Mixed Media and Textile Too

The start of something big

2012-01-27T23:09:00.000-05:00

Larger than life size! We shall see how Suzy handles big pieces.

The Bloopies

2012-01-15T22:46:00.002-05:00

Yes, the Bloopies have moved in for the winter! They are multiplying and gaining personalities of their own. Will they take over?

Time will tell.
Actually they have been around since my mother fell. A result of a discussion with a doctor about cells reconnecting and as I sat at work I would draw the cells reaching for each other.
They evolved into a piece done in painted organza, gold leaf and hand and machine embroidery. I did show it in my Gathering Place Solo Show, now it hangs over my bed. The funny thing is I don't remember working on it, but I know it is mine.

These pieces started in the Kantha stitch class I took with Dorothy Caldwell. I had opened my sketch book and there were some new bloopies on the page, Dorothy commented that they would be great in kantha, and they were! They are the small square in the top left corner. As you can see they are growing and popping the background cloth color out in small cuts.

A later sketch where they started to reconnect. This is a great project for winter days. I plan to connect them all when I have enough.

Note on the side bar is a connection to the blind stitch group that was formed as a result of a class exercise in "blind stitching" that Dorothy had us do.
20 of us are filling in the blank areas with stitch, we then plan to make a quilt to be auctioned off for the benefit of the Textile Art Alliance that sponsored the class.

The Barn Princess

2012-01-09T11:49:00.001-05:00

At the barn we have 6 horses, 5 geldings (neutered males) and 1 mare. The barn princess! She thinks the geldings are useless, she would like another mare so they could eat grass together all day long.
Friday, she turned 22. A young 22, she is basically a big strong mare. Happy Birthday Skittles!

New Year Art Resolutions

2012-01-01T19:46:00.002-05:00

I resolve to make more collages in the new year.
To make room for Suzy I moved my rubber stamp and art supplies down to the basement by my painting tables. After thinking about it I added all my paper supplies since I had a "thing" for painting paper for awhile after an awesome Ned Wert class at QSDS.
Before I discovered Art Quilts I dabbled in rubber stamping, altered books, etc. I had pieces published in several issues of Somerset Studio, back in the day. Back in the corner is my show saddle way back when I showed horses. It's for sale by the way, a good Billy Cook show saddle, very comfortable. email me for details

My oldest brother built me a great workbench with a bar above it for hanging tools. He repainted my dad's old vice and installed that too. I can hammer and drill to my heart's content. And I don't have to worry about disturbing anyone with the noise. The studio assistant is very noise sensitive after our break in last year.
In the front are my painting tables, 2 six foot banquet tables. Behind them is a table with all my painting supplies. I have been doing mixed media collages on wood panels with a 1-1/2" cradle, fun! I will have to show some in the next post.

I can multi task and do some laundry while working. I actually have only one set of machines hooked up. The house came with a set and I had a set from the old house. I can batch a washing machine with the saddle if you want.

Happy New Year to all! Make some art resolutions and make them come true!

Merry Christmas

2011-12-24T21:22:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas!
Happy Hannukah!

And to all you atheists and Pagans –
Happy Whatever.

And welcome to our new housemate

Suzy!

HQ Sweet Sixteen Suzy!

Note she comes with a guard dog. Now the mega quilts can begin.

Making Stuff

2011-12-20T19:46:00.001-05:00

First off, nothing like some fresh pie! A bag of frozen mixed fruit, an apple, sugar, flour, cinnamon and a handful of red hots for spice. Frozen pie shell and a date with a hot oven. Yum!

More kantha stitch pieces. I plan on making lots of small pieces and joining them together when I have enough. It's very satisfying to sit and stitch with some lively Christmas music. Or since they are back, some basketball on radio. I think I am going to play with some color in the stitching but I really like the chalky white.

My finished piece, Dad and Dogs. I haven't figured another name yet but this is pretty experimental. It's the first time I painted the printed fabric. I used mostly setacolor but I had to fuss around and figure out a flesh color by mixing the paint. Definitely not the same as mixing acrylic paint. I wanted to keep the paint transparent but setacolor does not have a transparent white to tone back the red and yellow. The flesh came out a little on the yellow side. The next one will be better. And my Christmas present (from myself) will make the stitching easier. More to come.

And finally my friends brought me plants as housewarming gifts. I love it, makes the room alive, and it appears they love the northern exposure.
Thanks guys! I had so many people I forgot to take pictures. But the house is all warmed up now and thanks to Father Bob, blessed.

Focus: Fiber 2011-12

2011-12-06T19:11:00.000-05:00

So it is finally the opening week for Focus: Fiber 2011-12. We have worked all summer accepting entries, putting together a pdf for the juror, Dorothy Caldwell, notifying the entrants, collecting the work and hanging the show. Thankfully Canton Museum of Art hung the show for us!
We spent a day with Dorothy, Louise Mackie, the Cleveland Museum of Art Islamic and Textile curator, the head of the Canton Museum, Karen Hinkle, TAA president, Marty Young, program chairwoman, Kathy Fleeher and Lynnda Arrasmith both of the Canton Museum. Friday, Dorothy honored us with a talk on her art.

So what are these poor women doing?
Blind stitching!
Part of Dorothy's Kantha workshop. An exercise to loosen up your stitching. Which it did!

This is a collection of our blind stitching samples. Mine is bottom center.

And here is Dorothy showing Kantha examples. The class was packed with examples, books, slides and a short film on the women of India working their magical stitching. And lots of stitching time packed into two days. A very fun, exciting class.

And not to brag, but the center piece of art in the first photo is my quilt. I think it is the second time I have seen it hung vertically. It was too large for my walls. The show is up until March 4, 2012. Check out taacleveland.org for info on this show and 4 others in the greater Cleveland area being held the next 3 months.

More Hanging Going On

2011-11-16T09:54:00.000-05:00

I made this piece in the months before I found my new house and moved. It fits above the fireplace as if I had made it for the area. Kismet?

I love looking at my dad, it's kind of a classic image, don't you think? These are images I had Spoonflower print and I added the stitching and the words, Mairsy doats and dozey doats and dads are topsy turvy. The one above the couch has patches of grey suiting material.

When I was picking art for the bedroom I thought I didn't want to wake up to people looking at me so I added these painted and beaded pieces, which makes me think about doing some beaded things again. I find the beading very relaxing, plus there is something about hearing the sound of a heavily beaded fabric on your work table.

Hanging Around

2011-11-13T15:51:00.000-05:00

In an effort to make this place very homey, my mother, just back from The Ohio Designer Craftsman show, stands ready to take a walk at the front door.

My grandmother and great aunts and uncle are relaxing by the couch.

My mom and aunt are enjoying a drink while my grandmother waits in the background.

And Mom is standing on a bumper, part of the Your Mother Warned You series.
Your Mother Warned You About Fast Boys with Fast Cars.

Today is very windy with a temperature of 54°F. I went to buy lattice strips to finish my Focus: Fiber quilt and ended up with half price bags of bulbs also. Next spring I will see the fruits of my labors; tulips, daffodils and crocus.
The studio assistant guarded me, no neighbor can sneak up on you when she is on the job! What a good girl! Now if she would just learn to dust or run the vacuum cleaner.

Finalizing

2011-11-05T20:02:00.000-04:00

Nothing says it's your home like some art on the wall. These are my collage painted pieces and some older painting and drawings.

And this just arrived in the mail from Spoonflower, my overhead lights throw a yellow cast on it, but it is pure white. What will happen next?

I do need to unroll my big pieces and hang them in the living room. This week. I have picked out wall colors but will probably paint this winter or next spring. I need to get to the sewing machine and do some art painting too.

Design Wall is Up!

2011-10-30T21:23:00.001-04:00

The design wall is up and there is something up on it for consideration. I wasn't sure how to do the stitching on this but now I have some thoughts on it.

The old house has been turned over to the new owners. Today I mowed my lawn, it took about 20 minutes plus 10 minutes of raking. Considerably less than the two and a quarter hours of mowing the old place took.

The horsey princess got a visit and some stall cleaning. I hemmed curtains for the living room and my bedroom so the place looks lived in. I need curtains for the spare room but it's not my priority.

The Best of Ohio Show is at the Kent State University gallery until November. I saw the show at the Ohio Craft Museum and as always it is a good show. I'm not saying that because I have 2 pieces in it but because there is something of everything, jewelry, ceramics, glass, mixed media, etc. Worth a trip to see it if you live in northern Ohio. This week is our TAA board meeting and a talk by Sandy Shellenberger about the creative life. We will find out how our fund raiser did at the meeting.

All of which leaves someone needing a tummy rub. This is the usual pose. Most Corgis look at the world upside down.

Moving

2011-10-20T22:15:00.000-04:00

emptied studio

studio day 1
boxes in foreground were in the studio space which is actually the dining room

studio the next morning

the wall on the right will be the design wall, I need to get some insulation panels to put up, next week. Today was rainy and windy.

Here is the sunnier view, machines are up!

I lucked out Tuesday morning the movers were there at 8:15am. The assistant was at doggy day care or doggy doom as she calls it. By 2pm all the furniture was in the new house. At 3pm the rain started in earnest. Lucky me!

I had originally thought to put the studio in the breakfast room but there are not a lot of empty wall space and no overhead light and I usually end up working at night out of habit, so the dining room is it. The painting studio will be in the big basement.

Porch Sitting

2011-10-11T22:10:00.000-04:00

Dyna enjoying her new porch. We have keys!

One Week Countdown

2011-10-06T21:50:00.004-04:00

This is what a studio assistant does while the studio mistress is busy packing boxes.
It is starting to stack up. How I am going to fit all this into a smaller house remains to be seen. But the books and bookcases will be in the small bedroom with Dyna's crate. Her own bedroom. Next she will want a twin bed and cable TV!

But I have been working on something else. Packing boxes until I get tired then I fit some stitching in.

In the meantime, I am working on the Focus: Fiber 2011 catalog and The Wearable Art Show Sales book. Thankfully the sales book will go to print tomorrow morning. Sunday is our big wearable art runway show and boutique. There are maybe 50 tickets left for the luncheon/runway/early shopping part, but the public is welcome to come Sunday from 3 to 5pm to shop the 50 vendors we have. $5.00 charge at the door. We have elegant, funky, fun, one of a kind art wear for sale. All to benefit our mission to purchase contemporary fiber art for the Cleveland Museum of Art. The show is Sunday October 16.

Not Homeless Anymore!

