about this, I made another piece. This time landscape!
I am sorry to miss next weekend's SAQA meeting as I get so much inspiration from all the great work coming from our region. I am really looking forward to an oil painting class with Brooks Anderson next week. As much as I enjoy fiber art, I also love to paint. I had time for both today, so I'm a happy camper. I don't get trick or treaters where I live, so everyone enjoy the cute costumes and don't forget to "fall back."

Happenings

2009-10-26T19:46:00.000-07:00

I was going thru some old pictures and came upon this beautiful Christmas card sent to my grandmother by her sister. Obviously, I come from an Italian heritage. I saved it originally because I thought it unusual. I think I will use it in my Christmas wishes this year.

This is the message from the card. I never learned Italian, so hopefully I can get it translated. But while going thru this container of old photos, I found a picture of my mom as a baby (which I won't post here for privacy reasons.) It was a fun trip into the past.
I try not to post about personal issues, but I wanted some ideas how to make this card contemporary.
Today, Linda Morand, Nancy McDermott and I as representatives of the Pointless Sisters went to Napa to meet with some people who were starting their own Art Quilt group. We met several very nice quilters who needed info to get them moving towards a cohesive group. We brought pieces to show and gave as much info as we could about what we do and how we go about it. I introduced them to the Quiltart list and SAQA so I hope we did enough to help them get started. We saw some of their work which was a treat. Tomorrow we meet as Pointless to work out our water challenge. And I'm happy to report I sent 2 applications out for upcoming exhibits. We'll see!

More PIQF

2009-10-18T12:34:00.000-07:00

Some more great quilts at PIQF. This photo is blurry, but maybe you can see why Phyllis Cullen got best use of color with her Pelican wall quilt.

Linda Morand's Yosemite quilt took eight years to complete and is just gorgeous. Try to see it in person if you can it's in the New Quilts of California exhibit.

This is one of Eva Henneberry's quilts. Each of these quilts were made by Studio Art Quilt Associate members. We have creative members in the Northern California region. It's a lazy day for me today. I'm recovering from the last few days of running around (well, not quite running)I spent most of yesterday restocking my studio cabinets that I had emptied to be moved. Now I just have to clean up my work table and my studio will be presentable again. So I can mess it up again...such a vicious cycle. I got my entry into the SAQA Frontiers:Art meets Science and wait hopefully for acceptance. Tomorrow I complete my Pointless Sisters water challenge and then work on some paintings I need to finish. I hope its a good week for all of you.

Pacific International

2009-10-16T22:39:00.000-07:00

So I went to Pacific International today and am once again impressed with the quality of workmanship at this Festival. I heard over and over again from men, (attending with their wives?) that these wonderful pieces were works of ART. I certainly don't need convincing. Congratulations to all who exhibited. These pictures were taken at PIQF and are the property of the artists. So no copying these images! "Hong Kong Taxi" (above) was a first Place winner and its creator Jeanette Jorgenson is a fellow SAQA member. I saw this piece first at a SAQA meeting and loved the perspective in this piece and was delighted to find Jeanette nearby to get her in the photo with her great piece. Liz Berg's One Woman Show was well received. She was there to meet and greet, looked great and had an interested crowd asking lots of questions.

I've liked Eva Henneberry's work for years and really admire her commitment to the planet. Eva is another SAQA member from Northern California and loved by all. Great work, Eva. We're all pulling for you.

I think this piece from Ireland won the World Quilt competition, but if not, I liked it a lot.
I would have liked to post more photos, but my hand was unsteady and I have lots of blurry images. Great work all and go and check out the "Hand Dyed" vendors for some beautiful, rich fabrics.

On the Wall

2009-10-13T22:50:00.000-07:00

Wow, its been a busy month. I sent my largest piece so far, "A Few of my Favorite Things" off to Pacific International. And hung my "Undersea Symphony" at Gary Farell Winery in Healdsburg (Sonoma County wine country). Our Pointless Sisters show at the Sprint Center came down, but we are working on pieces for two upcoming shows. The photo above is just an idea not yet coming to fruition. The background is a piece I dyed some time ago and has been waiting for a design. I don't think this is it.

This is something I've had on my wall for a couple of months and still am not sure what to do with it. I love to discharge fabric and enjoy the surprise of the final colors. I've been spending several hours a day learning the Corel program in a class from Quilt University. I used to be a whiz at this stuff, but I'm really challenged learning this. I've had the program for several years and took a class with Caryl Fallert but then had the stroke that stopped everything for so long. It's slow going but I'm determined to learn it.

This photo is a peek at a corner of a piece that I finished painting tonight. I dyed the fabrics for the base colors I wanted and fused the pieces in place. Then I painted in some detail with Shiva oil paintstiks. It's mostly quilted, but I plan on adding a bit more surface design. If it is accepted in an upcoming SAQA show, I'll post a picture of it.
I'm also trying to keep up with my painting on canvas. I'm currently working on a good-sized acrylic and a small oil. I need more hours in the day. I promised myself I'd try to post something this week and I met that goal. I was really lucky that I had power all day. This storm really blew and thousands are without power all over the bay area. We really need the rain and we got it. Record amounts! Off to bed.

Works Out and About

2009-09-28T20:29:00.000-07:00

I finally was able to get this up. It seems Blogger wanted me to resign an agreement and I missed it.So my piece in this picture is a red doghouse with my 2 Bichons resting comfortably. It was a challenge to benefit an organization that trains dogs for the disabled. Right up my alley!

Oh well, I seem not to be a very good blogger. I've been doing quite a bit of painting. On canvas, on cabinets and on doors.
No pics yet, even though I brought my camera into my studio. but
i do have some news about what I've been up to. I have a quilt on display at the Rocky Nountain Quilt Museum. (Cool!)I have two pieces on exhibit at Soft Expressions Gallery in Anaheim, and the Sprint Center And I have my largest piece so far going to Pacific International. I've had a photograph chosen to be exibited at the International Quilt Festival in Houston, and, if I can get this photo uploaded, I can show you a piece on display at the American Sewing Exposition. I've been interviewed for a printed piece about disabled quilters in Machine Quilting magazine. I'm also exhibiting in group shows at Gary Farell Winery and next year at Moshin Winery and Rincon Valley Library. So even though I am horrible about blogging, I am working hard. For some reason, I cannot post these pics. I'm currently working on a discharged piece that has been on my design wall for a couple of months. I'm still teaching monthly at one of my groups, so I'm staying out of trouble!
Update:
I was so lucky to have a friend come over to help me set up my large Epson. I purchased it, used, before my stroke. So it's been sitting for over 4 years. I know I have power to it, but need to get a USB cable connection for it. I can't wait to use it! Thanks, Helen. That's the good news. The bad news is I spilled a can of dark walnut stain on my family room area rug and it seeped thru to my bamboo flooring. I was able to get it off the floor without staining but the rug is trashed. Off to the dumps with that. Thanks again Helen. So no art today. But I'll be working on it tomorrow.

I am So Bad!

2009-07-30T18:20:00.000-07:00

I spend late afternoons catching up on the SAQA groups site and the QuiltArt List and a few other personal sites. By the time I've finished, there seems to be nothing left for ME! It is not self-doubt or frustration as to why I do not blog more often. It may be just plain laziness, but I blame it on tiredness. I finished a piece that I wanted to submit to New Quilts of Northern California, but my images printed out horribly (so much so that I refuse to send them. And now I'm out of photo paper and the images are not printing accurately. But I will post them anyway.
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The colors are all messed up. The background is a rich green vision of background trees and shrubs.

