Sirena

Emerald Treasures VI: Sirena represents a celebration of aquatic life. Triple digit temperatures and 85% humidity here in Austin have led me to create another turtle in the Emerald Treasures series. I think perhaps, I must be yearning for the ocean! This mixed media piece is a 10X10 painted silk mounted on a 12X12 painted canvas. The background is sponge painted,  followed by placing a resist image of the turtle. Additional paint was applied to fill in the turtle image. The shells were subsequently stamped and the turtle's eye was inked with Inktense pencils. The seaweed is composed of machine wrapped cording. In and amongst the seaweed are actual shells and fossils that adorn the ocean floor. Machine quilted with an ocean theme in mind, the coral and turtle are reinforced with Superior trilobal polyester thread while the water is depicted using Glitter Hologram flat metallic thread. 3 Dimensional acrylic paint was used to provide additional texture to the coral. Sirena was created to bring joy and celebrate the return of aquatic life in the Gulf of Mexico following the oil spill. It is my hope that she continue to  grow and once again propagate, the way nature was meant to be. 

Exploring More 3 Dimensional Wild Flowers

I am continuing to explore different flowers while still providing a soft sculpted 3 dimensional aspect. It is a place my art is taking me these days and I am really enjoying the ride. This piece was completed in May 2011 for an upcoming In Stitches Emagazine article. The background is a painted piece of muslin from a demo in my Artful Coloring class. The leaves are made from layered materials I had previously assembled at the Misty Fuse booth in Houston last fall. I love having leaves on hand for different projects. Since cleaning my studios, I have reorganized everything such that I have a drawer dedicated solely to leaves, one for stems, another one for flowers, etc... This has really helped me to explore different ideas without fully having to commit to any particular design. And best of all, when I feel like putting a garden together, it is so much easier and it also helps provide diversity to my work.

I really love the idea of painting and stamping/stencilling backgrounds to have on demand. As the amount and types of finished leaves continue to grow, I find myself engaged in trying to put together different flowers to accompany them. I have decided to use paper as a model for my flowers before transferring them to fiber. This had helped me tremendously. I currently have a 3D iris modelled in paper that needs to be transferred to fiber and I am hoping to get back in the studio soon to put that plan in motion. Still there's the little scrub jay that I need to finish... So many ideas, so little time! 

Dream Studio

I am so excited to get my painting studio up and going. Everything in place and lots of room to spread out! It is still a work in progress but at this point, it is pretty much down to cosmetic changes that need to be implemented. Hanging artwork, maybe some shelves, new lighting and perhaps that new light table from Ikea.... Can't stop thinking about it!!! For Mother's Day, I bought myself these two sets of rolling drawers. I absolutely love them! They hold all my paints, inks and fun stuff. My grandmother happened upon an estate sale and purchased the really cool paint brush holder. I finally have most of my brushes organized and in one place. So cool! Aside from what you see here, I have a walk in closet with shelves and lots of storage for extra paints, dyes, gel mediums and bolts of raw fabric. And with a sink at hand, who could ask for anything more? There is another easel in the corner of the room and a day bed for relaxing at the end of the day. And remember the color swatches from my dear sister in law? They look pretty fabulicious here! I have only had a chanceto paint some 3dimensional flowers and leaves thus far but I am hoping that as my dream studio continues to evolve, I will spend lots of time in here having fun and creating art! I have some ideas for pieces I would like to get started on and am so looking forward to new adventures! Lots of room for having friends over for play days! My sewing studio is also getting a facelift and I am finding it so much easier to work with everything where it should be! Yeah!!!!!!!!

