Air show practice

This weekend is the Air and Water show in Chicago. In preparation for the show Army and Navy jets do low flyovers in formation over our building on their way to the lake for two days of practice. It is really hard to photograph them because they are so fast, when you look where the sound is the planes have already long passed. It is amazing to see these jets flying sooooo close together at these speeds and so close to the skyscrapers. Sometimes they fly so low you can read the type on the underside of the wings and make out the shape of the pilots head.

Sign up now for the next online Color Theory Class

The next Color Theory Class is ready to go, it's a six week course beginning September 1st.

Did you know the color choices you make can transform an average piece of artwork into something spectacular? Be surprised and delighted by the effects and illusions you can create by understanding the mysteries of color. In this hands-on experiential class you'll learn key color concepts with visual examples, mix new paint colors, and create helpful charts, all providing you with the tools you’ll need to see color in a whole new light.

To see the supply list, find out how to enroll and see what students from the last class had to say about it, click here.

Barack is never gonna give you up

OK I have tried to avoid posting any political type stuff, but this is too cute.

Atlanta Airport Exhibit

As I sat in the Atlanta airport Monday morning waiting for the thunderstorms in the mid-west to die down enough for my flight to take off, I happened to come across this fabulous little exhibit. How cool to see a few Jane Burch Cochran quilts up close. That was a great distraction from the frustration of hearing that my flight had been delayed again.

If you click on the Found Objects sign it should pop up large enough to see the other exhibitors.

Unfortunately Lucky Shie's quilts were in another part of the airport, but there was a cool paper quilt made from postage stamps in a trip around the world pattern, as well as baskets made from camera negative film and soda cans.

Tsukineko Inks Workshop

The second workshop in Atlanta was on using Tsukineko Inks, we worked through several techniques using the fantastic applicator pens and also using paint brushes with time spent gradating and blending colors smoothly.

It is always interesting seeing people go through that learning curve from mild frustration to amazement once they have a few tips and techniques under their belt.

The images on the right are some of my demos and examples I did during the class.










Be sure to visit Fiber on a Whim and Carol Sloan for more great workshop photos.

Mixed Media Painted Fabric in Atlanta

These were my fabulous hosts, Kristin and Jan, from Fiber on a Whim. Don't let Kristin's youthful look fool you, she is definitely the boss in this mom and daughter partnership. It's just too bad they are both so darn serious.

Their shop, in a lovely little gray house in Atlanta, is chock full of great supplies; paints, fabric, decorative papers, books and even a whole room full of gorgeous yarns.

They have a great workspace downstairs with really comfortable chairs! I am so jealous there is no place like this here in Chicago. As we worked away downstairs we heard lots of laughter from above, these gals have too much fun!













Everyone did beautiful work! I wish we could have kept going for a few more days and really gotten in some stitching and project construction with this. I hope everyone sends me photos!

It was a real treat to meet Carol Sloan, who took my first online color theory class, then signed up for both days of workshops at Fiber on a Whim. Such faith, I am honored. Be sure to head over to Carols blog, she has great photos from the workshops.

The color theory class is just finishing up and I will announce the next one soon. I will probably start it just after Labor day, so be sure to check back in the coming weeks. Just to let you know, I will probably limit the class to 40 and at the moment I have a waiting list with over 20 people. I'll keep you posted.

What a storm!

(Photo by Pete Stasiewicz / August 4, 2008 Chicago Tribune)

I am back, but boy what a night! The tornado sirens went off downtown at 8pm and we ran down 5 flights of stairs to get to the basement garage to ride out the storm. I lived in Texas for 6 years and thought I had witnessed some intense lightening storms, but I never saw anything to compare with the two storms that blew through last night. Think strobe lights with insanely bright bursts with a few seconds of darkness between. Now, they are not calling this a tornado, straight line winds and micro burst are the terms I have been hearing, but the tv warnings were for a tornado. We really took it seriously when we started hearing city locations and times with us in the path. Hearing the sirens really triggered the adrenaline. Indiana had terrible damage as bad as a tornado would make. Here in the city there are lots of downed trees and power lines.