I can't believe how time has passed and no entries

I have been working, believe it or not.  I've been way too silent.

I'm on my laptop in my studio. A rainy, stormy day - but I still enjoy gazing out to the sea, though it's a bit turbulent.  The beach sunflowers are blowing this way and that.  The bird feeders are swinging back and forth as well.  The prickly pear cacti are pillars of strength - they are blooming big beautiful yellow flowers.

Me, I'm grateful to be inside, cocooned in my studio.

I've been taking an online class from Jude Hill - Sun, Moon, Stars - I'm learning so much.  I had started some hand stitching on the ice dyed fabrics my sister and I dyed awhile back.  This began my journey back to hand work.  The peaceful in abnd out of the needle and thread pleases me.  It's a relaxing and meditative activity.  Here's an image on the last piece I created.  I had the best time working on this one.  I have a couple more ice dyed pieces but the images are on the regular computer.  Melted Fusion I and II are on display at my Island Art Association.   I'll post the images soon.

Circle Play 21x6"  $185

Back to Jude Hill's class - I love her quiet, gentle way of sharing her love of creating through stitch.  Another class is in the horizon!   The following piece is influenced by her work.   I wove the fabrics and stitched them down before I started Jude's online class.  I have since learned an easier way to hand stitch pieces down.  I don't want to say how as I don't want to take anything away from Jude's teaching. Check out her classes!  It's a work in progress.  I've been stitching daily - using Jude's ideas and some from my research on stitching on the Internet - moon jellies and the sea star.



WIP

The next two are pieces I started in planning for a hand embroidery intro for children at Jacksonville's MOMA - my FAN group is displaying, demonstrating, and sharing fiber art to folks - young and old . Next Saturday is a program highlighting a fiber artist, Memphis Woods - who spent part of her life in Jacksonville and was an early supporter of the museum.  The project I've planned is simple applique on felt, using hand stitching.  These two pieces were part of my playtime.  My class with Jude has lengthened the fun.  Check in later for the finished products.

WIP

WIP

I'll be doing some hand stitching of this just created dry felted piece.

These two wonders were my take on a children's art project at my local art gallery - Island Art Association- led by my artist friend Anne Howden.  The fabrics are part of my collection of fabrics/ties/shirts from my father and father-in-law.  I wanted to pass on my love anb fond memories of both these men, especially my dad!  How he would have enjoyed these grandchildren of mine.  Max and Brenna will received these dolls when they visit as the end of the month!


Max and Brenna's dolls

The two next images are products of my raw edged applique and machine quilting.  A fun, relaxing time of creating.  I really ought to title these.

10x10 $85

6x6" $40

The following quilts are hanging at the Island Art Association for the Nouveau Art Exhibit entitled Wildlife.  The heron was awarded Honorable Mention!  Yeah!!!!!!  I don't have the titles/sizes/prizes.  They were last minute creations..........

On display at Island Art, 12x9"

On display at Island Art

This took awhile.  Maybe if I write more frequently,.........  There's always hoping.

Til later, Peace and joy be with you, Diane

Block Carving and Exhibit

 I've carved some turtles.  This one is a bigger one than I usually carve - 8x10"  I've used a couple for my composition book covers - I had to cut out the turtle though as the 8x10 didn't look right.

Below is a photo from a recent exhibit I was juried in and won "Honorable Mention."  The show was sponsored by my fiber group - Fiber Artists Network, Jacksonvill3, Florida.  The show was exhibited at the Butterfield Gallery, St. Augustine, Florida.  "Wanderlust" is a piece I created several years ago.  The theme for the show was "Faces and Places."  My fabric portraits didn't make the cut.  Oh, well, tis life of an "artist."

I'm on my way to Kentucky to see my grandson and daughter.  When I return, I have 2 pieces to create and finished:  one a book and the other a fabric wall hanging - both figuring leaf prints.  Art on hold as family calls!  And what a pleasure!

