Art and ideas for creative living
Although we do more "living" in the rest of the house, this largest of our rooms is where our grandest Christmas tree and more over-the-top decorations live in this winter holiday season. The colors of our majolica collection in this room give a jumping off point for some unusual Christmas color themes, always, however, coordinating… Continue reading Decking the halls and the walls and the tiniest of places. PART THREE: the Living Room and hall
It’s not a new concept. Plein Air painters have been sitting in gardens and painting them for centuries. However, using the shapes and colors of the garden as a jumping off point to assemble something entirely new is a different way of looking at them for inspiration. For me it all about shapes and colors.… Continue reading Painting from the garden
This time of year is my favorite for representational fabric painting. With my love of nature there is simply so much around me begging my brushes to mimic it. Normally I am teaching classes but since I have not opened up my studio for that yet, I thought you might enjoy a simple tutorial here.… Continue reading Painting fabric tutorial; autumn apples
I know of no other group of people that are more giving than quilters. On November 8th my sister Niña called me from her car as she and her boyfriend drove out of Paradise, California through the flames of the now infamous Camp Fire, leaving behind her home to burn to the ground. The horror and… Continue reading The Quilters Christmas Gift
Bored, disgusted, frustrated, worn out and annoyed—there comes a time when we need to re-set the way we live our life. Perhaps we tried this in January with good intentioned resolutions but statistics say that most of us have already failed and dropped out. The problem with a “resolution” is that it is an intention… Continue reading Re-set
I find the nuances of color & light to be endlessly fascinating. The impressions that combinations make can fool the eye and trick the senses into believing something is, when it is not. Like a world inside a world, shape and content formed by color alone without the added benefit of line is what the… Continue reading Impressionist-painted quilts
Color has a visceral effect on us and, when repetitively combined with shape, can powerfully imprint our memories. As an art form I find this an endlessly fascinating method of creative expression. Think about it; Stop Sign red or a white apple or golden arches…Iconography in our daily life trains us, reminds us - even… Continue reading Color and iconography
My studio was a cheery place this last month in December; the snow piled up outside while gardens grew inside. Inspired by my previous abstracted-nature works, my client Heather Brountas commissioned me to create a painted and quilted textile art work to grace the wall behind her Portsmouth office desk. So I painted flowers and… Continue reading Flowers in the snow; new artwork
"How long did it take you to make that?" is the question most often asked. The honest answer? Weeks. And months. To create something original in stitched fabric - without a pattern, without a super clear direction - it does take a very long time as the piece builds upon itself before one's very eyes. It's… Continue reading The making of an art quilt