Creative Life Sampler

Happy Thanksgiving, Dear Readers! Wishing you bountiful blessings  on this  day of giving thanks. PS- This box of autumn gourdes caught my eye,... loved the rich color, the variegated and textured  surfaces. Even in a market display there's s omething to inspire the creative spirit   !           

Linen Closet- Geisha Kaleidoscope Geisha Kaleidoscope This quilt was started in 2009 and finished in 2015. It was inspired by Maxine Rosenthal's book, One Block Wonders. The basic block is composed of six triangles which form a hexagon. The center blocks measure 10.5 inches across. The kaleidoscope effect is achieved with a technique called "fussy cutting". You begin with a large repeat patterned fabric. This was the one I chose: It has some lovely, small details and large, solid textured spaces which create a great contrast in this fabric design. The result was really interesting. It produced pretty blocks that highlighted different areas of the scene. Viewing these blocks side-by-side, it is as if you are looking across the original design through a kaleidoscope. You begin by dividing the fabric into strips at the exact same point in the repeat of the design. The width of these strips will vary depending on the size of the pattern unit. Note that a patt...

New text block: "consistency" When I started out in illustration, I was pretty confident in my drawing skills, but I hadn’t developed the same comfort level with any particular medium. This led to mixed results in my work and, if I’m honest, I wasn’t always satisfied with the final product. My goal was to get to a place where people hired me for my unique style. Samples in my portfolio needed to reflect the level of care, professionalism, and proficiency that I would be bringing to a future project. That wasn’t going to happen until there was consistency in the work I presented. The first big step in this direction was to settle on a technique that combined watercolor, gouache and line work. I began exploring and experimenting with these materials, in order to be so familiar with them that I could manipulate the paint to achieve the effects I wanted. But proficiency with the materials was a just piece of the puzzle.   It took me a while to realize that c...

Linen Closet- A Quilt by Any Other Name You'll have to excuse the quality of these pictures; I'm reaching back to 2002 for a trip to the linen closet. This quilt was created for the November wedding of some very dear friends. The fabrics are all fall foliage themed in a warm autumnal palette. Though the block design is consistent across the top, each square has a different fabric combination; it's a sampler of setting variations for one block. I called it Autumn Friendship Leaves , because I thought the pattern was called Maple Leaf . The leaf silhouette is composed of a square lined on two sides with triangles. You see it, right? Well, I was a little off. The pattern is actually most commonly known as Bear's Paw . The similarity between the block in this quilt and what I thought I was making is shown below: Bear's Foot (or Paw ) or Duck's Foot (right) and Autumn Leaf or Maple Leaf (left) from The Quilter's Album of Blocks & B...