Coloring Outside the Blocks: Artists Do Lunch

Artists Do Lunch measures 77.5" x 51" and is a group collaboration with Leslie Jenison, Frances Holliday Alford, Kathy York, Connie Hudson, Sherri Mc Caulley and Barb Forrister. Frances set the plan in motion. We began with a muslin tablecloth which was spread on the table during our Art Bee meetings. We took turns rotating the tablecloth such that everyone had a chance at some point to work on all parts of it. Once the cloth was almost completely painted, it was divided into 6 equal portions. Each of us went home with a piece which we were to further embellish and quilt. We were also supposed to incorporate black and white somehow in our individual pieces to unify them altogether. Additionally, we were to create a symbol that was unique to each one of us and stamp it in various places of our individual piece. My symbol was a leaf which can be seen on two of the headresses with single eyes. I am still uncertain as to how the eyes managed to work their way into the pieces but they certainly have a presence. It reminds me of the saying in Avatar, "I see you." Funny, how we seem to have an influence on one another even when we are in different places. Frances is in Vermont and Leslie is in San Antonio and still the eyes are present in both their pieces. Kind of uncanny! Once the individual pieces were finished, we met again and cut them in half to reassemble them into the final design. We decided a black and white patterned border would further strengthen and enhance the design elements. This piece was alot of fun to make and somehow symbolizes the bonds that we have all forged and the good times we had visiting with one another. It is here where many voices come together as one.

Key Largo (Emerald Treasures IV)

Key Largo, The Diving Capital of the World is the largest living coral reef barrier in the United States. It contains more than 55 types of coral and is home to a large variety of marine life. Inspired by the many Emerald Treasures surrounding the island, Key Largo represents a personal challenge to use "old" materials to create something completely different from what they were originally intended. The backdrop is an upcycled damask napkin that was painted with acrylics. The turtle itself was also painted on damask napkins. The shell is painted with both acrylic and gel medium, appliqued with dyed lace and PVC vinyl, needle felted with wool roving and embellished with beads and trinkets. The fins and tail feature painted, heat distressed cellophane and textiva. The sea floor is composed of dyed lace, trims, bullion, doilies and painted, heat distressed tyvek that is soft sculpted to resemble a variety of coral and sea anenomes. A closer look at the floor reveals five glass beaded fish. This piece is hand and machine appliqued, machine quilted with metallic and trilobal polyester thread. Edges are finished with a facing. Key Largo is part IV of Emerald Treasures series with another one on the way. Since the April 20th oil spill, millions of gallons of oil have leaked into the Gulf of Mexico, further compromising these deep sea treasures.

Welcome to My Garden

I've been exploring various inks on the market, today. I've always used Tsukineko inks but I really had no idea how many different types are available for working on fabric. I think this has alot to do with the huge surge of scrap booking. I bought all kinds of markers and pens ranging from Marvy, Zig Millenium, DecoColor, Y&C Fabric Mate, Pigma to Pentel Gel Rollers for fabrics. All were acid free and of archival quality. All had very unique characteristics, though for writing text, the pigma and gel rollers seemed to work the best. Armed with inks in hand, I began sketching my ideas onto paper. Once my design was complete, I tried inking text as the veins on leaves. Welcome to My Garden was designed to encourage fond memories of time spent in the garden. The leaves on the right bear the words, “welcome” and “garden” in languages including French, German, Italian, Swahili, Spanish, Norwegian and many more. It reaches out to people from all around the world through text and beckons visitors to enter the garden and gather inspirational phrases like they would flowers. Here, many things have been planted and cultivated ranging from flowers, vegetables, teas, herbs to dreams for the future. These seedlings brought to full fruition are captured by phrases found on the leaves of the plant to the left. They include messages about special times experienced with friends and family, secrets whispered, conversations held and intimate moments from long, long ago. It is so tranquil that it seems to invite the recollection of the last time I walked through the garden, hand in hand with my lover or shared a cup of tea with my best friend. As the memories flashed before me, I soon found myself reaching back to my own childhood memories and the sensations I experienced when I first walked through grass and felt the blades between my toes or breathed the scent of a favorite and endearing flower. It is here, where I am reminded of the past. It is here where I have learned to dream. This whole cloth piece was completed on May 5, 2010 and measures 34 X 33. It is inked and painted on a 50/50 silk/cotton fabric. The inks on the silk blend left a beautiful sheen. The hedges in the background are painted with acrylic and overlaid with natural and manmade fibers to add texture. The stamens of the flowers are hand embroidered. This is the first time I have used 50/50 bamboo/cotton batting. I was a little worried about how it would quilt but luckily I had no problem at all. The machine quilting went quite well. This piece came together so quickly. I really enjoyed working on it and best of all, it makes me smile when I see it.