They seem to retai their color on the monitor. Maybe I need a new printer?
But I've also been making several redwork kitchen towels for 2 bridal showers. I have both a niece and nephew tying the knot in the coming months. One shower down, one to go!

Painted Fabric

2009-07-13T14:37:00.000-07:00

I've spent the last three weeks trying to solve a major computer crash, so Saturday's paint day was a refreshing change. British quilt artist Maureen Thomas, www.aquiltartist.com, is here visiting friends Judy Mathieson and Pat Scoville, so Judy decided to have a paint party/class and twelve lucky Sonoma County quilt artists were treated to Maureen's fabric paint techniques. Maureen uses Jacquard's DynaFlow paints and talk about instant gratification! I usually dye fabrics and use paints as a surface design, but because the paint dries quickly in the California sun and it requires no batching, fabric can be painted and used the same day!

Creasing diagonally and applying paint to the tops of the wet pieces created this effect. Little splotches of iridescent paint were dripped over the paint. Our day included a British lunch which consisted of cucumber-salmon sandwiches, tomato and watercress, basil and chicken. No crusts! Wonderful scones with lemoon curd. The British don't drink iced tea, Maureen said.

I used Liquitex fluid acrylics on my pieces. I didn't water them down as we were working on wet fabric but I found Maureen's fabric has a nicer hand so I'll try watering them down next time.

The Liquitex reacted exactly like Setacolor on my sun prints and that is a good thing to know. Dynaflow does the same. These are Nandina leaves from Judy's garden. I also printed her fern fronds.

Freezer paper resists work well also. The freezer paper was ironed on before painting. They allow the paint to wick under the paper for a soft edge. The stars were added after painting. See how sharp those edges are.

Another good piece of news, My piece "New Moon Created" has been chosen to tour with the SAQA "Fibrations" exhibit. Computer complaints: Can't find my quilt log anymore since the crash. Or my pictures, but I can't recreate those. Oh well, Back to creating art tomorrow!

Fiber Art Portfolio

2009-06-09T21:02:00.000-07:00

This is the cover of my self-published "portfolio", a compilation of some of my fiber art pieces. I happened by an art supply store that was having some items on clearance. I found this jewel of a program on the table. It is called "Storyteller" by Epson. It retailed for over $30.00, but I paid significantly less for it.

The back cover includes even more photos of my work.

So, the program creates great images of the photos of your work to include in the book.

I don't know where to get it anymore. If you areinterested, try googling Epson.

Yesterday's post that I never uploaded:
No new art today, although I may do some pencil sketching after this post. I spent the day watering my front yard and my Earth Boxes, my attempt at growing vegetables on my deck in these special boxes. Then I sat in the sun and read a part of Mark McEwen's book, "Change in the Weather, Life After Stroke". It is interesting how lives cross paths. Me, a former television producer crossed paths with Mark, a former television personality, both felled by a stroke at a fairly young age. I'm not far enough into the book to make any judgements, but it sure brings back memories of the early days of my stroke. I don't remember much from the first days, but I am so grateful for the friends I nicknamed "the peanut gallery" who came to visit me in rehab and kept my spirits up. I know, without a doubt, that I would not have progressed as far without their support. Thanks again, my faithful friends.
I visited a fellow artist on an Open Studios weekend. Gen Zorich included a fabulous jewelry designer and a watercolor artist at her open studio so visitors got a "three for one" visit. It was a great idea and well-recieved by visitors .
Sunday, I visited and worked at the Santa Rosa Quilt Show. My art pieces were well-received. This show was excellent! There were over 400 pieces on display and many vendors to tempt our checkbooks and credit cards. I was good and only purchased two pieces, an oriental panel and a fun black and white piece from Aiko's Asian Fabrics, www.aikosasianfabric.com, a delightful booth of wonderful pieces

Art and needles

2009-06-05T21:34:00.000-07:00

It's June already! goodness this year has flown. This weekend is the Santa Rosa Quilt Show and Sale. So, if you are available, head on over to the Veterann's Hall in Santa Rosa for a great show. I have four pieces being exhibited. The Obama tote bag, the vineyards piece. Counting crosses, which didn't make it in to Sacred Threads. These areall on previous posts. The fourth piece is a partial collection of Art postcards I recieved after my stroke and some from a swap I participated in a f
few years ago.

I bought a bunch of artichokes this week. They looked so captivating that I had to draw them. This is a colored pencil drawing. I got so relaxed while doing it, that I think I'm going to be doing more of these.

This is a portion of the large wall=hanging I'm doing. I's almost finished, I have to make one more dragonfly. It is the first piece I've done for myself and it will be part of an exhibition later this year.
I just remembered that I never took photos of my portfolio book, but I'm "too pooped to pop" now. I had my first acupuncture treatment today. It seems to have taken some pain from my neck. I'm hopeful it will balance me out.

Dog House

2009-05-21T21:25:00.000-07:00

Dog House is a small, 12" X 12" piece completed for a Breaking Traditions challenge benefiting Bonnie Berguin's school for dogs for the disabled. The theme is "home" and the quilts will be posted online and then travel to different venues. Ihe doghouse is a depiction of Charles Schulz "Snoopy" doghouse to honor Mr. Schulz who lived close to me and was a huge supporter of Ms. Berguin's efforts. The dogs are painted versions of my Bichons. Enjoy.
I'm still trying to complete my large quilt and I just completed a printed portfolio. Pictures of that later.

Dyed Paper Towels

2009-04-28T20:30:00.000-07:00

I save not only my paper towels from dyeing, but I'm not too embarrased to ask fellow dyers for theirs, even at a Carol Soderland workshop as these were from. They are fused to Timtex.

I haven't had a lot of time to play with this as I'm working on my big wall art, but I can't wait. What fun!

GARDEN GALORE

2009-04-26T18:37:00.001-07:00

Sometimes lemons make lemonade. After a nasty fall yeaterday, I had to kick back and let my head recover. So this morning I shot some of my garden. My back yard includes lovely wisteria.

The daffodils are long gone, bue they were a cheery site.
Pride of Madeira is the common name for these coastal beauties. They line the bank along my dreveway. Also drought tolerant, they require little care unless frozen. That happened many years ago when the temp dropped to 13 degrees. The seeds survived and they came back beautifully. I am going for a no work garden, hence the flagstones and cactus rose, also drought resistant. I would love to have acres of lavender, sweet smelling and it definitely attracts the bees.
tomorrow a trip to the ocean and then a Liz Berg lecture and trunk show. Inspiration!

Crime Scene

2009-04-22T19:26:00.000-07:00

The back story:
Four local (SF Bay Area)police officers were shot and killed one day last month. It is a real tragedy and affected me personally because I have several family members in law enforcement and public service. A cousin is a police sargeant. My sister works
in the behavioral unit, my father was a deputy sheriff, a nephew is in the
police academy, and my brother is a firefighter. So this story made me think of the dangers public servants face every day.
I overdyed commercial fabric for the background. I then discharged the scope
sight in the center. I stamped the crime scene letters on hand-dyed fabric and
foiled the police badges. I then fused the black "grieving" strips over the
badges and printed the names (with paint pens)of the four officers after
stitching them down. I used Fabrico pens to write around the scope sight "I saw
the news today, Oh Boy."

I hope to complete this piece tomorrow. And as you can see, I am so encouraged by all your wonderful words. I'm also sending my congratulations to a fellow guild member Vicki David who got a second place on her first try at Padukah. Her piece is exquisite.

