Quilted hills

I quilted the hills with a simple contour quilting line. I chose to use that design for several reasons; one because I want the hills to be a simpler pattern than the foreground imagery, also if I quilt the grass area vertically I like the contrast of the horizontal line and lastly with time being an issue, I didn't want to do anything too complex.

For the sky I am quilting between the scroll work, filling in the white space with a contour design. I think it gives a sense of movement to the sky, I am about 1/3 of the way done with it.

Good Times

Did you grow up in the 70's like I did? CHIPS, the Dukes of Hazard, the Love Boat...Good Times?
Remember that J.J, played by Jimmy Walker, was a young aspiring painter? Do you know that the amazing neo-mannerist paintings used on the set and credits were created by Ernie Barnes, the football player turned painter? I didn't realize he passed away this past Spring.
Here is his website and here is a CNN video tribute.



c. Ernie Barnes
"Sugar Shack" (used in the intro of "Good Times")

Getting ready for turkey day...

This afternoon, I made cranberry sauce with zinfandel, white and brown sugar, cinnamon sticks, clove, allspice and orange peel, then a pumpkin pie and Nina made the cranberry pie, only this time with apples. She added 3 chopped up granny smith apples and an extra half cup sugar to the recipe and baked it in a large deep pie dish I made several years ago when I lived in Texas and was making pottery. I will let you know how it tastes with the apple.

Now the brine is cooling for the turkey. I have a 5 gallon paint bucket I bought at the hardware store years ago specifically for brining turkey in. I will put the turkey in it with a bunch of ice and put it out on the balcony overnight, it is supposed to be 29° tonight with the possibility of flurries in the morning. I hope we do get a little dusting of snow, that sure would put things in the holiday spirit.

Quilting details

To quilt the details on the plants I am drawing them on with my Bohin marking pencil. I have put in a pink lead to give a little more contrast than the white since some of the leaves are a bit light.

Quilted trees

I have finished quilting the trees, I did not want to obscure the lines of painted images so I am opting to quilt slightly outside the painted image lines. I want it to retain its painting quality. I often have a tendency to quilt over my lines, so it becomes harder to tell if it is painted.

I am outlining all the plants in the grass with green thread, then I will add quilted details to the larger leaves.

Veterans as Artists

In the "Combat Paper Project" veterans make their uniforms worn in combat into paper and then into works of art. This cathartic process of papermaking and creating art helps them embrace their combat experiences. This is a very cool project and is a fine example of the healing power of the art process.

The Athenaeum Opening

The opening of the Athenaeum show last night was really great. Plenty of friends and family present along with others. I really enjoyed engaging new friends about art and all manner of topics from Andrew Wyeth to pet pigs. Receiving such wonderful feedback and response is always a humbling experience and I count myself very blessed to be a professional artist with so much support for the work. Thanks everyone. As of today four paintings have been sold.

And special thanks to the lovely and amazing Twig Murray who really is behind all of this and has been such a wonderful encouragement to me.


Friends....


The Historic Athenaeum


Phil and my husband, Craig.


Eugenia anf Steve Ryner


Mike, my sister, Sarah and Chris


Craig managed a few interior shots before the people arrived.

Technical difficulties

I started the quilting by outlining the deer and tree trunks to stabilize the fabric and the batting. I always try to work around the quilt covering some broad areas very simply and then slowly work in more detailed quilting, working evenly across the quilt. The reason for that is to avoid having areas with really dense quilting that pulls the fabric in, shrinking its surface area, making big poofy open spots that are harder to quilt evenly without getting puckers or creases in the quilted fabric.

I started to outline quilt the scroll work in the sky with gold metallic thread. I put Bottom Line in the bobbin and metallic thread on top, and started quilting. I was very unhappy with the way the thread was bunching up on my starts and stops, then the thread started skipping stitches and breaking fairly often. I changed the needle to a titanium 90/14 which should handle the metallic thread even better than the standard 90/14, but the thread still shredded and broke. My Janome 6600 is very finicky when it comes to thread not matching in the bobbin and top, so that may have been the biggest problem. Since I did not want to put metallic thread in the bobbin, it was going to be a nightmare to quilt the way things were going.

I figured my best course of action at this point was going to be to switch machines. I pulled out my old Pfaff Creative 1475 (17 years young), which has always handled a variety of threads wonderfully, reacquainted myself with it, threaded it up with the gold thread and it quilted like a dream.

I have decided to stick with the Pfaff for now since it is doing so well and have moved on to regular thread again quilting the leaves on one of the trees.

