Journal Keeping

Main Street Arts, a gallery in Clifton Springs, New York, has a talent for showcasing unusual artists' works. An exhibit on sketchbooks has a shelf that you can (while wearing white gloves) look through along with descriptive arrow markers. I'm not a journal maker, but I appreciate those that are.

Side Trip to Mesa

A detail from Susan Hesh's Redwork, which is currently on view at the Mesa Art Center's 38th Annual  Contemporary Craft Show. has thread work that drops a veil of color over the whole cloth, allowing the viewer to fill the narrative.

Beyond Monumental

A visit to Phoenix's Heard Museum to see the collection. Of note is this over the top Navajo weaving referred to as a sandpainting textile, from about 1920. Go big or go home.

Monumental

Exaggeration is not enough when describing the dessert in Scottsdale. My inability to take it all in equals my wonder at what there is to discover. I'll be heading home Sunday night, leaving this surreal land. With luck, I'll be back.

On the Design Wall

The elements get a look from afar. It helps to have 20 feet of viewing distance, a good design wall,, and some help from a friend. This on the last day of a three day "Improv Sketches" class.

End of the Day

Wednesday's class ended with these lovely compositions left for me to admire. As I post (late) this Friday morning, these boards will have seen more works, more sketches, more from which to choose.

Day Off

A day off between classes meant I could do some sight seeing. Taliesin West, the winter studio of Frank Lloyd Wright, in Scottsdale, Arizona was first. A hike in the foothills was after lunch. Wonderful break.

Pulling a Print

Dawn was intrepid in her attack on printing. Here she has printed to a plexiglas plate, then pulled the image on to her fabric. After drying, the print then was overlaid with more color and techniques. I'll remember this in May when I'm at Pro Chem.

Under the Arizona Sun

A day of "Glorious Prints" in Scottsdale had long passages of rain, but the sun returned to quickly dry the work so we could add another layer. What fun to work outside. And with such clever people.

Open Air Workshop

At a private studio in Scottsdale, Arizona, the class is working on printing techniques using thickened dyes. And the prints are indeed glorious. Tomorrow is the third and last day for this class.

Night Out

My first day in Scottsdale ended with a dance performance at the Center for the Performing Arts. It was hard to sit so still with so much action on stage.

Walk Along the Sand

I'm now in Scottsdale, taking a morning walk along an irrigation canal. Oh, what a different world.

Coming and Going

If you live with snow, like where I am in the Northeast, there is no anonymous, secret way in or out. Of course, the sun melts the trail, or the snow returns to cover. But don't think you can go without being noticed!

Pack It Up

Time to throw things in and zip to go. I'm heading to 40 degrees warmer, and the next thing I'm adding is sunscreen, followed by sandals. Come on along!

Doin My Homework

I'm warming up with an exercise I'll show next week for a class in Arizona. It will also be a part of my class in June at the Quilt Surface Design Symposium in Columbus, Ohio. The play's the thing, you know.

Chores

I'm starting to gather things I'll take to Arizona later this week for my three day class on fabric printing. I always underestimate the amount of Duct Tape I need for taping silk screens. Why didn't Santa get me more?

Would It Fit?

One of these days, when I am confident in my garment fitting skills, I may use this silk to make a top. I haven't come across the perfect pattern, but this tells me a yard ought to do it.

Behind Me

Over my left shoulder this watches over me. Tonight is a full moon, and eclipse, and who knows what else. I'm content with my mystery universe.

Cleaning Up

Some perfectly fine thickened dye needed to be cleaned up (and done with printing for a while) so I added soda ash to the dyes, and printed to untreated (unsoaked in soda ash) fabric. All's well, I'm here to report.

The Cat's Away

Line work I found on the street. I don't know how to use this,  but images do collect in the bank, gain interest, and one day get cashed in. Beside the gray and white color, I love the line.

Improvisational

Take a seat, join the group. Try some improvisation tonight. That's what I did, and I'll say it was not easy! (I'll keep that in mind when I teach improvisational quilting.)

Picking Fruit

Harvest of color from these last weeks of dyeing. I'm just about finished in the dye studio for a while, and these will travel with me this year -- ahead is Arizona, Ohio, Maine, and parts in between.

Printing Day

I've had some beautiful linen that prints well. I've laid in some prints, and now am scraping color over it while the print is still wet. We'll do this in my class in May at Pro Chemical and Dye in Fall River.

Wash Away

There are many ways to wash out. I hand wash cold twice, hot twice, then soak overnight with hot. All using synthropol soap. Then the next morning a hot wash (maybe two) in my front loader with synthropol. Easy.

New Tape Tricks

I've taken a screen, stripped in some tape, and then painted soy wax over it all. Taking off the tape leaves me some wonderfully ragged lines. I'll show you results after the washing out.

No Hand Me Downs

From what I can tell, there is no background of quilting in my past. My grandmother, here in about 1895, left me no quilting heritage. I'm sure she left me other qualities -- those eyelids, for certain.

Requiem

The philharmonic did Mozart's Requiem tonight, so I did my homework. Plus, it is an apt piece for the political climate. Tomorrow, keep going.

Bead Heaven

A beaded wedding basket from Indonesia, Sumatra, Lampung Bay area, probably made about 1930-1960 on view at the Corning Museum of Glass. I visited weeks ago, and can revisit by photo. Love the patterning, the color, and the shape.