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