Update

The Athenaeum opening is this Sunday. It has been an odd week. I have worked some on paintings in progress, and started a new painting, but really mostly have enjoyed relaxing and getting some other things done this week. Family is coming in, some for the opening and some early in the week and then Thanksgiving arrives, so next week might not hold a lot of painting time either.

I will leave you all this Friday with the new project by my favorite photographer, Andrew Zuckerman, called "Bird."

One of my all time favorite images is his photograph of Andrew Wyeth.



c. Andrew Zuckerman

Mmmmm....

Nina loves cranberries, she eats raw cranberries all the time, so she did a Google search for desert recipes with cranberries and found a recipe for cranberry pie!

She made it last night and it came out so good, nicely tart and such a pretty color. We were also thinking it would be really good to make a pie that combines apples and cranberries using this recipe.

Now I have Posole bubbling away in the slow cooker, perfect for a cold rainy day and to warm us up after I pick up my sister Deb at airport this evening. We have talked about having Thanksgiving together for years, so this year we are doing it.

Artist Statements

I have to thank fellow artist Kathleen Krucoff for the laugh I had this morning by going to the link she posted on Facebook. With the Market-O-Matic 1.0 (fine arts version) one can simply use the drop down boxes, click the "crank out the crap" button and out comes a ridiculously pretentious artist statement. I read one of these this past week by an artist whose work I liked, but the cryptic statement did little to help me engage the art. I came away confused, not compelled to engage the paintings. I wished I had not read it.

Those of you who are artist know the pain of writing an artist statement. Those of you who are not artists know the pain of reading those statements. So, here is mine:

"Work of Sub-Art in the Age of Generative Reproduction

The mind creates, the body profligates. In the synoptic hallucination, art objects are resurrections of the creations of the mind -- a mind that uses the body as an organism to materialize ideas, patterns, and emotions. With the evolution of the electronic environment, the mind is conceiving a point where it will be free from the body to transcend immersions into the parameters of the delphic hallucination. Work of Sub-Art in the Age of Generative Reproduction contains 10 minimal "flash engines" (also refered to as "memes") that enable the user to make victorious visual compositions.

measuring chains, constructing realities
putting into place forms
a matrix of illusion and disillusion
a strange attracting force
so that a seduced reality will be able to spontaneously feed on it

---

Tracey Clarke's work investigates the nuances of modulations through the use of slow motion and close-ups which emphasize the Generative nature of digital media. Clarke explores abstract and heavy scenery as motifs to describe the idea of imaginary hallucination. Using powerful loops, non-linear narratives, and interactive images as patterns, Clarke creates meditative environments which suggest the expansion of space..."

Ridiculous....

Batting a thousand

I have spent the last few days catching up with life; cleaning the house, going to the bank, getting groceries, doing laundry...and trying to figure out how to tackle the quilting.

Usually I like my quilting to create a certain amount of depth and texture as well as interesting thread work. With this quilt I want to create a flatter, more like a painting or tapestry quilt. So I have been in a quandary about what to use for batting.

Personally, I prefer wool batting over other types because it is light weight, does not retain creases if the quilt has been folded, has a nice loft when the quilting is further apart and gets flat and thin when the quilting is heavy which creates really nice quilting texture.

Cotton batting is flat, but it is heavy, bulky when pushing the quilt under the sewing machine and holds creases and folds forever.

I have used wool blend felt for small mixed media pieces and really like the way it quilts and how it holds its shape. So I thought about using 100% wool felt which I happened to find at Joannes for $17.99 a yard. This seemed like a great option, it’s a little squishy and thicker than wool blend felt. I quilted a small sample and really liked it, so I fused my quilt top to the wool with Mistyfuse, which does not stiffen the fabric like some of the other fusible webs.

When finished, I really liked the flat sturdiness of the fused top, but when I picked up the quilt top it felt heavy and pretty stiff, this was worrisome. I put the whole thing on my sewing machine and brought the needle to the center of the quilt to slide it around following some of the shapes as though I were quilting it. Then I knew I had a problem, it was hard to manipulate the top smoothly, because of its bulk, I could just imagine how hard it would be to keep my stitching lines fluid and smooth. I was already envisioning the knots in my neck and shoulders forming while wrestling the top under the needle.

I put the top back on my pressing board and with Nina’s help ran the hot iron over the surface in sections to warm the fusible web and peeled the painted top off the felt.

I remember from previous experiments that if I put Mistyfuse on the top and back fabric and fused it to wool batting, the batting would loose some of its loft. Now I have refused the top to wool batting and fused the backing fabric as well to the batting. It is still a little puffy, but I know it will be much easier to maneuver under the arm of the machine. Next is the scary part, starting!

stay tuned...

