painting – Page 35 – Daily Fiber

Heat Set

Posted on June 6, 2020 by Laura Kate

This week the summer heat has finally set it. I haven’t been posting for the past several days. Perhaps it’s because my energy is sapped, not only by the heat, but also by the unrelenting misery of contemporary human interactions. Wow, I don’t even know what that last bit means.

As a counterbalance I give you a photograph of some non-human beauty.

**Ozark Sundrops** **in front of an old house.**

I’ve been working daily with fiber. But nothing that I think is share-worthy. I have two knitting projects underway – a shawl and a baby dress – both are disappointing me. The local art association had another plein air meeting, during which I sketched. But I stopped before completing it, due to the heat.

The one bright spot in my week has been my water color painting. In an effort to hone my skills I made a goal to paint daily. Here are the two still lifes I painted this week.

This one was painted while following an on-line tutorial and a sample photograph.

My photography is not super-focused but I’m pretty happy with the painting.

The next painting was done while looking at a photograph, but I took off the training wheels. I worked out the color mixing and brush technique without a tutor.

What I like: The textures of each surface, the highlights and shadows of the apple, the rich mottled color and shaping of the apple. What I don’t like: The shading of the folded cloth. But it does have a sort of abstract appeal.

Okay, enough about me. What’s up with you?

hand embroidery, painting, quilting

Return to Lake Montgomery

Posted on May 26, 2020 by Laura Kate

It’s been a while since I shared the turtle in the pond fiber object. As a reminder, it was inspired by a photo taken by Bill on a recent camping trip at Lake Montgomery.

I loved the light, the colors and the texture of this image. I knew right away that I want to create my own version in fabric.

Here is a recap of how I processed this inspiration. First of all, I used fabric paint and the Shibori technique to render the background on cotton fabric.

After the paint dried, I added another layer to render some shadows. Next I painted the two halves of the turtle onto white fabric…….

I chose to let the upper part of the turtle shell rest above the water line.

……………..… and appliqued them to the background using fusable interfacing.

This is how things stood while I pondered what other elements would enhance the image.

I decided on a few damselflies. More images by Bill were consulted. I picked three beauties, hand embroidered the bodies with floss and machine stitched the wings.

You can see the water plants I added in the foreground using applique and paint.

I sewed on a black border and then paused. This week I finally got around to quilting. My intent was to make the stitch lines look like pond ripples.

**How did I do? Are they watery enough?**

It took a lot of pondering and a dose of courage to add the turtle’s reflection. The only real option was to hand paint it using opaque Setacolor. So I did.

And here is the finished project.

This fiber object is now a wonderful reminder of a very special camping trip.

painting

Open for Business

Posted on May 19, 2020 by Laura Kate

We are at Phase Two of pandemic recovery here in OK. That means our governor has allowed non-essential retail stores to re-open. I celebrated by visiting the local craft store three times so far to re-stock on some things and to buy new supplies for mounting my FOs.

I am following Cindy Anderson’s advice for attaching fabric works to stretched artists canvases.

https://wordpress.com/read/blogs/35439603/posts/27143

On the advice of blogger Melody Johnson…..

http://mixitupmel.blogspot.com/2014/07/small-quilt-presentation.html

…….I have acquired this little item.

Today I will be mounting my Just Trees piece. For this one, I want to paint the canvas around and on the edges. This requires me to work with acrylic paint. I chose four colors of thin craft paint that has been in my stash for years. Here is my finished canvas, showing a wet-on-wet technique.

The colors will blend easily with the purple border on my fiber object.

I took at break for lunch while the paint dried. Then I attached the Velcro tape and waited for 15 minutes, per the package instructions.

**Hook side of Velcro** – **look closely at upper edge of corner.**

Lastly, I attached the quilt, pressing the two sides of Velcro together. It worked like a charm.

View of the quilt from the right edge, showing paint:

It is very satisfying to get my work up on the wall. I had a lot of fun today, playing in paint, and I look forward to getting all of my finished art quilts show-ready.

painting, quilting

Update on Turtle Fiber Object

Posted on May 8, 2020 by Laura Kate

The past five days have found me in a creative slump. Having got my turtle idea started, I am mulling ideas and fiddling with techniques for the next steps. As a reminder, here is my inspiration photograph.

There are two tricky parts for me: 1. How to portray the reflections, and what other elements should be included.

I did get the subject-turtle painted onto to white fabric, in two pieces.

I also added more wash to the background. My goal was to achieve some depth of color and depict some of the swirls and waves in the pond. That didn’t happen but I did achieve some nice shadows. Next I fused the turtle in place with Wonder-Under.

After practicing on scraps, I decided that I have enough skill to machine quilt the reflections. The advantage of this technique is that the thread can be very light colored, even shiny, against the dark background.

For additional elements, I may go with pond grasses….

… and damselflies. Maybe a willow branch or two. But I have yet to work out the specific images and techniques.

This morning when I entered the studio, I felt momentary pleasure at seeing my recent work. Maybe it’s a sign that today I will get my mojo back.

painting

Spring Creations – Watery Images

Posted on May 2, 2020 by Laura Kate

Lately I have been so inspired by the fresh green-ness of springtime. I am eager to make fiber objects that memorialize what I see. While viewing some of Bill’s photographs from our recent camping trip at Lake Montgomery, I was amazed by his images of red-eared slider turtles. They were paddling around in a quiet inlet. The colors of the surrounding trees were reflected in the water and bent by its ripples. That water surface reminds me so much of silk moire. I would love to re-create the image in fabric.

To get started, I reach for my old stand-by medium: Jacquard Dye-Na-Flo.

I’ve mixed up a leafy color by blending yellow, green and a bit of orange. Black will be dabbed on in small quantities.

I think that I can manipulate the paint into ripples by sewing the fabric into pleats – much like a Shibori technique. Studying the photograph, I organize the pleats by direction and number to match what I see.

The fabric is wet thoroughly. I don’t want any of the fabric inside the folds to remain white. Then I sponge the green paint onto the top and bottom sides of the fabric. A little extra paint, including dabs of black, is applied to the edge of the folds. Here is my piece after the painting is finished.

The fabric will need to remain tied up until it is thoroughly dry. This technique works because the parts of the fabric that dry fastest hold the most color. The slowest drying sections will be the lightest in color.

And here is the finished, pressed cloth:

It may be difficult to tell from the photograph, but yes, this fabric is completely flat. I was pleased. There is an uncanny resemblance to the lake water in the photograph.

My next step will be to imitate the ripples by brushing on thicker textile paint. It will be interesting to see if I can do it.