Okay, I know...it's April!

My life has been rather out of control for the last several months.  Many other irons in my scattered fire means little time in the studio.   I have recently begun an online class with Jane Davila entitled "Jump Start Your Art Career". You can check her out her on her blog.   I have never done an online class and I have had trouble concentrating on it so far.

I am happy to report that the prom dress for a dear friend is finished and is just beautiful.  The QuiltArt at 15 quilt that was due today is alas unfinished.  I have notified the facilitator and hope to post photos here anyway when I do finish.  Here is a sneak peak at the project.

The following is a little quilt that I finished for FFFC #42 without re reading the guidelines..key word was landscape  which I jumped over.  I did use techniques that were required though and really do like it, just didn't fit the challenge.  

                             

Comments are always welcomed.  

The Source

My little quilt this month is kind of a disappointment. I love the quilt, but don't feel I really got the fractured part. I tried for several hours to make the fractures make sense to me and could not produce a good result to my design sense. Gave up and went with the sheer bubbles to give a "kind of" fractured appearance. My intension was to get the center portion to be a lighter value to depict light radiating from the "Source" I free cut the fabrics and auditioned onto different grounds but couldn't get the composition to make sense to me. I must be missing some element. I think next time I will use a black and white patterned design with no real subject with color in the fractures to see if I can get it to make sense to me.

Snow Dying

Ok, like many of my online friends, I too, have been snow dying  The snow crystals add beautiful striations to the finished fabric.  My first attemps earlier this month were not as good.  I discovered through more research that raising the fabric on some sort of platform

gave results that were more motteled.  I like the effect.  This time I got what I wanted.  

These along with many more seen here will be the basis for the work for the Nebraska Studio Art Quilt Association show in the fall.  "NE Squared"  Not quite done with the design process but this 10 yards will be a good start on the series I've planned.  

At least snow has some good quality for me now.  Todays 40+ temps have me worried that the winter is finally over.  I'm sure I won't be diappointed if it is but, would like to get a few more yards done for supplimenting these pieces.

November already!

Well I've really fallen behind in my postings again.  Looks like another addition to the "Next year I'll really ....." list for New Years.

I've decided to participate in the ART EVERY DAY project that so many have joined this November.  If I'm making art every day, I don't really have to post.....I think that is the point.  I have done art every day this month.  Several fun projects with my scraps have yielded some great coasters for the etsy shop.  Lots of ATC cards for a boutique next month and a day in the wet studio painting trees for the wedding next month.   Photos coming!

YIKES!   Did I just say next month!  This morning on the radio when I opened my eyes, the dj, said 50 days left in 2009...that means 50 days left until the wedding!  I have LOTS of things to do before then.....not to mention the holidays.

Fast Friday Fabric Challenge Group

I have joined the Fast Friday Fabric Challenge group from the QuiltArt list.  Wow!  That's a mouthfull!  This is a group of talented art quilters who stretch themselves with a challenge on the fourth Friday of the month.  You have one week to complete and post your work. They only take new members once a year and this year, I got in!  First challenge is this week!

Deadlines...yikes.  What was I thinking!  I hate deadlines.  Haven't missed them at all since I quit teaching dancers.  I have lots of ideas floating around but NO work done.  I tried to comment on the work already done by the "go getters" and it won't connect right.  Too many email accounts messed up with the goggle accounts perhaps.  Who knows.  But I will complete this...I will.

Cracked Paper Quilts

Hey, just read several articles on Cracked Paper Quilts and it seems So You Say, (see previous post) is a Cracked paper quilt; who knew?   The top is made from mostly art papers that I created in a workshop with Traci Bautista at the IQF Long Beach convention in July.

I stayed with my dd and her honey so I thought they were appropriate to use in the band's piece.  Class was awesome and I will be applying the techniques I learned to future pieces.

Simply, the permission to play seemed to be her main idea.  No rules really except those that govern all good art technique.  Line, color, value, shape, and texture.  but she gave us the permission to just "see what happens when..."

This is so necessary for my psyche now cause I am tending to think only on the finished product and not the process.  That thought process really gets in my way

Good Grief...September

I really need to focus!  September is here already and the sales party is less than 30 days away.  I need to get crackin on the inventory or drop out.  Cozies, art scarves and small mixed media pieces will be the focus using my own art cloth.  Photos will have to come later.

I hate taking pictures because I suck at it!  They all look flat.  Bad lighting.   I know they need fixed but I don't have the patience or the time now to get them up to snuff.  I need a photographer who is willing to work cheap!  They don't exist.

Enough ranting....here is the very bad photo of the mixed media piece done for the Rally for One CD release party.  The band commissioned pieces to be done for each of their new songs and they were raffled off at the party.  My song was So You Say, chosen for me by my daughter cause she is singing background vocals.  My dd's honey is the drummer.  John is just the best and we wish them all the success they deserve.