Radio Silence Broken......

hey folks, I'm working here!!

as I said at the end of my last post, I am working on a commission piece

which means I've been working on stitching this background which will be the stacked stone wall basis for the pictures that will be added on top

this is the drawing (I love using tracing paper to create the layers of a piece like this so I can see what it will look like)

the plan is to add a layer of silk organza over the wall, then add the pictures (the outlined blank spaces in the drawing) and the detailed vines around them

the wall is almost done -- this is moving right along!

this piece is making it's way to North Caroline to join all of the other commemorative pieces in the 70273 Project

it is 15 inches wide and 72 inches long and contains 365 pairs of red Xs in memory of 365 disabled people murdered by the Nazis in the 1930s

while I was shipping of the memorial piece, I also sent off these two pieces out of the Parched Earth series to a gallery in Tubac, AZ for a show titled "Shock of the New West"

I learned this week that this piece was accepted into a show titled "Contrast" that will be in the Parker Art Center

for the past two years I've been thinking (and talking) about applying to be a Juried Artist Member of Studio Art Quilt Associates -- I've been a member of the organization for quite a while, served as a volunteer regional representative twice and curated a bunch of shows for the group

being a Juried Artist Member (JAM) requires submission of a portfolio of photos of a body of work, a resume and an artist statement --- becoming a JAM means recognition of your abilities and accomplishments by a group of your peers

this week I completed my package and applied to be a JAM -- the committee meets after March 1, so sometime soon I will know if I was accepted --- I'm keeping my fingers crossed

in keeping with my habit of working on more than one project at a time, this piece is currently on the design wall

because of the small size of some of the sky pieces, I will be doing this as a fused piece

this one should be fun

Benson has had a busy week playing in the snow and other craziness

we received the results of his Wisdom Panel (doggie DNA test) -- while the guess was that he was a cross between a labrador and a red heeler, the test says he's neither of those

he is actually about 1/4 Australian Shepard, 1/4 Australian Cattle Dog, 1/4 Chow Chow, and 1/4 Alaskan Husky with trace genetics of Boxer, Great Dane and Golden Retriever

as my daughter says -- 100% good dog!!

with that mixed heritage, we're likely to avoid the problems that inbred dogs have, so he's likely to be around to amuse us for a long time