Postcards and Artist Trading Cards for IQF 2012

   I have been working on postcards and Artist Trading Cards for the upcoming International Quilt Festival in Houston. This year, I will be doing two Open Studio sessions on 3Dimensional Wildflowers The first session will be on Thursday, November 1st from 10-12 and the second one is scheduled for Friday, November 2nd from 12-2 p.m. I thought it might be nice to have some additional samples on hand and postcards seemed to work well for this purpose. This year's Open Studios is brought to you by Craftsy. For more information, please visit http://www.craftsy.com/ or http://pokeysponderings.com/2012/10/18/open-studios-at-quilt-festival-brought-to-you-by-craftsy/ . I have created 6 postcards and 10 Artist Trading Cards for this event. I have never participated in ATC's but I was encouraged to do so this year. The idea is that folks can come  by and pick up a small ATC if they leave one of their own creations. How cool is that? This is a wonderful way to acquire a small piece of art by some of your favorite artists. I know I will be on the lookout for some of mine! I hope people will like these, though I only made 10! Yet another fantastic way to acquire art at a very affordable price while you are at festival is to check out the Pet Project Postcard booth. I have also created a couple of abstract postcards for this wonderful cause. Postcards can represent pets, animals, landscapes or be created in an abstract style. These postcards will be sold for $20 each with the proceeds going to benefit Friends for Life, a no kill shelter. For more information on how you can get involved, please visit http://pokeysponderings.com/2012/09/28/please-take-our-quilt-festival-pet-project-postcard-pledge/ . 

The Gift of the Magi

The Gift of the Magi by Barb Forrister

This month has been crazy, busy but in a good way! Lots of wonderful shows going on in the area, new and upcoming workshops that I will be teaching and getting ready for the big International Quilt Festival in Houston. Still, I have managed to log in long hours in the studio working on art. One piece in particular, The Gift of the Magi was created for the Copper Shade Tree Gallery Art in Fiber 2013 show. The show was juried by Karey Bresenhan of Quilts, Inc. Wow, what an honor to be included! I am so tickled! Inspired from

a photograph, this bird pranced around and posed in all his glory for a good 20-30 minutes while I photographed him from all angles.  When I got home, I had a few hundred photos of him which I eventually narrowed down to one. I sketched and drew the photo and then blew it up such that it could be transferred to fabric. This piece measures 30.75" X 38.5." It is the third piece in my peacock series and I have decided to incorporate some metallic and mica paints to reflect the irridescence that is often seen in peacock feathers. The Gift of the Magi was created with acrylic paints including Setacolor opaque and transparent paints, Stewart Gill, Jacquard, DecoArt SoSoft, Sparkling Mica and Pigment Watercolor paints by US Art Lest and Twinkling Waters Shimmering Watercolor by LuminArt. I have also used watersoluble wax pastel crayons by Caron d' Ache and water soluble oil pastels by Portfolio. The Portfolio Series offered very bright, vivid colors however they were difficult to heat set. Next time, I will stick to the Caron d'Ache as they are easier to work with and their color stays put! This piece took 3 weeks to paint as each color had to be mixed and blended such that it presented an accurate and cohesive showing. Here the key was to blend the feathers in with the background as it changed from dark to light colors. With so many feathers, this is difficult to accomplish!

This piece was stitched with trilobal polyester threads from Superior in almost a hundred different thread colors such that the stitching can be seen but it still does not detract from the painting. Edges are finished with a facing. I am hoping to mount this piece on a painted deep navy canvas. I will have to build it myself, as this is not a standard size and I could not bring myself to cut it down for the sole purpose of fitting on a standard size canvas. Some things are just worth creating special frames for! I really enjoyed creating The Gift of the Magi and hope that it will find a good home. My daughters are lamenting the fact that they cannot keep it but with so many photos to choose from, I can always make more. To see more pictures, and the photo from which The Gift of the Magi was inspired, please visit http://www.barbforrister.com/the-gift-of-the-magi 

Violet: Part 5 in the Victorian Lady Series

Remember the Victorian ladies, Ruby and Scarlet that I completed last December? There are nine ladies, all of which have been hand appliqued, embroidered with DMC and/or ribbon embroidery floss, hand beaded and embellished with trinkets, trims and lace. The first two pieces in the set, I did in fact, hand quilt as at the time, I felt the need to complete them all by hand. I really did have good intentions, however, while I greatly appreciate the beauty of hand quilting, it is just not for me! I am much more in tune with my machine as it hums along. And so for years, these pieces have been lingering in my closet waiting to be finished. The last time, my grandmother visited me, we pulled them out and she expressed that she would like to have them.   