ONWARD

2009-04-21T18:56:00.001-07:00

This is one of the pieces I've been playing with this week. Hand-dyed fabric, paint-stamped images, foiled. I like the way this turned out although I have to clean up the exterraneous foiling.

It took me all day to load this on my longarm. I really need this other arm to come to the party! I actually quilted 2 small quilts last week for our community service project and have a couple more to finish. But this is a piece I've been working on for a couple of years. It is painted silk, with appliqued images--- so far. I wanted to add texture to the background before appliqueing my other images. Stay Tuned!

2009-04-09T19:39:00.000-07:00

Success! not the transfers, just the ability to post them.

I'll try again another day. I used hp premium inkjet transparency film cause I had it on hand. And Golden regular gel medium. I'll get some help from somewhere...

The day wasn't a total loss, I made my chocolate coconut nests for Easter.

Happy Easter

2009-04-09T15:34:00.000-07:00

With all the talk on the quilt art list about blogging, I figured it is time to post. So Happy Easter and if you don't celebrate, then, happy day. These postcards are going out in today's mail to family and friends. They are fused with Liquifuse on Timtex.

I tried inkjet transfer today and wasn't satisfied with the results, but it was my first attempt.

I tried to post the inkjet pics but there's a problem uploading. I'll try later.

What do You Think?

2009-03-11T19:30:00.000-07:00

I can't take credit for these pieces. They were designed by Liz Berg for her collages series and used by her students for her Advanced Design online class. The exercise was to take one of Liz's pieces and recreate using the same shapes but with different color combinations.

The first shows a triadic color scheme. The next shows texture. Then comes monochromatic, and then using plain solids.
Then look at the differences and decide which is a better piece of art and why.

What do you think?

I found this exercise to be helpful in showing what a difference a change in fabric could make.

Give it a try.

"The River" premieres

2009-03-08T19:20:00.000-07:00

Today, our 20 foot-long sliced quilt, "The River" premiered at the Sebastopol Center for the Arts Film Festival where quilts, and a film highlighting women in the Arts were showm to honor Women's month. There are 20 - 12" x 36" slices of this panoramic scene. I happen to be #17, 4th from the end.

Try as I might, I couldn't figure out how to make these photos look like a panoramic shot. I've posted them in order so you can get an idea of how they span the 20 feet.

Many of these pieces are painted. The first piece, by Genie Becker, shows the fog-shrouded cliffs of the Sonoma Coast. It is spectacular in person.

I love the umbrellas that are 3-D, done beautifully by Nancy Mc Dermott. I'm missing a piece here, I think.

The following photo shows the artists. I would name them all here, but my short-term memory lapse is showing itself. I apologize to all for this.

New Exhibit

2009-02-20T20:50:00.000-08:00

Please support this project. This is the first exhibit of this large piece. I am also included in a show at Rincon Valley Library March 30 through April 27. I will be exhibiting a small butterfly piece, as well a a larger piece, "Unbalanced". Both of these pieces are hand-dyed or painted by me. And I am currently working on several pieces for Liz Berg's Advanced Design class. I'm off!

Current Exhibits

2009-02-20T20:06:00.000-08:00

This image is mine from the Black and White Challenge. It features elephants. These are huge yet mystical beings who seem to have a connection to each other and relate to each other even when death intervenes. Amazing creatures of whom I have the utmost respect. This is a detail image. Full shot of fiber art piece is below. This is a commercial fabric I purchased years ago because of my affinity with these mammals.

Trees and Birds is my second Textile art piece in the Black and White Exhibit now touring the country. It is currently showing at the MidAtlantic Quilt Festival.

My Vineyards exhibit just closed at Moshin Winery. Next on tap is Along The Russian River exhibit at Sebastopol Center for the Arts.

Submersed in Art

2009-02-08T21:37:00.000-08:00

How about the newest picture of my niece? She is adorable (and will be greeting a sibling this summer). It just makes me smile and want to snuggle up with something. So I'm wrapped in a comfy shawl, warmed by a cozy fire and ruminating on the last weeks. I've been extremely lucky to live in the SF bay area where two creative regional meetings were held. SAQA (Studio Art Quilt Associates) regional held the yearly weekend meeting and Marion Coleman gave an inspiring and instructive lecture and trunk show of her public art projects. Show and tell was eye candy and inspirational. Today, I journeyed to SF for the SDA (Surface Design Association) regional meeting held at a member's loft in an artist's building. That was inspiration in itself. The encaustic textile artist Daniella Woolf gave a presentation of her work. I have been familiar with this medium for several years, as I have a friend (Lisa Schoutsen) who paints in encaustic and attended another demo in encaustic painting at AWS (Artist's Workshop of Sonoma County). I like the process, but, as Carol Larsen says, " I work in textiles because I love the feel they create." Me too. There were several Sonoma County artists present, some of whom shated gorgeous work). And last, but not least, I spent the last two weeks working in a small series for Liz Berg's Advanced Design class (See previous post). I'm not completely finished, but have a good start. I found it amazing what I learn about myself as I work on my pieces. And working like this led me to fashion my ideas about a very personal piece I've wanted to do for years, and have finally found the courage to begin.
My thanks to those who comment publicly or privately and provide the encouragement I need. And now my finger is tired, plus Paul Mc Cartney is on the Grammys. Till next time.

Advanced Design

2009-02-06T18:16:00.000-08:00

I created four pieces as an assignment for Liz Berg's Advanced Design class. We were to create 4 or 5 small pieces in a series. I chose to continue my spirals. None of these pieces is finished yet, but one is actually hand-quilted. I didn't work too small. I can't seem to do that anymore. Is thst a good or bad thing? Three pieces use my hand-dyes. The black & white is commercial. It's a great class and I'm looking forward to our next assignment.

Freedom - SAQA Trunk Show

2009-01-25T20:02:00.000-08:00

"Freedom" is the realization of a dream. A Democratic President willing to bring values back to the American people and the world. I sure hope it works. So I got my photo uploeded in time, but I misread the call and trimmed my piece to 8X8 inches. Oh no! That's the size of the opening and I needed aminimum of 9 inches square. I blame it on my stroke. I blame all my missteps on my stroke. Maybe I need to pay more attention or get someone to help me. I get confused so easily now. Oh well, I was hoping to get a place in SAQA history. Not thistime, but I'm sure proud of those who will make it. (congrats Carol, Jill and the others)

O's for Obama

2009-01-19T20:10:00.000-08:00

I'm sure these circles are really O's, since today is inauguration eve and I am sending my best wishes to President Obama. I did this piece for Liz Berg's Advanced Design online class. Every media I see or hear is all about tomorrow's ceremonies, and rightfully so. I was in my teens for JFK's ceremony and subsequent tragedy. I wept for Bobby and Martin Luther King. To be alive to see this history is remarkable.
I watched the concert and was so proud of all the talented performers and of the huge crowds. I am hoping everything stays peaceful.
The piece is mt hand-dued cottons and is quilted with Superior Neon Orange.

Viva Vino

2009-01-07T23:19:00.000-08:00

I posted this picture several weeks ago, but it needed work, so I redid parts of it. I got some excellent suggestions from Quiltart members. The finished piece is below. What do you think?

I even changed the name from Autumn Splendor to Viva Vino

This piece is being exhibited at Moshin Winery, Healdsburg, CA thru February. Stop by if you are in the area.

I jist finished watching the Barbara Walters special on Patrick Swayze and his wife Lisa. Boy, if anyone needs inspiration on how to deal with tragedy, this will help. The man is amazingly courageous and BW did a great interview.

