Workshop with Jane LaFazio at Random Arts

Sketch and watercolor of beets

Had a great time with Jane LaFazio and my classmates at Random Arts on Sunday. Learned some techniques for making stamps of stylized designs. The black design is from the stamp I created in the workshop. Love the contrast of the green leaves and the red veins and stems.

Small Things for Sale at Eat Your Art Out!

 Carmella Jarvi is the curator for the gallery at Packard Place in Charlotte NC and invited me to display art for sale this Saturday night.

In addition to a selection of my most recent art work, I created a half dozen small works based on the pine cone and needles that work as a group or individually. Four are 8 x 8 inches, and two are 4 x 4 inches. I will also have some of my small sketches that are the designs for my textile art.


I am trying for a range of price points - from $12 for small sketches to $2800 for the largest piece in the exhibition.

It was fun trying to capture the shape and form of both the needles and the pine cone.

 This piece shows the dense echo quilting and a branch of pine needles.  This specimen is from a pine tree that grows in our side garden next to the meadow and shades the blue bird box.

If you are in the Charlotte area Saturday night-- 5:30 - 8:30, I hope you will come out and support this fund raiser (tickets are $20 ahead of time, $25 at the door and children are free with a paying adult).  Tickets cover 2 beers, and 2 food samples and entry to seeing lots of art from over 20 different artists in a variety of mediums.

Nancy

Making Wire & Bead Jewelry Review and Giveaway

Janice Berkebile and Tracy Stanley have written a delightful book full of techniques and 500 how-to photos to create jewelry with simply executed techniques with wire and beads. These two well-known teachers in the field start at the very beginning with information on tools and materials, wire working and finishing.

Being a fiber artist not a metal worker, I was amazed at the sophisticated results possible with wire working. I particularly appreciated the Tips sections that provided the details needed to do a job well. 

If you would like to be considered to win this book, leave a comment and a way to contact you by June 9 and I will published the randomly selected winner by June 12. 

Nancy

How Does Art Look on Walls of Color?

The 2012 Handcrafted Exhibition at Maria V. Howard Art Center is now history. Before it closed, Catherine Lloyd arranged photography of Mossy Cup Oak: Quercus Macrocarpa while it was still on the red wall at the entry of the upstairs gallery. I love what the deep red wall does for the piece.

The amount of breathing room allowed artwork in these galleries is wonderful. You can really focus on one piece of art at a time. This was a great juried exhibition of high craft that moves directly into the art world. It was really exciting that a wonderful piece of fiber -- a tapestry - took best of show.

This is the second time that I have seen this recurring juried exhibition of artists from across the country, and it is now on my calendar to see again. While I love art in general, I find that I am more and more drawn to high craft to view for pleasure and admiration.

Nancy

Red Oak Finished

I finished the 12 x12 inch piece that is a donation for the SAQA auction. Our oaks are divided into two major classifications -- re oaks and white oaks. The tool that children are taught to distinguish them is old -- the "red man" shoots pointed arrows, so the red oaks have pointed lobes to the leaves. The "white man" shoots bullets, so white oaks have rounded lobes to the leaves. Please forgive if this old tool is now non-PC. Not meant to offend.

Found this branch loaded with acorns on a small oak tree in a nearby neighborhood. Almost all of my work is inspired by plant life less than 5 miles from home.

A First for Me and Others

Today a group of friends were on a bus to Bishopville SC and saw a sky phenomena that none of us had ever seen before. It was astonishing and lasted for hours. One friend Googled it and found that the phenomena is called variously "Sun Dogs" or "Sun Rainbow". there was a rainbow around the partially cloud shaded sun. The photos below give a bit of the impression they made.

I have seen the small chunks of rainbow in the clouds called "sun dogs" before, but never a large section of a rainbow. But this entirely circled the sun!! Wow!

Have you seen one of these? Have photos to share?

Nancy

Sneak Preview of SAQA Donation Quilt

I have been working on the 12 x 12 inch piece for my donation to the SAQA.com auction. Member artists donate quilts to the auction to raise money to support SAQA exhibitions and member services. Great place to find artwork from outstanding quilt artists. It is a reverse auction with pieces starting the first day at $750 and going down each day until they are $75. There is always a bit of nervousness when one puts one work out for the auction as to see what it will sell for.

There are collectors who regularly add to their collections during the auction, knowing that the money benefits many people through the organization.