Charlotte Art Collective Spring Show!

 It's spring and that means that it's time for the Charlotte Art Collective's Annual Spring Show.  The Collective is a great group of artists, producing a great mix of art:  fiber, ceramics, painting,  jewelry, metalwork, photography, and more. 

So...
if you happen to be in Charlotte...
or...
if you need some last minute Mother's Day, graduation, or wedding gifts...
or...
if you'd like to treat yourself to a little "Spring Celebration" indulgence...
or...
if you just want to enjoy a little eye candy...

...stop by 2821 Park Road (Avondale Presbyterian Church) between 10:00 AM and 4:00 PM, say hello, and have some fun. 

To learn more about the collective, check out this story from the Charlotte Observer.  

Hope to see you on Saturday,

Debbie

Love Jewelry?

Lark Crafts sent me a copy of Showcase 500 rings to review. Leave a comment on this post by May 13th with a way to contact you, and you will be entered into a drawing for the a copy of the book.

My DH fell on this book just from seeing the images on the cover and devoured the eye candy before I was able to pull it away from him. While few of these rings might be actually worn, they are highly creative and inspiring to view. The uniqueness  of the rings lies in design, concept, techniques and materials. While some jewelers use gold, precious metals and stones, and others use everyday items like paper, hook-and-loop tape and synthetic rubber insulation tubing. Techniques are also diverse, including carving and photo etching to hot forging and welding.

Bruce Metcalf served as juror and worked to compile a highly diverse set of jewelry for the edition. He brings a wealth of experience to the job. Marthe Le Van is the senior content editor for Lark Jewelry & Beading. She has written, edited, juried, or curated more than 60 books since 2000.

While I  have scanned the book, my enjoyable task this next week is to read it cover to cover before I give it up to a reader and commenter.

This is another of the terrific books in the 500 series. Well worth buying and loving.

Don't forget, leave a comment and check back on the 13th to see if you won the book! 

 Nancy

Shoe Envy and Quilts....

Shoe Envy 1:  Red polka-dot pump

I'm working on satisfying a bit of shoe envy with a bit of quilting....

The shoe envy comes, at least partially from having "herring-boxes without topses" feet:  size 12-12.5.

Throughout my life, I've always been just a step behind (pun intended) the shoe industry.  When my feet were a size 10, the size 10's were few and far between;  when 10's appeared on the scene, I was an 11.  Now you can find 11's and even 12's, but most are medium width and --- you got it --- I'm a narrow!

And then again, I'm 5'10" tall.  My husband is 5'6".  I wear heels, but they're only modestly high -- 2 inches or so at most.  Let's face it, a 4 or 5 inch heel, makes it look look as though I've married the guy on the wedding cake topper (hubby and I both enjoy a good laugh over that).

And of course, there's lifestyle.  Truly, how much wear am I going to get out of a pair of chartreuse  polka-dot stilettos with 5 inch heels, gold platforms and a big purple flower on the toe?  And let's not even talk budget.

So I'm satisfying my shoe envy in a 2 dimensional way. 

The inspiration came from a recent visit by Sandra Smith to the Charlotte Quilter's Guild.  Her "Commission for Sylvia" is a wonderfully whimsical collection of colorful, quirky and fabulous shoes.

Ah finally --- a way to scratch my shoe envy itch.  I can play with fabrics, have a little fun, and not worry about shoe width. 

I'm using the same basic techniques I described for the little "Have A Heart" pieces I blogged about a while back.  I'm making them small...about 4" by 4" and placing them in a frame.

One of the original ads

For the shoes, I start with magazines and catalogs - looking for likely candidates to sketch and trace (usually a combination of both).

Initial sketch/tracing

The sketches are scanned into the computer so I can resize them to be compatible with my small format.





 Then, resized image in hand, I trace the various shoe parts (heel and sole, inner lining, and so forth) onto lightweight "Wonder-Under"....

