Fall Horizon

In case you missed some posts....I am currently working on several pieces for a little art show in April. I am using the theme "unexpected horizons" to tie my pieces together and fabric is just one medium I will be using.  The show will be in my chiropractor, Dr. Adam's office gallery in Lexington and she invites any local artist to display their work for a month. Know anyone? Check out her website for more about her practice. Dr. Adams is also a stone sculptor...check her amazing work out here.

I made this little quilt from batiks and beautiful hand dyed fabric from Cherry Wood Fabrics. This one is inspired by fall horizons and fields on the farm.

As usual I'm still still mulling over the framing...but will probably go with this.  I thought I measured so carefully...but it ended up just a hair smaller than I would have liked....I wanted just a hint of the stripe showing. Staining the outer frame will help tie it all together.

I just realized as I see it on the screen that the little yellow square of the batik looks like a candle next to the navy one above it.

I'm also still deciding on the floss accents....I had some french knots but wasn't sure I like them so took them out.  I kind of sweat the details....so once again...I will set it aside.  It's far enough along to know it will work out in the end.

I found these chunky frames at Michaels...they were 40% off and another 20% my whole purchase....so they were literally less than $5 each. A chunky canvas that fits into the wooden frame that I edged with striped fabric using matt medium.                                                                           

The cover of this planner I made for Connie was also done with hand dyed fabric from Cherrywood. Their colors are so rich! These fabrics came in a set called "Tropicana." I have enough for lots of projects! I'm seeing some horizons in these colors!

Sharing Swatches

I'm having fun sharing my stuff...and this last weekend I shared some fabric swatches.  My friend Jane is on her 3rd cathedral window quilt....and has taught two of her friends how to make them...so they needed swatches....hundreds and hundreds of swatches.

This is a glimpse of Jane's second cathedral window quilt.

So I loaded three bins of fabric in the car and took them to Maine this last weekend. Saturday morning Jane and I had tea and visited while we snipped swatches for her and her friends.

It's fun to have my fabric sprinkled around.

Post Card Exchange

I mentioned a while back that Ellen and I were going to exchange art post cards. She just received the one I did for her so now I can write about it...hers will be in the mail soon. It was a fun little one time project...although we may do it again. When I was working on the draft of this post I had the whole picture of the front....and I realized I shouldn't splash our addresses across the blog...so I digitally overlayed some stars.  I used washi tape on the edges...but I was afraid it would pull up and stick to other mail so I did a quick zig zag stitch and some simple little watercolor and punched circles.

On the back I did a little timeline of sorts of our art journey. Many of the scraps and snippets are leftovers from some of our shared journals and projects. I would have preferred to just have one stitching line...but wanted it to be more secure in the mail. I had a little space on the bottom right for a few last words..and realized a little too late that I already had "beads".....but there have been lots of beads so it's OK. 

All three images from
from createmixedmedia.com

My postcard was inspired by this image I found on Pinterest from a mixed media site....which was actually inspired by Danielle Donaldson. Both artists created a visual timeline with a watercolor background and images representing different parts of their lives. The mixed media artist turned hers into a little accordion book. Danielle's in one of the features in a beautiful book called Creative Girl, Mixed Media for a Creative Life...which I immediately ordered. It's wonderful book full of good ideas and techniques that I will refer to again and again.

Spring Teaser

There are sweet little buds on the bushes, perennials are poking through the ground, and the snowdrops are blooming. But it's only February 27th....and there's certainly more winter to come. Just a spring teaser?

Happy Birthday!

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow....born February 27, 1807 in Portland, Maine.

Photo is from the Maine Historical
Society's Facebook Page.  

"In character, in manner, in style, in all things, the supreme excellence is simplicity."
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow





While I was in Portland today delivering the matches I just made I stopped by the Maine Historical Society...which sits right next to the Wadsworth-Longfellow House. In front of the house there is an eye-catching display that is not only beautiful...but quite touching.

Headed up by USM's Natasha Mayers, these buoys were painted by a team of adults and teens celebrating and welcoming Portland's diverse population of immigrants and refugees.

They depict the flags of 70 different countries...and only some are here at the historical society. Others will be displayed around the city in places like the airport and along Portland harbor.

I love everything about this!

This is the photo that first caught my eye
from the Portland Facebook page a few weeks ago.  