Breathe and relax.......

I feel a pretty big internal sigh of relief after delivering the show for the Athenaeum yesterday. Those of you who have been with me through the journey of the last several months know I was a bit overwhelmed by it all. But, it all got done and with the FCCA show hanging now and getting really positive reviews and the Athenaeum show opening this coming weekend, I know now that I can do it with a lot of dedication and discipline (and support from my husband who was so helpful with the admin.)

I am back on the self portrait I thought was finished. Every dream I have has animals, and I have recurring dreams particularly about baby animals. As someone who feels strongly about the stewardship, compassion and care of animals (and children) whom I consider innocents in the grand scheme of history, this is the path to follow in bringing the portrait about myself to completion. So, on we go.......back to the blessed easel.

My first book!

I just self published this little portfolio of my art quilts and mixed media work using Blurb. I have seen several people write about using Blurb on their blogs and thought I would try it out myself. You can preview the book here.

The book is 7 inches square, 40 pages long, printed on premium paper and can be ordered with a soft or hard cover. One of the nicest things is that I can reorder any quantity of books whenever I need them without having to pay a whole bunch of money upfront.

I am very happy with the quality of the finished book. I love the size; small enough to fit in my purse, but big enough to get a good look at the work.

It certainly is not like making a book with a big publisher for distribution and all, one of these days I will get around to trying that too, but for now this was a fun baby-step into that experience.

Upcoming Gallery Opening

Varnishing paintings is on hold with all the rain we are having. I may be able to do a little painting today just because of this weather.

I reminded of late how much history there is in Northern Virginia area. The historic Silversmith House in Fredericksburg is the location of my current exhibit. The Athenaeum gallery where my next show will be held has quite a history as well.

The photograph of the Athenaeum below was taken by Matthew Brady in 1864 during the Civil War. Located in old town Alexandria, it was a bank building when it opened in 1851. After Alexandria fell to the North during the Civil War, it became a headquarters building of the Union Army. These are Union Army officers standing outside their HQ. Today, it is home to the Northern Virginia Fine Arts Association (NVFAA).

Hey West Coasters, Mark your calendars

I just got my paperwork from the IQA that I will be teaching in Long Beach at International Quilt Festival July 22-25!


I will have three classes: Thursday (all day)- Mixed Media Painted Fabric, Friday night (6-9)- Ornamental Fiesta and Saturday (all day)- Wholecloth Painted Fabric.

Mark your calendars so we can make some art together!

Painting- done I think

I think after eleven hours of painting yesterday it is done. There is always the possibility I will tweak thinks here and there. I had to force myself to stop last night at midnight, I was touching up lights and darks on the leaves on the tree on the right to give them a little more contrast. I probably could have spent another hour touching them up here and there.

Tuesday Update

I think I have forgotten how to paint. Five weeks post-last painting, and feeling it. When I took on two shows opening within a month of each other, I knew it would be a challenge getting enough good work, but now the ongoing framing (with two damaged frame shipments), varnishing and writing narratives have worn me out. It has been a learning experience as one show I (and the other artist, Anne) were exclusively responsible for press, hanging, the reception and cleaning of the gallery. I did enjoy getting the reception together and will do that again with the first opening of 2010 in February. But I have to say I officially hate varnishing. I wonder how many brain cells I have murdered by breathing that stuff over the last month?

I spoke with journalist Craig Schulin from the Freelance Star newspaper today about the FCCA show. I will post the story he is writing on the exhibit as soon as I get it from him.I really enjoyed speaking with him and hearing his comments and thoughts on my work.

I deliver the Athenaeum show this Sunday. The inventory will be nine large paintings and ten
5" x 7" panels. Until then, I will keep tying things up, making sure each painting, each word is right, and photographing (which I loathe.) And...(sigh of relief) I will officially be back at the easel on Monday. We will see if I can paint a stick animal or remember color mixing at all........

I leave you with the Latte artist.

A little blue

I only had a short amount of time to paint yesterday so I didn't get as far as I would have liked. Hopefully today I will get the rest of the flowers painted and begin the grass.

The flowers are starting to bloom

I have finished painting the greenery and am now painting the flowers. I am only using red, yellow, white and blue for the flowers since that is the limits of the flower colors in the hunting paintings. I have chosen to make the white flowers tinted a little pink just so they are not a stark white. So far I have worked through red and yellow, next I will start on blue.

After I finish the flowers I will start painting in the grass.

Ricë Freeman-Zachery featured Nina and another talented girl named Sarah, about the same age, on her blog over the weekend.