A Great Old Broad

2009-01-01T19:25:00.000-08:00

A Great Old Broad?
Bette Davis, a real original woman. Another collage piece, just for fun. Where on earth did that saying come from and why were women called "Broads?" I suppose I should look that up on the web someday. But for right now I'm just happy I posted two days in a row. I finished appliqueing my landscape piece today and added a bit more painted details. I'd take a photo, but I've got both dogs nestled at my feet, lying on a nice warm blanket I've got draped over my knees. I heard the sun shone somewhere in California today, but not here. It was another day shrouded in fog, cold and clammy. Now I'm off to work on the web site. Thanks for stopping by.

WELCOME 2009

2009-01-01T00:28:00.000-08:00

A trip to the East Coast in the Fall. It's somewhere in Connecticut or Massachusetts, I'm not sure which, but it is gorgeous. Happy New Year everyone. I just rang in the New Year with Ryan and Carson, Fergie and Kelly. Sometimes television is the best thing. It was only 19 degrees in New York. I freeze here when it's forty!
Here's to a great year ahead. The past: I've got several projects on my design walls that I am determined to complete soon, The present: I've been working on creating my very own web site. The future: I've yet to put goals on paper, but I have a few specific ones in mind.But now that it's 2009, I need to get some sleep!

Collage Mania"Collage Mania"

2008-12-30T22:16:00.000-08:00

These are samples of some of the images I've been playing with for "Collage Mania" for Fiberart for a Cause. I still have work to do, but they are coming along. Digital images, paint, Caran d'ache neocolors, some hand-dyed and commercial fabric are used. I think some stamping is in order; that might be next.

The holidays were great and then the dreaded birthday. I knew I shared it with Melody Johnson but found I also share it with Denzel Washington. Good company to be in.

I also did more painting on a piece for an upcoming show and then I was going to quilt some. But then I got terrible cramps in my good hand. I got cramps again tonite while I was cropping these photos. Does anyone else have this problem? Any solutions? It sure put a dent in my great plans to finish things. Oh, and Happy and Healthy New Year to all.

Holiday greetings

2008-12-23T21:59:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas to all! The picture is of a glass ornament on my all glass tree. (ornaments only) I've been collecting glass ornaments for many years with the goal of dressing a tree in only spun glass ornaments. Well, I reached my goal a few years ago and enjoy the family room tree. My living room tree is filled with ornaments collected from around the world, and many were gifts from friends. I always enjoyed unwrapping them and remembering the giftor. I ran out of time to get my Christmas postcards done and sent, but completed my presents, which included chenille scarves, painted and stamped tee shirts, a handbag and the wallhanging shown below. I have to get a better picture of it. The wallhanging was received with tears of gratitude, so I think she really liked it! And of course, I tried my best to help outthe economy, but was careful in my spending. I host a large gathering on Christmas eve, so I'm pretty tired after cooking all day. I hope everyone enjoys their special holidays. And some of us have birthdays coming up this week. Some even share a birthday! Happy Birthday Melody! And have a creative New Year.

Oh Deer

2008-12-12T20:42:00.000-08:00

Remember the cute pair of twins that were born on my property? Well, I have been enjoying them. Yesterday I noticed the circling vultures and later found that they were feeding on a dead fawn. Today there seemed to be many more buzzards (vultures) flying around and they were driving my dogs nuts. When I finally finished my seven hour marathon of sewing, I looked out my kitchen window and saw several of the buzzards under a tree and many more waiting on tree branches. It was like a horror movie. The worst part is that they were feeding on the other fawn. I don't know how or why they died. They had lost their spots and grown by leaps and bounds. They had plenty of food and water. In spite of my sadness at their deaths, it was interesting to see the circle of life in action. I had never seen this side of life. It is rather haunting.

So here is the fiber art piece I finished. It will be given at Christmas and now I have to finish the rest of the gifts. Happy holidays!

Tag, You're it.

2008-12-08T21:28:00.000-08:00

Ghinko tree in full autumn splendor. I've been watching the change with wonder and joy. This ghinko was recently planted in an old pinot noir wine barrel in my front yard as the last three I planted in the ground were ravaged by gophers. I know they deserve to live, but when they take my prize roses and expensive trees, I'm all for capital punishment of the little critters.

I've been tagged by Carol Larson and I have duties to perform. The five bloggers I must tag will follow, but I must say that I would tag Rayna Gillman, except Carol beat me to it. Her blogs are instructive and informative, and her book is excellent.

Here's what I must do:

1. The winner may put the logo on her blog.

2. Put a link to the person you got the award from in your blog.

3. Nominate 5 blogs.

4. Put links to the blogs.

5. Leave a message for your nominees.

Here are my choices:

Liz Berg just blows me away with the amount of work she produces, and she willingly shares it on her blog and with readers of her various articles in quilting publications.

Jane Davila is another blogger who is fun to read. Her "Chary Sprouts" blogis filled with information and amusements. In her book, "Art Quilts At Play", she and Elin Waterson set out a course of instruction that is great for the novice art quilter and a good reminder for the rest of us.

Gloria Hansen shares her wealth of knowledge of digital media in her blog and in her newly-published book "Digital Essentials." She design beautiful quilts on the computer.

Jamie Fingal frequently delights on her Twisted Sister blog. She comes up with great ideas for gifts and I get a kick out of her use of embellishments.

Kay Sorenson has kept my interest with her Quilts Plus Color blog. She is not afraid to try new things and even shares her mistakes.

So all you bloggers out there, check out those great sites if you haven't found them already.

Last nite I went to the opening reception by the Petaluma Arts Council where I have a piece hung in this exhibit. There were onlt two other fiber pieces. It was so crowded I couldn't take pictures

Autumn colors

2008-11-14T20:52:00.000-08:00

Autumn vineyards is my latest work. It is not completed yet and I am actively requesting critiques. Also, check out this site: http://dianedidit.com/stayathome.html. It chronicles the pieces made for the Ami Simms Alzheimer's challenge by those of us who didn't get to Houston. And if I don't get back to my blog, Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Yes, we can and we did!

2008-11-05T19:34:00.000-08:00

I'm smiling along with a lot of the world and now hope we all will work together to make this a better place. We need each other to move forward.

Alzheimer's Quilts Plus

2008-11-02T19:36:00.000-08:00

I had to start with this photo. This is my grand niece, Addison. There is a photo of her baby quilt in a previous post. She is one of the prettiest babies I've ever seen, si I thought I'd share her with you all.

This has been an interesting and productive week. At Tuesday's Pointless Sisters meeting, we played with stamping fabric. I brought dyed, discharged and overdyed fabric to play with. I also brought my own handmade stamps. This piece includes fabric stamped previously. New pictures at another time. This is one of my Alzheimer's Quilts for AAQI. It is hand-dyed, stamped and painted fabric fused and soft-edged applique. I called it Sailing thru Life. If only we could.

IThis is another one of my Alzheimer's Quilts for AAQI. Paradise is Not Lost. It is hand-dyed and painted fabric fused and soft-edged applique. A message of hope.

Another AAQI quilt. Circle of Life. Hand-dyed and commercial fabric, fused and soft edged applique. With a gorgeous piece of rusted fabric from Lois Jarvis, donated specifically for AAQI.She also is dinating $5.00 per quilt using her Rust-Tex fabric and registered before 11/5. I made the cut-off date.

