Finished!

And here is the finished piece! The binding was a bit of a challenge on this small piece but I still like the way it turned out!  Because to me the "bubbled" organza piece looks a bit like green grapes and the beads remind me of the posts that vineyards train the grapevines to....I'm entitling this piece.....

Sour Grapes

So now for the question....will I be doing more intuitive design.  Yep!  I had a blast with this one. Just the freedom to let a scrap inspire me and finding other bits to go along with it.  I think I'm hooked.

Work In Progress

I had recently heard the phrase - intuitive design

The concept intrigued me.  Probably because so much of what I'm working on now is challenge/theme/series driven.  The idea of just sitting down and going for it without a pre-conceived destination sounded like something I would enjoy.

So I did it....am doing it.  I was the blessed recipient of some painted silk scraps from a dear friend who got them from an artist she knows who paints silk.  I was inspired by a piece of silk velvet painted purple (no surprise there!) Now what to do with it.  I had done a piece of molded polyester organza for an experiment with that technique on the ...And Then We Set It On Fire blog.  I liked the outcome but hadn't any idea what to do with it. I love texture so besides color I decided to play with texture on this piece.  I made some melted Tyvek beads to go with it, grabbed some fancy Lutrador from another friend in the Netherlands (I love this stuff and haven't found it here in the US) zapped it with my heat gun.  Got out some contrasting embroidery floss and just started laying it out and seeing where it went.  Tried not to put TOO much overthinking into it.

This is where I am so far. It is a small piece, just 8" X 11". The size was dictated by the silk velvet scrap.  Not happy yet with the placement of the beads so those will be moving.  Had to put it on hold while I dealt with some deadlines for other pieces but now that I have a breather...I plan to pick it up again this weekend.

If you get a chance...drop on over to Nina Marie's Off theWall Friday!! You'll find some wonderful blogs to visit and become inspired!!  Here is the link to her blog:  http://ninamariesayre.blogspot.nl/

Ancient Cactus

In one of the groups my theme for 2013 is Up Close and Personal. I am using 6 of the most favorite macro shots I've taken and making them into art quilts. I'll be posting the completed art along with the original inspirational photograph.

And here is the first. The photo was taken on a trip to Texas. We were walking along and saw this scarred and beaten very old cactus. I got a very close up shot of a few of the leaves. I've always loved this photo and the resiliance portrayed. An old cactus, well worn over time, yet still growing. An inspiration worthy of an art quilt I think.

ANCIENT  CACTUS

original photograph

I used simple quilting so as not to detract from the scars on the leaves. All the scars are reverse appliqued.On the largest scar, I pleated the light gray fabric before doing the reverse applique on the black for the deeper cut (see below).  I even let the fabric pucker as I stitched it because I felt it enhanced the age of the cactus.  The "thorns" are hand embroidered. All the fabrics are my own hand dyed cottons.

Ancient Cactus - detail

 

Accepted!!

Yesterday’s mail brought the  news that my piece “In Honor” was accepted for the “PaperWork In, On, and Of Paper VI” exhibition at The Foundry Art Centre in St. Charles, MO.  The exhibition opens on February 8, 2013 and continues through March 22, 2013.

“In Honor” was inspired by the entertainment page from the New York Herald Tribune, July 26, 1943. The insert is the actual newspaper. One of the actors in “This Is The Army” was Ronald Reagan. The strips of textile include military prints and hand-dyed fabrics. Included are purple to signify the Purple Heart and a red to signify the life blood that has been shed. The stitching is all names of some who served from WWII through the current time.

In Honor

Just like the name of this piece…I am honored to have this one chosen for the exhibition as it honors those who have served.

