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Archive for the ‘High Fiber Diet’ Category

Slow Start

Tuesday, October 19th, 2010

I started the day rather slowly, curled up with the lap top, doing SDA work, reading blogs and Facebook. I did run over to the Post Office to pick up my latest acquisition from the SAQA auction. This piece is by Natalya Aikens. It is really exquisite.

I also took Scooter for a walk. It was such a beautiful, almost balmy, fall day. After lunch, I roasted the latest bunch of cherry and Roma tomatoes that I harvested yesterday. All of a sudden, it was 3 pm.

I decided to get down to the studio to pack up stuff for our High Fiber Diet meeting tonight. I felt the need to do something constructive so I vacuumed up the glitter I spilled over a week ago. Then, I grabbed the quilt that I needed to touch up with paint because it had some fading problems. I was a little nervous, but I matched the color really well and it was actually fun. It has a layer of tulle over the silk, so I can not heat set it. I will let it dry for a couple of weeks and then spray it with an ultra-violet light protectant.

Then, I was off to pick up my organic farm produce for the week. I have tomatillos and jalapeno peppers. There will be salsa!! I also got Brussels sprouts leaves (have never cooked those), turnips, beets, garlic and other goodies.

I met Terry Grant at a Mexican restaurant for a quick supper before out High Fiber Diet meeting. We had a packed house. Our group is growing be leaps and bounds – very exciting. One of our new members, Wendy Mamattah, shared her work tonight. She is originally from Ghana. I particularly like this quilt about the Masai.

Tonight, after the meeting, I was dorking around on the computer and watching Dancing with the Stars when I decided to do a quickie fiber sketch from some scraps I had on the cutting table. It is up a the beginning. I call it Deconstructed Fence.

Lastly, here is another birthday gift. This gorgeous glass ring from my daughter, Lisa.

And so, I ended up having a quite productive day!

Here I Am!

Monday, October 11th, 2010

I stitched all week-end and finally realized that I was totally crazy to think I could finish this by today! I have so enjoyed the sitting and stitching. I will take this to California with me this week and continue stitching and hope to enter it in another show later this year.

I ran out of the perfect Valdani embroidery thread and couldn’t find a local store that carries it so I ended up with another brand that has a slightly different colorway, but I think it is blending nicely.

Lisa drove back here last night and since her flight wasn’t until tonight, I got to spend the day with her. She is in a show at Flora, here in Portland, so we went down to check it out since she missed the opening on Friday night.

Here are some pretty photos I took at the store which has lots of natural elements.

Lisa’s friend, Trish, met us there and then took us to a nice little Vegan restaurant in the Pearl. I had a delicious bowl of chili and a Marionberry lemonade.

After some shopping and roaming around town, we picked up Stephanie and went to M & M’s school to surprise them. They love their Aunt Lisa.

The kids showed us their crazy bands (colorful rubberband shapes) while we had an after school snack of edamame.

Here are Lisa and Mia checking out photos on her camera.

All of a sudden we realized that Lisa needed to get her bags and get to the airport. Fortunately, the airport was pretty quiet and she made her flight because we were a bit behind schedule.

I need to get moving and finish packing up. We are leaving for California in the morning. I am going to be at PIQF on Thursday so let me know if you are going to be there. Our High Fiber Diet show, Bird’s Eye View, will be there.

This and That

Wednesday, August 18th, 2010

I have been dealing with the heat and struggling with this piece that is on my design wall. have you ever gotten an idea for something in your brain and then struggled to see it come to life? I had this idea for a simple abstracted aspen landscape, but was having trouble with the fabrics.

Last night, my art quilt group, High Fiber Diet, met here for a potluck and celebration of our great year and our new members. It was a lot of fun. Bonnie Bucknam, our fearless leader, dyes fabric and sells it under the moniker, Handwerks Textiles. She always brings her latest collection to entice us. I bought this bundle, titled Storm Watch.

I used a couple of these fabrics with some I already had in my stash. I think I am getting somewhere with this. I am calling this piece Stormy Aspens.

It was really hot yesterday, and they were doing noisy construction work on the road behind us. The house was vibrating from the machinery. I soldiered through with the help of Mr C and we got the house ready for guests. We put out fans and turned on the AC, which is not that efficient. By dinner time, it had cooled off quite a bit and some of us ate on the deck.

I received this postcard for the Blurred Boundaries Show. I shipped my two quilts on Monday. You can click on this to see it larger.

I just found out that 50 quilts were submitted, 2o were accepted from 12 artists. I am quite happy to be a part of this show with some great fiber artists.

Today was farmer’s market day. Here is by take home:

I finally got a new fiber sketch done.

