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.

Chocolate and the American Quilter's Society Show

Working, working, working.
Well. 
Mostly.
I'm very distractible.

When I have a writing assignment I tend to find every little other thing that needs to be done. I do the dishes, I answer my Email. Today I just had to get up and take ten minutes to put together my favorite brownies. Then of course I had to take a picture and share with you.

Peppermint Brownies
2 squares unsweetened chocolate
1/2 cup margarine or butter
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
1/2 cup flour
dash salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)


Melt butter and chocolate. Beat eggs with sugar and extract. Fold in chocolate, flour, salt, nuts. Bake in a greased 9x9 pan at 350 for 20-25 minutes. Cool. (yeah right!)


Icing
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons margarine, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
1-2 tablespoons milk
drop of green food coloring
Mix, adding just enough milk so it spreads or drizzles. Spread on cooled brownies - or not if you simply can't wait.

So. Now that THAT is taken care of; there are still spots available in some of my classes at the American Quilter's Society show in Paducah, Kentucky in April. 

JUST FOILING AROUND is a favorite. Are you attracted to gittery, sparkly, shiny stuff? Do you have a sheet or two of foil hanging around that you haven't quite figured out what to do with yet? "YES!" I hear you say? Then you will love this class. I mean, really, really looooooove this class. Oh, and just to whet your appetite - we also play with painted Wonder-Under.

class number 6504 Just Foiling Around: Wednesday, April 21, 2010  5:30 pm to 8:30 pm

PHOTOS ON FABRIC teaches my favorite solvent photocopy transfer technique and more. I'll have samples and demonstrate the properties of different commercial ink-jet photo-fabrics. This one is all about easy.

class number 6509 Photos on Fabric: Saturday, April 24, 2010  8:30 am to 11:30 am

It would be lovely to see you there! Let me know if you have any questions. Tell your friends!

Artist Spotlight part 1: Melanie Testa

I would like to introduce you to an artist whose work I greatly admire. 

Still Life

I have had the pleasure of spending time with Melanie Testa on two separate occasions; as we taught at the International Quilt Festival in Houston last year, and when we filmed our Quilting Arts DVD Workshops. She is simply delightful as a person and I find her artwork to be beautiful, layered with meaning and texture, and intriguing. She is one who thinks and cares deeply both about her art, about other people, and about the world around her. Her laughter lights up a room and lifts your spirit. Her artwork draws you in and takes you on a journey. 

I hope you will enjoy getting to know her as much as I have.

Lyric: What is your story, how did you become an artist?

Melanie: I have wanted to be an artist since I was a child. I remember watching TV and being riveted when I saw imagery of Andy Warhol walking the streets of New York. My mom used to sew her own clothing and I remember watching her pin a wool plaid skirt pattern out and knew the side seams would not match if she were to proceed, so I stopped her. Then a friend of hers asked if I would like to make a vest, it was a cute little vest and it had hand sewn ribbons bordering the inside front edge. It won a blue ribbon at the fair. I also won a blue ribbon for my Sugar Collection, but that is another story.

So when I was 19, I took a traditional quilt making course at the local Handcraft Center. I fell head over heels for fabric, really I fell in love with conversational prints and vowed to go to art school to become a Textile Designer. It took about 8 years for me to settle down and focus enough to make that a reality. I was accepted into the Fashion Institute of Technology as a 27 year old adult student. I was married and lived two hours outside the city, but we worked together and made it work. My husband has always been quite supportive of me and my creative efforts.

Once I was out of college and had some creative tools under my belt, I took some workshops by well known surface design artists like Jane Dunnewold and Ann Johnston. Making what I had learned into an expression all my own is, of course the adventure of a lifetime.

L:  Was it something you wanted to do from a young age or did you take a more circuitous path? Do you have any training in basic design?