 

I gave her the first two pieces that had been hand quilted right then and for Christmas, I gave her two more pieces, Ruby and Scarlet that I machine quilted. She was thrilled and I am happy they have found a new home! This month is her birthday and I have completed another Victorian lady for her collection. This one is named Violet. Are you sensing a theme with regards to their names and the colors of their dresses? Seems easier to remember their names that way. To be honest, I cannot recall the names of the first two, although, Pauline comes to mind. They may need to be renamed as well! I have still yet to have time to dig and search around the studio for the name of the artist who created these patterns. Perhaps after the holidays, I can find that out unless of course, someone here knows the answer. Violet was machine quilted with Superior trilobal polyester thread to bring out details in her dress. The background was broken up by machine quilting parallel flowing lines that radiate out towards the bottom. On top, it is broken up by stippling to add interest and break up the space. She is adorned with trim, lace, embroidery ribbon and floss, buttons and trinkets. I have just shipped her off to my Grandmother to join her new friends. I hope she is accepted well!

2012 Uptown Blanco Quilt Show

The Uptown Blanco Quilt Show is this weekend, Friday, October 12 - Sunday, October 14. The Opening Reception was held on Friday from 5-6:30 p.m. Sadly, I was unable to attend as I was held up in the studio completing a piece for a deadline the next day. Coming down to the wire, that meant the same piece needed to be delivered in person on Saturday. When I returned to Austin, yesterday, this lovely photo was posted on my facebook page by my dear friend, Kathy York. "Artist Garden," a group collaboration led by Connie Hudson with Kathy York, Sherri Mc Cauley, Annie Smith, Cindy Potter Henneke, Suzan Engler, Leslie Tucker Jenison, France Holliday Alford and Barb Forrister received a lovely blue first place ribbon. I absolutely love this piece! It  incorporates the beauty and style of each and every artist and it was a joy to create! So blessed to be a part of it all!  

"Songbird" placed second followed by  "Austin tatious" in third place. You can imagine my surprise! Never in my wildest dreams, did I ever think this would happen. I feel extremely blessed and fortunate to be a part of the Austin Art Bee and to work with such amazing women Each year, we work on group collaborations with every new piece bringing unique challenges and creativity to the forefront. Artist Garden was made in 2011 and came together so effortlessly, Always a good sign!  

This is "Austin tatious'" first time out in competition and I am so delighted that it was received well. Additionally, "Welcome to my Garden" was on the program cover, a treat for sure! This weekend has been so fantastic, I could not ask for any better. Blessed with art, opportunities and rain, I have been asked to teach at next year's show at the beautiful Uptown Blanco Quilt Show. I am so jazzed about this. It is a beautiful facility with a wonderful venue!

Sunrise Serenade in Quilting Arts Magazine

I am so jazzed that a sampling of the new Dinner @ Eight Artists "Rituals" exhibit is featured in the October/November issue of Quilting Arts magazine. The issue features Judy Coates Perez on the Cover with her fabulous "Eight of Cups" piece. What an awesome piece! There are two articles that highlight Dinner @ Eight Artists. The first is "Q&A with Curators Jamie Fingal and Leslie Tucker Jenison" by Vivika Hansen DeNegre. This piece focuses on how Dinner at 8 Artists was founded, how it's themes are developed for annual exhibits and how the shows are juried by invitation. Jamie and Leslie foster a wonderful goal of balancing both established and emerging artists to put together a fantastic show. They have developed and continue to develop a strong set of artists who gather together at festivals to encourage strength and collaboration with one another. They also share their very inpirational quilts for the Rituals exhibit. Hats off to these very classy and strong women. The second article, "Rituals Gallery" focuses on Inspiring Quilts from the Dinner at Eight Artists. There are nine pieces by artists including Susan Brubaker Knapp with "I See the Moon," "Milo" by Jeanie Palmer Moore, ""Lost Rituals: Grief" by Susie Monday, "Cosmic Gears" by Loris Bogue, "Sunrise Serenade" by Barb Forrister, "8 of Cups" by Judy Coates Perez, "Walking with Mr. C and Scooter" by Gerrie Congdon, "Meditation" by Karen Ripps and "Boundary Waters 60 (Rock Time) by Virginia Spiegel. What an honor and blessing to be a part of this talented group of ladies. Here's to strong women. May we raise them. May we know them. May we be them! This exhibit is sponsored by Moore's Sewing Center ( http://www.moores-sew.com/ ) and Havel Sewing (http://www.havelssewing.com/). To read more about it, please visit http://dinnerateightartists.blogspot.com/ .  