I don’t usually stitch these. I think the stitching makes the aspens come alive so this seems a bit lifeless to me.

Another Opening, Another Show

Saturday, July 10th, 2010

Come with me to Vancouver, WA for the opening of the High Fiber Diet Show at the White Sturgeon Gallery in the Water Resources Education Center. This is the I-5 bridge across the Columbia River. It was a beautiful clear day, and we could see Mt Hood from the bridge.

We parked the car and I saw this beautiful meadow-like area with daises -so pretty.

The show was on the second floor of the center.

I was thrilled to see my two quilts sharing a space. The curator told me she thought the colors played nicely. I could see that the more colorful Prairie Fields brought out the colors of the Meander piece.

There was a hands on art area on the first floor where kids were having a good time.

I loved this mobile which consisted of salmon created by children.

Hanging from the ceiling were this blue heron and white Sturgeon.

There was a potter with work on display. I had a great time chatting with him. He lives on a 65 acre working farm in Washington – his childhood home. His name is Richard Roth and his business is Grand Prairie Designs. Click to visit his website.

To see more photos of the show, please visit the High Fiber Diet Blog.

This and That

Friday, May 21st, 2010

Yesterday, I went over to Washington State to the Camas library to see the Bird’s Eye View Show that is hanging there for the month of May in  The Upstairs Gallery. That is my Prairie Fields which you see as you get off the elevator.

It is a nice space with nice natural light. Camas is a quaint town with a paper mill smell. The library is very nice and state of the art.

This is a view down into the library from the gallery.

My other quilt is hanging on the back wall.

If you click on this you can get a better look. That is Meander in the center on the back wall.

I had an epiphany after my little show a couple of weeks ago and after looking at this show. I need to work larger. The work I do needs to be BIG!! I am quite happy with the Aspen quilt. I think it will make a nice impact.

That being said, the piece I am working on now will not be so big. I am constrained by the size of the shibori piece I am using. (See! That is a problem. I use my art cloth. I need to make it bigger!!)

Anyway, I am doing an abstract of an old growth forest using this felted roving and a shibori background.

Here is my beginning attempt at felting trees with moss.

I broke the needles on my embellishment attachment so I have done more work on it with the hand needle punch. I like how it looks. I made a stupid beginner’s error – nuff said!!

Instead of buying new needles, I may buy a dedicated embellisher tomorrow morning.  I really like the possibilities of using felted roving in some of my work.

Last month I blogged about sharing our favorite books at the HFD meeting. I finally got the list of books.

Chris:     Fine Art Quilts ’97

Helene:  a book on Chinese art

Folk Tales of the Amur (primarily for the illustrations)

Designing from Nature by Dendel, 1978

Caroline:  Textile Translations by Maggie Grey

Deanna:  Quilt of Belonging by Bryan, 2006

Catherine:  Hundertwasser by Rand

Georgia:  Inspired to Stitch by Springall, 2005

Zee:       The Artist’s Way by Cameron

12 Secrets of Highly Creative Women

Heart Steps by Cameron

Patsy:   Frontier by L’Amour ’84

Gerrie:   Abstraction in Art and Nature by Hale, 1972

The Meaning of Trees by Hageneder

Oregon:  Images of the Landscape by Terrill

Teresa:   Design: a Lively Guide to Design Basics for Artists and Craftspeople by Aimone

Diane:    Nature’s Studio by Colvin, 2005

Bonnie Halfpenny:  The Map as Art, by Harmon

Vickie:   When Wanderers Cease to Roam by Swift

Ila:        Quilt National 2003

Amy:    Bird by Bird by LaMott

Art and Fear by Bayles and Orland

Stitch Magic by Beaney & Littlejohn

Maarja:  The Creative Habit by Tharp

The Creative Artist by Leland

Shirley:  The Uncommon Quilter by Williamson 2007

Mary Goodson:  Surface Design for Fabric by Proctor & Lew

Laura Jaszkowski:  Art and Fear by Bayles and Orland

Organizing for the Creative Person by Lamping & Lehmkuhl, ’93

Mary Arnold:  Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Edwards

Bonnie:   Nancy Crow:  Quilts and Influences

The Art of Richard Diebenkorn

I was intrigued by the book, Designing from Nature.  was able to find it on Amazon for about $4. It is a nice little source book for using forms from nature in art.

I guess you can tell that I did not make it to Eugene to take the workshop with Jason Pollen. Mr C really needed me to be around this week-end and since I am going on retreat with the STASH friends next week, I felt it was a good thing to have peaceful week-end at home.

I leave you with a photo of the beautiful eggs that I purchased at the Farmer’s Market –