Category Archives: Landscapes

May 23 2013, Spring Walks

Hello Friends,

I have been out doing my walking in the early morning to make sure I really follow through.  It seems so easy to put it off and then get

Deb'spainting involved in other things.  So I was not walking in the afternoon at all.  Much better to start the day with the walk and it will soon be hot in the afternoons as well.  Anyway it has been a glorious feast for the nose of late.  What with blooming Honeysuckle, Lilac and a beautiful Dog Wood to mention a few I have really enjoyed starting my days with a walk.   I seem to be more aware of the world in the morning as well so I am very glad that I have made this switch.

Friday last week I went to the Turquoise Street Studio and meant with some of the gals from the painting class from the weekend before.  Deb had gone back in and did additional work on this painting of limes.  I really think it works. DebplusworkBethThis picture is of a new painting Deb did based on the class work too.  The class effected all of us.  This next images is of Beth doing a value sketch in preparation for a new pastel.   The teacher had suggested using a gray paper sketch book so one only needed to do the tonal work by drawing in black and white.  Beth is doing just that.   I did hand work as I seem to take longer to digest the Value idea into my work. EthelYesterday I went to Ethel’s house to spend a day playing with silk paper.  This photo is of  Ethel mixing dye in preparation  to the silk.Pam Pam was also there and she did some fine silk paper too   It was great fun and I created four different new sheets to use.  I went with an eye to make the paper for a specific task and the results were great.silkpaper

The gold sheet and perhaps the cream one as well  are  destine for one of the canyon painted surfaces I painted last week.   The blue and purple paper I created because I wanted to see if one could add bits of yarn to the surface too.  I  think it will work well in a meadow  idea I have in my head.    It is always so much fun to work with others I always feel like I get so much more from these events then I contribute to them.

Before the Bud  17" X 26"  $110.00
Before the Bud
17″ X 26″
$110.00

Progress Report:  Before The Bud

This quilt is completed now.  I really enjoyed doing all the free motion work here.   The colors really work for me as well.  With this quilt I am changing my policy a bit.  I am adding the price of the work to the image. Berfor the Bud cl After reading a third article were a buyer stated that she did not like having to contact the artist to find out about the price of work I decided to include that info in the image.    Selling my work in not my goal, but I need the space so I will gladly do so.  Besides for me, the act of creating is the most important part of the process.   The Problem solving if you will.

Excavating the Ruins 21.5" X 31" $168.00
Excavating the Ruins
21.5″ X 31″
$168.00

Excavating the Ruins
I have enjoyed working on this project due to all the great textures.     I really like all the wholes  here and that contrast adds a lot of interest to my eye.   The map in white organza is of one of the cliff dwellings  in  Canyon de Chelly National Monument.  In looking over it I though it needed a little more punch so I added a little petroglyph   form the canyon for further interest.  Excatating the Ruins Close upI found this little figure very fascinating.

Greek Butterflies 17.5 " X 25" $ 105.00
Greek Butterflies
17.5 ” X 25″
$ 105.00

  Greek Butterflies
I am very happy with how this quilt finally resolved its self.   The lesson on Value came to play here when I took a second look at the distribution of darks on the week end.  I had to take out  some of the piecing and insert some more dark near the bottom before I was happy with it. Greek Butterflys Close up1   I also realized I need to add something to the light block in the center of the quilt.  So I drew in a butterfly of my own using the photos as direction.   I added color after I had out lined the image. Greek Butterfly close up2  I was concerned with how to quilt this work.  I knew I wanted to out line the butterflies but had no idea beyond that.   I toyed with the idea of making  the rest of the quilting a reflective  of that outline  pattern, but was not sure.   So I then it hung on the wall for several days before I saw a photo of moth trails in Pinterest.  Then I knew that was what the quilting patterns should be.    I find this quilt to be very up lifting and the quilting pattern adds to that idea in my mind.

 

  MummyCaveRuins  Mummy Cave Ruins
This shot shows a possible layout for the additions that I am planning on adding to this painted top that I started last week.   On the far left is some of the wonderful silk paper that I created yesterday.   In my origional  photo there is a wall of stone that is in the foreground and I wanted to capture that feeling to some what frame the ruins.    Hanging on the right is some painted inner facing that I may add to make the rocks a bit more colorful.  Again I have added the oil stick stencil drawings to this work surface.  I need to do some free motion work on the parts I am sure of before I know what will go where and if the places where they are pinned at the moment is the final location for them.  Make visual decisions – Visually.

