Pat's Art Journal

Creative Map Making...

2011-11-30T13:16:00.006-05:00

An artist friend, Gloria Hansen, posted a fascinating book review on her blog today. The book title: Personal Geographies: Explorations in Mixed-Media Map Making. The title fascinated me, so I went to her blog to read more. If you like maps & art, and have a creative streak, check this out!

My paternal grandfather worked for the Minnesota State Highway Dept. in the 1950′s when we lived with my grandparents. He posted a huge map of MN on the wall and made up a game of “Can you find it?” that the two of us often played together. Of course, he knew where every one of the 10,000 MN lakes were, and nearly all of the tiny towns that dot the rural landscape. I didn't, but I surely learned about a lot of them while we played that game! He went duck hunting at this lake, fishing at those three, lived in that town for several years, etc... Playing that game with Pop Pop one of my favorite memories of our time together.

Pop also introduced me to photography, bird-watching, gardening, and family history/genealogy – all things that still absorb my interest and time today. Late in life, he learned to oil paint – thus the artistic side came through one last way during his long, creative life. All his descendants share some artistic talent or other.

Here is a piece featuring my grandparents: their wedding photo, my grandmother with their first child, may grandmother's parents' home, an old postcard (Pop was also a mail man for a number of years prior to becoming an accountant). This is one section of a larger piece entitled "Threads of Our Lives."

For me, this book combines my creativity, my memories, my life stories/lessons, my interest in genealogy, and more. I will probably buy a copy – if I don’t win one! And if I don't ever have my own copy, the idea has been planted. How can I not create some maps of my own???

Spring into Early Summer

2011-06-06T18:23:00.009-04:00

Harner's Farm Shop on Rt. 26, State College, PA

Happy Easter!

2011-04-23T21:05:00.002-04:00

Spring Continues in Central PA

2011-04-20T17:16:00.009-04:00

Spring is taking her sweet time arriving this year with cool temperatures and lots of rain. The beauty is everywhere and is lasting much longer than normal since it's progressing so slowly.

Spring - Between the Cold Rains

2011-04-14T20:36:00.007-04:00

SPRING in my yard in Central PA

2011-03-21T22:16:00.003-04:00

Millheim & Rebersburg, PA

2011-03-14T20:14:00.027-04:00

Last Saturday we succumbed to cabin fever - and so an outing was devised. We chose to travel northeast to avoid the clouds approaching from the southwest. We ended up in the village of Millheim, PA and had lunch at the Elk Creek Cafe & Aleworks on Main Street, also known as Rte. 45. The cafe is only a bit over 3 years old and is known for having live entertainment and home-brewed ales. Their slogan: Eat Fresh • Drink Local • Hear Great Music ... it's a Valley Thing!

The cafe is known as a supporter of all that is "local," including food, drink, music AND art. They offer 15 different locally microbrewed ales - all of which have fascinating names such as Winkleblink Ale; Poe Paddy Porter; Brookie Brown Ale; and Great Blue Heron Pale Ale. You'll find more info and tasty descriptions here. For the menu listings, look here - note they have vegan dishes, too. Their House Potato Chips and their regular french fries are marvelous!

The Cafe is painted a soft, warm yellow (inside & out) and decorated with hand-painted, stylized fish representing the local trout. The fish actually remind me of the Celtic Salmon frequently decorating Irish themed objects of every sort. There is a large raised platform stage and many sound speakers placed strategically throughout making sure everyone everywhere will have a surround-sound experience. Alas, we were there for lunch so we missed out on the music - but certainly did not miss seeing the wonderful watercolor paintings that lined 2 walls of the Cafe. The artist this month is Judith Bogert - a local from Spring Mills, PA, of course! Her floral representations are lovely, her tea cups and lace doilies amazingly detailed.

The clientele at the Cafe was a thorough mix of folks - many local folks as well as travelers passing through on their way to State College (south) or Lewistown (north) or further. We saw groups of women, young families, couples, teens, and old timers all enjoying themselves as much as we were. It's a "happening place" and the owner and staff are wonderfully friendly as well as good at what they do.

On the side of the Elk Creek Cafe building is this wonderful mural depicting the town. Since the one and only stop light is at this corner, anyone traveling south gets to see the colorfully cheerful welcome to the town. Note the quilt blocks that surround the mural. There's also a long wash line with clothes hanging from it that trails to the very back of the building. It's amazing!

Down the street a bit is the Millheim Hotel and Restaurant (limited restaurant hours). Across the street is OIP (Original Italian Pizza) and a soon-to-be-opened art gallery with loft studios above.
The Millheim Hotel

There's a funeral parlor, many churches, some wonderful old Victorian homes, and so much more - as well as the beautiful Elk Creek, which was filled to overflowing due to our rains and snow melt of the past week or so.

We drove on to Rebersburg, a tad west and a tad north. It's a tiny village in Amish Country - the only business in town was an Amish General Store, which had plenty of visitors on Saturday afternoon.

An old church bore an old Chevrolet sign - an odd happenstance, to be sure. I liked and photographed the church windows...Frank photographed the sign.

The Clover Farm Store was no longer open and was For Sale. Many years ago when we lived upstate in Athens, PA near the NY state border, there was a Clover Farm where our kids used to love to go to pick out their quarter candy, etc. This sign brought back all sorts of happy memories of our 16 years on the dike of the Susquehanna River.

We passed a large number of small farms in the valley - many of which we Amish. It's pretty easy to distinguish the difference other than the lack of motorized vehicles. There are no electric lines criss-crossing the roadway to their homes. All the farms appear to be thriving, yet we know that our local farmers are struggling to keep their farms. Dairy farmers are particularly hard pressed and many have sold off their herds because they cannot afford the feed when milk prices are so low.

This appeared to be a Maple Syrup and Orchard shop, not currently open. It was quite attractive, as you can see.

We returned home through Centre Hall, PA and I saw an interesting store, The Beaten Path - Studio & Shop, located across the street from the Post Office. They sell art, antiques, jewelry, collectibles and "useful things." I know I'll be going back to visit there in the near future!

My Adventures of the Last Month or so...

2011-03-11T20:25:00.021-05:00

First, there was the quilt project - the latest challenge for our Art Critique Quilting Group. The challenge: create a small quilt using a majority of black, white, + gray fabrics, with one additional color allowed - in small amounts. Here is my possibly finished quilt - I may add some acrylic opalescent white paint on the brush and undergrowth for snow. Will wait and decide later.

WINTER MOON - 16"x20" (c)Pat Dolan 2011

detail shot showing how I love to draw with my sewing machine!

Second: the weather - which is almost typical March weather in that there's a wide variety of temperature and types of precip. Last weekend we received 10-11" of snow (forecast called for 1-3"). The morning of the snowstorm, the robins arrived in large numbers. Even our resident mallard duck pair had returned to the neighborhood. Then there was snow - lots and lots of snow.

Yesterday morning, these were the views out my studio windows - prior to 1.75" of rain:

Obviously, the snow has been melting quickly - the rivers and creeks are swollen with melt-off and rain water.

Aside from quilting and the weather, I've continued my experiments with soft pastels. They offer instant gratification of resplendent colors - of course, it helps if the basic drawing/concept has good solid design. Below are a few of my the things I have been playing with.

SUNLIGHT THROUGH THE PINES - approx. 19" x 25" (c)Pat Dolan 2011
on blue/gray Canson Mi-Teintes Drawing Paper

Below: STONE WALL approx 10"x12" (c)Pat Dolan 2011
Step One: the drawing with the photo inspiration

Step Two: laying in the base colors

Step Three: finished piece

Here's a collage done in a workshop with Anne Kenyon, a local artist>

And more pastel paintings...

Above: SNOW STREAM - 6"x9" incomplete at this time

Below: TIGER LILY - approx. 9" x 12" (c)Pat Dolan 2011

MILLBROOK MARSH IN THE FOG - 16" x 25" (c)Pat Dolan 2011

I may make some changes to the above - it seems somehow lacking... perhaps it's the effect of the fog. But it doesn't look 'done' to me.

