Has it really been that long??? August?????

OK - see how easy it is to break a habit.  Let's see how easy it's going to be to restart!

The trip to Yellowstone was fabulous!  Many images to inspire.  The thermal run-off was especially colorful.  Visited some sites we had not seen for a while.

The six month series class is over.  My series was acrylics with fiber, featuring thermal run-off.  I am now working on companion pieces in fiber with acrylic.  I want to be finished with this section by mid January.  I will still continue the run-off series.  There are so many ideas to work on.

A new six month series class will start in February.  I'm mulling over a couple of new ideas for that.

The show at the Douglas County Library went extremely well.  A small art group from Castle Rock that I belong to presented almost 90 pieces, both fiber on the wall and beading and dimensional work.  We were all very pleased with the positive response from the library and their patrons.

I think I'm somewhat caught up with the major artistic events since August.  I better get the show on the road for the new year.!

Hiatus

I am producing-----organization,  I hope.

I've taken a week or so to re-organize my studio.  The amount of fabric, tools, magazines and books, cardboard, paint, beads and general stuff is much more than my room can hold.   I am being ruthless!  Ha, ha.  But- -I do have several piles of books and magazines and many sewing patterns to share with someone---- anyone?  I have pitched scrapes too small to use , bubble wrap, bags, dried up glue, bent pins and some things I'll never use.  I think I'll never use. I have found forgotten UFO's, project ideas, and things I couldn't find and therefore bought more. I don't practice just one art form.  I dabble!!!!!  Where do I put the rolled paper?  the flat paper? the pine cones I picked up last month? the paint, the dye? Where do I put the paper towel rolls? the broken eye glasses and the onion skins? I save for future use, even if I have no idea how to use it. How to sort? To categorize or not to categorize?  That is the question. I need to separate!  I need to combine!  I have an empty tub!  I have a half filled tub!  All my tubs are filled, I'll have to buy more! Will I remember I stored these two types of materials together?  Out of sight - out of mind. Oh my! There's not enough room for everything to be in plain sight. I need a step ladder to reach the top two shelves. Maybe in a few days, the table top will be clear again and I will start something new or finish something old.  In the mean time, sometimes it's  finding treasure and sometimes it's the sad decision to throw something away.  Either way, it needs to be done.

WOW! Natural colors from cold bundling

This is truly cool!  I opened my two dye bundles last Saturday.  The Coreopsis and yellow onion was very good. I had used a small apple branch and metal washes as mordants.  The area of fabric that was wrapped against the wood took on the image of the wood beautifully. I think I have devised a way that more fabric surface can be bundled tight against the wood in a future bundle.  The washers worked in some places, creating a dark mottled area under a few of the washers and a very nice circle in at least one place.  Now that the washers have lost a little more of their surface shine they may react better in the next bundle.

The bundle with the sunflowers was fairly moldy but probably should have stayed bundled longer to achieve a deeper color.  This one was not as wet to begin with  and was harder to keep a tight surface because the flower heads were so thick.  Again, where the wood was in direct contact with the fabric, the image was great!  The cotton in this bundle could be re-dyed in another bundle.  The colors were not as well defined as the silk.

I want to try so much more before the snow flies and when kitchen compost may be the only dye sources available.

One Down and So Many More To Go

I finished the Seminole quilt for my grand daughter.  She will be going off for her freshman year at college this week.  Time flies and things change.  I haven't made a traditional quilt for quite some time.  It was fun and this technique is fast.

So, one down and so many other projects to choose from!  I want to finish the other Coral Bell projects.  Two of the three are half way done and I have the idea for the forth.  Best to proceed with those.  Although I am working on the run-off series in my mind.  There is so much there to explore and techniques to experiment with.  Switching to fiber with paint, as opposed to the paint with fiber that I have already done, will be a challenge.  Texture will still be the star, but the color range of mixed paints is hard to match in fiber without dying.  I am not set up for anything but limited dye experiments.  The eco-dyed bundles are still hiding in my downstairs pantry.  Peaches are in season and I'm saving peach pits and waiting for the rabbit brush to bloom. As always more in the mind than under the machine.  I'd better get to work.

A Very Good Day

Five of our monthly group were able to get together today.  We had a great visit, exchanged of ideas, talked about what are currently doing and worked out some details for the show we are having at the library.  We will each be able to hang two or three pieces as well as the 10 collaborative pieces we made for a challenge our group took on. There will be a fair amount of work to do before the November show date, but it will be great to have our work shown.

