Positive Feedback
It’s wonderful to receive feedback like this about my workshop and teaching style. This was from my workshop “7 Elements of Design”
I just want to tell you how much I enjoyed your class last week. I learned a lot. It was the first design class class that I've taken that made sense, not all theory. I shared it with my husband. I actually had him do the exercise with the tracing paper. Then we looked at "art" pictures in a book and identified some of the elements. I love your teaching style, so relaxed and fun.
KS
Thank you KS, It was a pleasure! Cheers to you and making beautiful art!
Students work from the 7 Elements of Design Workshop
Its always fun to see students work. These were from my 7 Elements of Design Workshop last week. They had fun designing.
Snowflake
Snowflakes are such a mystery. They change in shape as they develop as the temperature and moisture levels change around them. Each is unique in form and no two are alike. I took artistic license with this one and made it with lace, iridescent organza, tulle and beads. 25” by 28”.
After the Rain
This piece was made from a photo taken in my garden this summer just after the rain. It’s fused fabric collage except for the water droplets. They are made with acrylic paint mixed with fabric medium. It’s easier than you think to make them. First you make a circle for your droplet with slightly darker paint than the background. This becomes the shadow. Then you make add a highlight near the top where the light hits the droplet. Surround the droplet with slightly darker paint and blend toward the center. Next, paint white opposite the highlight at the base of the circle working into the center of the droplet. This is the reflection through the droplet from the highlight.
Three Pines
This is a “mini” piece. 6” by 8” made for SAQA’s spotlight auction. Three pines was inspired by a photo I took in the Jemez Mountains of New Mexico.
Teaching on the Beach
Just had the opportunity to teach a class in San Clemente California for the Surf Side Quilters Guild. So much fun.! The weather was perfect! I got some wonderful pictures off the pier and had a great time with the ladies in the workshop! I can’t wait to see the quilts they come up with as a result of the blocks they designed from nature.
Trees, Trees, and more Trees
This was a piece I originally started for a particular call, The wisdom of Trees, in a group I belong to (4 Common Corners), but I put it aside for another idea. Most of my pieces are fused, but I wanted to design and paper piece these trees for fun. Just finished it. You should be able to tell what part of the country I live in by it’s content.
From Paint to Fabric
Just finished a piece that was inspired by a dirty pour. A dirty pour is done with acrylic paints that are added in layers to a cup and then released all at once on a canvas. The colors flow over and under one another in beautiful patterns as you gently tip the canvas. This was a fabric interpretation of one of these. The quilting was sooo fun!
Blast of Blue
Monster Bash Wedding
This was dress number two designed for my niece’s Monster Bash Wedding last weekend. The dress almost didn’t make it to the wedding. It came with me on a carry on when we flew American Airlines. There were over 2000 flights cancelled Thursday through Monday. It was a nightmare to say the least with many delays and 4 of our flights being cancelled. We made it finally and then made it back home.
Back To My Roots
Many of you know that my background is fashion design. I graduated from The Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) and designed women’s lingerie in NYC. Many of my designs were featured in Vogue, Weight Watchers magazines. I appeared on Sally Jessy Raphael with my line of women’s lingerie. Sometimes it feels like a different life. Recently I got to relive that life when I was asked by a dear friend to make her wedding dress. Actually about the same time, my niece also asked me to make her wedding dress, a halloween wedding.
Here is the first dress. She told me what she wanted and I designed the dress.
Another New Piece
Here is another new piece made with my hand dyes and hand painted fabrics. This piece is all pieced. Most of my pieces have been fused. I just wanted to make something that seemed to glow and was more abstract than what I usually do.
Flower Girl is finished
She’s finished, well, except for the facing. Made with my hand dyes from last year.
Flower Girl
What’s on the long arm?
My latest piece for 4 Common Corners; “Flower Girl”. She’s on the long arm and look at those delicious colors in the thread line up! The fabrics were all hand dyes; gradations that I made last year.
Create Whimsy Interview
I am pleased to have been interviewed by Create Whimsy. They feature many wonderful and talented artists and their work. Check it out here. https://buff.ly/32h6hOu
Color and how we perceive it
Just the other day I saw a blurb on the news about chocolate and the wrapping it’s in. When the wrapping is dark, brown or black, we tend to think the chocolate will be bitter, but when it is in a pink wrapping we expect the chocolate to be sweet. Color is so important in conveying a feeling or arousing an experience. Art can do this too if you understand how to use color. SAQA has a great Color Seminar that is still available to view if you are a member. My interview is in unit 4. Here is the link to become a member. It’s worth every penny! https://www.saqa.com/join-donate/become-member
Some Deconstructed Screen Printing
Finally able to do just a little experiment with old dye paste. I have read many places that dye, once mixed only lasts so long. My temptation was to throw this dye out. It’s been sitting for about 6 months in my studio with temperature ranges from 50 to 80 degrees. My studios heat is off at night and some days when the pellet stove is on it gets rather toasty before I just can’t stand it any more and turn it off. Anyway, I decided to give this dye a try and see what would happen. Just so you know my dye paste is made with water, urea, and dye powder. I don’t add sodas ash, which is supposed to make its life much shorter (only a couple of hours). I plan to add another color over this.
My Video with The Global Quilt Connection 2/24/21
Meet Your Virtual Quilt Teachers
Live Webinars from the Global Quilt Connection
February 22nd, 24th, and 26th, 4-5:30pm EST
Live webinars where teachers highlight their offerings to Guild Representatives. One sign up registers you for all three webinars.
sign up here:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_2EJ214_USA-s0y_5_YMAfg
My video will be on the 24th. Hope to see you there!
Installation of Jemez
I finally got to install my piece “Jemez” at the McKinnon Center at the University of New Mexico. It’s been on hold for almost a year now because of Covid. It looks great on the second floor of the lobby area and you can see it from the ground floor. It has finally found it’s home.
Heat, A New Work
This is the beginning of a new piece for a group I belong to 4 Common Corners. We are a group of fiber artists brought together by the beauty of where we live, the 4 common corners region of the United States, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Arizona. We make 4 pieces a year for exhibitions. The latest theme is “Heat” and I think I’ll call this one Heat. It is based on heat mapping and the various colors used to graphically display temperature on the earth. This isn’t any place in particular; just a place in my imagination. This should be fun! Just look at those colors! You can see more of our work at www.4commoncorners.com
