Meet Seminole Star

Two weeks ago, I had a blank seahorse.  I now have the finished product.  Meet Seminole Star, my seahorse representing the Florida Seminole Indians.  I have tried to represent traditional dress, the animals and birds in their environment, symbols such as sun, moon and stars, clouds, smoke and fire, baskets, fish, bear turkey, blue heron , flying egrets, turtle, nesting and flying eagle, water, sand and seashells.  I also had to duplicate it in miniature!.  It was a challenge, but it is ready to go for it's layers of clearcoat.  This is my first community art project!

Very Big Project

There is a new project on my agenda this week.  I am an approved artist for A Seahorse Dream project.  Last spring they invited local artists to submit proposals to decorate a 5 ft tall seahorse, to benefit The Gollisano Children's Hospital.  I sent in a proposal, was approved and have been waiting for a sponsor.  I now haven a sponsor and a seahorse but I am changing my original design to fit the theme of my sponsor.  My head is filled with ideas.  I picked up the seahorse yesterday and started pairing last night!  Wish me luck!   He resides in my bedroom, so no chance to work all night, although my husband is used to putting his pillow over his head to block out my all night art sessions!

  Judy

Unfinished piece completed

I started painting this soy milk painting on muslin about six months ago. I had taken a soy milk painting workshop and had paint left over that had to be used up or thrown out. I had one of my folders of photos that I had taken with me, so while other people in the class were sewing, I was really still in the mood to paint. I sketched from my photo and painted. It sat around for a while because I was busy with other projects, but this week I decided to get it out of the way and finish it. I love to use synthetic fabrics as I go along because I like shiny water and my frothy areas are white tulle. I wad it up and then sew it down as I go, when I am doing the quilting.  I hope I achieved the tumbling water effect? What do you think?  This is a scene from NH , close to where I used to live.

Inktense pencil work complete

I finished my plant leaves with the Inktense pencils, trapuntoed part of the work and then decided to cut away some of the background muslin and appliqué this piece on black fabric.  Without the black fabric, it just didn't have the vibrant look that I was trying to achieve.  I then satin stitched the edges of the appliqué.  I was still not happy.  I enhanced some of the color with Fabrico markers and that helped.  I then decided not to fabric wrap on canvas, but instead, to add a narrow red binding.

All in all, it was a fairly successful experiment.  I just need to hand sew my binding, add a sleeve and a label and I have another small finished piece.  Nothing is ever really quick with me!

Playing With Inktense Pencils

I decided to start playing with the Derwent Inktense Watercolor Pencils, which I recently purchased.  I am looking for a less labor intensive way to produce some small fiber art.  I am finding more and more fiber art venues in which to enter my work.  I need to expand my work to include the many views of South Florida that I have in digital images, which are usually the basis of my art work.

My process is usually fairly lengthly, as I photograph a scene, sketch on fabric, paint the scene, perhaps add overlay fabrics, perhaps add found objects.  If I trapunto part of my design, the process becomes more time consuming.  I put a lot of thread in my work, so the quilting/ thread painting process takes me a while.

I think I will try to cut down my time commitment on some work, by making some small art work.  I will see what this looks like as I progress?  My intent is to gallery wrap this on canvas after the thread work is completed.

The Thought Process Continues

The thoughts and pictures form in my mind as I pin bits and pieces to my painted whole cloth background.  Try this.  Try that.  I am working from the picture that I snapped in my backyard.  I live on a canal that leads out to the  Caloosahatchee River.  These fabulous birds land in my yard, brouse and then take off in beautiful flight, that makes you marvel at God's wondrous hand in all of his creations!

Can I capture that?  Probably not even close......but I can try!

Setting the Stage

Composing the background of my fiber art, or setting the stage, is important to transmit my vision to the viewers' eyes.  How important is that to you?  If I am painting a bird, where is that bird, what is the action in the piece, am I telling a story?  These are the thoughts that go into composition for me.

My work is often based on my photographs.  What caught my attention?  Why did I snap that series of photos?  What made me decide to compose this scene in cloth, paint and thread?