A Glorious Day For Sunprints!!!

Yesterday I ahd the pleasure of enjoying a wonderful play day with my good art pal and partner in junking crime, Leslie Brier. Leslie is very busy these days creating her own art and teacher various kid's art classes with a group of artists called The Creative Side. (This is the group that t teaches the drawing classes that have turned my daughter Becca, onto drawing!! They are a terrific bunch of gifted teachers!!) I managed to get Leslie over to show her the in's and out's of sun printing as she has seen my sun prnts and wants to work up a lesson or two for her teaching duties with her students.
Above you see just several of the prints that I created, eventhough we had one of those in and out sun kind of days. I was not sure how crisp our results would be, but I must say that I was pleasantly surprised. Now If I can only be so lucky to be blessed with todays sun shine and light breezes for my Sun Printing Workshop that is scheduled for next Saturday, at noon, at Liberty Town!!!! I would love it if you could all send me sunny thoughts for next weekend!!!

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Sun Printing Workshop Scheduled

There are many processes in art work that offer Magical, "Oh How Cool Is THat" moments. Sunprinting is definately one of these techniques!!! One can never be quite sure what the magic moment of removing the masking elements will reveal and the discovery is such fun!!!
On Saturday Sept.25th I will be holding a Sunprinting Workshop so anyone can expereince the magic moment of revealing their creation on fabric.
Here are the details:


Sunprint using Transparent Setacolor Textile Paint on Damask Linen dinner napkin. (It is All about the layers!!) If one looks closely at the enlarged version of this picture you can see the woven damask pattern beneath the botanical sunprints!!

WHEN: Saturday Sept. 25th 12-3pm
Where: The courtyard at Liberty Town, Fredericksburg VA.
WHAT: All supplies included, bring specific mask items if desired- paper cut outs, botanicals,
doilies,etc.
PRICE: $45.00
WHO: Twelve lucky students, children 7 and up welcome with an accompanying adult.
WEAR: Old clothes- prepare for some potentially messy fun!
HOW: Contact me via E-Mail- see my profile on the right hand side of this blog, to reserve your spot!!!
THINK: Sunny weather!!!!

This is a fabulous technique to add to your fabric surface design bag of tricks and can add wonderful textile elements to any mixed media project!!!!

I hope to see you there, if not in body then in spirit!!!!

I am totally Jazzed and Grateful!!!!!

I spent the weekend at the Quilter's Unlimited Quilt Show in Northern Virginia, totally surrounded by glorious fabric, quilts and talented generous artists . I returned home ready and itching to stitch and create. Then to my amazement and joy, I found that my Pink and Orange Beaded Cuff bracelet had sold at Liberty Town!!!! (Shown in the picture above ) WHOOO HOOOOOOOO!!! I have had two beaded cuffs for sale at the Emporium for over a year and I was becoming tried of seeing them there and was determined to replace them for a bit, to freshen up my display.

No Need for that now, as I got an e-mail just yesterday that the second cuff, the All Purple one had also SOLD!!!!!!

It just goes to demonstrate that a sale of a very special item takes a very special customer to find it, love it and to honor the artist by purchasing it!!! The planets of the lovers of beads must have been perfectly aligned, or perhaps it was because I returned a lost dog to it's home yesterday! HMMMMMMMM... Does not really matter! I just know that I feel incredibly honored that other's like my work enough to buy it and that I must get the beads out again and create another piece of beaded art!!!!!!

May the palnets align for all of you today, and if you come across a stray pet, take it home, one never knows who is watching!!!!!! :)

Sneak Peek at Opening Night!!

First Friday, May 2010, Opening Night ,Patron's Show, Liberty Town Artist's Galleries, is Finally here!!!

I am going to provide you with a few samples of the amazing art works for sale with the price of a Golden Ticket!! (Just like Charlie Buckett of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory!!) Buy a ticket and leave on May 21 with one of these amazing pieces (and this is only a small sampling!)

THe wonderful quilt above is by fiber artist Lorie McCown.