Creating Texture and Dimension With Cloth

September is a busy month here in Austin and the fun continues. I will be teaching a free, mini workshop at the Austin Fiber Artist Recharge Zone on Wednesday, September 19, 2012. Come learn how fabric can be altered to provide color, texture and dimension to your work. For this mini workshop, please bring scraps of fabric (fat quarter size), some type of light weight fusible (preferably Mistyfuse), iron, ironing pad and pressing sheet, scissors and Timtex or Peltex. Optional supplies include textiva and Angelina fibers, sheer fabrics, netting, tulle, acrylic felt, yarns and fibers. Should be fun. The workshop will focus on creating texture and dimension with cloth. Hope to see you all there!

News from the Austin Area Quilt Guild Capital of Texas Quilt Show 2012

Shadow Dancer by Barb Forrister

I am so jazzed that Shadow Dancer received an Honorable Mention and special award for Best Design in Small Quilts at the Austin Area Quilt Guild Capital of Texas Quilt Show, this year! This is his third time out and the first time, he has competed. So nice to see him bring home a couple of ribbons! I am especially elated that he received Best Overall Design as this is an area that I struggle with constantly! Validation that I am getting better! Our group quilt entries also did fantastically well at festival this year! Pixel Perfect, a collaboration led by Kathy York with Frances Holliday Alford, Leslie Tucker Jenison, Sherri McCauley, Connie Hudson and Barb Forrister received an Honorable Mention in the Group Quilt Category! Additionally, Artist Garden, a group collaboration led by Connie Hudson with Kathy York, Annie Smith, Suzan Engler, Cindy Potter Henneke, Frances Holliday Alford, Leslie Tucker Jenison, Sherri McCauley and Barb Forrister placed First in Special Occasion Quilts by more than one person and also received a special award for Best Creativity in small quilts! Yay!!!! Wonderful news, Austin Art Quilt group! Truly fabulous to be a part of such a talented group of women!  

Pixel Perfect

The show will continue through the end of today. If you have a chance, be sure and check it out at the Palmer event Center in Austin, Texas. There will be special exhibits and live demonstrations with many vendors selling delectable wares! A treat for sure!

Artist Garden

Austin Area Quilt Guild Capital of Texas Quilt Show 2012



Lost Cavern by Barb Forrister

September is finally here and it is a busy month in Austin. The Austin Area Quilt Guild (AAQG), Capital of Texas Quilt Show will commence on September 14-16 with over 350 quilts on display at the Palmer Event Center located at 900 Barton Springs Road in Austin, Texas. Hours are 10-6 on Friday and Saturday, 12-4 on Sunday. Some quilts will be offered for sale and there will be vendors, live demonstations and a silent auction with some wonderful treats.   ! 
           

AAQG has a show every other year and this year promises to be fantastic! If you have never been to this event, I highly recommend it! And even if you have, be sure to put it on your "must see" list as each year brings more exciting and beautiful work ranging from traditional to contemporary bed quilts to art quilts for the wall. Always fun to see what folks come up with! For more information, please visit www.captxquiltfest.org .

This year, I will have three pieces in the judged art quilt category. They are Lost Cavern, Songbird and Shadow Dancer. Lost Cavern is composed of dyed raw silk with dyed wool roving, cheesecloth and fibers added for the stalactites and stalagmites. Songbird is a wholecloth painted piece featuring canaries. Lastly, Shadow Dancer is composed with lush velvets and upholstery materials created with a 3Dimensional added touch.

 

 Additionally, Emerald Treasures will be on display at the Fiber Art exhibit portion of the show. This piece is painted, heavily beaded, needle felted and created with a 3Dimensional aspect in mind. All of these pieces will be available for sale at the Austin area Quilt Show. If you have a chance, this is a wonderful show and treat for all the senses. Hope to see you there! 

