May Days

and here we are, already more than half way through the "merry, merry month of May"!

a little utilitarian stitching!

this was originally a t-shirt style top, and my daughter loved the print (I can see why!), but even though it was a size that should have fit her quite well, it was just too snug to be comfortable

so she asked me if I could cut it down the front and make it into a "jacket"

yup, I still can do that!  I even had a piece of an old orange t-shirt that I could cut pieces to neatly face that opening

yeah!

work on the commission continues

after I took this photo, we decided that the bottom edge looked a little stark, so I've added some little bits of grass along there

the binding is on now, so all that is left is a sleeve, a slat and a presentation bag

this will be done well ahead of my deadline

this piece is titled "View from the Farm House Window"

it is a 12"x12" piece that is my donation to the annual SAQA fund raising auction

it will be going in the mail tomorrow morning -- the auction is in September

in among other things, I have been working on the garden

I've added the wind chimes, put some pale shadows of the arbor at the bottom and painted some lighter areas in that very dark green in the background

I think I'm ready to quilt this (I know, that's what I said before, and I may change it some more, but it is getting closer!)

sometimes when I start a piece, I decide that it is going the wrong direction

I originally started doing the barn for the next piece I'm working on in brown tones and very narrow "planks"

which did nothing but frustrate

it has been redesigned, and I'm cruising along on the new barn in weathered gray "wood"

much better!

and since I am now quilting on the last fused piece, I'm now working on the design for the next one

this is titled "Sailor Boy", and I will be doing the entire piece in blues -- like an old cyanotype

looking forward to getting started putting fabric on it

of course there is more going on than just what I'm doing in the studio

back on April 18, we had a big wind storm (70 mph gusts!) that resulted in some significant damage to our roof, so we will be having a new one put on

just waiting to be "next in line" on the roofer's schedule to have this done

 

from time to time when Mr. Cute has a day off from school, he gets to come and play at gramma's

I introduced him to the concept of weaving -- every kid need to have some experience with those plastic frames and loops of fabric!

if he wants to do more complex stuff, there is a 4 harness loom in my studio he can work on!!!

and of course there was a bit of playing around with the dog

and it's gardening season again

this year I basically have a "salsa garden" --- lots of tomatoes, peppers/chilis and red onions --- but I do have two zucchinis and two cucumbers out there too

now we just hope for no hail!!

March was a VERY busy month.....

sometimes I marvel that "once upon a time", back when I first started blogging, I posted almost EVERY. SINGLE. DAY!

in my defense, back then I was not cranking out much art!

that said, here's what I've been up to since the last posting out here

the commission piece is moving right along (this picture is actually from about a week ago, and there is a lot more that is finished since then)

my customer is very pleased with the whole look of this piece, and I've been pleased that the process I decided to use to create it has gone well too

this piece is all finished now

I really like the colors and the reflective look of the water -- it's been added to the list of pieces that are available to enter in shows

thanks to a friend that was visiting in Tubac, AZ, I have a photo of my two pieces that were part of the "Shock of the New West" show in the Tubac Gallery -- these were the only pieces of fiber art that were included in this exhibit -- pretty cool!

  I have been notified that this piece has been accepted to a show titled "Portraying Pets and People" that will be held in the 311 Gallery in Raleigh, NC, during the month of May

meantime, work in the studio continues on other projects as well

these two pieces will soon be "welded" together for the final piece --- I have found that it is easier to do the details of the figures on parchment first where I can "fiddle" with the colors then fuse them together then do the background and at the end the figures get added as one big piece on top

this piece is in the pattern drawing stage, and it will be a 12x12 piece that I plan to donate to the SAQA auction

and then there is this

working title is "Storm at Sea"

in my master class this year we are doing some collage work (we are to bring 4 collages to class every month -- made on a 4x6 inch card)

this was one of my collage pieces last month, and it created a lot of discussion during class, including the instructor suggesting it would make a striking fiber piece, and that no one else she is aware of is using this surreal approach in fiber work

yup, I'm thinking about boldly going where I have not gone before


and under the category "burying the lead", the biggest event during the past month was my acceptance as a Juried Artist Member (JAM) with the Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA)

I have had this set as a goal for a number of years, but over the last year and a half I have work continuously to create both a body of work and a resume of acceptance in shows that would allow me to apply for this

it still feels a little, well - surreal!

and now there will be no resting on one's laurels -- it's important to set the next goal (I'm working on that) and continue to Just Do The Work!!!!!

which means I'll continue to wear out my Artist's Supervisor on a regular basis

ONWARD!!