"Creativity Marches On"

The title of this post is a quote from my friend Jenny Lyon, an artist who lives in California and travels far more than I think is safe during a Global Pandemic!  😉

But she's right.  She wrote that as a comment on a Facebook post I made recently, right after I'd learned that the Lacombe Art Show & Sale -- at which I've been Featured-Artist-in-Waiting since post-show 2019 -- was cancelled for the third year in a row.  This time it's only partially due to the uncertainty of the omicron variant of COVID-19, the infectiousness of which is hampered by our Very Conservative province's lower vaccination up-take, but it's also due to other factors at the City which I don't know much about and to which I'm not privvy.

I've had a couple of small Pity Parties as a result, but now...well, that's just no way to live and I'm moving on.

The Creativity is Marching On.

Heck!  It's been marching for a while now!  As month end approaches, I've done a tally, and I've finished seven new pieces this month of January alone!  I featured three of them in my last post.  Since then, I've produced these:

Return to the Diner (c) 2022
Monoprint copied on organza, quilted on 
synthetic fabric, fused applique, hand-beaded.
9.25" x 6.5" -- to be mounted
on 10" x 8" painted stretched canvas and framed

January Picnic (c) 2022
My contribution to the SAQA Spotlight Auction
at the 2022 (virtual) Conference at the end of April
Stay tuned for bidding information!

Winter Flight (c) 2022
Pieced, quilted, gessoed substrate
Marker and some thread painting
7.5" x 5.5" - to be mounted on 
10" x 8" painted canvas and framed

Yes...I'm continuing to play with "substrates" (aka 'backgrounds') and how I might use pieced and quilted backgrounds to create my work.  There's a "nearly all white" background being pieced right now for a 'soft' piece (i.e. larger and not on canvas)...more about that in the future.

I also took part in "Stitch Camp" for five days (January 17-21 inclusive) via TextileArtist.org.  That was inspiring...but not quite in the way the organizers intended -- at least, not for me.  I'm not a marker on fabric most of the time.  And I prefer machine stitch first...hand stitch as accents. Still...a little inspiration goes a long way, and since I've been exploring a) using up stuff to keep it out of the landfill; and b) substrates -- I made this:

The Possibility of Light  (c) 2022
9" W x 7" L - mounted on 8" x 10"
painted stretched canvas.
Machine pieced and quilted; painted
with gesso and metallic Sharpie (R) marker;
to be framed.

I expect the framed ones will end up at my framer's gallery -- Curiosity Art & Framing in Red Deer -- and could be purchased there in person or online -- but...if any Gentle Reader is interested...send me a message via "margblank - at - xplornet - dot - ca".  (This doesn't apply to the SAQA Spotlight Auction piece, which will be available later...stay tuned.)  

In other quilting...I continue to work on the 2022 Bonnie Hunter Mystery -- "Rhododendron Trail".  I'm plugging away at Clue #5 now, which takes Clue #3 units and adds to them.  I'm much farther along now than the photo below shows...and have moved into the second selection of pink fabric, having exhausted the first.

The full piece has been revealed - and it's very pretty; that said, I'm making the quilt at 3/4 the size, and forsee that the turquoise/aqua "sky" fabric in the original may be swapped out for something else as I get closer to the finished product. 

I've now got almost 70 'wonky log cabin' blocks from strings and scraps, and over 2 dozen "Spare Squares" (a Lori Holt freebie) which will be converted to a lap quilt shortly.  Fabric scraps: the gift that keeps on giving!

In knitting... I finished my Ranunculus pullover (sorry; no 'selfies'); it fits (though I'm not sure about it's length) and will be a pretty addition to a warmer weather wardrobe.  That said, I've not caught the 'bug' that makes it addictive to some knitters.  I might make another but not in the next five minutes.  I've returned to knitting my Turtle Dove II tunic in a glorious teal, 'Haynes' Creek Heathers Aran' from Gathering Yarn.  It's a top-down pullover, and I'm nearing the end of the increases over the yoke -- soon to divide for the sleeves.

My daughter reported that the two headbands I made for her birthday kept her warm enough on a recent hiking trip to the Rockies (near Banff, Alberta).  The one made from the "special" acrylic -- Red Heart's "Heat Wave" -- was indeed cozy, but she couldn't tell if it was the yarn itself, or the fact that a) the pattern was thick cables; or b) it fit more closely than the headband made of "regular" yarn (an acrylic/wool blend).  So...whatever!  She liked them both, and for that I am grateful!  (I've a dear friend who wants one and so now that I know how well the yarn performs, I must get going on that for her too.)

I continue to embroider on other projects while waiting for Jeannette's February "mini bouquet" -- alas, no further photos to show.  Those will come...in time, along with some hand-stitch on a collage I started in the above-mentioned "Stitch Camp" -- though only very tenuously related to the activity taught at the camp!