Urban Beauty – From the Pavement     I was doing hand work on this at the Turquoise  Street Studio last week.  Urban Beauty From the pavementI am enjoying building up textures on this surface.  The base units are lutador that has been painted with Lumiar  paints and the white is gesso. ( lutador is a type of spun ground cloth that can be found at some hardware stores this time of year)   I then melted it a bit with the heat gun to melt and distort the surface.  I have done free motion drawing and the hand stitching to add to the complexity of the surface.      I am not sure of were the work is leading me so I hang it often an look at the progress to know what I want to do next.  This makes the process very slow, but worth it I think.

new projectNew Work
This is an attempt at a new direction.   Sense I seem to keep getting hit over the head with this Values idea( even read about it in a book this week) – I  thought I better pay attention.  So I designed a  block ( Check the light blue section in the lower right) .  I  tried to keep light med and dark in the same area- and did three different size variations on the block – small ( lower write) a little bigger ( lower left- this one is also turned 45 degrees) and large( look at the turquoise section)  This is all new territory for me when it comes to designing and I am not sure it will or does work at all.  But I want to stay sharp and open to new “roads” so I will keep playing- the challenge is the thing.

Enjoy the wonders of the season.

Hugs

Carol

 

May 16, 2013 Painting

BarbaraDear Friends,

I feel very light hearted today because I spent most of my morning out doors.  I took a painting workshop this weekend along with all my pastel pals.  We were all looking to stretch a bit.  The workshop was taught by Patti Mollica and was called ” Painting- Fast and Loose.”   This fist shot is over Barbara’ shoulder of the first assignment. We were working on showing lights, mediums, and darks, in our work.   The teacher gave us all a few photos to work from.My PearsThis second shot is of my pears.  The second painting we tried. I am not real happy with it, but I think I got the concept.  Then on the My Paintingssecond day we did more painting and she was pushing the  fast and loose working part.  We did five paintings that day.  The first in the morning to worm up and then one forty five minute one.  Followed by a half hour one and last we did two fifteen min works.  That sure put us into the fast and loose part.   The pomegranate is my favorite.   The whole thing  was fun and got me going with the painting again. Painting 2   Hence my happy feeling as I painted out doors this morning.  I raised the level of my plastic table by setting the legs on four up turned  flower pots so I could stand up and work.  I painted  fabric as starts for two more works based on the trip last June to Canyon De Chelly Nation Monument.      This first shot is of the White  House Ruin.  I have rough out the color bases and will add layers on top with pastels, crayons and fabric pieces.   I want to show the Desert Varnish on the walls of the canyon in this one.      The second one is also from a picture I took on that trip.   It is of the Mummy Cave Ruin.Pinting1   This time I want to work on showing the depth of the rock  pocket of the canyon wall and how much color there was in the stone.    There is lots of work to do here, but I am excited about it.

Progress Report: Mapping the Ruins

The Canyon trip really was on my mind this week and this work also has the influence of that trip in it.   This piece has a traditional pieced  fabric  base in pinks and white.  I am sorry I did not take a photo of this step before I went forward.Maping the ruins   Then I pinned tyvek that had been painted on both side with acrylic paint to the surface.  I quilted through all the layers in a pattern that   Mapping ruins :meltedI had made.  The pattern for the quilting  was based on a map of the ruins of one to the  pueblos in the cliff face of Canyon De Chelly.   I had drawn that map  last year in July for the class I took with Valerie Goodwin at Quilting By the Lake.     I did not use the map in the work because it made the work too busy for my final piece. ( Check last week for the shot of White Tower in the Kendall Show- it’s intended home)   This morning  I took the heat gun to the tyvek and melted away some of the surface.  I love the wholes in the surface that add to the idea of decay and deterioration.map - in organza   My next step will be to add the  map that I have created on two layers of organza on top of the quilt. I will be trimming it down and stitching this map on top of the fabric and the tyvek  to add yet another layer of depth to the work.   That is the plan at this time any way.  Greek Butterflies

Greek Butterflies    This is a new top that grew our of some very old material.   I took a class six years ago were we learned how to transfer photographic images to fabric.   I fist mixed the side of a  shingled building ( the gray)with a wonderful butterfly image that I had taken when I went to Greece. I printed the image on fabric in class.  Then the  fabric just kept shuffling around from one pile to another.   Thinking on the painting class were our teacher Patti Mollica,  spent a whole day on Light-Medium-Dark, I though I would try to use that idea.   I  had a good time and found out what many quilters know about there stashes – we have lots of mediums and not many lights or darks.  ButterlflyNow I need to move forward on this piece- like how to quilt it…..