FCCA Opening

We had a great attendance at the gallery last night with people moving through all evening. I am a blessed person to have so many "regulars" who come to every opening to support me. I was thrilled to have friends Steve and Eugenia there, as well. These are two people who have been overwhelmingly supportive of my work in many ways. And of course it is wonderful to connect with new people.

This morning I debriefed the event with my friend Pam who will often walk around listening to comments and talking to people. The painting that by far received the most varied response was the "Shepherdess of the Sea." This painting is the most surrealistic and generally cryptic of all of my paintings thus far. It is interesting to find that from the beginning, it evoked strong response. Many people really loved the idea and encouraged me to pursue it, but some felt otherwise. It seemed that as long as I was painting the lovely fawn, all was well, but as soon as the idea evolved in a directly surrealistic direction, I received some opposition. Originally, the initial drawing utilized some of the ideas of "The Flowering Bull" such as using botanical elements for the legs with the thought that she may be his predecessor. But as I went along in the process I realized she had something to do with the ocean, and followed that leading.

Among the common comments were that some did not feel comfortable with the pairing of land and sea life, and others didn't "get it." Working in this genre requires a non-left brained way of seeing. Many people have a hard time connecting with surrealism most likely because the viewer often has to work harder to "get it" in this genre than any other, maybe with the exception of minimalism. It can appear "nonsensical", odd and often times there may be nothing to "get." In most of us the rational brain, the labeling and compartmentalizing brain is the first to respond. I find even in myself this kind of unconscious habit of trying to explain and make sense of art when I look at it. In my painting, this kind of immediate reaction hinders my creativity, so I work at trying to let the work speak to me.

As the artist, this spectrum of reaction is a fantastic thing and in no way a negative. The more I think about the Shepherdesses' evolution and the volume of reaction, the better I feel about the painting. When everyone likes a painting, you have to wonder how challenging it really is and on the other hand, if people are really being honest. The very worst that can happen is no response. A huge part of why I paint is to evoke a feeling and I feel every individual reaction is valid. So thank you to everyone from sketch to opening night who voiced their thoughts on this painting openly and honestly. You bless, encourage and challenge me when you do...

One woman approached me to say she thought my work is scary and indeed, there are dark undertones and notes to be sure (forbid it that I would ever paint a work that is simply "pleasing" or "enjoyable." It wouldn't be authentic for me to do that). So, another wonderful reaction from someone who took the time to "look", let the work speak and so feel what comes to the surface.

I hope that my work is uniquely creative with a strange beauty that others remember and that in some way it will speak to each individual in a personal manner.

SOFA and Ellen

Friday morning I went to two wonderful textile themed lectures at SOFA. The first one Fiber Art: Expressions & Aesthetics, Part I: fiber artists Marcia Docter, C. Pazia Mannella, Carol B. Shinn and Barbara Lee Smith share their ideas and inspirations.

Barbara Lee Smith

Carol Shinn

The second was Fiber Art: Expressions and Aesthetics, Part II: Fiber artists Jon Eric Riis, Geoffrey Gorman, Marilyn Pappas and Kate Cusack share their ideas and inspirations.

Both Lectures were wonderful, seeing each artist's work, hearing about their process and inspirations was fascinating.

Here's Geoffrey Gorman in Jane Sauer's booth with his fabulous found object sculptures. I love how animated his animals seem, I feel like they could get up and run away.

There is always so much to see, I wish I could list all the amazing art and artists to see at this show. A few pieces that caught my eye were the stitched sculptures by Anne Lemanski and these glass orbs with stitched filaments and glass tendrils by Cathy Strokowsky. I only had my iphone with me which does not take great pictures in low light, so I didn't take many photos.

After coming home from SOFA I took Abby out for a walk.  Being a nice day,  I was anxious to get her out to enjoy it before the cold sets in and it is too cold for her to go out on walks. As I turned the corner I saw a crowd on the sidewalk across from an SUV that said the Ellen Degeneres Show on the side hooked up to a trailer with a magazine stand on top. I hung out a few minutes to see what was going on and started up a conversation with a production designer named Larry who told me he built the magazine stand and gave me the low down on what was supposed to happen.

This is Ellen driving away with the magazine stand full of the latest O magazine that she is featured in.

Abby started to get cold standing outside as the wind kicked up in the shade, so I popped her in my coat to keep her warm. Luckily she stayed quiet and didn't start barking at anything.

Here's Ellen getting out of the SUV after going around the block.

Nina called me on the phone, so I looked up and she was looking over the balcony. The photo on the right is her view of me standing on the street below, while Abby gets some attention from a bystander.

Nina got this shot of Ellen from up on the balcony.