More from the Juried Student Show ~ CSN

The College of Southern Nevada is currently hosting a Juried Student Exhibition of which I won Best of Show.  I wanted to include some of the art from the show.  The judge was Denise R. Durante, a Public Art Cultural Specialist, Artist and Co_owner of D'Arte Designs, LLC in Ls Vegas, NV.

A week after the awards ceremony, I returned to the gallery with our daughter, Reanna to take in more of the art displayed.  The gallery space was quiet that day and offered time to view the work more closely.  It was well worth an other look with so many excellent pieces to see and study.



Here are just a few photos from the Exhibition.  I hope you enjoy them.

A view at the opening ceremony ...

Comunity College of Southern Nevada ~ Juried Student Art Show

As blogs of later dates have mentioned, I have been taking fine art classes at our local community college for the last year.  My professors have been outstanding and encouraging.  The work I love doing incorporates digital imaging of photographs or original art work, transferring of the images, then adding color and texture with free motion stitching.

At last night's CSN Juried Student Exhibit Opening, I with family and friends in tow viewed a gallery filled with talent.  Out of 200 entries my four pieces were accepted into the gallery.  Display in the gallery is an honor.  But the most gratifying aspect of the evening was seeing public reactions to the pieces.  What joy to share what I love doing and to have it so well accepted.

I was awarded  Best of Show for the stitched piece "Moon Over Bourbon Street."    In this process I was humbled and blessed with such an unexpected honor. I am on cloud nine. This award not only validates my work, more importantly it validates fiber arts and digital imaging as recognized and legitimate studio arts.  The award came with a $500.00 certificate from Blick Art Supplies, icing on the cake!

The Department of Fine Arts 2013 Juried Student Exhibition is eye candy for the arts.  A combination of media from ceramics to metal work is on display.  The variety and execution of work displayed are exceptional. So, if you get a chance please go and see the show.  I think you'll enjoy it. It is free and open to the public. The Juried Student Exhibition runs from December 13th through January 24th at the Cheyenne Campus in the Performing Arts building.  Gallery hours are: Monday through Friday 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. 

1000 Thanks to all, our community of artists!

3 for the Show ~ Bottom Right: Moon Over Bourbon Street

Illuminated Poppy 2013

Fall is in the air and textile design ideas are sifting through my mind.  The last stitch on this latest piece was completed over a month ago.  Call it lazy, call it crazy, or call it busy, life seems to take over at times.

This piece is called Peach Abstract.  I started with a design created using Adobe Illustrator which was then printed onto fabric. To enhance the design and to create transparency, I used different color of threads closely stitched together.  There is a small amount of peach color in the design. The background repeats this color and pulls the pieces together. The geometric stitching repeats the angles in the original design.

I am not sure I like the window effect of the inner piecing and may rework this at a future time.

Hope you enjoy.

Peach Abstract

Dyeing to Design Class ~ Shades of Grey

Hello ... I had never wanted to dye my own fabrics, mostly because I believed it was an all time consuming process which I knew literally nothing about. Yet as my art has changed so has my desire for solid hue fabrics.  With the encouragement of a friend, I signed up for an on-line dyeing class through Quilt University.  Now, I have found a new and useful passion.  The process is clear with lots of room to experiment.  The first assignment called for dyeing gradations of black and white (grays) and then designing an art piece using only mono tone fabrics.

Range of Dyed Fabrics

Original Shaded Design

The final design was created from an evolving series of designs.  I started with a painted abstract, drew a line design, then shaded the drawing with different gray tones.  From the line drawing I enlarged the pattern and began choosing hand dyed fabrics for each element.  Parts of the design did not work so I revised it again by moving around elements and discarding others.  Alas the final design is machine appliqued and ready to quilt. It measures 18 by 22 inches naked (without boarders).  The design process took about two days of work at the design board ;-)  I use the term work loosely as the process is always more play than work.

Tonal Dye #1 - 18 by 22 inches

I am happy with the final piece.  The hand dyed fabrics add new dimension and interests to the design.

Celebration Fiber Art Quilt ~ Richard's 50th Birthday

This quilt was designed to celebrate a 50th birthday. The challenge was to combine the old with the current into a contemporary art quilt design. An other issue to consider was creating fiber art that is inclusive of photographs without the photographic medium becoming the dominate element of the work.

The father-son bond is a very special relationship. I wanted to focus upon that relationship in this piece.  Photos of Richard when he was a child as well as pictures of him and his own son were provided.  A Christmas card photo of Richard's son was scanned and transferred into Photoshop where several color ways were explored and a variety size patterns were made.  Three appliques pieces were then constructed. One of my favorite photos was a picture of Richard as a young boy on a pony.  I used a repeat of the photo to create interior borders. Current and past photos where incorporated throughout the quilt.

Construction incorporated raw edge applique methods, photo transfer onto fabric, piecing and free motion quilting.

Photos provided and altered for the piece:

Christmas Card Photo

Border

Young Richard

Richard's Art Quilt:

23 by 41 inches

 Details of Portraitures:

Raw Edge 3 Color

Raw Edge Multi Color

Raw Edge - Five Layers

More Details by sections:

Sections 2 and 3 Detail
Click for Larger Image

Section 1 Detail

Drawing 1 - Summer Class

Summer has hit Las Vegas ... and the temperatures never slow creep up, they seem ti openly blast from the 80s to the 100s.  The transition is never easy and always a bit of surprise .... yes, now I remember how hot the desert can be.

Last weekend I traveled with three friends to St. George, Utah to take a class from Marilyn Badger.  The class as well as the company were great.  I learned that free motion stitching following a line is a lot more difficult then free motion following an idea.

