Red Umbrella? Dancing?

Dancing with a Red Umbrella symbolizes a leap of faith and an enthusiastic embrace of daring to try something new and different.  And that first leap of faith continues to guide my art adventures.

Here's what happened:  I was presented with the opportunity to Dance with a Red Umbrella at a Hindu temple Aarti ceremony in an ashram in Colorado.  Contrary to my normal shy reticence, I accepted this invitation to be, for me, flamboyant and wild.  it was a wonderful joyous experience and taking a chance has become a guiding principle in my art.

When an idea for a quilt starts to form, I try to follow enthusiastically no matter how strange it may seem.  Each time that I hesitate, I remember when I was offered the red umbrella and thinking "When will I ever have this exact opportunity again - just do it!"

New Beginnings

Starting a New Adventure!  I am going to have my art quilts on display (and for sale) and the Roberta Avonn Fiskum Art Gallery at the University of Wisconsin Whitewater July 21 through August 14, 2015.  I am SUCH a lucky woman!

So - this blog will focus on the quilts that will be on display at the gallery.  And the stories about the quilts.  Because each quilt develops its own personality and story as it transforms from an idea to fabric.

I plan to add the quilts in random order rather than by style.  More fun for people looking at the blog and more fun for me!  So --- here we go!  Follow along and check out the pretty pictures and the details. 

Self Portrait of the Artist

Self Portrait of the Artist   Not for Sale

"So who is the owner of this blog and what does she look like?", you may ask.
This quilt is the self portrait that I used for my Studio door when I was an artist on Off the Beaten Path Studio Tour where I live in the Arkansas Ozarks.

Do you like the hair?  I am especially fond of the sparkly shoes!

Being accepted in Off the Beaten Path was a huge step for my self confidence.  There is a jurying process and you have to present your work to a group of the participating artists and talk about it.  Well, I am very shy and I was pretty much a wreck when I went to do this.  What if they didn't "like me" or think my work was good enough?  Oh my.  But they let me in and it was a great adventure.

The Studio Tour is still taking place and I was able to participate for three years (2006 - 2008).  It is only one weekend a year and folks drive to individual artists' studios and see where the artist works.  My studio is in our house and we live 8 miles (half of those on a dirt road) from the tiny rural town of Calico Rock (population at that time was 992) in a log home in the middle of the forest.

Amazingly, over 150 brave souls came to visit my studio each year.  And bought my quilts and other creations.  It was a wonderful fun time and I truly enjoyed watching and listening as people looked at my work. 

How are these quilts made?

All of the quilts in this exhibit are made with fusible web.  Fusible web is a glue that is transferred or "fused" to fabric with the heat of an iron.

Fused fabric is cut into shapes and then fused to a background fabric to make a design.

Sometimes the edges of each piece are sewn down - sometimes the edges are not.

All of the quilts follow the traditional definition of quilting by using stitching to secure three layers: the front design layer, a layer of batting and a background piece of fabric.

Coal Miner

Coal Miner   19"x23"   Not for Sale

Let me introduce you to my very first attempt at making a portrait quilt.  I had never tried this and was rather new to quilting.  But I had fabric, I found a photo that I liked, and I wanted to see if it was possible.

I have learned a LOT about quilting and faces since making this quilt - but I think that it still carries a certain power.

Golden Girl

Golden Girl  16"x13"   $75.00

This is the first of my Farkleberry Quilts.  The drawing for this lovely lady was made using a Picasso-esque technique of drawing that I learned from the Carla Sonheim book, Drawing Lab for Mixed Media Artists.

You draw one eye, turn the paper 90 degrees, draw a second different eye, turn the paper 90 degrees .... etc. .... and continue to add body parts at each turn - including an arm, a nose and a tail.

And then you connect the disparate bits into a critter.  The result is much more creative than  just trying to draw from my imagination on a blank page.

Accidents Happen

Accidents Happen 16"x19"  Not for Sale

In June of 2011 the most wonderful thing happened to me.  I took a class that changed the way I made portrait quilts.  The teacher was Esterita Austin and she is an amazing teacher.  She has developed a technique for using fabric to make portraits (or other pictures) by focusing on light and dark areas of a single piece of fabric, putting them together, and then adding paint to really add detail and dimension.

I loved loved loved the class!  This is what I had been waiting for.  This particular quilt is made using the pattern that Esterita provided for the class.  It was amazing how different each quilt in the class looked because the fabrics were different and each quilter/artist's approach was unique.

This technique is the one that I use today for all of my "serious" portrait quilts.

Vigilant

Vigilant  20"x23"    DONATED to Historic Arkansas Museum Auction

This quilt is made of many pieces that are assembled like a jigsaw puzzle.  Focusing on light and dark sections of the fabric gives the face interest and dimension.

It is probably evident that I enjoy faces.  I like people and I especially like the way their personalities shine forth in their faces - and especially their eyes.  When I choose a face to make into a quilt, I prefer intense faces.  Do you think this guy is intense?  Not scary - but very focused - on something.  I wonder what?

T

Alyssa

Alyssa  21"x34"   SOLD

Ah Alyssa!  The first quilt I made in this style.  Named after my nephew's precious wife Alyssa.  Not because it looks like her (she is quite beautiful) but because when I made this quilt, Alyssa was moving frequently and the houses on the figure's head made me think of her.

Houses on Alyssa's head

The background fabric on this quilt is one of my all time favorites and you will see it in several of the quilts in the UWW show.  The gradual color change by increasing the proximity of dots seems almost magical to me.

The technique for this portrait uses small pieces of fabric attached to the background with tiny little dots of glue.  Then the whole thing is fused down and each and every little piece is sewn down. 

There are two other portraits in a similar style in the show.  See if you can find them in future posts.

Good Vibrations

Good Vibrations 14"x15"   $500.00

Some people that you meet just vibrate with wonderful energy and life. This is the first of a series of portraits of my friend Elizabeth.

Flirting

Flirting  38"x20"   $150.00

When these two characters appeared in my sketch pad, I just knew they needed to meet.  But I never suspected that heart shaped balloons would be involved.  There is an obvious attraction - at least for one of them!

Once again, my favorite fabric.  Do you remember seeing it on other quilts in this collection?

Caught in the Branches

Caught in the Branches  28"x28"   Not for Sale

You may have noticed as you look at my blog that I have two very different styles.  One is somewhat realistic portraits of somewhat realistic people.  And the other is whimsical portraits of imaginary creatures.

Well, last year I decided to try to combine the two styles into one quilt.  And this is the result of that experiment.

Now all of my more realistic quilts are also full of imagination - and some would say strangeness.

Yup.  I like this style a lot.

Pink Lady

Pink Lady    28" x 33"    $500.00

This lovely lady makes me smile.  She is bedazzled with many many beads and other sparkly bits.  And she has the most beautiful necklace.

When she was developing her personality and things were starting to surround her head.... the designs within the fabric itself dictated what shapes should surround her face.  Sometimes I am just plain surprised by what my quilts become.

Bags Galore

I recently started making bags for a guild project and found that I not only enjoy the pattern for the bag itself, but I really like adding little mini quilts to make the bag a "work of art".  Here are some of the bags that I have made so far.....

I am going to start carrying them around town and see if they capture anyone's attention.  This should be fun.  I'll report back!