The First (& hopefully annual) HPV Art Showcase was a huge hit. The concept was developed by Donna Anderson and skillfully carried out with the help of the many contributing community artists, volunteers, & attendees.
After the mess I made with the initial start of this Koi pond piece.....the background was totally ditched and the project began again. You can see by the many pin holes in the water lily pads the motifs have been auctioned over and over again.
Hopefully the piece is now on the right track......
Our 55+ community is a very active one. On June 11th, the craft committee is presenting our first Art Showcase highlighting the many artists & their students who reside in Heritage Placer Vineyards. It's a way for folks to learn about our ongoing art classes and for students to share their accomplishments.
I'm flattered to be included and will be exhibiting 'hands on samples' of the many different techniques utilized in my pieces. Viewers can see how those methods translated into finished art quilts with ongoing Q & A opportunities.
My art quilt inventory includes various widely exhibited, published and award winning pieces from earlier in my career. The practicality of continued storage had led to the decision that they need new homes where they can be enjoyed. Here are two that I'll be sharing on Thursday at the Forum.
HERE COME THE HYBRIDS - 45" X 45" - It's a hand appliquéd, hand quilted, & embellished whimsy art quilt created as a spoof of the name of the international traveling exhibit "Enchanted Gardens" it was made for.
Well well well......this didn't work. I've gone from trying to soften the edges of water movement to redoing, & redoing.....and finally YUP....... in an attempt to salvage the background fabric, the Prisma pencil marks & the water soluble crayon blending was washed out. And what did it get?? A mess.
But you know I DO NOT GIVE UP!! I've always believed sharing failures is just as important as sharing successes. So this project will now feature a new whole-cloth batik background. However, not anytime soon as I'm heading to attend our oldest grandson's 8th. grade graduation and family time.
Some handwork will come with me as I rip all the stitching from the first attempt. Creating one-of-a-kind art quilts takes patience....... check back in with me won't you?!?
My friend Toni shared this quote she recently read. So perfectly said:
“Art is making something no one asked for—not because they didn’t need it, but because they didn’t know they needed it until you made it, until you helped them breathe and dream and find a way forward.”
—Mira Jacob, Writer, in the Poem “You Are Here”
These bowls are truly a labor of love. Keeping track of costs for materials & time kinda gets lost in my enthusiasm! We are all aware of the higher cost of everything these days....premium gas here in CA is $6.59 a gallon!!
So for a reality check as I began making the first bowl, I recorded those details. (With the exception of studio equipment and energy costs.)
Results: Bowls - batik fabric, canvas, fusible, & thread = $24.80 Time - 4 hours for a single bowl start to finish.
CA Walmart clerks make $23 an hour - using that rate, the minimum price for one bowl should be $117.00. Now, do you think I could sell one for that price?? NOPE!
With rare exceptions, artists can not break even much less make a profit on their handmade items. I was fortunate, my career generated income from teaching, judging, presenting lectures, authoring books & magazine articles, hosting quilting cruises & tours, commissions for designing fabric and other quilt related items.
Many of you reading this are aware of the dilemma but perhaps others aren't. Maybe now handmade items will be seen in a little different light. I'm NOT whining....I can not imagine life without the satisfaction and passion of creating each and every day. Many thanks to our 55+ community for providing exposure to our talented artist residents!!
“Our flag does not fly because the wind moves it. It flies with the last breath of each soldier who died protecting it.” — Unknown
Nearly 3 weeks into this project and it's finally finished. It was transformed from the initial concept of recreating a photo using fabric as the medium, to simply echoing the majesty of a purple sky. Purple skies are actually quite rare, but they are a completely natural phenomenon.
Sonji M. posted this photo on 12/2/25 on the Heritage Placer Vineyard Facebook page.....it immediately inspired me. I don't recall ever seeing one quite like this.
Though my vision for this piece changed after several creative construction pivots.....I'm very pleased with the outcome. NOW SOLD!!!!
PURPLE SUNSET - SOLD!!!
14” X 14”
Artist hand painted cottons with water soluble wax crayons &
pencils, gel printing, and Procion dyes. Raw edge appliqué, densely
quilted, hand embroidery, faced edges with hanging sleeve.
Is the third time the charm?
After two weeks, I have yet to capture the colors nor the desired airy appearance of Sonja's photo. So I'm pivoting for the third time. Now I'm considering Sonja's photo project as 'landscape inspiration', rather than 'fabric recreation'.
AND I'm totally okay with that!! No need to beat myself up by calling it a failure, instead this difficult project has evolved to a positive desirable outcome which utilized my depth of skills developed over 30+ years of quilt making.
THREE CHEERS!!! Reveal coming soon......
