Creative Life Sampler

I'm finally getting around to looking through the (many, many) pictures I took on a recent trip to Joshua Tree National Park in California. The Mojave and Colorado ecosystems meet in this spot which was designated a national monument by Franklin Roosevelt in 1936 and became a national park in 1994, according to the National Park service.  This is where you'll find fields of Joshua trees (seen above), a garden of Cholla Cactus (seen below), and wonderful mounds of boulders reaching for the sky. It's truly a unique place to gather some inspiration. The desert environment has it's own color palette. The first impression of this landscape is endless earth tones, dusty greens, sunbaked browns and greys.  But the eye adjusts quickly and one begins to discern subtle color changes, a wider variety of tones including bluish greys and warmer browns. On closer inspection these color differences can often be attributed to a small flower or a berry. And then there are occasional and...

  Rock Form (Porthcurno) by Barbara Hepworth Took the opportunity to visit the Norton Simon Museum in Pasedena recently, and it was well worth the trip!  This museum appears to be tucked away in a lush environment as you drive up the hill to park, (which is free. Refreshing!) The first impression one might get is that it is a relatively modest structure but the walk into the building is lined with quite a few sculptures by Rodin and other artists. This is a hint at the surprisingly extensive collection of the luminaries of art in the Norton Simon Museum.     We opted to begin our visit in the sculpture garden. King and Queen by Henry Moore Moving inside, we found multiple pieces of art from very familiar names as well as a healthy sampling of work that spanned history. From Rembrandt van Rijn, to Degas, to Picasso, to Helen Frankenthaler, and more, this collection has something to suit everyone's taste. But let me highlight a few pieces that stood out to me, in ...

I'm excited to share the news that my work, (& I) are featured in the "Latest Stories" section on the Create Whimsy website,  https://createwhimsy.com/ . It was such a joy to collaborate with Create Whimsy founder, Lynn Woll on this project. She had great, thought provoking questions for my interview!  It was especially meaningful to be asked about my personal philosophy on my work and to promote handwork in the realm of quilting. (It's not every day someone asks you for the best advice you've ever gotten!) Check it out with this link: https://createwhimsy.com/projects/spotlight-lauren-klementz-harte-modern-quilt-artist/   But don't stop there! You'll want to explore this resource. Create Whimsey is a cool website that gives a platform to artisans in many different mediums and also has tutorials, project ideas, free quilt patterns, just so much for the person who loves to be creative! Many thanks to Create Whimsy for the opportunity to contribute to th...

Textured Terrain  ( 50 x 64.5 inches) My latest quilt has been a long time in completing, but not for lack of trying! The color palette on this piece may seem familiar to regular readers. The shapes of this improv. quilt are the scraps that were cut away from previous projects. The composition grew organically when they were arranged to create new shapes on a hand dyed length of fabric that is a washy blend of orange, sepias, and reds, with a dash of black.  I acquired that piece of fabric, along with several others, from a talented quilter and colorist who decided to move on to other pursuits. This has been a source of inspiration as I look for ways to incorporate these fabrics in some of my work. She was also the source of a stash of embroidery thread, meticulously sorted. With her color selection in hand, I'm motivated to explore to new color combinations in future projects. So, when it came time to quilt this project, I had a wonderful rainbow of choices. Because there is ...