Fodder for Series

 Many of you are already aware of how much I admire the "industrial" inspired work by Elizabeth Barton.  She's starting a class on Quilt University.  I'd love to take it, but I have a pretty heavy schedule and since I started a new chemo today, I don't know how well that would turn out.  The last time I took a class from her, it was one of the first on-line quilting classes I had ever taken...and I woefully underestimated the time I really needed to devote to it.

So, I fear I have to wait and take it at a time when I could really put my all into it.  In the meantime, I continue to take pictures which will be fodder for my series if I ever get started.  Tuesday, I drove to Piqua, OH to pick up my Janome 3160 quilters edition...the little machine I take to classes and sew-ins. The place which gave it a tune up is in Celina, Ohio, but they drop them off for folks like me for whom Celina means an hour drive.  Linda's Sew-n-Sew used to have a store in Piqua, but they gave it up, so a local uniform store allows us to drop them off and pick them up there.

Piqua is another one of those towns around here which have wonderful 19th century buildings.  In this case many of the original doors and windows have been blocked out, but the lines, chimneys, vents and fire escapes just make me want to work with it.

So I take pictures.  Just as I was shooting the first picture, a woman came striding out of a building to the far right.  She scowled at me.  I looked at her and said I enjoyed taking photos of old buildings.
"Why?" she barked.  "Well, I like the lines and I have a background in history and these buildings speak to me."

 "Harumph." She snorted....and continued to scowl at me as if I was going to do something awful with my little digital camera and these old buildings.  And here I thought I looked like a pretty mild mannered middle aged lady....even if I do look at things through lenses.

Book Review: Art Quilt Portfolio: The Natural World

A couple of weeks ago, I got a surprise in the mail.  Lark Books had sent me a copy of Art Quilt Portfolio:  The Natural World:  Profiles of Major Artists Galleries of Inspiring Works by Martha Sielman to review.  (ISBN 978-1-60059-928-6).  192 pages.

Wow.  Just one word...WOW!  Martha did a wonderful job on this book.  The book is divided into 9 sections by topic:  Flowers, Birds, Water, Animals, Leaves, insects, Flowers II, Trees and Textures.  Each section begins with an in-depth introduction to two or three artists, then goes into a gallery where many artists works are shown, just as if it were in an exhibition with labels identifying artist, title, date, size and method.  The book is well indexed with the table of contents guiding you to the featured artists and the subject matter, as well as a featured artist index and gallery artist index at the back of the book.

Martha's introduction is a must read as it gives you insights into the book as well as includes some information on the artists not repeated elsewhere.

Each of the featured artists described their method of work and were asked questions.  Everyone was asked "Why fiber?"  and the responses were quite telling.  Asking ourselves this, I think is an important activity.  Why DO we work in fiber or textiles? Why don't we stop at taking a photograph, rendering a drawing, or whatever.   Reading  each of the featured artist's answers was illuminating as well as one which pleased me as I think it is important for us as artists to consider as well as enabling the general public to understand where fiber/textile artists are coming from.  In addition, Martha queried them on technique when she thought that that was important.

When I first came to Ohio from Connecticut in 2005, I hadn't been exposed to large doses of textile art.  I had been to a few shows which had some art quilts in them (The Odyssey show) and the Shoreline Quilter's Guild and Clamshell Quilters (one of which Barbara Barrick McKie belonged to), but I hadn't been exposed to work by many art quilters.   Moving to Ohio opened my eyes.  I will never forget visiting the Fitton Art Center in Hamilton, Ohio and seeing Katherine K. Allen's work.  I was enamored.  I haven't been able to see a lot of her pieces, but she was one of the featured artists, along with Dominie Nash....and to top it off, many artists whose work I had seen either at the Aullwood Nature Center show in Englewood, Ohio or online with the groups I belong to--such as Melani Kane Brewer, Ginny Eckley and Nancy Cook are also among the featured artists.

Martha once again laid out the book as if it were an exhibition.  The images flow nicely with each other and leave you inspired and wanting to return again and again to look more closely at the images.   I read the book from cover to cover in a matter of three hours, and will probably re-read it.  I did laugh at myself... Nancy Erickson's "Easter Cougar" made me wonder if there had been a typographical error...I enjoy Nancy's work which bears resemblance to cave art, and I suspected that this particular piece, one of a series of "cut out" works she's been doing was named as a joke ("Easter" rather than "Eastern") as the colors were bright and included some dashes of blue, aqua as well as yellow ochre and red.  Just to make sure, I contacted Nancy and she verified that she did indeed name "Easter Cougar" that because of the colors.  Nancy did say that the image came out much darker than the actual piece is.