February approaches, and with it, a forecast of colder weather and more snow.  I'm ready!  First, I have reading material.  This new tome arrived in the mail Friday...bought and paid for some months ago, from the Royal Alberta Museum in Edmonton, written by quilt historian and friend of all quilters, Lucie Heins:

It's weighty; it's a true "coffee table book" -- so it will take some time to enjoy fully, to savour and digest the contents...but I commend it to my Alberta compatriots, to ALL Canadian quilters, and to others outside Canada who might be interested.  😊

I've a new art piece in the works, all that hand-stitch and knitting to do...a cozy home and a furry supervisor who ensures I get up each morning to feed her and keep to my routine.  

And of course I've the inspiration from all of you, Gentle Readers, including those of you who share your work over at Nina-Marie's Off the Wall Friday...where I'm linking this post.

I leave you with wishes for a safe, cozy, creative week, safely sheltered from storm, sturm und drang...till next month, with love... 

A Bit More of Everything

 I'm still working on Everything All at Once -- but never fear, Gentle Readers -- I am pacing myself!  😃  And of course, what comprises "everything" is evolving over time.  

First, what's finished?!

"Frolic!", that's what!  Yes...I've finished the top for the Bonnie Hunter Mystery from 2019.  It's double-bed size -- 86" square -- and I'll have it quilted by my long-arm friend, Sylvia Sawyer at Windwood Long-arm Quilting just up the highway.  I found the perfect location from which to photograph it on Monday this week, in the February sunshine:

I'm rather non-plussed that it turned out so well, but then again, Bonnie's patterns always make my shoddy piecing look fabulous.  One goof: I applied the borders with the blue side of the arrowheads next to the top itself, rather than the pink.  It made positioning the corner-stones a challenge, but...I just went with what pleased me, and in the end, it'll all work out!

What continues?  

Well..."Grassy Creek", Bonnie Hunter's 2020 Mystery -- but now I have 9 blocks finished and 1 nearly there.  That's more than 1/2 the number needed for the size I'm making.  

And..."Traffic Jam", that scrappy free pattern from Pat Sloan  that my friend A. shared with me.  It now has enough 6-patch units for borders on two sides!

Shown here: centre block plus layout for border on right side.

It takes 11 of these units to go down each side, and each unit has six 2 1/2" squares.  Then there'll be the top and bottom borders -- each of which will take 11 units PLUS "corner-stones", which are really 9-patch units...so that's a lot of scraps!  Of course, because of how they breed, I'm not really noticing much difference in the sewdio...Sigh.

Sock knitting continues too.  I'm well on my way down the foot of the second sock for the February Socks from Stash challenge, but I Must Knit Faster to ensure I finish by Sunday evening!!

And what's new?

In the Knitting Department, I've cast on a Comfort Wrap for a friend who's recently been diagnosed with cancer....

Pattern: Simple Comfort Wrap
Designer: Lisa Santoni Cromar
Yarn: Diamond Luxury Collection "Tafi"
-- 60% alpaca, 40% silk
Colour-way: 7594 - "Mesa" (red on red)

It's a simple enough pattern repeat, but somehow, every once in a while I drop a YO (Yarn Over) here and there; I've already had to TINK (KNIT backwards) at least twice to get it right!   I really must slow down so I can finish this faster... 😉

In the Art Department...this week there's a new "finish" and a second piece underway.

For several weeks I've been 'auditing' a class in mark-making on paper and fabric, taught online by Canadian textile artist Susan Purney Mark.  I've met Susan and took a short session with her in person at a SAQA Western Canada Regional Retreat a few years ago.  Before that, when I was a Co-Rep for our region, she taught a workshop for us in Calgary. I enjoy her work and have one of her small pieces  in my home.  

Her workshop,"Cloth to Codex" (usually taught in person but not this year!) has been an interesting program.  Even though I am not fond of working on paper or making books, and not an enthusiastic 'mark maker' either, the substrate of the work is inspiring.  One of Susan's practices is asemic writing which I really like -- but I like *actual* cursive writing even more and so...

On Tuesday I dug out a stretched linen "canvas", and made this:

The Thing with Wings II
8" x 10" (unframed)
Pitt Pen, machine thread-painting

I reprised my piece for the SAQA Benefit Auction in 2020, entited The Thing with Wings, inspired by the poem on hope, written by Emily Dickenson.  First, I wrote the poem out on the "canvas".  Next, I sketched the tree on the back of the 'canvas' and outlined it in free-motion thread painting. That took some doing, because in order to get the stretched piece under my needle I had to remove the foot and the needle from the machine -- and put it all back together in order to stitch!  

I cut a piece of mat board and inserted it in the back of the stretcher bars to support the linen, and will have the piece put in one of my favourite 'floater frames.  I like it very much, and have hopes it will show and sell at the Lacombe Art Show and Sale this year, which is booked for the last weekend in May.

Then yesterday (Thursday) I started another new piece.  It's inspired by a photo taken by my talented daughter, Gina, which she included for the month of February, in a 2021 calendar she gave me comprised of her photography.  A few years back she purchased a glass 'ball' that she uses in her work, and she used it to take a photo of a tree in the vicinity of the High Level Bridge in Edmonton, Alberta, where she lives.