On Thursday I attended a Community Service "retreat" with guild members. I quilted 2 baby quilts and 6 doll quilts, all of which will be donated to needy families and children. Our group is very active and has donated 1050 quilts so far this year. Some go to Wounded Warriors, others to YMCA shelters and hospitals. If you ever need to purge your stash, our group would welcome the donation. Everything is put to good use.
On Friday, I attended a wonderful lecture and demonstration by Claudio Jiminez Quispe, a Peruvian artist who specializes in creating Retablos. The pieces he created for this exhibit focused on Day of the Dead scenarios and some Frida Kahlo works. He will be exhibiting and teaching next at Shasta College in California. Check their website for info. He does amazing work with few tools (small toothpick, large toothpick and small knife). There were also beautiful alters done by various artists included in the exhibit. I learned a lot about the creation of the Retablos and the tradition of the Dead ceremonies.

Bath Time

2008-10-26T20:47:00.000-07:00

Bath time for Bichons.The actual bath only takes about 20 minutes each. But it takes hours to comb outthese fluff balls. This is a chore I used to love doing. Now I can only help. My daughter Vickie was a champ and did most of the work. Her daughter Sierra added her own two cents to the way we were doing it. These two Bichons are mother, Sylvie, top photo and daughter Allie (short for Allez vous mademoiselle, which means "You go girl.". I will make a fiber art piece about them one day.

EPU II Cultures in Cloth

2008-10-25T18:57:00.000-07:00

EPU II challenge and artist statement.

ABILITY WITH DISABILITY
My photo-transfer collage features a Sonoma County sunrise, my love of horses, the strength of my Italian grandmother, the wisdom of my Irish/English mother. I actively participate in my world . I’m now “Unbalanced” ( my quilt title in the collage) but my art is still my passion in spite of my disablity.

Look at this cool rusted fabric from Rustex by Lois Jarvis. It will be used for the Alzheimer's auction after I use it in my piece. Lois is donting $5.00 to the cause for every piece registered. Hooray, Lois. I have a couple of pieces finished and an idea for this one.

Header Edit

2008-10-24T00:31:00.000-07:00

"Unbalanced" came home from the Pacific International Quilt Show with really good comments from the judges. I knew I wouldn't get a ribbon because my techniques are under par now (damn stroke). I was so stoked to see my quilt hung on a space all bt itself. Usually, they've been hung with other pieces. This time I had my own space and it just popped! I was told that means they liked it. Cool. I put new batteries in my camera the nite before and then left the camera on my kitchen counter. (damn stroke or old age?)

"Trees and Birds" was created for a Black and White online challenge. It will also be exhibited in two International shows next year. I don't have the dates yet.

The trees and large birds are made from original stencils and painted with Shiva Oil sticks on cotton. silk and organza. It also has tulle and window screen overlay.

"Asian Elephants" is the second piece in the above challenge. These pieces will also be exhibited in a few galleries. Dates and places to come.

I've finished a piece for "Cultures in Cloth" today. It is a five-layer reverse applique. I need to photograph it and send it off. I also finished a piece for Ami Sims Alzheimer's project and have another started. They will be auctioned for research funds. These are small pieces and fun to do. I need to finish my butterflies quilt, butI think I am making a change on it.

I tried to edit my Blogger header with this gorgeous sunrise, but it came out too big. I've tried to fix it to no avail. Any suggestions?

I'm still painting and am working on a piece but haven't gotten it right yet.

Well, it's after 1 am and I'm finally sleepy. Good Night!

Stolen photos

2008-10-07T21:25:00.000-07:00

No pictures tonite. I'm trying to unravel the mystery of who is stealing others' pictures for their own gain. Mine wasn't the only piece ripped off. I recognized paintings of Melody Johnson and Elin Pendleton and Lots of others works that didn't belong to the person who posted. Unfortunately, I don't have much to go on as I deleted the email when it locked up my laptop. My time wasted!

2008-10-01T20:40:00.000-07:00

I entered an online challenge, which, if I'm juried in, will be exhibited in at least 4 locations over 2 years. These are just details of each. They really show nothing, bit I remembered to post a photo. I'm horrible at posting. I'm not sure why. I used to write for a living. Maybe it's the one-hand thing. Frustrating as.... you know what. I've been getting my studio back together. Finally! Pictures to come. I'm still working on my fine art painting as well as finishing up some fiber pieces I've been working on for what seems like forever. I never got my auction piece into SAQA. I found it yesterday almost complete. I'll try to remember it for next year. There are some fine small compositions in there. VP debate tomorrow nite. Can't wait. Tina Fey will have enough work for a year.

Painting Paradise

2008-09-11T00:14:00.000-07:00

My brother and sister-in-law have fallen in love with Hawaii and recently redecorated their room with faux painted walls and a tropical theme. They were looking for something with a tropical theme for an empty space on their wall. I offered to check with my art group if anyone had anything like that available. I was in the mood to paint and thought, why not? So here is the almost finished piece. The flash really dimmed down the brilliant colors. What do you think?

I also basted 2 art quilts and hope to get them stitched tomorrow for the black and white challenge.

David Letterman had Obama on tonite. Excellent and thoughtful questions and answers.

A Lovely Day

2008-09-05T20:42:00.000-07:00

I spent an absolutely lovely day at San Francisco's Legion of Honor Museum. Those who know San Francisco know that it is frequently shrouded in fog. A wonderful heat spell is currently bathing the bay area in warmth and the views of the Golden Gate Bridge were spectacular.

We were greeted with blazing bursts of orange, yellow and red glass twisting and shimmering in the sunlight. Dale Chiluly's glass-blown sculptures are amazing.

The Legion also offeres a large blue piece which must stand close to 15 - 20 feet tall.

The piece that really caught my eye is a large three piece chandelier which hung from a domed glass ceiling. Fabulous!

We went to see the Women's Impressionists exhibit. We were not allowed to photograph anything, but I carry the images with me. If you can, get to San Francisco to see this amazing exhibit. Mary Cassat, Berte Morrisy, Eva Gonzalez and another whose name I unconveniently forgot.

We had time to visit the main galleries, where I found Rodin, Cezanne. Picasso and Sissely among others.

Horrible photography, but you get the idea. I've spent the rest of my time recreating my studio. It's an enormous amount of work and I really wish I had 2 working arms.

A little shaking going on in the Bay Area. A 4.2 earthquake just shook us up. Just a big jolt. No damage here.

A very late dinner awaits . Enough for now.

Fawning All over

2008-08-27T21:51:00.000-07:00

Today I completed the lining for the Obama market bag but nothing was as interesting as visiting with the newest inhabitants on my property.

Their mother had been around for a couple of months, but I couldn't tell if she was pregnant. I've got the answer!

They are quite cute and haven't touched my roses yet. I haven't seen mom for a week and I hope she is out with her boyfriend as hunting season opened last week. Don'cha love the spots on their backs?

I spent yesterday at a Pixeladies www.pixeladies.com demonstration with my Pointless Sisters group. I arranged the demo and we invited guild members to attend. We learned so much about digital printing on fabric and had a great many laughs. They are not only fiber artists and designers, they do great custom printing. I've seen their work and I recommend them.

I missed Bill Clinton's speech tonite. I was so bummed. Joe Biden did a great job. It's a good ticket. We've got to get the vote out. Off to bed!

Breaking Traditions piece previewed

2008-08-20T19:47:00.000-07:00

Check out the Breaking Traditions Blog for its preview of my Maya Angelou piece, "Still I Rise."

Or check it out here!

