Shelia of the Desert ...

  Wow, where has the summer gone?  With Fall just around the corner, I am very glad the hot and humid days of our Las Vegas summer are now turning to cool evenings and brisk mornings.  The days are still hot in the higher 90s, but the humidity is back to it's low normal.  Based on this summer's weather, my most recent art piece seems to be reflective of my state of mind.

  From mid-August to mid-September, I have been working on a landscape picture.  For interest I added Shelia, a bearded dragon lizard which I thread painted.  Shelia's relatives can be found in the central deserts of Australia where temperatures and climate vary dramatically depending upon the time of year and rain fall. 

  Quilting Shelia and the desert landscape was a delight.  I learned more about the formation of mountain and rock contours by viewing photos on the web. Surprisingly, the inner frame created using half square triangles was the most laborious to construct.  I like the look of the traditional squares juxtaposed to the semi-realistic landscape and the personified lizard smiling in the quilt.  Click the pics below to see an enlarged version.

  I am taking a color class at the community college.  Having enjoyed a five day Color Class with Hollis Chatelain in June, I returned home wanting to learn more.  The depth of a twice a week semester class is remarkable.  It is just what I needed.

Shelia 20 by 21

Shelia - Detail

Mountain Detail

Luke - Color Study in Portrait

  Yes, I have not posted for over two weeks now.  Time is passing and I have done every other thing than spend time in the studio.  After taking the color class with Hollis in June, I have been poring over books about color theory. 
  This next piece started with a holiday card of the subject, Luke, the grandson of a friend.  I placed the image into photo shop elements, creating a gray scale and four color way prints from the original.
  The four color way used complementary colors of blue (2 shades, dark and light), red/orange and yellow.  I then found four pieces of fabric from my stash that closely matched the chosen palette.

Photo of Luke

Photoshop Elements Print - 4 color

The Quilt of Luke is small, about 8 by 10 inches.  It is a sketch from which I will make a larger quilt.  I like the composition and will experiment with a different color palette.  The next step: explore how to quilt the image.

4 Color Quilt

Hollis Chatelain' Color Class

By looking at recent blogs, you'll see photographs instead of textile art work.  What have I been doing? I just returned from a 10 year master's art class I am taking from Award Winning Quilt Artist Hollis Chatelain. I have taken three of her courses, dyeing, use of thread, and composition and color.  While the class expanded my knowledge of color and design, I was equally inspired by fellow artists.  What a blessing to work with and learn from like minded souls!

Kayla Herrington Jacket Design

Back of Silk Jacket

I am excited about incorporating the lessons and color challenges from the master's color class and am ready to get back into my studio.

Color on White vs Black background

Transparacy - Not quite right, worth reworking:
Looks more like Luminosity

Aircraft ~ Patterns in Light and Texture

While traveling in California we stopped to view the Estrella Warbirds Museum in Paso Robles.  The photos taken are of planes in their original condition without restoration.  The camera captures the amazing patterns in the aircraft structures; interesting to see the differences between the vertical to the horizontal formats.  The photos are full frame.

The Great Northwest

I spent several weeks traveling, taking a five day color class with Hollis Chatelain (more about this in a later blog), and visiting my brother and sister-in-law in the great Northwest.  I had the opportunity and pleasure to meet many people and to reconnect with old friends.

While in Oysterville Washinton, I met a generational family of oyster growers.  Their love and dedication to keeping the bay safe for oyster growth is inspiring. A documentary film describing the Oyster Industry on Willapa Bay, Washington is worth viewing.

Water surrounds and seems to be an essential part of the landscape visually as well as in the hearts of the people who make their living from the land, the sea and the bay.

We hiked and explored Point Disappointment and two light houses.  The weathered structures were great to photograph ~ patterns and shadows of light.

    Click on photos to see enlarged versions.