Abilities Expo Art Project

Yesterday we attended the Abilities Expo down in Shcaumburg, IL. One of the fun activites for kids was to paint a floor cloth with a giant roller with designs on it. The kids in wheelchairs were having a great time as were those of us watching the creating in front of our eyes.

Stormy Sky

On my early morning walk the sky was still quite wonderful with rolling clouds and lots of shades of grey.

More tree rings

Wood Rings

The piece, Line Dnace, Wood RIngs, var. 1 will be in the 4th Friday at the Starline exhibit this Friday, June 27.  It is about 24" x 27" . Shaped, digitally printed, stitched. Moving in a new direction combining the tree ring patterns I love with shaping.

Crackled paint

I pulled out the cloth that I printed based on this manipulation of cracked paint photos.  Still have not figured out what I would like to do with it. Maybe it needs some real paint added to it or more texture or part of it obliterated by something else.  Sooner or later it will resolve - I have learned that it is better to wait then to rush. Took many years to get to this point!

Manipulated rain drops

And this is what happened when I took the raindrop on screen images into Photoshop Elements and used the solarization filter.  While I was working on it the intersections of the black grid of the screen did a number on my eyes - I kept seeing small round points of life bouncing all around the image. But this very stylized grid is an interesting surprise from such a soft image.

Raindrops keep falling on....

It keeps raining and the screen keeps making beautiful images for me to try and shoot.

Raindrop spiderweb

I came across this small spiderweb in the groundcover this morning while pulling weeds. A lovely discovery with the water droplets creating the web.  It took many shots to get this one but I think it captures the magical feel of the web of water.

Pattern, pattern

 Layers of pattern.

Raindrops

 Shooting through the screen on the porch. I like the interplay of the grid with the random drops and the blurry, foggy yard. And the fog has made everything quiet.  Wish I had the day to just sit on the porch, stare at the yard, read, listen to the rain. Not to be.

Whirly gigs

 Who knows? I like them, don't know what else to call them. Like the energy and movement.

Rhythm and Red

Just submitted this piece Rhythm and Red  (detail shown) for upcoming show. I had forgotten that I liked it as much as I did until I looked at it closely again. It is poylester steam set around river rocks and syed. Up close it is crunchy and has a lot of shape and bounciness.

Blue hosta

 

Another shot of "stitched" hosta leaves - I could have taken dozens of shots - trying to get a good one with sunlight and shadows cooperating.  There is something about these leaves that intrigue me.

Gathers

 A trip up to Al's Autobody and Hosta Arboretum (I am not kidding - it exists) to show my sister the beautiful setting for thousands of hostas.  I love this Big Daddy blue hosta with the leaves that look like they have been stitched and gathered. 

Metal, paint and this and that

More detail - this of a new piee of art cloth using digital shots of metal, cracked paint, manipulated leaves and this and that.  The whole piece looks great but I am not ready to show it as yet. 

Lost week!

Somehow I have lost a week of blogging - too much else going on right now. So it's time to get back on the horse and post again. I have lots of good things happening with my art work right now but it all requires something more to be done!  Here is a shot of a detail from a new piece based on the Starline building where I have my studio.

Buddha

Wandering around at Steelheart, a eclectic shop with lots of Asian, wire and metal items, I see Buddha - sitting calmly in the middle of all the surrounding color, line and pattern.  He goes in my collecction of Buddha imagery. I like it especially because of the hand and all the cracks.

Around and around we go

Glass ball, metal cage, movement, color!

Blowing kisses?

These very small metal statues are blowing ...something. I can't make out what but I like it nonetheless.

108 Beads, var. 3

 

 

Detail

I am working on the catalog for our Art Cloth Network exhibit, Illuminations. This is my piece from exhibit, 108 Beads, var. 3.  It is silk with lame lamination, overdyed, silk-screened. 

Angels in Puerto Vallarta

I juut learned that this small piece, Angels in Puerto Vallarta, which I submitted for the SAQA (Studio Art Quil Associates) 2014 Trunk Show, has been selected as one of 50 pieces that will be come part of a permanent collection at the National Quilt Museum in Paducah,  KY when the trunk shows are done travelling in 2 years. 

Intersections

I like the "intersection" on this photo of the metal grid with the gradually enlarging shadows behind. I need to find a way to use this in an art piece. Or maybe it will be come a piece in and of itself. I could see adding other texture or color into the open areas and creating a third pattern that intersects.  Food for thought.

Crackles

 I have been trying out variations of crackles from a photo I took of a plate I have. This is starting to work.

What was here?

So what was here? An unpainted spot for a very long time based on the crackled paint aorund it. More mysteries at the Starline!

Eleven

I have no idea why "11" is painted at this spot on this building. I dodn't see a "10" or a "12" or any other number but at some time it must have had meaning. Always fun to think about what it could have meant.