As a love of the stitch, especially free motion, I have found that I needed to learn how to draw to increase my ability to get the effects wanted for my work.  The community college offered a Drawing one class which meets fours days a week, four hours a day for six weeks.  What a wonderful intense experience. The instructor offers a variety of ways to improve skills and also generously offers class critiques for improvement.  I feel like I am growing by leaps and bounds.  It is like taking a six week intensive workshop and all for a minimum cost.  My drawing skills are better than I thought they would be and not as good as I would like then to be. They are improving daily ;-)

Here are some samples of work completed in week two and three.

Digital Imaging ~ The Frog Prince

Taking a Digital Imaging class at our community college has opened new options for my art.  And that always finds it's way back to fiber.

The assignment was to create a pictorial image inspired by a fairy tail. Several photos were combined and altered in Photoshop.  The piece was then printed and images were further defined and added with the use of colored pencils.  I reworked this project over and back again several times. Adding the ghost frog and fish, repeating the frog eyes, detailing sections of the castle, and creating shadows helped bring the art to life.

The Frog Prince - Mixed Media
Double click on image to view a larger and more detailed piece.

Desert Quilters Annual Quilt Show

The annual quilt show is always one I look forward to attending.  This year, I had the opportunity to assist during judging and learned more about what a professional judge looks at when evaluating the art of quilting.  Volunteering to assist in the set up of the quilt show seems to bring the quilting community together.  It is a time to work together, enjoy each others company, and share a common goal.

Having entry deadlines provides the extra motivation needed to complete pieces. I had three pieces in the show.  Happily each took a ribbon. 

The circle quilt, called Enso, was a collaboration with a friend and professional quilter, Linda Natale.  The process was seamless.  Linda is also an art quilter, which provided common ground for discussions on the best ways to quilt this piece.

Enso ~ Full View, 34 by 44

Enso ~ Detail

Look at the detail of Enso (double click on the image).  Linda Natale free motion quilted the entire quilt. Her skill and design sense enhanced this quilt beyond what I had imagined.  The quilt is an original design which was machine turned edge appliqued.

Enso is the Japanese word meaning circle. In Zen Buddist painting, enso symbolizes a moment in time when the mind is free to let the spirit create.

In The Garden 18.5 by 26.5

In The Garden was inspired by a piecing technique creating the frog.  So, welcome to my garden.  The sun flower represents warmth, the frog symbolizes creativity, and the dragon fly represents new beginnings.

The quilt was machine quilted and appliqued, hand beaded and hand embroidered to add different textures.  Each petal on the sun flower was fussy cut to create a repeating pattern.  The background was created using various lite value beige batiques. Each dragon fly was hand beaded and then sewn onto the quilt.  The frog was draw first. Separate pieces were cut to form the the frog' body and fused together.  A sheer netting covers the frog muting the overall colors and protecting the intricate piecing.  The frog was attached to the quilt prior to quilting.

Sheila ~ 21 by 21

A friend took one look at this quilt and named the lizard Sheila. In Australia the slang word for woman is Sheila. Although this bearded dragon originates in the Australian dessert, she fits comfortably into our Red Rock landscape here in Las Vegas.

The landscape was raw edge appliqued and then free motion quilted.  Shelia was thread painted, smile and all.  The border is stab stitched to add movement and texture around the paisley prints.

Learning Illustrator Software ~ Spiral Fantasy

   I am back at class this Spring Semester taking a Digital Imaging class using Illustrator CS6.  The class isn't just about learning software.  The class focus is on creating art.  So all the theory, techniques and skills come together with a new tool ... digital imaging.  While the software learning curve is steep, I am beginning to see how I can apply this technology to my work.

Spiral Fantasy 1

Spiral Fantasy 2

    Our first assignment was to create a Fantasy Landscape.  I imported a scanned image of an original piece of work. Within Illustrator, I then reworked the image changing color and some texture.  Being challenged to push beyond what I know is a source of inspiration.

Spiral Fantasy 2 ~ Red

   On "Fantasy 2" Redo more blue was added to the inner circle.  With the addition the piece seems to have greater movement and dimension.  Amazing how a small adjustment can change the direction of a piece.  I am now loving Illustrator!

Kitchen Remodel

Gee, where does the time go?  We finally completed our kitchen remodel.  I have to admit that my husband is the designer on this one.  He has a eye for color combinations and how they come together in a physical space.  My one request was for more light. In total the kitchen has 15 overhead lights and rows of LEDs under the counter.  With the wish for more light granted, the dining area off the kitchen is now my favorite place to sew.

Kitchen View from Dining area

Family Room looking into Kitchen

 I am taking a digital imaging class at the community college ... the learning curve on the software, illustrator, is high.  But going over on weekends to use the lab means less students ... I figure a few hours a day and I will soon have it down.


A few friends and I are going to St. George in March to take a long arm quilting and painting on fabric one day class.  It should be fun and is taught by a gal who is known nationally for her quilting/stitching.  It was so close to home I could not resist.

Detail of Reworked Piece

 I continue to work on the transferring photos to fabric method.  The current challenge is to go bigger.  I love the color achieved with the transfer.  Stitching each piece is what I enjoy most.

From Art to Quilt

The first example is a photo of the original art created for the image transfer.  The piece entitle "Moon Over Bourbon Street" was created with water color inks, permanent pens and color pencils.  The second image has been transferred onto fabric.  Stitching (quilting) was added last to create texture, color, and definition to the piece.

Moon ~ Pen and Pencil Drawing

Moon ~ Stitched

Moon Over Bourbon Street

Moon Over Bourbon Street is a sketch exploring the technique of photo transfer.  The photo once transferred to fabric was made into a quilt sandwich (top fabric, batting, and back fabric). The was then was stitched to add texture and color. Use of metallic thread in selected areas gave the picture some dazzle.