I’m working up a new Curious.com lesson and I thought I knew exactly where I was headed but the gel print plate disagreed! I did end up getting a mono print on paper that I’ll use somewhere but it’s useless for the lesson. Maybe I’ll do some MeAnndering in the white areas or some stamping for note cards, or you know, put it in a drawer and not think about it right now!
I’m happy with the background fabric, it is an easier technique than I teach in my older video, at least for a mini art piece. I’ll share more, even the whoopsies, as I go along… Always learning!
I was thinking about making some winter cards so I was playing, with sun-printing (again) using leatherleaf ferns and Setasilk and then painting with Neo Color wax pastels. The first three are from the same large piece, I’m floating a card stock “window” over it to find an area I like.
I’m not sure where I’m going with those but I know the Neo Color pastel poinsettia is crying for some thread play. The pine cone was really an experiment and it’s just okay. I may have to fix the stem because the branch looks like a stem shadow (more pine needles?). I should have done a wash around it too; I don’t like the white area on the right. Maybe that would be a place for some white (tone on tone) embroidery or maybe free motion quilting.
And below is a poinsettia card I made for my aunt. I posted a card similar to this in the past but this one is a little different in that the leave/petals hang beyond the edge. I like this one better and I think my fabric quilled beads with French Knots make the perfect flowers.
As I was writing this post my daughter gave a little holler saying “Sky!” and if you know anything about my family you know that is the signal to go upstairs and out on our bedroom deck. It was to see this…
I’m not a scrapbooker… But in my studio I have a this tray which holds bits and pieces from people and places; little reminders of trips we’ve (mostly they have) taken or simply items of a shared love or interest. The can and do inspire my art.
Some times I paint rock or make paintings of rocks (See the inspiration rock on the tray beneath the Emu egg shell)
I love lines…
An oolite (I do believe) in the dark stone and the gray stone with a black line that goes completely around (maybe inside) and a tiny, naturally embossed letter “T”…
and lines on a shell that remind of people standing in the sun to make long shadow line with their bodies.
Jasper with it’s ribbon or wood grain type folds. So smooth inside yet with a rough and coral like outer surface.
There is a small piece of wood, written on in my mother’s hand Palm Springs March 22, 1971 San Jacinto Mt 8,516 ft. My folks were camper van travelers.
Some of the objects have been added just because I have this thing for texture…
This shell looks like crepe paper to me
The beautiful Rose Gypsum
There are pieces of metal (a leaf, of course) and glass (this piece with glitter).
And one of my favorites; a slice of agate that makes me feel like I’m standing on a hill above the beach watching the waves roll in. Can you see it or something else?
I have been a follower of a wonderful blog, I have mentioned in the past, And Then We Set It On Fire… Today it was announced that the contributors will no longer be posting new posts. I’m sad but totally understand. I will miss the inspiration and great techniques that have been shared by the many artists over the years. The site will be up for now and at least through June, so if you aren’t familiar with it I hope you will go check it out and from there you may find links to the individual artists and much more inspiration and eye candy.
My own blogging has been sporadic to say the least! There are personal reasons and reasons I’ll blame of the political climate. I appreciate you stopping by and I hope you enjoy what I have to say but mostly the fiber art I share. Thank you!
Here is my most recent piece…
Irreconcilable
Detail front
Detail back
I painted over the raw edged patchwork and quilting and was pleasantly surprised that some of the fabric print showed through; it added another visual layer. This piece didn’t make it to where I had hoped but I really like it. I may offer it for sale at the San Diego Quilt Show in the Quilt Sales booth, where I’ll be chairperson again.
I think all the rain has really caused Spring to SPRING around here. I’m finding all kinds of things to photograph on my walks… nature that has or will spark a work of art.
Early yesterday I fished a tiny pale aqua colored bird’s egg shell out of our waterfall and set it on a near by rock that was almost the same color. The image below is fabric I painted to mimic a stone that contained Map Lichen. I enjoy trying to replicate rock and stone texture on fabric.
Then later on our walk we came upon a beautiful garden with gorgeous roses, all splattered with morning dew drops. The quilt, I’ve shared before, is Gifts from her Garden.
Then today on our walk there was this, ivy climbing up a tree. I wish I could have gotten closer or had a camera rather than my phone. The contrast in color and texture really struck me. It reminded me so much of my photograph on fiber piece – “Coexistence”. I’m happy and fortunate to be able to take walks and find inspiration, I know I write about it a lot!
