There has been some progress being made here in the quilt room at the cottage, as well as an exciting new addition that is fueling all of the progress. My birthday on the fifth of this month and Mother's Day the following week were the excuse for the new acquisition. Have I peaked your interest? I'll begin with UFOs (unfinished objects). About a month ago, I shared a quilt top with you that I had made from charm squares (5" squares of fabric). The pile of quilt tops waiting to be quilted has been growing due to the fact that... Continue reading

I had the most delightful quilting experience this week. I've had several sets of charm squares in my stash for some time now. I pulled out my book, Schibbles Times Two by Carrie Nelson and pieced together my first Scnibbles quilt. This could be addictive! These little precut squares are so easy to work with. I stacked them and sliced. Working with tiny pieces was a challenege. The squares came out surprisingly square :) I put the squares up on the design wall so I could arrange them the way I wanted them. The original design called for an inner... Continue reading

I don't know how it is where you are, but here in Pennsylvania, Spring has finally arrived. Today is the first day I've been able to open the window in my studio. It's actually warm! I took advantage of the beautiful light and finished a painting of a place very dear to my heart - Bass Harbor, Maine. Safe Harbor 24" x 36" Acrylic on canvas I did this one with a palette knife - a technique I am growing to love. It is helping me to achieve one of my goals for this semester - a freer, more relaxed... Continue reading

Hi there! I'm a bit late getting this post up because I spent the day fabric shopping in Lancaster County :) For WIP Wednesday, I have two small quilts in progress. The first is a 16" x 20" quilt made from Civil War Reproduction fabrics (I know - not exactly modern). I used a Lori Smith design from her book, Fat Quarter Quilting. If I thought smaller would be easier, I don't anymore. This was a challenge! It started with miniscule half-square triangle blocks - 1 1/2". These became tiny pinwheel blocks - 2 1/2". I returned them to the... Continue reading

I don't know about you, but I'm about ready for some change: SEASONAL change! It is bitterly cold again here in Pennsylvania. I went to the supermarket this afternoon. When I opened the car door, the wind ripped it from my hand and nearly separated my shoulder with it! As it continued to howl this evening, I worked on another page for my mixed media art journal. Quote: "Change is an inevitable part of life. We must be careful to bend, lest we break instead." -unknown I started with Dylusions inks in bubblegum pink and crushed grape. I misted the... Continue reading

Hello everyone! Quilt Week in Lancaster has come to an end for another year (sigh). At least I have fond memories in the form of lots of fat quarters, patterns and a book. I shared some of the goodies earlier this week - if you missed the post you can click here. For my Work In Progress, my feedsack reproduction fabrics were calling to me. I found a 1930's applique pattern in one of my quilt books called Tulips. I'm doing these by hand, but I've discovered the joys of the fabic glue stick for basting. It has made applique... Continue reading

Today's mixed media art journal page is for anyone who has ever questioned where they have ended up in life. "I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I've ended up where I'm meant to be." -unknown I covered the paper with gesso. I scraped watered-down fluid acrylic in quinacridone nickel azo gold onto the paper and misted the paint with alcohol while it was still wet. This gave the paint a nice texture. (If you try this, be sure to water down the paint, or it won't seperate when you mist it.) Using a... Continue reading

My sister Lorrie and I were on the road once again this week. This time it was for the best quilt show of the year - AQS Quilt Week - in Lancaster, PA. In between sit-down breaks to rest my poor, decrepit back, we cruised three floors of gorgeous quilts, incredible fabrics, and every imaginable quilter's gadget, machine, and book. It was pure bliss and I'd be there again today if I had any money left :) Neither one of us left empty-handed, so I have lots of cool stuff to show you. Before I get to that, I have... Continue reading

I thought I'd get in a quick post today before I have to go back to school. I've had such a good time working on my mixed media art journal this week! This is my latest page. Quote: "If I find in myself desires in which nothing in this world can satisfy, the only logical explanation is that I was made for another world." -C. S. Lewis I painted the background with Golden Fluid Acrylics in aqua and stipplied over it with a mix of quinacridone red and gesso. I layered the flower arrangement over an old photo card in... Continue reading

I'm still experimenting with silhouettes in my mixed media art journal. I thought this one fit my theme perfectly. Quote: "To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment." -R. W. Emerson Here's to the "strange", the "different", the "not quite in step" with the rest of the world. We make it a much more interesting place! I started by smearing paint and gesso over the page with a palette knife. I rubbed oil pastel (the kind that is not water-soluble) over some violet tissue paper that was placed on... Continue reading

With all of the challenges we each face on a daily basis, we definitely need a prescription for a sound mind. This one has never failed me. It's worthy of it's own page in my art journal. Quote: "...whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things." -Phillipians 4:7-9 I find it is so important to reign in my thoughts and to remember what is good rather than dwell on what is wrong. It can change the entire course... Continue reading

Since we will be on semester break this week, I finally had the opportunity to work in my art journal. I love this quote, because it is a reminder that everyone has something to offer, no matter who they are, or what they have been through. Quote: The lonliest (oops - I spelled loneliest incorrectly! Oh well, it's there for posterity.) people are the kindest. The saddest people smile the brightest. The most damaged people are the wisest. All because they do not wish to see anyone else suffer the way they do. -from www.livelifehappy.com I painted the dampened page... Continue reading

