The Peanut Brittle Bandit

Sniffing out the goods. Yep, it's peanut brittle. Doesn't have my name on it, but that doesn't really matter. Possession of the goods is what really matters, right?

Dang, this is a tough tin to open. Tried my teeth, tried my paws. Nothing doing. And then, after all my hard work, they took the tin away and put it up on the counter. No fair!

Happy Holidays!

Thank you for your friendship and support and patronage! It has been a great year, and I'm looking forward to an even better year in 2009. I hope your holidays are filled with love and friendship and creativity (and puppy kisses!). Happy Holidays --- see you in 2009!

Old Friends Revisited

Haiku
17" x 9"

In 2003 I started painting cloth and using it to create art quilts. The piece above is one of the first pieces I made with my own painted fabric. It incorporates 3 pieces of cloth to symbolize the 3 lines in a haiku, and it is in my favorite colors --- blue and purple.

In 2005 Haiku was purchased by the Thomas Contemporary Quilt Collection, and I could not be more pleased to have a small work in that collection. Del Thomas (owner of the collection) has a blog, and every Sunday she features another piece from her collection. This week she is featuring Haiku, which caused me to revisit this piece, and happily I am still proud of it.

Simple Pleasures

Zeke's favorite toys are not the ones from the pet shop, but the ones that have been made for him from simple household items. This is his newest toy --- and his current favorite. It is an oven mitt that has fabric strips added to the edge of it. Each fabric strip has a knot tied in the end of it. Zeke's favorite game is for someone to put the oven mitt on, and he will pounce and chew on it.

P.S. The newspaper is in the photo because my husband was trying to read the paper, but Zeke never lets him read the paper in peace.

Patience

Every year I create holiday cards to mail out to friends, and I usually paint a few extras. It seems like I always receive a holiday card from someone that I wasn't expecting, and this way I have one ready to go to mail back to them. Well, this year I looked at those extra cards for a whole 3 days, and then I decided to jazz them up with more paint and turn them into everyday cards. So much for patience......

Book News

Art Quilts at Play, by Jane Davila and Elin Waterston (C&T Publishing), will hit the shelves in January 2009. Several artists were asked to contribute work for various sections of the book, and I am thrilled to announce that I was one of those artists. I participated in 3 different projects in the book, and I am anxious to see the finished results. If you would like to pre-order an autographed copy of the book, you can contact either of the authors. There will be a book signing and exhibition of selected works from the book at Country Quilter in Somers NY on Saturday, February 21, 2009.

Holiday/Appreciation Sale

My Holiday/Appreciation Sale is still going on. I am offering a selection of textile postcards for $15 each if you purchase one, or $10 each if you purchase two or more. My hope is that anyone that has been wanting to own a piece of my work will be able to afford at least a small piece at these prices. Most of the postcards have already sold, but both of the postcards pictured here are still available. The sale will end at midnight on Christmas Eve. Happy Holidays!

Last of the Cards

Here is the last card, just finished this morning. I have enjoyed the experimentation that this small format offers, and I really love the look of the graphic black & white backgrounds. Next project --- use that background technique to create a new series of collages in a larger format than the cards.

Snow, Snow, and More Snow

It has been snowing all day, and everything is blanketed in white now. The weather man assured all of us that the snow would stop no later than noon. Guess what --- it's almost 5pm, and it's still snowing.

Woodwork & Cards

These last few days have been filled with primer and gloss white paint. I am painting all of the main floor woodwork, and it is a slow, slow process. One coat of primer, followed by two coats of paint, all hand brushed on. The roller is only useful when it comes to painting the doors, which all have to be removed, painted, and then re-hung.

So... the only work getting done in the studio is a card or two in the morning, maybe some sketching in the evening. Here are the two cards that I finished up this morning. I am really loving the look of converting a photograph to black & white and then using it for the background.

More Ideas

Remember this photo --- a dusting of snow on my wrought iron deck furniture? Once I had the photo turned into a b&w image for a thermofax screen, I got sidetracked. I love the strong graphic lines in this image, so I reduced the size and printed a couple of copies of it on card stock.

