For Your Inspiration: Beach and Sand

I can be in the most beautiful place - with gorgeous clouds and all the ocean to view...

Hilton Head Island, SC by Lyric Kinard

 And still, I become completely absorbed in what is right at my feet

For Your Inspiration: Texture in the Sand

Work in Progress

Progress.

Family ties.

Three down, six to go.

Art + Quilt: Claude Larson

I am continually impressed with the beautiful work of the emerging artists who are working their way through "Art + Quilt" and am always thrilled to be able to share their work with you. Here is another series of exercises studying actual texture - removing color as an element and concentrating on the way different textures interact with each other.

Claude has mounted this piece on cloth covered stretcher bars. I think it's a very professional presentation don't you? Small scale textile pieces need a little oomph when it comes to presentation and lifting them off of the wall with some sort of frame gives them just that. Nobody is going to mistake this beauty for a potholder!

Claude says,

"I just loved the neutral color texture exercise so I got into a small series of three pieces.  I figured the fabrics and embellishments were already picked out so - why not run with it.  Now I understand why artists work in a series.  It's so much easier if all the goodies are right there in front of you and you get into a groove.  I haven't put the off white stuff back into it's respective places because I don't feel completely done with it yet.  It's snowing and as a teacher I am hoping for a snow day so I can start my "Winter White"  #4"

Congratulations Claude for having created some lovely pieces and thank you for sharing them with us.

One of the things I love so much about textiles as a medium is the layering of the elements. Cloth has both an actual texture and a visual pattern/texture. Our cloth becomes shape and the lines of our stitches add even more texture.

Art+Quilt: Quilter Beth - actual texture

Is it acceptable to call someone that is working through my book a "student" even if I haven't had the privilege of meeting her in the classroom? I sincerely hope so because Quilter Beth is doing some absolutely beautiful work and I'm so glad she's sharing her it with the world.

These are her ACTUAL TEXTURE exercises from chapter two in Art + Quilt in which one creates a composition with neutral colored fabrics with as many different textures as possible. It is an exploration in moving outside of the box - getting away from our comfortable quilter's cottons. Seeing new possibilities in our materials as well as in our own artistic sensibilities. 

Beth says, "Since I come from a traditional quilting background, I have seldom used fabrics other than smooth cottons in my pieces. I found myself really enjoying the feel of these various textures. I also liked "pushing" myself to come up with ways to add texture through embellishments. I think the multiple textures (and the play of light off these textures) make the pieces much more interesting."

Please click on these pictures to take a closer look at the fascinating materials she's used. There are rubber drawer liners and straw hat brims. Her compositions are well balanced and thoughtfully done. She's given each of her materials thought and care. What beautiful pieces.

You make it all worthwhile!

It was a rough year writing the book and I certainly didn't do it for the money. I did it because I'm on a crusade. Too many women look at me with those sad, sad eyes and say "I'm not creative."

Sorry. Not True. Big Lie!!!!

Everyone is creative in some way. Usually they are wishing they were an artist but have never been taught - or allowed themselves the time and mental space to learn the skills an artist needs. That's what the book is for. Nobody picks up a pencil and draws like Picasso the first time - it takes time and work and lots of effort.

So - here are a few links to people who are working through the book and doing some beautiful things. First a picture from a fabulous group working together up in the frozen north. I believe this one is Carol's line study.

Kay from Indiana has made a lovely texture study (actual texture)

http://outofthebasement.blogspot.com/2010/01/texture-study-8-x-10-it-seems-long-long.html

Quilter Beth's visual texture exercises are beautiful!

http://quilterbeth.blogspot.com/2010/02/art-quilt-bethlyric-project.html