Fellow artist and on-line friend Sharon Benton has temporarily moved from the Seattle area to San Jose for a few months and we are getting to know each other in person — so fun! Sharon was a charter member of Postmark’d Art so we have been chatting on-line and swapping art since 2004. Last week […]
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Broken Ginkgos IV Done
The final touches were completed this morning. I was successful in getting a variety of designs and design sizes in this small quilt so I’m pleased with the outcome. This series is quite fun! I have #5 ready to quilt and #6 is mentally being pulled together. And here’s the back Who knows when this […]
Broken Ginkgos IV
While I work out quilting designs for the sunflower scrap I’m working on the fourth broken ginkgo quilt. I have each piece of the pattern solidly stitched on the very edges and have begun the quilting. I tend to quilt very densely — some refer to this as quilting it to death — so keeping […]
Sunflower Scrap — Deux
I’m having a lot of fun creating a bouquet of sunflower scrap pieces. Here is the second piece well under way. I chose to use a square scrap for this one. Yes, those are a lot of pins. After stitching the pedals and seeds I was concerned about distortion so I blocked it. I used […]
O’Hanlon Gallery Visit
Heather Piazza joined me for a visit to the O’Hanlon Gallery to see their current exhibit Bay Area Women Artists. The art center is located in bucolic Mill Valley, just north of San Francisco. Of the 56 pieces Donna Seager selected for this exhibit only four are textiles. I continue to be impressed by the […]
Ginkgo Dust Up at the O’Hanlon Gallery
Ginkgo Dust Up has been accepted for Bay Area Women Artists, an exhibit that just opened at the O’Hanlon Center Gallery in Mill Valley. The O’Hanlon Center for the Arts provides programs, studio space and exhibits as part of its mission for fostering creativity and building community. Juror Donna Seager of Seager Gray Gallery in […]
Beads
I’m working on a written tour of my studio that Postmark’d Art will publish next month as part of it’s First Friday series. Check out Suzanna Bond’s tour for a taste of what this series is about. In preparation I snapped quite a few photos of my work digs. This one prompted a recent question: […]
Sunflower Scrap Done!
I purchased the only tube of blue beads that were the right shade and size. I hesitated with the purchase knowing that if I ran out of beads before I was done I was sunk. I decided to risk it. The beads are on and here is what I have left in the tube. Lucky […]
Back to the Sunflower Scrap
I recently shared the beginning of a new project using a scrap of printed sunflower fabric. I thought I had my direction well-defined and that this foot-square piece would be whipped out and on my wall in no time. Nope. That was not the way it was to be. I had some learning and stretching […]
IQF Long Beach
Last week I was in San Diego for a class reunion with Frankfurt American High School alum — it happened to be the same week that the International Quilt Festival was featured at the Long Beach Convention Center. Oh my! I hitched a ride with Kay Laboda and we spent a day at the festival. […]
Hosting Senol Sak
Creative Framing and Gallery has an international art show this month featuring pastels by Senol Sak of Bolu, Turkey, prints by Maria Regina Pinto Pereira of São Paulo, Brazil and paintings by Mellissa Read-Devine of Sydney, Australia. Senol was the only artist able to come to the United States for the exhibit reception and I […]
Wordless Wednesday: This week’s share
New Work: Sunflower Scrap
Beginning something new is always a shot of adrenalin to the creative flow. While pouring over a stack of Machine Quilting Unlimited magazines, an article by Jenny Bowker (May 2011) called “Starter Scrap Quilting” piqued my interest. Jenny likes to start with a small scrap of large-print fabric, add borders, then extend the pattern of […]
Wordless Wednesday
Operator Error and New Work
When was the last time ‘operator error’ was good news for you? Well, it turned out to be good news for me this week. Just Wednesday I shared some cyanotype prints with you, pointing out that one had a blotch caused by a water spot. I puzzled over this spot at the time I noticed […]
Cyanotype