Garden Delights

2008-08-18T21:06:00.000-07:00

I tried to upload pictures 3 times and Blogger seems to have a problem. I had a horrible day today trying to rework my black & white piece. Nothing accomplished except frustration. So I took a lunch break and visited my "garden" and picked 2 fresh tomatoes. Luscious to look at; yummy in the tummy.

(Okay, the 4th time was a charm.)

I started gardening in Earth Boxes several years ago when I hurt my knee. They are a godsend now, as I cannot work in a garden since my stroke. I've got them lined up on my deck. I had fresh strawberries the last two mornings (2 boxes). I have four tomato plants, (2 boxes) six pepper plants (1 box) 3 crookneck squash (1 box). green onions (1 box) and a box with basil and beets. It is so nice to step out and pick fresh, organic produce.

So after lunch, I took out my pastels and worked on a tree study. I'll post a pic if Blogger fixes itself. Better luck tomorrow on me black & white.

Thanks for all the gracious comments on the Obama totebag.

Vote 2008

2008-08-16T19:59:00.000-07:00

So. When I go shopping, my public knows my politics. One of my Art quilt groups (Pointless Sisters) have a challenge going to make some kind of green shopping bag. So I decided to combine the challnge with my desire to have Obama elected. Someone on the Art Quilt list posted about a Move On challenge. Maybe I'll check it out. I stencilled the letters with Shiva paint sticks and painted the photo with Setacolor paints. I made extra long handles as I need to shlep things over my shoulder on my good arm, or else everything hits the floor.

I was extra lazy today and watched movies. I had lower intestinal ouchies which seem to have made their way out of my system. I plan to work on my Black and White challenge tomorrow. I'm supposed to be working on my Olympic challenge but the marathon is so boring, I'm bailing until something more exciting comes along.

An aside, the baby quilt above was delivered last night and was well received. Thank goodness! Ta ta till next time.

Silver Medal, Addison's quilt

2008-08-14T23:43:00.000-07:00

It's finished! But I only get a silver medal because I haven't put on the label yet. and I can't seem to sew a straight seam. I wonder what's up with that? I challenged myself to do this and it's done.

I'm only surviving the Olympics because I'm taking a nap during the day. These late nights are getting to me. It's been hot during the day and I can't seem to handle the heat as well as I used to. I'll blame it on my stroke, because God forbid if it has anything to do with age.

Well, at least I got something on my blog. Does anyone care?

Just Moving Along

2008-08-13T23:52:00.000-07:00

The piece to the left was one I made for Quiltswap. Since it got cancelled this year, I'll put it away for another day.

I'm moving along with my Olympic challenge. I marked my circles for stitching. My circles are as unbalanced as I am. I wonder how it will turn out?

I have the basics of the new baby quilt stitched and should finish it tomorrow, a day ahead of schedule! Of course I spent most of today stitching it. I need a life.

The kimono piece below was made for an oriental exhibit at a local winery. The silk is directly from Japan and came in a 14 inch wide roll. That is how kimono slk is produced. It is interesting to work with.

Enough for tonite. Oops it's early morning. Night all.

Baby quilt for Jemberee

2008-08-12T21:49:00.000-07:00

I completed this quilt for a baby adopted from Ethiopia. I added her picture on several places on the quilt so as she grows, she may be delighted to find herself on her "blankie".

I started the quilt for Friday's shower. I remembered a Judy Cisneros pattern, but I coulddn't find it in my files. So I'm trying to do it from memory. Wish me luck.

I'm working on my Olympic challenge as I watch. I sure hope Phelps does it. They are sure hyping it. Why can't the male volleyball teams play without shirts? I would be more interested.

Sneak peek

2008-08-11T22:17:00.000-07:00

I'm well into my Olympic challenge. I doubt if I'll medal. Just completing the challenge on time would be great. Just watching the athletes is exciting. If they can do it, I can do it!

I got a baby shower invitation for THIS Friday. Can I come up with something by then? It's for a little girl. I just finished an original piece for my neighbor's first grandchild. I think I showed the basic design some time ago, but of course I added to it. I'll get a new picture tomorrow. If I pull this off, I should get a gold. Off to sketch...

I'm back again

2008-08-10T23:35:00.000-07:00

Since I've been watching the Olympic coverage, I thought I would try to work on a special project only during the Olympics. I've finished a few pieces since my last post. I never think I have much to say. But I enjoyed the pageantry of the opening ceremonies and have been keeping up with some of the sports. The men's relay just finished and I was actually glued to the screen. What a finish!! So the good can balance the bad. I was sorely disappointed with the news that a certain presidential candidate had cheated on his wife and lied and lied over and over to the American people denying his transgression. He was the candidate I really wanted to win the nomination. Now, do I question not only his judgement, but my own?

Another good thing happening is that I'm finally getting my studio back. It will take awhile to get it all back together, but I am stoked.

I had my latest piece critiqued at our regional SAQA meeting (great critiques by Susan Else, Carol Larson and Miriam Nathan Roberts) and I got some excellent comments and suggestions. Unfortunately, it didn't get juried into New Quilts of California. But I'm biting the bullet and submitting it to PIQF. I have to complete my black & white piece for Anne Copeland's exhibit, I like where it's going. I've completed painting the background for my large butterfly piece and need to decide what's next.

I'll try to get some pics up next time. Till then...

Tulle time

2008-06-24T22:21:00.001-07:00

Today I received an envelope full of tulle samples from Montana. Yummy! but what? Then I remembered I had requested this package after reading about the Salvaged Threads challenge online. Cynthia St. Charles has put this challenge together. It is on my TO DO list. Too late to think about it now. Still exhausted.

Smokey summer

2008-06-24T20:53:00.000-07:00

My local paper states 842 fires in Northern California. And on tonite's news there was a flare up on a previous fire. None of the fires are in my own immediate area. But I have not seen blue sky for 3 days. It is so smoky here, I can't see the Sonoma Mountains from my deck or kitchen window. Mount St. Helena has also disappeared. Air quality sucks. My vehicles have ash shrouds. I cough.

Because of the gas problem, we are all looking at our driving habits. Because I live in the country, I always packaged my trips "into town." Gas up first. $65.00! This so sucks! I needed to attend today's Pointless Sister's Art Quilt group meeting, not only for inspiration, but because I was teaching today's workshop, based on Jane Davila and Elin Waterston's "Art Quilt Workbook". All went well and the participants not only had fun, but learned some design techniques, Then it was off to complete some chores.

I've been looking for a substantial room divider for some time now. I had gone online and Target had some listed there. Of course, none in the store. Go online, the clerk said. But my brain focused on SHIPPING CHARGES. Not going to happen. I needed some Golden liquid Matte Medium and Cost Plus was on the way and I found a fabulous divider there. I'll post a photo once it gets out of the box. Great design with banana leaves. On to Michaels where I focused on the Art Dep .and didn't look to my left or right. Coupon in hand, I got my matte medium.

Next off to to Great Clips to have my locks shorn. Great cut and on to the supermarket. I am hosting the Xtremes Art Quilt group meeting Thursday nite and I needed to stock up on some special items. Of course, I forgot my shopping list at home and had to fake it. I got it purchased, bagged and loaded. No one home to help unload it. I need a hunky bag boy here. I'm exhausted! I have a little cart I use to schlep things in and out. I filled it to capacity and wrangled it into the house and unloaded it to a ringing telephone. Oh heck. I'm supposed to go to an AWS salon tonight and have not unloaded my groceries yet. Send my regrets. Check email. Try to blog. I'm done!