Preparing the "Wonder-Under"

...and follow up with the usual steps:  cutting out raw edge applique pieces, ironing them onto the background, adding batting (I actually use Timtex for extra thickness and stability) and backing, and stitching away.

Here's a close-up of the red polka-dot pumps...get a load of the silver lame!

In addition to the red polka-dot shoes, there's a pair of black polka-dotted ones with some couched perl cotton between the upper and lower portions of the shoe:

Shoe Envy 2:  black polka-dot shoe

shoe close-up

and also a yellow/orange and raspberry pump (with some purple bling):

Unframed Shoe Envy 3:  yellow/orange and raspberry pump

Close-up of yellow/orange pump

What will I do with my "closet full" of new shoes?  I'm hoping they'll make nice little Mother's Day gifts to sell at an upcoming (May 12) Charlotte Art Collective show (stay tuned, more on that in another post).

The good news is that they're one-size-fits-all.

Have a great weekend,

Debbie

Valerie Goodwin workshop -- PJ's pieces

On March 8 & 9, several of us enjoyed a two day "Favorite Places" workshop with Valerie Goodwin. Valerie's work is architecture and map inspired (see http://www.quiltsbyvalerie.com/), so we each brounght maps and photos of a favorite place to use as inspiration/patterning. I had the great idea to use ski maps as my inspiration, but found at the end of the 1st day that the orientation of these maps (looking up at the mountain instead of down on the earth) wasn't working for me. I did manage to finish this tiny piece based on a small portion of the map of Snowmass, CO.

As I looked at the maps others were using, I decided at the end of day 1 to switch over to a visual flight rules map for the Charlotte

I did some hand-stitching to mimic some of the "height hazard" symbols on the map, and today I finished the quilting and binding. area. As self-imposed homework, that night I drafted the pattern (was an easy tracing once I digitally cropped, scaled, and printed the portion of the map I wanted) and created the background using some of Valerie's techniques. In class the next day I worked on pieces that I could color or cut out of pre-fused fabric. Since the class,

Here is the cropped map that I used

as my pattern.

And below is the finished piece.

This was a fun exercise. Not sure that I will do more maps, but I learned several techniques that I will reuse and I have a finished piece ... if I just had somewhere to hang it! -PJ-

2012 Charlotte Quilt Show

 This past weekend, the Charlotte Quilter's Guild held its yearly (well, mostly yearly) quilt show...over 250 quilts, about 40 vendors, lots of happy attendees, and lots of fun.

This year's show was judged by Kathy Sullivan and Laura Patridge --- and Fiber Art Option members did pretty well (including a "Best of Show")...here are some of the ribbon highlights:

Any Woman...Every Woman by Debbie Langsam (1st Place:  Pictorial Quilt;  Honorable Mention for Artistic Merit from Mint Hill Arts,  Small Quilt Best of Show)

Cymbidium by Linda Stegall  (3rd Place:  Pictorial Quilt)

 Yellow Orchid by Linda Stegall  (2nd place:  Art Quilt)

Orchids Squared:  Purple Passion by Debbie Langsam (3rd Place:  Small Pieced Quilt)

Blue Orchid by Linda Stegall  (Honorable Mention:  Art Quilt)

Meadow Frost by Debbie Langsam (1st Place:  Art Quilt)

Meadow Twilight by Debbie Langsam (1st Place:  Little Quilt)

 For more quilt show highlights check out Mary Jerz' blog "Seamless Expressions."  (Be sure to look at Mary's award winning quilt while you're there -- fun, fun, fun).

Cheers,

Debbie

Susan Brubaker Knapp here. I’ve been a busy bee lately – at least when it comes to making art – but I see I haven’t posted lately! Here are some photos of two new pieces. This first one is called “I See the Moon.” It is 24" x 60". You can read about how I made it on my blog starting here and going back in time in earlier posts. Here are some detail shots:

This next one is called “Passion Flower.” It is 15" x 19-1/4", and is one of two projects I am creating for my Once in a Blue Moon Fiber Art Retreat, which will be Oct. 4-7 in Black Mountain, near Asheville, NC. You can see how I made it by reading my blog posts starting here and working your way back to earlier posts.