Last post I was writing about lizards copulating in the garden. Today as Kona and I were hanging out on the deck she became very alert at some noise coming from the side yard ivy. I heard it but couldn’t figure it out until I spotted it running past the shed… An iguana, at least two feet long! It was thirsty (it is pretty warm here today) and found the waterfall very quickly, ate some of the Evening Primrose (hope it’s not poisonous!) and some romaine I gave it, posed on the top of the waterfall and then moved down and perched on top of my garden bench under the tree (sorry, bad photo). Then he moved up into the tree, they are really fast! No one here was brave enough to catch it and what the heck would be have done with it if we had! There are dogs in the two yards that abut ours near that tree so we are hoping it doesn’t head that way. A couple hours later it was no longer in the tree. I just hope it doesn’t surprise me next time I’m out there!
Last post I also showed a bit of a quilt I have been working on. I had a pinched nerve so was slowed down for a couple days but I finally got it quilted (wool batting, lots of quilting) and blocked. Here is a photo of the back. Next I’ll paint the front and then post a photo (with an explanation), unless it is terrible in which case you may never see it!
The Mister and I recently took a road trip to visit family in Reno, Nevada. We have driven through heavy falling snow a couple times in the past; this was much more enjoyable. We were traveling after a storm, the hwy had been mostly plowed and was only a little icy. There was very little traffic and sky was gorgeous. These photos were taken using my cell phone, through the window while moving pretty fast, please excuse any blur.
The smooth white land, sprinkled with black cows, horses, and odd old structures was spectacular. I must have said “It’s beautiful” one hundred times! It’s a nice place to visit but I don’t think I could live there. If you do, you are most certainly hardier than I!
At the side of the road the plow left a cut wall that, to me, looked like a slab of marble… miles and miles of marble!
Even though snow isn’t usually a part of my life, snowy scenes have found their way into some of my art quilts (with much artistic liberty ;<))
My daughter, Zoey, was kind enough to draw a cat head pattern for me so that I could MeAnnder (aka doodle) on paper. She works digitally and makes it look so easy! Up under the Patterns and Supply List tab I’ve added the cat head pattern uncolored; for those of you who like to doodle and another cat head that I MeAnndered, so it’s ready for you color! I used felt tip markers but crayons, color pencils, or paints could be used instead. If you and/or someone you know uses the patterns I’d love to see the finished masterpieces!
Coming soon I’ll be sharing a couple MeAnndered heart projects and another free pattern.
I really enjoy the blog …And Then We Set It On Fire…The contributors are individual fiber artists who work in and explore a multitude of surface design techniques and more; sometimes working together. I once had the pleasure of being a guest artist on FIRE!
One of their recent blog posts did more than catch my eye. My interest was really sparked when I read that Kelly Hendrickson and Wil Opio Oguta, the two artists posting on FIRE this month, had been exploring the use of GUNPOWDER on fabric!
I have tried many different techniques over the years, here are some…
Shibori pole wrapped straight, using Jacquard Textile Color paints
Shibori pole wrapped on diagonal using Jacquard Textile Color paints
Shibori rope wrapped using dye
stamping, dripping, splattering, flour resist, stencil made on the sewing machine; painted and stenciled onto fabric made on a plastic tarp, rubbings with wax pastels, painted cheesecloth, melted Lutradur, burnt silk, just painting, and lots and lots of hand painted sky and landscape fabric… but never gunpowder!
Kelly and Wil have publish an e-book the explores their gunpowder techniques (I just bought it!), I hope you will visit “…And Then We Set It On Fire…” and each of their websites – I think you’ll have a blast!
Thanks to Kelly and Wil for letting me share their gunpowder post!
As I’ve said before, I thought it would be a good idea to leash train our cat and so I seem to be spending more time out on the kitchen deck. It’s going to be a sad day when she realizes we have winter. When I’m not working on hand embroidery and other hand sewing while I’m out there, I use a pen and paper and I doodle (paper is fiber after all!). You may know it by other names but in the old days we just called it doodling. Here are a few of my doodles.
At first I thought it was a terrible waste of time but then I started “doodling” using my sit-down quilting machine. I call it “MeAnndering” and here is my first MeAnndering video.
I’m going to be out there cat sitting anyway so I have decided it is okay to waste spend the time doodling on paper as a warm-up and practice for when I do sit down at the quilting machine. Either way, I have determined it is additive!
