piecedgoods

Matisse Play

Posted on July 10, 2011 by piecedgoods

We were gone all last week at Family Camp and now we’re back. Schnap, the co-quilter, stayed with friends of ours and had a great time, but she’s back too now and ready to play.

I happened upon a blog posting by Bumblebean’s Victoria Findlay Wolfe that intrigued me. So despite my vow to not start new projects before finishing off some of the myriad incomplete ones, I dove in. You see, Bumblebeans has this cool concept and side blog called 15 Minutes Play which I interpret as “Get going (at least for 15 minutes) and make a block!”… Prone to over-thinking, this is appealing as a way to stretch.

“Play” is the operative word. Bumblebeans blogged about some Matisse quilt blocks she made and suggested a quilt a long, with improvisationally pieced blocks inspired by art by Matisse, and off I went. I decided to be inspired by this image.

After about 3 hours – not 15 minutes – I came up with this.

It’s a small piece and there’s still quilting to do, and perhaps a border, but I’m pleased so far to have created something approximating the figure in the painting entirely without a pattern or blocks or measuring.

Meanwhile, Schnap got down to business playing as I was attempting to take pictures.

Posted in Art Thoughts, Quilts, Schnap, Uncategorized | Tagged 15 minutes play, Bumblebeans, improvisational piecing, Matisse, Quilt, Quilting, Schnap | 4 Comments

A Post from Family Camp

Posted on July 7, 2011 by piecedgoods

We’re finishing up a week at Family Art Camp in Idyllwild. It’s a treat to be overwhelmed the time, means, and instruction to create. It’s especially great to be instructed by teachers that work as professional artists in their fields, on a campus that is a year round arts and performing arts school.

The selection of classes varies from year to year slightly but are plentiful. The options are maddening because there is so much to do that is interesting. We huff and puff (Idyllwild is at altitude – about 6000 feet) from class to class trying to take in all we can. It happens only once a year and it is truly magical.

This year’s workshops were:

Advanced Digital Imaging and Photography
Appreciating Shakespear
Bach to Blues: How to Understand Music
Batik and Tie Dye
Bear Making and More
Cast, Carve, Create
Ceramics
The Children’s Musical (Summer School House Rock!)
Collage
Comic Book Journals
Singing
Folk Instruments
Harmonica
Hikes
Jewelry
Life Drawing
Mosaic Madness
Pine Needle Baskets
Silk Painting
Stone Carving
Strawberry Creek Journal
Writing the Memoir
Yoga

Lest this sound like a marketing post for Idyllwild, let me say definitively that I am getting no remuneration.

In fact, don’t come. There are mosquitoes and biting flies. Lodgings are in barebones dorm rooms (bunks anyone?). Happy Hour includes children running underfoot. People break into song spontaneously. The food is strictly cafeteria fare and includes a non dairy frozen dessert product. Family Camp doesn’t happen but once a year, and we’re signed up for eternity according to my children, so we’re picky about who else comes. And I do not want anyone getting in the way of getting my projects done or showing up my kids at the talent show.

Posted in Art Thoughts, Travel, Uncategorized | Tagged Arts, Bearmaking, Family Camp, Idyllwild, Junk Drawer Metalsmithing, Mosaic, Stone carving | 2 Comments

Scrap Sheep

Posted on July 3, 2011 by piecedgoods

This was my first go at rug hooking. Like many crafts, it was torturous at first, much better later, and enjoyable by the time I was finished. As much as the idea of starting another rug hooking project is enticing now, I have the other 100+ other projects to finish up or maybe officially abandon before I start another hooking project. Though maybe starting another ones of these don’t count as a new project because it uses up scraps. (This is how I justify all quilting projects by the way)