"With the constant need for new material for my abstract painting class, I have a ready resource. This week, I painted San Miguel..." Continue reading

Hello everyone! I hope you are all well. I traveled into Philadelphia today to drop off my paintings to the jury committee for the student show. I should know by tomorrow afternoon if they've been accepted. After I was done checking them in, I finally had some time to see the current exhibit, The Female Gaze, in Gallery 128 at the school. It is an extensive collection of the art work of women spanning decades. Most of the women have been students, teachers, or both at PAFA over the years. Before I share some of their work with you, I... Continue reading

Hello, my friends! I have a new abstract painting to share with you. I've been working on this one all week, and happily, my teacher approved. At the suggestion of my son, I've opted not to title it. I would like the viewer to draw his or her own conclusions. Untitled 24" x 36" Acrylic and Collage on Canvas I'll probably present this one to the jury, along with my previous painting for the student show. I had a little fun this week, doing some research on PAFA's more notable alumni. I was humbled to learn of the amazing artists... Continue reading

I've been absent for awhile - again - but I've been working hard on my painting. So far, I'm surviving art school :) I even lived through my first critique. The teacher had me rework the background on my first painting and it really helped me. He wants me to submit it for the upcoming show. The student art show is at the end of March. It's a juried show - paintings have to be approved by the committee before being accepted. It will be my first time going through this process, but I guess it had to happen sooner... Continue reading

Today was an exciting and inspiring day. I traveled into Philadelphia to visit the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine arts. I needed to have a student ID made, so I used the opportunity to familarize myself with the school. I am beyond excited. The school houses some wonderful galleries and to my delight, a satellite Dick Blick store. I stopped in to fill in a few items on my class materials list. The guys working there tell me there is a 20,000 square foot location a few blocks away! I even get a student discount! Who could ask for anything more?... Continue reading

As most of you know, much of the past year has been a trying time for us, beginning with my son's traumatic injury and surgery, and culminating with the passing of my father-in-law. We've been in a process of transition and we have needed the last few weeks to just breath and let things be. Our trials have been accompanied by many blessings. For the first time in quite a while, we've allowed ourselves to begin to dream again. As I have moved into this new stage of my life, my dreams have entered a new stage as well. They... Continue reading

With all of the activity of preparing for Christmas, it's been a little harder to find time for painting. However, I always find a way! I have a special fondness for abstract art, and I completed a colorful abstract painting this morning. Inner City 12" x 24" Acrylic on Canvas I did a rough sketch first on paper. I then drew the basic framework on the canvas with a burnt sienna pastel pencil. I sprayed the canvas with matte acrylic spray to seal the drawing and prevent it from smearing. I chose a color scheme, and that is where the... Continue reading

I put in some time in the studio last weekend. I've been trying to come up with interesting ways to incorporate my photography from my trip last summer into my mixed media art. As I experimented with my photos in Photoshop, I developed a method of processing them into elements that would work well in a mixed media painting. This is the first of what I expect will be a series. Sante Fe Window 8" x 8" Mixed Media on Cradled Birch Panel Sometimes, half of the battle is overcoming the blank canvas. I prepped the panel by sanding and... Continue reading

I finished some new ornaments for my Christmas tree. Dawn over at The Feathered Nest has a wonderful tutorial on making delightful mitten ornaments. They are perfect for my Victorian Christmas tree! In the tutorial, Dawn used cotton batting. I didn't have any on hand, but I did have fleece. I loved being able to use some of my antique buttons. I also dug into my stash of antique laces and trims. I used Martha Stewart's mica flakes instead of glitter. I do hope you will visit Dawn. As for me, I'm off to make the pumpkin pie I've been... Continue reading

Today is Works In Progress Wednesday over at Freshly Pieced and I have something to share with you. Before I get started, I would like to thank each and every one of you who stopped by last week and expressed sympathy at my father-in-law's passing. I am so grateful to you for your kindness. And now for the quilt: I basted it together last month, and I'm finally beginning the hand-quilting process. I think this one may be in the que for awhile :) My sister and quilting buddy, Lorrie and I made another trip out to Intercourse, PA to... Continue reading

It seems I must apologize again for my long absence. This was definitely not a willing one. Some of you may know that my father-in-law's health had been declining for awhile. He left us in his ninety-first year, on Saturday afternoon, November 24, to be with the Lord. We will miss him, but we are grateful for the years we've had with him and happy that he is no longer suffering. Our hope is in this: "And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that I shall lose none of all He has given Me, but raise them... Continue reading

My latest mixed media art journal page seems a bit misplaced considering that winter is just around the corner, but I guess there's no accounting for where inspiration will strike. I came across this lovely quote and the rest of the page just fell into place. Quote: "If the sight of blue skies fills you with joy, if a blade of grass springing up in the fields has the power to move you, if the simple things of nature have a message you understand, rejoice, for your soul is alive." -Eleanora Duse I began by misting the page with water... Continue reading

A few weeks ago, I had ordered some cradled birch panels to use for mixed media painting. I needed a rigid surface that would stand up to plaster, molding paste, or whatever else I threw on it (or at it). They don't warp, and the 1 5/8" profile gives my paintings a formal, gallery-ready look. Have you ever purchased art materials that were so nice, you were afraid to use them for fear of wasting them, or worse, wrecking them? I finally decided it was worth the risk. Sure enough, my first attempt was less than successful. After getting over... Continue reading