Show & Tell...

Here was one of the items that got finished up for the show/sale this month.
It started out with three different shapes that were each cut out three times & then arranged differently. (It was a long-ago exercise from the Art Quilt Workbook by Waterson & Davila that I was working through.)
Much later, I came across the three little pieces & thought I should do something with them--so I made the three panels & embellished them with paint & ink.

Then much after that, I finally got them together, but some purple toule over (more about that in a later post), & did some thread painting.
The piece came out about 29" x 20"--and went on to a happy home during the show...

Art Quilt Workbook - Next Installment

"Art = a mad search for individualism"--Paul Gauguin

I've been remiss in sharing some of my projects, progress. It's been a distracting couple of months!
My Round Robin group is continuing to work through the Art Quilt Workbook--the latest was the chapter on fabric collage (or an artistic composition of materials & objects pasted over a surface). Collage can be representational or abstract, themed or apparently random, simple or complex, but usually demonstrating the sum is greater than the individual elements. Color & design greatly impact the result. Does it have a theme or focus? Or just interest, harmony in a variety of elements?
One of the exercises was aimed at using color-specific organic-shaped elements to explore balance and grouping. Which one do you like best? Is there something that makes you feel that way? (I might try to do something with this little grouping later...but they will be little diamonds in the rough until later).
For the homework: yes, you guessed it, make a collage using concepts from the chapter. Here's my finished product (remember these are 9" x 12"). The focus for the collage was one of the fish I printed (less than successfully) on cloth at our recent NPS workshop--and then built on that. Water, seaweed, bubbles, sea colors, and of course--the square-in-a-square theme that is following along with me through these projects. For interest, beads on the inner borders, beads for bubbles & accent, paintstix and wool roving for seaweed.

Art Quilt Workbook - Next Installment

One reason I make myself continue posting (even though I will never be in Joe's league!) is that I SO enjoy other's info and experience.--and it's a great way to make new connections, learn new things. I totally underestimated that opportunity when I started blogging, but that's the part I think I like the best.

Here's an example: you remember this year's project that my round robin group is endeavoring to complete: the Art Quilt Workbook? When I did my first post about it, I got a comment back from Jane Davila, one of the co-authors. Made me gulp a little, to say the least--but the great thing was then getting to check out her blog--and all the sites she has noted (I could spend days snooping & reading, but time allows only a little at a time!).

Anyway--one of the sites I ended up in was the Nature Printing Society--quite cool. I was taken with their annual workshop which rotates east/west and this year is in Santa Barbara--also quite cool. I was yakking about what I found--and Jim thought the workshop looked good too; might have some applications to his wood turning. So--long story short: we're going to Santa Barbara (to a retreat center that Lynn is familiar with and recommends--how crazy is that?!) at the end of September for adventures in printing techniques & some California fun (if it doesn't all burn up before then....). So, thanks, Jane!

But I digress: the next task of the workbook dealt with Inspiration From Images. ("What I wish to show when I paint is the way I see things with my eyes and my heart"--Raoul Dufy) Don't we all wish that?!--it's the translation that kills you every time...

I've not been the biggest fan of representational art or using photo images in textiles--although there are some very great exceptions. I think when the 'art' moved to the 'craft' mode in quilting, it just seemed so rote; I didn't find it inspiring OR original. The great thing about this chapter, though, is recognizing the potential and learning/engaging with the techniques for image use; I'm always long on ideas and short on techniques. I'm behind in completing all the homework, but one of the exercises was to work with a pattern of a pear that was provided (and it was fun to see how many different variations on THE pear came back to the meeting!). So, here's mine. Meanwhile I'm working on the 'image as inspiration' in my series for homework. It's gonna have to wait a little as there are so many July deadlines--but more about that next.

The Art Quilt Workbook Project

(Feel free to take a pass on this post if quilting seems too dorky!)
I thought it might be interesting to follow along with my round-robin quilting group as we work through our year-long project: the Art Quilt Workbook (by Davila & Waterston). The byline is "exercises & techniques to ignite your creativity"--I can always use a little ignition!

Just a quick review: our small group formed a few years ago to do some special projects together (and basically just have more quilting fun together!). We meet monthly and usually there are about 12 of us in the group. We've done some group oriented projects, have started a 'Christmas in July' gift exchange, and have challenged & encouraged our skill development. Towards that end, we decided to depart from our 'usual' this year and work through this workbook covering some basic art concepts, some 'advanced' skills that can be used in a variety of ways, and streeeetches us to 'get out of the box'. (Some of us are more comfortable with that, but a few of us are needing a brown bag to control the anxiety attacks for creating rather than following a pattern, plan, etc.!)

Each chapter (topic) has reading material, on-line links recommended, two to four exercises to complete, and then a homework assignment. 'Homework' is a completed piece (in this case, all are to be 9 x 11"--that's small; translates to fast, but also a challenge to think 'small'). Recommendation is to select a theme for the duration of the workbook. We are loosely doing a chapter a month--although some are a little more time consuming and therefore may take a little longer.