In addition to the featured artists and the general gallery, Martha included the Fiber Artist's Coalition (FAC) themed exhibition "Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird."  I hadn't heard of this group, but was interested to see how they handled the common theme.

Lark included a list of the featured artists as well as links to their websites here.

I can see myself turning to this book again and again for insight, inspiration as well as to share with other quilters and explain the world of art quilts based on nature.  Definitely, this book is a keeper.

Publishers' suggested retail price:  $24.95 US/Can $29.95.

I've just not had the time to write this review earlier....and I know that Elizabeth Barton reviewed it as well....I've assiduously avoided reading her review because I think so highly of her writing and insight that I didn't want what she had written to influence me...now I can go and read it! You can too, right here.

Liebster Awards

Circle of Ravens, wool felt, felted specialty yarns, machine quilted.  Lisa Quintana

Ok...so I'm a little behind the times.  The other day, Lisa Ellis nominated me for a Liebster award.  Ordinarily, I'd hop right in and post right away...OK, so I'm fooling myself....I usually give things like this a lot of thought....Not because I'm a procrastinator, and I know I am and I'm working on that, but that I don't really take things like this lightly.

So...if you don't want to read on and find out my thoughts about internet memes, here's the deal:

This award is given to bloggers that inspire you and have less than 200 followers.  I admit, I had to look up the ones I first thought of and see how many followers they had...a few, I was very surprised to see that they didn't have MORE followers.  I love the name as Liebster has the connotation of an object of love.   

Here are the particulars:

As part of the tradition it is passed along to 5 bloggers that have motivated and inspired.
To accept the award you must:
1. Link back to the person who gave it to you and thank them.
2. Post the award to your blog.
3. Give the award to 5 bloggers with less than 200 followers that you appreciate and value.
4. Leave a comment on the 5 blogs to let them know that they have been offered this award.

1.  Sherrie Spangler from Sherrie Loves Color  Sherrie is a quilter from Gig Harbor, WA and like me, she DOES love color.  She also loves nature and she posts interesting things and photographs from her poking around Puget Sound.  I'd love to go tidal pool wading with her because I love those kind of things too.  In addition, if you have never been to the Pacific Northwest, you get a pretty good feel for it from her blog.  I do know the PNW as I often go out there to visit my sister.  She and her guild also have made gajillions of quilts for cancer patients...and they are really cool ones, not the dogs that no one could figure out what to do with.

2.  Del Thomas at Del Quilts.  If you follow my blog, you'll know Del.  She sometimes comments, but earlier this year I wrote a blog post about her.  Del is a great photographer and art quilter, but best of all, she has a heart of gold and has done a tremendous amount to further art quilting.  She has a collection of art quilts and she highlights them on  her blog as well as with photographs and observations she makes...particularly with her canine friend, Corky the Poodle Prince who borrows Del every once in a while to take on adventures. I quite frankly couldn't believe that Del didn't have more than 200 followers.

3.  Elizabeth Barton at Art, Quilts and Cogitations thereon.  Elizabeth is one of the best writers about design, theory and art quilting in general.  She is concise, thoughtful, and you can tell she's brilliant.  I really love her art quilts... Like Del, I was dumbfounded when I realized that she hadn't hit the 200 mark for followers.

4.  Terry Jarrard-Diamond at Studio 24-7.  Terry is another person who tips in at 174, but I thought surely would have more followers.  Terry offers great examples in art quilting, both from her own hand as well as shows she has frequented and people she knows.  She is very giving with evaluations of materials and in gathering information and disseminating it.  Thanks to her, I encouraged a friend to buy a Kalorik Steam center, and now I own one too.  Lots of good information and just good reading. 

5.  Vivien Zepf is a great person with a wonderful eye and she combines those in to some pretty cool art quilts and photographs.  Because she serves as an editor for the Studio Art Quilt Associates Journal, and is a busy mother to three kids, sometimes she's a little sporadic in her posts, but her blog Seven Pines Designs is one I really enjoy.  Sometimes I giggle as it sometimes seems like we lead parallel lives. 

