My First Ever Giveaway

WHAT

I will mail (U.S. only) nine small works pictured below that I’ve created for classes and exercises to blog readers selected at random. Most have hung in my house, but I am ready to release them.

WHY

I have too much stuff and I received an unexpected check for a Honda air bag settlement that will cover postage for nine packages.

WHEN

Drawing will be open from Thursday, July 30, 2020, to Wednesday, August 5, 2020.

HOW TO ENTER

Leave a comment on this post that specifies the number(s) of the work(s) you’d like. Please give at least your first name and last initial. A full name is appreciated. Only one work will be sent to each winner. I will draw winners at random, list the winners in next week’s post and ask the winners to send me their mailing information. If I don’t hear back within a week, I will select another winner for that item.

WHAT’S BEING RAFFLED

1. Arch (9 x 12”)

Number 1 – Arch

2. Art (11.5 x 13” hanging sleeve)

Number 2 – Art

3. Eyes (9 x 12”)

Number 3 – Eyes

4. Ferny (17.5” square)

Number 4 – Ferny

5. Geese (pillowcase 14.5” square)

Number 5 – Geese

6. Opening Up (10 x 13.5”)

Number 6 – Opening Up

7. Openings (9 x 11”)

Number 7 – Openings

8. Silk (14.5 x 10.5”)

Number 8 – Silk

9. Spring  (12.4 x 14.5”)

Number 9 – Spring

Back To Quilting

I haven’t abandoned quilting amidst my printing and collaging. In fact, I finished “Whitewashed,” sewing straight line arrow heads with off white thread set at varying intervals.

“Whitewashed” 27 by 37.5 inches

After a long time (years?) without buying a quilting book, I bought Jacquie Gering’s latest walking foot quilting opus called “Walk 2.0.”

Of course I had to try out some of the quilting patterns, so I pulled out a top I made for Elizabeth Barton’s “Mod Meets Improv” class for a trial. I hadn’t planned to quilt this piece; in fact, I quilted only one of the four tops I made in the class. However, the top I chose, now upgraded to name status – “Pond”- has lots of negative space.

“Pond” pin basted and ready for first quilting line. I also steam pressed all the layers together to get them to stick.

I read through “Walk 2.0” and decided that I will never put in the amount of marking involved with some designs, but thought I could handle one named Apple Core. It requires one set of quilting lines in each direction for a checkerboard effect, and then another set of curved lines in each direction on top of the first.

The words “simple-to-quilt” caught my eye.

As of Thursday afternoon I’ve quilted about three-fourths of “Pond” and am waiting for cooler temps to finish it up.

“Pond” 32 by 32 inches

“Pond” detail

Now that I’ve come this far I wonder how it would look done diagonally. I also wonder whether two colors of thread would have worked better, possibly sewing the checkerboard with a lighter color thread. Neither will happen with “Pond.” I plan to bind it with a solid green fabric, but haven’t yet chosen which of two under consideration.

Speaking of quilts but totally unrelated to my work, I want to recommend a series of videos Lisa Walton is making called “Quilt Stories.” Each week she talks with a quilt artist about one of their works – its inspiration, techniques, and challenges. The videos are free of highfalutin talk and often humorous. Case in point, Betty Busby offers a pro tip – use a toilet plunger (clean) to wash out dyed cloth.

Working Small

I realize that small is a relative term, both for ice cream servings and works of art. For me, a small work of art measures less than 25 by 25 inches, which is a medium for some. A small ice cream serving for me is one and a half scoops. While I envy artists who turn out interesting work that is just 4 by 6 inches, I just can’t seem to work that small.

My work continues to use paper and fabric as I try to learn how to integrate them. Often, I begin with monoprinting on a gelli plate to develop papers and fabrics with intriguing designs. It’s just fun to crank out a dozen prints in the time it takes to sew a fussy seam. Of course the downside is cleanup is more onerous.

Two of my recent collages are made with bits from my prints, plus photos and hand painted papers.

“Alien Plant From An Alien Planet” (8 x 10 inches) also uses an ink marker.

I got into markers even more with “Arches.” (9 by 12 inches) It mashes up photos from a trip to Central Park, a bit of an old table cloth, and monoprints.