OK, too much time for the set-up--sorry.

Chapter 1: The Basics ("All real works of art look as though they were done in joy"--R. Henri)

Exercise: have a bowl of words (not of your own choice!), draw a word from the bowl, and quickly sketch the concept. Not hard to guess that these are NOT nouns in the bowl; they were words like dance, twist, whisper, laugh, etc. (Here's a page from my sketch book for this one--'float' & 'tickle'; also had 'switch'. What would you have done to illustrate those words?!) Additional exercise: draw the outline of an object without looking and without picking up your pencil from the page (a familiar task for some art students).
Homework for the first topic was a 'freebie': pick a theme you will use throughout the workbook. We have some interesting themes so far, including flowers, leaves, a poem, a color, etc. Mine is 'a square in a square'--it will become more apparent as the year rolls along. This was a 'work-in-series' concept that I've been gearing up for, so this was the perfect adjunct to get me immersed in my goal.

Chapter 2: Color, Perspective, Border Options. ("Color is my day-long obsession, joy & torment."--Claude Monet)
The basics of color & perspective--or creating a sense of depth by using color, diminishing size and detail, overlapping objects, etc. Exercises: using (only) color chips to illustrate words, music, cool and warm themes, and complementary colors. (Here's my sketch book page for warm, cool, complementary colors, the words 'magical' and 'rich', the song 'silent night' & some perspective approaches.)

Homework: make the first quilt using some/any of the concepts covered in the chapter.

Here's homework project #1. It's complementary colors (blue=cool, orange=warm) with perspective provided by overlapping objects, shadows, and diminishing size.

So now you're caught up-to-date with our project. I'll be adding a post from time to time with work(s) in progress for each new chapter.

News from the Quilting Loft

The 30th of April! I'm not doing so well here! Last post was the 3rd--something about threes. I've been enjoying everyone else's info, but not offering back very well.


Snow has continued to surprise our little island life on occasion this month--nothing serious, except: it's just wrong in April (now if I was still in Flagstaff it would be business as usual!). These last two weeks, though, feel like spring has taken root, and--my favorite part--the daylight hours are really sttreettcchhing out. It's almost as if you can see the ever-warmer orb in the sky pausing a little more each day. I find this such a hopeful time. The grass is growing like crazy, my favorite spring flowers have made quite a show and the rhodies are gearing up big time! It has been an odd spring, though. The Tulip Festival (in nearby Skagit County) came & went with no tulip fields in bloom--they just now have come & almost gone (very late for them). It's still all relative, though. Any day involves at least three microclimate changes or shifts--and therefore at least three layers available accordingly. The Olympic Mountains made quite a show of themselves today, and one or two glimpses make all the rest seem so much less important somehow.

The quilting guild I belong to is gearing up for the big quilt show in August--an every other year event. It's at the Greenbank Farm (outdoors) and will be entertaining. There's no judging, no pressure. It's just a fun community event. Right about now everyone is thinking: what were the things I thought I could enter? will this be finished in time to enter? could I possibly have this finisned in time to enter? Let the games begin!

Along a similar train of thought, I had a new first this month. I submitted an entry for the APNQ quilt show, also in August. (APNQ=Association of Pacific Northwest Quilters) APNQ includes Washington, Alaska, Idaho plus some participation from Oregon & beyond, and has a juried show--Quiltfest--every other year in Seattle (this year it's at the Convention Center).

I've known many folks that have submitted & been rejected--and several that have submitted and been accepted. (And I know one that actually won a very prestigious award there; a professional Whidbey Islander quilter.) It felt like a big (small) step to think I could even try. I carefully filled out my form, wrote my check, included my two-photo CD and sent my application on it's way. No response is expected until June--even though you want them to notify you right away that your application has been received & the world is all the better for it! That word 'juried' is daunting; thrilling & terrorizing all at once. You have to pass the first accept/reject just to get there--with many options for accept/reject thereafter. Either way, I'm glad I took a chance & I'm thinking the first time is the hardest (I hope!). From here on, it won't feel quite as scarey & hopefully I'll learn much in the process.

Another first this spring: my round-robin quilting group (about 12 of us) decided to take a break from the 'usual' projects and work through a quilt art workbook together this year. More about that soon.


Meanwhile, here are two UFO's for March & April. Have been working away on many others on the 'list of 41' but they haven't become FO's yet!

The batik sampler is almost a twin size quilt. This picture was taken before it was quilted and bound--but it's currently 'on loan' for awhile, so this will have to suffice. Which block do you like best? My opinion changes from time to time.

The 'Autumn Star' is a lap size quilt--and yes is very similar to the 'Winter Star' previously viewed. This one has a great paisley pattern on the back as just a little surprise. More soon!