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Archive for the ‘Sketch Every Day’ Category

You Are Here, Again

Friday, January 25th, 2013

redarrow

 

 

I made a positive start on this art quilt that has been going around in my head. I have the start of a layout that is supposed to look like a “You are here” sign at a shopping center. I have the streets and some water and the arrow. I just need to fill in with the buildings. It is not going to be a real shopping center. All shall be revealed, later.

I didn’t have a lot of time in the studio because I got stuck in work mode once again. Plus, I spent some time doing a special newsletter for my guild. We have issued a challenge to help Ami Simms reach the million dollar mark with her Alzheimer Art Quilt Initiative. This will be the last year so that she can get her life back. But what a monumental achievement!

My sketch for today is the last one in my mini-Moleskine. It is the worst one I have done, but I had to do it at the end of my studio time.

1-25-13 drawing

 

I am moving to a larger sketchbook, the one that Twelve member, Nikki Wheeler made for me.

nikkijournal

 

nikkijournal2

 

I think I will be adding some color, but have to investigate ways to do that. Or maybe I will just move on to a pen rather than a pencil.

Kristin La Flamme is at the PAQA South conference and sent me this photo of Kelp Dance hanging in the show. Makes me happy to see it.

kelpdanceinshow

In Spread Sheet H*ll

Thursday, January 24th, 2013

printironingtable

My left brain has been taxed for a couple of days. I have been consumed by spreadsheets —spreadsheets from the SDA registration site of workshop attendees, reports of every thing that people have selected to do or purchase, Paypal orders that have to be reconciled with the website spreadsheets. I think I am caught up for a bit.

I didn’t make it to the studio until tonight, but I have a print out of a plan for a quilt I want to do. I took a photo of some of the fabrics, but it didn’t make it to my Dropbox. I am still not able to upload photos to the laptop and I don’t think I will have time to do that for awhile. So the office computer will suffice.

I like to chronicle the clean surfaces in my studio, as it happens so seldom. I washed the old sheets that cover my print and ironing tables, above. I put a new layer of felt on my print table a few weeks ago. It is already getting some color.

printtablefelt

 

 

Here is my neat and tidy cutting table.

cleancuttingtable

How many sizes of teflon sheets does a fusing fiber artist need? Apparently, many!

teflonsheets

 

And, here are my latest sketches.

1-23-13 drawing

 

1-24-13 drawing

 

Not that happy or excited with these. I was watching Project Runway and a bit distracted. I thought the team concept created a nicer environment. However, I am not sure it will last. Such egos these artists have!!

 

 

There’s Always Something

Tuesday, January 22nd, 2013

Paige1-22-13

 

Here is our sweetie, Paige, who appeared on my iPhone tonight, to wish her Grandpa a happy birthday. We had a low key birthday celebration today. Sunday night, we went out to dinner with the Barnes family and had a wonderful time. Tonight, I made Steve salmon roasted on a bed of potatoes and red onions. It was his last meal for a while. He is having a colonoscopy on Thursday so the liquid diet starts tomorrow.

I am so frustrated. I finally got my life in order and made it down to the studio today and took some photos and was committed to getting back to creating and blogging. But, my apple photo program is not working. It keeps crashing and I get an error message so I can’t retrieve any photos from the camera on my laptop. I will have to use my desk top tomorrow.

I am hoping to get a quilt done in a week for the SAQA Metaphors on Aging. I have had an idea of what I wanted to do since the call for entries was announced. More on that later.

I have been really busy trouble shooting some problems with the SDA registration. After a hour and a half skyping with the web manager, I think we have ironed out most of the problems. It something I really like to do. I find it challenging rather than troublesome. It makes me feel pretty good when I figure out what the software is doing. We have a brand new system so I am sort of test driving it.

I was able to scan my latest drawings. I have a Kindle book on sketching. He starts out by showing the difference between a drawing and a sketch. It made me feel much better. Sketches are not supposed to look like a finished product, ready for framing!! Basically, you are looking for lines and shapes which you render with pencil and paper.

1-19-13 drawing

1-20-13 drawing

1-21-13 drawing

1-22-13 drawing

So my next challenging thing is to figure out what happened to iPhoto. I think that is going to mean a trip to the Apple Store.

A Relaxing Day

Thursday, January 17th, 2013

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This is the logo for the SDA Conference in San Antonio in June. I love the colors. It is a good thing because I see it several times a day as I work on registration. Registration frenzy has slowed down and so I had a very relaxing day. I got some much needed reorganization in my studio done – still have more to do.

Yesterday, we had a SAQA meeting here which was very well attended. There were a couple of new people. We shared our most important accomplishment of the past year and a goal for the coming year. I guess one of my goals for the first six months is to survive!! I have SDA registration, co-chairing Artists Among Us for Trinity Arts and Lisa and Clay’s wedding. I hope to get in some creative time, too.

Here are my latest two sketches.

1-16-13 drawing

 

1-17-13 drawing

 

I saw the physical therapist yesterday and we decided I knew enough about the exercises and what aggravates my hip problem that I could go it alone and just come back if it is suddenly not working. I am so happy to have this problem diagnosed and will continue to work on keeping myself more flexible.

I can’t believe that it will be Friday tomorrow. At least I am feeling much better than a week ago. It is still too cold. And here is a link to an article about the Twelve by Twelve Colorplay quilts which are down under. Originally, it said I was from the UK – made me laugh.

 

 

 

Baby, It’s Cold Outside

Tuesday, January 15th, 2013

ReedAspens

We are having a temperature inversion with foggy, gray days and cold enough to need down jackets, gloves and hats. They say it is warmer up on Mt. Hood than it is down here in the valley. I took this photo of the Aspens growing along the creek in the Reed College canyon. I love the chartreuse moss decorating them.

I am feeling like I am getting back in control of my life. We got the house cleaned up and all the linens washed from the holiday visitors. I have SAQA here tomorrow so there was an incentive.

I did some drawings today, and I felt very rusty which was odd because I really hadn’t done that many yet. I also am using a really small sketch book so I think it will help when I go bigger, but I feel compelled to finish filling this one. Here they are:

drawingmosaic

 

I went down to my studio tonight and was overwhelmed. I have to do some cleanup before I can get myself creating again. Stay tuned.