Berkshire Fine Arts

Berkshire Fine Arts.com has just published an article on artists living and working in Adams, MA. There was a section on myself and on many of the other wonderful artists working in my town. If you get a chance, take a peak! http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/index.php?page=article&article_id=1223&catID=21

Quilting Arts Magazine

I was thrilled today to recieve a copy of Quilting Arts Magazine in the mail today. One of my quilts that didn't make the cut for the calender, did make Judge's choice and can be seen on page 69 of the Aug/Sept issue. "A Pair of Pears"

Threaded

Opening reception for Threaded was wonderful. Many friends and family came out to support me and that meant the world to me. There were alot of diverse artist's work in the space, including a very large stuffed squid that greeted you at the door, a pile of small pillows with a video screen, some lovely sewned paper work that spilled out onto the floor and two quilts from another quilter. I had 6 out of my 8 pieces chosen for the space and was thrilled. The two that didn't make the cut, were the two I really wanted more time on. Here are five of the pieces wonderfully displayed on their own wall section. I thought they really looked great together. The Tree quilt made the cut as well and was shown all by itself on the opposite wall. I guess this piece is getting quite a bit of attention and there has been interest in buying the piece (that would be my first "real" sale of an art quilt). School has ended and I have the summer to work on more pieces for the next show that is in Sept/October. They would like a whole different feel to that show, so I have to get started on new pieces this week.

Out of My Hands...

I have just taken 8 pieces down to Gallery 51 for the upcoming "Threads" show. I get very nervous before a show, I am always afraid that someone will figure out that I suck right before the show and remove all my work from it. I wonder how many other artists out there are doubtful about their ablities, who are wondering if they are any good? Can you ever feel really positive about your work? Would that stop you from progressing? And worse then that.. I have to stand with my pieces on Thursday night for the opening.. the gallery is fairly small, so there is no excaping any comments. Look for me.. Ill be the one hiding under the rock. So, here is one of the pieces that I sent down. I really wish I had more time.. I thought of somethings to change and to add as I was taking out to the car. Well, there is always the next quilt! Another one that I started this week and decided to send down is "see no evil, speak no evil". This one is all hand quilted. Now, I have to get started on the next show in September. They want quilts from my crosses series. And wanted to know if i could make more on the theme of rocks. ROCKS? Well, we will see, I have some ideas to toss around.

Progress

I am finally making progress on my final quilt for the upcoming show. I still have a long way to go, so fingers crossed that I can pull it together in time. I am heading back up to the studio to start "fleshing" it out and finish painting. Monday, I should be able to start quilting. Needs to be finished by Friday. Well, no more stalling... back to work.

Poster for Threaded

I just recieved a peak at the poster that will be accompaning the Threaded Show that opens on the 25th of June. I was very excited to see my quilt "Trees" on the front of the poster!

Running against a deadline

Here it is, two weeks before I have to have all my work ready for an upcoming show "Threaded" being shown at Gallery 51, and I am at least 6 weeks behind. If you need me.. I will be in the studio all week. I am easily distracted, so please don't temp me with food, movies or .... look, there's a squirrel!! The first piece is finished. Well, ok, not totally finished, I have to bind it. but I consider it done when the last of the quilting is put in it. Everything else is stuff I can do as I am driving to the gallery. I like how this piece turned out, it is a bit more muted in person and the yellows don't stand out as much. There is alot of quilting in this piece and I got to play with some of the new verigated threads I purchased recently. For those of you on facebook, you might remember my recent freak out about the cost of purchasing thread.. so worth it though when you get quilting... The next piece, is just in the begining stages. I am auditioning fabrics to go with the moon man and tree. The man was originally in the tree quilt above, but was cut at the last minute and only the eyes remained. I like the idea of the old flowers with the dull greys. This piece will test my abilities to control black, white and greys. the little piece of sparkle black with gold flecks amusing me and might make another ring around the moon. The fabric on the right, another tree? stay tuned. The final piece is one i started tonight. Im really not sure where this is going, if anywhere... but we will see, my crap quota is really full this last few weeks, so I really hope the next few pieces will build up my confidence that I can really make something decent. And the final piece just finished up is the Baggo Quilt I did for the FiberPirates. I really tried to make this into lots of interesting things, and the more I forced it, the worse it got. I finally relized that I just have to make something that I am happy with and hopefully the person that recieves it, is just as pleased, or at least not horrified. The fabrics I recieved were the green with gold flecks in the background and the purple lip fabric. I painted and quilted it and I did warm up to the colors.