The leaves in the garden beckoned me so I pulled out some of my prepared fabrics from Blueprints on Fabric and created a few prints. I used a small clipping from Jennifer’s oakleaf hydrangea and a cluster of dried flowers from the same plant. A spot of water on the fabric created the large blotch […]
Broken Ginkgos Headed to Houston
Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA) just announced some exciting news to members: In 2012, we have received 394 donated art quilts. Most will be sold through SAQA’s online Benefit Auction. A special group of 106 will be sold in the SAQA booth at International Quilt Festival – Houston. Warren and Nancy Brakensiek selected the works […]
Broken Ginkgos III
This is one of the small works I took with me to Asilomar last month. While there I did get some work done on it, but the many distractions did not allow for the kind of decision-making necessary to complete it. Yesterday, thanks to a day I spent with Jenny Lyon focused on quilting, I […]
Happy Anniversary
It doesn’t seem possible but it’s true — June 15th marked my one-year anniversary as a blogger. Keeping my commitment of twice-weekly sharing helps to keep me focused on my goals. (Notice I did not say that it means I achieve all of them!) It’s been quite a year and I’ve enjoyed having you with […]
Wordless Wednesday: Taylor & Mendelssohn
Artist in Residence Wrap Up
My experience at Asilomar Conference Grounds has been exciting for so many reasons. Just being at this jewel-in-the-crown California state park is a wonderful experience. Here are just a few reasons why. This is the sunset view from my room. (Click on photos for a larger view.) Walking on the boardwalk. . . Interesting stumps! […]
At Asilomar — Artist in Residence
I was invited in 2010 to be the Artist in Residence during one of the five sessions that Empty Spools Seminars holds classes at Asilomar Conference Grounds in Pacific Grove, CA. I was thrilled to sign the contract and here I am today. Arrival day was Sunday, June 17. My sister Christy met me here […]
One Lovely Blog Award
I’m proud to share that I’ve been nominated for the One Lovely Blog award by Meta Heemskerk of the Netherlands. Meta is a no-holds-barred fiber artist who is constantly learning and growing. I envy her focus and volume of accomplishment. Find out what Meta is up to at Green In The Middle. I’m very pleased […]
Eat Your Veggies
We grow many of our own vegetables and we purchase fresh produce at our local farmer’s markets. This year we decided to take advantage of something even more convenient by picking up a box of vegetables that are delivered to a neighbors house by a local organic farmer — Shooting Star CSA of Suisun Valley, […]
Mea Culpa
Remember when I shared with you the capture and destruction of the tomato worm on the parsley plant? I’ve since learned — to my great distress — that it was actually the larva of a Western Swallowtail Butterfly! I can hear my friends Belle and Jennifer sighing “Oh, Franki!” I’m sharing this publicly in the […]
More Broken Colors
I’m going to be the Artist in Residence for Empty Spools Seminars later this month. Empty Spools has been putting teachers and students together to fine-tune quilt-making skills since 1985. The setting is Asilomar Conference Center in Pacific Grove, California, right on the ocean. It just doesn’t get any better. Being AIR is quite an […]
Golden Gate Diamond Anniversary
At last the mighty task is done; Resplendent in the western sun The Bridge looms mountain high; Its titan piers grip ocean floor, Its great steel arms link shore with shore, Its towers pierce the sky. From the poem “The Mighty Task Is Done,” Joseph Strauss, 1937. In addition to remembering our men and women […]
Nurture What You do Well
Signs of the Season
Just four blossoms this year on my young peony. I haven’t seen one of these guys in many years! Isn’t is incredible how something so destructive can be so beautiful!? Smile. . . Happy summer.
More van Gogh Inspiration
I showed you half of the van Gogh-inspired fabric postcards I obtained through Postmark’d Art, the international group of fabric artists I am fortunate to be a part of, last week. Here are the other four of the collection. Debbie Geistweidt of Texas was inspired by Cypresses. Her fabric collage is covered with sparkling tulle […]