6.  And I give you a bonus as I couldn't leave him out.  Mark Nofsinger has a blog called Shady Character. I've "known" Mark a long time....He is one of my buddies from the Orchid Forum on garden web.  Mark is an avid gardener and foodie who lives in Wisconsin....Mark shares thoughts on growing things, birding, and great recipes.  In addition, he's either a landscape designer, or a landscape architect....I forget which!  

I took a while to do this as I actually went through my whole list of blogs that I follow..considering all of them.  In addition, I remember someone once saying to me "I don't do memes."  Ok...I admit it, I didn't know what a meme was...and I was afraid it was Me! Me!...But, being the inveterate researcher, I looked it up.  

The Liebster Award, and other blog awards, are great examples of meme (pronounced "meem" ).  A meme is (according to wiki-pedia)  "an idea, behavior or style that spreads from person to person within a culture."^[2] A meme acts as a unit for carrying cultural ideas, symbols or practices, which can be transmitted from one mind to another through writing, speech, gestures, rituals or other imitable phenomena. Supporters of the concept regard memes as cultural analogues to genes in that they self-replicate, mutate and respond to selective pressures.^[3]

I think that's a pretty cool idea...and I can't really find a problem with it.  In fact....I think it has great potential for a series of art quilts!

Hope you enjoy...I have to get back to putting my sewing room back to rights after emptying it and re-furbishing it from top to bottom....and it has to be done ASAP as dear daughter needs her room back this Friday.  YIKES!

Doing the Work

 Because I admire Elizabeth Barton's work and her blog, I decided to take her class "Inspired to Design" on Quilt University (an online resource).

The most important thing, to my mind, is to do the work.  She was having us take photographs that we liked, and trace the images (rather than draw them free hand) and crop them....I've been doing this.  Lots.

I'm not happy with any of them.  I keep on reminding myself something that the wise Vivien Zepf said to me....when a child is drawing, he makes  picture after picture after picture...some of them are good, most of them aren't...but it doesn't matter.

I have to admit....my enjoyment level is way down...as in non-existant...I'm working, but so far I don't see anything I like....even the photographs I DO like....I don't like what they're turning into....

She had us crop pieces and then put them together as a 4-patch.....here is the detail I took out of this one....this is an elevator at a quarry nearby.....similar to the grain elevators, but not.  One of the odd things is that there is a tree growing in the roof on the opposite side!  I don't know if it is still in use....the quarry, however, is going great guns.

The drawings? BLECH.


Don't forget, you have until Jan. 25th at 11:00 EST to leave a comment on my Master's Art Quilts post in order to be included in the drawing for the book....one comment per person please....I actually have deleted some which were dups. The post is yesterday's post...Jan. 18.

Blog Giveaway! Masters Art Quilts Vol. 2

This whole week, I've been hit by a bad case of the blues....being sideswiped by something which I never thought would happen ....I've been feeling so "yuck" about it (and scared and worried--and no, it doesn't directly relate to my health), I decided it was time to do something good for someone else.

You see, I often find that the best pick me up is to do something for someone else....maybe that's the real reason for Karma....but I find that it is pretty much instantaneous, not something I'm going to find out in a future life...or maybe I will...

Back in December, I got a copy of Master's Art Quilts Vol 2 sent to me to review by Lark Books.....but I had already enthusiastically reviewed it on Sept. 7, 2011 soon after it was released.  I enjoyed it then....so much so that I ordered a copy to be sent to a friend of mine in Connecticut.  I really enjoyed this copy and was happy to add it to my collection of art books.  I also find it useful to show friends when I want to make a point about art quilting.  It's especially wonderful because it has quilts from people you haven't necessarily heard of as many of the artists are from overseas.

While I wrote a review, I think Elizabeth Barton wrote the best review of this particular volume.  You can read it here.  Of course, I think very highly of Elizabeth Barton anyway, but this is truly insightful and well written.  I have to say, Elizabeth Barton intimidates me in every possible way!  She's just that good.

But (not surprisingly) I digress.  So....if you leave a comment here,  I will have random number generator pick a number on January 25th and will contact the person through my blog to get the shipping information. Yes, this is a brand new book...never read...just supplied by Lark Books.  :) One comment per customer please.


So, good luck!

