Artful Women Collaboration

This piece was created for a MAQ (Mountain Art Quilters) Challenge called "Four by Four".  Idea is to have four works that complement each other and look well hung together.  The Artful Women decided to collaborate and will each create one to three pieces for the challenge.  Again, I worked with some previous effort that did not go anywhere.  I love how things just develop...first the diamond shapes reminded me of flower petals, then I wanted to make them 3D.... then I found some painted/foiled temtex to work with... but the right angle was the most difficult.  Work, think, let ideas soak, and then comes an idea that can work.  Some people work with lots of planning but I need to just try one thing then anothers.  People think creativity is unique, but don't we all follow the same process when we garden, prepare a meal or decorate our home?  Have a great spring creating your world.
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Sunflowers & Me

Preliminary MAQ Challenge

Well, I am back and fresh off a great week of sewing at Tahoe.  Did the majority of the work on the MAQ Challenge.  Next step is to put all the pieces together and figure out how to make it my own.  That is always the quest.. to make it my own.  It does drive you to push the borders and find something just a little different.

We had a wonderful time on our trip back to Colorado and saw such beautiful country.  Lots of inspiration, really fun co-travelers and too much food.  Hope you all enjoyed your summer and are ready for more fun this winter.  I know it is 95 outside but you have to think ahead.

If you have the time, you might want to see the Blue Line Gallery in Roseville.  The show is photography but with a great twist and a lot of imagination.  Try to see this gallery when you can.

I'm getting excited about Houston and my two pieces that will be shown.  It is sometimes hard to imagine that this has happened.  It just pays to dream and try.  After all I wonder how many people just thought about entering and then talked themselves out of it. Lets all make a pack to not let ourselves talk in a negative voice.... to just go for it.  Eat that chocolate, drink that wine, enter that contest, just have a great time.

Almost Done with Challenge

No Name - MAQ Challenge

 
This piece has changed and it's been quite a trip. First I completed the center with beads, couched gold thread, and paint.  Looked okay but rather ordinary, so I decided to add a background.  Still ho-hum.  It needed curves but since the challenge selected was "Whole Cloth and Beyond" I wasn't sure a pieced border would qualify.  Great news, the other challenge option was "Illusion of Motion"!  Off I went and added the curved boarders using the Joan Dyer's technique.  But wait, the cotton batt had been cut off.  Well, I won't go into detail, but the additional batt had to be added by hand and the facing became the backing.  The final piece will have curvy edges for the top and bottom and the quilting lines will be extended over the border with beads.  This was definitely a challenge and I will have a difficult time answering the question of --
                                     "How long did it take you?".
I have to figure out a name so if you have any suggestions - let me know.

Wooly Wooly Challenge

 

One Wooly -  MAQ Challenge

The first MAQ Challenge of the year was revealed this Wednesday.  The theme I chose was Wooly Wooly and since there was no further explanation, I could pretty much pick my own direction.  The center of this piece was originally an idea I had for the Davis Artery - 8" by 8" Small and Great exhibit but it just did not work.  So at a later date, I added the gold  metal mesh, black squares and punched it up with beads and gold.  It is so much fun to have a project without a due date or definition that allows me to just play.  Things would be laying on my table and I would just enjoy thinking of what I could do with the piece.  I am very pleased with it.  The name is a bit odd but since I only had the one piece of wool felt..... I called it "One Wooly".

Latest Moutain Art Quilter's Challenge

The challenge theme was "Anything but Cotton" and it was so much fun.  Ardy's piece was made from her husbands garage scraps!  Mine is made of felted wool, hand made paper (I purchased this), temtex painted and foiled, window screen material made into background and beads, more beads and ribbon.  Just about everything but the kitchen sink.  I wish I had been able to record all the decisions made in this piece because it just took on a life of it's own.  The mistake of making the background too large turned into a better composition, the mistake of not enough paint on the window screen turned into just the right amount when folded and rolled.  Every time there was a problem, I had more fun fixing it and going in a different direction.  Hope you like it.

