My How Time Does Fly...

And BOY have I been BUSY!! OK, I know...what else is new? ;) Lots of irons in the fire over the last month and a half...a fun workshop with John Flynn, a visit from a dear friend and her daughter from Atlanta, I hosted my quit bee (my mostly traditional quilting buddies), attended a Beecassos meeting (my fiber art buddies), entered an art exhibit at First Christian Church (hanging thru April 16, Country Club Road in Winston-Salem) and two exhibits with the Cosmic Cow Society (read more about this at the end of the post!), went to a trunk show by Alex Anderson (her show Simply Quilts was a daily must have for me back in my beginning days of quilting...what a thrill to get to meet her in person!), have been prepping for my first go at a street festival...and it's baseball season for my boys!

Whew!

Oh yeah, and I've been finishing this:

Meet "Happy Scrappy Cat"...my piece for the Forsyth Humane Society's Art Unleashed 2010! She stands about 30" at her tail (including the base, which is on casters) and will be clear coated with an automotive grade finish, so she can be either an indoor kitty or an outdoor one. She is playful, and doesn't shed. And yes, she's covered in a gazillion tiny custom quilt 'stitches'. :)

The official event kick-off is May 15 at Tanglewood Park. After that the cats and dogs will be "fostered" at various businesses in downtown Winston-Salem and then be auctioned off at the end of the summer. For more details visit the FHS website (and yes, they will take proxy bids!)

She is being kept company for the moment by this guy:

This is a preliminary peek at "Hokie Pokie Dot II"...he stands about 5' tall and, well, he makes me feel skinny standing beside him! This is a private commission and is a variation of one I did for the Blacksburg Partnership for their "Gobble DeArt" event. They are coordinating this commission, so I haven't met the owner, but I hear it is a Virginia "official." (Cool!)

I've painted 3 coats of burgundy and 4 of the orange...now I have LOTS of dots to fill in. Thank goodness for blue painter's tape and my scrapbooking circle cutters! Oh, and of course I have to do the eyes too. He looks a little freaky at the moment. Scares us sometimes when we go out into the garage!

Back to the Cosmic Cow Society...we have an opening reception for our April/May exhibit this Sunday, April 11 from 2-5 at Bartlett and Mitchell on Friendly Avenue (down from Guilford College) in Greensboro. This exhibit is a benefit for the local Autism Society, with 20% of sales going to them AND Mitchell and Bartlett will match those funds. This is the piece I have submitted:

Titled "Rising", it is discharged, hand and machine quilted, hand beaded, and mounted on a copper metallic canvas. This picture is a bit wonky...I was running out the door with it when I remembered I hadn't photographed it...so it was shot in haste. What doesn't show is all of the black on black hand stitching on the mountains. I like the way it turned out...come see it in person!

So, that's what I've been up to, and why I've been absent in blogland. Thanks for stopping by and catching up!

That's what it's all about... :)

Art Unleashed 2010

I've been happily painting away on my piece for Art Unleashed, a fundraising event for the Forsyth Humane Society. Artfully painted cats and dogs will be on display in downtown Winston-Salem during the summer and will be adopted at the auction gala later this year. This is their 3rd Art Unleashed and I have had the privilege of creating a piece for each event. New to the event this time will be the inclusion of other animal related works of art in addition to the sculptures.

Near and dear to my heart, FHS is where my beautiful Lucy came from...the inspiration for my last piece for them.

Stay tuned...more progress will come!

Here Kitty Kitty

Hokie bird has a buddy! This one is for the Forsyth Humane Society's Art Unleashed fundraiser.

I've always wanted a cat in the quilt studio. :)

Winding Down...Winding UP!

I can't believe that the year is almost over! Where did it go??? It seems like this one in particular went by at an unbelievable speed. Perhaps it was the constantly (over?)booked schedule...but that's pretty much the norm in my world. It was a great year for the most part, though it had some sharp spots in it. Normally I would call them 'rough spots' but these were downright sharp. Nevertheless, good things come out of every situation if you are willing to look for them, and having found the good, I press onward to embrace what the new year will bring.

For starters I have to get going on my fiberglass sculpture commissions. One, a 5' tall Hokie bird (ala VA Tech), which will arrive at my house this Saturday - weather permitting. The other, a cat for the Forsyth Humane Society's Art Unleashed fundraiser, due to arrive sometime in January. Both will be artfully painted. Stay tuned for postings as I get them underway. Deadline for both pieces is April. I have done several commissions like this in the past...the trick this time is that, being winter, I will need to fit them into my studio instead of the garage. That means the first thing on the agenda is to clean up and make room! :)

In January I am teaching my first class at Sawtooth School for Visual Art (Winston-Salem, NC)on surface design...Saturdays 1/16 & 23...covering rust dyeing, stamp making and stamping, discharge dyeing, and gelatin plate printing. Click here if you want to join in on the fun!

In March I will be teaching an original Easter table runner pattern at Sew Original (also in Winston-Salem)...more info on that will be posted closer to time.

I also have booked 2 small solo shows, which I am excited about. They are both local and later in the year, giving me time to create new pieces for them. I am a bit undecided on what other shows I will submit for this year. PAQA South has ARTQUILTS:illuminations coming up and I have a couple of pieces started that I want to submit for that one. My guild has a show this spring that I will put some piece into...it's always a great show. Beyond those two I still have to decide. I have committed to a street festival in Virginia in the spring, and there will be venues to arrange for the Beecassos, next year's Deck the Halls, more classes to teach, new galleries to explore, and .....oh yeah, my day job!

The new year is full of possibilities...I guess I'd better get busy!

Happy New Year everyone...make it the best ever!

More Art Unleashed

Have you ever had one of those days where the best you could manage was DUH? (Please tell me 'of course' so I'll know I'm not the only one...)





In the rush to get the boys ready for baseball games, Lucy walked(so she would be a bit worn out before the parade and wouldn't be in hyperdrive) and bathed, and myself ready as well, I flew out the door to get to the festivities - running late, of course - and realized half way there that I didn't have my camera! ARRAGGGHHH!!!! A friend took some pictures and should be emailing them to me soon, but in the meantime, here is how 'Lucy Loves the Bow-House' turned out.


The parade was a blast, as was the street festival. Lots of people turned out with their pets, and I had several people stop me as I was walking through downtown to return to my car and ask if it was 'Dog Day' in the city. I suppose it was. And a good day it was indeed. The city is blessed with an abundance of fine art cats and dogs which will be on display through August, when they will be auctioned off to their permanent homes. Thank you Forsyth Humane Society for what you do to help animals in our area, and for promoting art as well.


Speaking of art, be sure and stop by Chelsee's Coffee on Trade Street between now and the end of May to see the exhibit of art quilts by the Beecassos...I have 2 pieces hanging: "Rising Above Adversity With a Clear Conscience" and "Guest in My Garden". Bring your friends, enjoy a latte and some sinfully good cake, and feast your eyes....

Art Unleashed

Well, I made it under the wire, so to speak. The Humane Society is preparing for it's second "Art Unleashed" fundraiser and the last sponsor they secured chose my design! Last, but not least...

The sponsor is a very prominant law firm, and my puppy will be displayed there during the "foster" period before the auction this fall. How cool is that?

My design is design titled "Lucy Loves the 'Bow-House' "...a play on Bauhaus which is the inspiration, as is my sweet Lucy who was adopted from FHS a little over a year ago. Here it is all primed and ready to go...stay tuned for development as I begin to paint. I will post more pictures as things progress.