Songbird

Songbird is inspired from a photo taken in Casper, Wyoming. Canaries known for their songbird capabilities are some of the most beautiful and delicate birds known to man. Ever hear the phrase, canary in a coal mine? It refers to these gentle creatures that were used by early coal miners to determine whether or not carbon monoxide or methane had leaked into a mine. When the miners would carry the canary into the mine, if any of these gases were present, the poor creature would die and therefore alert the men that poisonous gases were indeed present, thereby saving many lives. These gentle birds make some of the most beautiful sounds and exemplify such grace. To commemorate their valiant sacrifice, I have created Songbird which measures 24X18 and is a whole cloth painted piece. I wanted to employ natural fibers to echo an organic feel and consequently chose a bamboo/cotton blend for the background. Acrylic paints were used to freehand paint the image. People often ask what type of paints, I use. Really, I have been known to use any and everything available to me. If I am using an acrylic paint not made specifically for fabric, I will add a fabric medium. There are so many paints on the market, today. I love the Setacolor and Golden paints but I am also pretty happy with the Deco Art SoSoft. All three are wonderful at maintaining the "hand of the fabric" so to speak. Acrylic paints not formulated for textiles often make the fabric stiff even with a fabric medium. The Jacquard paints are also fun to use, especially when you want to impart a metallic essence to a piece. Here, I have used Setacolor, Golden, DecoArt SoSoft and acrylic paints with fabric medium. To continue with the organic feel, I incorporated bamboo batting and a cotton backing. This piece is heavily quilted with Superior SuperBright Fluorescent Trilobal polyester thread, Highlights and Living Colors threadline by Hollis Chatellain. Edges are finished with a facing. This is the third yellow bird in my wildlife series following Tranquility and Sir William. Each is individually unique and capture moments in time. This piece commemorates the canaries that have helped save so many coal miners' lives. Songbird, For you, there will be no crying. For you, the sun will be shining like never before.

Artist Village Project Blog Tour

Welcome to the next stop on the Artist Village Blog Tour curated by the amazing Kathy York. For this stop, we’ll head southwest to the Adobe Pueblo Village. When Kathy first asked me if I would like to participate in this project, she had mentioned that I might do something that reflected my artistic style. Looking back, that would have been more along the lines of a treehouse but instead I opted to create a piece from my past. Born and raised in New Mexico, I grew up with the blending of both Spanish and Native American cultural influences in which the predominant architectural style was and still is the southwest adobe pueblo. This contemporary adobe is reminiscent of the neighborhood in which I grew up. The color change from one structure to the next was intentional to reflect the addition of one home to another as was done in the past. I wanted this piece to be durable and consequently, choices with regards to materials used for structure and foundation were extremely important. The structural forms resemble styrofoam but are actually ethofoam, a product that when bent does not snap in two as would styrofoam. The walls consist of various shades of peach to brown southwestern fabrics that have been layered and quilted with fused turquoise trim for the windows and doors. Beads were used for the doorknobs. Red rug weavings hang on ladders that were created from twigs tied together with jute. Chili ristras were strung with small chili beads and adorn three sides of the pueblo which has 5 interconnecting units complete with hand cut vigas incorporated into the roofs in the traditional style. Pottery was added to create that warm southwestern feel. The finished piece is set on a twelve inch square base and is approximately twenty inches in height. When it was complete, I couldn’t help but wonder where were the trees?! When I asked Kathy about it, she replied, “Go for it.” Her support and encouragement led me to creating 3 dimensional fiber art trees, a direction I’m not sure I would have taken otherwise. Two 3 dimensional trees were made for this village from PVC, wiring, dyed batting, lace and doilies. This has been a very pleasant and rewarding experience as it has challenged me in new directions. Thanks, Kathy for inviting me to join in on this truly amazing and delightful village. Please join us on the next stop, tomorrow with Vickie Hallmark and her fantastic bird house! http://fiberartglass.blogspot.com/

Dinner at Eight Artists Presents Artist Profiles from The Space Between Exhibit

Lost Cavern is my rendition of The Space Between. This is a piece that I have been dreaming about creating for some time. I love the surreal feeling I get when I see photos of underwater caves. It is almost as if time stands still and you are in some type of enchanted place where nature appears to be at its best. Mysteries abound and beckon to be revealed. I am so excited that Lost Cavern was accepted into the juried invitational, The Space Between, curated by Jamie Fingal and Leslie Tucker Jenison. The exhibit is sponsored by Moore's Sewing Centers and will debut at the International Quilt Festival in Long Beach, California on July 29-31, 2011. On Monday, May 9, 2011, I will be the featured artist in The Space Between Artists Profile on Dinner @ Eight Artists. Please join us at http://dinnerateightartists.blogspot.com/ to learn more about the exhibit and participating artists.

Rainbow of Color

My sister in law used to be a Color Consultant and has decided to pass these wonderful swatches of color on to me so that I might be able to use them in my art. Wow! It' like being a kid in a candy store. So many goodies all in one spot! Last week eight large boxes arrived at my door filled with marvelous and glorious color. It took 2 hours to unpack each one but I am thrilled beyond words. Thanks, Ann!!!! Since then, I have been dreaming about ways to use them. Mosaics, beads and backdrops are a few that come to mind. In any case, I thought I would share these photos with you as they are too cool to keep to myself! How about you? What would you do if these arrived on your doorstep?