I enjoy working with the small pieces and adding embellishments but the whole whole piece does not get very large.  Most of the competitions want larger pieces.  So there is something for me to think about.  If you have an opinion, please use the comment option at the bottom of this blog entry.

I'm Back from Tile Heaven

Hi Everyone,  I have just returned from Spain and Portugal and what a feast for the eyes.  After a 1000 pictures I am showing you just two.  In the last city I visited - Porto Portugal - all the walls were covered with beautiful tiles.  Every little building had something different in both color and design.  I would love to spend days just taking pictures.  Too bad I don't do detailed applique because I would never lack for inspiration.

Now I have to get back to work/fun and finish up the different challenges that are due.  The one for MAQ - Everything but cotton, is still wandering around in my brain; Jan's challenge to create a piece from a cup design is almost done so you should see that soon; and the SAQA challenge is waiting for loads of embellishments.  While it seems like lots of work it is really lots of fun with just a ting of stress!

Hope you will forgive the lack of updates but the wanderlust of travel calls.  More later.

I'm In!

Well I got the news that PIQF has accepted my coat for judging at the upcoming Pacific International Quilt Festival in October.  I also have a piece in the Mountain Art Quilters (MAQ) Special Exhibit.  Now you friends that remember me back when.... and remember how we would go to this show and just be overwhelmed with the size and beauty.. will appreciate just what this means to me.  Never would I have believed this would happen.  It makes me want to jump for joy!
I get to share this excitement with Vicky A, Susan M, and Pat P that also have work in the show.
Hope you can see it . 

You might want to look at the SAQA web site and at their Benefit Auction starting Sept 20.  Each year the artists (really great and big names) donate a 12 x 12" block.  Auction is organized first by the professional artists and then in groups of lesser known artists and then they get to my group.  Go see the site if for no other reason than to enjoy the wonderful work. 

I find it amazing and inspiring that so much art can be created.  For those of you who say you are not artistic... you need to understand that fiber and paint are not the only mediums for artistic expression.  You look around you right now at how you have decorated your space, the food you cook, the gardens you tend or just the way you decide on your clothes.  Every day and in every way, you are using your creativity.  We are all "artsy fartsy"!

Nuggets II - It's done!

Nuggets II

As you can see this was a difficult labor... but a labor of love in any case.  Just hope it's not something only a Mother could love!  Creating the triangles was so much fun and ideas just kept coming that I made over 15 of them before I knew it.  The arranging has taken a couple of weeks and has even changed after it was shown to MAQ as part of the "Off the Wall" challenge.  This grouping works the best of all.  What do you think?  Feel free to comment.   I know this started out to be called Text-tiles but that great title will have to wait for a piece with text in it.

 By the way, this piece along with 10 or more of my work will be at The Paint Chip in the Davis "ArtAbout" on Friday Aug 13 through Sunday Aug 15.  I will be at the Artist Reception Friday evening at 6:00.  (This is so cool I can hardly believe it!  Mom would be so happy!)  Hope you can visit.  If the art work is not enough of an incentive.. there will be wine and snacks!

Is this a Series??

For quite some time I have been encouraged by friends to do a series rather than just jumping around from technique to technique.  Problem is that I love exploring and playing with new ideas.  So I think this new thing could be just right for me.  It will be called the "Gem Series" and will consist of small decorated pieces joined together in interesting ways.  The fabrics will be mostly the Quilter's Lamie and Shock Cotton with metallic fabric thrown in for fun.  I am very excited!!!  Below is the start of my second Gem. 

This will be my entry in the MAQ Quarterly Challenge - "Off the Wall".  Originally I had this cool title - Text-tile.  See the tiles... and then I would have added text which would have made it appropriate for the challenge on adding texts, but I found I did not like text on my work.  Might be that I have not explored that technique enough but it just didn't seem to fit.


Just a note:  Please feel free to comment in the space below.  You don't have to sign in or up... just jot down your impressions of these blogs.  Thanks  Pam