2011-09-14T11:29:00.001-04:00

Thanks to my realtor Chad Schneider of Keller-Williams I now have a sold sign in front of my house. And a sold sign in front of my new house!
A nice 3 bedroom ranch with a basement and a manageable yard.
Below is the breakfast room that may become the studio with access to the back yard. On the other hand the living room is large and could become a studio also. I will have to see how things fit together. It’s close to highways for trips to freelance work downtown and close to the horse princess.

The studio assistant checked the yard last night, there will be some training about the yard and limits, and training about the street, it’s a lot smaller space for someone who likes a good run now and then.

September Already

2011-09-09T11:08:00.000-04:00

Time has flown by! My mom passed away a year ago. Lots of things have changed and lots of things haven't. I thought I would be in my own home by now. It has been an education, I always thought house hunting would be fun, but it is tiring and sometimes sad. Seeing houses that have been neglected to the point of mold and mildew. I am sure there is something out there but. . . well, I will keep looking.

I have finished another piece. Mairsy Doats (and Dozey Doats and Dads Are Topsy Turvy) This is a working shot (note the studio assistant inspecting the upper right corner). It is all quilted and has a binding. It has rained so much I haven't had a chance to do the photography yet.

I have been working a few days and had a few meetings. We have finished the details for Focus: Fiber. It is TAA's big biennial regional fiber show, held at Canton Museum of Art from Dec 8 through March4, 2012. I had a piece accepted. Yay! Now I need to finish the catalog for it.

A New Playmate

2011-08-22T20:28:00.001-04:00

I would like you all to meet my new playmate and toy

Tim Gunn!!! Otherwise to be known as Timmy. It so finicky and picky about all the settings that I figure it must be male. It is as fussy as Tim Gunn. But such interesting things can be done with it. And since I am about to become a great aunt twice over I will make good use of my flannel leftovers and make some simple blankets and burp cloths. And my older niece can use some pull-up jeans. Projects.

The other big news is we think the house is sold. Bank work to be done but they are supposed to be in solid with the financing. And fingers crossed I have found a nice ranch with basement and addition that will make an awesome studio!

If it all works out you will be seeing the moving process.

Scaffidi Workshop

2011-08-11T23:29:00.000-04:00

Quantum Felting:

Vessels

Paula Scaffidi

Fri and Sat, September 16 & 17

Fri, 10-5: Sat 10-4:30

CMA

Create a textile art vessel that will “hold”
your thoughts. Participants will experience
intuitive art making in a state-of-the-art
textile studio, quietly supportive of the tasks
at hand. Learn machine needle felting
techniques, digital design methods, and explore
stitch manipulation and vessel assembly. Develop
your unique design concept in an inviting format with
many creative options. www.fiberella.com. Materials fee $35.
All skill levels are welcome! Machines provided.

$240 (TAA members $180/$150 by Aug. 16)

Why I Have a Butterfly Bush

2011-08-06T09:41:00.001-04:00

And it smells fabulous. The Monarchs shall be arriving soon.

A New Series (I think)

2011-07-31T22:31:00.001-04:00

At least I think this will be a series, I have been playing with this photo all summer. I did 2 auction pieces for Quilt Surface Design Symposium where I printed this image on a piece of pillow ticking that I had splashed with white paint.
I made a panel of 3 dads and had Spoonflower print it twice, so I had six dads to play with. I have a piece with 3 dads that I am going to start next and then I will have 1 dad left to work with. I am loving the Spoonflower print site. Easy to upload and I have had really good turnaround from them. Great quality prints. Now if the quilting is up to the print quality is another question but I could never stitch my other big pieces with any kind of control, I had to sit two foot away from the work with foot pedal out from the machine, balancing the piece on my shoulder as I "steered" it through the throat of the machine, holding the rolled up sections out away from me at some points of the sewing endeavor. It always bothered me that I couldn't stitch them. With the painted canvas, once you stitch you are committed since the holes are there.

This is more forgiving, I had fun stitching and figuring out which thread color to use. The next one will have more stitching and some writing.
Of course you plan these things and then things can go in another direction. But that is the fun of doing art, you never know where the road will lead!
The road from the old homestead here is going to lead in a new direction, I think it is sold. The septic gets pumped Tuesday in preparation, and if all goes well, October will be moving time. I have looked at lots of houses on line and one in person that didn't work out. Water and mold problems in the basement. Keep your fingers crossed and say a little prayer, there has to be a nice ranch out there with my name on the mailbox!

Summer 2011

2011-07-09T23:34:00.000-04:00

Ah, summer! Soon the pasture will be done and someone will be able to go swat flies as she eats grass. Note the studio assistant in the background.
I rode Miss Skittles last Tuesday. We both survived. She was a tad on the "Oooohhhh, I could just throw a good buck in here" mode. Of course she hadn't been turned out for a while to run and I didn't lunge her. Dyna sat quietly watching until I stopped in the middle of the arena, which is her cue to run out and look at me as if to say, "Are you done? I think you should quit. Let's go home. Ok? Are there cookies here?"

Here is one end of the church garden. In the middle are 98 pumpkin plants. Can you say pie? And off to the right are 50 4 x 8 garden plots for parishioners. All planted and being tended. We are in the zucchini picking mode already. These week I picked up a flat of cabbage, a flat of sweet potatoes and 3 flats of onions. All going to be pitched by the greenhouse because they need to be planted and sales have slowed. We are glad to plant them, they will be part of the free community suppers we (and several other churches) have at the end of the month. It's a great effort to feed the hungry and that is our garden committee's goal.

And I have been working on several projects including the piece to the right, so far being called Dirty Toad or Toady. I am sure the name will change as I start the stitching.
I also made some flannel blankets for my nephew's baby, due in August, a great aunt (again) if I do say so.
And I have ordered another piece to be printed by Spoonflower. a great print of my dad.
And one last piece of good news, I will have a piece in the Focus: Fiber exhibit at the end of the year. It will be held at the Canton Museum of Art opening in December. It is a regional show hosted by Textile Art Alliance, an affiliate group of The Cleveland Museum of Art. I have been busy coordinating the entries and will begin to put the catalog together this week.

Next Action

2011-06-30T11:59:00.000-04:00

Here is the first layer of setacolor. I'm not sure I will add more paint to it, maybe. Right now I am contemplating the next step. I have some navy blue striped material that I sprayed with setacolor that may run along the bottom to anchor the feet. Then I have a union jack flag that is buried in the garden for aging. It's a replica dish towel, I wouldn't bury an actual flag. But I have picked up flag fragments in our church garden, they blow in from the cemetery so I pick them up, they are very graphic fragments.

And the house is on the market. Anyone want a 3600 ft house on 2 acres? 5 bedrooms, 3 baths, huge living room and a tiny but very useable kitchen.

On to the next project

2011-06-19T23:33:00.000-04:00

Since blogger didn't agree with me as to where to place this, ahem, I will just do a second post. Hey, more to read!

This is my first print from Spoonflower.com.
57" x 39" (approximately) on linen canvas. The project will be to paint, embellish and stitch it. Yes, stitch! I will be able to get this through the machine since it won't be covered with gel medium and paper and be very stiff and hard to bend and tug through a machine.

I plan to paint with setacolor so it won't lose the hand. Stay tuned!

Oh, it is my grandfather, World War I Cavalry photo, photoshop effect applied. Amazing what you can do with paths.

Projects

2011-06-19T23:20:00.002-04:00

My latest project, Daddio Vase 1.
After the felted pot I got to thinking about a quilted vase.
Since I have been making what I call skins or bases of quilted sheers over striped summer sheets and muslin, then I add little snips of graphic fabric and stitch around them. Sometimes I wash them to "puff" them up.

What if I quilted on a base of buckram so it was stiff and could stand up, a good idea till I decided to wash it and it took the stiffness out. I think if I used the crinoline it might have retained the stiffness. I printed the "daddio" photo on crinoline and made it pop out on the side. I think it worked well for the first one. The next one I won't wash, or if I do I will try the crinoline as the base. Or starch it.

Printing on crinoline and buckram is fun. It goes through the inkjet with no problem, I use a sheet of printer paper with an x of double stick tape as a carrier. Works fine and definitely has a texture and transparency to it.

QSDS Week

2011-06-13T12:22:00.001-04:00

Last week was Session I of Quilt Surface Design Symposium. This year it was held at Columbus College of Art Design. We stayed in the dorms and ate in the cafeteria. Dorms are quite different from when I was a youngster. No more four people in 2 bunks squished in a room.

We had a private room with a shared bath, 2 to a bath, 4 rooms in a suite with a living area with couch and chair and a mini kitchen with microwave, refrigerator and 2 burners. Not plush but not stark either. Since we had no TV we had conversation and ice cream at night. Quite refreshing.

I took a Photoshop class with Michael James for 5 days. My first piece of printed cloth from Spoonflower will be here in a week.

This weekend I took a collage class with the fabulous Judy Hooworth, seen explaining the basics of collage above. If you ever have a chance to take any of her classes, do it!

The studio assistant has been released from dog camp. She thought it was dog prison, there was whimpering all the way home, running and shrill yipping as soon as she was out of the truck. Poor baby, her bill for boarding wasn't much less than mine, and I provided her food! It was paying for the playtime so she could get some outside time! But as they say a dog's best friend is another dog.

At right is the desk mate I had for Michael James class, his head was so full of Photoshop evidently it fell off and rolled down the aisle.

Off to mow lawn, no lawn fairies took care of it while I was gone. And the big red horse will be needing a stall cleaning, hmmm, think the studio assistant will be up for a truck ride?

I Felted It

2011-06-02T15:18:00.000-04:00

Felted vessel from our private play days. Thanks for the hospitality Joan, and thanks for the lesson Jan!

Next week is QSDS in Columbus, Ohio. Quilt Surface Design Symposium is being held at the Columbus College of Art and Design CCAD. There will be 2 weeks of classes, visitors are always welcome, walk through the classes and get a feel for the work. The bus tour includes Quilt National and the Riffe Gallery. Not to brag but I am in the Riffe Exhibit which may be extended. And I have a piece in the Johnson-Humrick invitational show in Coshocton and 2 pieces in the Ohio Craft Museum!

This year at QSDS I am taking a Michael James class in large scale printing and a Judy Hooworth 2 day collage class. I can't wait to be with with all my peeps! Unfortunately the studio assistant is going to summer camp, then again she might like it, nah, she won't, she'll miss me, I hope. I'll miss her.

A Hail-acious Storm

2011-05-23T21:25:00.000-04:00

This is not soap, it is a downpour of rain, leaves and hail!