My Inspiration - a drawing from one of my old sketchbooks

DEATH/RESURRECTION

This piece was done the night I learned of my favorite Uncle Bill's passing. He was the last of my parents generation - we are now all orphans staring into our own lift/death/resurrection possibilities...

Baby Quilt Completed & in the Mail

2011-02-04T20:04:00.019-05:00

It's a girl and she's arrived!

I use 505 quilt Basting Spray to sandwich my quilts. Since it's hazardous to one's health, I spray in the garage, where there is a sheet of cardboard mounted on the wall for this purpose.

First, the batting (in this case it's bamboo batting) is lightly basted to the cardboard.

Then the batting is sprayed with 505 followed by placing the quilt back on the batting and smoothing everything down evenly.

Then I turn the batting with attached backing over to reveal the batting once again. The batting is sprayed a 2nd time, followed by adhering the quilt top to complete the quilt sandwich. Again, it's important to smooth the top neatly to the batting and backing.

Then the quilt sandwich is rolled in on each side towards the middle, and the top/bottom also toward the middle. These "rolls" are pinned in place so that quilting may be started from the center and quilted evenly outward to prevent ripples, tucks, and other unwanted "bubbles" in the quilt.

Above is the rolled sandwich ready to be quilted. I use Machingers quilting gloves when I quilt to reduce the stress on my hands/arms as I free-motion quilt.

Here's the central image prior to quilting.

Quilting - followed by more quilting..

And now it's done and in the mail!

Pastel Paint-In Event

2011-01-24T17:19:00.021-05:00

The Central Pennsylvania Pastel Society hosted a winter "Paint In" last Saturday, January 22 from 9am - 4pm. This was a FREE event and a great opportunity for members to come together informally and work/socialize/share techniques and share a pot-luck lunch in a relaxed non-workshop atmosphere. It was wonderful! Here are some photos from the day.

Above, pastellist and organization president, Susan Nicholas Gephart at her easel

Above, pastellist Jeanne McKinney

Above, pastellist Anne Kenyon, who is offering a pastel workshop February 6 (see CPPS website for details)

Laura Winn Kane, artist

Here is one of my first pastel attempts after 35+ year hiatus - the simple mason jar, the subject matter thanks to the blog Gardening Gone Wild's photo contest this month. See previous two blog posts for more.

The Ball mason jar on the table.

Ball Canning Jar - 5" x 8" $40.00 unmatted/unframed (c)Pat Dolan 2011

It was the first time I have used Kitty Wallis pastel board - and I absolutely loved the sanded surface for holding the pastel pigments! I was also using Sennelier pastels for the first time - soft, buttery and vibrantly colored soft-pastel. They are a luxury, but worth every penny now that I've tried them out.

My table on Saturday.

My still-life set-up.

Close-up of the under painting, such as it was. Note the blue stripes that were to become red stripes in the fabric.

Enamel Pitcher - 8" x 11" $100.00 unmatted/unframed (c)Pat Dolan 2011

More Macros in a Mason Jar

2011-01-24T00:44:00.003-05:00

I found a few more shots I'm willing to share. This was SO much fun!

Macro in a Mason Jar

2011-01-23T19:36:00.022-05:00

The Gardening Gone Wild blog has an occasional photo contest. This month, the theme is "macro in a mason jar." The instructions are available at the link above. Essentially, one uses the top of the mason jar to hold a point & shoot camera in place while taking a close-up of the jar contents.

Here is my actual submission, all the rest were "just for fun."

The shot below was taken with the "regular" lens. The shot above is with the macro zoom.

The concept delighted me, so I've done 3 different photo shoots to play with various ideas. I used with various objects, two different canning jars, and different lighting situations. The sunlight definitely added a wonderful dimension to the shadows and reflections. Enjoy!

My Mandala Artquilt

2011-01-18T18:13:00.008-05:00

Mandala - central image - (c)Pat Dolan 2011

Once upon a time, around 2005 or so, I created a batik on silk with an original and very organic mandala design. I liked it a lot, but didn't know quite how to finish it off. The design is circular, but the silk was an irregular squarish shape that I cut off from a long plain silk scarf. I was just going to play around and have some fun with wax and without a plan. This is what evolved.

After removing the wax, I added gold gutta to the central image where the wax had been. The gold seemed best suited to accenting only the center, so the other previously waxed-out areas remain the original white of the scarf.

Fast forward to this week when I finally decided to free-motion quilt the piece I want it DONE. Partly because I love the mandala and all that it symbolizes. And partly because I love this particular design and the soft colors therein - I want to hang it in my studio.

The outer corners remain unfinished - I don't know how I'll finish them off just yet, but I have an idea or two. Here it is, so far.

Mandala (work in progress) - approx. 20" square - (c)Pat Dolan 2011

I'm QUILTING Again!!!

2011-01-17T10:25:00.010-05:00

Center panel of baby quilt

Since I had plenty of left-over squares from earlier baby quilts, this quilt came together very quickly. I only had to cut out some pink batik fabric to make it more appropriate for a little girl. I laid it out one evening, pieced most of it the next day, and completed the top the following morning. It's bright and colorful, as the others were. But it's also feminine enough for a baby girl, without being TOO girly! Michelle (the eldest grandchild @ 22) says it's perfect and that's good enough for me!

Pieced quilt top - about 46" square

Backing fabric below

Fortunately, I tried using a drafting stool at the sewing machine. Thus I'm sitting higher than before and it's much less of a strain on my left elbow. The piecing went quite well with very little impact on the chronic pain level. I'm hoping that the quilting will also go as smoothly. I used my hands to manipulate the quilt and "draw" freehand with the sewing machine for the quilting. That puts more stress on the shoulder than simple sewing, but I'm still optimistic!

January 2011

2011-01-13T12:08:00.017-05:00

Baby Quilt #1 - 2009

2011 - as a child, this date seemed an eternity away...something I'd never witness. Yet here we are in 2011 and thriving still.

This year I'll be doing more art for fun, not for "work." I'll draw, paint, sew and generally be creative in any way that presents itself to me. Is this a New Year's resolution? No. I don't believe in "resolutions." They focus on "thinking about and/or want but not so much on "doing." But I have made a decision and I'm acting on it.

So far, I've made myself a new watercolor chart using Daniel Smith watercolors. The new wc paints are so vibrant, exciting, as well as nuanced - much moreso than my 20-30 year old Windsor Newton watercolors. Mind you, Windsor Newton wc were the BEST back in those days and they are still very, very good. They, too, have developed new colors and have expanded their offerings. But my sister, a prominent watercolorist now living in Mesa, AZ, uses Daniel Smith ever since her years living in Vancouver, WA. Thus, I've been duly introduced and have become excited about this brand.

I've also begun a new baby quilt for a grand-niece who is expected to arrive in early February. I made a baby quilt for her 1+ year old brother as well as her two cousins over a year ago. Fortunately, I cut enough pieces to be able to construct another quilt (or 3) with the spares. However, I did have to add PINK blocks to the mix for this new little girl!

It's a simple square block pattern with a small Laurel Birch panel in the center.

It shouldn't take too long to sew, but the quilting will take some time since I need to take long breaks between sewing sessions to protect my shoulder.

In searching for the baby quilt left-overs, I came across an old quilt top from the 1990's featuring a weird arrangement of stars, blocks, hexagons, etc. It will be perfect for the eldest brother of the grand-niece + nephew above, who is the son of my nephew's wife. He is about 7 years old and loves Star Wars, etc. It's not quite the size of a twin bed, but much larger than a lap or crib quilt so it should be perfect for a little boy.

So. The projects are out. Beginnings have been made. Here's to a very good year!
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The 2nd & 3rd baby quilts made in 2009 for various grand-nephews from which I had left-over blocks for the new quilt:
Baby Quilt #2 - 2009

Baby Quilt #3 - 2009

Wow! It's December Already!

