Fiber Artist
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. […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
There are several beautiful, well-maintained parks near my sister’s home in Boulder City. One of the parks has daily visits by a local herd of wildlife. Here’s a sign to warn you on the way. And here is the wildlife. (Click on an image to get a larger view.) These are stunning beasts. When Christy […]
Congress debated for 6 years before naming the bald eagle as the symbol of our country. And though there doesn’t seem to be a congressional record of his opposition, Ben Franklin shared his views with his daughter Sarah Bache in a January 26, 1784 letter: “For my own part I wish the Eagle had not […]
The air was swept clear by a strong wind over night and the moon setting over San Francisco was a spectacular way to begin the day. 6:16 a.m. 6:17 a.m. 6:18 a.m. 6:21 a.m. What looks like a hill is actually a bank of fog on the coast. Have a great day!
Today is the 159th anniversary of Vincent van Gogh’s birthday. Happy birthday Vincent! The words to Don McLean’s hit song Vincent has been swirling around in my head for several days now and, unlike other times when I’ve found it annoying to have a tune linger this long, I’m enjoying its calming effect. Postmark’d Art […]
I’m back to cooking my way through Rachel Saunders’ Blue Chair Jam Cookbook. I’ve shared this process before here, and other things I’ve learned through her book here. It has been another windy, rainy day in the San Francisco Bay Area so hunkering down making marmalade and writing are a natural for me. I am […]
My friend Win Dell’Ario — award-winning interior designer in Half Moon Bay — recently thanked a client for their business by presenting them with painted portraits of their two dogs. The portraits completed the newly redone mud room with such pizazz! I have been wanting to immortalize by boys for some time and I was […]
The ancient art of fabric wrapping everyday items for utilitarian purposes or wrapping an item to be gifted has been fast forwarded by Deb Cashett and Kris Sazaki through the February 2012 publication of their book Furoshiki Fabric Wraps by C&T Publishing. For someone who is fondling and manipulating fabric almost daily, this is a […]
I have been awarded the Liebster Blog Award by Carol Larson, a serious fiber artist you can catch up with at Live2Dye. This award is given to bloggers who inspire you and have less than 200 followers. The Liebster Award takes it’s name from the German word meaning Beloved, Dearest or Favorite. Oh MY! I’m […]
Last week I fell very short of my goals for sketching flowers. The trip to San Diego was worth it, but I will have some making up to do! I managed only two sketches — I look forward to doing many more flowers this summer. I simply adore sunflowers. And my hellebore in the back […]
I simply had to go! The traveling SAQA exhibit Art Meets Science opened on February 3rd at Visions Art Museum in San Diego, CA. My quilt Nature’s Fractal is a part of this traveling exhibition and this is the only West Coast venue. (See the sidebar for an explanation of the exhibit and where it […]
I love going to solo exhibits of art quilts. I get a chance to see a body of work by one artist and that can be revealing, surprising and — did I mention fun? The only thing better is when I know the artist. I slipped under the wire for seeing this exhibit advertised as […]
This lesson focuses on drawing with the pen only (no pencil sketch!) straight on the paper with no lifting of the pen. Yikes! This was scary for me. But Jane explained that this can be a very freeing kind of drawing, allowing for quick work that produces a more loose, wonky image that tends to […]
I spent all day Wednesday hanging out with three friends — Denise Oyama Miller, Aileyn Ecob and Jean Jurgenson — learning a design technique new to three of us. Last year Aileyn and Jean said they wanted to learn about the technique Denise uses in some of her art quilts. She calls it broken color […]
Well, I won’t be taking commissions any time soon, but I’m tickled with what I’ve been able to do with my first two attempts at sketching and watercolor. This week we are working on FRUIT in Jane LaFazio‘s class. Here’s what I did on Wednesday after I completely read the directions and got myself all […]
Last month I posted a question to the members of Postmark’d Art about which pens they liked the most for writing on fabric. The conversation became quite lively as members shared their experiences with a number of pens. Sarah Ann Smith said she was quite happy with a set of pens purchased for an on-line […]
Here are 12 of the 14 stockings I completed. As the final stitches were being done, my mind turned to the possible uses for these little charmers. Naturally they will be wonderful on the Christmas tree. But how about using them on your holiday table? Or hanging them on a door? Or attaching them to […]
Last week there was quite a buzz among the Postmark’d Art group about Chops. No, not the kind you eat, the kind you use to sign your art. Jane Davila had a wonderful story she shared about obtaining one while she was teaching in Korea earlier this year. That prompted the question of where one […]
The Lint Landscape is done! And I’m quite pleased with it. It seems to have a nice structure, movement and a bit of whimsy. Click on image for a larger view. Whodathunk that a mundane weekly task like laundry could lead to the creation of art? I’ll admit that needle felting has been […]
I cleaned out my lint trap the other day and couldn’t throw it out. You see, I usually toss the lint so frequently that I don’t have much to toss. Thanks to my recent slovenliness in this area, I had a nice 1/4″ deep pile of lint in an interesting shade of gray. Well, one […]
Oh the weather outside is frightful, but this blog is sooo delightful Until the internet gets slow, Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow! No, it isn’t actually snowing in Oakland, CA. I couldn’t resist sharing a bit of holiday cheer thanks to the clever folks at WordPress. They even supplied the poem. […]
I’ve been fortunate to receive a few pieces of my grandmother’s fine hand work. Not necessarily things I would make for myself, they are nonetheless, a treasured legacy from a woman who influenced me deeply. Hilda Elizabeth Packer Preston lived with my family for 10 years — my ages 3 – 13 — and it […]
