Stairway to Heaven- Last Nature Gathered Piece

Heavens was the last theme for our Nature Gathered art challenge. I made another art quilt using a sketch, fabric, hand and machine stitching and acrylic paint for the clouds and stairs. It's entitled 'Stairway to Heaven". Below is the sketch for this piece.

The Nature Gathered art challenge offered many opportunities to experiment with new techniques, work with my sketches and photos to develop a theme and share ideas and inspiration with other artists in the group. Doing one piece a month sometimes felt like a lot of work- to create a vision and then implement it with an 8x8 inch format. The rewards of doing this challenge are numerous- stretching boundaries, playing with new ideas, being attuned to the natural world, making new friends and creating a body of work. Our show at the Sixth Street Gallery in Vancouver ends tomorrow. I want to thank everyone who participated, especially Jan and Tracie Lyn for getting us all together.

If you want to see the two other art quilts that I made for the show Click Here and Here.

Summer Garden Joys

It was my turn to contribute to the Portland Art Collective Journal. It sat on my desk for a couple of months. What to do? I decided to incorporate the same technique that I used to make our banners. Click here to see how I created it.

The summer garden offers visitors special joys in the sunshine and the shade. The journal entry says, "Come sit in my garden. Let's listen to the bees, smell the roses, see the color and feel the quiet peacefulness".

Charcoal Drawings- A New Venture

This summer, I took Jane Gallen's drawing class at the Multnomah Arts Center. We worked in charcoal to get value changes and used table easels. Both offered new challenges in my quest to learn how to draw. I see this work as a basis for painting, adding depth and interest with values and contrasts.

For two sessions, Penny modeled for us and we practiced drawing portraits.

I like her expression in the one above.

Hopefully, with more practice, I'll get a better likeness with my portraits. That's part of the fun and the challenge. Jane is an excellent teacher and I'm thinking of taking her course again fall term.

Fiber Jewelry- A Kimono Fabric Bead Necklace

This summer, I learned how to make these fabric beads at Mary Stanley's Charm School. Here's the necklace that I completed. One of my goals for our Portland Art Collective Open Doors Show in December is to make more fiber jewelry. It's light weight, different and fun to create.

Join Us For Our Nature Gathered Show

The Nature Gathered artist reception at the Sixth Street Gallery will be on Friday, August 7, 2009 during the Vancouver, Washington Downtown Art Walk, from 5-9 pm. PLEASE join us! We will have live music, food and refreshments at the gallery. In addition, the August Art Walk includes Art in the Heart which features artists demonstrating the creation of their art in front of the various galleries. Our show will be on display at the gallery from August 8 through August 28.
The Sixth Street Gallery celebrates their Fifth Annual Fiber Arts Festival at the same time as the Nature Gathered Show. Both exhibits will display a variety of artwork you don't want to miss. I feel very fortunate to participate in the Nature Gathered Show.

Gem Faire Crocheted Wire Necklace

Before going on vacation, I took a crochet wire class at the Bead Faire from Jade Gunnarson. She's a jewelry designer and offers classes for Gem Faire. The examples of her jewelry designs linked above come from Kazuri- handcrafted beads from Kenya.
My art and craft interests started with beading. I've always wanted to learn how to crochet with wire. The necklace contains tiger eye, crystals and seed beads. It's a fun process and very different than crocheting with fibers. Jade is a great teacher and I highly recommend her Gem Faire classes.

Sawtooth Mountain Experience

Last week, we drove our 1955 Chevy Belair Nomad to Boise for the National Nomad Association Convention. We took a day trip to the Sawtooth Mountains and drove along the Payette River.

stopped in Stanley for lunch

took a boat trip on Redfish Lake

took a little hike in the wilderness area

enjoyed being outdoors in the mountains near this beautiful lake