2010-12-03T10:39:00.004-05:00

Time to fill Santa's bag...

The mini quilt above was one of my very first attempts at painting on fabric and free motion quilting. I did it in 1988... Hopefully, my techniques have improved since then - but it was a great idea!

Nature's Images Photoshopped

2010-11-15T21:35:00.009-05:00

I've been taking my small Lumix with me on our daily walks and capturing images of decaying plants along the way. In an effort to learn more about Photoshop Elements, each night I've been experimenting with various filters and effects. Here are some of the results of such play. Enjoy!

Our Art Critique Group

2010-11-08T22:05:00.010-05:00

Our Art Critique Group: Fran MacEachren, Pat Dolan, Polly Miller, Irmgard Lee (the instigator of both our group and of the show!), MaryLou Pepe, and Nancy Silverman. Missing from the photo is Janet Lindsay. Also missing is Tina Aumiller, who was unable to participate with us this year.

As requested, here is more information about who we are, how many there are of us, how we function, etc.

To begin, State College, PA is a university town (Penn State U) and therefore offers a great deal by way of the arts than most small/medium rural towns in the country. There is a very active quilt guild, Centre Pieces Quilt Guild, and the group hosts a large quilt show approximately every other year. There are smaller interest groups within the guild, one of which focuses on art quilts and the women know each other from various other activities, as well.

When I moved to town, I joined the Art Alliance of Central PA. (I just noticed that my page at the sight is missing. Ooops.) I also became an exhibitor at The Gallery Shop in Lemont, PA. (While I'm no longer showing my work there since sales of wall art are nearly non-existent in this economic atmosphere, exhibiting there was a great way to get my work seen.) Several members of the quilt guild saw my work hanging at the shop and in the Art Alliance juried shows and they wanted to meet me. Three of us met for lunch and that was the beginning of our little group.

There are 8 members, but only 7 of us exhibited our work last weekend. The eighth member is presently swamped with her family and her job. We'll be seeing more of her in the coming years! Meanwhile, the rest of us meet nearly every month to share our current work, our design problems, our stories, and our lives. We've become a close-knit group in these 2 short years and give/take suggestions quite willingly. Some of our members may lack a bit of the self-confidence of others, but everyone's work is truly creative and amazing. We always learn something from one another whenever we get together.

Our challenge pieces:
Work above top L to R: Pat Dolan, Janet Lindsay, and Irmgard Lee
Bottom row: Fran MacEachren, Polly Miller, MaryLou Pepe, and Nancy Silverman
(Please see the November 7th blog for the challenge guidelines)

Let's see... Two of us have art degrees. Two started quilting in the 60's and 70's. Several, maybe most, have taught or are teaching quilting classes. One very creative gal was taught by another and has only been quilting for 5 years. Some of us are retired and others are not. And we live in a 5-10 mile radius of one another.

Do we have a meeting format? No, not really. Well, maybe a loose structure... If someone knows they will need to leave early, we get to the "show + tell" part right away. Otherwise we share whatever has happened in our lives in the past month. Then we look at our work, one person at a time and they talk about their experience, vision, joy and/or problems encountered with the work. Then we all chip in with ideas, encouragement, suggestions and support. And after our show + tell, we have tea and dessert together (usually hand-crafted, super-tasty, beautiful desserts) and chat some more. And we do keep the meetings to 2 hour sessions on the 3rd Monday of each month.

Now, consider 6 women hanging the show featured in my Nov. 5th blog. We had 2 tall ladders and one short ladder; one tall gal, several medium height gals, and a few short gals. We had to move all the desks and easles to clean the space since it's a class room during the week. Then we had to spackle all the holes remaining from the previous exhibit. Then we had to figure out just HOW to hang our work in ways that were appropriate for an art gallery rather than a quilt show. As most of you know, quilt shows generally are hung by category or by guest artist, etc. Art exhibits are more often hung by how well the pieces look together in the space allotted. Sizes and shapes are varied, but one tries to have a flow of movement and color throughout the entire exhibit space.

We were all amazed at how well we worked together, dividing the tasks, hanging different wall space, finding appropriate quilts to fill the location and color scheme. We actually had FUN both putting the show up and taking it down.

Yes, it was exhausting work - each admitted to taking a nap Friday after the hanging and prior to the Reception. Most, but not all, of us are mid-60 or older. We all have various aches, pains and/or medical issues as well home situations that require attention and energy. But we did it - we set a goal, a date, a challenge and then proceeded to make it all happen. And we are thrilled with the way the exhibit looked and with the response from the viewers.

So there you have it, answers to your queries. If you have anymore questions, just ask. I'll oblige if there's an answer to be had!

Our Challenge Pieces

2010-11-08T16:36:00.006-05:00

MaryLou Pepe's "Time/Space Continuum"

The Challenge:
Create an 18" square original art quilt using the complementary colors of Yellow Orange and Blue Violet - allowing the full range of values for those 2 colors. Since our exhibit theme is "Heaven and Earth: Fiber Interpretations," we selected subjects that reflected our theme.

Nancy Silverman's "Chickory"

Janet Lindsay's "Sunflower"

Irmgard Lee's "The Heavens"

Fran MacEachren's "Shells"

Polly Miller's "Balloon Flowers"

And you watched my "Nasturtuim" being developed...

Heaven + Earth: Fiber Interpretations

2010-11-06T22:45:00.010-04:00

The members of our Art Crit Group include (L to R):
Fran MacEachren, me, Polly Miller, Irmgard Lee, MaryLou Pepe, Nancy Silverman, and Janet Lindsay, who was absent when this photo was taken.

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-30T17:51:00.004-04:00

Round Barn near Boalsburg, PA

2010-10-24T20:28:00.021-04:00

This round barn, known as the Neff Round Barn, celebrated its centennial last weekend. I took photos a few days prior knowing that highway 45 would be jam packed on the day of the open house. While I missed seeing the inside of the barn, which looks beautiful according to the Centre Daily Times, I did avoid the crowds, wait and on-highway parking.

Below is the Neff farm house -and it's a beauty!

A closer look at the house.

By the way, if you're interested, there are snowy photos of this landmark on my blog February 22, 2010 (along with a lot of other wintery vistas).

Of course, there were other things to photograph that day, and since...

Another family farm on PA Rte. 45 north of Boalsburg.

And a close-up of the barn.

And, since we have not yet experienced a frost, here are todays nasturtiums.

And just a few more photos to share!

And finally, here's Spunky enjoying the autumn.

"Indian Summer" in Central PA

2010-10-24T17:45:00.008-04:00

And now for some Photoshop Elements experiments.

Bartlett Pears - in Watercolor

2010-10-21T17:27:00.025-04:00

Pear #1 in real life
Pear #2 in real life

Oh, I'm having the best time playing with my old (and new) art supplies. Today it was watercolor that caught my desire. Since we were grocery shopping, it seemed like a good idea to buy some apples and pears to paint from (and eat later). These are the two watercolors created this afternoon from two of the pears. One refused to sand upright - individuality is sometimes a great thing!

I'm using Arches watercolor papers. Pear #1 is done on 300lb rough. Pear #2 is done on 140 cold press. I prefer 300lb rough, it has a slight creamy cast, and it's terribly EXPENSIVE!

My brushes - Grumbacher Golden Edge numbers 6 (small) and 10 (medium).

Here's my watercolor palette - it's so clean! Hasn't been used in quite awhile:

Here are the watercolor tubes, mostly Winsor Newton Artists' Watercolors and Daniel Smith Extra Fine Watercolors with a few Grumbacher Finest Professional Watercolors. I love the Daniel Smith colors - they have lots of Quinacridone and Iridescent colors to choose from. The Quinacridones are quite strong and vibrant, but easily toned down with water.

