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.