Marble sized hail!

we're ok, just got clean-up to do tomorrow.

Oh Deer Me!

2011-05-07T19:21:00.003-04:00

Did I photoshop half the tulips out?Did they get picked for bouquets?Did I go crazy with the weed whacker?Or were the deer hungry?
I think the whirling parrot in the center may have scared them off, the little tulip whackers!
And this is about 20 feet from my house! Green circle is our dug well.

One more week to enterTAA's Focus: Fiber!Entry due date May 15thShow will be held December 8 2011 to February 2012Prospectus can be downloaded at www.taacleveland.orgEntry limited to Ohio artists and artists from the 8 contiguous states to Ohio.All fiber media welcomed.Juror is Dorothy Caldwell.
And one more show to enter!
Call for entry: FAVA’s 15^th biennial exhibition of contemporary quilts May 13, - July 29, 2012

Entry deadline: January 23, 2012

Eligibility: Artists living in the U.S. or Canada may submit up to 3 entries.

Juror: Jean Druesedow, Director, Kent State University Museum

rain, rain, go away

2011-04-25T21:55:00.000-04:00

or I will have to get a lawn mower with pontoons!

Spring is Springing!

2011-04-22T12:25:00.000-04:00

I do think spring has finally sprung. The rhubarb is looking better! I have mowed the lawn twice. It was long and I hate to rake it.

The branch pile has grown to a good size, the property lines have been cleared of all the "foofus" my neighbors can't be bothered to clean up.
Just saying.

Storms are predicted for later tonight and rain for all weekend.

The studio assistant was not in a good mood. She hates rain. And a bath has been mentioned. If she keeps rolling in stinky stuff on the lawn, the mention will come to fruition. Just saying.

Oh Mom, really?
Yes, my stinky little friend. A nice warm spring bath!

A First

2011-04-07T23:03:00.000-04:00

My first invitational. The Pushing the Surface Show at the Johnson-Humrickhouse in Coshocton, Ohio. I have seen shows here and it is a very interesting setting. A gorgeous brick colonial with tons of interesting artifacts, it will be fun to see how things are displayed. A definite stop if you go to see Quilt National.
I don't think the color is very good on this photo but I finished it in February and between the weather and losing my camera to thieves I had a hard time shooting it.
It is my sophomore and senior photo enlarged and then cut into strips and pieced back together. Part of my self-deconstruction series. Next is a photo of my dad that is real classic shot from the 40's, could lead to interesting treatments.
Tonight was a new experience for me, I was working my part time church secretary job and I was invited to attend a practice mass for a seminarian. Antony is from India and a very nice man, tonight he sang the mass and gave a sermon and did a wonderful job. Imagine singing all that in a foreign language and giving a sermon also. We have a lot of people in this country who couldn't do it in English let alone another language. Great job Antony!

Where is Spring?

2011-03-29T20:31:00.000-04:00

This is not pretty. The ground is frozen, but poking their little heads up is the undauntable rhubarb! Once the weather warms a little they will burst forth with huge leaves and red stalks of fruit. A fruit not for the timid. I stew it down with lots of sugar and chunks of pineapple for a wonderful sauce that goes well with meat or piled on a fresh slice of bread. Then there is rhubarb pie and rhubarb crumble. Mmmmm!
Tomato, basil and oregano seeds were planted and placed in a sunny window. I also cleaned up and planted the geraniums my mother has overwintered for years. A little tribute to her memory!
I have ordered some screen printing ink and acrylic paint in the hope that it will warm up enough not to freeze on it's way here.
Some jello printing is in the works!
So come on spring, we are waiting!!!

Used to.

2011-03-10T22:21:00.000-05:00

I used to have a really nice Imac with a 20 inch screen on a very modern stand with a nice flat keyboard. I even had pictures of it, along with pictures of my studio. Pictures that I took with my very nice canon camera, that I used to have. And I had all kinds of pictures of my quilts that I have finished recently. Used to. I had a nice collection of rings and necklaces, gifts from my parents, odd little things, probably not worth much, except to me. Used to. And I had a Mac book purchased for speeches and a class. Used to. And about $20 worth of change. Used to.
And some drugged out thief decided my stuff would make enough booty for him (or her) to get drugged up for the day. It doesn't seem fair. I worked hard for all that stuff and in a small amount of time it was gone.
But the studio assistant was not harmed, even though I found her standing on a pile of safety glass. If you are reading this on my mac where I had the page bookmarked, call me and we can make a deal. If you are the thief, do the world a favor and buy enough to overdose.

Well that is off my mind. On to the good news I have 2 pieces accepted into Ohio Designer Craftsman Best of 2011. I'd show you photos but they were on my compu. . .well, there are some lo res left from my website. So here is Fancy Coat, my mom from the 30's aren't those sleeves the bee's knees?
And here is a word of wisdom, back up often, you don't know who is lurking.

The Gathering Place Show

2011-03-08T23:33:00.000-05:00

My solo show Remembrances opened yesterday at The Gathering Place in Beachwood, Ohio On Commerce Parkway off Chagrin Blvd.
Hours are 9 to 5 weekdays, 9 to 1 Saturday.

The Gathering Place is a hospice group that offers many services. a wonderful facility and resource for the community.
More later in the week about the good news/ bad news 2 weeks I have had.

Collage. You Can't Make Just One!

2011-02-22T22:38:00.000-05:00

It started with a Keith LoBue class last fall. I made a small collage in a altoid can and then mounted it on a small clayboard panel that I had textured with molding paste and painted with acrylics. I loved printing the transparencies from family photos I had scanned to make CDs of photos for my brothers.

more followed

a couple of 4" x 4" clayboard with transparencies mounted on slides

hmmm, can I make those transparencies bigger, say, 8 x 10?

yes, I can!

there were a few more (not shown here) and then I went to see the Treasures from Heaven show at the Cleveland Museum of Art. I was intrigued with wrapping and entwining bundles, entombing objects, precious objects wrapped with cloth, texture, boxes and compartments, tiny labels, and so I thought about making boxes to fit in the clayboard panels, and here is the first try

24" wide by 18" high that is mostly done but I will add more bundles and labels to the compartments as they occur to me. I am in love with the clayboards. They are masonite panels that have different sized cradles, this one is 1 1/2" deep so the box with compartments fits in. The hardest part was cutting the hole in the masonite, I need to improve my jig saw skills.

and just to amuse myself I added another one working with wire and molding paste.

And the next in the self deconstruction quilted pieces is almost finished!
Plus I have been busy freelancing and working the part time job.
Amazing what you can done when you aren't mowing lawn!

TAA Member Show

2011-02-11T23:02:00.000-05:00

Thursday night Textile Art Alliance, an affiliate group of the Cleveland Museum of Art held its 2011 Member Show opening at Lorain County Community College. The show will be open until March 17.
TAA supports the textile collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. We raise money from our annual Wearable Art Fashion Show and Boutique in October. We are the one affiliate group of the museum that includes artists. Our group has many talents, weavers, quilters, jewelers, felters, wearable art makers, surface designers, mixed media artists, textile experts, etc. It is a show of many different textile pieces and is a preview of Focus: Fiber that we will hold this December. That show is open to fiber artists in Ohio and its eight contiguous states. Entry forms can be downloaded from www.taacleveland.org

I helped coordinate the member show and will work on Focus: Fiber coordinating entries.
The photo to the left shows my 2 pieces. The turquoise one in the very back is called Her Marriage to Walter Made Marian Feel She Had Become the Little Woman. The gray piece with the row of girls is called Maple Street Girls Club.

In the foreground is Katherine Dunlevey's small purse display. Katherine made a small purse a day for months, inspired by a calendar of purse photos. Her felted vests are on the mannekins in the back.
The three green panels in the background of the last photo was made by Marty Young who quilted tea bags into this these and another large piece.

I Am (Officially) Old

2011-02-04T21:07:00.002-05:00

You think you are old when you turn 50 and the week before your birthday you get a Buckeye Card and an offer to preplan your funeral. (A Buckeye card is a discount card for the over 50 crowd in Ohio.) Of course before this you go through a drive thru and they called you mam!Last week I went to lunch at Denny's and they asked if I wanted the senior portion. I said no and ate the whole thing, which wasn't all that hard! Then this week we had a snow storm that left ice on top of hard packed snow. I walked out the back door and thought, "I could fall and break a hip."Well, maybe not, I am young at heart. But oh for some 60°F weather.
Next week we will have the opening of the Textile Art Alliance Member Show at Lorain County Community College. The opening is Thursday February 10, 4:30 pm to 8 pm. Come and enjoy

Winter, Workshops and Work

2011-01-27T11:02:00.000-05:00

Yep, still winter. You can't hurry it along. Or as my mother would say, you are just wishing your life away. So sit back and enjoy the snow flakes.

Or, maybe a workshop at an undisclosed but fabulous location. Great friends and a very good teacher who taught us jello printing. Much fun was had and it is something I will try again. Who knew fluorescent inks would blend and make wonderful bright colors.
The following is a sample printed on black fabric with a over print on organza. when the weather breaks I will order some inks to play with but for now I am afraid they would freeze before delivery.

And I have been working on my own art! This is me as a sophomore and senior in high school. In the stage of deconstruction. More deconstruct- and reconstruction to follow.

Now off to take care of the injured Miss Skittles. She skewered her face on a bolt sticking up from her stall. Many stitches and shots of tranquilizer later it is very sad looking and too gruesome to post a photo. I am sure she will heal to her beautiful horsey self.

New Years News

2011-01-04T10:53:00.001-05:00

To start the New Year I updated my website, adding a new gallery and prices to most of the quilts. If you haven't visited the site is www.textilearttipple.com come and spend some time. Some of the new pieces are up for consideration for shows so I am holding off on prices until I have news on them.

My painting is done for now. I am tackling the basement next, my brother Mick said it needs a D&C, dusting and cleaning.

There will be a trip to the recycling center. I hear they even take unwanted old encyclopedias and Readers Digests Condensed books, I have plenty of those, and cans of paint. Since we resided the house with vinyl siding the old paint can go. Except for touch up since we need to scrape and paint the windows but it looks so crisp and clean now. My parents would never go for the vinyl siding but the wood siding was not holding the paint, so vinyl it is and thanks to my brother Jim and Mick, nephews Jeff and Kris it looks great. (and thanks to the rest of the crew, also).