FYI: new tubes of watercolor cost any where from $5.00 or so to $20.00 and more per 14/15 ml tube. Pastels can cost from $2.00 to nearly $20.00 per 1/2" x 2" stick - so my hobbies are not cheap! Thankfully, I've been collecting watercolors and pastels for over 30 years...along with fabric, threads, yarns, etc. I pity the people who are stuck figuring out what to do with all my supplies once I've moved on to the other side!

Step 1: quick, light pencil drawing making sure the shapes and shadows/lights are accurate.

Step 2: first light wash over much of the pear laying in the base color. Adding water or using a clean, dry brush to lift out various highlights.

Step 3: continue layering in darker colors while keeping the highlights

Step 4: Sharpening up the edges and continuing to deepen shadows and color intensity.

Step 5: adding shadow beneath the pear(s) When all is dry, sign & photograph

Bartlett Pear #1: 7x9" without mat/frame (c)Pat Dolan 2010 $30.00 plus priority postage

Bartlett Pear #2: 7x9" without mat/frame (c)Pat Dolan 2010 $30.00 plus priority postage

New Soft Pastel Painting

2010-10-20T22:45:00.012-04:00

Subject for the pastel painting: my photo of Millbrook Marsh in the early morning fog.
Step one:
SUPPLIES:
Paper - Canson Mi-Teintes(R) pastel paper - color "sand".
Pastels - soft pastels by Rembrandt(R), Prismacolor(R), and Sennelier(c). Using charcoal, lightly draw simple shapes to indicate areas of light/dark.

Step two:
Cross check the drawing by turning the drawing and the photo upside down.

Step three:
Lay in the underpainting with bright tones since this a fog scene. The underpainting will contribute to the final painting by virtue of layering of colors over one another to achieve the final effect.

Step four:
Begin to lay in the lights and darks - begin with lightly applying color so the layering will be successful. Too much pigment on the Mi Tense paper will create a dusty buildup that is likely to become muddy or simply fall off the paper.

Step four:
Tone down the underpainting in all areas and deepen the shadows/darker areas.

Step five:
Lay in more fog using several colors of grays, blues, and lavenders.

Step six:
Add some details and then wait for a few days to see what, if anything, needs changing. Such as changing the color value of an area to make it come forward in importance or recede and draw less attention; adding a new color to make some area sparkle; adding more detail - the photo has sticks in the water and brushes between the viewer and the scene. These were deliberately left out to simplify the composition. It's Soooooooo easy to over-work a pastel and end up with "mud."

Nasturtium - Finished!

2010-10-20T15:17:00.013-04:00

To fix the Angelina(c) in place, there were some thread choices to be made. Above and below were the 2 most likely.

Dark blue netting (see below) was placed over the entire piece to keep the Angelina fibers from getting tangled in the darning foot. Free-motion quilting with the lighter of the two verigated blue threads of no specific curving design was used.

The netting was then cut away from the central motif...

and the binding was added. (Sorry, the color is not accurate in this photo)

The completed piece:

Nasturtium - 18"x18" (c)Pat Dolan 2010

Nasturtium - Adding Angelina Fibers(c)

2010-10-14T12:02:00.012-04:00

Above, a selection and sample chart of Angelina Fibers (c) - the hot-fix variety.

I had more grandious plans for this little challenge quilt - perhaps adding a smattering of violet nasturtium images in the border, or a few "normal" nasturtiums, or both - to liven up the quilt. But the lack of time, energy and ability have encouraged me to consider more simplified options! Angelina Fibers popped into my mind and I tried a few different colors to see what might compliment the piece. My Angelina color choices are "Calypso" (the darker blue) and "Opal Sparkle" (the lighter shade of blue) as determined by the challenge color requirements. See earlier postings for more details on the requirements.

It takes very few strands of these fibers to create a thin sheet of sparkling color. Below, the 2 shades of blue are scattered lightly on a sheet of parchment.

A 2nd sheet of parchment is laid over the first (and the fibers) and the sandwich is ironed with a setting on silk. This hot-fixes the separate fibers into a thin sheet.

Below are two different temporary fixatives that one may use to carefully attach the fragile hot-fixed Angelina sheet to the quilt top.

Below is what the Nasturtium quilt presently looks like. The quilting will be done sometime this week and it will secure the Angelina more firmly to the quilt.

The Angelina seems to soften the abrupt square around the curved central theme - which is exactly what I had hoped for.

Below are some options for a possible border for this quilt. None seem particularly wonderful. Perhaps I'll "pillow-top" the quilt and leave it without a border.

Opinions, suggestions, ideas anyone?

Humor in the Parking Lot

2010-10-07T22:16:00.003-04:00

Autumn Leaves - the Beginning of Change

2010-09-23T23:27:00.004-04:00

The maple out front started changing a bit ago...

Equinox + Full Moon

2010-09-23T23:16:00.006-04:00

A day late, but better late than never...

Nasturtium Challenge Quilt - Update

2010-09-23T21:36:00.015-04:00

Due to experiencing significant shoulder pain following the little bit of piecing and quilting involved in the sample piece, I've decided to make the sample my final challenge piece.

That required the addition of an appropriate border within the color palette. And the addition of a border after quilting has already been done is somewhat of a challenge. Here is the progress made thus far.

First, the quilting stitches at the edge of the piece needed to be removed so the border pieces could be attached. Good pinning is essential!

Second border piece added - without mitering the corners. That comes later...

Third border strip prepared and stitched.

The fourth and final strip is added.

Then comes the mitering of corners. One must make sure the corners of the border are stitched to within 1/4" of the end - so the mitering is accurate.

Then comes the pairing of two pieces of each corner by folding them onto one another and matching them perfectly.

Once they are matched, I fold them back to the front and press a crease where the seam line will be.

Each successive corner is approached in this manner and then sewn using the crease as a stitching guide.

A completed corner.

And now the nasturtium has a blue border - at least on top!

The border looked rather plain, so I'm experimenting around to see if I want to add a few more flowers while keeping it simple and clean.

The next challenge quilt enstallment will be a few weeks down the road as we leave for vacation tomorrow and I'm only bringing hand-sewing and drawing/painting supplies along!

Watch for fall foliage fotos...

The Sample/Practice Nasturtium Quiltlet

2010-09-17T20:52:00.017-04:00

A detail of flower and quilting on my sample/practice project...
Below are all the printed nasturtium images for the Challenge Quilt, now affixed to Pellon Wonder-Under (Misty-Fuse can also be used) for easy transfer to the selected base/background material.

I've selected the fabric below for the back of the quilt.

With 505 Basting Spray on the Warm & Natural cotton batting, both the backing material and the background for the flower fabrics are temporarily adhered. This makes quilting so much easier - no pins to avoid, no hoop to work within, just the sandwiched stretched somewhat tautly as I quilt.

Below, the first stitching detailing on the nasturtium flower...

The completely stitched flower and some free-motion echo-type of quilting on the background...

Some potential fabric options for the outer border (which should have been selected & attached prior to the quilting, of course!

More options for the border...

Selecting one fabric background at a time to get a better look at what the end results might be...

And another...

And another...

Favorites anyone?

Next Step: Photographing, Editing + Printing the Nasturtiums on Fabric

2010-09-16T14:37:00.016-04:00

Using Photoshop Elements, all backgrounds were removed to create fabric-printable images of the flowers for the art quilt. Then I made contact sheets in Photoshop to obtain the sized images needed for the quilt.

My preference for inkjet printing on fabric is a product by the Electric Quilt Company - EQ Printables: Inkjet Fabric Sheets. They have several different fabrics available - I chose the one in the orange package pictured below.

My reasons are pictured below. I ran out of EQ Printables so ran to Jo Ann Fabrics to pick up whatever looked best there. I chose the 2nd most expensive brand which cost a bit more than EQ's sheets but had one fewer in the package. While I had to pay for postage, it wasn't that much and the fabric arrived 3 days after I placed the order. I am more than willing to pay a few extra dollars for a superior product. Thus, reason one.

Reason two: the fabric from EQ took the ink much better than the other product.

Reason three: the printed fabric separated quickly and easily from the EQ product while the other was difficult to separate - as pictured below.

