Famous Quilt

After two quilt shows, and also after gracing the walls of two quilt shops for the last few years, my much admired quilt that was the model for my pattern design/cover has come home. On this pattern cover, it shows the quilt before any quilting or bling was added!

 Here's a portion of the quilt which I photographed today (below), draped on a chair. I would have had to hang it up on the wall to get a pic of it in its entirety!

 Because it was entered into a show, even the back had some special details...such as the trapunto(stuffed) dolphin and a custom tag I made complete with beading! (no...that is no longer my current address on there!)

 Here's a version of the same design below, which my student made (but I did the face for her!) I've shown this one on my blog before.

 Anyway, I am glad my quilt has come home and I have a spot picked out to display it! There was much "oooohing" and "aaaahhhhhing" over the quilt. I had people tell me they remembered it from Jacksonville Quiltfest years after it had been there, and even found it pictured in an online article someone had written. I know my student who made one sure loves hers!

A couple more ink drawings I did over the week (faces#806-#808), below.

I am hoping I have some time in the near future here, to do more than sketches in ink. It's making me crazy to be so busy with other things!

Until next time, take care!

Sleeping On A Crescent Moon

I've been busy,busy,busy, but did a few more sketches in ink. I like the idea of the first one and will probably do a version in pastel...

 I have a newfound appreciation for going to the grocery store. From January, up until a month ago, I couldn't go for myself and was having all my groceries delivered by a service. But after starting a gluten free vegan diet, I am finally getting some of the strength back in my legs that I had lost through the rheumatoid arthritis. A person can sometimes find gluten free vegan treats in the ethnic foods section of a grocery store, and I was exploring there when a logo on some packaging really caught my eye. I love the retro feel of this logo, and the tasty product is from London. With only three ingredients and no preservatives, no artificial flavorings or coloring, I would definitely buy these guilt free mints again.

I will try to post again soon! I hope all my readers are doing well, and take care until next time!

Honest Ink; Faces #799-#803

 Working with ink sometimes exposes the genuine efforts and skills of an artist because erasures and adjustments can not be made. That being said, I really just felt like drawing with a ballpoint pen because it was handy. I was even displeased with my bulky oversized sketchpad (not handy or convenient enough); hence, the two drawings split on one page. The one drawing done on lined paper also has a note scrawled on there (about the 5,000 lightning strikes over Central Florida this past weekend). I bought two of the oversized sketchpads, and have already given one away finding it impractical for those times where I just feel like drawing without "a big song and dance" ensuing. After 800 faces, I many times still prefer the simplicity and convenience of working this way on a less grander scale. My next art supply investment will definitely be some smaller sketchpads!

I will try to squeeze in another post hopefully by Saturday at the latest. Until next time, take care!

Duos, Faces#795-#798

What I particularly gravitated toward in the rendering of the two pieces below, was the placement of subjects in relation to one another and the way I wanted them to appear to merge shape-wise. I wanted the lines or shading that clearly separated them from one another to be evident, yet also wanted the placement to show connection. I wanted more than the randomness of simply two characters on the page together...something more deliberate for design unity. But there you have it, faces#795-#798.

I would have hit the 800 faces mark by now, if not for being so otherwise preoccupied. Since I thought the chemo-therapuetic drugs my rhuematologist prescribed for my RA were a little too extreme, I decided to try a nutritional therapy and have been wrapped up in research and follow through with that for the last two weeks. It is a gluten free, vegan diet (which I suppose is also kind of extreme). But after the first two days I saw results, and have not needed to take any NSAIDS for pain for just over 14 days now, not to mention having dropped some weight, and lowered my blood pressure. The only thing I really miss is the coffee! But I'd rather be able to walk and draw (though not both at the same time)! I will probably do an extended post about this in the future since I think a lot of other people with autoimmune, systemic disorders can get some serious pain/symptom relief from modifying diet and removing foods that are inflammatory. 

Until next time, take care! 

"Drama Queen", Face #794

This 19" by 25" pastel painting was equal parts a figure study, as well as a "dark ground" study. It was somewhat challenging to work this piece on the black Canson paper. I loosely sketched it out first with my sienna Nu Pastel, and had to adjust after as I was working so as to get proportions right. I do like, as I have mentioned before, to work on dark surfaces because the effect can be so dramatic. Her hair (which I initially would have done in a more natural neutral shade) just seemed to will itself to be rendered this very dramatic blue. If I continue with the piece, the treatment for the background will be subdued so as not to detract from the bold subject.

I really let this week get away from me time-wise, and wanted to be up to Face #800 by this point. Alas, there is always next week. Until next time, thanks for visiting and take care!

Quick Draws

Over the holiday weekend I didn't get much work done, but nonetheless I did a few quick sketches...

I do enjoy the simple process of these kind of sketches. One artist I know says she likes her drawings because they aren't like her salable pieces, and she can just relax when doing them. I agree with her. The woman with the hat, drawn with a ballpoint pen on a piece of pink lined paper, was an extremely gratifying drawing experience. It may or may not lead me to do a painting of such, but even if it doesn't, I loved gliding the pen across the page producing such an image. Or the man's face done in tinted pastel...I laughed while rendering his toothy grin. A large portion of this blog has been in drawing these quicker pieces, these side adventures where I was more immersed in the journey than in the destination. I really feel that many times a person is much more engaged when they are focused on what they are doing, rather than where it is leading, or what comes next. Just slowing down to appreciate life!

"Take time to smell the flowers along the way!" Until next time, take care!