Petroglyph Canyon

I have returned to this piece begun in May 2014.  Here it is as a fused collage.  Time for some layering and quilting. 

Christmas - Family Traditon - Sushi!

It has been a long family tradition to gather for on Christmas Eve at my house and dine on sushi that we make together. 

Scrap Quilts for Christmas

My blog has been quiet for a few days.  It has been a busy holiday and I've not been able to find the time to post.  I resolve to get back on track now that the holidays are behind me and the solitude of winter looms ahead. 

 I gifted scrap quilts to my daughters, step-daughter and grandkids for Christmas. 

Mixed Media Daily Postcards - December 23 - 28

Merry Christmas!

I am taking a few days off to enjoy family.  Will be back with my daily blog posts on Sunday, December 28th, with the last of my Daily Mixed Media Postcards!  Blessings to one and all. 

Hand Printed Machine Quilted Iris Ornaments

Here they are, all finished.  Once the stitching is complete, I cut them out and added a bit of embellishment with some puff paint and glitter. 

Fusing Iris Cutouts onto Black Felt

The cut out prints of iris are being fused to the black felt.  A hand dyed fabric is on the back of this quilt sandwich.  Once fused, I machine stitch along all the edges and on all the detail areas, using black thread.

Mixed Media Daily Postcards - December 15 - 21

Cutting Out Hand Printed Ornaments

The back of the hand printed fabric is treated with a fused layer of Misty-fuse.  Then, individual iris shapes are cut out.

Printing Iris Christmas Ornaments

 I created a batch of iris ornaments for the Big Sky Iris Club's Festival of Trees entry.  I used one of my hand carved rubber stamps to print many iris on a fat quarter of lavendar hand dyed fabric.  I used Pebeo Setacolor Transparent Paints for the printing.

 I used a mottled multi-color fat quarter of hand dyed fabric for the back.

Yellowstone Art Museum Auction Donation

 I have just dropped off my piece for the upcoming Yellowstone Art Museum fundraising auction.
This piece was juried into the show / auction.  It will hang in the museum from mid January through mid March, when the artwork is auctioned off.  I am always pleased to have my work included!

Greg Jahn - Nancy Halter Pottery - Merry Christmas to Me!

For many years, I have been collecting the work of Greg Jahn and Nancy Halter, a Billings couple who are also collaborative artists.  They open their studio every year in early December and I always go early and make my selections.  Here are my choices for 2014.

http://gregjahn-nancyhalter.com/home.html

Kimono Collage #5 Work in Progress

 Auditioning a different print on this background.

Kimono Collage #4

I am satisfied with the first group of kimono collage pieces and have decided to try a couple more.

I still have quite a lot of the kimono silks to work with.  I thought I would try a slightly different approach.  This collage is fused to black cotton, rather than batting as I did with the first group.  The silks are fragile and I think they will be more stable with cotton behind them before adding the batting.

Below, I am auditioning a couple of the screen prints.  Just thinking about using them, though.  No commitments yet.  I am going to print some more of the silk lining fabric before I make any decisions.

Mixed Media Daily Postcards - December 7 - 14

Kimono Collage #2 Detail

This detail image of Kimono Collage #2 shows a bit more of the printing, stitching and the luminous quality of the freshwater pearls. 

Kimono Collage #2 Finished!

Here is the second Kimono Collage!  Fused collage of dark silks has been machine and hand stitched.  The next layer is Thermofax screen printed silk lining embellished with machine and hand embroidery and freshwater pearls.

It is stretched over a re-purposed 16 x 20" stretched canvas.

Screen Printing the Kimono Lining

Moving ahead with the Kimono Collage series, I felt I could develop my designs a bit more authentically if I could add a bit from my own hand.  Thus, a section of the lining has been Thermofax screen printed.  Not sure this will be useful, but it seems worth trying.  Especially in light of the fact that all the patterned lining fabric I have is now used up.

Kimono Collage #1 Detail

Kimono Collage #1 16 x 20" Stretcher Bar Mounted

Here is the first Kimono Collage I was able to finish.  It measures 16 x 20" and is stretched over a re-purposed stretched canvas.  The rectangular top layers are from kimonos (linings), but the vertical hand stitched cord is actually a man's necktie rolled up and stitched in place.