This week is new project week. I am making my ATCs for QSDS ATC group and then I will start on a self deconstruction piece with sophomore and senior photos of myself. It should be fun. Photos to follow. But here is a teaser, me as a sophomore in high school, how innocent I looked. And I was!

Merry Christmas

2010-12-24T21:38:00.000-05:00

Everyone!
And a Happy New Year!!!

Even if you think snow is for the birds.

TAA Member Show

2010-12-19T21:24:00.000-05:00

I am in the midst of getting ready for Christmas, doing unnecessary things like painting my bedroom. But I really wanted it to look better and that involved moving all the furniture; desk, chest of drawers 3 full bookcases, and the bed The sticking point is 3 full bookcases. Yikes! But now it is all done, my former studio is patched, painted and set up as a bedroom. Both rooms painted a light grey with blue under tones. Very sedate. Or may I say, sellable?

Here is my latest piece. In the Third Grade I Fell in Love with the Nine Patch. The nine patches are old patchwork samples that were collected by the Cleveland Museum of Art then de-accessioned to TAA for fund raising. I did it for our Textile Art Alliance Member Show which will open at Lorain County Community College February 17. I am the TAA coordinator of the show. Actually I am now the vice president of TAA.
I also landed a part time job as a secretary at church. This added to the freelance work at the ad agency should keep me out of trouble. I wouldn't count on it.
It has been very cold here, in the teens and poor Miss Skittles finally got her blanket put on. I think she wanted it the way she stuck her head in the opening. The whole time I was brushing her and putting the blanket on Willy was yelling for a flake of hay, making Skittles a little tense. But she has trust enough that she needed that blanket and that hay would come she let me fix her up. When I first got her she might have given me a hard time. Evidently age is a good thing in a horse.
Then little Miss Dyna decided to help paint by curling up by the freshly painted wall, there is nothing like a black dog with grey racing stripes. I didn't take photos because I was in a hurry to get her washed before the paint dried. And no, making snow angels does not remove paint, she tried! Boy how she tried.

A Few Details

2010-12-09T11:00:00.000-05:00

I have been told I leave too many gaps. And I think that's true so here are some details.
To the left is our family home at sunrise. I have lived here all my life. In fact across the road is the 98 acre farm where my mother grew up.
It is a large house 5 bedrooms, 3 baths, formal living room, family room, 2 car attached garage and a small barn that fits 2 vehicles and some chickens (we actually had a cow in there at one time.)
When my mom died the house was left to me, unless I didn't want it, in which case we will sell it and divide it between myself and five brothers. Well, as a single person I don't need or want this large house, it's a lot of work and with 2 acres of grass to cut, it's a 2 and half hour ride once or twice a week. So it will be on the market in the spring. Unless I decide to open a B&B. Nope that's not going to happen. So this winter it's Dyna and I are painting and fixing things up. Dyna is moral support. She won't even make me a sandwich because she says she doesn't have opposable thumbs, whatever, she is always good at making me laugh.

Now Skittles the horse, I have owned her for 12 years. I bought her and showed her a little, my niece showed her a little and she is just good fun. She will be 21 years old on January 6, my dad's birthday, which is one of the reasons I bought her. She is a registered quarter horse with very smooth gaits and while she was very petulant when she was younger, she has either mellowed or else we're just used to each other. But if she hasn't been ridden in a while you can throw a saddle on her and go out and have a good ride. She was boarded with good friends, Nancy and Paul, but they sold their farm and she now gets boarded with their daughter, Julie and her horse Willy. She lives about 10 miles away and they are in the middle of building a barn and arena for permanent quarters. Skittles and Willy are in a lean to behind a workshop on Julie's property. It's not that bad, pretty snug, just a little dark, no windows but there are lights. All will be well when the barn and arena get finished, right now there are poles awaiting rafters, walls and a roof. The Amish are coming. I will see if I can get photos, the Amish are not willing to have their picture taken. Right now there is a foot of snow on the ground.

How to make Corgi snow angels

2010-12-03T21:02:00.000-05:00

Someone was very excited to see snow today. There was constant begging to go out. Why? Corgi snow angels. There were 5 of them on the driveway in a short time. And since it was snowing pretty good they disappeared quickly, so I had to go out with the camera and document them.

First, select a good spot and roll

Roll the second side

Contemplate your work

Rest and make sure you have melted sufficient snow

and you have a wonderful yard decoration!
Happy Corgi-days!

But if you the energy left you can add corgi drawing to the yard by running some quick circles through the snow. Best done at top speed!

Time flies

2010-11-28T20:22:00.001-05:00

I can't believe only 2 more days to December. I have been busy, cleaning out this big house and I had over 2 weeks of work freelancing at the ad agency. I have my studio all moved downstairs and have been doodling over small pieces. Nothing much to show just quilting organza over old sheet blankets I found, they have blue stripes that peeks out of the organza. I baked pies to take over to my oldest brothers house for Thanksgiving, pumpkin, apple and berry. Friday I cooked my own turkey breast because I love turkey sandwiches, the real turkey not the slab grocery store stuff.
They started the barn so maybe the 2 refugees will be in permanent stalls by Christmas. Poor things, but it is kind of drafty because the door faces into the wind and there are no trees to break the wind. But it will be cooler in the summer. look how poor she looks. Ha. Looks like she needs a couple of laps around the arena!

I did clean her stall after this photo.

Next I will be working on using up all the flannel scraps from the hospital gowns I made last year that never sold. I think i will make lap quilts out of them and donate them along with the gowns to the hospice that took care of my mom, they have a need for their people that have no insurance.

And I will be in charge of Textile Art Alliances member show in February. I am kind of looking forward to it, to keep busy and also to learn how to coordinate shows.

The last thing you won't see at QN

2010-11-07T13:33:00.000-05:00

Maple Street Girls Club
44"H x 68" W

This piece has a lot to do with the aging process and what happens when we as a group age.

It was a puzzle to do when it came to putting the photos done and there was just an outline to paste down.

I intended it to be food for thought and I think it is. Perhaps too much food.

To that end I have found many photos of myself that are going to turn into art over the winter. In the meantime, I am moving my studio to a downstairs room and it is turning into quite the project. I bought four bookcase and a proper desk instead of my collection of pressboard boxes and boards. I have set up my sewing and embellishing machines and have moved my fabric and loads of books down. Now I may actually make something as my gold ATCs are over due. Time flys! And I have successfully installed WiFi so my computer could move away from the phone system. I guess I am clever after all. Putting together furniture and computers.

I am not a political person, I think it is somewhat like sex. No one really wants to know. But I must say I was happy about Tuesdays outcome. I hope some common sense finally prevails. Our state is sadly lacking in the jobs sector but we keep electing the same democratic tax-the-hell-out-of-you-and-wonder why-the-job-providing-companies-left. Time will tell. Remember when the president moved in and all his supporters said "We took our country back? Well, evidently some of us wanted "our" country back. But it's not the time to gloat. It's time to settle down and work hard and make things better. It's time to meet in the middle. The answer to healthcare is NOT the government sticking it's nose in. Anyone who has dealt with medicare will tell you that. You constantly have to monitor because the system sucks you in and then tries to regurgitate you. And can you trust a system that passes all kinds of inane laws to "protect" you? Look at San Francisco where they want to outlaw toys in happy meals because they make kids fat but want to OK marijuana that makes you want to binge on sweets that, wait for it, make you FAT! Huh?

Okay, off the soapbox, I read all the comments on Facebook and I just wanted my little say. Back to work. Bring another load of art supplies down.

Time Off for Good Behavior

2010-10-22T23:10:00.000-04:00

Really, I was good! I baked 11 pies for our church's Fall Festival. 5 apple. 5 pumpkin and 1 cherry/pear, (I was cleaning the cupboard and it wasn't all that bad. I may have to make that again. We raised some money that will go towards our community suppers. The church's in our little town got together and each one sponsors a supper each day of the last week of the month, so no one has to go hungry. We formed a garden committee and tilled up a half acre (God's Little Green Acre?). You can take a small plot or 2 or you can work in our community garden. We raised a lot of vegetables and donated to the community kitchen and meals on wheels. Then we sold our extras for donations after mass and raised a fair amount to pass on for the suppers. Neat, and we all had a good time doing it.
Sunday was Textile Art Alliance Wearable Fashion Show and Boutique. I did the signs, program and name badges and then worked the raffle booth and manned the door for stragglers. Hopefully we raised a good amount of money for the Cleveland Museum of Art's textile collection.
Totally two ends of the spectrum but both are food for the soul I guess.
And so my reward was a day with Mr Keith LoBue!
For a class about adhering paper to well, anything! Lots of cool techniques and great ideas.

My final piece, though I will do more to this to finish it.

And then I have worked a few freelance day.

Another Thing You Won't See at QN

2010-10-09T22:08:00.000-04:00

In the Fourth Grade the Artist Read about Picasso
33"H x 22"W

From the start of my self portrait series. Hmmm, I wonder if I have to admit that this is self destruction. Nah, I just deconstructed the photo not myself. But it is shaping up to be a fun series.

What You Won't See at Quilt National 2011

2010-10-02T12:08:00.001-04:00

Her Marriage to Walter Made Miriam Feel She Had Become the Little Woman

35" H x 47" W

In a long rambling email I among hundreds of others was rejected. Oh well.

Am I a bad artist? No, it obviously wasn't the right show for my work.

All pieces will be entered in other shows. All I can do is offer my art to the world.

Dad Time

2010-09-27T23:46:00.000-04:00

I have done a lot of art celebrating my mom. She and her sisters took loads of photos. Especially when they were teenagers. I even have have her little red box brownie.
My dad was another story. I don't remember seeing photos of him taken as a child, his parents divorced when he was seven. He never saw his father again. He didn't have contact with his father's family until the mid sixties when his aunt was looking for relatives. We then got connected with some of his family. They are from England, we made some connections and I have a large family tree going back to the 1400's.
I have been cleaning out my mothers bedroom and have found a small treasure trove of dad photos. My parents saved a lot of things, the hospital bill from my oldest brothers birth, pay receipts from the army, discharge papers, my mothers grade school report cards, etc.
To the left is my dad. I know my mother was a hottie but dad was a cutie as a child.
I have a great nephew who is a dead ringer for my dad.
So here's to you dad, finally reunited with your forever sweetie in heaven.

The Morning Visitor

2010-09-19T23:03:00.000-04:00

Every morning Dyna, otherwise know as The Studio Assistant, and I head out the back door to feed the fish while Dyna waters the grass, then I head out to the road to retrieve the paper. As soon as Dyna sees me head back from the road, she runs up the front sidewalk to the front door where she waits patiently on the ramp for me to let her in.
She started this about a month ago. I hope she doesn't expect me to shovel snow off the walk in the winter!

