Gift for a Friend

I have a friend who is going through a crisis in her life (and handling it rather well I might add).  Her circle of friends that share with her the passion for fiber art in her life decided to make momentos/gifts/fiber lucky charms and each of us was assigned dates for doing that.

When we were first asked about doing this the proposal was for "angels" but when I started to think about what I was going to do I knew that I didn't want to do a doll as it isn't my thing.  I chose to do a small wallhanging and to deviate from the angel theme a bit by going with fairies.  But these are fairies that give out Pixie Dust--that all powerful sprinkling that gives you the power of flight with a little faith and hope to boost it along.  What could be better for healing and lifting spirits?

So here are some pictures of my gift to her.  The little pouch at the top right-hand corner is organza and holds some sparkly sequins.  The piece is, of course, called "Pixie Dust".  On the back is a quote from the Peter Pan story, "All the World is made of faith, and trust, and pixie dust".

Painting the edges of the leaves gold.

Little bag of "pixie dust" (actually sequins)

Now I am working on a second gift for my friend although I have missed my deadline.  I know she will forgive me for being so late, and hopefully she will enjoy the gift and it will lift her spirits whenever she does get it.  That is the purpose after all.

"Strata Art Quilts" Article

"A Slice of Clear Water"

 Please look for my first magazine article in The Quilt Life magazine which is in stores now (October issue).  The article is called "Strata Art Quilts" and is a how-to for an easy-to-piece art quilt.  The article is 5 pages long and has lots of images of my work. 

Let me know what you think!

I have another article in the works for American Quilter magazine which is supposed to be out early in 2014.  It is about a "stamp and stitch" technique, another easy way to create lovely art quilts.

I'm thinking about organizing a class on this "strata" quilt technique.  Would love some feedback as to whether you think this would be a good class. 

Look for more from me in the future as I'm rather encouraged by getting both of these articles accepted on the first try!

Paintings In Cloth

"Ferns"

 

For my solo gallery exhibition at River's Mist Gallery in Stevensville, Montana, I have a number of new pieces that began with fabric that I created. Some are soy wax batik, one is “decolorant” or color removal, others are painted or stamped. The show is called “Paintings in Cloth” because there are a number of these pieces in the show, but also because I feel that all of my pieces are like paintings in their use of color, line, design, and texture to make something that hangs on the wall.

I took some pictures of some of the fabric before I made them in to the art quilts, so I thought it might be interesting for you to see how I transformed them with stitch and sometimes beading.

"Memory of a Woodland Walk"

"Time Passages"

"Sweet Field of Honey"

The show, entitled "Paintings in Cloth", opened on Friday, September 6, with an artist's reception. The gallery is located on Main Street in Stevensville just south of Valley Drug. The work will be up through the month, probably until Monday, September 30. I've been creating new pieces (approx. 28!) all summer and am looking forward to seeing how people like what I've been doing.   There are about 35 pieces in the gallery so it is a nice exhibition of my work and the gallery owner, Gretchen Spiess has a wonderful knack for hanging art to compliment other art/each other.  There are some beautiful wood vessels and fused glass in the gallery with my show.  Come visit! 

"Art Quilter" Aspiring to "Author"

This year I have submitted two articles to magazines and had success with them.  I hope to continue writing and submitting and would like to have something published in Quilting Arts and Machine Quilting Unlimited magazines.  The most difficult part of the process is deciding on a topic that would be of interest to those particular magazines.  Sometimes I feel like a novice at what I do which causes me to think, "who am I to tell anyone the way do to things???".  The two articles that are being published are both of interest to people who are new to art quilting and the magazines were interested in that aspect of them.

So, now I am struggling to figure out what I know that someone else would want to read about.  What do I know enough about to teach someone else in a 3-5 page magazine article?

My work is somewhat varied but I believe I have a style that makes my body of work cohesive.  I know that people who know my work can usually identify it in a quilt show or gallery.  I use heavy quilting using many different threads, quite often beading, and have a unique way with color.  Many of my pieces are collage style using raw edge applique, but I also do pieces that incorporate leaves, trees, sometimes landscapes, and other nature related imagery and themes.  In preparing for the show I have next month I have been doing a lot of "wholecloth" pieces using fabric that I created by dyeing or painting fabric in various methods.  Some are quilting only, others have embellishments on them like beads and suede.  All during the process I have been thinking about what I could teach someone about what I do.  I'm still thinking...

