Getting Gussied Up

A good friend came to visit today so I repopulated the walls with some works. And yes, we went out to lunch. How can I be behind schedule if I'm the one keeping the schedule? I'm stopping for a long lunch!

Tryouts

I'm using a frame cut from a poster board that is 24" square in the window. It'll help me compose, and know trimmed final size. I will make them oversized, and trim the 1" past the finished size so they will finish at exact measure. 
 

Looking Ahead 2 Feet at a Time

My size limit for showing work at QSDS is 2 x 2. Yesterday I had a chance to start some pieces to take with me next month. Quilt Surface Design Symposium is in their last year. I've a full printing class, but there are some openings in the five day design class where we'll sew like crazy. Join me June 3-7. 
 

Moon Rock

Taken about a month ago, this is the archetypical smooth stone spit out from the sea. Even that I remember San Diego as rain with a dollop of rain, there were breaks in the atmospheric river that allowed some beach walking. I may still have this stone lurking in my luggage. Happy Full Moon!
 

$100 Freezer Paper

I was prepared to grab-and-go at my grocery store, but there was no freezer paper. Second grocery had none as well. A sinking feeling of THE UNIVERSE IS TAKING AWAY MY FREEZER PAPER went thorough my head. Target had some, but then I have to get a few more things. Thus, $100 freezer paper.
 

Name Tags for Days

When the last week in May gets here, QSDS will start up and I'll need lots of soda-soaked fabric for printing. So, name tags made of tyvek will be sewn on to the yards before I add the soda ash to the fabric. And might need more fabric, too, my favorite being Test Fabric's #419 cotton. 
 

What I Left on the Wall

My task of prepping a background for the next quilting session finished, I got to populate the design walls with some ideas. I love taking a few pieces to see if they can do all the work. Note to self: bring more printed fabric over to the studio. More to choose!
 

You Know You Want to Be There

Hudson River Valley Art Workshops (www.artworkshops.com/) is where I'll be June 16 - 22.  It's one of my favorite places to print (relaxing, roomy, great food) with Big and Bold Prints. Consider joining me there. You can even know nothing about printing and come away with great fabric. Really.
 

Next in Line

The next large work to be quilted is on the wall. I put a backing together for it, and of course it's larger than the top. It feels like I'm making a king sized duvet cover, there is so much fabric to get straight. But this studio is a paradise to work in for large things. Next is getting it on the frame and quilted. 
 

Cross the Border to See York

Last night I spoke to the wonderful York Heritage Quilters Guild near Toronto (and a whole bunch on their virtual zoom). They all say hello! Plus I got to see the wonderful work they do in their show and tell. Such a nice night!
 

Closeup

A reader asked for details of this last quilt, and though I'd add some here. I try to edit the shot for an interesting composition, and aim to show off both the quilting style as well as the diverse printing. If submitting to a show, I'd only be able to choose one. 
 

The Finish Line

Beauty picture today for Atmospheric River. It finished at 74 x 105, so it'll take wall space to show, that's certain. There are two shows this summer I'll be part of, so it may make it to that. August is the exposure month. Seems far away, but it's not.
 

An Arm and a Leg

Schweinfurth's upper gallery has an exhibit from the Cayuga Historical Museum of 200 years of Cayuga's history. Among the portraits was this double. The term "an arm and a leg" for something costly came from pricing paintings, where more shown cost more to paint. Thus, a pricy double.
 

FLFA Meeting

A meeting of the Finger Lakes Fiber Artists was today at the Schweinfurth. There was a lot to see, all so well done. We meet every two to three months, grab some tips and pass on new things to know about, and hear about plans for future workshops and such. Always worth packing up some things to share.
 

Trimmed

Squaring up Atmospheric River took a couple of hours. But I managed to get two sides sewn with the facing, so I could start to sew them on tonight. I think about these tasks and the time it takes, all for a product that will sit and wait until it's call to be seen comes. 
 