Her is the set of Jewelry created by Leslie Brier of Brier Design and myself. We are thrilled to have it displayed with Lorie's wonderful piece!!!


This is a detail shot of a fabulous tiled mirror created by potter Anna Branner. I love Anna's style and whimsey! Can you see the little woodland elf peeking out from behind the leaf??
Below you will see a shot of the complete mirror. It is not hung quite yet as it requires some heavy duty hardware to secure it!!!

This amazing piece of textile art was hand knit by the fabulous Anne Norse. Anne used wonderful silk yarn to creat this gossamer fine shawl. Anne is a founding member of the Fredericksburg Spinners, Weavers and Fiber Arts Guild.

The Fiber Arts Guild provides Liberty Town with a bottomless well of incredible talent. This shawl is handwoven from fine silk thread by the fabulous Diane of Woven Gems. Be sure to click on the photo to see the detailed weaving pattern that Diane used to create this lucious piece. it is stunning and I am sure that it will be one of the first pieces picked by ticket holders on May 21'st!!!

I ahve spoken of artist Ariel Freeman several times before. You may know that ihave taken several watercolor classes form Ariel and she is a fabulous artist and a gifted teacher. This glorious white iris is Ariel's contribution to the Patron's Show. This stunning piece is quite large and will light up any space. This is one of my favorite pieces but then you all know how much I adore White Flowers!!

This wonderful landscape piece has been painted by multi talented painter, weaver and clay artist Lynette Reed. This stunning piece reflects the wonderful changing skys and landscapes of Virginia. Lynette has

painted this piece on a black substrate and the result is absolutely stunning!!!

#10 is a wonderfully whimsical collage painting done by artist Elizabeth Seaver. Elizabeth has a wonderfully happy style and her paintings never last for long at Liberty Town!!!

Elizabeth contibuted several pieces to the Patron's Show but you will have to come to the show to see her other wonderful works! I can't give it all waway, now can I?????

This wonderful bird has been painted atop a collage by Artist Rob Landeck. I am just getting to know Rob's work but I do know that he has a wonderful depth of talent and always presents his outlook on life in new and different ways!

This is only a very SMALL sampling of the 50+ pieces of amazing art available beginning tonight at Liberty Town Artist's Studio's. Anyone who wishes, may join in and purchase a MAGIC TICKET and participate in the Raffle that will take palce on May 21'st. With only one ticket sold per item of art , so everyone will leave with apiece of art worth at least $200.00!!!! All proceeds will support the amazing community that is Liberty Town!!

I can't wait!!

Collage for a Friend

Lately I have really been enjoying working with painted canvas and stitch. This is another collage similar to several that I have made in the past. I have personalized this piece for a good friend who is a potter and fiber artist At Liberty Town Artists Studios. Anna has been so incredibly supportive of my art and we are now working together as workshop co-chairs for the Fiber Arts Guild. Anna has just started to blog and you can find her here. When you visit, be sure to scroll down and see some of her wonderful pottery items and glorious hand woven and hand spun cloth!


Anna has commented several times that she loves the phrase "Scatter Joy" and the bright and bold colors of these pieces. She uses an oak leaf/acorn motif in her work, hence the stamped acorn motif in metallic green and copper in this collage.

Once I ahve finished painting anf stamping all of the elements I really relish the stitching! Gathering my brightest embroidery threads and a couple fo needles , I can be very content to create french knots and chicken scratch stitches (the yellow stitches on the blue swirl in the upper right of the picture above) wherever I can squeeze them in!
The handwork adds extra layers of texture and depth to the piece and I find the whole process so satisfying and therapeutic! Needless to say I will be creating more of these pieces to share!!!

