Time Travel

Hello, things are heating up in the studio. The last few weeks I have been working on my entry for Quilt Con, the first international Modern Quilt Show and conference to be presented by the Modern Quilt Guild here in Austin in February 2013. Before I could really get started, I had to familiarize myself with what constituted a modern quilt versus a contemporary quilt, so to speak. Herein lies the answer to a whole new wave of quilters that are emerging with a style of their own. Armed with a pallette consisting largely of solid colored fabrics including gray, these artists are creating classic design elements with bold graphics in mind. Some embrace a minimalist approach while others focus on negative space. Quilts may be pieced or appliqued. They may in fact involve the manipulation of traditional block patterns to accomodate a more modern feel.

In contrast, comtemporary quilt artists tend to embrace traditional design by using contemporary fabrics and color choices. A contemporary pallete is quite different as it employs tone on tone fabrics vs the solid colored Kona cotton pallette that is reminiscent of modern quilters. Contemporary quilt artists also work with a larger array of prints to convey texture. That being said, I found my modern pallette sorely lacking as I tend to stay away from solid colors. As a representational art quilter, blending is a huge part of my work. Even my solid colors are tone on tone or marbelized to allow for easier transition from one fabric to another. So off to my local quilt shop, I went. Time Travel is my response to the new modern quilt movement. This piece measures 19" X 24" and was inspired from a personal challenge to work in a different style than I am normally accustomed to.  I have learned alot from this exercise. First, I found that working with this pallete is harder than you might think! Secondly, the representational artist in me still managed to escape as I found myself thinking of this design as a portal of doorways, each with a new horizon, each representing the past, present and future with connections along the way. Crazy, I know! Sometimes, I find that no matter how hard I try, I can't seem to shake the desire of seeing something realistic in an otherwise abstract piece. I have observed this phenomenon in other artists as well. It’s always funny to see what is most predominant in our work. Lastly, I found this was a great exercise in learning to let go and challenging myself to stretch and grow in new directions. And that is always a good thing! I hope you enjoyed this post and I encourage you to visit some of the artists from Off the Wall Friday hosted by Nina Marie at http://ninamariesayre.blogspot.com/ . Thanks for stopping by!

Dinner at Eight Artists Celebrate “Rituals” Exhibit in Houston

Welcome, today is my first blogpost for Off the Wall Friday hosted by Nina Marie at http://ninamariesayre.blogspot.com/ . I think it is a great way of connecting with other artists and the community. And speaking of community, I am honored to be a part of Dinner at Eight Artists. What a fabulous group of women! This month, we gathered together in Houston to celebrate the new “Rituals” exhibit. Pictured above are Jeannie Palmer Moore, Judy Coates Perez, Barb Forrister, Susan Brubaker Knapp, Rachel Parris, Leslie Tucker Jenison, Jamie Fingal, Gayle Simpson, Loris Bogue, Sue Bleiweiss, Frances Holliday Alford and Lyric Kinard. This photo was taken after our interview with Bonnie Lynn McCaffrey at the International Quilt Festival in Houston, Texas.

  
Microphones for some reason always make me nervous but somehow Bonnie was able to put me at ease with her warm and inviting manner. Not to mention I am one of her biggest fans. I absolutely love her work! Following the interviews, we posed for a group photo. Our sponsor, Havel’s Scissors was there and I got a chance to check out their fabulous products. I will be blogging about this soon but for now, let me say that this exhibit was fantastic and in my mind, our best, yet. Later, that evening, we met up for dinner at yep, you got it, 8. So much fun to catch up with each other and discuss plans for next year. We also received news that Rituals has been invited to exhibit at the Open European Championship in the Netherlands next spring. Yay! How fun! Have to say, sometimes, I am so envious of my quilts and the places they travel. Speaking of travel, I bid you to visit Nina’s blog and some of the other artists featured on Off the Wall Friday. Stop by and leave a comment. We would love to hear from you!

Peacock Series Using Twinkling Waters by Luminarte

I am so delighted to be chosen as a guest artist on Creative Imaginations , Luminarte blog. While in Houston at the International Quilt Festival, I came upon this fabulous booth with the most beautiful paints in every nook and cranny. I knew it was a very very dangerous place for me to be but still I could not help myself, especially when I noticed the sets of Twinkling H20s! You may recall that I have been using these luscious, shimmering waters  in my peacock series. What a fabulous way to impart luminescence to those wonderfully, majestic peacock feathers! Twinkling Water's shimmering watercolors are composed of pigment intense, mica infused watercolors and come in a variety of colors. They can be mixed with one another to provide even more options. Wow! Who knew they had so many colors?! Luminarte has also come up with a line of Silks, Acrylic Glaze paints that are full bodied, creamy, shimmering paints. I knew, I just had to try some. My favorite colors included Boysenberry, Nutmeg, Mallard Green, Rich Cobalt, Sunburst, Ginger Peach, Pretty Peridot and Honey Amber. I will be heading up to the studio, soon to try these out on yet another  peacock piece and will be blogging about them soon! And last but not least, I purchased a Copper Pearl Pen that is a 3dimensional paint. These come in a multitude of colors and are so much fun! I have yet to try the Bare Elements sparkling powders but they look most intriguing! To find out more about their products, please visit  http://creativeimaginations.typepad.com/luminarte_paints/ .

Sunrise Serenade and Primavera

 

The Gift of the Magi

 

Open Studios Sponsored by Craftsy at International Quilt Festival

I am back from Houston and finally getting a chance to blog about it. Wow, what an experience! On Thursday, I had the distinct pleasure of being one of 4 artists to open up for Open Studios sponsored by Craftsy.com at the International Quilt Festival in Houston, Texas. I was scheduled from 10-12 to demonstrate 3Dimensional flowers. I had just created 4 new flower patterns including irises, cala lilies and two new surprise flowers for this event. This year's Open Studios was moved from the vendor section of the show to Main Street near the Food Court. This was a fantastic decision made by Chief Creative Officer, Patricia Chatham Bolton at Quilts, Inc. I have been doing Open Studios for three years and never have I seen so much traffic. What a terrific idea! Yay, Pokey! You're a genius! In 2 hours, I had completely run out of business postcards. Crazy, I know but the traffic was phenomenal!

Open Studios is one of my favorite things at festival. I love seeing friends, meeting new people and sharing my work with others. This year was the best, yet! I did a second session of Open Studios on Friday from 12-2 and the crowds had grown even more. I think people really enjoyed seeing the demo and the new patterns were a hit!

If you missed out on all the fun and are interested in taking a class, please visit http://www.freespiritartstudio.blogspot.com/p/workshops.html for more information.