I took inspiration from that round image, blue on blue, and from some thoughts I've been pondering in recent weeks, about the 'little blue planet' on which we live.  The tree in her photo inspired my creation of a similar 'Tree of Life' image, and the circular image, my creation of a kind of globe.  The working title is "And She Saw That It was Good".

Here is my first draft:

I looked at it, let it sit for a bit, and decided it required a bit of tweaking.  Here's my second draft.  

Can you tell what I did?

Self-dyed and commercial cottons
Fused applique
Approx. 15" x 23" before quilting

Here's a close-up of the motif...

There's still quite a bit to do to finish it, but I'm letting it 'percolate' now.  Eventually it will be finished with a facing as a soft piece with a sleeve-and-dowel hanging system.

It was so warm earlier this week that I found myself outside on my back stoop, stitching in the sunshine!  I put a cushion on the little chair I keep out there, and wore my Harris Tweed cape over a couple of layers, and was fine.  My hands didn't even get cold!  

I spent most of that time stitching down the facing on the back of "On the Straight and Narrow".  Now all it needs is a sleeve!

Today, however, we're right back into February weather, with snow flurries and gusty winds.  It'll be a good day for assembling those 6-patches into a border and attaching them to "Traffic Jam"!  

Later on, I'll curl up with some of my knitting, and -- oh yeah!  -- do the suggested reading for an online Lenten Retreat I'm taking online at 2 p.m. tomorrow, and for the following 2 Saturdays.  Whether you're registered for a spiritual retreat or one that will find you exploring new artwork, as Nina Marie is this weekend, it pays to be prepared!  I'll leave you with a link to her Off the Wall Friday -- and wish you all a weekend filled with creative blessings.  😊

New Work

I continue to play with making marks -- and have added painting and needle-felting to the mix.  All in all the perfect combination for someone who is currently artistically unsettled, yet determined to accomplish something!  ;-)

First up...these small canvases, inspired by a pair of online videos that I purchased from my beloved City and Guild tutor, Linda Kemshall, and the programs she produces with her daughter Laura on DesignMattersTV: "Painterly Acrylic Landscapes" -- Parts I and II.

I've created four small (5" x 7") canvases...and attached to them bits that I've needle-felted on my Babylock embellisher.  It seems I've finally mastered this (no broken needles thus far!)...and I'm enjoying immensely the process of creating these small things using acrylic craft felt from The Shop, pieces of felted wool, roving, hand-dyed cheesecloth (YUM!), sari silk ribbon, and bits of roving from NORO 'Rainbow Rolls' (also available at The Shop).  Each is to be inserted into a floater frame; I'll be in Red Deer next week and  hope to find some there.  If not, I may have to mortgage the house to purchase them online... ;-)

In Green Pastures (C) 2017
5" x 7" - unframed

In Green Pastures - Detail

Canoes on Cranna Lake (C) 2017
5" x 7" - unframed

Canoes... - Detail

Dabbling...

Sometimes you think you've finished something, but it's not quite right...

Beside Still Waters (Before)

Something about this one fell into that category; the trees in the far background were too bright, so I went back in with some paint and...

Ahhh...that's a bit better...

Beside Still Waters (C) 2017 - unframed

Beside Still Waters - Detail

The fourth one is still Under Construction...as in...it's felted foreground isn't done yet...so you'll just have to stay tuned!

Meanwhile, I've quilted 'Wall'...and am preparing to apply a very narrow (1/4" or less) binding to it, preparatory to affixing it to a canvas.  I've trimmed it to 12" square...so...photos will be posted later.

And I've done some more mark-making...using a tree in my backyard and a couple of oil pastel 'crayons' I had kicking around.

Here are some samples of the Mountain Ash trunk (Rowan for my U.K. readers) 'subject':

And here are the samples/results in a red-brown and a dark grey:

I'm not quite sure what I'm going to do with these yet, except to know they invite stitch -- probably hand-stitch.  First, given the medium, they need to be 'cured' until later tomorrow afternoon or Wednesday.  Then I will heat set them (using a protective pressing sheet and a dry iron) and go from there.  I sourced the fabric from an online class in modern/improvisational quilting I took a few months ago. There was an awful piece...I cut it up and got all this wonderful white KONA cotton to work with.  The moral?  If you're willing to play, you can turn your "failures" into your next artistic "success"!  ;-)

P.S. for the knitters...I finally blocked this shawlette I finished a month ago.  It's a gift for a friend of mine...

Pattern: "California Skies" by Evelyn Uyemura
Yarn: Painted Desert by Knitting Fever - Colour #109
- Available at The Crafty Lady in Lacombe and elsewhere...

"California Skies" - Detail

Linking in to Nina Marie's Off the Wall Friday (at the last minute!)...and wishing you all a creative week!

Quilted!

My latest piece has now been thread painted and quilted.  All that remains is the binding (I plan to use a facing), label and hanging sleeve.  Measuring 14" x 17", once it's finished it'll be in the shop for about $240 CAD.  Stay tuned!

Nobody Here But Us

Another Update

At last I've posted photos and particulars to the "Newest Work" section of my Portfolio tab.  Enjoy!