While I'm very grateful to have Jo Ann Fabrics in town for those emergency purchases, I prefer to shop from quilt shops - local or on-line. Quilt shops cater to our needs and offer so much by way of experience, products, and quality. I want to do my part to keep them open and available, especially during these financially challenging times.

My Challenge Project - Step One: Dyeing

2010-09-15T21:58:00.025-04:00

My supplies:
Pearl-Ex Powdered - dry powdered mica-based pigments; Lumiere-metallic fabric paint; Jacquard Textile Colors; and Setacolor Fabric Paint By Pebeo.
All the products above were purchased on-line at Dharma Trading Company. They also sell Prepared for Dyeing (PFD) fabrics. I use Kona Cotton PFD in either the 45" or the 60" width.

I also use natural sponges, brushes and a spray bottle in my dyeing. I spray the fabric to be dyed with water prior to adding any dye. It makes the dye spread more quickly, although it can also tone down the color if too much water is used.

The fabric in this sample has previously been rust-dyed, using old rusty items, white vinegar with some water added and the PDF fabric scrunched inside a zip-lock bag - not tightly closed, but somewhat sealed. The fabric set for a few days in my hot garage and the fabric absorbed the beautiful rust color.
Below is the beginning process of over-dyeing the rust-dyed fabric.

Here's the finished fabric.

Below is another rust-dyed piece that has been over-dyed with burnt sienna and dark red.

Since Setacolor paints must be set in the sunshine, I always wait for a warm sunny day (not too windy) so I can lay my fabric out to dry on the lawn in the sun. Here's our puppy, Spunky checking them out...

Here are the pieces I dyed specifically for the artquilt challenge: blue-violet and yellow-orange.

The orange did not show up nearly as well as I had hoped, but I've worked out a different solution for the oranges/yellows.

So here are the 2 potential base fabrics for my challenge quilt.

The piece below was dyed a few years ago using salt to create the tiny crystaline forms on the fabric.

This last piece is also above shown wet and rumpled. Because it was rumpled, the dye fell down into the crevaces and set on the high points of the fabric creating the unusual piece below.

I believe this will be the base fabric for my challenge quilt.

My Challenge Quilt Project is Underway!

2010-09-15T16:04:00.009-04:00

Our local quiltart group is having an exhibit from November 5-7, 2010 in Lemont, PA at the Art Alliance of Central PA. Irmgard Lee is our chairperson and I was given the task of creating the mini-quilt challenge to be featured at the exhibition. Here are the details of our challenge:

Create a 18x18" quilt-ette using yellow/orange with blue/violet (the complementary color of yellow/orange). Either color may predominate, but a balanced composition often depends upon using a majority of one and a minority of it's opposite. In any case, we want all of our pieces to carry the color theme, so be sure to use these two colors in your piece.

Here are some color wheel charts and similar compositions for your inspiration. The first shows analogous colors on opposite sides of the wheel, warm and cool. You may also use analogous colors (any shade of yellow, orange, blue, and violet as well as the main colors: yellow/orange and blue/violet) for accents along with the main colors, but keep the majority of your work to the two main colors of yellow/orange and blue/violet.

The color wheel directly below shows varying intensities of the yellow/orange and blue/violet hues. Feel free to use many intensities of the colors, as well as of the analogous colors to yellow/orange and blue/violet.The color wheel directly below shows varying intensities of the yellow/orange and blue/violet hues. Feel free to use many intensities of the colors, as well as of the analogous colors to yellow/orange and blue/violet.

As you may have guessed by now, I have chosen to depict one of my favorite flowers as the subject for my challenge piece: the lowly, yet vibrant, brightly colored nasturtium. Stay tuned for further progress!

Unidentified Camoflaged Moth

2010-09-12T23:01:00.002-04:00

If anyone knows the name of this well disguised fella or gal, please let me know!

Butterfly Days...

2010-09-01T22:33:00.019-04:00

Above and below: Spangled+Fritillary

Above + below: Orange Sulphur or Clouded Butterfly

The following 3 photos feature a Hummingbird insect - they sound much like hummingbirds do, but are much smaller and look more like a large bee - with a long beak!

Below: Black Swallowtail Butterfly

Below: Monarch Butterfly

All photos were taken in our front yard - we put in a Butterfly Bush last year and are reaping the benefits this year, much to our delight! I purchased a second Butterfly Bush this spring, a darker shade of purple, because the Hummingbirds and Butterflies really do come daily! Haven't managed to capture the Hummingbird with the camera. She seems to see me and fly right on by without stopping...

Remembering Dad

2010-07-08T00:10:00.015-04:00

Mom & Dad on their wedding day, June 2, 1937

Dad was a slight "little guy," as his friends often said. He barely weighed more than 120# and stood about 5'7" - a wiry, energetic fellow with an incredible knack with making broken down machines get back to work. Not cars or furnaces - his little brother (our very tall slender Uncle Bill) took care of those for us. But Dad was gifted at fixing any sort of printing press, book binder, type setter and the like, plus lawn mowers, and various other types of mechanical equipment. He set us a good example for making sure our tools/supplies stayed in the best possible condition. He took extremely good care of all his tools, cleaning and oiling them after each use. He also made sure we never marked a single book with pencil or anything else. He knew how much work and time went into the making of books, therefore we were taught to revere them.

He grew up in a German speaking household and only learned English after he entered grade school. He was offered a full scholarship to Cretin HS but Social Services said he had to go to work to help support his mother and 3 younger siblings. His dad had abandoned the family when Dad was quite young. He doted on his two little brothers and his little sister and often took them on his "dates" with mom before and after they were married.

Dad became a "self-made man," as was more common in those days. He went to night school to obtain his diploma and her read voraciously. He was opinionated, but he at least he educated himself before forming his opinions. He also listened to other points of view. Some folks could even encourage him to change his mind once in awhile! He knew his trade well and was always in demand, sometimes being sent to northern MN and the Dakotas to fix expensive bindery equipment.

In the 1960's

Like his two brothers, Dad had a knack for wood carving, although we have precious few of his carving left in the family. I have a small gavel that he made when I was a very young child. One of my sisters has a larger judge-sized one. My older sis recalls Daddy carving her a small boat, which she used in the street puddles. Unfortunately, the little boat went down the drain never to be seen again. Worse, Dad refused to make her another since she didn't take care of the one she had. Mind you, she was probably in pre-school or the very early grades at the time.

Dad loved kids, told us his own bedtime stories and even wrote stories for us when he was away. We have a few of them left in his handwriting which, by the way, was exquisite penmanship. I remember him taking off our little socks and running them between our toes both tickling us and "cleaning" our feet. He loved to toss us up in the air and catch us - as did Uncle Bill. All the cousins remember both men doing that to all little ones in the clan.

Dad built this memory box for me in 1981, shortly after he was diagnosed with ALS. In it is Mom's baby quilt, my wedding veil, my maternal grandmother's childhood eyelet dress, a clipping of my hair at age 3, and other memorabilia.

Dad and Mom were quite a pair. He was a stubborn German fighting an alcohol addiction until finally sticking to the AA program (he had 32 years of sobriety at the time of his death). She was a prim, proper little Irish woman who was just as stubborn as he was. It made for exciting times in our house. The two of them could ballroom dance like no one else I know - complete with dips and bends and twirls and more. They were so connected on the dance floor they appears as one in their smooth maneuvers.

One of our favorite photos of Dad, taken in the 1970s

Both Mom & Dad made a big deal of Christmas - Dad built a white fenced platform on which to place the Christmas tree along with an entire little village of cardboard & glitter houses, complete with ice rink and ski mountain. It was the envy of all children who saw it and it holds a special place in our memories. Dad also built a log cabin for the Nativity set of small sticks, nails, and bark. A single light bulb lit the scene from the inside peak of the cabin.
The Christmas Village - 1982

By mid-life, Daddy was wearing "choppers," his word for dentures. He hated them and more than once lost them while leaning over to catch a fish in the net from the row boat while on vacation. He used to love to tease little ones with his collapsing choppers - sometimes letting a surprised toddler get his/her finger stuck lightly between the then-unattached dentures.

