Another Little Crooked House

This month the theme for one of my groups was Contrast.  My mind goes first to the B/W I love but I wanted to stretch a bit more and not be too predictable. Lots of ideas and lots of thinking.  Finally decided on contrasting Color with the B/W. Figured I would design a cute house as the main bit. Remembered my favorite photo of a Crooked Little House and thought that would make a great inspiration for this theme.  I made the little house in B/W and then on with Colors (there is also a contrast in using the pastels for the backboards of the house and brights for the boards in front).  Here is one of the little crooked houses in contrast.  BONUS!! I also have another one!!! It is still on the design wall ready to be completed later today I  hope. This one still needs the binding as well.  Busy busy later today!!!

Crooked Little House in Contrast

Here are the two pieces before cutting them and stitching/quilting them mixed up.I just feel like there will be another one made and kept as the B/W...it is just too cute!

I'm linking this to Nina Marie's Off The Wall Friday! 

Binding Done!!

Well, I made it! I've done pieced bindings before but this one was a bear...all the angles and bits. It took all day but it was worth it!

First of a New Series

This is the first piece of a new series I'll be doing this year.  The series is "Earth's Amazing Wonders"  OK...I know...it is not exciting so I'll just call that the working title.  There will be at least 6 pieces done in textiles which will depict (or suggest) places that I find awe inspiring. I have the first several in the list. The remaining couple or three I've not narrowed down as yet. Oh I have my favorites though, it will just depend on what rises to the surface when the time comes.

First up is Antelope Canyon in Arizona.  When you look at photos of this location, it seems like someone when nuts with their PhotoShop. The colors are amazing and the contours of curving rock are beautiful.This is a view inspired by several photos...looking through the jewel-tone rock to a beautiful clear sky.  I hope I did it justice.

It does not yet have a binding as I have been struggling with just what to do. My current plan is to do a pieced binding that will just fit in with each part of the fabrics.  This art quilt also has a lot of stitching on it. I haven't done this amount of quilting in ages.  All the contour lines are stitched. At first I thought it would be a bit boring to do but it actually took on a rather organic feel as I didn't work to make the lines exact but rather made the undulate on purpose to pick up the flowing feeling of the actual rock.

I am linking this to Nina Marie's Off The Wall Fridays. Click there to see the work of some amazing artists!

Challenge Accepted!

OK, so the theme for January was On The Buses.  I had no idea what on earth that was about.  So, I visited my old friend Google....figuring to find scenes of people on buses, views from buses, etc.  What I DIDN'T expect to find was that "On The Buses" was a sitcom out of the UK!! As that was stumbled upon about 1am, I went to bed thinking about the theme. Before I fell asleep I knew what I wanted to do. I was inspired by one of the promo pictures for the show which used a green bus. From scenes from the actual show, I guess they usually involve the normal red buses but there was at least one scene photo with a green bus. In the morning I picked out fabrics from my hand-dyed collections.  Found the green I wanted then the background, a transparency for the windows and an old drop cloth from years ago that I kept because I thought it looked so cool.

First I FMQed a sort of cityscape (with a small hint of a nod to Big Ben). Nothing exact. I was going with the comic feel. Cut out the bus, placed the windows in the slots. Behind the windows was the fun drop cloth...again going with the fun comic feel.  I looked at putting round wheels but it all got to kitchy for me. Then I found a black very long rubber band to represent the tires. Now it was all too symmetrical. In the promo picture, there was the name of the show in red on the green bus so I grabbed a strip of red and it was just the bit of asymmetry that it needed. And here it is.....

FUN  IN  THE  CITY

Nope, this piece will never hang in the Louvre, but I had fun doing it...and since the theme fit with the sitcom...that seemed appropriate.

One that had to be done

The theme for November in one of my online groups was Cosmos.  I knew immediately what I wanted to do...but my life was in turmoil and chaos and didn't calm down until just this week. I'm now looking at current deadlines and putting on my thinking cap. (Some of them are quite a challenge BTW!!!) But while I'm starting over fresh for 2014 in this one group (I was WAY too far behind to ever catch up) I just HAD to do this one.  It was originally planned for a much larger piece but doing it in 12" X 12" just seemed to be what the doctor ordered since the larger one had its beginning a few years ago and then went nowhere.

So...here it is....Deep Space.  It was inspired by a Hubble photograph of the Orion Nebula. I just love the colors and found I could make just what I wanted with hand-dyed cheesecloth!!

DEEP  SPACE

I'm linking this post to Nina Marie's Off The Wall Friday!

It's all in how you look at it.

OK.....some of you know how I like to pass on links about interesting and perhaps a bit unusual artists.  I received this one today and felt it would be fun to pass on.  It is only about 2 minutes and worth it if only to make you think.

It so reminded me of a tip I learned in some class a few years back.  (Sorry I can't remember just where or when so I can't give credit)  The idea was this - if you sometimes find yourself wondering about the next step in a piece or just want to see it afresh.....get a different perspective.  Sit somewhere else in the room to view it, etc.  Like the artwork done in this video....perspective can make a HUGE difference!!!

Enjoy and be inspired to see things in a new perspective!

The Brain Finally Kicks In

It is not often that I have to think very long or hard about a theme or concept I want to do for a series.  But after the two latest major deadlines, I think my brain went on a short vacation!  But the time-out had the desired effect!!

In one of the online groups I belong to, we get to choose our own projects and create at least 6 pieces for the year.  Last year was the Pecan Series.  This year I'll be working from some favorites of my own photos taken of "distressed" barns.  I'm so excited to be doing this series. Anxious to get started.  Here are 3 of my most favorites that will definitely be on the list.  Now to choose the remaining 3 from the other gazillion barn photos in my collection!

When I was copying these photos to put into my inspiration file for this series, the names just came to me.

Patchwork

  

Coming Unhinged

Windswept

Now to get my studio at least cleaned up enough after the past several frantic months so I can begin!!

All Together Now

Since it has been a year long project. I decided to post all the Up Close and Personal pieces together.  They are posted along with my macro photos which inspired them. Clockwise from top left: Weathered Red Door, Ancient Cactus, Peeling Birch, Rusty Leaves, Knotty Situation, Cornered.

These six pieces are currently winging their way to France for the show there in April!!!

Up Close and Personal