The Artist Village Project Tour

Welcome. I am so excited to be blogging about the upcoming Village Project Tour. Last summer, Kathy York initiated and organized an invitation to 17 international artists to participate in this project. This is my third invitational and I can't tell you how thrilled I am to be part of this fantastic group of artists who have all come together to create this wonderful and quite delightful 3 dimensional village. The blog tour will begin on Monday, May 2, 2011 and will conclude on May 24, 2011. The schedule is listed below. On each artist's day, you can visit their blog or website to see their creation and read about their inspiration. I hope you will stop by each and every site. They are all quite a treat for the eyes!! There are trees and even people included in the village. This project has been entered into Tactile Architechture and we are hoping it gets juried in so that it may be shared with many people. Please wish us luck and join us on the blog tour!

Susan Else (website) May 2 http://www.susanelse.com/
Frances Holliday Alford May 3 http://www.franceshollidayalford.com/weblog/
Pamela Allen (website) May 4 http://pamelart.homestead.com/titlepage.html
Frieda Anderson May 5 http://friestyle.blogspot.com/
Lisa Call May 6 http://blog.lisacall.com/
Jane Davila May 9 http://janedavila.blogspot.com/
Naomi Adams May 10 http://killerbeedesigns.com/blog1/
Jamie Fingal May 11 http://jamiefingaldesigns.blogspot.com/
Barb Forrister May 12 http://www.freespiritartstudio.blogspot.com/
Vickie Hallmark May 13 http://fiberartglass.blogspot.com/
Connie Hudson May 16 http://beyondtherail2010.blogspot.com/
Leslie Jenison May 17 http://leslietuckerjenison.blogspot.com/
Sherri McCauley May 18 http://sherrilipmanmccauley.blogspot.com/
Judy Perez May 19 http://judyperez.blogspot.com/
Melanie Testa May 20 http://www.melanietesta.com/mtype/
Laura Wasilowski May 23 http://artfabrik.blogspot.com/
Kathy York May 24 http://aquamoonartquilts.blogspot.com/

"High Fiber 3Dimensional Flower Garden"

This "High Fiber 3Dimensional Flower Garden" is composed of soft sculpted flower blooms and foliage. I am enthralled by textiles and love their tactile qualities! As a fiber artist, I am constantly looking for different mediums that can be used to add lift and yet be pliable enough to sculpt; others that remain flat but still provide texture. For me, it is the next place my art is taking me. This piece measures 27X28 and is my rendition of a tactile fiber art garden.The backdrop is a hand painted silk/cotton blend and is machine quilted to give a subtle feeling of lighter foliage in the background. The two large fern fronds on the left are painted lutradur and are machine appliqued and embellished with stitch. Tiger Lillies are painted, stitched and soft sculpted to take on a more dimensional appearance. The small ferns on the right are dyed batting and wool. Other leaves consist of heat distressed  lutradur and texturized fibers. Stems are machine wrapped cording. Flowers are all 3 dimensional and rise off the surface anywhere from 2 to 4.5 inches in depth. As is sometimes the case, I am at a loss for a name for this piece. I had hoped to incorporate 3 dimensional, tactile elements though I am not necessarily set on that idea. Any thoughts as to what this piece should be called? I would welcome any suggestions.  

Quilting Arts Magazine Article In The Spotlight Barb Forrister

Wow, I am so excited to be included in the April/May 2011 edition of Quilting Arts Magazine. This is my first magazine article publication and best of all, it is in my favorite magazine! I think perhaps the first time is most special of all. Being so new to this, I can say that the folks down at Interweave were wonderful to work with. Pokey does a fabulous job and how she manages to juggle so many things at once is a mystery to me! The photography was done by their "in house" photographer. I think they did a beautiful job of staying true to color and capturing the essence of both the blue jays and raccoons. While my work was in Stow, Massachusettes being photographed, I received news that Generation Y: Song of Hope had been accepted into the International Quilt Festival Celebrate Spring Show. With only a couple of weeks to get it to Houston, I emailed Lindsey Murray to see how we could accomplish this. She was fantastic and within just a few days, my pieces arrived carefully packaged at my front door with plenty of time to ship to Houston. Later, a few weeks before the article was set to be published, Ellen Seeburger, assistant editor at Quilting Arts emailed me a copy of the article to make sure that everything was correct. As I mentioned earlier, their kindness and attention to detail is amazing and I feel blessed to have my work included in this distinguished publication. Coincidentally, this magazine will be in the stands at the same time that Generation Y: Song of Hope is showing at the International Quilt Festival Celebrate Spring show in Cincinnati, Ohio. How cool is that?! Wow, this is a memory I will never forget! Thanks Quilting Arts! 