I think my goal with writing about my work is to inspire and motivate other artists to create art.  I love getting feedback from people when they see my work and wish they could do the same thing, or something similar. They feel energized and excited about creating something and I feel honored that what I do makes them feel that way.  If I can write an article and include some images of my work that spurs someone on to fulfill their desire to create art and maybe "be like me", I'm happy.  I absolutely love what I do and can't get enough of it so I love sharing that with others.  Ever since I was a kid I've always wanted everyone to be happy so doing something that helps people feel that way is, as Martha says, "a good thing!"

Once I get my show off the ground in September I will be returning to my laptop to try to write more articles. Watch for my first one to appear in The Quilt Life magazine in their October issue.  It is about Strata Art Quilts which are what I call long narrow quilts composed of varied width strips of fabric.  It's a great style of art quilt for beginners or for those, like me, who like to take a break from challenging projects to do something fun and beautiful that doesn't take a whole lot of time.

Montana Bricolage Artists Present....

My art group, the Montana Bricolage Artists (MBA), will be showing our new group show entitled "Reflections" at Montana Art and Framing in Missoula, Montana for the month of August.  The opening reception will be the evening of Friday, August 2 from 5-9pm.  The gallery is located at 709 Ronan Street and you can find directions on their website at


The parameters of the show were that they pieces need to be two parts on a black background.  I believe there are some deviations from this, but we are not big on rules anyways!  The theme of "Reflections" has been interpreted and protrayed in many different guises for this show and that will make it very interesting. This group of highly skilled artists has again created a show worth viewing.

Below is the piece that I created for the show which is 45" x 45".  The two half circles were quilted separately and then mounted onto a quilted black background piece so the entire piece is rather hefty.  The title is "What I See, What You See".  When I was first thinking of ideas for this show I kept picturing a person looking at their reflection in the mirror and thinking about how they might see something different from what is actually there (maybe better, maybe worse depending on their frame of mind), and even different than other people might see it.  Since I am not very skilled at creating realistic imagery, I chose to portray this concept using one of my favorite motifs--a tree.

I love the stark beauty of the left side in all black and white with some beading highlighting it.  The other side is much more flamboyant---not how I would ever view myself, but maybe how I would like to be viewed at times. We all have an image we wish we could portray or wish we were, and then there is the reality of what you are and then how others perceive you.  What is reality, what is contrived, what is at the heart, what is on the surface...  A reflection can be so much more than just a mirror image of something.  You can reflect about something, you can reflect a distorted image like when water ripples a lake, you can reflect light, you can use a mathematical reflection formula, you can reflect on the past.

So, if you are in the area come and see our new show!

Our previous show, "The 'Trunk' Show" which was long narrow "trees" suspended from the ceiling, is currently at the Paris Gibson Square Museum in Great Falls Montana.  It will travel to Helena and be shown for three months at the Holter Museum and we have just recently had an inquiry about sending it to Provo, Utah to be shown in their library in a new 3000 sq. ft. gallery space they have there.

I also would like to mention that I will be having a solo exhibition at River's Mist Gallery in Stevensville, Montana in September with a reception on First Friday, September 6 from 6-9pm.  This will be mostly new work, but also highlighting some of my recently published work.

I will be sending three pieces to the Pacific West Quilt Show in Tacoma, Washington in September and then two other pieces to the LaConner Quilt Festivaal in LaConner, Washington in October.  Also look for my first published technique article in The Quilt Life Magazine in their October issue.  The article is "Strata Art Quilts" and is a great technique for those wanting to get into art quilting as well as those like me who just need the occasional break from challenging fiber projects to have some fun.  Lots of pictures in this article and they did a great job with it.  American Quilter Magazine will be publishing another article of mine probably in 2014 but I don't know quite when yet.

All exciting stuff and it makes for a busy summer for me!

As always, you can see some of my work for sale at The Artist's Shop in Missoula, Montana, River's Mist Gallery in Stevensville, Montana, and Art City in Hamilton, Montana.

Whew!

Inspiration Fieldtrip to Wildlife Refuge

I am involved with a group called "Tarts" (short for textile arts) that meets once a month to share about fiber art.  One month we have a fieldtrip somewhere and the next month we bring something we have made inspired by that fieldtrip.  There are about 10 or 12 people in my group and we have a great time.  Last month, May, we had a fieldtrip to Lee Metcalf National Wildlife Refuge which is practically right in my neighborhood.  We walked a trail and took pictures and then went to the Visitor Center.  This month we had our meeting and some of us shared pieces we had made.  I put mine together the afternoon before the meeting so it was fairly simple but I was happy with how it turned out.  I think everyone who had a piece made it the weekend before the meeting so I wasn't the only one!  

