Art Challenge Underway

So sorry about the rant of a few days ago. My back has been out all week, and with yet more snow in the forecast I was feeling really grumpy. I have gotten over it, I think, and last evening I got down to work on the Art Challenge piece for guild. I enlarged the inspiration photo and took a good look. The challenge is to choose an element from it and repeat it with variations to produce an 8 x 10 quilt. OK so there are lots of little bits in it, and I found a semi abstracted flower that seemed interesting. So I got out my circle templates and sketchbook and started playing around until I got something that resembled the bit in the photo. Now to decide how to repeat it with variations. Well, there are lots of surface design techniques that would work. I settled on a stencil, which I then cut. I have used paintstiks in warm metallic colors to stencil it numerous times onto a piece of fabric that is much bigger than I need. Once they have set I am going to use water based media to paint around them. Hopefully the result will look like a resist. Sometimes it actually does resist, and sometimes not, but that is the look I am seeking. The organizers have asked us not to reveal the images until after the results are presented to the guild so I wont show you any photos yet. Challenges like this are wonderful for letting you experiment, and get a jump start for the creative engines.

Rant about elitists.

I just spent some time catching up on the Digests from the Quiltart list. Apparently this weekend, there was a huge discussion about the content of Quilting Arts and other magazines. As a shop owner, artist and amateur textile historian, I truly believe that we should not look a gift horsed in the mouth. Many of the regular posters on the list are by all accounts successful artists with an established style and methods of working. How many more quilters are out there who do not fit that category and are looking for more help. If that vast majority of people stopped buying then we would lose the magazine. There are many reasons to buy/subscribe to a magazine, and no one magazine will always be the perfect fit for everyone. We should embrace the needs of all quilters, art, traditional, or some where in between. Personally, it is the only quilt magazine I subscribe to. I enjoy the good photography, celebrate the more contemporary outlook, and often refer customers to information contained within its pages. Honestly, sometimes I resent the "artists" who forget that everyone has to start somewhere, and look down their noses with an elitist attitude at articles that present a technique, or give a pattern. There is a place for it, for many an article is the beginning, and a place to jump in. How many of us could have learned our craft without publications containing actual information. Ideas are great but they wont show us how to begin.

Inspiring Crocus

This past Sunday, the Spring Equinox, and I got really inspired by the single crocus that appeared in my yard. We didn't have any last year so I though they were all finished, or their bulbs eaten or something. The rich purple petals and the nearly fluorescent orange stamens were just so proud to be there. Then Mondays weather happened and it snowed in the morning and turned to freezing rain and then mostly melted by nightfall. Not too many living things are happy with those kind of quick changes. Yesterday wasn't too bad, but now I fear it may not survive the 6-10 inches of snow expected today, But I know it is there.

At first I was really angry at the weather, but that is just silly, I know that there is little I can do about that and getting worked up is just a waste of time. One thing I can do is create art about this. I had been waiting for the next flower in the herbal series to call to me, and now I think it will be crocus. This plant has been known as Saffron for ages, and certain varieties are still very valuable. (Just check the prices for genuine saffron for cooking and you will see what I mean ) It has been used as a colorant, flavoring and herbal cure, and in my life, seeing it means that Spring can't be that far away. I may have to buy some potted to draw from, but that just means that next year there will be more than one in my yard.

You can see the last herbal quilt, Lily of theValley on the gallery page of this blog

Plankton

No, not the Spongebob Character, that is the title of one of my recent Art Quilts. In the photo, it is not hanging flat, but the top is being pinched by the makeshift hanging system. The shaped bottom makes it look even less square, but rest assured that at least three sides are. The improvisational background includes silks, satins and assorted found fabrics. The Plankton themselves are hand embroidered and raw edge appliqued by machine, after the quilting had been done. Its about 36 x 48, and I tried out the new Deco Bob Thread. I did all the quilting on this piece, a sample of spiral couching and two bed size pillowcases before I had to change bobbins. It handled great and I have a new favorite thread. ( I have a Viking Rose - with a standard size bobbin by the way )

I am fairly happy with this piece, It feels like an idea I can explore alot more, the little hand worked plankton are addictive to work, and I already have a whole pile of new ones for the next piece. Last night I laid out a possible string pieced background for them that just might work for the Deep Spaces exhibit. Don't have the link handy for that, but the Prospectus is on the website of Jean Larkin Van Horn. It has some very specific size requirements that I need to remember to work within.

If you like the background of this quilt, come learn how to piece in this manner with the workshop I will be teaching at my shoppe, on March 17 & 31. There are more details on my store blog, www.villagefabricshoppe.blogspot.com It is so much fun, and allows you to use lots of seemingly random bits. I often make a large piece like this from leftovers of more traditional projects that are samples. It helps keep the scrap box from overflowing too badly and puts loved bits of fabrics into a project where I can actually look at them instead of having them buried in a big messy pile.

I think I have a cold coming on. Last night I was supposed to go to a meeting with a friend who was going to give a small talk about her quilts. I should have had plenty of time to have a nice dinner at home with the family and get there, but I sat on the couch to hear my daughter play her flute solo and totally fell asleep. She didn't wake me, but turned off the lights and covered me with a quilt. When the dog woke me it was too late. I am also really congested this morning. Lots of fluids for me today. I hope I have enough energy this evening to get a little more done than last night. I wish I had the time at work today to take it a little slower, but I have a big repair job to do on some vintage curtains for a customer and it needs to get done. I hope there isn't some strange dust on them that is making my nose run. Could make the job really unpleasant. Oh well, break is over and time to get back to it.