(This piece can be seen in the Other Textile Art Gallery on my website)

When Life Hands You Lemons

A few years ago, I was working with a group on an art journal doing a study series on any subject we wanted.  I started with figs and have several pieces on my website which resulted from that journal. Then I started on lemons.  Got a couple of pages done and life being what it is....got derailed.  BUT....I always remembered one of the challenges from this journal experience.  The challenge was to do a piece that interacted with more than just the sense of sight.  hmmmmm...... interested me very much.  I thought and thought and decided I wanted to do a lemon piece that also appealed to the sense of taste!! Now...how to do that.  At that time I purchased  lots of various shades and textures of yellow fabric.....and it sat and sat.....waiting for inspiration.  Knew what I wanted it to look like, just wasn't sure how to get from here to there.

One day just recently it all came together.  I had always envisioned a large tear drop crystal at the tip (big drop of lemon juice). THEN there were these wonderful blog posts (at ...And Then We Set It On Fire) on beading and I saw the final piece in  my mind!! Found the crystal opalescent beads in various sizes that were perfect. Then the problem was the big tear drop.  None were big enough.  Then.....there is was....hanging on a hook.  Not a tear drop at all...but a more organic shape and I LOVED it....and bought it, of course.

Using some of the guidelines offered by Beth in this fascinating stroll through all things beads, I started out.  Got some great suggestions along the way, and here is the final result.  My goal was to get those little taste buds that register sour to start watering.  Don't know if I accomplished just that, but I have to admit....I had a ball giving it a go!!

A lemon yellow satin makes up the "meat" of the wedge, white mulberry bark for the pith and a darker yellow satin that has small dots in it for the peel.  I stitched the lemon yellow satin to muslin, manipulating it to get the puckers I wanted. Added the peel and then the mulberry bark. The next step was to add all the beads to the lemon wedge for the droplets of juice. The whole lemon wedge was then stitched to a 18" X 24" stretched and painted canvas. Finally, I stitched on crystal beads to the canvas itself.  I hope it makes your mouth water!!!

When Life Hands You Lemons

When Life Hands You Lemons - detail

Completed Today

The challenge topic - Favorite Movie

This sounded easy at first but proved to be a bit difficult. Many of the movies I love and the parts that make me love them are more concepts and not readily expressable (a new word I just made up!) in 2D art. But someone reminded me of Fiddler and I knew at once that was what I wanted to do.

I love this story. I laughed...I cried.  And many of the lines and songs from this movie are a part of our life now.  One of my favorites is when Tevia is talking to God in the barn about wishing he were a rich man.  "Would it spoil some great eternal plan...if I were a wealthy man?"  And the relationship with his wife and the loves of his daughters...so many faces of love and devotion.

Fiddler On The Roof - Kelly

This piece has all kinds of my own fabrics - hand-dyed, snow-dyed, discharged, ruching, confetti dyed, stamped, drawn on, painted. Only the fiddler is not my fabric but black Kona.

I have a couple of other pieces that will be completed by Monday. LOTS of handwork these coming evenings!

Productive Day

Just checked on my ToDo/Done list and it has been a very productive day!!

Block printed 3 wolves, 3 apples, 3 rice 

Cleaned off Island 

Prepped Brown Snow-dyes 

Cut muslin for an upcoming art piece

Decided on images for that piece

Cut muslin for Pecans – Sapling and marked off boundaries 

Chose concept for SAQA Text Speak 

Set Snow-dyes for batching 

Evaluated Show/Exhibit CFE schedule 

Stitched first piece to Up Close and Personal 

Overdyed green experimental piece 

Blogged and blogged and blogged

Here is my latest on the Minneapolis Manhole Cover Project which is one of my three series I'm working on this year.

Block cutting completed on Wolf

Background fabric (a snow-dyed piece made especially for this project. Seemed appropriate for a Minnesota project!)

Wolf printed onto fabric with Speedball Block Printing Ink.

I use an oil base printing ink so Woflie has to dry overnight

While I had the ink all out and ready...I also printed the Apple and Rice manhole covers for this project and two other prints of all three of them for two other projects.  Now I'll be ahead on those!!