The Giving Tree: Unifying Color and Design

The Giving Tree (Full View)

The Giving Tree or perhaps more appropriately named Friendship Tree measures 37 X17 and was inspired from a week long workshop I took with Hollis Chatellain. We each did 33 compositions in 2.5 days. This is my 34th composition which I began in class. For this piece, I chose to work in a mosaic abstract style. Knowing my propensity to work in verical format, I was urged to stretch myself and opt for a horizontal format instead. It has been said that I

The Giving Tree (Detail View)

love details and so this piece focusses on simplicity. Although slightly less comfortable than what I am used to, it was good way to break habits and start fresh. This lesson on unifying color and design began as a way of communicating a theme that I feel strongly about. Nature is a very big part of my work and what better way to share it then to create my very own Tree of Life. It is named The Giving Tree because aside from the background, it was made from pieces of cloth from each of the students. I really enjoyed the idea of recycling and also bringing home a little part of each of these women that I have over the years grown to love and respect. This is the San Antonio Master Class and we are currently in our sixth year of studies. Our group encompasses artists from all around the United States including Wisconsin, Montana, Hawaii, Colorado and many more.  Most importantly, we have all suffered, er  I mean struggled together, rejoiced in each other's accomplishments and always have supported one another. I am blessed to be a part of this group of dynamic artists. This post is dedicated to the Festival of the Trees. Please visit http://spiritwhispas.blogspot.com/2011/05/festival-of-trees-59.html .

Nature's Aquarian Keyhole

Nature's Aquarian Keyhole (Detail View)

Nature's Aquarian Keyhole (Full View)

This waterscape with an underwater cave scene is a piece I have been wanting to do for a couple of years but up until now, I had not felt I could convey the texture in a satisfactory manner. In place of the more traditional colors, I have chosen to work in an analogous color scheme using blue, blue violet, violet and red violet. How to portray the rocky jagged feeling of stalactites and stalagmites has truly been a challenge! After more than a year of thoughts percolating through my mind, I have finally arrived at a very textured and tactile piece. Beginning with a hand dyed raw silk background, the ceiling and floor of the cave were collaged with dyed cotton, silk and acrylic felt to reinforce the main colors of the composition working from dark to light colors.The stalactites and stalagmites were texturized and "painted" with wool roving and dyed cheesecloth to illustrate the calcite formations. The larger freestanding stalagmites seen below are formed from heat distressed interfacing, a technique I learned in a workshop taught by Laura Beehler ( http://www.laurabeehler.com/) . Here, the idea is more subtle in comparison with heat distressed tyvek or lutradur but still offers a slightly upraised textural feel reminiscent of rock formations. Also shown are heat distressed, painted lutradur. Machine appliqued and quilted, the bottom section shows stalagmites in the midground with water depicted in and around the surrounding area. Here, I have used bright fluorescent Highlights trilobal polyester thread made by Superior Thread. The divers seen in the foreground were inked on a silk/cotton blend to provide sheen that is normally seen on spandex like diving suits. The edges of the quilt were completed with a facing.
This piece measures 36.5" X 48.5" and speaks of the many caves found in the Bahamas and Mayan areas. Often referred to as wondrous castles, these caves represent uncharted territories. Approximately 20% of known underwater caves have actually been recorded and scientifically documented. They provide a keyhole to learning about anoxic, oxygen free environments that date back tens of thousands of years ago. Primarily inhabited by crustaceans, scientists have also found numerous microbial populations, jellies and other fish that are mostly translucent and very small in size. To date, over 300 species have been confirmed. Considered to be the last frontier, these caves are very dangerous to explore and many lives have been claimed yet the allure of discovering new life remains. This piece has been very challenging but in the end, I am happy with the tactile and visual appearance. Still, sometimes, after working on a project like this for so long, I can't help asking myself, "What was I thinking?" LOL 