TEXTILES: Color Your World with Beautiful Fabric

Wow! I am so pleased that I will be teaching TEXTILES: Color Your World with Beautiful Fabric at the Dougherty Art Center in Austin Tx this coming fall. Our goal is to provide an enriching and rewarding experience for each student working with textiles. We will cover a wide array of dyeing techniques ranging from low to high water immersion dyeing, shibori, graduated dyes, screen printing and dye painting. We will also learn how to make stencils and stamps to create unique designs. This class is geared for all levels. If you've ever wondered how artists create depth, glorious color and amazing visual texture on fabric, this class is for you! Students will learn basic dye surface design techniques from dyeing to discharge, stamping to silkscreening in a small class setting. No prior experience is needed, only a desire to have fun and create! The studio is equipped with dye, paint and tools to make your ideas a reality. Please remember to sign up early and register as soon as possible because these classes have a maximum of 6 students to ensure ample space and quality one on one instruction. The first six week session runs from September 11-October 16, 2012 at 6-9 p.m. The second session will commence on October 30th and continue through December 4th. Classes will be held each Tuesday night from 6-9 p.m. For more information, please visit http://www.austintexas.gov/sites/default/files/files/Parks/Dougherty/textiles_fall_2012.pdf or call the Dougherty Art Center at

512-974-4040

Floral Mosaic Series: Creating with Shiva PaintSticks and 3D Acrylic Paints

 Hello, this month, I have been asked to make a few donation quilts for events happening around Austin in the next couple of months. The first in this series (top left corner), Floral Mosaic I will head to the Austin Area Quilt Guild Capital of Texas Show on September 14-16. 2012 at the Palmer Events Center located at 900 Barton Springs Road in Austin, Texas. For more information, please visit http://www.aaqg.org/show2012/ . Floral Mosaic II (top right corner) will be available for purchase at the Austin Fiber Artists Fashion Fusion Show on

Sat, Sept. 29th at the Balcones Country Club located at 8600 Balcones Club Drive in Austin, TX. For more information, please visit http://austinfiberartists.org/blog/fashion-fusion-2012-press-release.html . The final two pieces, Floral Mosaic III and IV will head south to the Stardust located at 11940 Manchaca Rd in Austin, TX where it will be auctioned for my dear friend, JoJo Wyrick to help with a heart transplant.

I have not dabbled too much in abstract this year and so I felt that this was an opportune time to do so. This series was created by employing Shiva Paintsticks on rubbings and applying them to a dark rich chocolate cotton cloth. They were allowed to cure for 5 days before I applied a mosaic like texture of dots and designs with 3Dimensional acrylic paint. The pieces were then heat set with an iron, layered, stitched and applied to a painted 8X10 canvas. I really enjoyed creating this series and hope they find their way to new homes to benefit some pretty cool causes in the Austin community. If you are in the area, please check out these events. Each promises to be filled with lots of activities and fun. Hope to see you there! 

Applying Color and Design to Cloth, Presentation and Trunk Show

Hello, I would like to invite you to the Austin Fiber Artist August monthly meeting. I am so jazzed that I have been asked to be the monthly speaker on Wednesday, August 15th from 7-9 p.m. The event will be held at Holy Cross Lutheran Church located at 4622 South Lamar in Austin, Texas. Show & Tell begins at 6:45 pm, followed by the business meeting at 7:00 pm with a program following. Visitors are welcome. For more information, please visit http://austinfiberartists.org/meetings . The presentation, Applying Color and Design to Cloth will discuss ways to create fabric with a variety of mediums. This is so important because often times, we are looking for that perfect fabric to incorporate into a piece. After much searching, we often find ourselves in need of that elusive fabric. The truth is we CAN create our own unique, one of a kind, piece of cloth and it is much easier than we might think. Painting, dyeing and inking on cloth can be a lot of fun and the design process is quite rewarding. Lecture will include different ways to add both color and design by painting, dyeing, inking, stamping and stencilling on various mediums. This presentation will include a trunk show with examples of how to incorporate newly created cloth into finished pieces. If you are in the neighborhood, please stop by. We would love to see you!

3 Dimensional Fiber Art: A Taste of Italy

Thought I might share a piece in progress. I don't normally post until a piece is complete but this one is kind of growing on me. It is a 3 Dimensional Cafe with a private residence in the back. It kind of has that old world feel. The house is made of quilted fabric. Here again, I chose to use ethofoam because it is durable and will not crack like styrofoam. I attached a flower box at the top and tacked the vines at various places such that

they are allowed to drape over the edge. There is a side wall that allows for smaller clay pots to rest. The clay pots have flowers made of painted seashells. Down below, I have created a larger flower pot with shrubs. To the left is a large flower pot with foliage and flowers. The photo on the right shows a view from the side. The back of the cafe provides a private entrance to a small but somewhat extravagant home. I have added a trinket on the left side of the back door as a wall sconce. As I mentioned earlier, this piece is still in progress and I hope to add a small tree in the back.  

