Monday, July 24, 2017

Art Art

When I was growing up, Art was a big part of my environment.  I had no idea that other people did not have walls hung with paintings.  My grandfather's home was like a museum, with Tiffany lamps, antique china, Stickley furniture and the like.  Unfortunately, a few years after he passed away, his Malibu home burnt to the ground in one of their horrible fires.  It all went up in smoke.

He was also a painter, who dabbled in oils.  I have several of his paintings in my home, as I was given them before the fire.

My parents bought paintings.  My dad preferred desert landscapes.  My mom liked figures, often done in charcoal, pastels, or woodblock prints.

My home has paintings (I purchase primarily watercolors, though I inherited a number of oils).  Two of my sisters also have homes filled with paintings.  One has a bit of everything, the other loves abstracts.

This is my dad's house:
 This is my house (new sofas, from Costco!)
These are hanging on my sister's walls:
 huh. Each got turned on its ear.  I guess that means it's real art, because they still look good!  And balanced!
Are we odd?  I always thought this was normal, until my husband indicated that he prefers blank walls.  I would have the place hung like a gallery, if I had my druthers.  I have two closets filled with paintings, which never see the light of day.

Again, are we odd?  I guess I never thought about it, until I realized that each of my sisters have so much art in our homes, we will be hard-pressed to know what to do with my dad's collection once he is done with it.  Add to that my quilting, and one sister's knitting, and, well, I guess the creative gene runs deep, along with appreciation.

And on that note, all I've got to show you today is one polka dot:
 and one birthday card.
Thanks for hanging in with me, as I think about Art, and appreciation.  Happy Quilting!!

Sunday, July 16, 2017

12" Art

You may remember about a month ago (or was it longer?) that I emptied my studio in an effort to condense, organize, and facilitate my quilting endeavors.  I've reached an impasse, with The Annex still full of quilting materials, and the Studio regaining its status of The Dump.  groan.  sigh.  sigh again.

Anyway, one of the things that I uncovered was a stack of quilts purchased from the 2016 SAQA Online Auction.  The quilts for the 2017 auction in September can be seen here.  Usually I make a contribution, but this year?  Quilting has been at a minimum.  I'm lucky if  I can pop out a birthday card every 3 months.

I hung the latest acquisitions, and thought that you might like to see the quilts bordering my Studio ceiling.  Here they are, in no particular order:

 This first quilt is "Sequoia Mini," by Teri McHale.

Next are a quilt by Phyllis Cullen, and "Joy Cometh in the Morning, Psalm 30:5 by Margaret Blank.

This is the view of the ceiling, as you first enter the Studio.  The other quilts on the wall are by Nancy Brown, (then Phyllis Cullen, Margaret Blank), Kristin Eilers, (Teri McHale), and Sara Kelly.
 Pivot 90 degrees, and you see this one.  

  "Ramble" by Marion Shimoda.  I had the privilege of meeting Marion in May 2016, when I was in Sisters, Oregon, taking a class.  Her detail work and teeny piecing are exquisite.

 Next are "Cloudburst" by Gwen Goepel, and "Found on Whangaumu" by Mathea Daunheimer of New Zealand.  I bought "Found" in Houston, in 2015.
 This is what that corner looks like.  I've actually added one more quilt.  I'd run out of hanging slats, and apparently have yet to take a picture of the last one.  Hang on a minute...

This is "Green Fields #3" by Christine Hager-Braun.

 This lusciously textured raspberry one does not have a label, so I cannot tell you its title or its maker.

This is the corner, to the left of my sewing space.  The quilt on the far right is by Charlotte Rogers.  The triptych on the far left is by Sharon L. Schlotzhauer.  The four crazy quilts in the corner were purchased from the Alzheimer's fundraiser, again in Houston, probably around 2013.

Above the door are "Abstract #3" by Shoshi Rimer (of Israel), "Trail Ride" by Jennifer Hammond Landau, and "Philodendron Phantasy" by Aileyn Renli Ecob.

Next come "Red Coleus" by Susan Brubaker Knapp, and "Spring Ginkgoes" by Franki Kohler.  I know both artists, and they are as lovely as their quilts.  (I've also met Aileyn Ecob.  She, too, is a delight.)
 Finally, I have "token (ART) quilt" by Deborah J. Bein, and "Croc" by Paula Benjaminson.
 This is what that wall looks like.  The bulletin board is crammed with as many postcards from my quilting friends as it can hold.
whew!  That's quite the tour, and quite the collection.  And I don't have room for any more, unless I seep into another room.  I prefer to have the quilts on display, as I find them to be quite inspiring.  They represent artists worldwide, using a myriad of techniques.  Each quilt spoke to me, and several are made by nationally recognized quilt artists.  I am thrilled to have them hang in my Studio.

And, just in case you think I've done nothing but sit back and admire other people's work, I have done a tad of quilting of my own.  I've pinned, 

I've made templates, 


and I've even made a (belated) birthday card for my daughter.
I keep setting goals, but family calls, and the goals get delayed, postponed, and then delayed once more.  Later this week, I'm off to help my sister deal with more stuff with my dad, so quilting remains stalled in the goal-setting stage.  No actually quilting will likely occur.  oh well.  Good thing Goals are good!!  :D

Wednesday, July 12, 2017

More Updated Chairs

I got my last chair back from the upholsterer.  They used the same foam, and fabric I bought from Joann's.  I'm pretty happy with the results.  What do you think?
 Fixing up all of these chairs inspired me to finish a chair that has been stripped and waiting for at least a year.  When in Oceanside, I bought some red (chalk?) paint.  I really like the results, though I got a couple of unwelcome drips on the top coat.  I'm not sure what to do about those.  Sand and coat again?  Like I said, I'm not sure.
 My son got a new puppy.  She was a stray, found on the other side of Tulare.  When he picked her up (no collar, no chip, no response to ads), she was covered with ticks.  After "helping" with the irrigating, she was covered with dirt.  She's yet to be named, but that's Roscoe in the background.  They are both sweethearts, and a lot of fun to watch.
 Here they are, cavorting with my youngest son's wife.  The two of them (son&wife) did the last round of irrigating.  Their newly purchased home (Sept) was just discovered to have serious water damage in the kitchen.  They need to pull out everything, including the subflooring.  The repairs will be pricey, so they're trying to build their savings to fund the repairs.  Welcome to Grownupland.  fun, fun, fun.  (And they're expecting in 2.5 months.  Lots to do, not a lot of time to get it done.)
Quiltwise, I don't have much to share.  Sacred Threads is open now through July 23.  If you are in or near Herndon, VA, I encourage you to see it.  (And then report back to me!  ;)  I do have a quilt hanging in the exhibit.  I had hoped to get there to see it, but life gets in the way.

And I guess that's it.  Until next time...stay cool!

Monday, July 3, 2017

Bit o Stitchin'

Well.  It's not much, but it's something.  I pieced together the blocks of String Quilt #7 to make a top.
 yay!  One less pile of something on top of my sewing surface!
 I thought I ought to do more sorting and stashing, so I dumped a bin of bits.  uh oh.  Looks like I've become a bits hoarder.  I need to sew something out of this mess!
There weren't many purple pieces, so I pulled them out and made this:
The cow was an afterthought.  I'd cut her out for a different project, then set her aside.  I bought the little hand-crafted milk bottle button at...you've guessed it!  An estate sale, a few years ago.

That's all the sewing that happened over the weekend, but I've been thinking about it.  More to come, if I can turn goals into action.  Goals are good!