Artificial
I have a quilting colleague here in Florida who makes beautiful art from throwaway materials like plastic bags, fancy paper napkins, mesh from vegetables, etc. Her name is Ellen Schwark and she has inspired me to try using unconventional materials in my own art. For our Deconstruction theme, I decided
Deconstruction – many ways
My first thoughts on this topic turn to what is happening to our precious United States of America every minute of every day. But I digress. As deconstruction relates to quilting, I think of artist Paula Kovarik https://www.paulakovarik.com/ , who takes quilts that she previously made, cuts them into small
Little By Little
When I began thinking about this ‘Saving the world’ prompt, I was hyper focused on my husband’s open heart surgery, and on the doctors and nurses who were saving my world. I was in awe of and so very grateful for their surgical skills and expertise in saving lives. My
Who Can Save the World?
My world has been rocked recently in many more ways than one. The main event that has captured my attention is a complex and lengthy open heart surgery performed on my husband on April 1st. Having spent the better part of the last six days in our local hospital, I
Employ and Extol
I have a special drawer of wonderful fabrics that are much too nice to cut into. Fabrics from various countries, silks, velvets, fabric gifts, expensive laces, etc. When we were given the theme of Celebration, I chose to celebrate some of these fiber pieces by using them finally! ! I
More Than Just a Room
I NEARLY MISSED THE MAGIC. It was 2016 in Philadelphia. I was there for a SAQA (Studio Art Quilt Associates) annual conference. We were waiting for buses to come and take us to the Wayne Art Center to see an Art quilt exhibit. It was raining. The buses never came.
Daring to Dream
I was just about to settle down for the night, when I thought I should check my calendar, and I see that it is my turn to blog about our current theme, Dare to Dream! So before I venture off to dreamland tonight, I will write a few thoughts to
Surpassing Angst
I don’t live in an urban setting, so for this prompt, urban nature, I thought about times I’ve visited large cities. My first thought was a memory of Tokyo, where we visited an Imperial garden, with beautiful trees, plants, and water features. It was like being in a magical Japanese
Spanning Time and Distance
In 1977 my husband Jim and I lived in Tampa, Florida. That was the year that two of Jim’s hometown friends from Illinois moved to Tampa. Jim introduced one of them, Bobby, to a friend of a teacher friend, Betty. Bob and Betty fell in love, moved to Oregon in
Symbolic Bridges
On a recent trip to Oregon, in addition to seeing the beautiful western coastline and some snowcapped mountains, we crossed many excellent bridges! I took several photos thinking I might use them as references for my work. When I returned home, however, I discarded each of these literal bridge images
Dot
I read these words by artist Helen Wells, and agree wholeheartedly: “Perfectionism doesn’t raise our standards. It lowers our output. And strips away the joy.” In an effort to use up some scrap fabrics, to be spontaneous, and to avoid overworking, I tackled this improvisational portrait. Dot is a scrappy,
Exciting Times!
Today we are beginning a new round of work with the overall theme: Create, Inspire, Connect. Our group, Cloth in Common is dedicated to creating work to inspire and connect with others. I have the honor of presenting the very first prompt for this round, and have decided on a