Art In Fiber 2011 at The Copper Shade Tree Gallery



Call of The Wild

 The Art In Fiber 2011 Show will be held at The Copper Shade Tree Gallery in Round Top, Texas. You are cordially invited to the Opening Night Reception has been changed to Saturday, February 5th, 2011 from 2 p.m. - 6 p.m. Refreshments and wine will be served. There are 22 artists represented in this show that will continue through March 12, 2011. The theme is "Interpretation." Each artist was given a specific subject matter; a 3-D art piece, a poem, or a music selection to interpret and create an 11X14 fiber artwork. Artists who based their work on 3-D artwork entitled "Forest Floor" by Gerald Tobola include Letitia Rogers, Cindy Henneke, Andrea Brokenshire, Lana Book, Jo Sweet, Laura Ann Beehler, Janet Moran and Barbara Nilsson. Those creating artwork based on a poem by David



Eastern Bluebird

Meischen include Barb Forrister, Leslie Tucker Jenison, Suzanne Selb White, Fannie Narte, Kate Owens, Annie Smith and Debbie Geistweidt. Finally, artists selected to create their artwork based on a music arrangement by the Copperleaf Quintet include Martha K. Grant, Martha Tsihlas, Gay Ousley, Jack Brockette, Connie Fahrion, Suzan Engler and Margery Hedges. Moonshadow is my interpretation piece based on the poem. Should be interesting to see how folks interpreted each of the three! The show was juried by Ginny Eckley and promises to be a wonderful and engaging. Come meet the artists on Friday evening. We are a very lively group and would love to see you! Please visit http://coppershadetree.com/index.php to learn more.

Amethyst Garden



 The show is comprised entirely of Texas Fiber Artists. Here is a sneak peak at some of my pieces that have been included. Some are 3 dimensional and others are very tactile. Please visit http://www.barbforrister.com/ for more information

 

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Moonshadow



Queen of The Nile

Shadow Dancer: Part IV of Naturescape Gray Scale Series





Shadow Dancer is Part IV of Naturescape Gray Scale Series and measures 41" X 36." This is my first piece to be completed in the New 2011 Year. In 2010, some of my resolutions included working in larger format, increasing scale, delving into texture and bringing things off the surface in order to create a more 3 dimensional effect. I had hoped that this piece would address all of those resolutions. Additionally, I have always found it more difficult to work solely in black and white and so this piece represented quite a challenge for me. I like to construct alot of my own surfaces by building layer upon layer of fibers. Finding myself short of only black, white and gray, I opted to throw in some of nature's rich truffle like colors for the trees. The trees in the background are made from dyed batting and are machine appliqued. Their canopies are thread painted. The larger two trees in the foreground are composed of upholstery fabrics and have been machine needlefelted with bits of wool roving to add texture. The tree to the left in the foreground is created by adding layers of dyed fabrics and fibers including cotton and cheesecloth to assemble a new cloth reminiscent of tree bark. It is also built up with several layers of batting to provide further dimension. Machine wrapped cording was used to represent ridges in the tree bark. The machine quilting reflects the crevices. The wolf is derived from a sketch and is composed of several layers of various fibers including cotton, velvet, silk and upholstery fibers. His eyes are painted with shiny 3 dimensional acrylic paint. The bush on the right is created in the same manner as mentioned in an earlier post on 3 dimensional foliage. Only this time, they were created in black and white. Machine wrapped cording was constructed and set in place as the stems. Leaves were tacked down in a 3D manner as to allow for the canopy to come off the surface. Machine appliqued and quilted with Aurifil thread.This piece is very tactile and serene. It is dedicated to the wolves that are being threatened today. Please visit Defenders of National Wildlife http://www.defenders.org/programs_and_policy/wildlife_conservation/imperiled_species/wolves/conferences_and_seminars/wolf_awareness_week.php to read more on the subject. In the end, I am happy with my start to the New Year and have resolved myself to continuing more in this vein by delving into texture and creating more 3dimensional pieces in large scale.  

Art In Corridor Quilt Exhibit in Austin, TX

 You are cordially invited to The Art In Corridor Quilt Exhibit sponsored by the Austin Area Quilt Guild. The show will feature more than 40 quilts on display January 10th through Friday, March 4th ranging from traditional to folk art and contemporary to fine art. I will have three pieces there including  Autumn Splendor, Moroccan Play and Face of Serenity. Additionally, Group Conversations, a collaboration with Sherry McCauley, Kathy York, Connie Hudson, Barb Forrister, Leslie Tucker Jenison, Frances Holliday Alford, Pearl Gonzalez, Jean Dahlgren and Diane Sandlin will be on display. The Corridor of Art can be found in the lower level walkway connecting Travis County’s recently acquired office building at 700 Lavaca in Austin, Texas to the building’s parking garage. The opening reception will be held on Friday, January 14th from 5pm-8pm and is open to the public. Come meet the artists and peruse through the beautiful exhibit. Many pieces will be offered for sale. Parking is available on the street as well as the parking garage immediately north of the building. Entrance to the garage is on Guadalupe Street. Visitor's parking is located on the second floor. There is a charge for the garage parking and for the street meters. If you park in the garage, take the elevators to the lower level (LL) and the elevator will open straight into the Corridor of Art. If you enter the building via street level, take the escalator down to the lower level. Hope to see you all there!