“Fiddling” combines lots of magazine images, old art postcards and painted tissue paper, plus a monoprint or two.

Moving on to pieces made with fabric and paper, I finished “Fiddleheads” with hand stitching and learned I shouldn’t use a canvas backing if I want to hand sew.

“Fiddleheads” is made with hand dyed fabric, nonwoven fabric, and magazine pages.

In my latest fabric/paper creation I used gesso and markers to stencil chairs on fabric, paper, and nonwoven Pattern Ease. The edging is fused on using Frieda Anderson’s method.

This one needs a name besides “Chairs.” About 22 by 23 inches

Observant readers will have noted that none of the above pieces have batting, though the last two have backing and a bit of top stitching. I haven’t given up on quilting, but have found sewing heavily on paper is tricky. You can end up with a perforated line effect if you’re not careful, and there are no do-overs.

I’m linking to Off The Wall Friday.

The Show Must Go On

Pre-Covid 19 I had entered work in two art shows – the SAQA regional Circles and Cycles exhibit and Artists of Rubber City Juried Regional Art Exhibition, an Akron-based all media show. Both shows accepted some of my work and both will open for viewing in real life starting this month.

While art shows haven’t been at the top of my concerns lately and I doubt I’ll enter any more this year, it’s always nice to have folks other than family and friends (and you of course) see what I make.

Here are my two pieces in Circles and Cycles.

Bullseye Bubbles (blogged about here)

Not All Black and White (blogged about here)

The Circles and Cycles show was open to SAQA members in Ohio, Indiana, and Michigan; and it will be up at the Marathon Center for the Performing Arts in Findley, Ohio, beginning July 20 through the end of August. You can see all the works in the show at the link above.

The Center is scheduled to be open weekdays from noon to 4 p.m. Masked visitors are restricted to no more than 10 at a time, and it’s always a good idea to call first. Since performances at the Center have been cancelled or postponed I don’t know how much traffic the exhibit will get. The Center’s parking lot will have food trucks on Wednesdays from 11 am to 2 pm, and the Hancock County farmers’ market on Thursdays from 4 to 6 pm.

To my surprise, the juror selected my “Mean Streets” for the Artists of Rubber City show. I had also entered “If The Shoe Fits,” and thought that would be the preferred choice, but I was wrong. My husband is always careful to say that Streets involved much skill and labor but its subject matter isn’t going to be a viewer favorite. Go figure.

Mean Streets (blogged about here)

If The Shoe Fits (not selected, blogged about here)

The Artists of Rubber City show runs from July 10 through August 8. You need a free, timed ticket to view the show, being held at Summit ArtSpace in downtown Akron, Ohio.

If you’re more in the mood for a virtual show, check out SAQA’s On The Edge. It’s not your usual art quilt show.

I’m linking to Off The Wall Friday.

Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch

As a matter of fact I have been sewing; in between collaging, printing, and virtual gallery viewing. Last month I improvised a piece from leftover blocks and some Grunge fabric I had forgotten I had.

“Whitewashed”

“Whitewashed” detail

I overprinted my leftovers with gesso and a stencil, ergo the name.

More recently I continued work on my circles and ovals. First, I decided to separate the pieces by warm and cool colors. Then, I spent far too much time playing around with arrangements.

Here’s front and back of my pink bubbles.

Front ironed to freezer paper

I sewed each silk piece to a cotton batik backing, turned it right side out, stuffed it with a piece of very firm batting, and sealed the opening with fused fabric. As you can see, I went with whatever fabric scraps I had on hand.

I was glad my plan to get the pieces off the wall without losing the layout by ironing them to freezer paper worked. Thank you, Elena Stokes, who wrote about this method several years ago.

Then, I designed a quilting layout and quilted each piece separately with the hope the lines would match at the edges. They did, mostly.

I tried to color code the lines to keep track of them. I felt like I was designing a subway map.

Now that the first quilting is done and I’ve hand sewn the pieces together I see I need more quilting. My experiments have led me to zigzag lines that echo the straight stitch ones. Onward!

Linking to Off The Wall Fridays.