In other news, Skittles moved to her new home with Willy the other horse in the barn. Paul and Nancy sold the farm where she was boarded so she now stays with with Julie, Paul and Nancy's daughter who is also Willys owner. That's Skittles red rump on the right. Let's say she's not happy about the new digs. It'll grow on her and there are plans for a permanent barn and pasture.
Now Dyna has a new barn to visit and 2 new dogs to get used to.
Changes.

The End of an Era

2010-09-07T11:33:00.000-04:00

Beatrice Agnes Gilgenbach Tipple
1/8/1915 – 9/5/2010

Tying Up the Odds and Ends

2010-08-26T15:32:00.001-04:00

First project to leave was my Quilt National entry. Next to hit the mailbox was the dreaded brown ATCs. I guess I am not a brown fan because I had to buy some fat quarters to do these. Actually there were 9 of them to ship off to the QSDS ATC group. I came in as a late player so I do not have the full set of colors but what I do have is really great. White, Black, Gray. Hard to work with but some really neat Mini Art. Thanks guys. These are in the mail to Etta.

Then I started another self portrait. So far the base is down and a layer of modeling paste with dots imprinted in it. It will, I think, contain some old patchwork that was de-acquistioned from the Cleveland Museum of Art Textile Department. They donated over a 1000 pieces from their collection to Textile Art Alliance, which is an affiliate group of the museum, and we have been auctioning and selling pieces to raise money for the CMA Textile Department. Sort of one hand washes the other.

The other thing occupying my time is my continuing work with what I call mini fabric books. An out growth from Dorothy Caldwell's markmaking class. And a good hand and time occupier. Below is a sample of a 5-1/2" wide x 4" deep book. Fits perfectly in your hand. Click to enlarge.

I probably have done a half dozen of them so far and I have plenty or scraps of cloth to patch together. I keep a small sandwich sized bag with scraps, needle, scissors and metallic embroidery thread in a bag with my sketchbook with a pencil, sharpener and eraser. I am never far from amusing myself.

Things to do on a hot summer day

2010-08-20T10:29:00.000-04:00

Well, there is eating. Someone is happy out in the pasture. She did get ridden, we even took a stroll outside but the flies were bad.
Then I have freelanced for a few days and worked on quilts. I have finished 4 in the past 3 months which is a lot for me. But not working has helped, plus I had some ideas which worked out. Nothing I can show until October when the Quilt National show is announced. Then I will probably have everything to show you. Or maybe not.

Alright, here is the one that I am not entering. It is 69" x 67". My other pieces are smaller and have a bit more content to them. I am really trying to put content into my art, I am trying to get to the next level.

Next up: can she can tomato sauce? The tomatoes and basil are ripening!

All My Children

2010-07-29T14:01:00.000-04:00

Tomatoes

watermelons

cantaloupes

corn
knocked over by some heavy rain, it did come back to upright.

I shall raise all these children,

and eat them!!!

It sounds a little bad but tastes delicious.
We have eaten 2 tomatoes and feasted on corn from the farms around us.
Canned 26 pints of peaches.

And started another piece that may be Quilt National worthy. We shall see.
No idle hands here!

Retired

2010-07-24T22:43:00.000-04:00

OK I did it.
I am now officially retired. I signed up for Social Security. I wanted to wait till 65 or 66, but in this economy I have decided to quit fighting it.
I will be home to take care of mom, garden, mow lawn, volunteer for various things like the TAA, church and QSDS newsletter.
And there is art! I have lots of ideas for a new series of deconstructed photo quilts. And best do them while they are fresh in my mind.
Oh, I will be freelancing to earn extra money, anyone that needs a hand with print production or graphic design call me. But I am not going to stress over finding a job, or even one to apply to anymore.

Transfer Class

2010-07-20T23:19:00.000-04:00

I gave a talk Tuesday to The Northcoast Needlers. A great group. I had to follow their Show-and-Tell. Gulp. Lots of great work. They were a fun group and I got to show a little of what I do. I seriously need a lap top. You need PowerPoint to do talks. Everyone loves a photo and I did a Power Point but had nothing to plug in to the projector.
I now own a MacBook. Yay!
It's a cute little bugger. I think I have to name him. Probably something like Max. He is a male. That way if he doesn't work I can yell and call him a bad boy.
Saturday I taught a class in image transfer to a hard working bunch of women from the Northcoast Needlers. I learned a lot and next time I think I can be better prepared. And more focused. But they did a lot of work. We did gel medium transfers from ink jet photo paper and transparencies which we ran thru my printer. Lots of different effects. We also did Xylene transfers from toner prints and ran fabric thru the printer.
We were so busy I forgot to pull the camera out till everyone but one person had packed up. But here are the great results.

I hope everyone had a good time and learned a lot. And I will be joining the Northcoast Needlers. They are a very large group, 194 members spread out over several counties in Northern Ohio.
Garden is weeded. I picked 2 tomatoes tonight. And I have several watermelons going, the size of a large softball. I am so excited over those watermelons. It's like I have discovered children under a cabbage leaf. Silly! But that is the magic of a garden. The proud mother will have to take baby pictures.
The studio assistant like to lay nearby guarding them.

A Great Week

2010-06-18T14:06:00.000-04:00

I had a great week at QSDS (Quilt Surface Design Symposium). I took a master class with Judy Hooworth. We had a stimulating conversation everyday about Art and Quilts, Art Quilt Ethics, What is an Art Quilt?, etc. All very thought provoking. Five days flew by and we all hit the wall on the third day with no bus trip to rest us.
Next year will be different. We will be back to the old 2 week schedule in a new location. Columbus College of Art & Design. Proper classrooms and we will be in the dorm with cafeteria food. You can eat as little or as much as you prefer. And it will be a Quilt National year so the bus trip will be great. Yay!
On a sad note my camera's memory card decided to malfunction so all my class pics are caput. Not that I was going to show you my finished product. But let's put it this way. I started with 2 people quilts with a husband and wife on each. The wife got cut into strips and was layered over the husband. The left over strips were sewn back together and overlays of their faces printed on organza were the top layer. And there you go, it worked and I am resolved to do deconstruction to more things. It really added interest.
And to that end, I signed up for Kerr Grabowski's deconstructed screen printing next year. I can't wait. Pieces Parts!
And to Del, Judy sends you her love.

Where did May go?

2010-05-29T23:40:00.001-04:00

I didn't realize its been nearly a month. I have worked nearly full time, mowed lawn at least twice a week, finished a huge piece of work. 67" x 69" I am not going to picture it here but I did have a post when I was first laying it out. February 9th post.

And now I am packing... for Quilt Surface Design Symposium in Columbus Ohio. A master class with Judy Hooworth.
Master classes are self determined projects. Really an uninterrupted time to work on whatever you wish. And I would, but my pieces barely fit on the two six foot long table I pushed together in the basement. So I am thinking about the embellisher and some gray wool felt and some stitching. If something comes of it I will post it, promise. But I am not promising to be prompt. Just hedging my bets.
Think of Lee Bontecou's art as a jumping off point. We'll see.

The studio assistant is not pleased. She is not happy about my working and her watching mom, but on the other hand she is happy to handle all leftover pieces of ham and toast, thank you very much. And when that truck gets packed on Monday and pulls down the driveway she will really be miffed. I bought her a big bag of treats today.
I'm sure it's really not big enough.

Spending Quality Time

2010-04-24T20:23:00.001-04:00

Where have I been?

spending hours with my former full time employer as a freelancer.
In their fancy new space, which is planned out as a village. All the offices are little houses, or cabins or whatever. With streets of old posters (think Toulouse Lautrec) and antiques sprinkled in. With modern meeting rooms with huge plasma screened TVs for presentations.

Paulines little house

Lemonade on the veranda anyone?
So, mowing after work, and horse stall cleaning and maybe a little art later. But I am not complaining. you must make hay while the sun shines! And today I shipped out Sunday, Ft. Lauderdale, 3pm to the Quilted Surfaces VI show in Delaware and next weekend I will take my piece over to Oberlin to the Artist as Quiltmaker show.
Nope, I am NOT complaining!!!!

Friday Night Out

2010-04-10T22:35:00.002-04:00

I'm not used to going out at night anymore. You would think I was 80 not 61! But for a long time my mother would panic if I went out for dinner or whatever. Last night I went to Asterisk Gallery in Tremont a suburb of Cleveland, very artsy-trendy. My friend Christine Mauersburger cmauers.blogspot.com was part of an exhibition. Very cool work, tiny stitches that she takes from her sketchbook. I loved the patches on the wall too. I named her best in show! And nothing happened to me! I didn't tell mom I went and all was well. Plus I got a great hand full of rusted nails and wood from the sidewalks. Now to make some more collages with my "free" pieces-parts.

Solo Show

2010-04-01T23:17:00.000-04:00

Photos from my solo show at The Gathering Place,

800 Sharon Drive, Westlake Ohio

Hours Monday thru Friday 9 -5. The show will be at this west side location for two months from April to June. Then it will travel to the east side location 23300 Commerce Park, Cleveland for two months. It is really great to see all the work hung together, especially my Things Your Mother Warned You About series.

The Gathering Place is a really wonderful Hospice Center that offers a lot of services. Hopefully my work will give a lift to people's days.

Thanks to Eileen and TGP for the opportunity.

On the Couch

2010-03-19T22:10:00.002-04:00

Sunday, Fort Lauderdale, 3pm
juried into The Quilted Surface VI
Ross Art Museum Delaware, Ohio
May 18 to July 4
This is a photo of my grandmother, third from the left, her sister Kitty, far left and Kitty's husband Jim Tranter, he was an owner of Fasig-Tipton the auction house for all the racing thoroughbreds. I think this was taken in the thirties. I'm not sure who the lady on the right was, but she was very elegant.
The Quilted Surface is part of Quilt Surface Design Symposium. If you want to go, classes are filling up. But there are some good ones left. Bob Adams is teaching discharge and he is an excellent source of knowledge as to the safe way to do things. The first 2 1/2 days are discharge and the last 2 1/2 days are putting the discharged pieces together.
My friend Diane Herbort is going to teach a collage class. If you want to improve your design skills this is a great class, you start in paper and work your way to cloth. Great for people who want to dip their toe in the Art Quilt pool. And it should be fun!
I am taking a master class with Judy Hooworth. Hope to see you there!
And my website www.textilearttipple.com is back up with more quilts in the gallery and all the links (so far) showing up. Finally.

