Saturday, October 25, 2008

Cutting Up Old Work; UFO's + Autumn

Here are the last two 4x6" pieces created from "Life Cycle," as demonstrated in the last post. Dark Night - 4x6"
April Showers - 4x6"
Below are two newly completed UFO's. The first one is presently titled "Pink and Blue" and was painted, hand embroidered, machine quilted. It is 8x10"

This is "Painted Feather" - 8x10" mounted on an 11x14" canvas
The feather and the poem are from one of my journals. The image was inkjet printed on organza, then laid over a piece of hand-painted cotton. The feather was colored in with various colored pencils. Hand embroidered. It's one of my favorites - and it's all pastel and pretty, unlike my standard designs!

Last but not least: Autumn 2008 in PA






Below are photos of a Marsh Hawk that comes around hoping to catch dinner at my bird feeders. So far, I've seen no evidence of her success - no feather remnants floating about the yard. Of course, hawks eat the entire creature... The first photo is the glimpse I caught of her way up in the tree, followed by two closer images.


Thursday, October 16, 2008

QUILTS=ART-QUILTS info + More

For more information on Quilts=Art=Quilts at the Schweinfurth Art Center in Auburn, NY, check here for their website news release. I'm delighted to have my work exhibited with the other artists on their list. According to the website,
In 2008, 215 artists submitted 367 quilts for consideration. Our jurors selected 87 quilts by 68 artists for the exhibition.
While I have no plans at this time to visit attend, it certainly looks from their photographs as though it will be an impressive exhibition!

Here is a detail image of the quilting on "RED RIBBONS" - the full image can be seen here on my website as well as in a previous post.

Meanwhile, I've taken an older piece and cut it up. It was entitled: LIFE CYCLE that depicted the life cycle of the butterfly in all of its stages. However, the composition is poor, the contrast minimal, and the life cycle nearly impossible to see.

SO I cut it up and am making it into 2 long, slender panels; 1 6" square; and 6 4x6" art pieces. This is what it looks like cut apart and rearranged...only 2 4x6" pieces are completed, the rest will require additional work prior to finishing the edges for display.
The original quilt was a lot of fun to make - I experimented with all sorts of things that I had never done before. There are thin strips of a wide variety of fabrics overlaid on a dark purple background. Then a variety of yarns and other fibers were laid on top, followed by Dazzle(R) and Angelina Fibers(R). Over this collage of fibers is a layer of thin dark pink tulle that I pinned down and then simply stitched in random, flowing lines. Over that sandwich are ruffled fabrics; purchased fiber hydrangea leaves + petals; more yarn/string; organza; a silk cocoon; and various beads. The resulting piece was overdone, in my opinion and rarely left the house to be seen by others! Cut apart, I like the compositions of the two slender pieces, as well as the squared butterfly. The artcards will all turn out well because they are small and I can create better compositions with them - or so I hope! The artcards are mounted on foam core.

The one below is entitled: FLORAL 4X6" $35.00/includes postage

And this is UNDERCURRENTS 4x6" $35.00/includes postage

BEADED FLOWER 4x6" $35.00/inc. postage

LUCK O' THE IRISH 4x6" $35.00/inc. postage

PEACOCK 4x6" $35.00/inc. postage

SILVER KEY 4x6" $35.00/inc. postage

FLUTTERBY 6x6" $45.00 incl/postage

Saturday, October 11, 2008

Eye Candy: Autumn Foliage in Central PA




Most of these photos are from the Alan Seeger Nature Trail and Rothrock State Park outside State College, PA. A few are from the drive to/from the park. Enjoy!






















And these are from our neighborhood.