Creative Life Sampler

  This is my latest finish! I continue to experiment with the segmented shapes of a letter for composition ideas. This time I drew inspiration from this batik: I liked the colors and the washy quality of this fabric. The lighter pink was pulled out for a greater contrast and a solid brown added to extend the design. Choosing the orientation was difficult for this piece. It seemed to have a heavy edge and a lighter edge because of the brown extension: The orientation on the left feels grounded with the brown on the bottom. It also emphasizes the pink shapes over the dark shapes. Ultimately, I decided that the orientation on the right shows off the dark shapes more and I challenged myself to hand quilt textures to unify the composition. What really had called to me was the pattern of "X's" in the batik. They vary in intensity and thickness so, in some areas, they fade into the background and an interesting pattern of crosses emerges. "X" became the theme for my ha...

  Last weekend we had the wonderful adventure of a trip to upstate New York. The occasion was the opening of this year's Q=A=Q show at the Schweinfurth Art Center. Two of my pieces were juried into the show: "Applique Gradation" (top) and "Reverse Applique Gradation" (bottom). Schweinfurth Art Center, Auburn, New York The Schweinfurth Art Center hosts this international juried show each year, giving creators the opportunity to present their work in a gallery setting. And it is really a lovely gallery space. Each piece is well lit and displayed with space to breath, so the viewer can take in a piece up close and at a distance without crowding others.  I hadn't been to an art opening since my art school days. Pretty exciting!  Jurors Chawne Kimber and  Irene Roderick have pulled together an amazing collection of modern quilts. Gorgeous color palettes, interesting compositions, bold designs; this show features an amazing array of voices from the modern quilting...