M: I was able to afford two years of schooling at F.I.T and do have an associates degree in Textile/Surface Design. The education I got from F.I.T was more of a technical schooling. I was taught to put things in repeat, to paint flower and to weave. My real education came as a result of being a Vintage Poster Restoration Artist. I restore posters by Talouse-Lautrec, Alphonse Mucha, and interestingly enough, Andy Warhol. I took this as an opportunity to evaluate drawing and painting styles and I learned to mix paint to exact specification. 

Still Life In Time

L:  Do you consciously think about the elements of art as you create?

M:  No, I do not. I work intuitively. I think the basic tenets of art making are well and deeply ingrained at this point that I am not really aware of what I am doing at all. I can slow myself down to describe it when asked.

L:  What are your fears as an artist and how do you face/overcome/talk yourself out of them?

M:  My fears. 

That my art isn't good enough. Isn't this everyone's fear? And I don't think this is a bad thing. If my art isn't good enough, if I didn't hit the 'right' note, then I still have room to grow, to dig deeply into what I am trying to get at. It is sort of zen, when you think of it this way, as though the very thing you strive to do sits, as if a seed, within what you are doing right now. Being an artist is really about fostering that seed, prompting new growth.

Next week I'll introduce you to the lovely book that Melanie has written. It has been an inspiration to me over the past several months. And here is something special. During the month of March Melanie and I will collaborate on a small work of art - a textile postcard. At the end of the moth it will be given away to a lucky reader, chosen from the comments on each of the four posts that feature Melanie and her work. You may post each week  and have an even better chance of winning this postcard. Perhaps next week I'll give you a little peek at what we are starting.

Citrasolv Photo Transfer Tutorial

The work I do as a mother involves a lot of delayed gratification. When I escape to the studio and put on my artist's hat it can be nice to see some instant results. Solvent photocopy transfer is one of my favorites. You need only a photocopy, fabric,  Citra-Solve®, and a few seconds of elbow grease and viola!

The good people who produce this environmentally friendly cleaning product have included an ARTISTS' PAGE on their website. I'm honored to have been included among other textile artists I admire such as Jane Davila and Jane Dunnewold.

I encourage you to take a peek over there - lots of interesting things being done. It makes me think that I have some experimenting to do. Dissolving pages from National Geographic magazine? Hmmm. Wonder how I can do that on fabric.

Want to join me in a little playtime? Here are the instructions for moving the ink from a photocopy onto paper or fabric. Wear gloves and work in a well ventilated area. The stuff is much more pleasant than the paint stripper I used to use but it IS still a solvent.




Materials:

• Citra-Solve®  (find where to buy it here)
• Cotton ball
• Metal spoon
• Non-porous smooth surface
• Masking tape
• Fabric or paper of your choice
• Photocopy

Directions:
1. Find a copyright free black and white image. I love to use vintage family photos.
2. Make a photocopy of the photo, sizing it no larger than 5" x 7".
3. Cut away the background if it detracts from or competes with your image.
4. Draw in any lines that need emphasis or add in some fun scribbles. Maybe Grandma always wanted a tiara or your puppy looks great in polka dots! You can digitally manipulate the photo as well.
5. Make a final photocopy. (Note: Inkjet prints DO NOT work with this method.)
6. Tightly tape a piece of fabric or paper to your glass or non-porous surface.
7. Tape the photocopy face-down on your paper or fabric. Don't let the tape cover the image.
8. Dampen the cotton with Citra-Solve® and squeeze it out. Rub it on the paper until you see the ink show through. It should be barely damp - too juicy and your image will bleed and blur.
9. With the back of the metal spoon, rub, rub, rub hard and like crazy in all directions. You are moving the ink from the paper to the fabric.
10. Pick up one corner of the paper and peek. Look for spots that haven't transferred yet then put the paper back down and rub some more in that spot.
11. Toss the paper in the trash and let the solvent evaporate.
12. Feel free to play around with the image. Color it in with colored pencils, ink, paint or whatever you have on hand. Be creative! Have fun!