Ohio Designer Craftsman Best of 2010

2010-03-06T23:12:00.002-05:00

I was juried into Ohio Designer Craftsman Best of Ohio 2010. Great show to get in.
Dates are:
May 2 - June 20 Ohio Craft Museum,
Opening Sunday May 2 1 - 4

August 9 – Sept 25 Owen Community College,
Perrysburg (near Toledo)

Nov 4 – Dec 18 Lima Artspace, Lima

Easter Sunday

Mixed Media Textile

64" H x 35" W

August 2009

Riding Shotgun

2010-03-05T23:05:00.001-05:00

It's always best to take some one along to watch your back when cleaning horse stalls.
You never know when a kitty may sneak up on you.

Or this could sneak up on you!
Does that blanket need washing or what?
And what about the belly hanging out?
Actually that is her baby basket, but I am
not looking to fill it.

What to do on a snowy day

2010-02-26T23:26:00.002-05:00

Oil sticks, crayons thread, wax and feather, 4 x 4" clayboard

Oil stick, acrylic painted tissue paper, gold embroidery thread, wax, 5" x 5" clayboard

Inspired by Jude Hill's Spirit Cloth and slow stitching; rust stains, embroidery thread, mattress ticking. I have a bunch of these scraps. Some day they may unite into something. In the meantime they are scraps to noodle on while spending time next to mom's bed. Best thing we did was put a recliner next to her hospital bed. Everyone drops in for a visit. Plus we play nature tapes so it is very calming. And then we wonder why she hasn't been out of bed since the Superbowl!

Lots of snow today, 4 to 5" and it is still snowing. At this rate the snow pile will be here until April!
My mother has no reason to get out of bed. She doesn't want to see snow!

And a big announcement! I will be having a solo show the beginning of April at The Gathering Place in Westlake, Ohio. We are going to hang my Mom quilts on 2 walls, should be fun to see them all together. I think I have a few sleeves and labels to sew on but everything is pretty much already done. I am starting a new series of school photos that won't be ready for awhile, the first one is something like 67" x 69". It will be a bear to ship anywhere. But it wants to be that big, so far anyway, I have been known to snip things down. It's called editing.

Whatever happened to...

2010-02-23T10:35:00.007-05:00

The monoprinted beaded piece I started at the end of May?

Ta Da!!!!

It grew into a space piece surrounded by embellished organza, The background is a glittered piece of black fabric covered by a piece of organza studded with tiny bits of silver beads. I free style stitched it and then cut some of the organza back. I finished the edges by satin stitching and then painted the edges with black acrylic.

It was go-to piece throughout QSDS and the summer and finally got finished in January.

Speaking of QSDS, if you are thinking of going, now is the time to sign up. Some classes are nearly full and some are in need of participants. Bob Adams is a great teacher and is doing discharge this year. If you want to know how to do discharge correctly and safely Bob is the guy.

And Diane Herbort is teaching a collage class. If you want to kick your creativity and thought process up a gear collage is a wonderful tool.

Big!

2010-02-09T11:27:00.009-05:00

This is the start of something big! Yup, 67" by 69". Barely fits on the two folding tables I paint on, it hangs over by two or three inches so I have to pull it back and forth. The first coat of gel medium, paint and water is on. A coat of white paint will follow and then the print. It is from a photo album I bought at a flea market at the Medina County Fairgrounds. I had it printed out on 24 x 36 inch paper so I had six panels to trim out. The people at Staples are wondering what I am up to. He, he. They should ask the fabric cutters at JoAnn's. They want to know what I do with all that cotton duck. I'm not telling!

And here is a photo of my reluctant studio assistant. Can we go for a walk, pleeeeeese! Come on isn't it time for a cookie? Actually she hates the sound of my sewing machine and heads for the downstairs when I sew. As soon as I switch it off she back under the table though. I think the machine has a high pitch to it. My collie hated it also.

I'm my own boss!

2010-01-21T22:41:00.008-05:00

Totally!

Since my mom fell and is at home, her daily care is a challenge and one of my duties is being the supply person. I have had an education in the choosing of depends, chucks, medicine, wipes, all sorts of exciting things. We have been gifted with a few hospital gowns. Gifted is a term for, we don't want to change you back to street clothes, just leave with our gown and sheets.

Hospital gowns are not made with comfortable fabric to say the least. So I took one apart, made a pattern and made my mom a couple of nice flannel hospital gowns. This Christmas I made her a nice one in a bowling pin pattern since she bowled three times a week before her accident. She was 93 and had a 125 average.

Our hospice nurse saw the gown and asked where we got it. It seems people are looking for comfort, warmth and convenience for handicapped patients.

So I now have an etsy shop named And Sew Gown.

www.etsy.com/shop/andsewgown. If you need a comfortable flannel gown with 2 velcro tabs in a fun pattern, visit me!

And I have not been neglecting the artist side of me, I have been working on my big piece Couch. Color has been added, stitching will be added next. It did get a tad smaller, since I was taking photos of it and saw that with some cropping it became more dynamic. I am not going to put it on here till it is finished and then I will decide if it may be a piece to be considered for Quilt National. I have another large piece to start. It is quite large and is a class photo from the 1930s. I have a couple of ideas to play with making it different. More mixed media madness. In the meantime, above are a couple of 4" x 4" canvases with my version of encaustics. Crayons and a small quilting iron, a couple of feathers and some old text. Fun.

I love Half Price Books

2010-01-03T19:19:00.009-05:00

Since I have been on a cleaning binge I took two loads of books to the library for the book sale, and one big load to half price books for resale. Of course I used the money to do what? Buy more books!

The good news is I only bought three and it was during the 20% off sale.

and they are inspirational type books.

Shy Boy, She Devil and Isis. The art of conceptual craft, Selections from the Wornick Collection is a glass and fiber collection.

Contemporary International Basketmaking. I love the varied materials used in baskets, a reminder that we quilters should use unexpected materials also.

And Jack Lenor Larson Creator and Collector. What a collection, and the connection between what he collected and what he created is pretty clear. Again inspirational.

And thats why not a lot has been done. Except the beaded piece is done and being quilted into a piece of art but I am not showing it until it is finished. I had to stop to wind a bobbin and got distracted. Not hard to do.

I took the inside Christmas stuff down and put it away also. Pat on back! :)

And sew on. . .

2009-12-22T22:03:00.005-05:00

I have been sewing, really. I made my mom two new flannel hospital gowns. Much softer and comfortable than the standard issue version. I swear they make those things out of brown paper towels. I took an old one apart and made a paper pattern. It takes about an hour to cut and sew one up. I found a bowling pin print so now she has a bowling shirt.

And I made my friend Julie's daughter some winter themed flannel baby blankets. Little Lily was born 2 weeks ago. As her dad said, she is a lucky little girl, she already had a horse and a dog when she was born. (Though I am not sure she is lucky with Willy, that bugger tried to bite me today. Skittles does not have the market on cranky evidently!)

The quilt above is called Couch for short or Sunday, Fort Lauderdale, 3 pm. for long.

I have the background done though it may change. It needs some paint and stitching. And it is big, something like 74" wide and 50" tall. Last weekend I went to the Medina Flea Market and bought 2 1940's photo albums so I have several new ideas lined up. Have to do some scanning and photoshop work and take them out for printing. Staples can print 24 x 36 plain paper black and whites for pretty dang cheap. Couch only has 4 pieces of paper pieced together. When I did the 11 x 17 printer I would have had maybe 20 pieces to piece. Much better! Though it is tricky to get the larger pieces lined up and glued down. But then again I like a funky-not-perfect look.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Food Mysteries

2009-12-17T21:43:00.005-05:00

My mother was a thrifty cook and growing up in the fifties we had many meals that were concocted to feed six ravenous children. One was called Summer Slungullion. I know! It is stewed fresh tomatoes, corn cut fresh off the cob, hamburger meat and macaroni. All cooked together with a dash of worcestershire sauce.

My mothers nod to exotic food was chop suey. An extra pork chop was cooked and the next night it was cut into pieces and combined with onions, celery, pork gravy, and bean sprouts. It was served over rice with rice noodles and a hard boiled egg sliced on the top. This accounts for my occasional cravings for hard boiled eggs sprinkled with soy sauce. Strange.

I love chinese food and I have spent many great lunch hours in Cleveland's Asian neighborhoods eating at the local restaurants. I have never seen a hard boiled egg on top of any food, which puzzled me until a couple weeks ago when I was looking for a peach pie recipe and came across the LaChoy pamphlet dated 1949. Mystery solved.

Now does anyone have a good peach custard pie recipe? My mother made one that had a carmelly bottom and a custard filling with a crumb top. Yummy!

And next time we will talk about jelly on top of fried eggs.

The tale of two shows

2009-12-12T22:00:00.006-05:00

There are two shows I have been wanting to see. One of them was the Ohio Designer Craftsman Best of 2009 which is showing at the Wooster Art Center in Wooster, Ohio until December 19. It opened in Columbus in June and has traveled the state, stopping in Portsmouth and Mansfield on its way to Wooster. It has a wide variety of media; jewelry, pottery, textiles, glass, woodworking, and paper. It's a wonderful show because of the variety. Additionally there is a great variety of textiles, Susie Shie's diary quilt, Sue Cavanaugh's shibori, Rumana Hawa's weaving and Rita Steffenson marvelous thread work among others. Sue is in the Quilt National exhibit that is traveling the US currently. I went on a Wednesday afternoon, all was quiet but the show was in 2 rooms that were warmly lit. I was inspired but some of the fabulous jewelry. Some very conceptual pieces.

Saturday I went to see Nancy Crow's Solo exhibit at the Howland branch of the Butler Institute of America. The show is open until January 10, 2010. Surprisingly there were no visitors on a Saturday afternoon. I was able to examine all the quilts at close and far range. The show left me a little depressed and puzzled. The quilts had titles such as Anxiety, Yes, No, Maybe. Nancy describes her angst as she ponders a 1/4 of an inch placement of stripes that would change the composition. I was really interested in her whole cloth screen printed and monoprinted quilts. They were great, but the dates of the pieces were smack in the middle of all the strip pieced quilts. It seems she led us somewhere and then dropped the story we hoped to learn. Hopefully there is more screenprinting. Of course, this just my take. Sad, there were no viewers on a decent weather-wise weekend afternoon.

The quilt above is my One Windy Day which is traveling with the Best of Ohio Show.