Treasured Waters

Treasured Waters completed in March 2010 measures 36X48. and is my rendition of a coral reef which is done in a more fiber art style. This piece was created for a special exhibit, "Beneath The Surface" curated by Jamie Fingal and Leslie Tucker Jenison of Dinner At Eight Artists. The exhibit will make its debut in Long Beach, California July 22-25, 2010 at International Quilt Festival and is sponsored by Moore's Sewing Centers and Brother International. This is my first juried invitational and I am truly honored and thrilled to be in such good company!!! If you click on the pictures, you can see a more detailed view. The background is composed of a cotton/silk blend fabric painted with Setacolor paints to show the water as it changes from a light to a dark hue. The ocean floor has sheer backdrops and consists of sea plants made from dyed lace and doilies accompanied by heat distressed plastic and tyvek to similate rocks. The coral reef is made from dyed cheesecloth that is sculpted to give a rough coral feel. I tried to blend the floor by painting with Setacolor and Lumiere paints to show the coral reef extending into the background. The turtle shell is composed of commercial and hand dyed/painted fibers that are needlefelted and further embellished with beads. The head, fins and tail are painted and quilted before attaching to the main quilt such that they appear to float over the surface. The leafy seadragon was also painted and quilted with extra layers of batting to give dimension. His leafy like structures are composed of painted lutradur. The fish on the right is appliqued with a tulle overlay. The smaller fish on the left are actual plastic play fish which have been drilled and hand sewn to the sea anenome. The sea anenome itself is a repurposed dyed "bun warmer" made of three doilies sewn together that buttons in two places to become dimensional. I love the way the clown fish are swimming in and out of the anenome. The jelly fish are comprised of textiva, tulle and sheer overlays with their tentacles made of banana fibers, yarn, cheesecloth and painted dryer sheets. This piece has taken me two months to make and was a bear to quilt due to the 3 dimensional aspect. It is called "Treasured Waters" because it speaks of the coral reefs which presently comprise 1% of the ocean floor. It is these coral reefs that house almost half of the types of marine life today. However, due to bleaching and pillaging, these very same reefs are projected to be extinct by the year 2050, a mere forty years away. Measures are being taken to protect our coral reefs but for now these treasured waters maintain a coexistence of the reefs and marine life that is unparralleled to any other. Some would say they are the rainforests of the ocean not only providing sustenance to marine life but also holding vital medicinal properties such as extracts and minerals that are currently being tested and used to treat cancer, AIDS, inflammatory disorders and many more ailments. Previously, large amounts of tissue samples were needed to extract these hormones and minerals but through today's bioengineering advances, we are able to replicate these treasured samples by using the smallest amounts of tissue. It is imperative that we protect these treasured waters in much the same way that we strive to protect our rainforests. Please visit http://dinnerateightartists.blogspot.com/ for more information.