Dad on a San Francisco trolley car in 1964

Dad had an amazing talent for music - he could play music by ear and had a small Austrian-made accordian/concertina that he played on many family occasions. It had both keys and buttons and made different sounds going in our going out - something I never managed to figure out. He often played old German songs he learned in his childhood.
Dad playing for all the Gangl cousins in 1953

My parents loved vacations and loved traveling, something my sisters and I have inherited. We usually went up north to a lake near Park Rapids, MN where we'd spend a week relaxing, fishing, reading, drawing, playing cards, rowing around, playing in the water, watching fire flies and what our parents called "heat lightening." Often storms were far enough away that one couldn't hear any thunder, but one could see the lightning lighting up the night skies. We battled giant MN mosquitoes, of course, but that was to be expected.

Dad was diagnosed with ALS about 5 years after he retired. He lived with the disease for 5 or so years, and was totally bed-ridden for the last year or more. Mom was his care-taker and she matured greatly during those final years. Things that formerly bothered her no longer mattered. Dad mattered. She dedicated herself to making his life as pleasant as possible. His bed was in the dining room with the bird feeder he built for mom years earlier attached to the window near his bed. Both Mom & Dad thoroughly enjoyed the daily comings and goings of the birds and the antics of the crazy squirrels made for high entertainment.

The summer of 1984
Dad died 25 years ago today, 8 days after Mom's unexpected death. He was 74 and had been physically quite active until the ALS began to rob him of muscle strength. During our last family visit, Dad told us all to gather around his bed as he had something important to tell us. What he said was this:
"Don't spend your life trying to figure out what God wants you to do. He planted the desire in your heart to do what you love doing. And that is what God wants of you - to be happy doing what you love."

He was an exemplar patient. It was amazing how many who came to cheer him up and ended up being cheered up by him. Dad taught us how to live... and how to die.

And I miss him, as I expect I always will.

Happy Holiday!

2010-07-05T12:18:00.005-04:00

Photos from the 2010 Central Pennsylvania Volunteer Fireworks Celebration in State College. May they brighten your day as they brightened the skies for all attendees last night.

Happy 4th of July!

2010-07-04T14:47:00.002-04:00

2010-06-30T10:05:00.011-04:00

On her wedding day, June 2, 1937, she was a small young woman of 27 years – 4’101/2 ” tall, weighing 85 pounds, with deep brown darkly-lashed eyes, a pert little nose, high cheekbones, smiling lips and short, dark, wavy hair. She carried gardenias, one of her favorite flowers and scents.

She had always been tiny – very short and petite. Throughout her childhood, people often thought she was much younger than she was.

Her childhood summers were happy, carefree times, picking strawberries to earn her first money. She spent lots of time in the summers visiting her many maternal relatives in Lake Elmo plus her paternal Grandma in North St. Paul. She was very close with her mother’s youngest sisters as they were closer to her age than to her mother’s age. In fact, the sister’s lived with her family in St. Paul since they both worked in the city.

She remembered her early Christmases spent at one of the grandparents homes - taking a streetcar to North St. Paul or a train to Lake Elmo, depending upon which family they were visiting. She remembered the town of Lake Elmo as being "strictly Lutheran." Perhaps that also meant that Stillwater was where the Catholics lived…

Always the smallest child in her class, she led her classmates in the First Holy Communion procession, the Confirmation procession, and finally the HS graduation procession.

In high school, she was a popular student at St. Joseph's Academy where she performed in several school productions & served on numerous sporting teams. She loved what she called “kitten ball” (aka softball) and played second base. She was an award-winning rifle-woman (although I’m not sure she ever went hunting), a horseback rider, a dancer, performer, a talented artist and so much more. Her rich brown eyes were full of mischief most of the time - but no one wanted to be on the receiving end of her flaming glance when she got mad!

After graduation, she was a billing clerk for the Crane Company from the time of her graduation in 1929 until after her marriage in 1937.

She was fond of celebrations & parties and enjoyed decorating her home & table with colorful, seasonal & holiday-coordinated decorations. She had a flair with color, her favorite color being turquoise - which she painted on her kitchen cabinets, had installed on her living room floor as carpeting & which color she frequently wore with great success.

Christmas was her favorite holiday & the decorations were too numerous to mention. From the Nativity scene on the buffet or mantle-piece to the village beneath the Christmas tree (both of which were hand-built by her husband), from tablecloths & napkin rings to special window decorations, Christmas at her home was an EVENT! She collected ornaments for souvenirs where ever she traveled, always keeping her eye out for something special.

35th wedding anniversary celebration

Over the years, her rich dark hair turned silver and she lost an inch or two in height, although she never admitted to that! She always wore 2.5 or 3” heels to help her be a bit taller than she really was.

She was a woman with a warm heart and a playful nature. However, she was easily frightened by many things and worried about "more that you can shake a stick at," as she would often say. It seemed as though she expected the worst to happen, displaying little confidence that all would be well – unless or until it already WAS well.

She loved long, deep, strong, and hard. Her feelings were often hurt, and she often inadvertently hurt others when she misunderstood their words, thoughts, feelings, or motives. She needed to win, to be “right,” to be loved. Basically, she was insecure, but loving and lovable beyond words.

She was christened Alice Irene Buck, but she hated the name “Alice” (her maternal Grandmother’s name) – and always went by “Irene.” She married Raymond Stephen Gangl and they bore three daughters: Elaine, Patricia, and Susan. She was married 48 years at the time of her death, having lived a full complex life, albeit shorter than either of her parent’s (85 and 91) or her brother (81). Her death was 25 years ago today, June 30, 1985. She was only 75 years of age – and I was only 41.

She was my mother and I miss her still…

Mom and Dad with our two children, Chris & Mike - 1978

Experiments in Pastel

2010-06-05T21:58:00.013-04:00

Above: Portrait of Spunky #1 13"x19" (c)Pat Dolan

Below: Desert Cactus Flower - step by step

Desert Cactus Flower 12"x12" (c)Pat Dolan

Below: Red Barn #1: Process work...

Below: Red Barn #1 - 13"x19" (c) Pat Dolan

Red Barn #1 remains unresolved...the composition is off a bit, not as exciting as it could be. The colors are warmer, thus much improved, but there are a few areas that need correcting. However, I may not spend any more time on it - it's time to start some new work! FYI: I'm using Rembrandt, Grumbacher & Alphacolor soft pastels as well as Prismacolor Nupastels semi-hard sticks on Canson Mitientes paper. These are supplies I've had for years! When I did some price checking, I was stunned to learn how much these supplies cost today...

Pastels are a wonderfully forgiving medium - but the surface upon which I am working does not allow so many layers of color as I like to use. I'm using Canson Mitientes papers, and they were what I was trained on over 30 years ago. Today, however, there are many wonderful, new support papers and boards that allow up to 25 layers of pastel buildup without becoming muddy. Among them are textured/sanded papers & clay boards that hold the color pigments much more successfully.

So, I've been reading several pastel books, checking out various supply info online, researching current pastellists and their art - generally re-exploring this medium. The local library is a wonderful resource for art books - although at one time I had a personal collection that was quite extensive in the areas of watercolor and pastel. When we moved around 2001, I sold many of them via ebay since we were moving to a much smaller home. Since I was working in fiberart at the time, the books seemed non-essential. I only kept one watercolor book - because it was so instructive, even to the practiced watercolorist!

Now I find sewing much more difficult to work at the sewing machine or even doing hand sewing between the present restrictions due to arthritis and cataracts. Pastels allow me to continue creating, playing, having fun, yet not taxing my body so much.

I think I'll be experimenting in watercolors once again in the not so distant future... Stay tuned for the next installment - and, of course, there are always photographs to be shared. I thoroughly enjoy photography, too!