I hope spring and all it’s joys are filling you with creative juices and thoughts.
Hugs
Carol

March 21, 2013 Shaving Cream Printing

Dear Readers,

We may have passes the Vernal Equinox yesterday and the days may include more sunlight , but here in up state New York it is still very cold.   I will really bundle up when I go for my walk today as it is still only 20 degrees in the sun shine.  I have been staying indoors a lot and working in the studio although I do not have a lot of completed work to show.  I have been playing with my thermofax screens.  Again my connections with other quilts- specially members of QuEG’s has born fruit.   At the March meeting Angela talked about using shaving cream as a carrier for ink with her screens.  I have been playing with that too.  What fun! I spent two days this week playing with this idea.  One day was with my friend Ethel.

Pictured here are the tools, a plastic containor, spoons, the screen and fabric.The second shot shows the shaving cream( I got it at the dollar store) mixed up in smaller containers. The mixture is them spread on the top of the screen and using the edge of credit card one draws ink mixed in the shaving cream across the screen forcing the ink and shaving cream through the screen.  

This shot shows the images printed on the fabric.  It drys so fast that one can print a second color on top with out much time passing.  Ethel and I tried also mixing dye with shaving cream and printing it too.  It seemed to work as well,  but the dye caused the shaving cream to break down quickly and them it runs and bleeds.     That fabric is still batching so I do not have a shot of it yet as I have not washed it out.

 

Progress Report: Speculations on Value   I have now finished this quilt.  I really did enjoy the  Mac Tavishim quilting patterns and went back and fixed the messy ones from last week.  I am sure I will use this style again on a future work.

Speculations on Value
19″ X 42″

This close up also shows some old silk screen work on the white area pictured here.

 

 

 

Window Work   I also put together this simple quilt to serve as a window cover in the west window of our bed room. It is made from navy blue fabric and leftovers from a “Scrap Happy” project from the fall.   This is ready for quilting now and  I will add those things plus a sleeve.  Then it will go up in the bed room.  I need to replace the cover on the east window too so that will be a second piece  using even more of the leftovers.

 

 

Baby Quilt   I am making this quit for the  first grandchild of  one of my good friends, Beth.  The nursery  theme is the jungle so that is how I got started.   I have cut and pinned the giraffe, elephant,zebra and lion.  The  Kola, gazelle ,monkey and at the bottom, lizard remain in the paper pattern stage.   I am a bit frustrated as the big sewing machine is not working correctly, but I will pull out the trusted Bernina 1008 and do the zig -zag applique when all the parts are cut.

 

Far  Horizons  This work is coming  along.  I am only showing a close up this week as it does not look much different than last.  I have been doing all the quilting from the back side because I am using very heavy silk thread and do not have any needles for the machine with big enough eyes to do the job any other way.    The thread was a gift from my friend Judy.  Her grandfather was a tailor in NYC  years ago and it was left over from his shop. I have had it for several years and I am delighted to finally be using this wonderful thread.

I am hoping for some warmer weather  by next week.

Keep Creating

Carol

March 14, 2013 Day Light Savings Time

Hello,

As I set here at the computer I feel like I am running behind.  The clock has been set forward for Day Light Savings Time, but my body is not making the adjustment.  I wake up, and can not believe that it is so late.   And that in turn makes me feel like I am behind all day long.   I am sure that the fact that my husband is on spring break and we are not setting the alarm also adds  to my slow adjustment.  Mother Nature is not helping either.  I am rearing to go when  it is sunny and nice-  It got up to60 degrees one day, but days like today when the snow is flying again make me want to stay in the winter cocoon -I call bed.  I the fact that I forgot  my camera,  and left projects behind twice this week also add to my feeling of out of balance.   Hopefully I will adjust soon and get into “normal” rhythm with the universe and myself.

Progress Report: Speculations on Value  I have spent most of my efforts this week working on this piece.  It is nearly complete and the two long light blue strips are facings that need to be flipped to the back and stitched down.  The fabrics in this quilt have been piled up together for a long time and it felt good to finally assemble them.   I tried a new quilting pattern on this work too.   Sue Ellen introduced the QuEGs group to a pattern  she called Mac Tavishim quilting  at the February meeting.  In looking over my notes I saw the drawing and thought this would be a good time to try it.    The stitching pattern means one starts and curves out to a comfortable point and then returns in a somewhat reflective pattern to the starting point, to then one  swings out again to the opposite end again.   This process is repeated as many times as you feel comfortable or until the space is full, then you start a second.   As this example shows I need to keep practicing, but I do like the process and think I can really use it in the future.

Far  Horizons   This very simple at this point.  I cut the original curved horizontal piece into three sections, shuffled and flipped one unit, then re- assembled the group.  Now I will begin to add lines and stitches as well as small objects on to the surface as embellishment.   It will be a textural play surface for ” add-ons ” and more hand  stitch explorations.