One of our car pool wanted to stop to purchase some pastels and we were treated to a 'walk through' of the manufacturing room.  It was very interesting seeing pigments from around the world, learning about the base materials and binders and seeing one man creating these beautiful colors. He said it was better when there were two doing the work. The process is very manual, mixing the recipes, molding flats and sanding each piece.  I can appreciate the cost of these very fine pastels.

Energized.  Motivated. Ready to work.  Lots to do.

Natuals dyes in 2012

I've only finished the one coral bell piece.  Now I'm expanding the 'Run Off' series and I'm going to try this hot, new idea for natural dyes.

As a child, I was taught how to dye wool yarn used for weaving with natural dyes.  Tried and true natural (non-synthetic) dye materials might be osage orange root, black walnuts or onion skins.  The chosen material was boiled to extract the dye and the wool was mordanted ( treated with alum or metal to hold the dye).  Most vegetable products provided browns, dull greens, yellows and orange.

Today (2012) artists have found new ways to extract dye from natural materials by fermenting, using steam or cold processes.  Colors have been created that were formerly lost with the high heat methods I used as a girl. I am excited to experiment with the cold bundling process, wrapping the plant materials with a piece of metal and /or a material with tannin, like wood or tea.

I don't have the room to start collecting plant material, but I was watching the sides of the road today to see what I could scavenge and try a bundle or two.  I do have a project that would benefit from this technique. So---- I off and running in a new direction before I can finish my current projects.  I must be crazy!  I'm also working on a Seminole strip quilt and hoping to finish a gift quilt that is now overdue. I probably should not have admitted that, but, most readers know me and will not be surprised.

Series Class final meeting

Today was the last meeting of  "Design Explorations #3, Learning to Work in a Series".  This is a class held once a month for the last six months and it has been a joy!  The women in the class are all remarkable people and artists.  Heather Thomas, the creator of the class,  is so very knowledgeable, motivational, and inspiring.  Her influence has changed my life and given me tools to create,  that I would have loved to have had much earlier in my life.  I have learned so much.  Or maybe, this class has allowed what I have been learning the past four years to gel and come together for me. I have five 'mixed media' canvases completed, two more almost finished and many more on the drawing board, so to speak.  As I have discovered in this class, "the series isn't finished until the artist has exhausted what she has to say".  I'm still talking.

Acting on Constructive Criticism

The small piece I did after missing the challenge deadline was critiqued this past Wednesday.  It was suggested I add some additional quilting to flatten some puffiness.  I followed the advice and I am very pleased with the result  The appliqued elements really stand out, almost like tiles. The edges are crisper and the negative space is flatter.  I hope you can see the difference in the picture.

Coral Bell leaves provide a challenge

I have three more pieces going, all from the Coral Bell leaf printing. I'm very happy to have found ways to experiment with the fabric.  It has been a lot of fun. As I said in the last post.  Push Forward, Push Harder.  I've got some other things in the works as well.  My husband will give me some tips for cutting some 1/8th inch board for a real experiment with paper collage. I'll let you know how it turns out.

I met with three terrific women artists this morning.  We critiqued our current work and generally enjoyed talking together. It's motivating to share with those who give encouragement and advice.  I am blessed to be  involved with a group of talented people, sharing our work, ideas, being able to stretch and experiment.

Let's see if I can cut a straight line tomorrow and finish another Coral Bell piece.

Push Forward, Push Harder

One of the reasons I decided to do a blog was to push myself.  I procrastinate, I stew, I over plan.  I miss deadlines for challenges.

The orange wedding fabric that I printed  coral bell leaves with Lumiere 'Halo Pink Gold' was the start of a magazine challenge for an 8"x8" piece.  I also stamped rectangles of parallel lines with an ochre color. No problem, the hard part is done now that the base fabric has been printed and stamped.  Yah!  So, even though I missed the challenge.  I still challenged my self and  auditioned commercial fabrics for the orange on orange print.

I made the piece 11"w by 10 1/4" h, hand appliqued some strip piecing and a larger square, quilted the leaf and machine stitched a pattern in the upper right corner.  It has a narrow binding using the same fabric as the backing.

 Now I have several other pieces to work on.

Backyard Dye Experiments

Meininger art suppy store had a 20% off sale last Saturday.  I bought some new acrylic colors, some paper and some dye. Not to let grass grow under my feet, I tried some ice dyeing with the Procion dye and was disappointed with the result.  The dye had spread evenly, no layering of color, no dark areas bleeding to light - so the technique was wrong.  I'll follow the ice parfait directions in the latest "Quilter's Arts Magazine" the next time, hopefully with better results. Now I have fairly evenly dyed light blue fabric.  I left it in the solution overnight - a little deeper in color. I laid it on a piece of cracked wood to dry and the cracks left lighter and darker lines on the fabric following the cracks.  Neat! Then I dropped dye by the droplet, let it pool and dry.  I repeated this several times. I also folded the fabric and dropped dye on the fold which opened to a miror image along the fold line. I like the results. Layered and organic.  I will work with this again.