Full Moon and Spring Flowers

2010-05-27T22:44:00.006-04:00

Storm Clouds

2010-05-14T21:45:00.005-04:00

To read about this storm, go here for the Centre Daily Times Newspaper article dated Saturday, May 15, 2010.

More Spring Flowers to Enjoy

2010-05-10T23:01:00.003-04:00

Spring Continues...

2010-03-28T15:53:00.008-04:00

Spring is here as her normal capricious self - temperatures fluctuating wildly on the winds and sunshine chasing clouds and rain from here to there. Below is a view of the day lily garden beneath our kitchen window. It's weeded and the day lilies, begging to be divided by some kind soul, are steadily growing.

Across from the lily garden above is another larger lily garden planted in tiers on the slope of the hill. These, too, need to be divided, but unless someone comes over to dig them up and take them home, they'll just be crowded once again as they have been for a few years. At least the weeds are weeded!

Aren't these rotting leaves just absolutely gorgeous?!!! Well, I think so. I can see abstract art in them and just love the textures and colors. They've since been removed so new growth can prosper.

Happy Spring - Happy St. Patrick's Day

2010-03-17T19:16:00.005-04:00

Mixed-Media/Collage Artistic Experiments Continue

2010-03-14T22:06:00.011-04:00

WEDDING LACE - detail (c)Pat Dolan 2010
I've used the Derwent Inktense Watercolor Pencils to "paint" the stretched linen canvas beneath the crocheted lace collar above. Using a soft shade of rose to match the rose hue in the photo, color was added in several places to unite the piece and ground it more fully.

WEDDING LACE - detail (c)Pat Dolan 2010
Above, blue was added to highlight the blues in the composition, which further unites the piece.

Below is a new piece in progress - nothing is yet affixed other than the crinkle background fabric which is staples over the stretched linen canvas. It's tentatively titled SUSAN after a great-great-aunt of mine, Susan Mahon.

SUSAN - layout #1

SUSAN - layout #2

SUSAN - detail (c)Pat Dolan 2010

Spring is HERE!

2010-03-13T22:01:00.006-05:00

Snowdrops and crocus are usually the first flowers of spring in central PA. We have a lovely patch of snowdrops (actually, we have 2 or three different patches) which herald spring for us.

Here is one of our many very clever squirrels - this one has managed to get himself inside the birdfeeder, despite the protective plastic dome. I have yet to see a bird land on this feeder, only squirrels.

Here's the fat little fella after his snack

With this weekend's rainy season, our yard is quite marshy and a Mallard pair have found the yard delightful for wandering and feeding.

I saved my favorite for last, the Quacking Quackaroo!

Mid-March in Millbrook Marsh, State College, PA

2010-03-12T21:40:00.011-05:00

Spunky at the beginning of our walk...

Spunky at the end of our walk...

And the Weather Today... Snow, What Else???

2010-02-22T21:38:00.007-05:00

Snow - nothing new!

There's also been some melting these past few days. Below are photos of the brick flower-box out front of the house last night:

Close-ups of the fascinating ice forms:

Rural Winter Snow Scenes + Buggies

2010-02-19T15:50:00.015-05:00

The Hearse
Yesterday we took one of my sewing machines to the "local" Bernina dealer (50 miles away in Mifflinburg, PA!) for routine servicing. We stopped for lunch at The Carriage House (at least I think that is the name of the restaurant...) where many 19th c antiques decorate the entire site. Mifflinburg was THE place from which to order a buggy in the 1800's and the town is still known as "the Buggy Town." There is a buggy museum dedicated to preserving the town history and the city codes require that the 19th c appeal of the town be maintained.

This was our destination:

Here are some photos from the restaurant's collection of buggies and sleighs.

The wonderful stairway outside the restaurant:

Much of central PA is home to both the Mennonites and the Amish, as well as many other religious communities. Buggies and carts are still wide-spread, as you can see below.

The following photos were taken from the car as my husband did the driving back home.

The region is dotted with old log homes, some have obvious additions, others are less conspicuous insofar as additions go.

A wall mural in the town of Milheim, PA depicting life there:

The round barn north of Boalsburg:

And Spunky was waiting for us as we drove in the driveway.

RUST-TEX COLLECTION & My Rust Dyeing Fabrics & Projects

2010-02-17T21:30:00.034-05:00

Above + below: details from WOODLAND WALK - (c)2006 Pat Dolan
Woodland Walk was one of 24 pieces accepted in the Rust-Tex Collection, will premier at Spring International Quilt Festival in Chicago April 16-18, 2010. It will also be displayed at the Festival of Quilts in Birmingham, England August 20-23, 2010. Other venues to be announced as arranged.

The RUST-TEX COLLECTION is sponsored by Lois Jarvis, founder of RUST-TEX.com.

The photos below show show some of my rusting fabrics in the process of rusting and after being rust-dyed.

A project in process:
WATER + RUST - (c)2010 Pat Dolan
rusted fabric, painted & partially quilted

Rust-dyed gauze is used below in a small sampler piece (the color in this photo is overly bright!)

Here's the completed piece:
TEXTURAL ODYSSEY - (c)2007 Pat Dolan - the finished piece framed

Other finished pieces below:
RUSTY KEY - (c)2009 Pat Dolan sold
Done on stretched canvas, this is a mixed media collage

EMMA - (c)2008 Pat Dolan
A small, mixed media collage, 5x7 mounted on 8x10 canvas board.

WEDDING LACE - (c)2010 Pat Dolan
16x16" on unprimed linen stretched canvas
The spiral in the center of this piece was created with torn strips of rusted fabric and a commercial blue cotton batik twisted together and thread-wrapped.

New Work - Mixed Media

2010-02-12T22:52:00.011-05:00

TIME unfinished (c)2010 Pat Dolan

The challenges of life's limitations often lead into new, unexpected territories. I've been somewhat of a purist when it comes to watercolor and fiber art - was never very fond of "mixed media" and less so of "collage." Yet now I find myself moving rather smoothly, albeit slowly, into both of the afore mentioned media as my shoulder is no longer able to sustain machine quilting on anything other than small pieces and my hands have become less nimble with needles and thread, beads, and other small objects. It's like being a child again - rediscovering the joy/fun of simply playing with whatever is at hand to create something new.

The piece above is above is set inside a stretched, primed canvas. The dark outer border is a rich, deep purple velvet. The background is a commercial cotton onto which I applied oil sticks using a cut glass plate beneath the fabric to create the starburst effect. Very few of the items are secured to the background at this time. I like to take snap shots of the pieces I'm working on to determine whether or not the composition is strong and well designed. This is one of those "preview" snapshots of a work-in-progress.

The one below is one I've been playing with literally for months. I have a whole series of snap shots with various compositions. This is one of the earlier renditions. I'm considering doing a series using old lace and other fabrics along with anything else that seems appropriate. It is 16" square on unprimed, stretched linen canvas.

"Wedding Lace," above & below, has been a great project. I get to pull out all the old lace I've collected over the years, use some of the printed old family photos, add some feathers (I love birds & have a feather collection, too), rust-dyed gauze & cotton (another collection), and other memorabilia (the largest collection of all!). The bride is a photo of Mom on her wedding day in 1937. She would now be 100 if she had lived past the age of 75.

WEDDING LACE almost finished (c)2010 Pat Dolan

It's interesting to note how many artists are using old photos, fabrics, memorabilia at this time in history. Perhaps, because our lives seem to be fast forwarding so quickly that we need time to reflect and remember our history...our story. Sharing our stories in any way at all preserves something special - perhaps unnamed, but special. Or so it seems to me...

Derwent Inktense WC Pencils

2010-01-16T22:14:00.014-05:00

This past week the Quiltart list has been discussing the use of Derwent Inktense Watercolor Pencils. I'd not heard of them, so I ordered a small set (plus a few extra colors to balance out the set) on sale from Dick Blick. They arrived today and I decided to give them a try. I did two sample pieces as you can view below.