Stripes and Dots

I took some time yesterday to fill another order of matches for Folly 101. Astrid sent me this picture of Adam's stars with the color palette I was to use....and I needed to stick to just stripes and dots. I will take them in tomorrow...it's always fun to walk in and see what has changed. It's such a beautiful store...I bet there will be a touch of spring!






This is about 1/2....there is another box nearly full too.

I cut my paper to size and prefold them around the a box....I can do this on my lap while watching TV.  Then I adhere them to the boxes using Mod Podge at the table.  

Mulling It Over

I often have a hard time figuring out framing....and I'm mulling over what to do with my little felt piece inspired by the beach umbrella horizon.

I did some loopy free motion stitching at the top...just to suggest water and sky and a blanket stitch along the edge. Per usual I may have gone a little overboard with the orbs....but it's too late now.  And for the sake of not overdoing even more...I opted not do add any embellishments on the bottom....although I have a few ideas.....

I stained a 6x8 paint panel and edged the top with strips of blue and white striped card stock....for interest and a nautical nod to striped beach umbrellas.  I haven't glued it down yet...because I'm still mulling it over.

Commets? Suggestions?

Sometimes it's good to put it aside for a while...I've got several other things brewing.

Like Minds

My dear friend Lynn from Madison and I are of like minds these days....she is adding horizons into her art. I love them! You can see more of Lynn's amazing watercolor Zentangles here.

Images are from an e-mail Lynn sent me today.

Horizon On The Farm

This horizon is an eastern view from the farm I grew up on in Wisconsin. This field was across the driveway from the house...sometimes it was planted with corn, sometimes with wheat or soybeans.  

When darker clouds were coming in from the east...and the west was clear with the setting sun behind us...the sun would shine on the back of the field and the front would be in the shadow creating this incredible glowing stripe on the horizon line.

I always loved it when that happened!

I showed this little piece before but since then I added a little sequence and beads at the bottom and settled on a shell button for the moon. It's still not attached to the chunky canvas...I'm still mulling that over.

I made it before I landed on my horizon theme. But it works...and reminds me of the glowing fields. I guess horizons were rattling around in my head all along.

I will likely make a set of four little scenes like this for the show...inspired by the horizons on the farm.

Here is the same field with soybeans....and the sun and shadow line starting to narrow.

And....just for fun...here are my boys years ago in the same field when it was wheat.  

Unexpected Horizons

I've been thinking, sketching and perusing my inspiration spaces and places thinking about my little office show....sometimes wondering "WHAT WAS I THINKING!" 

I kept drawing lines....horizontally and vertically...speckled with buttons and beads, felt and fabric. But I needed a focus...a theme...something to inspire what I make and pull it together. Then it hit me a few days ago....horizons...."unexpected horizons!"

About the same time this quote came across my Pinterst feed...and that clinched it.

I have taken hundreds of photos....and have hundreds more memories of beautiful and changing horizons. So many colors...so many textures.

"You cannot swim for new horizons until you have courage to lose sight of the shore. " William Faulkner

This photo was taken by my friend Gail....her photos turned out better than mine. 

I've gathered wool, felt and buttons to make an unexpected horizon inspired by this color...full photo from Martha's Vineyard.  I love a rainbow spectrum....so this will be fun. Stay tuned.

Begin

This quote can be found here.

Progress...not perfection. That's what I kept telling myself today....but I did begin.

Makes Me Smile

As I worked on my paper beads in Colorado....Margie worked on her word puzzles or her coloring.  I mentioned a month or so ago about her coming across a Shaker coloring book she bought a long while back...it was fun to see it in person. It makes me smile thinking about her coloring...and now I can picture it too.


It was a lovely book.

While I was there Margie purchased a few more pencils and a new sharpener.  I think she's in this for the long run.

Coloring....it's a good thing!

Travel Project

While I was in Colorado Margie and I put our feet up in the evenings and watched movies and visited while we worked on our projects.                                                                                          

At the end of the week I had a couple of piles of beads....should be enough to make something...I just have to figure that out.  

These need to be trimmed and edged.   

                                                                     

I also got some blue papers rolled to finish this indigo mirror I started a long time ago.

Pass It On!

I love sharing creative things that come my way. Not only did I come home to Ellen's wonderful bling string....there were also awesome thank you cards from Dana and Leighton waiting for me. They also got a "box of goodies" not long ago. 

I love the collage Dana!

Dana also passed on this little quote that was given to her by someone.  "We (really) are knit with one anther"...and that's joyful!                                                                                              
Think about passing something you love on to someone!