Turquoise Diamonds

Turquoise with lime diamonds for this month's color at RSC. She is calling the color aquamarine but I just did turquoise since it's one of my faves at the moment.

I have been so sick, just some kind of cold but it sapped all my energy.
I could barely sit and read on the porch in the lovely weather much less sew.
Today I pulled myself together and mindfully sewed tiny pieces that should probably have been thrown away!

I haven't sewn the little diamonds together yet... that will have to wait until the brain is functional again. When the 9 small diamonds are sewn together it makes a diamond about 25" tall by 15" wide.

Don't know how I'll place them yet since there will be 12 colors

And I might just add in some black and white ones.
Linking to some mighty parties on  my links page, including these:
http://superscrappy.blogspot.com/

Finding the Muse #2 Music

There is a difference between being inspired to "make" and being inspired to "create"

As quilt makers, we are often inspired by other quilts and quilt makers who have developed a style we like. I have made  quilts from patterns.
 I like them, but I love the quilts I've made that represent my unique vision.

As an artist I am more interested in what inspires us to create from our hearts.

I have a list as long as your arm of different forms of inspiration... it's all around us. I'll get to each sometime duing this Thursday Finding the Muse Series. In fact I was inspired to write this week from a walk I took yesterday but I'll save that for another day.

Today's inspiration is music. 
If you google "images of art inspired by music" you'd find great variety. I saw art that resembled a guitar, some that was abstract letting movement tell the story, one that looked like a treble clef, some inspired by words to a song and so much more.

Music inspires strong responses.
Just hearing certain songs will cause us to Feel, to react, to remember...

Recently I saw this piano improv at a Paris train station... two young men spontaneously shared music...
.youtube
and this one in  Paris ... I didn't know that I loved this song but it made me feel something deeply...
youtube la foule
Both of which made me long to experience that kind of musical connection with another person.
Both inspired me to make my kind of art.

Just the current four favorites

What music do you play while working? I like bossa nova and samba music. From the 60's if possible.
Lately I am all kind of jazzed to work by Jake Shimabukuro playing Ukelele like an angel.

My favorite song of all, and I love music, is Girl from Ipanema. I listened to Astrid Gilberto's version while drawing the top sketch. A detail of the quick sketch...

I am sick. Head cold that knocked the wind out of me & gave me a wracking cough. I don't feel like sewing. I have little energy but I want to be creative so today it's drawing.
> I love how the ocher yellow color, one I do NOT like adds shading and emphasis to the turquoise and bright yellow.
> I like the line inspired by the song... a curve that could be a woman, a guitar, a shore line or beach
> Just as quilters do improv piecing, this was improv sketching in response to bossa nova.

(does it change your perception to see it from another angle?)
My words on the side set the tone and view.

I looked at the blank white page, and momentarily paused... what to do? What is the best interpretation of my song? There is no "best" just making. I started with intense pink. I colored and blended and made lines on a blank sheet of paper until I was done.








It doesn't need to win an award. It doesn't need to make money.
It only needed to flow from my heart today.

 Want more?
The first in this series is written word

PS,  this was made to interpret the song yellow polka dot bikini
 
post on "bikini body"

Cole's Capers... Art-loving Poodle

Taking a little break to view the event

Can it be June already? We three went to Annapolis for the First Sunday Art's Festival. I love doing that!
There are lots of dogs to meet, and people to pet, and I love to shop!

LeeAnna here, he does. He shops and always has. When we travel and he's with us in shops, he looks at everything on shelves at his level. Luckily he only wanted one thing. Unluckily it was a hand knitted hat of boiled wool and about $100 so we said no.

Right off the bat we got to view the Plein Air competition. The painters had to paint something in three hours the day before. Again, Cole wanted the most expensive one. Cursed with good taste.

He is an artist's poodle, so he's very discerning.
Cole:  Here we were walking along, enjoying the day, and what should jump out but...horrors...

Wha???
Are they shooting a horror flick? BATH tubs in nature? Yikes, welcome to my nightmare

Let's just move on and forget we ever saw this...
My peeps got a little take out lunch to enjoy while listening to music so I chilled under a tree

Might as well take a load off!