The first example is done on a a piece of 8x10" smooth Bristol board paper.
Here is the completed colored pencil drawing prior to the addition of water.
This shows the colored pencil drawing and the photo I'm working from.
This is the completed painting. Only water was added in very small amounts with a fairly small brush.

The second example is done on 5x7" watercolor card stock (before folding, it measures 10x7") I'm working from one of my photos taken at the area's annual orchid show last fall. 1. the base color applied
2. more color is added
3. completed colored pencil drawing
3. completed painting

To compare Derwent's pencils to Prismacolor's pencils, see my blog posting here. For example, this is the same cat as above, different pose, but done completely in Prismacolor pencils. It was also done on a sheet of 8x10 Bristol paper. The above is done with soft pencils layered one over the other and blended well to create a finished piece. It is then polished with a soft cloth to bring out the color and add a finished sheen to the work. As noted above, check out my earlier posting for the step-by-step process of this piece.

The watercolor above is lighter and more spontaneous in appearance, as many watercolors are. The pencils lines still show - which is probably my fault for not adding more water to the pencils to give it a more painterly effect. Both pieces are fine as they are, but they are quite different.

What I've learned thus far:
1. when water is added to the pencil drawings, the colors are VERY intense.
2. these pencils do not blend well, although they layer fairly well.
3. the finished paintings look better done on watercolor paper (of course!)
4. they work well for color/design studies (in my opinion) than for finished art.
5. I'd like the whole set of them if I were to plan on using them for finished paintings.

I have yet to try them on fabric, which is what Quiltart members were discussing. I'll post my results of those experiments after I've tried them out on fabric!

500 Art Quilts due out later this month!

2010-01-14T19:13:00.008-05:00

Yesterday I received my advanced copy of 500 ART QUILTS: an Inspiring Collection of Contemporary Work curated by Karey Bresenhan, founder of Quilts, Inc. and published by Lark Books.

According to Karey, there were 2500 art quilt finalists to be pared down to 500 for inclusion in the book. I'm delighted to be included in the book with my quilt WOODLAND WALK (page 208), joining a host of other contemporary artists such as Pamela Allen - Alice Beasley - Jane Burch Cochran - Judith Content - Chiaki Dosho - Noriko Endo - Caryl Bryer Fallert - Jamie Fingal - Linda Gass - Jenny Hearn - Judy Coates Perez - Yvonne Porcella - Susan Shie - Gloria Hansen - Jan Myers-Newberry - Lonni Rossi - Jane Sassaman - Maya Schonenberger - Joan Schultz - Carol Taylor - David Taylor - Larkin Van Horn - LauraWasilowski - and many more!

WOODLAND WALK detail (c)Pat Dolan

As it happens, another local artist, Mary Lou Pepe, a member of our fiber art critique group, has not one, but two of her quilts included in the book (pages 101 + 160). Her two quilts hang opposite one another in one of the Penn State University campus buildings. They are quite large, which one cannot guess from viewing the photos. And they are extraordinarily detailed and done with amazing precision.

I hope you have the opportunity to leisurely explore this book, taking time to enjoy each piece for the unique contribution it makes to the whole. It is full of 'eye candy' for the creative heart/soul!

Happy New Year - Mine is Off to a Great Start!

2010-01-08T13:36:00.017-05:00

GOING IN CIRCLES (c) Pat Dolan

On January 1, 2010, John Hopper notified me that he had just posted a review of my art on his blog, The Textile Blog. Mr. Hopper is a well-known critic of textiles, old and new. I quickly went to the sight to read what he sees in my work, and I was very pleased with his review. You can read or listen to it here. He concentrated on my organic images series (some photos below - but more are on my website). That series has been the core of my work for many years. I'm delighted he was able to observe what I try to say with my art. Talk about a GREAT way to start off the New Year!
CELLULAR IMAGES II (c)Pat Dolan
ORGANIC BEAUTY (c) Pat Dolan
GONE TO SEED (c) Pat Dolan
EARTH CELLS (c) Pat Dolan

Also this year, one of my pieces will be included in an upcoming book entitled 500 Quilts due out this spring and published by Lark Books as part of their 500 art/craft series. As a SAQA professional member, my work will be in the upcoming publication entitled SAQA Portfolio 17.

I've entered the Rust-Tex Collection competition through SAQA and hope that my piece (pictured below) will be one of those selected for the exhibitions: Spring International Quilt Festival, April 16, 2010 and the Festival of Quilts in Birmingham, England from August 20-23, 2010.
WOODLAND WALK (c) Pat Dolan

So the year is off to a wonderful start and I'm physically feeling better than I have in several years. Therefore I look forward to producing more wonderful art quilts throughout this great new year! May you and yours have a great year, too!

Our 44th Anniversary!

2009-12-29T18:22:00.017-05:00

Above: The bridal couple
Below: Our wedding day, December 29, 1965 in St. Paul, MN with our parents

Our first child, Michael born November 1966

Our second child, Christine, born May 1969

Family Photos:
2003

2004

Family 2005

2005 Family Portrait

2005

Mike's Family over the years

Frank + Pat 2007

Ireland 2007 - below, Frank with a Mullooly ancestral grave stone in Co. Roscommon, IRE

Ireland: Bea McCabe, a shoe-string relative living in Co. Leitrim, Ireland, with Pat and Frank

Pat & Frank 2007

Here we are with Mike and Peg - 2007

Peggy and the three grandchildren: Michelle; J.D., and Alyssa - Spring 2009

Chris, Steve and new puppy, Tucker - 2009

Christmas 2009

Merry Christmas From Our House to Your House

2009-12-23T22:22:00.002-05:00

December in Central PA

2009-12-14T14:40:00.009-05:00

Spunky is now a full 6 months old - she's adorable, perky, fun, and quick!

If you've ever tried to put a hat on a 6 month old puppy, you know how silly and difficult a task it is. Something like putting a hat and mittens on a 6 month old child!
Spunky would much rather play with and/or EAT the hat than wear it.

She finds most things within her easy reach to be taste-test worthy...

Of course, we've all noticed that time flies as one gets older - and we're ALL doing that, or we're "on the other side." Winter has arrived here - of course our first 5" of snow came in October, breaking tree branches everywhere as well as snowfall dates/amounts for the area. Then we had Indian Summer of a sorts, and finally winter returned, this time with 6" of snow - followed by lots of rain! That all froze to ice, and now is melting at 43 degrees. Messy weather, but at least it's seasonal! Here's a lovely farm nearby that I photographed today:

The neighborhood is nicely decorated for the holidays - we've managed to decorate the outside trees/bushes but haven't got our house tree yet. Somehow or other, a mischievous 6 month old puppy must be considered. And since Spunky believes that anything within her reach (which is large since she can walk easily on her hind legs!) is hers to play with, chew, and in any other way enjoy.

As for quilting, I've managed to squeeze in a simple project - a wall-hanging using a comercial fabric plus some of my other fabrics. The photo doesn't show the wonderful sparkles in the plaid fabric - but they are there helping this little quilt make a happy statement this holiday season. And this hangs high enough on the wall so as to escape the puppy paws!

Happy holiday preparations to you!

Photos from a Quick Trip to NJ - mostly PA landscapes!

2009-11-13T14:10:00.018-05:00

Above, the private marina for the Molly Pitcher Inn
Below: we're guessing this was the original sign for the now very prestigious inn.

Views of the Navasink River in Red Bank, NJ from the Molly Pitcher Inn.

Above & below: some of the McMansions on the river - one of them could be Bon Jovi's...or not. Bruce Springstien lives inland in Colts Neck so these aren't his!

And on to Pennsylvania...

The Susquehanna River north of Harrisburg:
Above: the Juniata River, northwest of Harrisburg.

Above: a sun dog glowing as we headed up the mountains westward towards home.

The Boalsburg Steer - atop Kelly's Restaurant. This is a vivid milestone for everyone in Centre County! To us, it means we're almost home...

And finally, sunset as seen from our front yard.