02.07.10
Posted in Uncategorized at 12:07 am by Paula
I am a member of a textile/ fiber group in Southern California. We’ve been friends for a long time and have recently come together as a group. We meet monthly to share our work, our lives and great food.
Recently we began a new challenge that we have published in an ongoing blog. A member presents a photograph that we are to interpret every two months. You may be interested in watching our progress as we work through design problems, material experimentation, and our successes and failures. We have a wonderful blog mistress that keeps us generally on track, even though I’m don’t write in a timely fashion at times.
Our great new blog is: http://digitaltotextile.blogspot.com. I hope you enjoy it.
Here’s our second challenge:
And my interpretation:
As you can see, I was experimenting with a new technique, which I don’t plan to continue any time in the future! Doing this much thread painting was a real time vacuum!
Permalink
02.05.10
Posted in Uncategorized at 9:06 pm by Paula
This art quilt was the second of the series. It was my second Japan 10th Nihon entry. It also explores the aging process.
Permalink
02.04.10
Posted in What's New at 2:16 pm by Paula
It’s been quite some time since I posted. I admit posting is difficult for me. I am not one to share thoughts easily, but must contemplate them in my little dungeon of a head.
I’d like to share two art quilts that I made for my entries in the Tenth Quilt Nihon Competition. Unfortunately, I didn’t get past the second round, but now I’m able to share them on my blog. (They have a rule that you can’t share your images, unless on your website, if you’re being considered).
This is the first of a series of art quilts exploring the aging process through images of wilting iris blossoms.
Aging Iris I
Permalink
09.12.09
Posted in Uncategorized at 12:33 pm by Paula
I just received notice that my quilt, Wild Artichoke IV was accepted in the “Interpretations” show at Visions Art Quilt Gallery. The show will begin November 14 and run through January 17, 2010. I’m very excited to have been chosen for a third time, having been lucky enough to be in their last members show as well.
Wild Artichoke IV
Now, back to my real life, painting wood for a new deck.
Permalink
08.21.09
Posted in What's New at 11:27 pm by Paula
This piece is the third in a series of art quilts depicting iris that have seen better days. This topic (aging) seems to be something I’m stuck on now. The first two aging iris pieces can be seen on my website, but haven’t posted them, since I’m trying to get accepted into Quilt Nihon with them. They have rules like Quilt National now: your pieces can only be seen on your website. (I don’t really know if they were to appear on a blog, that would count as a website.)
Anyway, I quilted almost 10 hours yesterday, in order to finish and try to get this entered into the Fiberart International Show–only to find that they extended the deadline. But it was good to finish and start anew on another project today.
Aging Iris III
Permalink
08.20.09
Posted in Uncategorized at 10:32 pm by Paula
Just a short note to say my art quilt, Wild Artichoke IV, will be shown in the art quilt category at the Festival of Quilts in London, UK. The show started today, 8/20 and runs through the 23rd.
Wild Artichoke IV.
Permalink
08.05.09
Posted in Uncategorized at 12:19 am by Paula
The Brush Gallery, of Lowell, Massachusetts is featuring Art Quilts Lowell, a part of the 2009 Lowell Quilt Festival that begins tomorrow, August 5, and goes through the 9th. The exhibition also begins tomorrow, with the opening reception Saturday, from 3-5. The show runs through Oct. 25.
My quilt, Rudbeckia I, seen below, is part of that exhibit.
I hope you will be able to visit The Brush Gallery and see all the great art quilts, as well as participate in the Lowell Quilt Festival.
Permalink
07.29.09
Posted in Uncategorized at 11:19 pm by Paula
Long Beach has recently become the new venue for International Quilt Festival, as fall is their main event in Houston and Chicago, their spring event. I was able to attend the Long Beach show and viewed art quilts by my colleagues and friends, organized and curated by Jamie Fingal and Leslie Jenison, titled “Edges”. It was a great exhibit.
This is my piece, “Wild Artichoke I”.
The SAQA Master’s exhibit was presented. It was magnificient. Viewing in person work by very accomplished art quilters was wonderful, as viewing a painting rather than seeing it in text. I’m anxious to receive the SAQA publication of the exhibit. If you’re interested, you can order it at the SAQA website. It’s well worth the minimal price of $25!
I also was able to meet some SAQA members and reconnect with old SAQA friends, volunteering at the SAQA booth.
I’m now home, in Lake Tahoe, looking forward to attending the Northern California SAQA meeting. I’ve never attended, so it will be interesting and a very long day, since it’s in Petaluma, many hours away. I’ll keep you posted.
Permalink
07.28.09
Posted in Uncategorized at 11:17 pm by Paula
As I’ve shared, I attended my first plein air painting workshop in Lake Tahoe, where I live. We painted at lake level (around 6,000 ft.) and in higher altitude along the Mount Rose Highway (around 8,000 ft.). The atmospheric perspective was very different, especially as the day wore on.
When we started painting along the lake (painting along the east shore), the light was very muted, but as the day progressed, as the sun, the colors intensified, giving the lake the very dark turquoise, along with the very light, clear yellow/ green/ blue along the shore. Painting in the higher altitude of Mt. Rose, gave bright colors almost immediately, and never seemed to dim. So, painting in such different settings was very valuable.
At the end of each day, we spent critiquing the days work. The critiques were probably the most valuable of all–getting the expertise of the instructor, Phyllis Shafer, and class members.
What I, individually, found most beneficial, was the beginning of each class, where information was shared by the instructor. Each day a new topic was introduced, primarily dealing with contrasts of color and how to achieve them. It sounds so simplistic, but really is very difficult.
Even though I’ve experienced alittle studio painting through my classes at Tahoe Community College, it is always a learning experience. So practicing painting value/ temperature/ saturation outside became a whole new exercise. To begin with, the pigments you used changed and the ground with which you sketched out your composition could have changed, if you wished.
Using new pigments created a new world of combinations–one that you had to play with to see how each pigment affected another. That alone fascinated me. Often, I found myself spending way too much time mixing color–something that always captures my attention.
Permalink
07.27.09
Posted in Uncategorized at 11:49 pm by Paula
What an experience! I was so priviledged to be a part of a week long class with Phyllis Shafer (www.phyllisshafer.com). I learned so much and worked so hard! We explored composition, value/ temperature/ saturation of color, atmospheric painting and so much more. We traveled to two locations and painted them in morning and afternoon light, each setting for 2 days. We experienced different palettes, exploring the colors of the Sierra’s high altitude and Lake Tahoe’s beauty.
This is a view of Sand Harbor on the east shore of Lake Tahoe. 
We also painted along the Mount Rose Highway in two locations. 
If you look closely, you can see my little chair on the far right.
This was such a valuable experience–studying under a renown landscape painter and meeting and working with some very wonderful people.
Permalink
« Previous entries