Little By Little

Attacking this puzzle again today, gaining little ground. But QSDS asks for small works, no larger than 20" x 20" for their gallery. If it was 20' x 20' I'd be fine!
 

Slow Going

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It'll take time and patience for this one, as the colors get switched out left and right. It would certainly be easier if I had the exact color, as now it takes me time to settle on what is at hand. What is enjoyable is following the gestural lines that I'd printed. Always the best road map!
 

Start Your Machines

You would think there'd be a garden of pastel petals in this next quilt, bit it will read as quiet color. Still, I'll be using most of these to quilt on the longarm the Atmospheric River. I might have maybe twice this many cones, not the full spectrum. So, a close match will have to do.
 

Take What is Offered

Yes, today was Totality here in Rochester, and though yesterday was picture perfect clear blue sky, today was not. We Rochesterians accept that, and take what we can -- which was a brilliant 360 degree sunset/sunrise on the horizon. The hushed crowd stood together on that, our gem for the wait.
 

Tapa Cloth

Made of beaten bark, Tapa cloth can be very large in size. These fragments are part of the Textile Collection at Cornell University where the SAQA NY/NJ group had a tour with associate director Katherine  Blumenkamp. It was a mind blowing tour, fabulous ideas and discussions. 
 

Textile Lovers in a Textile Collection

SAQA NY/NJ descended on the Cornell Fashion + Textile Collection today for the most wonderful tour from exhibit to collection to classroom with Catherine Kueffer Blumenkamp, Associate Director. Oh, the riches! It was a morning excursion our SAQA reps put together after the Friday exhibit opening. Wow, what a tour!
 

You Know Juneau?

I can't say the room in Juneau will look like this, but it'll be stocked with thickened dyes and covered in white plastic, ready to print. If you're anywhere near (and it's a short flight from Seattle) think about an Alaskan get-away July 15-19, 2024. We're printing! Write me patpaulyart@gmail.com for details.
 

Three Versions of Edges

These go out tomorrow to Rochester Contemporary for their annual fundraiser 6x6x2024. I experimented with the edge treatment. One is wrapped with strips, one nothing, one with a back that flopped over the facing. All are fine, got lots of stitching on edges. And they are fun to make. Important!
 

Donation Time

Each year I try to add a few pieces to the Rochester Contemporary Art Center's 6x6 fundraiser. All donations are 6"x6" square; sometimes 6x6x6. All are anonymous, are $20, and there are thousands donated. One of the few times I donate. I'm trying to meet the weekend deadline, wish me luck.
 

Finished and Hung Up

It's always a good day to add new work. I'm calling this Spring Cleanup because instead of raking the garden (getting it ready for summer) I finished this. Here's another shot. And I'll show how to print like this at the Hudson River Valley Workshop retreat in June 17-21. The only one with openings!

 

Back and Facing

I'm using my stash of commercial fabric for the backs and facing. A single layer of facing is sewn to the front, smoothed out and opened, it then gets a 'stay stitch' line of sewing near that seam. I'll fold the edge, iron it, then pull the facing to the back with a hairline edge of the front showing on the back. Pin and sew.
 

Centering

Not having the long tape measure, I grabbed two, started each one at opposite ends and found the middle easily. The pen mark at the very top is the center of the longarm canvas to attach the backing. The batting and top are laid loosely. I managed to get this done today, tomorrow I'll trim and add the facing. 
 

Revamp

Constructing (or deconstructing) this corner of the next work is a bit tricky, but satisfying. It becomes a puzzle to work, adding deeper tones, subtracting weak areas, changing tone to quiet an area that's too loud. Why music composers use the same phrases I guess. 
 

The Other Wall

I'm getting used to having a tryout wall, or adjacent work that can hang out while I work on 'the main attraction'. This one came about as I held out three that were distinctly different in tone, technique, and pallet from others in the pile of prints. They have enough distinction to leave as it, which is the plan.
 