The Empty Bowl-Artists Making a Difference

One of the many big events that was impacted by our recent record snow fall was the Empty Bowl Fundraiser. This is a highly anticipated event in the Fredericksburg area because of the impact that it makes on a very fragile community and because of the incredible bowls that are made and donated by many local pottery crafts people!!! Above you see a small sampling of the hundreds of bowls that await the attendees as they file in to fill their bowls with wonderful steaming soups and stews also donated by local restraunts and chefs. It truely is a delightful event that is put on to support the Rappahanock Council on Domestic Violence (RCDV)

This event was the brain child of several Liberty Town artists and several of the Administrators of the Council, as a way to get the community involved in lifting up those in need, by using the amazing powers of beautiful art work and wonderful warm food. The Council uses the funding to support many local families to re-establish functional and happy lives and break the cycle of violence. Many families of women and children have been given new homes and a huge safety net because of the efforts of our local arts community to give of their time and talents.

Because of the storm , many were not able to turn in their tickets this year and therefore did not get to choose their bowl. This past Saturday, all of the remaining bowls were laid out on a huge table at Liberty Town, for any who wished to come by and redeem their tickets and choose a bowl. What anincredible sight that was!!! It was very, very difficult to pick a favorite and it helped knowing that we will have a chance to participate in this wonderful event again next year!! (Of course, if we all could not wait for more glorious works of pottery, everyone is encouraged to go and visit the numerous sites in town where the pottery can be purchased directly from the artists!!!) Just to give you an idea of how selfless and generous our local potters are, I know of one artist who threw 100 bowls to serve as her donation to this event!!!!

Yet again, Art makes a huge difference!!!!!

After a good twenty minutes of deliberation, I went home with the cobalt and red bowl two rows from the back, that you see in the picture above!

First Friday in Fredericksburg

A few posts back I was whining about taging and labeling my wares to take for sale at the Emporium at Liberty Town in Fredericksburg. Our local Queen of display, Susan, worked her magic on prepping the gallery for First Friday. This time she grouped each contributing artist's work all together rather grouping the pieces by color. This was a big change and it seems that the customers have reacted really well to the change!!! I was shocked to learn that my work had been displayed in the inside corner of the gallery and was really making a statement. I got three very excited e-mails asking whether I had seen the Emporium yet!!

Well I got down to the "Burg" on First Friday. (first Friday of each month is Opening Night at all of the Galleries in town- a wonderful experience).

It seems that several Snow People have found homes as well as some Jewelry Tuffetts and Ornaments! (click on the pics for bigger shots!)

I realize after seeinf all of my work in one spot, just how much work I have produced lately!! And this does not take into account the work that I have done for gifts, swaps and my Etsy Shop!! It is amazing how one can think that they are spinning ones wheels despite all of the work that is being turned out!!!
The gift of perspective is an amazing gift!! Thanks to Susan and all of the folks at the Emporium at Liberty Town!!!

It is Beginning To Look a Bit Like Christmas.....

on my work tables anyway!!! I am in full Christmas production mode. I took several boxes of wares down to the Gallery at Liberty Town in Fredericksburg, yesterday. Displays are being arrainged today. Now I am in theprocess of restocking my Etsy shop. I will let you know what is there and when as soon as the Elves are finished!!!
I have been working on Trees like the ones that you see above. I am using my hand printed gelatin monoprint fabrics for the trees and I am quite pleased with how they are turning out. They are definately one of a kind , Artsy and Unusual!!
My dear friend Trina Lucida, proprietess of the Paper Flea Market and artist extroirdinaire, was recently published in the current issue of Somerset Life. The concept and design of these trees is her brilliance and I give her full credit and asked for her permission before I started creating trees very similar to hers!! Her fabulous trees are made with rich tapesty fabrics and have a decidedly vintage feel. In reality, mine are polar opposites, but if you get a chance please check out her wonderful article on page 79 of the current issue of Somerset Life!! You must also go and visit her wonderful on-line shop, The Paper Flea Market, for wonderful ephemera at fabulous prices! (see the link above).

In this shot , the trees lined up along the back are awaiting their tree stands.