I would like to string lights throughout the tree and the whole entire piece both front and back to add an element of surprise. I think it might look pretty cool as a nightlight for a little girl's room.  Funny as this is so different from anything else I have created. I had originally planned to make a house but somehow this piece has evolved into what you see here. It is almost as if it had a mind of  it's own and guided my hands to its making. Some pieces, I suppose are just meant to be born. Thank you for stopping by. Please leave me a comment. I would love to hear from you! 

Mariposa

Mariposa was completed for the Touch of Gold Austin Fiber Artists group exhibit. The show will be held at the Arts of Rural Texas Ross Gallery in Fayetteville, TX on August 1-23, 2012. Opening reception is August 4th from 5-7PM. Everyone is invited to attend.  Mariposa measures 8X8 and is set on a 10X10 painted canvas. The background was quilted on a piece of hand dyed cotton. The branches are composed of upholstery fibers and hand dyed lace. The leaves are created as discussed in a previous post, http://www.freespiritartstudio.blogspot.com/search/label/3D%20Foliage%20using%20Misty%20Fuse  and are machine appliqued in a 3 dimensional manner such that they rise off the surface, creating a canopy effect. The flowers are composed of painted and heat distressed lutradur and are tacked down strategically such that they are allowed to come forward. The butterfly was soft sculpted and painted with acrylic and 3Dimensional paints to convey the pattern in the wings. This piece was a pleasure to make and will be in search of a new home at the upcoming show along with three other pieces, Amethyst Garden, Margaritaville and Moon Shadow. If you are in the area, please stop by and say hello. we would love to see you!  For more information, please visit http://www.artsforruraltexas.org/events 

Rituals Exhibit Opening at IQF in Long Beach

I am so jazzed that the new Dinner @ 8 "Rituals" exhibit curated by Jamie Fingal and Leslie Tucker Jenison will be premiering at the International Quilt Festival in Long Beach, California this Friday, July 27-29, 2012. The show is sponsored by Moore's Sewing Machine Center http://www.moores-sew.com/ and Havel’s Sewing http://www.havelssewing.com/  . Dinner @ 8 Artists include

Frances, Holiday Alford, Betty A. Amador, Susan Bleiweiss, Loris Bogue, Deborah Boschert, Laurie Brainerd, Paula J. Chung, Gerrie Congdon, Joanell Connolly, Cindy Cooksey, Jane Davila, Barb Forrister, Terry Grant, Desiree D. Habicht, Diane Hock, Lisa Kijak, Lyric M. Kinard, Susan Fletcher King, Pamela P. Klebaum, Sherry D. Kleinman, Susan Brubaker Knapp, Jane LaFazio, Carol A. Larson, Jayne Larson, Linda Teddlie Minton, Susie M. Monday, Jeannie P. Moore, Rachel K. Parris, Judy Coates Perez, Yvonne B.Porcella, Karen L. Rips, Cynthia St. Charles, Julie Schlueter, Gayle Simpson, Sarah Ann Smith, Virginia A. Spiegel, Larkin Jean Van Horn, Terry Waldron, Kathy York, Jamie Fingal and Leslie Tucker Jenison.  If you are not able to see the show in Long Beach, it will also travel to Houston, IQF in the fall and Cincinnati, Ohio next spring. The exhibit has also been published and you can preview and order a copy at http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/3380298 . For more information, please visit http://dinnerateightartists.blogspot.com/ . Hope you all enjoy the show. Can't wait to see it!

Applying Color and Design to Cloth

Applying Color and Design to Cloth
Hello, I have been asked to create a slide show on Applying Color and Design to Cloth. This show is meant to provide an overview to dyeing, painting and inking. It does not cover all aspects but instead provides an insight as to when various medias and their techniques can be used. Special thanks to Cynthia Wenslow for her kindness, patience and technological saavy in uploading this presentation.
However, I am having difficulty uploading this show in Blogger. If you would like to see this presentation, I invite you to visit http://www.barbforrister.com/applying-color-and-design-to-cloth Thank you for your patience and understanding.

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