Textile Twists in 2010 at Tokyo Electron

The Austin Fiber Artists have been invited to exhibit at Tokyo Electron which is located at 2400 Grove in Austin, Texas (just off HW71 and Montopolis). Tokyo Electron had two Opening receptions on February 24th, one to greet the employees and the second one to greet the public at large. Here you can see the artists taking a short break between the two. There are over 30 pieces of artwork that were juried by Beverly Mangham who also graced us with a talk about the artists and how their work was juried into the show. Additionally, the Austin Fiber Artists collaborated on a spring theme group project called "Primavera" where 27 individual artists each contributed a 6X24 art piece that was later mounted onto panels as seen above. Primavera so wonderfully captures the vast talent of folks in AFA by featuring quilted, needle felted, sculpted and woven pieces. I have two pieces in the show. Vertical Horizon was completed especially for the Tokyo Electron show and is composed of six 12'" wide pieces that are joined by connectors to compose 65" in total height. This piece may be displayed vertically or horizontally as desired and is made of African mudcloth and textiles, gelatin monoprinted sheers, heat distressed plastics and tyvek, and handmade beads. There are alot of symbols incorporated in this piece which relate back to life cycles as they pertain to the sun and moon. Spherical Illusion on the other hand is part of an abstract series I have been working on and measures 16.5 X 20.5. It is composed of hand dyed and screen printed, painted fabrics and is machine appliqued and quilted. Both are for sale and are available to a good home. Please visit Tokyo Electron and peruse the exhibit where you will be delighted to find all forms of fiber art.

The Art In Fiber Exhibit at The Copper Shade Tree Gallery

The Copper Shade Tree Gallery will have the Art In Fiber exhibit
from February 5th through March 7th. They are located in Round Top, Texas and feature fiber art from 24 artists including Diane Sandlin, Leslie Tucker Jenison, Barb Forrister, Linda Teddlie Minton, Annie Smith, Nancy Dickey, Pam Farley, Laura Beehler, Fanny Narte, Lisa Kerpoe, Martha Tsihlas, Malissa Long, Denna Crain, Linda Sura, Jack Brockette, Sylvia Weir, Mary Macauley, Jo Sweet, Connie Marie Fahrion, Letitia Rogers, Martha Grant, Marilynn Barber, Bobbe Nolan and Susan King. There will also be a book for sale titled "American Landscapes" which captures work from each of the artists. The show will consist of 96 fiber artworks that have been created exclusively for the Copper Shade Tree Gallery. These are some of my pieces that will be at the gallery. Please visit http://www.coppershadetree.com/ for more details. All artwork is for sale and best of all, they have a layaway plan! The Opening night reception will be Friday, February 5th and is open to everyone. Please stop by and visit the artists and their artwork. It should be a fantastic show.

Vertical Horizon

Vertical Horizon measures 12 X 65 and was completed this month for an exhibit at Tokyo Electron in February 2010. About a year ago, I began playing with gelatin monoprinting on textured sheers. I really liked the results but at the time did not know what to do with them. They finally found their way onto this piece as backgrounds associated with mud cloth, upholstery and cotton fabrics. Since this work was created for a fiber show, I had hoped to continue building on the textural aspect. I began adding colored heat distressed plastics such as cellophane and tyvek as well as handmade fabric beads that again, I had made quite some time ago. Collages were put together on individual panels and beads were attached with embroidery floss on each piece. The panels are linked together by small quilted connector pieces that were further embellished with collaged fabrics and beads as well. Originally this piece was designed to hang vertically as shown but somewhere along the way, I got this idea that it might be cool to have it hang horizontally instead. Sleeves were sewn along the back to make it hang horizontally and the idea was to have a copper rod running through each panel such that you could see the metal as it traversed from panel to panel. I really liked the way this looked but when I took it to my art bee, Kathy mentioned that it would receive more "eye time' hanging vertically and so I sewed additional sleeves to accomodate the new or rather original orientation. Hence this piece can be hung verically or horizontally as desired. Though I prefer working in representational designs, I have tried to be flexible and work in abstract manner as well. Still, this piece is a departure from what I am used to doing. I am hoping it is received well because I really enjoyed playing with the connector pieces and am inspired to continue in this vein.

Sir William

Sir William completed on January 22, 2010 is the first piece in Part III of my Nature Series. Here the focus is on texture and individual types of birds. This little guy started out as a Williamson Sapsucker but after my creative licensing, looks more like a warbler of some sort. The background was painted in an abstract manner with acrylics and 3 Dimensional paints. Branches were raw edge appliqued and leaves of various types were added. Some are machine embroidered; others are composed of painted lutradur, dyed batting and fiber etched leaves. Sir William was made from snippets of fabric to give a feathery appearance. For some, it jars the mind to have placed a representational image on an abstract background but I really like juxtaposing the one on top of the other. Gives it a different feeling altogether. What do you think?