Dad talked to the musicians about making their living with music. Well, Dad listened while Momma interviewed them.

They've been a trio for many years. What a cool life, doing  what you love all the time. Daddy is learning guitar so he is a musician too.



I got tired... (I am too young to know the words) so...

I just found a comfy spot and lay down... What? Oh I'm fine, I can hear very well from the middle of the sidewalk... wow, I'm getting sleepy... maybe a quick "cat nap"

Zzzzzzz.....Zzzzzzzz,,,, Crosby Stills and Nash put me to sleep

LeeAnna: OY!
Right in the middle of the sidewalk. I felt like we needed Poodle Cones!
Yellow tape around the body  poodle. Luckily there was very little traffic, and everyone laughed as they went around, since there was space.

The lesson here is rest when you're tired, trust people not to step on you, and don't turn down a chance to listen to live music. Poodle lessons on life!
More Cole's capers under that label on the side   ===>

Art show weekend... purchases

We went to two craft events this weekend, both in Annapolis.
Cole has a lot of fun pictures to show you, from his perspective, later in the week!
For now, let's start with the important things... what did we purchase??

I fell for this lawn ornament made of forks spoons and knives...
All put together like a sun! 
Click on the top photo to see the mouth placement hee hee. 

It was $22 and worth every fun-loving moment I'll chuckle when seeing it!  We have purchased dragonflies made of spoons from them before. 

It's very inspiring isn't it? 


Imagine a quilt, with a sun made of odd things... right? 

And can a gal have too much jewelry? 

This was sterling silver with a carnelian stone, and reminded me of an eye. A protective eye. 



It was too small for a ring finger but I am going to be artsy and wear it on my first knuckle. I've done it for a day and it works. 
Now this is the big find...

Yep, chocolate. I haven't had chocolate really since I realized they put soy lecithin in all chocolate and I have a real problem with soy. 
These do not. And look, you can count the ingredients on one hand almost

Yea! I can have chocolate again! And it's medicinal... yep, dark chocolate is good for you, heh heh. I already dosed myself with the coconut one. Feeling better already.

Watch for Cole's post on the festival later this week...

Green sofa and dress

pattern source The Paper Pieced Home

I am a bit behind... know what I mean?
The Rainbow Scrap Challenge Folk have moved on to June's color and here I am finishing Greens.

Making decisions on the sofa, dress and TV were surprisingly hard this month.
I have a lot of stress at the moment, and that probably influences creativity. Still...

I  paper pieced the sofa,  I had to print out the pattern, cut it apart into sections and copy the sections in order to give myself seam allowances. 

Won't you come in and have a seat? Choose any color sofa you'd like... click on any picture to see details.
This time I'm serving limeade cool and tart in a tall glass, please use a coaster... what do you think of my dress???

I love the fabric on my simple summer frock!
Who doesn't love a polka dot? 
Why do they call dots polka dots? 
Do they dance across the surface? 

The little striped belt gives me a bit of a waist...but a person might need a stern foundation garment under such a tailored dress. Plus hose and heels, and a set of pearls. 

Want to see the others in my closet?

I absolutely must do the Aqua sofa and dress for June! RSC
Now the TV is under construction, so there will be no I love Lucy this week... looks like the travel show will be on.

Finding the Muse

Let's discuss what inspires us to make art. I will call this segment Finding the Muse and hopefully do a post each Thursday on finding inspiration.

As far back as my memories go, I have loved the written word. I read.

Books are little adventures and teachers, carrying me off to new places. The library is one of my favorite places.

At any given time I have a novel (often a cozy mystery) for bedtime reading, and non fiction for daytime reading. Today I finished the book...

I plan to further explore writing this year. I am already writing every day, either a short story or a personal glimpse into my life.

This book on writing was so well done, that I wanted to stop reading every few pages and go write a story. So I did. Then I ordered the book from Amazon, as it may be one of my go-to inspirations.
I love going to the library as it's like shopping for free, but sometimes one wants to have the book always at the ready, no?