French Knots used in my Run-Off series

This is a terrible day in Colorado with wild fire engulfing parts of Colorado Springs and threating Boulder.  Other fires have covered over 100,000 acres and hundreds of structures.  It is hard , in the face of such terrifying destruction, to remember the new trees and plants that start over after natural disasters.  So, I will use the example and do my best to bounce back when I don't make art or stumble with technique or what ever.  I am very motivated right now and hope to keep working on many more pieces.

Last night Heather Thomas' series class met for the fifth time.  I brought my 3rd piece in my runoff series for critique.  I have a picture below. It is 8" x 10", fiber and paper with acrylics.  I used the French Knots I worked onto upholstery fabric the other evening.  I was able to overcome some problems I encountered in my 2nd piece; too much contrast and too harsh a line between  the fabric pieces and the flat canvas.  I used the cheesecloth in this piece to soften the edges of upholstery fabric allowing the piece to flow together better.  The monochromatic color scheme allowed the details to stand out instead of being overshadowed by the stong contrasts in color that I used in the second piece.

I loved the French knots!! I used clear tar gel on them to keep the pearl cotton from absorbing the paint and to stiffen and glaze them to project water covered structures in the runoff.  Next month is the last class but not the last of my series.

The SLOW movement - Hand Stitching

"Two Brits and a Sewing Machine" was the program at the "Front Range Contemporary Quilters" this past Monday evening. They spoke of 'The Slow Movement' as opposed to machine work.  I spent the evening hand stitching french knots for a piece I am doing for a series class.  The class is great!  My series is called "Thermal Runoff".  I am awed by the texture and colors in the thermal runoff from geysers and springs in Yellostone. I am using fiber and paper with acrylic mediums to create a series of pieces on stretched canvas. Tonight I was stitching french knots in various sizes on upholstery fabric with pearl cotton and several strands of varigated quilting thread.  It was so nice to do hand work again.  I am hopeful this texture will be perfect in this third piece in the series.

Printing with Coral Bell Leaves



Coral Belle Leaf after printing




My backyard garden is in shade and light sun.  Most of the perennials are done blooming by the end of June.  I use potted annuals in the courtyard to add splashes of color.  Some of my favorite plants are the coral bells.  I have the old fashioned red variety as well as some with more modest flowers and very fancy foliage. I chose to cut up some of the fabric I had used as tablecloths on two small tables for the wedding a week  ago.  The fabric was bright orange, a nice medium tight weave with a good depth of color.  I printed leaves and painted four pieces about 20x20 inches.  I choose a large coral bell leaf to make the prints.  It was a good size, sturdy and well veined with an interesting shape and edge.  It also had a strong stem to hold while positioning and removing the leaf from the fabric.  I used Lumiere and Neopaque paint by Jacquard.  It was the right consistency for printmaking.  As you can see from the picture, I tried several colors and played with the dampness of the cloth.  I also added Dye-na-flow in areas that I had dampened for a more varied background. This was a good experiment. The orange on orange piece can be embellished for more punch.  The burgundy print can be paired up with a nice medium dark fabric.  My mom likes the fabric with the green and blue paint and I like the more subtle prints that I sprayed with water so the dye and prints bled.  The line mark making I did in brown on this same piece also bled until it was a color puddle and no longer a line.  I like that too.



Liberal use of water spray




four samples created




close up



Backyard Wedding

We had a wedding in our backyard last Saturday.  Our daughter was married on a beautiful day with the temperature hovering around 95 degrees. Close family shared the occasion with much joy and laughter.  The garden was lovely and the potted flowers were just what we needed to brighten the courtyard.  We chased shade as the sun moved overhead and  many enjoyed the air conditioning inside during the refreshments.  Her colors were hot pink and bright orange, great colors for early summer. The bride carried Gerber Daisies in those colors as did her daughters.  The youngest carried a small bouquet and the older daughter wore flowers in her hair. The bride's son and the groom and his two sons wore daisy boutonnieres in orange or pink.

As the mother of the bride, I chose to wear the Korean Patchwork wrap that I created last year.  It was the perfect thing for the weather and the smart casual dress code.  I have been waiting for a chance to enjoy the wrap and I enjoyed the lightness of the fabric and chose a graduated pink top to wear under it.  I have several other wearable art pieces in mind.  I'll let you know more later.

Pojagi wrap by Margaret A. Parker 2011