3 New Pieces

"Just Another Parrotthead" 23 x 20" (c) Diane Hamburg

I just finished "Just Another Parrotthead" for my local Island Art Association's Nouveau Art Exhibit entitled "It's 5 o'clock somewhere."  My husband came up with the idea of using the parrot and a margarita.  I used Ellen Lindner's technique of double Reverse Applique!  Please go to Ellen's website to learn more about this very versatile technique.  I've fallen in love with it!

I created the following art pieces in June but forgot to photograph them before sending them off to FAN - Fiber Artists Network - my local fiber group.  We're completing our challenge to create fiber work for our 52 Pick up - really 54 cards are portrayed, including 2 jokers.  We'll be exhibiting the whole deck at Jacksonville, Florida's Quiltfest in September.  We're even making the deck into actual playing cards to sell!  Check FAN.

"3 of Clubs"  24 x 15.5" (c) Diane Hamburg

The background for the "3 of Clubs" was created using the wonderful mixed media techniques I learned from Valeria Goodwin during her workshop held in Florida this past June.  I will do this more and more.  It's such fun!   The turtle's were traced onto organza and fused down.

"4 of Spades" 14 x 15.5" (c) Diane Hamburg

The "4 of Spades" started with a dropcloth - painted and repainted in time as I worked on other printing projects.  I added some stenciling to unify the cloth and then used white paint as a light wash to tune it down.  The trees and grasses were appliqued on using fusible web.

I'm off to Europe for 3 weeks.  I hope to come back full of inspiration.  I know I'll come back eager to get back in my studio!  Bon Voyage!

Valerie Goodwin's Workshop

Last weekend I attended a workshop by Valerie Goodwin and created the above map piece.  Valerie had several templates printed out for us as well as the towers printed on fabric.  I'm not for one "doing a project" but I did have a great time.  The highlight of the whole weekend was Valerie's method of creating her background.  That in itself was worth the workshop fee.  I hope I can do justice to the process:  crinoline is used as the foundation (I've been using crinoline in my fabric portraits and love how it allows the finished quilt to be very flat with a straight edge) sew pieces of fabric down using the flip and sew method until the crinoline is covered - any fabric raw edges are machine or hand stitched down.  Next comes some fused pieces of transparent fabric like organza, which can be painted or dyed.  Then some painting - roughly and only in places.  That's the background.  I just love it.

So I came home and created the background to my "3 of Clubs" - oh, I know I did 3 turtles but they'll work for the playing card challenge of my fiber group FAN - Fiber Artists Network.  I followed Valerie's technique and added some stamping as well.

Also, one of the other members of FAN shared a technique of using fused transparent fabric like organza and tracing a motif (the tiny Pisa tower in the above piece and the turtles in this piece) and then fusing the motif to another fabric or to the background.  Cool!

Fiber Pieces take Some Time

"One Among Many" (just a detail) begin with my enchantment over my work table paint cover. I added stenciling and white circles and then machine quilted the piece. I've added fabric beads and seed beads. There's appliqued circles that I have to stitch down. The binding is all done. Yeah.My FAN group (check the right sidebar for further information) put out a challenge to make a 15 x 15" piece using this paper.

This is a close-up image. I had a great time. I appliqued the paper flower and quilted the piece. I then layered the orange batik onto felt, cut out the petals and stitched them individually and attached them down the center of the petals to the quilt. I crocheted a little orange spiky flower and added another flower and attached both with a teeny button. What fun!

The color of this image isn't accurate. The detail image is more like the real piece.

This blurred image is a mock-up of a larger piece that I'll be entering in my local art association (check Island Art Association link for further information). This is a relatively simple piece but I like it.

Completed "A Perfect Day"

I couched some fishing netting and beaded some beach treasures to finish up "A Perfect Day." That's the title of the music sheet I included in the piece. I'm happy with it now!

My Jacksonville fiber group, FAN, is donating a collaborative piece to the Humane Society and we're doing fish! These are two of mine which may or may not make the final piece. I had a great time creating! The jelly fish is a dyed silk cap which I placed between 2 layers of soluble plastic and machine embroidered, then added the various fibers before partially washing out the soluble stuff. The fish is a stuffed odd shaped pillow like body, wrapped with gold thread and beads. The wire was couched on at the end. Fun, is all I can say!