Calypso: Working In Series

Calypso is Part II of Emerald Treasures Series and measures 19 1/2" X 23." Completed today, on November 24, her shell is made of both commercial and hand dyed/painted fabrics. The shell is needlefelted with hand dyed cheesecloth and wool roving and heavily beaded to similate the jewels of the sea. This piece is painted with both Lumiere and Setacolor paints. The sea coral consists of cheesecloth that is sculpted to resemble the coral found on reefs. Her appendages are allowed to float giving her a more three dimensional appearance. The tortoise shell is also composed of several layers of batting which helps to give the illusion of her dome shaped back. I love making these pieces. They are so playful and fun and they provide a great project at night when I am watching the football games! I currently have about five series (Emerald Treasures, Egyptian Queens, Gray Scale, Abstract and Nature) with which I am engaged and am having a great time adding new artwork to each. Everyday is a new experience!

Beloved Companion

Beloved Companion is Part II of the Egyptian Series. The first piece in this series was Queen of The Nile, a tribute to Cleopatra. This piece celebrates Nefertiri. History tells us that Nefertiri was the Royal Wife of Ramses II. She was married to him when she was only 13 years old and he a mere 15 years of age. At the time, Ramses had not even taken the throne. They were said to have had quite a love life and Ramses even refers to her as the "One for whom the sun shines." After they ascended to the throne, he seems to have taken her on as Co Regent of Egypt. Later, he had a temple built at Abu Simbel and dedicated it to Nefertiri. In fact, many of the ancient artwork depicted during this time shows him to be at eye level with her whereas traditionally, the Queen was always portrayed smaller than the Pharaoh to distinguish His superiority. It is not known when she died but she is said to have had one of the most elaborate tombs in The Valley of The Queens. She is known by many titles including Beautiful Companion and Queen of Upper and Lower Egypt. This piece was completed November 16, 2009 and measures 17 X 25 and is mounted on a 24 X 30 canvas. The background is composed of upholstery fabric that is reminiscent of papyrus. Their skin is made of hand dyed fabric and his clothes consist of silk dupioni and commercial fabrics. Nefertiri's clothes are hand painted with Stewart Gill paints. Their necklaces are gold foiled and painted with setacolor ultramarine blue paint mixed with clear gel medium to impart a jewel like lapis tone. Her headdress is painted with sparkling mica and pigment watercolor paints along with gold foiling. Here, Ramses is pictured offering Nefertiri a Lotus plant which is symbolic of rebirth and renewal. The Egyptian cartouches stamped above are their names, Ramses and Nefertiri. This piece was so much fun to make as I was allowed to just play with new and exciting mediums.

SAQA Portfolio 16

Portfolio 16 is hot off the press and made its debut at The International Quilt Festival in Houston this month. It is an absolutely phenomenal book featuring the works of many artists who are professional members of Studio Art Quilts Association. The organization is international and sponsors fiber exhibits throughout the world. This year, I have a piece titled "Life's A Beach" in Portfolio 16. The book is published once a year with new works from its members. It is used as a marketing tool for approaching galleries and museums with samples of our work. The board has decided that next year we will be going digital and using a CD rather than a book format consequently this year marks the last of the Portfolio books. They are such a treasure. I will miss seeing them. I suppose for me, there's something about the look and feel of a book as opposed to spending more time in front of screens viewing art. Some things are just not the same on screen as they are in "hands" under more leisurely conditions. What do you think? Do you prefer looking at a book or looking at images on screens?