Faces, Faces and More Faces

I finally felt creative and energized enough to head back up to the studio. I have a lot to do in the next few months and really have to get myself into the habit of just getting up there. I am still working on quilts with faces. I worked on three older pieces tonight and started one new one. The face quilt is working out ok. I wanted to add all sorts of stuff to the background, but I don't really like the way it takes away from the face. I'm thinking of just quilting this piece with just the brown back ground and then add paint and pencil to the background (just browns, blacks and whites). Opinions?The next piece is the crazy face I painted. I added the newspaper and painted it. I also added some fabric pieces to the hair. Now to add a boarder and quilt it... Maybe add some pencil work in the white dress. So now we are down to the full body x-ray quilt. This one has been in the making for a long time and has stalled out again, and again. I have all the x-rays that I need to finish it up, and plan on printing them out this week and getting the basic body put together. I will then be adding flesh, color and other details. The final piece that is the one that I started tonight. I wanted to try something with a more loose feel, something with different textures. I have started this one with black fabric and have added newsprint and white paint. This piece will require more paint, fabric and not sure what other things I will add to this one. As you can see it will be a part of a face, you can just start to see it on the black. The drawing next to it is what I am working off of. It is a one minute sketch that I did this afternoon. I'm liking it so far.

The things we collect

It is funny how some collections begin. Some start off as a joke that keeps going, and going, and going (this is how I ended up with over a 100 cow items in my home, and not nice ones, really tacky ones). Some are just little things you pick up over the years. Some are collections that you make great effort to support and pick up more of over the years, and some collections just sneak up on you when you weren't looking. I collect a lot of items. I no longer hunt for items to add to specific collections due to money and space. But I will occasionally pick up something if it is a great deal. I am a scavenger, I like to shop at tag sales and good will stores. So I found this cute little sewing chair many years ago and have found a few more here and there. Soon, there were seven of these chairs. So skip ahead to today. My parents bought me a birthday gift and gave it to me a few days early. I opened the box and inside were the most charming little chairs!! They were purchased at an auction. I thought I would share them here. I know they are not entirely sewing related, but the work that went into these old chairs are amazing. They are now living on one of my china cabinets so I can enjoy them every day.

learning to draw again

I have noticed lately that more and more of my quilts include drawings or painted sketches. I have also noticed, that I really forgot how to draw. I haven't really sat down and worked on it since college, and that was a very very long time ago. So a few months ago, I got out an old sketch book (with not a single page used) and started working on faces. I'm not looking for realism here, but I do want it to be recognized as a face! I had read in a book somewhere to draw with pen. I don't know about you, but I have always been more confortable with a pencil. I decided to try it. The point behind it is just to draw and not worry about weather you make a mistake or not. I also do not take very much time for each drawing, usually 30 minutes tops, most take less. It is very interesting to me to look back in the book of the drawings done only a couple of months back and see how much they have improved. They have a long way to go, and I haven't even tried to take on bodies, hands and feet. But there is definate progress going on. It will be interesting to see how these drawings and future drawings play out in quilts. So get out your pens and a piece of paper and get drawing.

Progress on the face

I'm still not really liking the two other quilts I started last week, however, the face quilt, I am starting to like. I really was tempted to head for the store and get more fabric, but i stopped my self. I have no budget right now for fabric. So up to the studio I went to find fabric, I am really glad I didn't buy any, I would have tried to match things, to get perfect color gradiants, or certain patterns. And really, It is so much more interesting to rediscover your stash and to see what you can use the fabrics for. The blue shading on the face wasnt my first choice, but after seeing it, it really helps the eyes out. the blue shading will extend up on to the top of her head and there will be more shading on the face as it gets worked out. so stay tuned.

Finally, My new website is up.

Well, I have finally managed to get my website updated, It had been many YEARS since I updated the site. WHY so long you ask? Well, my computer crashed two years ago and took all the website information with it. I also lost the program that I use to create the site, and the program I used to upload the site. But progress has now been made, It still has a long way to go, but I will be pluging away at it over the next few weeks. So stop by and say hi!
www.kadstudio.com

Moving on up.

Well the weather is finally getting warmer, and that means that I can move my stuff and myself back up to the studio. It was way to cold in the attic to even venture up there to get fabric. I just hate having to put on a coat and hat just to look at fabric. All winter I have had my things all over the living room and library (now don't get excited, the library is a VERY small room that just happens to hold books). I get a lot more done when I work in the studio. Not for the obvious reasons that all my things are up there, but for the fact that I am easily sucked into watching TV. I have no TV in the attic. So here is a little tour.