These three trees wil lbe staying in our family Christmas collection. I created these using vintage family relics from my grandmothers house. These trees began life as a wonderful Swedish Linen Dish Towel. When my Mom asked me if I had a desire for the dish towels that were used everyday for many many years and were now sporting good sized holes from wear and use, I jumped at the offer and implored her not to discard a single one!! I have quite a bit of dish towel remaining and I plan to make more to share with my brothers familyand my Mom, of course!!
THe most forward tree is decorated with vintage red buttons, the next with vintage mother of pearl buttons and the back tree has vintage white beads. For the tree stands I used small vintage wooden thread spools with the thread still wound and then added bits of sheet music and glitter. (This style is much more in line with Trina's design).

This year I designed a different style of bird ornament using my favorite Fabric Paper. My goal was to make a simpler design that who be quicker to produce in quantity and therefore have a lower price. This is what I came up with.

These little birds are decorated on both sides. The front is the fabric paper with a sheet music wing and a sequin and bead eye. The back is upholstry fabric in colors of the season with a stitched eye. The legs are wire wound around a real twig with a added bead embelishment. these birds will be available in my Etsy Shop very soon!

I also created these fabric collage house ornaments. The house itself is my Fabric Paper with a white Upholestry Roof and vintage lace for icicle drippings. the shrubs in the front are also vintage pillow case edging. I placed stiffener inside th fabric sandwich and backed the piece with more upholstry scraps. Again each ornament is unique depending ont he Fabric paper used and the trims added!

I am also making small Art Quilts using the dried Baby Wipes that we used for cleaning paint off of our hands during my Gelatin Monoprinting class. (NEVER throw anything AWAY!!!) I added a stamping of my own creation and wrote the quote using a fine tipped sharpie marker. The quote reads: "Find the seed at the bottom of your heart and bring forth a flower".
Then, using scraps that had piled up around my sewing machine, I added borders and a backing. Then I embelished the piece with s afew beads and added a hanging cord. The border scraps and backing are form my gelatin monoprinted fabric stash.

In the past, I have created scrap fabric pieces that I have then proceeded to use for purses and other fabric creations. Recently I created a piece that is predominantly red, with Christmas ornaments in mind. I have been collecting mens silk ties when I see them in thrift stores and they have appealing patterns. I used many of the deconstructed ties in this fabric reconstruction. I then cut heart shapes out of the scrap and stitch embellished fabric and embellished the hearts further with embroidery and beads! (Of course!!)

I added vintage silk for the backing and stiffened the whole piece with interfacing.

Finally here is a picture of the collection of items that I delivered to Liberty Town, to kick off the Holiday Shopping Season. Keep your fingers crossed for me!!


Happy Creating everyone, I am off to make a batch of bread for this week's bag lunches!

Wet Felting Fun and Give Away Extension

Last week I ahd a wonderful opportunity to have a private Wet Felting Tutorial with April, one of my Fiber Arts Guild friends. April does amazing felting of all sorts and I had helped her jump into a collage project so she graciously offered to help me get" wet" with wet felting!! I am sooo in love with what is happening in the fiber arts world lately with the use of the embellishing machine and wet felting. There are several artistis that I have become aware of recently who are doing wonderful things with color and technique and creations that I just adore. Here are some links to explore: Elizabeth Armstrong, Margo Duke, and Jackie. Jackie just had a feature article in the latest Quilting Arts Magazine!!

So to begin, April showed me how to separate the layers of a silk hankie. This would serve as my first layer of my felted piece. I had recieved this wonderful piece of silk luciousness from my dear friend Jacky from OZ, for my last birthday and I was saving it for something special. Truth be told, I did not know how to use it to get the most from it and I surely did not want to waste it. It turns out atht a silk hankie is the silk from a single coccoon that has been hand stretched over a persons hand, into a square. My particiular hankie had 6 layers to it!!! Bonus!!! It is hard to image that all of the lucious fiber contained in one hankie is the doings of one very busy little worm!!!!! Just blows the mind!! Anyway, we put down the silk layer on top of shelf lining that April had purchased at IKEA. We sprinkled the silk with soapy water. This matting (shelf lining) is clear on the back side and has little bumps on the felting or up side. These little bumps make the perfect surface for wet felting as the wool is aggitated gently along the bumps and the fibers are encouraged to hook up with each other. Then we continued to lay down fibers of wool and even some sari silk yarn, in colors that I wanted to work with. Below you see a detail shot of what I was doing.