Houston IQF 2009

This year's IQF for me will always be one to remember! I took part in a few Make It University classes, one by Jane Davila making mini collages. She was a wonderful teacher! Another taught by Leslie Riley featuring TAP, a way to transfer vibrant images to fiber. That was so cool!!! Yet another class taught by Lois Jarvis showed how to rust fabric. Am looking forward to seeing the results. And finally, a workshop taught by my dear friends, Leslie Tucker Jenison and Jamie Fingal involving making your own stamps. Here the possibilities are endless and so much fun. I also had the privilege of participating in the Quilting Arts Surviving the Runway. When Pokey showed us the prizes, I just knew I had to win that portable design wall! I've been wanting one for years and it all breaks down into a cute little duffle bag. The fashion designers on the floor included Leslie Tucker Jenison, Jamie Fingal, Judy Coates Perez and Melanie Testa all of whom helped me to accessorize with earrings, a headband and even more things that we will not go into here!!! After having made my bra, we took to the floor to show off our creations and be judged. I was floored when I took first place! How cool is that?!!! All in all, I had a great time and they were wonderful!!! In addition to my design wall, I won a wonderful set of threads from Aurifil, a beautiful set of fabrics from Moda, fantastic textile paints and a gift certificate from ProChem, lovely lutradur, timtex, fast 2 fuse, paints, inks and an apron from Liquitex and so much more. Good thing, Kharon was there to help me carry it back to the hotel!!! Thanks Pokey!!! I am absolutely loving it all! For sure this year will always be one to remember! To see more pictures from the runway floor, please visit http://leslietuckerjenison.blogspot.com/2009/10/surviving-runway-tim-gunn-wannabes-l-r.html

Naturescape Gray Scale Series: Part 1 and 2

Naturescape Gray Scale Series is an ongoing study in learning to see value and work in gray tones. The idea of working this way was first put forth to me by Pamela Allen. I remember her wanting us to do a black and white still life. Dark Shadow is more of what I envisioned. Dark Shadow completed in January 2009 is Part 1 of Naturescape Gray Scale Series and measures 25 X 29. It is made of both natural and synthethic fabrics and fibers, machine appliqued and quilted. My goal was to capture light and shadows in a forest scene. The trees that are situated in the background appear lighter whereas the two in the midground are midtones. The tree closest to us in the foreground is very dark and it is where this piece gets it's name, Dark Shadow. I can still remember feeling that it would be the first and last black and white quilt I would ever do!!! I absolutely love color and this was a difficult piece for me to make. Still, nine months later, it is calling me back again.

White Lightning is Part 2 of Naturescape Gray Scale Series and measures 20 1/2 X 25 1/2. It was completed on October 5, 2009 and mounted to 24 X 30 black canvas. This piece was inspired from a photo that I converted to black and white. Once the pattern was made, it was transferred onto muslin. I began sorting out fabrics into seven piles ranging from white to black, a method I learned from Katie Pasquini Mausopust. Working from the actual photo, I matched colors of fabric to complete the picture. Once the design was complete, I fused everything down and layered it up for quilting. Initially I had intended to stay true to gray scale tones, but I soon realized that just the slightest hint of color really made a big difference. The whitest snow was quilted with the palest tint of pink to impart a glow to the snow, hence the name, White Lightning. Had I quilted it in white, it would have disappeared into the background. Indeed the snow that shows depth as it meets the river was quilted in white though at first glance it does not appear so. The snow underneathe the bushes to the left was quilted with a dull medium purple to convey shadows. The river is quilted in white, black and gray. This has been a very interesting study on value and a very valuable learning experience. And I love the play on words for both of these pieces, Dark Shadow and White Lightning. I have already chosen the next piece in this series and can't wait till I get back from Houston so I can begin working on it!!! Perhaps by then, I will have come up with a name for it. LOL

Queen of The Nile

Queen of The Nile was inspired by a love for Egyptian Hieroglyphic paintings on papyrus. I wanted to see if I could transfer an original design onto fiber and impart the feel of the paper and the graphics of the Egyptian culture. This piece measures 17" X 19 3/4." A sketch was first drawn of the Queen sitting upon her throne. Palm fronds tend to be a reocurring theme and consequently she is portrayed here holding a couple of fronds in her hands. Her throne is painted with fiber paints, gold foiled and stitched with decorative threads. The Egypyian heiroglyphics seen in the four cartouches were stamped with gold paint and outline stitched to give more definition. The large cartouch pictured in lapis behind her spells out the greatest Queen of all, Cleopatra. The remaining three cartouches above her are meant to be seen as writings on the wall. This piece is machine appliqued and quilted, painted, gold foiled and stamped. The quilting was done in an effort to impart patterns and textures that you see in Egyptian artwork. The piece was finished with a facing such that it is allowed to float rather than be contained by borders. Queen of The Nile was mounted onto a red painted canvas and measures 24X30. All in all, I am pleased with the results and am ecstatic that I was finally able to use those stamps I purchased a few years ago while on a visit to Estes Park. I have never used stamps in my work before but these particular ones seemed to suit the design. Perhaps next time, I will do a piece entitled The Betrothed where the Pharoah offers his Queen palm fronds. Truly this piece came together so quickly and was a joy to make.

