Imagery

I seem to use the image of hearts often in the art work I create. They can convey so many messages...there are purple hearts, blue hearts, passionate red hearts, gold hearts...you get the gist. This abstract was created with acrylic paints, modeling paste and cheesecloth on 140lb watercolor paper. I think I'll frame it and bring it to hang in the hallway gallery at the Wallkill River School for February....ummmm....the theme of the month being 'love' (surprise, huh?).

Surprise!

In the mail today there was a great treat....a cellophoned package containing this inspirational magazine was waiting for me. All of a sudden I remembered I had sent in an art quilt answering a call for submission ages ago and then promptly forgotten that I had done so! How nice to see my quilt featured in this first Somerset edition of Art Quilting Studio. Besides loving the fact that 'Begin Anew with Love' is in print I am taken with this magazine. There is so much inspiration in these pages I am itching to start creating. This weekend is going to be fun. I can feel it.

Hearts for the New Year

New Year's Eve in the Hudson Valley brought very low temperatures and very fierce winds. Our electricity went out about 8pm and remained off for many hours. While Steve was tending the 2 woodstoves I did a bit of stitching by candle light until I fell asleep.

To friends I know either in person or through the internet I wish you an upcoming year filled with more moments of contentment than seconds of discomfort.

Hearts That Have Stood the Test of Time

I posted a hearts piece awhile back and received a great comment on a possible name for it from Carol Wiebe (do click on her name and check out her marvelous work). The former hearts piece is still in the "let's see if this ever becomes finished or will it get cut up and included something different?" stage but I am in love with her suggested title. Soooooo....this piece (that no, isn't finished yet) is going to bear the 'Hearts That Have Stood the Test of Time' title. Thank you very much, Carol.

It's All About the Texture

Someone I know is going away to a place that has open air bazaars and marketplaces. She asked me what I wanted her to bring back for me. At that point there was a hesitation in the conversation and then she said 'anything with texture, huh?'. Oh yeah. In some ways she doesn't know me at all but in others she knows me very well.

The piece above started with a base of painted thick interfacing with added gold foiling and pigments. the final touches are painted and tea stained cheesecloth and a heart made from painted dryer sheets.

Thank you gift

Seems I'm back to making postcards again and - oh look - some heart images have made a return appearance! This one isn't for the museum but for our wonderful hosts during our recent trip to Denver. It's was difficult for us to figure out what to give John and Joanne as a show of appreciation for their hospitality. I hope this brings a smile to their faces.

After the Thaw II

Sunday night I started messing around and this happened. Tissue paper glued on cloth, painted with acrylics and pigments altered with alcohol, a bit of added foiling and free motion stitching. I don't think I'm going to add anything else, but we'll see....it's always hard for me to know when enough is enough and when to stop. This is going to be a 4x6" postcard for the shop in Montgomery that carries my work. Their customers seem to be taken with the idea of mailable postcard art quilts!

Bright with a capital B

I like doing hearts and what better time of year to use this imagery? I'm happy with how bright this piece turned out. It still needs some more stitching (but not too much) and some hand stitched accents (but not too many) - if you click on the photo to enlarge it you will see the machine and hand stitching already added.

It reminds me of spring and rebirth. Maybe I'll call it 'After the Thaw'!

I'm going to gift this to a great internet friend who helped edit the article that will be published in that national magazine (April/May issue I was told). Melanie's help was invaluable and greatly appreciated. I'd link to her blog but she hasn't one (yet) but wait until she does have one and you see her art work! Fantastic!

Intertwined Hearts

There is a smallish art & workshop gallery near me http://wallkillriverschool.com/Page_1.html that carries my work in the handmade gallery portion of their storefront. They have asked me if I'm interested in conducting a workshop. Of course I am but on what? Since I want to try to keep the word quilt out of it (you know, so people don't think this is a course in how to do Log Cabin blocks) I wonder if I should develop something that combines collage elements. Maybe how to use water soluable stabilizer to make 'fabric' and then how to embellish it? Such as the piece above.....

This piece is offered in my Etsy store.