One day while on a walk with my wee family of three, I saw a scene that prompted an oral story that had dh chuckling.
It didn't come out quite so funny days later but here it is:
     The Tree had a Splinter
As we passed a massive Oak tree on our walk, I swear I heard it call to me.  It's people had pushed a large metal rod into it's side, and hung a planter full of flowers from it.
Pretty I suppose.
I felt sorry for the tree. I imagined it saying...
"Hey! I think I have a splinter. Something hurts. Could one of you other trees reach a limb over here and pull it out?"
"Sorry man! Can't reach you but you do have something in there" said the elm
"In that case could you send a squirrel over? They have great hands and I've seen them chew through many a garbage can. Thanks!" 

I tell you that story because that's the way I think.
My imagination is always on.
 It entertains me, and often my husband.
So where do I find the Muse? I think she's always there.

Back to reading. One of the things I like a lot is a magazine. I love Country Living for one.  One day my husband said he got an offer for $5 subscriptions to magazines, so I ordered four and now I feel rich. Every month I get little written gifts in the mail! As I look through a magazine, I pull out what speaks to me
 (as directed by the Muse, lol)
such as, these clippings, the sofa pic for color (coral and yellow with dabs of blue) and the composition.

This one is just lovely.
It called to me first because of the intense red and sort of turquoise blue. I pull pics that speak to me quickly without thinking too much of why.
After I am finished with the magazine I look thru the pulled images to see why they interested me, and make a notation.
I wanted to remember the mix of blues and greens that made up this background. That can be used with paint or fabric later.


Look closer, the proportions of color are lovely too. Mostly the blue/green, but also red, dark brown, and white. Can't you see it in a quilt? Choosing a block where you mostly use a mix of blues/ greens with little accents of the other colors?
The horoscope told me I'd be writing more this year. Amazing! After I decided to spend the year writing I have gotten at least three messages about that from other sources.

I pulled the jewelry page because it gave me an idea for beading on fabric. The one on the right was for composition and well, magic. It's enchanting isn't it? I love the line, I see the dog, travel up each suitcase to the high heel, kicked back foot, to the kiss then stop at the Eiffel Tower. I may not do a painting of a kiss but I might stack something.

Two other books on the table. I'm kind of excited to do the exercises in both the Lettering and Faces books from our library. Better get to it as the library lends them for just a short time!

Mr Not Afraid of Color and I were discussing color while having coffee one morning. He got his Ph.d. in something related but distilled down to molecules of light and color. I asked him to share something of how he views color theory.
Wow!
And I thought I understood colors! And I do... for the way I use color.
He checked out this book from the library, (my scientist guy!) so he could build a bridge from his concepts to mine.

So that's it for today. Reading and writing are very inspirational to me. What have you read that inspired you to make art?

Cole's walkabout on Memorial Day

Hi y'all
Cole here again for this week's installment of Walks with Poodle
My peeps said, "let's do our walk this morning in Annapolis!" and I'm always up for an adventure! When we got down there, I realized it was hot so I suggested (rather strongly) that we jump on this cute pink scooter for our walk.
Great idea right? They were all, no Cole, it belongs to someone else
Like that person wouldn't be happy to see a poodle on a scooter!

I got Momma to take some "Red, white, and blue" pictures in honor of Memorial Day.

On historic homes in Annapolis they assign plaques by color according to their age. 
And the cadets just graduated so the city decorated for them. 

 

 LeeAnna here: I LOVED this wreath, don't you? A number of the historic homes have turned into bed and breakfast inns as has this one. Don't know if they allow dogs. 

When is the last time you saw an outside mailbox like this? Every time we walk around downtown I make sure to notice details in architecture, decorations, or details. Life is in the details you know.

Red curb, white street, blue mailbox...






There are always lots of flower displays around

Subtle Red White and Blue.
Cole here, now that the momma is finally done yakking...
Back to me! After we looked around, listened to guitar players on the harbor, saw lots of dogs, and did I mention it was hot? We went to Momma's fave store and while she shopped, I greeted lots of visitors.  

These girls were VERY polite. They obviously speak dog. They waited til I put my head under their hands and invited them to adore me. I knew they wanted to from their "awwwe" noises. I don't like little kids running up to my face but nice quiet girls are the best. 

You dogs out there get it right? It's challenging to train humans as they are pretty hard headed, but once they learn how to be polite they are a joy to pet.