Thermal Run Off Series #6

I am finally finishing some of the Thermal Run Off series that  I started last summer.  The wall paper for this blog is from #1 in the series, an acrylic painting with paper and fiber.

Here is #6 - a fiber companion to the acrylic pieces I created in a series class with Heather Thomas.

 

 

This is a three layer sandwich finished with rat tail edging and mounted on  black fabric covered stretcher bars.

 

I used professionally hand dyed fabric, upholstery fabric, acrylic paint, brown knit fabric with metallic threads, and acrylic painted Misty Fuse.  Some areas were padded with batting to provide contour.  Quilting created flow and movement.  The analogous colors are a bit brighter than most of the natural thermal run off, but it is in keeping with the heat of the water.  The metallic paint recreates the light reflection off the moving water and the darker areas portray the slower pooling of debris and decay.

 

 



 

April's Art project

Our monthly art group was given the challenge to pass art forward in random anonymous ways.  We meet Wednesday to share our methods, if the weather holds and allows us an hour's drive time.

I am still working through photo shop elements and spruced up some  pictures of spring flowers taken in our garden and Mom's in past years.  Using white bond and art papers, I made cards to fit some envelopes I have had in a drawer.  I gave them to strangers with no conversation.  Most were addressed "For You" and said "Have a Nice Day" inside.  I have no idea what kind of responses were made.  I hope the recipients smiled.

We have two new members joining our group this month.  I am very happy with our group.   It is comforting, supportive, sharing and motivating.  How good is that?

 

New Medium - PhotoShop Elements

I was so inspired by one of my art friend's work with Adobe Photoshop Elements 11, I bought it for myself.  So, I have been experimenting, making art and doing my March and April, Art Group projects, all at the same time.

In March the group was assigned to photograph and create a presentation of things they love in their city that they see every day, or go often to enjoy.  I modified the assignment and photographed bazaar and unusual lawn decoration in my neighborhood.

I had recently purchased Golden's white digital ground.  I used it on art paper and tore the edges before mounting it on very cool construction paper.

Here is an example-

These "Wizards" are the carved stump of a very large tree on a corner lot.  They each sport a santa hat during Christmas.  I was very pleased with the ground and will experiment with other Golden products in their 'mixed media' group.

"State of the Art"

I saw "The State of the Art" show today with two art friends.  There was quite a variety of styles and materials.  We spent a couple of hours covering both the downstairs and upstairs exhibit rooms. It also provided quite a starting point for discussion about our own work, art preferences and art appreciation between the three of us which continued through lunch.  Such a beautiful day to have been out and about.

The second session of the series class was earlier this week.  The piece I have been working on has not solidified.  I hope it goes better this weekend so I make the next deadline.  We critiqued five pieces and learned a lot. The jewelry piece would sell well in NY!  It was marvelous.  The other four pieces were fiber art. More later.

Unusual Things to Incorporate

As have written before, it has been fun to look through drawers and boxes, picking out things I haven't see for a while.  I save way too much, but I'm so glad.  Here are two daily art pieces putting some unusual items together.  I wonder what other unusual things I'll find.

"Mark Making"

 

Paper, markers, emery board, glue

 

 

 

"Veiled Planet"

 

Vinyl background, batik fabric, cloud stamp, organdy ribbon, glue

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Series Class

A new series class started last night. It is a fairly large group with many types of art represented. The schedule will be fast paced with a target of 5 pieces completed in six months.  I have chosen to do studies of pine cones on dyed/painted, heavily quilted background.  I want to take you with me in this exploration.

Daily Art - so far I have been composing my daily art with items from the studio glued into place.  I may move into other mediums in the future.  However, I will catch you up with two more pieces that I have glued together.

 

"Unwrapped"

 

Yellow wrinkled tissue paper, candy wrapper, glue

 

This is very aptly named since it is the piece I did for January 1st, the unwrapping of a new year, and my birthday.

 

 

 

"Faux Weaving"

 

Corrugated paper, raffia and glue

 

 

I have seen several articles recently about thin stripped quilts.  Having been a weaver, I had considered doing a quilt using thin strips and other textured material that would simulate weaving.  I hope to give it a try sometime.



Flashing Past

This piece of daily art is called "Slices of Life".  It reminds me of the windows of a train flashing past in the night.  The titles convey the feeling of grasping or losing pieces of time and the concepts held within that period.  Each of us carries with us slices of remembrance, feelings of joy, sadness, satisfaction - not always connected to the situations which made them.  Sometimes life seems to rush past us so fast we are hard pressed to catch the important things and appreciate them.  So that's enough of that.  I like the piece.  It has the depth of the universe and the speed of thought.