Another failed experiment

2008-06-20T18:06:00.000-07:00

Caran d'ache neocolors on Lutrador doesn't work for me. I like the design, not the technique. I wonder what I'll do with it next?

I spent today trying to stay cool. The San Francisco Bay Area homes are not built for this kind of heat and many of us have no air conditioning. 104 degrees is just too much for me unless I'm in water and I can't swim anymore, so I stayed inside and melted. It's after 6pm now, I'm sitting here with a frozen ice block down the front of my shirt and it's still 99 degrees. I have several things I am working on, but unfortunatelty they are at a stage that needs ironing. NOT TODAY. So I printed out some images I'll be using in my Pointless Sisters shopping bag challenge. Enough for now.

Slow to Post

2008-06-17T18:52:00.000-07:00

I haven't been posting much lately. For one reason, this one-finger-picking gets old really fast. Also, I've learned that quilts published, even on the net, are disqualified from entry in many competitions. And my health took a downturn, but a change in medication has me up and running again. This photo is not a quilt - yet. It is the start of a pieced I am doing for a Black and White Challenge. Comments and critiques welcome.

One thing I learned from this health downturn is that my physician trusts my judgement. My health plan changed a medication (to a cheaper generic brand) and it didn't k for me. After several scary weeks of unusual physical behavior, I emailed my dr. with the symptoms and my former medication was mailed to me post-haste.

I've been doing some painting also, but it's hard to juggle the two. I thought being out on disability would give me so much more time, but it takes me so long to do anything now that I get frustrated. But I continue to push on.

Our weather has been wonderful and as I read about the fires, floods, earthquakes and tornadoes around the world, I am grateful that we in Northern California, have been extremely lucky to escape these problems. But I saw hi octane gas at $4.75 today and it cost me $65.00 for my last fill-up and I don't have a SUV. Enough for now. On a positive note, I had a lovely day.

Anyone for Acrylics?

2008-04-10T20:11:00.000-07:00

I've been exploring painting landscapes and taking a break from abstracts. I am fortunate to live in Sonoma County, California. It is one of the most beautiful places in the world. Lovely vineyards and a short drive to the ocean and I still have room to breath, yet I'm still close to San Francisco. So I joined an artist's group and we have a show coming up at the end of the month.

200 acres of Gallo's premium Chardonnay grapes are at the end of my road, but I chose a red variety for the color contrast.

The marguerites are all in bloom, so I made up a little still life of those. I don't think it is finished yet. I'd love some feedback on these, so feel free to comment.

I see a misshapen vase. It is interesting that I ddidn't really notice that till now. Guess what I'll be doing tomorrow.

Boo hoo. Michael Johns got booted off AI tonite. I hope he gets a record deal. Great voice.

On to reading email. Don't forget to say hi.

Time is flying by

2008-04-09T22:57:00.000-07:00

I'm back. I've been keeping up on all your blogs and the list and am so inspired by the work out there. Speaking of inspiration, I just watched Diane Sawyer's interview of Randy Rausch.( The Last Lecture) What an amazing man. I may even buy his book.

"Maya - Still I Rise" is my entry to the Breaking Traditions Exhibition highlighting someone or something out of the ordinary.

It has been a month since I last posted but I haven't been sitting around munching chocolates (altho it sounds yummy). I completed 2 acrylic paintings for a local exhibition. I may post pics tomorrow. I took Carol Soderlund's Pot of Gold workshop and have some yummy new hand dyed silks to play with. It took me 3 days to iron them. I also went to 2 of her lectures. The 15 elements lecture is terrific. I completed another little quilt but can't show it yet and I am working on some others, so I've been busy. And it's Spring and I've been doing some clean up outside and a little weeding and would love to plant some color. Not sure if I can do that myself yet. Oh, if anyone has info on Moo cards, please let me know. Thanks. Off to bed, another big day tomorrow!

Fait accompli

2008-03-11T21:55:00.000-07:00

Well, I am a little late completing Liz Berg's Better By Design class, but I did it! A little health scare put me behind but all's okay. This was a very definitive class. It had solid structure, exciting exercises and helpful critiques.

This was my first online class and the only thing I found lacking was the cameraderie and creativity of my fellow classmates. We had a closed Yahoo group so we could chat and see each other's work, but I didn't take enough advantage of those features, not wanting to look at other's work until mine was finished. Now I realize that seeing others' work added that extra spark of creativity needed in a demanding atmosphere.

I also have to finish my Quiltswap piece and I'm almost finished with Breaking Traditions.

The piece to the left is the result of a circle exercise. I just now realized it should be turned horizontally. I should've caught that. Darn brain.

This next piece is from the square exercise. I still had circles on my brain.

This is the rectangle exercise. I can't seem to get away from circles. Meaning? I need to sleep on that.

More Exercises

2008-02-27T19:42:00.000-08:00

Lesson 5 is complete! I made these little studies with one big thing in mind... keep it simple, stupid.
This piece deals with values. I used 5 different purples. I wanted to punch it up with the black and white. It looked so boring, I added the complementary yellow. What do you think?

The second piece is built to show rhythm and repition. This was also an experiment for me as I have never fused with commercial fabrics, I wasn't disappointed. Texturing with thread comes later.

Small stuff

2008-02-24T16:33:00.000-08:00

Well, these pieces are some little pieces I designed for Liz Berg's online class. I had hoped to complete the exercises today, but alas, Oscar made me do it.

I'm a great film buff, so I'm usually glued to my seat for these awards.

The designer's dresses aren't too shabby. Although I didn't really like Daniel Day Lewis' partner's dress. Katherine Heigl... wow.
This last piece is the largest at 8 X 10. None have any thread texture as yet. I'll be working on that once I finish the class. I have a few more pieces to complete.

Liz Berg's Online Design Class

2008-02-22T19:41:00.001-08:00

Just a glimpse of some of the exercises I've been working on in Liz's online class. The first is
an example of textured fabric, from highly textured to soft.
I didn't try to make compositions out of these exercises; just wanted to make sure I understood the concept.

Texture is so important. I added many images to my texture folder, including this of flour resist crunched on fabric. More to come...

Resist some more

2008-02-17T20:35:00.000-08:00

This is one of the pieces I experimented on with flour resist. I originally used a very watered down black Seta color and let it sit for 3 days. Upon inspection, it didn't look dark enough so I added Versatex black to the mixture and overpainted it and let it sit a few more days and then rinsed it out. It is a little muddier than I expected, but thay may have been from the overpainting. The original piece was dyed with Procion MX dyes then discharged. Am I finished with it? Who knows. I'll have to let it simmer in this crazy brain of mine. I'll do some more of this. I still haven't done the potato resist yet. I will soon.

I completed Lesson 4 of Liz Berg's Better By Design online class and the homework for Lesson 5 gives me a chance to put what I've learned to work while making a couple of small pieces. Great teacher, great class.

Love Yourself

2008-02-14T11:20:00.000-08:00

Valentine's Day makes me think that those of us without a spouse, partner or sig. other should do something nice for ourselves. I think I will sit in the sun and read a book for awhile. That's something I don't do very often. Then I will rinse out the flour resist I started last week. After that, I will finish my homework for Liz Berg's "Better By Design" online class. It is a great class. It makes me think more actively about the principles of design.
Today's picture is of Pima cotton stamped with Versatex fabric paint. The stamp was made with pre-cut foam pieces on foamcore board. Easy to do! I made postcards and sent them out for Valentine's day. Onward!