I’m working on the second project for my retreat now. It is based on a photo I took at a farm stand several years ago, and features heirloom pumpkins. Come and watch my progress on my blog!

Have a Heart....

 The "I love you" theme of Valentine's Day was put to good use this year by Maddi's, a local Charlotte art gallery.    Owners Diane and Madis Sulg asked their gallery artists to contribute a heart-themed piece for a  sale benefiting Pat's Place .   Diane and Madis are taking no commissions and donated all proceeds...kudos to them.  

Pat's Place provides long-term assistance to children who are victims of sexual abuse by acting as a "hub" through which law enforcement and counseling agencies can operate.  The folks at Pat's Place help victims and their families through the steps of the investigative process.  They also help families navigate the confusing and fragmented systems of child protective services in an effort to reduce trauma and promote healing for children and their caregivers. 

Have a Heart

My piece was the little framed heart seen above...a bit of heart-shaped fabric fused to a turquoise and  orange batik background, black ink to outline some of the elements, and a bit of couched "Razzle Dazzle" thread (as seen below) completed the piece.

A little heart for Valentine's Day

It was enough fun to get me thinking about a series of heart shaped pieces.  "Have a Heart 2" is almost complete...I just need to mount it in the frame -----

Have A Heart 2

Hope everyone had a wonderful Valentine's Day!

Debbie

Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative

My latest obsession is making little art pieces to be sold by the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative. Am hoping this will be a way to use the little handwork bits that I create when I stay with my 95 year old mother. Here's a detail of one using a handwoven inset created on a cardboard-loom.

Here's another combining a piece of digital artwork I created and printed on fabric with a couple of

threadwork appliques done on used Color Catcher sheets.

These probably won't be sent to the Initiative before April, along with more of these that I am working on with a group of playmates.

For more information on this initiative and how you can contribute as a buyer and/or creator, see

http://www.alzquilts.org/aboutus.html

Creative Lull?

The other day a friend asked me what I’d been doing lately and I told her that I have been busy painting and organizing my home. She then said ‘but what kind of art have you been making lately?’ I told her I hadn’t been making any art. I wasn’t satisfied with my answer; in fact, I’ve been disturbed by it and wish I had said more.

Have you ever found yourself in a similar conversation? I usually find myself on the other side of these types of conversations. I do tend to be artistic and creative and people seem to feel compelled to tell me things like “I’m not creative” or “I’m not artistic”. It always saddens me to hear someone tell me they are not creative. I believe we all have the ability to be creative whether it is in the way we arrange flowers in our gardens, or choose vegetables that make the dinner plate look pretty, or in the way a pair of earrings or a scarf is chosen to set off an outfit.

Creativity is a part of my daily life and my routines. Creativity certainly allows me to make art when I am in my studio, but creativity is also what allows me to make a house into a home; a meal into a moment; an afternoon with my grandchild into a memory.

The past couple of months have not been months of producing works of art. They have been full of knitting hats and mittens and sock monkey ornaments for Christmas presents; of painting the walls of many of the rooms of my home; of making pillows and curtains for those same rooms; and of arranging and re-arranging the items that I love in such a way that they are pleasing to my eye. I am creating a space that is comforting, relaxing, and welcoming. Today, my home is my work of art.

Join me in The Sketchbook Challenge

This year, I am serving as a “host artist” on the blog for The Sketchbook Challenge, an online project started last year by Sue Bleiweiss to encourage others to grow as artists by working in a sketchbook.

Other artists hosting this year are Jill K. Berry, Sue Bleiweiss, Pam Carriker, Laura Cater-Woods, Jane Davies, Jamie Fingal, Leslie Tucker Jenison, Lyric Kinard, Jane LaFazio, Kelli Perkins, Carol Sloan and Susan Sorrell. 