After the color paly was complete we covered the entire piece with shocking pink roving that we teased apart. I had come into a large quantity of this wool from a friend who had decided that it hurt her head to work with the stuff!!
Then we strinkled with some more soapy water and covered the wool with a layer of bubble wrap. Where oh where would we artists be without our bubble wrap??????

Then we rolled the whole thing up into a nice fat sausage and started rolling and turning and rolling the piece some more.
Here you can see how nice it is to have the shelf liner have a clear side!!

So the rolling was finished and then we worked on tightening up the egdes of the panel by using our hands, some more soapy water and rubbing the fibers against the bumpy surface of the shelf liner.

The next step was the hot water rinse and squeeze and then cold water rinse, hot water rinse and squeeze. We were done.!!!! I love this piece and I am not sure what it will become- probably several pieces- you WILL be seeing it again!!!

I just love this process and I can see putting the kids to work over the summer helping me to roll some more felt pieces!!!!

Give Away Extension

As I am holding my art giveaway to celebrate my 300th post , I think taht it is only right to extend the comment period till I actually post my 300th post, don't you!!

Therefore I will continue to collect comments till one day following my 300th post. this current post is #299. Those that leave more than one comment in this entire time period will be entered according to the number of comments left!! I just love getting comments!!

Hugs!!

"Just Picked" The Rest of the Story!

You may remember my collage piece that I titled Fresh Picked and then submitted for jury for an art show titled Feast For the Eyes. the show opened last night and my piece was indeed hanging with all of the rest of the chosen works! WHOOOOO HOOOOO!! I was so excited!! It ws a beautiful Spring evening in Fredericksburg and so many arts patrons and enthusiasts were out and about visiting all of teh local galleries to take in all of the new shows. each First Friday of the month all of the glaleries in town are open late with their new offerings. It makes afor a truely fun and creative evening walking from place to place with lots of wonderful art to view and lots of like minded folks to view it with!!!! I was also thrilled to see lots of Obama t shirts and hats and several black shirts studded with rhinestones that spelled out Obama!! So cool to see such fabulous enthusiasm for the Arts and For our Firs Family!!!! Fredericksburg was the heart of the Confederacy at one time , don't forget!!!!Back to art!
Here is my piece hanging below a wonderful photographic piece by artist Milvi Gill. Her Easter Egg altered photo took Third Prize.

Just Picked was amidst fine company!!!

I was very pleased with the placement of the piece with the excellent lighting. It wass very easy to see all of the layers involved in the collage aspects of the piece. No one has purchased it yet- the show hangs for a month- if it is not bought I will be just as glad as I would really like to have the piece to start building my body of work and it would look great in our kitchen!!
Another aspect of this fun evening was the Edible Art part of the show. Several artists entered art made with food! It was all on display and the visitors picked the favorite and then all of the entries were eaten!!!

This piece titled the Garden of Eatin' was the crowd favorite. Everything is made form food and veggies and the stream is made by melting Jolly Rancher candy and shaping the melted goo when it was hot!!
I had a very hard time deciding which was my favorite! I had two. This piece was amazing to me as it was created by two boys both under age ten!!


I think taht next time , they might want to consider having age categories and give a specail prize for young artists under ten or twelve!!!
My other favorite definately spoke to my whimsical, irreverant side. I don't remember the name fot he piece and the picture is not that great (sorry) but it was wonderful! I am sure that you will agree!!



So if you are ever in the area of Fredericksburg near the First Friday of the month, be sure to linger longer to take in all of the fun and fabulous art of Art Walk On First Fridays!!! It is definately worth the trip!!