I had wanted to print some of my images onto fabric to include in my piece, but the computer/printer would not cooperate.  Of course if I had started working on it earlier in the month maybe I would have been able to do that, but with so little time I decided to go with what I did.  The piece is 8" x 14" (not including the hanger) and the little silver turtle beads are a mere 5/8" from nose to tail.  They are out of proportion with the reeds, but I couldn't resist using them on the piece because they are so adorable.  I don't usually worry too much about proportion or making things look perfect in my work anyways---artistic license you know!

Here are some pictures that I took at the refuge on that beautiful day in May.  The hen turkey had a number of tiny chicks that are all around her in the grass but you can't even see them in my photographs they are so small and camouflaged!  The small art quilt I made was inspired by the picture with the log which did not have turtles on it that morning, but I know they hang out there quite regularly!

Here are some pictures of the piece I made, inspired by the photo above and previous visits to the refuge (which is very near my home).  I always drive slowly past the ponds hoping for a glimpse through the reeds of the turtles perched on the logs on the pond edge before they slip into the water at the sound of my vehicle approaching.

The rocks, reeds and water are felt, and the sky is Osnaburg that has been colored with fabric pastel crayons.  The rocks are stuffed.  A wonderful nubby yarn was couched around the piece for a rustic edge finish.  Actually I used the blue twine that the hanger is on to go around the piece first for a little bit of stability and then couched the yarn to that.

I find much inspiration for my work in the nature that surrounds me here in western Montana.  Thank goodness for digital cameras that allow me to snap unlimited photos for future reference and use in creating something from fiber that reflects the beauty in the varied landscapes.  My work is mostly abstract and non-representational, but color, form, and texture are quite borrowed from nature.  I often use recognizable motifs in my work such as leaves, trees, and other flora.

What's Next?

"Tweeting About The Setting Sun"

The above image is my donation to the Studio Art Quilt Associates 2013 on-line auction.  All the auction pieces are 12"x 12" and the auction begins on September 9.  The pieces start at $750 and each day go down until they are at $75.  My piece is on page 2A and will be auctioned during the 2nd round which starts September 16.  You can find more info on the website: http://www.saqa.com/news.php?ID=1186  

All of the fabrics in this piece were created by me with various techniques including stamping, soy wax batik, and dyeing.  I did not create the bird embroidery, but I really liked how it worked with the piece.


I'm going through a transitional year in 2013, and I am not sure about my direction.  My goal for my first five years in this endeavor was to get my name out there by entering shows, getting my work in galleries, and maybe getting my work published in a magazine.  Check, check, check.  Now I have to determine what direction I want to take next with my work/business.  Options that I am pondering include writing articles for magazines, finding galleries for my work outside my state, making larger pieces that might get into more art/fiber art shows, teaching, and pursuing lecture opportunities in my state (Montana).
I have wanted to try to get my work into a gallery that is outside of my region for quite a while but am not sure how to go about it.  How do you find a place you trust that is right for your work and then how best to go about approaching them.  Do I need to have a physical portfolio of my work, do I go and personally show them my work, do I make sure my website is up-to-date and rely on that for self-promotion?  I can't afford the time or money to travel around peddling my work to galleries that may or may not be what I want for my art.  If I look for somewhere that has shown itself to be willing to show fiber art am I horning in on some other fiber artist's locale?   This is all the more complicated when I start to look at other states because of the number of galleries out there.  Where do I start?

I have already tackled one of these subjects this year successfully.  I have a magazine article that is going to be published in The Quilt Life magazine later this year.  I also have a 2nd article that is being considered by American Quilter but I have not heard from them yet.  I have had a very positive response to my writing from these editors so that is very encouraging.  It could be a very lucrative direction, but I find it time consuming and it takes away from studio time.  How much time and effort do I devote to this aspect of my business?

I think that when my article comes out I should try to peddle that topic as a class in a local quilt shop and see what interest there is.  I think I am ready to do a little teaching, as long as it doesn't take over my life at this point.  I still have a young son to devote time to so I'm not as free as this effort might require.  Local classes shouldn't be much of a problem, but if I have to travel that will be difficult.

Here are detail and full quilt images of a small piece I recently created.  The base is wholecloth batik fabric which I stamped multiple times with a single (commercial) floral image rubber stamp using copper acrylic paint.  Then I used free motion quilting to complete the piece, added tabs at the top and a facing for the edges.  It is called "Reverie" and is currently hanging in The Artist's Shop cooperative gallery in Missoula, Montana along with a number of other pieces of mine.

"Reverie"