Below are the two finished cards. The photo was the base layer, and I added found papers, painted cloth, and some acrylic paint.

Note Cards

Yesterday I finished painting our holiday cards, and I had a few cards left over. So I painted and collaged, and these are two of the "extra" note cards.

Gradually I am getting into a rhythm with my collages, and right now, I am hard pressed to create art quilts. The good news is that I do seem to cycle back and forth between paper collages and fabric collages, so I don't stress when I am in one zone or the other.

Rotten Potter

Here's another new art acquisition --- from the Rotten Potter at the Hot Shops Art Center open house on Sunday. I love the colors of the different glazes and the wonderful marks in the clay. It now sits on the runner on our dining room table. Check out his website for more wonderful pottery!

Hot Shops Art Center

I spent yesterday at Hot Shops Art Center in Omaha --- they were holding their Winter Open House. Most of the studios are open, and the artists are in attendance. I enjoy the interaction with other artists, and the art center is also one of my favorite photography haunts.

In 1999 a group of artists and investors purchased the old Sorta Mattress Factory in Omaha, Nebraska. Today the Hot Shops Art Center consists of 4 gallery spaces and over 50 artist studios --- approximately 92,000 square feet. The anchor studios in the old warehouse section are Bruning Sculpture, Loken Forge and Crystal Forge. Next door in an attached 4 story building are galleries on the first floor and artist studios on the second and third floors. Tomorrow I will post photos of my newest art purchase from one of the artists at Hot Shops.

Another Sneak Peek

Walls 1.5
5.75" x 4.5"
mounted on 10" x 8" watercolor paper
$55

I love photographing the walls in older buildings. The crumbling bricks and timbers, the peeling paint, the torn signs, the sky showing through the missing mortar --- all combine to make me imagine the history that the walls have seen and the stories that they could tell.

I am working on a new series of collages inspired by some of my wall photos. The first 8 pieces in the series are based on photographs taken at an old feed mill in Florence. The photo above is one of the pieces.

More Black & White

A few days ago, my husband surprised me with roses, and they are opening up into unbelievably huge blooms. The photo above is one of the roses (about 5" across). While I loved the color version of this photograph, the black & white is even more stunning. Or imagine this with an accent square of color in the center of the rose. Or just a hint of color here and there, as if it were hand colored. So many possibilities!

*** Only 3 postcards remaining on my Holiday/Appreciation Sale ---- WOW!

Invincible Summer

Even in the midst of another bitter cold winter in the Midwest, within me is an invincible summer. The more the snow flies, the more I want to work with images of coastlines and seagulls and harbors. The photo above is an experiment that I worked on yesterday. I am working on ideas for this year's holiday cards, and I am loving the idea of a b&w image with just a touch of color. This photo was taken at Asilomar last spring, and I printed it out twice --- once in b&w and once in color. Then I cropped the color photo to highlight the gull. Both photos were then mounted on mat board, and the color photo was positioned on the b&w image. I don't have an inspirational winter image for Christmas cards yet, but I hope to find one on a photo jaunt today.

*** P.S. Thanks for all of the purchases from my holiday sale and all of the wonderful notes that have been written to me --- your support means so much!

Old San Juan

Old San Juan #9

My Holiday/Appreciation Sale is still going on. I am offering my textile postcards at a very low price, so that anyone can afford a piece of my artwork for the holidays. This is first come, first served while they last. Many of the postcards have already sold, but there are still several of my favorites left, including the one above.

I have made numerous trips to Puerto Rico, and I try to visit Old San Juan every time I am there. It is an area rich with history and culture. I love the old forts and walls along the coast and the brightly painted houses along the streets. The postcard above is one of a series of postcards that I made after my first trip to Old San Juan.

Another Art Acquisition

okoshechko/little window 14
Artist: Natalya Aikens
5.5" x 5.5"

After the last post in black & white, I decided to post a splash of color today. This is another one of my recent art acquisitions, and I love it! In the artist's own words, this piece is "a small art quilt inspired by intricate carvings and decorations of Russian village windows...". Click here for Natalya's website and here to see other small pieces in this same series.