Purple Trees:  This work continues to move along very slowly.  I like how the trees are shaping up.  The new problem is how to bring the three units plus their grounds together into a final grouping.  I am inching forward as I do not know  what I am doing when it comes to how to assemble this work.

  South West Voices:  This work got buried in the fall in one of my cleaning frenzies.  It just surfaced again this week and I am now quilting away on it.  The quilting here is zig-zag and  some what reflective of the patterns in the multi colored fabric.

Stump Men:  I just keep working on the felting of this project.  This shot is of one of the roots.  I think I am nearing the completion of this project and now need to do lots of looking and thinking about what touches it needs to be complete.

I am looking forward to true spring and not needing gloves and boots when I go for my walks.   Those types of walks are always inspiring to me.

Keep Creating

Carol

March 7, 2013 Meetings

Hello Friends,

This week has been a very busy one for me.  I  have had an event of some sort every day this last week.   That started out with QuEG’s play day were we all worked with Gelli plates.. ( From Gelli Arts)The smiles should indicate how much we all enjoyed the process.     We worked and printed only on paper  because we did not know what we were doing.  The paint was flying onto the surfaces as we all explored the mixing and mark making fun of working this way.   Linda explored with Saren Wrap and got some wonderful results that I want to try.I really liked working with the styrofoam plates and printing on top of collaged papers.   I can see the potential for use on fabric  as well.  We all went home with stacks of paper with a wide variety of images on them.  There is lots more exploitation necessary I think.   Then I went off to Ethel’s and we did more discharge work and wax painting with her new jaunting tool.( at the bottom of the photo)   On Friday I went off to the Turquoise Street Studio again and did even  more stamping.     My goal is to print with all the stamps I have created.  I worked all day and I still have a bag full.  I am sorting and tossing out some that are weak as I go along.   I will need to spend another day at that at least- but I think I will not work on that when I go the next time.   I want to do more Gelli play first.

Progress Report : Tropical Day Dreaming 

Tropical Day Dreaming
19″ X 27.5″

 


I had a lot of fun laying out and assembling this bright quilt.    This project uses the gessoed fabric like  Gearing Up, except this time I made it all.  The gesso is painted on turquoise felt with  two different  stencil patterns.  I used the textured gesso on plain white fabric- again with a stencil and then painted the fabric with turquoise and blue paint.  The textured gesso can be seen in the close up.  I free motion quilted a tile pattern all over this quilt.    I do not recommend the texture gesso however as the machine does not like stitching through it.  I even tried a leather needle, but the thread kept breaking .

Another Choice  

I challenged myself to use paper applique on this top.    I had done some wax resist on paper and then dyed  it. ( the white lines in loops were the wax and the blue is the dye.)  I found I could not use the paper as I intended   because it would not stick to any thing with the wax finish so it was shuffled around for at least four years.

Another Choice
24″ X 37″

When I was looking for paper to use with the Gelli printing  it came to the top again.  So I decided to use it.  First I cut the wax covered  paper into triangles.  Then I zig-zagged them down to blue felt.  I played with several  layout  locations, never really finding anything I was happy with.   Finally  on Sat I saw the cut away triangles from my last paper quilt and  added them to the mix.  I was satisfied.   The size if the quilt holds the many parts and I am very pleased with the results.

Purple Trees This project continues to move forward ever so slowly.    I would enjoy a row of days without any commitments- then I think it would come thought.  But I do not see that in the near future so I will just have to limp along on this project.

 Experiment: Far Horizons. This is an experiment as the heading suggests.  I am still working with the wiggle cutting and trying to get it to lie flat.   Now that I am at this point I want to make several vertical cuts and then rearrange the parts.   I am not at all sure how this will work, but  I saw a quilt that I think was created this way and I wanted to play with the idea.

  Scrap  Happy .   I am still working away on the scrap happy quilt.  This first shot show two rows that are ready to be sewn.  The second show shows the same area open up.I only have three more ten block rows to add and the top will be assembled.  After that point it usually takes me about four more hours to complete the quilt.

New Top  This top is my newest beginning.  No name yet but I am working on it.  The commercial fabric with the strong strip pattern is the unifying part of this one.  I silk screened the pale blue pattern on the white fabric with dye.  I like the pattern but was disappointed by how pale  the color turned out to be.  I will screen some more fabric in a darker color in the future.

 Color Challenge   These fabrics will be the start of a new piece this week.  I was reading an old article on color and one of the things the author was pushing was using analogous colors and then adding the compliment for punch.  I realized that I had never  consciously tried this color combination.   I may still add some neutral to this mix, but for the most part this will be the color combo I think.

I  am happily playing in the studio as much as I can  and  I hope the same for you.

Keep Creating

Carol