And the After

2009-11-18T22:23:00.008-05:00

Studio changes are made. I even dusted. I mean this was a serious clean up. It must be something in the fall air. We all seem to to want to nest for the winter. Next is to dig all the stuff out of the cubbyhole. I want to be down to a couple boxes of stuff. I will not be giving up my mechanical toy collection, even if they are just plastic. Mickey Mouse and Snoopy cannot be replaced.
And here is the piece that started the wall art change. I did this after my mother fell. I could take it to the hospital and nursing home and work on it. I called it the Healing Piece. I imagined the squiggles were brain cells trying to reconnect. It reminds me to play and experiment more.

2009-11-12T23:29:00.002-05:00

Life is down to a low hum.

I started a new quilt project. 74" wide by 44" tall. A big one for you Dorothy. Got the image printed on an industrial printer so I have 4 24 x 36 pieces to paste down. Got those trimmed out and the fabric stitched together. That was my last big piece of cotton duck, so off I go to JoAnns with coupon in hand. I got a couple of base coats on and ran out of ink. Went to the local art store that used to carry acrylic ink and found out they have no ink. What? No ink. How can this be an art and craft store? Well, Dick Blick is now sending me ink. Thank you, Dick! The leaves are falling and all that are left are on our big Schwietzer (sp?) tree, a big yellow maple and the Bradford pear. Everything else has lost their leaves except for a few stragglers on the suckers. I have been keeping up with the clean-up. Of course every time I mow the whole thing, the wind brings the neighbor's leaves over. And who knew magnolia leaves have a distinct peppery smell?I have been cleaning up all the junk in the house, mom's old clothes and stuff I never wear, books, oh the books! Took 3 shopping bags of books, CDs and DVDs to 1/2 Price and got $35. Enough to buy cotton duck. Then I decided to clean all my portfolios of paper. Like maybe six of them. Now down to 2 portfolios and a mirror shipping box.Then for some reason I decided to redo the long wall of my studio room. Now this room is small. Like 7' 6"' wide by 12" 9" long with 2 good size windows on one long wall. The blank long wall has shelving, bookcases and my computer plus my big table with the sewing machine. And tons of art on the top half of the wall. It now has no art. But it will have new art. I have to put a sleeve on my Mom Healing piece and hang a piece of paper art I found in a portfolio. I turned it 90° and it struck me as a fun piece so it will go up. I need a kick out of a rut. Maybe this will help. The photo is the before shot.

Baby Clothes

2009-11-02T22:02:00.006-05:00

My friend Gayle Pritchard ( gaylepritchard.blogspot.com ) makes the cutest baby clothes.

The dresses and overalls are her own design and she has an etsy shop . My friend Julie is expecting a baby girl in December and inspired by Gayle, I decided to get a pattern and some fabric and make baby Lily a handmade baby outfit. Simple I thought, I used to sew my own clothes all the time. Just a few short seams. And I thought I picked an easy pattern! Gayle you have the patience of Job! But I did get it done in time for the shower where it was admired by all. No one has the time to sew anymore. She did get a beautiful handmade afgan, but I am not touching needles and yarn, thank you very much.

Now I am going to purge a few more cubbyholes of all the junk I have accumulated, there is stuff in there that hasn't seen the light of day for 40 years. I think I can live with out most of it. And then I have a new photo I had printed at Staples, four 24 x 36 panels. Yep, back to a big piece. I can't wait to start it!

Corgi Yoga

2009-10-20T23:27:00.005-04:00

Greet the sun position

And FLIP!

What's for breakfast? Milkbones and kibble?

The Details and a USO Followup

2009-09-30T22:22:00.006-04:00

Here is the promised detail shot of Through The Mirror Darkly. I added stitching around the gentleman and around the mirror frame.

Now I have some photoshop work to do on a new scan that will be four figures and be quite large, at least 84 inches long. I will be looking to output this commercially since I only have access to a n 8.5 x 11 inkjet printer and I will need about 10 to 12, 11 x 17 pages to put the new one piece together.

And a use for USOs? Here are a few pages from one of my stitch books where the USOs landed. I make these from odd scraps that I like to loosely stitch and then make into a book. There you guys are among the first to see these except for a few close friends. Click to enlarge and see the details.

Now the questions is, will the weather be good enough to mow tomorrow? Some of my grass is 4 to 5 inches long. It's a 2 and half hour long job.

Finishing It Off

2009-09-27T13:32:00.007-04:00

I found some bits of painted lace which I added around the mirror. Also had some "homepun" type fabrics that became "patches". Glued down the xerox photo with gel medium. This is actually four 11 x 17 pieces of paper.

Next I gelled down the organza I had stained with acrylic ink. The ink was not permanent as it bled when I laid it on the gel medium. I didn't do a lot of fussing with it for that reason, just laid it on and pressed it down in a couple of spots.

I decided to square it up a bit, it just wanted to be squarer. What can I say. I also stitched around the mirror part and around the man. For some reason it kept breaking the thread, I guess it was a bit tougher than I thought which is funny because I can stitch through the built up areas where I used modeling paste with ease. Next post I will give you a close up with some of the stitching. I titled it Through The Mirror Darkly. Finished size 35" H x 29" w.

And the bead goes on

2009-09-20T22:53:00.005-04:00

Sorry but I couldn't get the title to this post out of my head. And the bead does go on and on. This is a piece that is fun to pet. And when you turn it over to tie off a thread it makes the most satisfying clatter as the beads hit a hard surface. It still needs more beads and stitching but it is a lot closer to being finished. Then I will have to figure out what frames it.

Following Up

2009-09-18T13:00:00.007-04:00

This is the canvas with a coat of white paint, gel medium and water. Previously I had painted it with patches of coal tar gel, and gel medium which I scribble on through a nozzle bottle.

The background arched part painted with white paint, I left some of the canvas showing through. It will be covered with the image. One stencil placed on the lower left side.

Painted tissue paper. This is great stuff to play with, you can stitch it, rip it up and paste it over itself, stamp it, etc. It has a smooth side and a shiny side after you paint it. The steps: 1. place ordinary white tissue on a plastic sheet. I use white garbage bags that I cut the bottom off and then cut up the side so it lays flat, 2. spritz with waters so it lays flat on the plastic and the paint will spread, 3. paint with Golden Liquid Acrylics thinned with water, I add a touch of gel medium to strengthen. 4. Let dry on plastic overnight.

Added molding (or modeling) paste through stencils on the sides.

Added a coat of paint to the sides over the dried modeling paste stencils. There is a piece of the painted tissue paper on the left side, not sure I am going to use the paper. Perhaps some but there maybe some lace and other fabric pieces added to the side. And some paint sticks on the stencils. I placed the image and painted tulle on top to see how it will look together. I think this will be a companion piece to Edith Ann for sure.

Stayed tuned. More work coming.

Anatomy of a new piece

2009-09-12T11:37:00.008-04:00

This piece started with a search of images I have already printed out. I found a large portrait of a gentleman I think was purchased at a flea market. A young handsome gentleman. I was thinking about him as I drove on an errand, I get a lot of inspiration driving or mowing, I thought about making him look as though he was in an old mirror. Best to sketch out the thought before it leaves my brain! A rough sketch and on the left is snippets of art where I admired the color.

I had purchased some bubble organza as JoAnns and experimented with throwing some Antelope Brown acrylic ink on it. Looks lovely and I made a large enough piece to place over the image.

Dried ink on the bubble organza. Or maybe it is chiffon, no, I think is is organza, it has some weight to it.

Cotton duck, patched and pieced together, left side is a little funkier than I planned but that's the fun of being spontaneous. Plus I like a funky look.

First layer of paint. gel medium scribbles, black paint and clear tar gel. I am not sure how the clear tar gel is going to react to the paint. I love to experiment. Next will be a coat of gel medium, white paint and water.

Bad, Bad Blogger

2009-08-29T22:07:00.006-04:00

Where, oh where, have I been? Yikes, I just realized its been a month since I wrote anything!

Well, I have been around, here and there. I finished two quilts and entered two shows. Mostly trying to take care of my mom who is fading slowly away. Dementia in the elderly is a slow, torturous way to go.

On the plus side I have been working on my website, teaching myself Dreamweaver. Evidently I am not a real good teacher. I have the layout done, and some of the pages done. I have a page for each of the 18 quilts I want to show with a short story about the inspiration behind each one but I need to do the gallery page to link all the other pages and I am having trouble lining everything up. I know it shouldn't be so hard to do so I bought a new instruction book today and I will be studying again.

And today we got my mother to get out of bed and did a major clean of her room. She even ate dinner with me, homemade fresh tomato soup from the garden. I canned 9 pints of tomato juice today and had enough left over for soup.

Above is a piece I did for myself called Book of Hours. It has rust stains, bronze metallic embroidery thread, and beading coated with thick gel medium.

USO

2009-07-31T22:38:00.005-04:00

What is it?!?

Unidentified sewn object! I'm not sure what these will turn into, but they are rusted, embroidered with random stitches of metallic thread and then coated with gel medium, the really thick stuff I put on with a spatula and let dry over night. It makes the cloth like plastic and really makes the stitching stand out.
An entertainment while I am putting off finishing my new web site, why? I don't know but I am a page closer, but I really need to do the gallery page. And finish it. And finish the new piece I started this week and the QSDS piece needs a back and photos, entry season is upon us!

Where have I been?

2009-07-22T22:31:00.004-04:00

Well I have been working on my beaded, embroidered piece. A few stitches at a time. And. . . I started a new piece today, a big piece about my grandmother. Not much to see yet. Patched cotton duck with gel medium and a few random fabrics attached with gel medium and white paint splotches. Next some staining on it and I will paint some tissue paper to paste on. I have the palette of colors picked out. No photos yet.
AND!!! I rode my horse (Skittles) Sunday! Just got the nerve up and the time to do it and climbed on. I haven't ridden Skittles since last fall and I didn't canter her at all last year. Climbed on in shorts and tennis shoes asked for a walk, trot and canter and got it with no fuss. There is much to be said for an old horse, she's trained and we know each other. This photo is not Skittles. This is my prior horse, Doc. He looks good, and I didn't look too bad but he was not comfortable to ride, my knees used to ache. I'll have to get a picture of me on Skittles, uh oh, another project!

Andl, I have been busy with mowing, trimming bushes, weeding, cleaning house and the front walk is now 6 inches wider since I edged it. More room to roll a wheelchair down it.