Close Up

A close up of the quilting shows that I often fill in a missing shape with quilting. I also like to use thread color to match the color of the fabric. I switched around now and again, but used the light blue gray and deep blue more most of this piece. My machine is an old Gamill, I may be the fourth owner. 
 

Hudson River Valley Workshops

If you are hankering to print whole cloth designs, join me June at the Hudson River Valley Workshops in Greenville, New York.  This is one whole yard I printed in Santa Fe, hanging out at my studio. Can you imagine getting this without piecing? https://www.artworkshops.com/workshop/go-big-go-bold-prints-galore-with-pat-pauly/ 

 

I Need a Ladder

The facing is sewn, the sleeve added, and I brought this to the studio to photograph. Measuring 8' x 8' it makes it to the top of my design wall. There's little to give you a sense of scale, but let's say I don't have a wall tall enough to hang this in my home. That's all right, I've two shows this summer with tall walls.
 

Sew Light Today

After some gray after gray days, the sun came in strong. Thought I'd set myself up for some facing, sewing away as the sun moved across the back of the quilt. It's a big one, almost 8' square, so that's about 48 feet of hand sewing, if you count attaching the sleeve. Good thing it's now hand quilting!
 

Full Moon for March

This is the best I could do with my meager camera in my attempt to catch the glowing orange full moon rising over the expressway concrete barrier. Although the vines remind me of my morning finish of the large quilt I'm working on. Tonight was binding, yes, by the light of the moon.
 

Longarm Ahead

I've got a couple of days into machine quilting this large piece, but as I reach the last few inches I find my longarm won't move. So, I'll sleep on it, check it tomorrow, and then figure out what to do next. Between this and filing taxes, not my favorite mood.
 

AKG and Stanley Whitney

Big, bold, colorful, sectioned, repetitive, abstract, high-chroma -- what else can be said? The retrospective of Stanley Whitney's work took up the entire third floor of the new Albright-Knox Art Gallery, now known as AKG, and connected his early sketches to these later paintings. Did I want to piece these? You bet.
 

Flatterer or Imposter?

Today was a trip to the Albright Knox Art Gallery (the AKG now) has Frida Kahlo's self-portrait, and across the street, at the Burchfield Penney Art Gallery, is John Copoulos' Self-Portrait as Frida Kahlo from 1989. What fun to see both, and to ponder imitation, admiration, or just fun being someone else. 

 

Slime Trail Wash Out

Sometimes there's a residue of shiny print paste still there after washing out printed fabric. You can see the lines in the edge of the yellow scrape. The only way I'm able to get it out is with a hot water wash, and synthropol and a quart of my mixed soda ash solution added to the wash. Good rinse and it's gone.
 

Back to the Studio

Most of my working day was spent compiling taxes, but I broke away to find a few hours in the studio. I left drafts of the next works on the design wall, which I found comforting and surprising. I gave me a place to start, and of course, I saw them with refreshed eyes. 
 

This Year's Live Printing Classes

There are two places to print with me in the lower 48 states this year, one is east, one west. I love both the Hudson River (peaceful, great food, work at your leisure night and day) and Lake Tahoe (lots of friends around, fabulous space, other classes for inspiration) for printing. You might too!

Home At Last

I hopped this Saturday morning at 6:00, and unlocked my door at home Sunday at 6:00 in the evening. The day and a half was a bit of trains, planes, and automobiles, but all is here, including the to wayward bags. I'm home for a good stretch now. And gearing up for summer workshops. 
 

Painted Windows

 Near Santa Fe's train station are sets of converted Warehouses and older buildings. Most are home design stores, and a few have painted windows,  strikes my fancy.

New Tricks, Old Dogs

Wendy convinced me there was a better way to apply selective color. I'd resisted for years, then, hey, what is wrong with me? She'd got a silicone brush and it smooths the thickened dye in a painterly scraping way, so I'll be trying that method too. Old dog (that's me) and new tricks (my great class),