My sewing machine is usually on this table looking out the window, also a good place to be when the attic starts to cook in the summer. My fabric is nice and neat (at least for the moment) and this is the table I sit at to paint (and try not to bump my head on the ceiling) I also spend alot of time sitting on the floor, I was able to get this nice carpet put down after I bought a new one for the living room. I keep all my magazines up here, and some of my quilting books. I also have my bottons organized on the jars and plastic containser. in the baskets on top are my glue collection, basket of things to iron on, and basket of reject quilt pieces. My small ironing board is also here, behind this shelf is the staircase heading down, you will most likely here things banging down the stairs at least once while I'm up there. I tend to knock them off the ironing board. The iron, however has a knot in the cord that hangs on hooks, so I can't sending it crashing down the stairs. And finally this is my little collection of sewing stuff. I have a crank machine, some pin cushions and two child sewing machines. I have have more sewing things in my living room, including a really neat collection of pincushion chairs. Well that is the 5 minute tour. I forgot to mention, that I am never alone when I am in the studio. There seems to be a ghost that inhabits the studio and likes to turn lights on and off, move things, and casts shadows on me when I work. I have yet to get them to finish up my binding for me. And I have a hard time getting myself to go up there after watching an episoid of Ghost Hunters!

I may have lost my mind

I swear somedays I have multiple quilting personalities. I was in the mood to start things today. (now don't get on my case about the 4 or 5 others that I started a month or so ago and STILL haven't finished... they have to age a while before they can be finished and I don't qualify them as a UFO untill at least a year has past). I was feeling a bit colorful for this first one. I'm not feeling this one yet.... The next one that i have been working on is the face of this odd woman. It is painted with fabric paints and pencils. I have plans to add newspaper (yes i said newspaper) to this and ofcourse some stitching. Again, I'm not sure where this one is going, and I hope it starts to show its self soon before it ends up in the recycle bin. Finally the last piece is one that i do like. It is still in the sketch stage, I'm working from a drawing that I did while waiting for my kids to get out of Karate class. The face is fairly large, nearly 30 inches tall. We will see where this one will go.. hopefully these three will work out and not add to my crap quota!

Discovered Gold

Many, many years ago, back when the earth was new, I was given two rolls of gold paper. It is a plastic with a very thin coating of some sort of gold like stuff. It was once used in the production of dishes. This was the stuff that added the gold edge around a plate. You can see the circle where the gold was applied to the plate. I have had this stuff kicking around forever triing to figure out what to do with it. I saw an article in an older magazine (I have 10 years worth of magazines saved in my studio) about applying gold leaf to fabric and I thought I would try the technique with my gold. So the basic technique for appling this to fabric is simple. First you need to cut out a shape or design from a paperbacked fusable web. Then iron the fusable web to the RIGHT side of what you would like to add the gold too. When fused to the fabric, remove the paper backing and place the gold over the exposed fusable. (in my case this would be gold side up, yellow side down). place another piece of fabric over the top (this is so the plastic coating on my gold would not adhere to the iron (ask me how i know! yipes) When the gold is adhered to the fusable, peal off and reveal the gold now on the fabric. Another warning (besides not ironing over the plastic) is to NOT iron over the gold. This will attach the gold to the bottom of your iron. I used this to add some gold to the green crosses quilt seen in an earlier post. I will post the finished quilt when it gets done.

Store Opened on Etsy

New year, time to clean out the studio to make room for new pieces. Today I opened my Etsy shop to sell off a few items. I currently have quilts up, but in the next few days and weeks I will be adding jewelry, more quilts and 3d assemblage pieces. Here is a peak at the items up for sale so far.

So head over to the Etsy shop and keep an eye out for new items to be added weekly. THANKS.

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5232719

Happy New Year! 2009

I spent most of New Years Eve working on the quilt tops I started the day before. I now have 4 tops ready for quilting and details. They are not finished by any means and can still change alot before the final pieces are done. I have a few more quilts in my head and I think I will be staying up again this evening getting them out of my head and on to the fabric. One of my New Years resolutions, or goals, will be to do more ART. I found that last year, I spent so much time worring that my work had to be show quality that I managed to artistically paralize myself. Not able to make much of anything for fear that it wouldn't be good enough. This year I will just work. Some will turn out to be pieces worthy of showing, some will be crap. But at least I will be working and hopefully my good pieces will out number the crap. Here are the four pieces I was working on last night, you can see the progression from the night before.