P.S.  Since someone here put a comment linked to an "album" which was actually a website selling stuff....heres fair warning:  If you use a comment to redirect or sell something to one of my readers without MY permission or a resource that I have reviewed ON MY BLOG , your comment will be deleted.  If you have an online-store, leave a comment with your PERSONAL link, NOT your website as I consider this a Hijacking.  lbq 1/23/2012

More MEEC Exhibition

 The Marianist center in Dayton has a number of talented artists.  A. Joseph Barrish SM, or "Brother Joe" as he is known, is an internationally exhibited artist whose work just fills me with joy.  His colors are exuberant and I find myself wishing I could do similar works.  I could, of course, but I don't know if this is really the path I am meant to follow.


Some of Brother Joe's pieces reminds me of Elizabeth Barton's quilts.  Look at Brother Joe's pieces here and compare them with Elizabeth's here.  I am fascinated by the richness and texture both of these artist express so well.

 This offering really made me giggle. I loved it!  Vickie Fisher made these pieces from recycled grocery bags--a hat, at basket and my favorite? A grocery bag made from grocery bags!  This just tickled my funny bone.

 I love Bill Franz's photography.  I have seen some of his pieces before, but the tight color range in this humming bird shot "Feeding the Family" I thought was particularly good.  Bill is an amateur photographer from Oakwood, OH.  You can see some of his shots on flickr here.

 Winnie Fiedler usually tries to get something into the M.E.E.C. show to support this local endeavor.  I haven't seen Winnie in a while, but I was very pleased to see her "Color Song" here at the gallery.

This piece is called "Prairie Biodiversity" and is by Marilyn Bishop.  No surprise, this color pallet is one I adore and the movement of the shapes and general rhythm of the piece is very satisfying.  Obviously others thought so too as it was used s the postcard for the show information AND sold. 

Please check out Marilyn's blog.  In it she discusses a number of other pieces she did for the show but did not submit. I think it is useful and interesting to see how others determine what "works" and what doesn't for a show.

What Images inspire you?

 Every week when I drive to go to my oncologists, I pass these cooling towers.  I have to figure out where to go  to get a better picture, as obviously I will not take a photo while speeding down I75 on the way to my appointment and having my daughter shoot it for me was less than what I want.  I love the shape.  I want to do something with them.  I think it is partly because I have been following Elizabeth Barton's work (please visit and take a good look at her landscape gallery and you'll see what I mean) and partly because I have always been drawn to industrial buildings...ok...buildings in general.

The next thing which I have been thinking of is a question that Lynn Krawczyk posed on her blog in January.  "What images do you love?", she asked.  For her, she takes inspiration from birds on a wire. 
Not only in screen prints that she has done from her images, but she has incorporated them in other ways as well.  For me, it is nature and architecture, particularly industrial and agricultural with decaying architecture right up there.  I also love details.

These grain elevators in Pleasant Hill just make me want to whip out my fabrics and roar into it.....it is a series waiting to be made and I have everything gathered...I just have to clean out my sewing room, reserve 1 hour a day for me in the mad rush to get things ready for graduation and commence.  The stumbling block at present is the sewing room....and my fatigue....and my eyesight which is failing because of the type of chemo I'm on (don't worry...it's supposed to come back within three months after I finish).

 Barns have always been home to me.  Growing up on a farm as a much younger child than my siblings meant that I amused myself well.  My amusement was often climbing in the mows, playing with the sheep and watching the golden light filter through the cracks.  I shiver when I look at the heights I used to scale alone....up into the topmost mow. 

I admit, it makes me cringe to see all these wonderful wooden barns falling to wrack and ruin.  When it costs as much to re-roof or paint a structure as it does to tear it down, many of them go down.  Especially since the move now is to larger farms and agribusiness rather than the smaller 80- 360 acre plots with house, barns and other outbuildings.  

Churches, nestled at crossroads in the middle of the country are also falling in.  This one is near New Lebanon and I was hesitant to pull off closer to get a shot.  Even so, there is something majestic in the trees with the shuttered windows.

This shot, however, is one of my favorites.  Its the grain bins at a very wealthy and well kept farm not far from my house.  No, I didn't use any filters for this shot, they just gleamed against the early morning light while on the way to a cross country meet in West Milton.
I can't wait to do something with this.  I love the light and the skies that you can find in this part of the world.  I knew I missed it when I lived in Connecticut, but I didn't realize how much until I moved back.  The light and the skyscapes are breath taking....even if most people do consider it a fly-over state. ;)