The only tricky part is finding a photocopier that works. If you are using Citra-Solve® (the other orange solvents I've tried have not worked) and you are rubbing and nothing is happening it is most likely the copy that is at fault. I test any copy I make right at the copy center. Dampen a cotton ball with the Citra-Solve® and stick it in a little zip-loc bag in your pocket. Make one photocopy then place it face down on another piece of paper on the counter, dampen with the Citra-Solve® then rub it a bit with the scissor handles on the counter, the back of your thumbnail, whatever you have there. If it's going to work it will work right away. If not, no amount of rubbing will work. Find another copy center. Don't leave the bag in your pocket too long. The solvent will eventually dissolve through the bag although it won't really hurt your clothes. (Ask me how I know!)

If you'd like to see it instead of just read about it I demonstrate the technique along with a lot of other fun techniques in the Quilting Arts DVD Workshop "Surface Design Sampler Platter."

Here is a link to the first of several Tutorials on how to Photoshop your images.

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.

And the Winners Are....

You are a lovely and creative readership. You are both talented and clever. The people I admire the most are generous and open and sharing. I truly believe that whatever you put out into the world will surely come back to you and often magnified beyond what you hoped for. I wish for many wonderful things to come your way. I wish for you to be full of ideas and creativity and joy. Thank you so much to everyone who commented and contributed. 

Now - 

Drumroll please....

The winner of a set of cards - well. Actually. I decided not to choose just one. 

From the two posts with comments I used a random number generator and am awarding a set of cards to Rosemary of http://www.artrageousquilter.blogspot.com and one to Lori (comment number three on "Name That Newsletter." Again, thank you so much for all of your wonderful ideas.

And the name of my newsletter? I had SUCH a hard time choosing. 

Congratulations and many thanks to KATHY ANGEL LEE!

There were so many wonderful choices. As is often the case with me - I make lists, analyze, try to thing rationally, then end up going with the only thing that manages not to slip out through the sieve of my ever-leaking memory. After poring over the list for a couple of days, I keep waking up with the word LYRICISMS on the brain. So I looked it up and well, the definition says it all.

lyr·i·cism  (lr-szm)

n.

1.a. The character or quality of subjectivity and sensuality of expression, especially in the arts.

   b. The quality or state of being melodious; melodiousness.

2. An intense outpouring of exuberant emotion.

Of course, now - there is now the pressure to be melodious and intensely exuberant. I have those moments but need to be a better editor for my writing to be continually melodious and it gets tiring to be intense all the time. Ah well. Who can help but wax melodic when sharing the joy of creativity and who can help but to be exuberant when the sharing of art is so much fun!?

Could each of you contact me with your mailing address?

lyric ( at ) pobox.com.

Name That Newsletter - Whadyathink?

I absolutely LOVE hearing from you all. I knew you were smart and clever and would come up with some wonderful ideas. Thank you so much for your comments and keep them coming!

One friend suggested that it would be good for me to develop a consistent "brand." In other words my website, blog, etsy shop, and newsletter should all be recognizable as being from the same person. That makes sense to me. My official business name is "Lyric Art" so if you have anything that incorporates that I'd love to hear it!

Here are your suggestions thus far in no particular order. I've starred the ones I'm leaning towards but I'd love to hear more before I make a decision. Since you all have been so wonderful I'm going to add a second prize, a boxed set of six note cards. I'll have one of the kids pull a random number from a hat for that one. So keep the suggestions coming! If you have another idea go ahead and let me know! Winners will be posted Friday morning!

Lyrical Letters*

Lyrical Notes

Lyric's Lyrics

Waxing Lyrical

Lines from Lyric

Lyrically Speaking*

Lyric says enter here

Lyric's Headlines and Deadlines

Notes From Below the Surface

The Stitching on the Wall

Poetry in Motion

Lyric's Playground

Lessons from Lyric

Notes and News from Lyric

Lyricisms*

Noteworthy Lyrics*

Words by Lyric

Lyrical Moments*

Learn with Lyric