No Guests Please

2008-02-03T20:13:00.000-08:00

Well, this is my guest bathroom, but I am using it for other purposes these days. We've had 15 or 16 straight days of rain here in sunny California and even tho I saw sun today, we still had rain. Yes, I have a clothes dryer but I got my utility bill last week. Yowser!
These are some hand dyes that I discharged. Tomorrow I'm going to try potato dextrin resist vs. flour resist to check out the differences, if any.
This is something I'm working on because I am procrastinating on my homework from Liz Berg's design class. But Liz, I'm working on movement here! It's a really good lesson and I'll have some fun with this one too. I'm off to bed early. It's freezing in here. Night all.

More Moons

2008-02-01T19:47:00.000-08:00

October Moon is finally finished. This is the piece in which Wonder Under did not behave. I tried lots of things to fix it. Nothing seemed to work. So, I queried the Art Quilt list for advice and the very nice Iris Karp sent me some Misty Fuse, which did the trick. Thanks Iris.
I spent some of today discharging some hand-dyed fabric. I'd take a pic, but it is de-chlorinating at the moment. I also cut some fabric for a new project and downloaded Liz Berg's latest lesson in her design class. I now have to put away all the fabric I pulled for her color lesson. I'd rather have a glass of wine.

Butterfly Parade

2008-01-29T21:50:00.000-08:00

Butterfly Parade is my entry for this year's Pointless Sisters challenge. It is due next month, but I showed it today at our annual luncheon at Pat's house. We were told we had to start with white fabric and it must measure 8" X 42". The fabric is a silk/cotton mixture that I love. It has the luminosity of the silk, but the cotton makes it much easier to work with AND it doesn't fray. I dyed the fabric with Procion dyes and painted the details with Tsusineko inks. Each butterfly was fused individually then machine appliqued and machine quilted. All the pieces will be hanging in the Rincon Valley library show in March. To bed. Class homework tomorrow!

Red skies in the morning

2008-01-26T16:03:00.000-08:00

The good thing about winter storms is the spectular sunrises they produce. This is just one of the reasons I love being an early riser. Another is that I get a lot done early, especially lately, as I tire easily and am about done now.
This is a different view a few minutes later. I love the value change. Today I worked on re-learning Corel paint. I hardly used it before my stroke, so now it is like brand new. I forgot it could do so much.
Yesterday I couldn't seem to create, so I made a doll blanket top for Salvation Army. I'll take a picture after I quilt it.
We finished Lesson One in Liz Berg's Design class. Her critique was spot on. I won't look at Lesson 2 till tonite. Color and Value. This is a busy week; I'll have to find some more time... somewhere. More rain tonite; hope we don't float away.

THE BIG CHILL

2008-01-22T20:34:00.001-08:00

The big chill has hit California and my attempt to make a large scale stamp has left me cold. This is one of the better results. It is brown stamped on a green and black painted background. It might be a little interesting but is not what I wanted or expected.
This one printed on an ugly piece of fabric that I planned to overdye someday. It's ready for the rag bag. I'm going to try again (just one more time) using smaller blocks.
Even though the printing was a bust, I've been ultra busy taking Liz Berg's online design class. It is well organized and full of info. Back to it!

2008-01-15T21:45:00.000-08:00

This little cutie greets me when I come home from my wanderings. Her name is Sylvie.The little white fluff ball next to her is her daughter Allie, who ducked out of site too fast for me to catch her. They perch on my bed pillows to watch for me. It's quite a welcome home.
These are my front doors. They make me smile. I just had my house painted and the painter thinks I am nuts. I'm not nuts, just a little nutty. My plan for today was to make some new cloth with the painted stamps I made. So to start, I needed to clear off my table and move some things around. Somehow, I locked myself out of my workroom. I'm still locked out and am hoping to get back in tomorrow. Go figure. But I did finish quilting a piece It just needs a sleeve.

A new week

2008-01-13T22:17:00.000-08:00

I'm trying new things. This is a piece of foamcore that I've dabbled with designs in paint. It is fairly large, 12" x 18" and I am going to try to print with it.
Another design, same size. I didn't get any work done today. I tried though. I was changing the bobbin on my Bernina. I had the embroidery casing loaded. And it somehow got caught on a spring inside the bobbin case area. I tried to get it loose but found I needed two hands for that so I had to wait for help. Luckily, my daughter came and was able to rescue it with no damage. I got lots of responses from the list about my fusing problem. Even Laura W. answered my query. I think I over-ironed it. Iris Karp is sending me some Misty Fuse. I've been wanting to try it since it first came out. I also gotsigned up for Liz Berg's Yahoo group and am looking forward to the class. If you have time, check out Tall Girl's blog for her new work. Inspiring!

New tools

2008-01-11T20:07:00.000-08:00

These are some of my new printing tools. I picked up a bucket of geometric foam stickers at Michaels (with a coupon, of course) and stuck them to foamcore board.
Obviously I can't cut the foamcore straight. but I still placed the squares correctly.
The design possibilities are endless, so this is a good first step.
I wanted to quilt my October Moon piece today and I did start it, but for the very first time, the Wonder Under didn't hold and I'm not sure what to do about it. I fused it before the holidays and just got back to it now. I will try Terry Grant's fusing method to see if I can correct this problem but if anyone has any other suggestions, please email me. Thanks.

Help is coming!

2008-01-09T20:49:00.001-08:00

OOPS! I don't know how to reconfigure these pics at this point. Oh well. The good news is that I will have help taking down decorations this weekend. This is my living room Christmas tree, looking a little forlorn without presents.
This little tree decorates my family room. It is totally decorated with blown glass ornaments that I have collected for years. I can't wait to get these little treasures put safely away.
I have started taking down some decoration. Pretty soon my dining room table will look as messy as my kitchen table.
Surface design area, formerly known as kitchen table! It looks worse now. I'm also folding laundry on it. Enough! I saw the Art Cloth Network is recruiting new members. I've always wanted to join. But I still have no web site and my studio is still occupied by my daughter and her family. And will be for some time, it seems. I'll still keep working away at it. Onward...

New Year, New Stuff

2008-01-08T23:16:00.000-08:00

Well, I have survived another year and another birthday. I survived the New Year's storms with only a few downed branches, but I may not survive the bill from the pump and well company who gave me back my water (no flushing). I have been creating consistently since the holidays. I completed one piece, hints are in the pictures, and am working on another. So, what's the problem?

Part of my problem is that the house is still decorated for the holidays and I have to wait for help to UNdecorate it! My workrooms are full of all the things I moved to make room for Christmas. The birdcage is on my surface design table and my kitchen table is a poor substitute.
Too cold to paint today. I'll try to do some tomorrow. I've been missing it. I've been thinking about doing some artwork in my guest bathroom.I'm not sure I'm UP to it, but I may be able to get part of it done. (the lower part). I've also been making some new stamping materials. I have decided that I will experiment with several of the techniques I've learned but haven't put to use yet. More on the pictures later...

HO-HO-HO!

2007-12-26T19:24:00.000-08:00

Santa came to the Ortelle family Christmas again this year and he had quite a sense of humor. Here, he tried to coax 3 year old Vinny into his lap. No luck yet.
Still no luck. But after giving Vinny an extra large present, Vinny decided Santa needed a hug. Alas, no picture, but they both got a round of applause.

15 year old Sierra may still believe in Santa and she really enjoyed seeing all of the family and friends gathered, including a new baby and the parents of the next new baby, due in June. My house was bursting at the seams. My brothers and sister liked the family quilts I made (see the previous posts). Now,time to get to the real work. Only, will the Christmas elves come take down the decorations and get my house back to normal please?