QSDS The Results Show

2009-07-12T22:49:00.008-04:00

From the hallowed halls of QSDS

comes another piece of art. The appears to be a shift from my usual "formula" of art.

At least I hope it is!!!

This what started to be a normal piece and all of a sudden,

well, after a consultation with Elizabeth Busch, things were painted, ripped apart,

repainted, stitched, cutout, appropriated from other uses and reformulated into

Dut, da da DAH!!!!
A different kind of look, I am excited to see how I can develop this into pieces about human relationships and communications. Definitely click on this to enlarge it, it has more detail to be seen. I definitely need to play with the scale of things but I think it is an interesting start. Stay tuned!

QSDS Vacation

2009-06-30T22:50:00.004-04:00

How I spent my summer vacation.

Picture 1, a piece that has been littering my painting table for a couple of months. I painted it red and hated it so I covered it with a coat of white paint and it went to the Quilt Surface Design Symposium with me. Here it has an experimental bit of painted tissue paper glued with gel medium.
Picture 2, it has a layer of tissue paper and the paper copies gelled on. It looks much better. I make colored tissue paper by painting white tissue paper with a watered-down coat of fluid acrylic paint. It dries on white plastic garbage bags and then you peel it off. I had stitched lines into the tissue with metallic thread also.
Picture 3, has a line of stitching down the lighter side of the photo. It gives it definition. Also darkened the sleeve and legs with another coat of fluid acrylics. Trimmed off the excess tissue.
Picture 4, pretty close to finished. I added paint sticks to the lighter side of the coat and rubbed it into the background. The colored tissue accepted the paint stick, I was hoping it would! This needs finishing, a back and label and flattening. And a title!

But what fun! I would highly recommend Elizabeth Busch, she worked with 20 individuals with 20 different levels of needs and accommodated all of us. And brought all of our art up a level or two. Hats off to you, Elizabeth!!!

Progress on some fronts

2009-06-18T15:45:00.004-04:00

I have made a little progress on my monoprint piece. We have had rain over the past days but there is a break in the weather today so lawn mowing is in order. It's a good time to meditate. Just you, the mower and 2 acres of grass. Thinking time.

I think I have figured out enough Dreamweaver to start playing with my website. I have it laid out in InDesign, so the designing is done, the writing is done. I need to photoshop a bunch of photos so I can start placing the correct images. I need to take the outlined images and make them lo res. I never seem to do anything square so outlining is needed to make them look clean. Fortunately color correcting and outlining were 2 essential things I did in my previous job. I can also photoshop your wrinkles and fix your hair! Or add mustaches and blacken your teeth. Don't mess with me!

More Monoprint

2009-06-14T22:25:00.004-04:00

To the left is the monoprint I made with Lumiere paints on black cotton duck.

I have started to bead it with what I call bead soup. Just a bunch of beads in the colors I want thrown in a plastic plate and applied randomly. I am also adding gold embroidery thread in a random pattern with bead spacers and large aluminum jump rings.

I find hand work calming after a stressful day. Not that I was stressed that much today. But I am realizing that a job search needs to be started in July, and I don't think here is much out there right now. That's not a pleasant thought.

But next week I will have 7 whole days to work on art at QSDS. I have four projects and the monoprint to take down so I can pick and choose what to work on. Hopefully besides artwork, I will get more insight into what is good and bad about my work and areas to improve. Sometimes I have so many ideas its hard to pick what will be the best. Usually I go with what appeals the most to me. But I am not sure I have the greatest ideas. I think my work is not cerebral, it's more emotional. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but I look at some of the great cerebral work out there and sigh deeply .

And I had a talk with a friend tonight about a great plan to unite all the regional fiber groups in a website and eventually to have a gallery, work and classroom site in one local building to promote fiber. It's a big, grand, wonderful idea, hopefully I can get in on the ground floor of this. Any Northern Ohio fiber artists we are going to enlist you to start providing us info on your events for starters so we have one site to link up events. We need to start promoting the local fiber events!

When the camera is smarter than the operator

2009-06-12T17:44:00.002-04:00

No need to explain this!

Getting Ready

2009-06-09T17:34:00.003-04:00

Between yard work I have been gathering fabric and ideas for my master class with Elizabeth Busch at QSDS. I made a small piece for the auction that is really a sample for the new direction I want to head.

I made a sample with an image I have been playing with and it hung on the design wall for months. I finally finished the piecing but by then I have lost the desire to quilt it. Of course it will probably get quilted "someday."

In the meantime here is my auction piece. 12" x 12". I printed the head in 2 8.5 x 11 pieces and then pieced them together and placed them on top of the pieced background and then did a lot of freemotion stitching around the head. The question was what to do with the black and white portion of the head? I think the threadwork came off subtly enough to work.

So far I am pleased and ready to print out a full sized figure. My mom is wearing the most interesting coat. Of course she has no memory of it.

Pictures tell the story

2009-06-02T11:44:00.005-04:00

Here is the one of the front beds by the front door with trimmed bushes (sweat equity) a new butterfly bush and begonias.

Next is our well top with geraniums, snapdragons, petunias and begonias. Yes the weeds have already returned with the rain.

And last is my monoprint. I just poured paint on a piece of plastic on the table top and placed the fabric over it and pressed it down. Spritzed the remaining paint with water and placed another piece of fabric on it. I plan to embroider and bead this piece and make another quilt like The Secret Life of Black Holes. Which is the top picture.

This and That

2009-06-01T22:11:00.003-04:00

Busy, busy, busy.

I have planted all the flower beds. Actually that wasn't hard. It's weeding them that is hard. Many full garden carts and 5 flats of flowers later, I'm finished for now. And the fish pond is cleaned, plants and fish out. It was a cesspool full of mosquitos. Yuck.

Now I can start weeding!!!

The garden is up, at least the corn and the beans. Peas, carrots and spinach to follow.

Next is the TAA newsletter.

And I delivered 5 pieces to The Pop Shop Gallery for the Art of Lakewood Walk on June 13th. 4-9 pm. The Pop Shop is hosting the Fifty Dolla Holla. All art is $50 with 50 artists contributing up to 5 pieces. It's an interesting place to purchase a variety of affordable art. With a great mix of styles.

See www.artoflakewood.com for further details and a map.

Shame on me, no photos. I will take one of the front of the house and post. Or better yet I will photo the monoprints that are drying. I did sneak some art in while I was draining the fish tank today.

Forget that previous plan

2009-05-20T21:52:00.006-04:00

Well, yeah, just step over towards that painting table.

Let's see. . . TAA Fashion Show Database around 1000 names and addresses typed. QSDS Brochure formatted and off to printer. Mom now enrolled in Hospice. Dentist appointment for crown. Lawn mowing. Oh yeah, ART!!!!

Well I am getting back to art hopefully. I spent $39 at JoAnn's for supplies so I better!

And I did finish 2 pieces and will have 5 pieces in the Lakewood Ohio Art Festival in a couple of weeks.

Plus I got a mention in our local paper and The Columbus Dispatch for my piece in the Ohio Designer Craftsman Best of 2009 Show (Yay!) And the Quilted Surface VI opens this week in Columbus.

So the rest of this week, art. Of course there is garden and flower planting. that's an art too!

Creativity Jumps!

2009-05-03T21:49:00.004-04:00

I had a good week. I figured out that when I go down to feed my fish, (I have HUGE fish) I need to step 6 feet over to my paint area and do SOMETHING, which gives me a kick start.

I have 3 Sweet Suites in the first stages of paint, painted up a bunch of tissue paper, put rod pockets on "For the Mother" quilt which needs to go to Columbus this week. I started the brochure for QSDS 2010 and started the database for the TAA Fashion Show and got the lawn mowed, house cleaned, supplies and groceries stocked and helped with my Mom who is having some issues with panic attacks.

Panic attacks in a 94 year person who never had them before is a scary thing. Mom is not sure what is going on and gets very confused. Plus the brain damage from the fall has affected her short term memory. The constant questions about the weather tomorrow can be draining. Everyone needs a break, aides and me.

For those who don't know, my 93 year old mother fell March 5 2008, at 5 in the morning and suffered a brain trauma, which resulted in a stroke that affected her left side. The day before the fall she was bowling 3 times a week and driving her big old Caddy to the bank, grocery, bowling and church. She lost all of her independence. She is at home now with 24/7 aides and enjoys being wheeled out to sit in the sunshine.

Life got very interesting, to say the least. But in essence, my mother and I switched roles. She is now the daughter I never had.

Photo to the right, three Sweet Suites in the beginning stage of paint. Next is stitching and additions of paper or whatever else adds interest.

Sweet Suites

2009-04-22T22:56:00.002-04:00

I have been working !!!

There are two things I like to do art-wise. Sew and paint. My mixed media textiles do that.

I sew pieces of cotton duck together to create the base, add layers of gel medium and paint

and then add the photo copies to the base. Then more glazes, paint sticks and whatever

else will add to the story I want to tell.

But what if I left out the photo copies and accented the sewing?

Made them not just a painting but a textile.

Mounted them on a stretcher but with some thread work?

And made them small and affordable?

Called them Sweet Suites?

Thinking about QSDS

2009-04-17T17:22:00.003-04:00

Quilt Surface Design Symposium is my hot vacation spot every year. It has spurred my art quilt career in surprising ways and in directions I would have never thought to take. And it has brought many new friends. I treasure the friends the most.

This year I have signed up for a Master Class with Elizabeth Busch. Seven days to work on art. Period. Well the Wednesday trip to Quilt National and I will HAVE to make at least one run to Dick Blick's. But the rest should be all art making.

I thought with my layoff I would make a lot of art and I have been working on it a lot but I always have some excuse. Cleaning, errands, yardwork, time spent with my Mom.

I think I have to start making some rules. Get up at eight, breakfast and make art until noon or something. And then hit again from 9:30 pm till 11:00. I am so used to the 9:30 till 11:00, when I was working it was the only chance I had.

The photo is from Ned Wert's wonderful collage class at QSDS.

The First One!

2009-04-13T22:05:00.004-04:00

Okay Gang, here goes the first post!

Currently working on something different for me, a pieced quilt. Quite different from my usual patched duck that is painted and collaged.

Since I am not working, I have been doing a lot of yard work and paperwork. And cleaning up all the messes that get piled in a cubby hole for later. Later is now!

And I have to finish a quilt that is due to be sent for display in Columbus for QSDS's Quilted Surface V. This is my 8 foot tall homage to my mother. It was quite a feat to photograph this one, it involved the garage, a ladder and nails.