The theme this month is “Doodling.” Here’s my doodle:

and here’s how I interpreted it in fabric and thread:

You can read all the details on The Sketchbook Challenge blog. If you’ve ever wanted to work more consistently in your sketchbook – or if you’ve never worked in a sketchbook before – please consider joining us as we sketch our way through 2012!

I'll be on the cover of Quilting Arts!

Wow. I just found out that my piece, “Hope is the Thing,” is on the cover of the February/March 2012 issue of Quilting Arts magazine.

I started this piece the morning I found out that my mother had died, and it has come to represent the space between us now that she is gone. It was juried into The Space Between, an exhibition curated by Jamie Fingal and Leslie Tucker Jenison for Dinner at Eight Artists, and has already gone to International Quilt Festival – Long Beach, and International Quilt Festival – Houston in 2011. 

This issue of Quilting Arts also features the work of other amazing artists in The Space Between: Susan Fletcher King, Sherry Kleinman, Jayne Larson and Linda Teddle Minton.

In this past year, even as I have mourned my mother’s physical presence, I have felt her emotional presence very close to me in my darkest hours. This feels like another sign. Love you, Mom.

Congrats to Susan! Her work will be on the cover of the upcoming Quilting Arts magazine. For more info, see her blog here

http://wwwbluemoonriver.blogspot.com/2012/01/wow.html

Winter Gardens

Sunday I walked around my garden and took photos of the beauty all around me. If you would like to see more flowers, leaves and berries - Nature's Eye Candy -- check it out at http://nancygcook.blogspot.com/.

Nancy

Alliance for American Quilts auction has started.

My entry is #53: "PLAID - Peace Loving Alliance of Imaginative Dabblers".

It goes up for auction in Week Three (Mon, Nov. 28 – Mon, Dec. 5).

For more info on this auction, see http://www.allianceforamerican

quilts.org/projects/galleries/Alliances/gallery/.

--- PJ ---

“Maximum Cat Nap” wins at IQF-Houston!

I am honored to announce that “Maximum Cat Nap” won third place in the Art Quilt-Miniature category at the 2011 International Quilt Festival – Houston. Woo-hoo! For a complete list of all the winners, please go to the International Quilt Association website. 

I attended both International Quilt Market and International Quilt Festival this year, and have started posting photos and commentary from these events on my blog. I collected so much stuff (freebies and purchases) that I had to mail about 50 pounds of stuff back home while I was there. And my suitcase was still overweight on the way back home!!! I’ll be sharing some of this loot with my blog readers in the next few weeks. 

I’ll also be posting soon about my experiences with teaching (this was the first time to teach at IQF), and with participating in an exhibition (I had work in The Space Between exhibition). 

Push Stitchery - Wow! What a Book

Loved this little book curated by Jamie Chalmers from first look and touch.
It is the perfect size to present work that is often somewhat diminutive, and fits the hand well for a long sit down and read. I read the book from cover to cover within the first 24 hours and loved every minute of it.

There are 30 top stitch artists in the book with a lovely spread of each one including lots of photos of work, insightful interview questions, and lovely details to bring the work up close and personal.
The first two photos are from a portrait done by Cayce Zavaglia from the USA. She has masterful use of space and thread color. As well done as any portrait in oil.

Yes, that is a shovel that has been drilled and cross stitched by Lithuanian Severija Incirauskaite-Kriaunevciene.

In Root Deep Meagan Ileana plays with the female form in just a touch of hand and feet with a strong sense of the goddess.


I want a pillow. Charlene Mullen of UK is best known for her blackwork embroidery of London landscapes. She has really pushed the envelop on taking "craft' at its most mundane level of both form and method and pushed it to art.

And the Lady in Red by Marloes Duyker, Netherlands, is a testament to what heights one can take free motion embroidery and a few bits of old lace.

This is a book that I will love and enjoy for many years to come.

Great News! Just got an email from Lark, that I can get a copy of the book to give away. Leave a message here, with your email address by November 10 and I will draw a random name to send the book to.

Nancy