Well, here I am in Columbus, Ohio attending the Quilt Surface Design Symposium (QSDS). I am taking a master class with Elizabeth Busch, and am loving it! I will have another 6 days of class, starting pretty soon, so here is a really quick post….
The class I am taking is a master class, where we bring our own pieces to work on as well as learn new techniques and get input on our work from the teacher and classmates. Last year, I was able to come because of a scholarship that I received. One way of funding these scholarships is auctioning off small quilts that have been donated by students and faculty. Yesterday, I finally finished my little quilt for donation…. "Mountain Laurel on the Rocks" uses "rocky bits" from a chunk I constructed last year in my class with Rosalie Dace. I added Painted canvas that I did during my Elizabeth Busch class at QBL last year, and photos of the Mountain Laurel growing along Water road. Last year just before coming to Columbus, I discovered them blooming and took my first photos of this PA native. That may have had something to do with the rocks surfacing in my work, so I thought combining all these elements would be very appropriate for me to donate, because without my scholarship I would never have found myself working with new colors and more textures.
Here is a closeup shot showing some of the beading I did in the rocky sections and the tiny ruby beads added to the flowers.
I am a former textile artist and new pattern designer with a degree in horticulture, wishing to share my love of nature, flowers and gardens with everyone through my photos, sunprinted fabrics, and now pattern designs. Chronic Lyme Disease has caused major changes to the direction my life. I have to limit the amount of time spent digging in my gardens, and quilting has become more difficult. I discovered pattern design as a way to get art back into my life. I now use my gardens and photos to inspire designs that can be used on fabrics and print on demand items.
I really like the way you add beading and stitching details to your work. At some time I would like to be able to work with passion. Right now I've got to get inspired to work with what I have. I spent an hour tonight trying to get reorganized. More on that tomorrow. Maybe once I clear out the mess I will be inspired to get to work. Clutter has destroyed my creativity.
I hoped clearing the clutter in my studio would help my creativity, but after I had "cleared the decks" and had everything in it's place, I found I still couldn't create. I guess I needed to clear the clutter from my head, too. The beading I have been doing was a way to make "friends" with my rocks 🙂 Now I find it very enjoyable and soothing to do.