3Dimensional Fiber Art Trees

Happy New Year Everyone!!! Over the holidays, I decided to make another 3Dimensional tree. This time, the tree would have a treehouse! You know how they say ideas begin to percolate in your head and you just can't get them out? Well, I have been tossing this idea around for a few months now and it just won't leave me alone so I decided to satisfy my curiosity. Beginning with a 40" length of heavy duty copper wire coil that I purchased from Home Depot, I scored the outer jacket with a utility knife at both ends of the wire. One end was scored approximately 20" from the end while the other end was scored at about 7" from the opposite end. The middle section was left in tact. After scoring the plastic sheath, I ran the utility knife down from the scored line to the ends of the wire on both sides. The outer plastic sheath from the copper wire coil was and stripped at both ends and removed such that wire was exposed at each end with the sheath remaining in the middle. I then placed the length of the wire through a 13" length of PVC pipe. The longer length of exposed copper wires were separated from one another and bent to mimic the branches of the tree canopy. The remaining 7" of coil on the opposite end was left coiled together. In order to stabilize the piece while I worked, I placed the whole entire PVC and bottom portion of the tree in a tall cannister. I then took 2 pieces of approximately 10" coiled wire that was smaller in diameter and stripped the outer sheath to expose several small copper wires running together. The wires were completely separated and used to attach smaller limbs to the larger branches. A good pair of needle nose pliars is suitable for this job. The limbs and branches were wrapped with tsumugi silk blend of fibers and the ends were coiled in a loop to secure the wrapping. Once all the branches and limbs were wrapped, I began adding the foliage. Here, dyed lace and doilies with were cut into small pieces and floral wire was threaded through the holes in the lace and doilies. The opposite ends were twisted onto the branches to provide a canopy cover. The trunk containing the unsheathed wire and PVC pipe was wrapped with brown lace. The bottom exposed wire was fanned out and the ends of the wire were looped to assimilate the roots of the tree. The roots were also wrapped with brown lace to match the trunk. Dyed antique lace, perhaps from a ladies dress, undergarments or even gloves were hand stitched to the trunk of the tree to provide more texture. This piece stands approximately 31" high and has a 24-26" diameter canopy. I think it's a great place for a treehouse. And now, it's back to the drawing board to see what I can come up with for that treehouse. Maybe it might even be a tree village!

Eastern Bluebird

Eastern Bluebird is a 10X10 fiber art piece that is mounted on a 12X12 painted canvas. Little Boy Blue, an earlier piece shows a Mountain Bluebird which is entirely blue. The Eastern Bluebird however is characterized by it's red breast. This piece is painted and inked on a whole cloth background. The leaves are made in much the same manner as described in the previous post regarding 3D Foliage using Misty Fuse. Here, the leaves are appliqued and tacked down in such a manner as to come off the surface and extend past the edges of the piece itself. I think this allows the artwork and subject to integrate more easily with the canvas and allow for a dynamic interaction. I love breaking the boundaries so to speak! Also, notice how the leaves bend and do not all lie flat on the surface but instead provide more dimensionality to the piece.Edges of the leaves are finished with 3 dimensional paint and the entire piece is completed
with a zig zag stitch along the edges. The canvas was painted blue to bring out the rich color in this male's plumage. Eastern Bluebird is heavily stitched with Superior trilobal polyester thread and rich beautiful colors from Aurifil as well. This piece is Part III of Miniature Naturescape Series following Finding Your Feet (Red Robin) and Tranquility (Yellow Warbler). I am really enjoying this series and still would like to revisit the concept of using the same bird in the first two of the series to recreate Spring and Winter settings. I suppose that will have to wait for another day. Today, I am heading back to the studio to try and finish a large wolf that is part of my Naturescape Grayscale Series. This piece is made of various materials and is very tactile. It also has black Misty Fuse leaves!