Austin Bergstrom International Airport Austin Fiber Artists 2009 Exhibit

Today, I just visited the airport. The Austin Fiber Artists have been invited to exhibit at The Austin Bergstrom International Airport. The exhibit is currently on display and will run through November 3 in the Airside West Gallery located on the concourse behind The Book People bookstore across from Gate 10. The exhibit can only be seen in the airport past security checkpoints. It contains artwork from many different artists including Kharon Clark, Martha Tshilas, Jean Dahlgren, Pam Farley, Barb Forrister, Mary Ann Vaca Lambert, Diana Ramirez, Ruthie Powers, Caryl Gaubatz, Dena Crain, Barbara Sandberg, Dee Merrell and many more. The art ranges from beautiful hand dyed fabrics, hand woven pieces, art quilts, knitted work, needle felted hats to folded fabric origami mobiles. It is an absolutely fanta
stic display. If you are travelling to or through Austin, this is a wonderful site to see. In the baggage claim area, they have several very large guitars that have been hand carved and painted to commemorate Austin's music life that is home to Austin City Limits. You can read more about it on the the airport's art exhibits page listed here at http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/austinairport/nr_fabric_909.htm In addition, to their visual art exhibits, they have live music playing periodically. Such a fantastic treat for both eyes and ears!

The Story of Emerald Treasures

Some folks have asked that I post the story of Emerald Treasures so that it might be an inspiration to other artists who have had pieces damaged. I can tell you there is hope even when all seems to be lost. In July, Emerald Treasures was featured in the International Quilt Festival Commemorative Catalogue as one of the Selected Exhibits for West Coast Wonders II. It can also be seen on their website http://www.quilts.com/lbqf09/enVivo/vidcasts.html under Vidcasts and Selected Special Exhibits West Coast Wonders II. This is such exciting news to me as this quilt has a story of it's own. Completed a year ago, this month, Emerald Treasures was accepted into the American Legacy Quilt Show in Tifton, Georgia along with it's counterpart "Life's A Beach." It was the first time out for both of these quilts and I was thrilled to hear that "Life's A Beach" placed second while "Emerald Treasures" placed third in the Art Quilt Category. Upon their return home, however, the box got caught in a conveyor belt and Emerald Treasures was badly damaged. The picture above shows some of the damage. Her head was decapitated and large chunks of her shell were missing. There were several holes clear through the quilt. After taking her to an appraiser, the quilt was deemed irreparable. She sat on my table for weeks until I got the call from IQF that she had been accepted into West Coast Wonders II travelling venue scheduled to debut in Long Beach, California. This glimmer of hope that she could be restored helped spur me along. I painted another head and began repairing her shell. I was so lucky to have some of the beads left over from when she was first made. Still, there were holes that extended clear through all three layers of the quilt and a nasty gash near her neck. The holes were repaired with Misty Fuse and the gash was covered by adding a layer of dyed scrim to simmilate a shadow below. At last, she was able to travel once more and for that, I was extremely grateful. I was happy enough to settle for that peace of mind knowing that she could once again be seen and enjoyed by others. Imagine the thrill when one of my dear friends who was visiting the show emailed me a copy of her featured in the IQF catalogue! It brought tears to my eyes knowing that she was being received well and that the extra effort in resurrecting her had paid off. It is only recently, that I am able to look back on things and tell my story with a happy ending. And so there is hope even when things seem otherwise. Happy Birthday, Emerald Treasures! Live long and prosper.