Retreat!

We had a wonderful retreat in Tomball last month, at The Quilter's Cabin, owned and operated by Diane Anderson.  Here are a few pictures we took ...

Susan working on a deconstructed screen print.

Liz, Connie, and Mary Ann.

Connie was very prolific for the week!  Painting and soy-wax batiking.

A pre-screen (for deconstructed screen printing) by Linda

Another of Linda's pre-screens.

Linda's series of 4 prints.

Liz working on her free-motion quilting project.

Mary Ann and some of her soy-wax prints.

One of Susan's pre-screens.

One of Susan's deconstructed screen prints.

Susan made this tiny pre-screen, which Linda coveted.

Susan on the back porch.

Susan used some natural elements to create this series of prints.

Linda enjoying the gorgeous weather on the back porch.

The Space Between - Interview with Susan Fletcher King

I am so excited to have been juried into the invitational exhibit "The Space Between" - co-curated by Jamie Fingal and Leslie Tucker Jenison.

You can read my interview here. Be sure and read about the other artists on the Dinner at Eight artist blog. This is a great way to get a little peak into each artist's personality.

Happy Discovery

I’m Ready for My Close-up, Mr. DeMil has a base coat of Pepto-Bismol pink acrylic and layers and layers of multiple colors of Crayola crayons. Of course, ironing between the applications of color is necessary to set the crayon into the fabric and allowed me to decide if more color is needed.
Highlighting was necessary to visually separate the upper back from the neck. With light peaches and pale pinks in hand, I went to the ironing board with the fabric in order to save some steps. My happy discovery was to find that when crayon is applied to hot fabric, the color instantly melded into the surface. There are no harsh edges from the coloring strokes and very quickly the artist can tell if more/different color is needed.
From now on, methinks heating the fabric before applying crayons is the way to go!
Background is a snow-dyed silk from my dear friend, Nora Jones of Fort Collins, Co.

The Space Between - Linda's interview

The Space Between - Interview with Linda Teddlie Minton

I was so thrilled to be juried into the invitational exhibit "The Space Between", co-curated by Leslie Tucker Jenison and Jamie Fingal.  And today was my "day in the sun", when I was the featured artist on their Dinner at Eight Artists blog.  Please take a look, then be sure to read about the other artists too ... we are all just fascinating!   ;^)

Susan Fletcher King's interview is scheduled to be posted on April 26, so be sure to check back then.

An April Fools' Meeting

We had our April 1, 2011 meeting at Nancy's house, which feels very "out-in-the-countryside", and is so beautifully decorated.  I thought I'd finally post some pictures, since we are getting ready to launch our official website soon.

Connie made this art quilt for her kids at the beach.

Just one example of the deconstructed screen printing that Nancy has been playing with.

A work-in-progress by Mary Ann ... an abstracted cart wheel,
from a photo taken by her husband.





Nancy was our gracious hostess for the day.

Even her Copper Pennies dish was served
with an Easter Bunny theme.

Mary Ann and Susan, getting ready to dig in.

Luscious dessert, YUM!

Connie and Liz share a laugh.

My favorite pic of Susan.

Pic-of-the-Day -- Nancy at cocktail hour!

Gossip Challenge

Connie Fahrion started this challenge based on the old game "gossip" or "telephone". She chose a photograph she took while on a winter-time retreat at the childhood home of Liz Broussard in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana.  Bayou Teche, runs along the back of the property. The size she chose was 6” x 18” landscape orientation

Bayou Teche

After her initial interpretation, she passed her quilt to the next person in the rotation through the group.  Each person only saw the piece immediately before her and did an interpretation on it. 

Connie Fahrion

I decided to work with squares and rectangles to flesh out tree trunks and leaves using silk fabrics on a cotton Ikat-like fabric.  I based my composition on another one I created of the same scene worked with dyed and painted coffee filters and thread trash.

 

Liz Broussard

Because I was so enamored with Connie's piece, it was difficult for me to not duplicate it!

I went with a literal translation of a stark, dreary winter's day on the bayou.  Several layers of chiffon and netting were burned to create barren trees and blowing leaves.

 

Susan King, “Thinking of Fall”

I had a vague impression of swampish trees and leaves and perhaps cool temperatures from looking at Liz Broussard's piece.  Liz was also very specific in pointing out the one or two spots of red that she put in her piece.  Based on that, I interpreted my piece with red autumn leaves pushed directionally in a cool wind.

 

Nancy Dickey, “Autumn Melody”

I wanted to capture the "feel" of Thinking of Fall so I based my design on Susan's mottled tan background, her top left to bottom right sweeping movement, and her red (leaves) color. Her addition of tiny gold beads added detail so I quilted in the small areas of my checkered background. I interpreted Susan's thin wispy twig branches by couching Razzle Dazzle for my long delicate wind currents.

 

Mary Ann Littlejohn, "Morning Song"

When  I saw Nancy's work, I felt the melody flowing across the piece and associated it with written music and the treble clef.

Linda Teddlie Minton "Summer Wind"

Mary Ann's musical theme brought to mind some old children's illustrations of Wind.  I picked out her baby-pinks and blues to repeat in my piece.  This was a challenging piece for me, because of the unusual size and shape, but I loved the results from the whole group.

Cheryl Johnson

Linda's was so wonderful I almost had too many ideas.  I didn't know the title at the time but I wanted to carry over movement and some of the color she created in her piece.  I asked myself what could move around on the wind and came up with the bubbles.   After all who doesn't love seeing what shape and color their bubble will come out.

Fish Challenge

Periodically, our group decides to do a challenge. .  Our first challenge took place in 2009.  The guidelines, which were selected by pulling words out of paper bag, were:

Size:    9”x12” portrait
Fabric:  a piece of the same chartreuse silk
Theme:  Fish

“Mola Fish”
Nancy Dickey

I wanted to try a contemporary mola technique for my Fish piece. The two fish images are based on a barracuda shape. The silk coral and other leaves were from my imagination. Since most underwater landscapes tend to be horizontal, as are fish, I found the vertical format to be more dramatic and challenging. “Mola Fish” was created with cotton and silk fabrics, reverse appliqué, hand embroidery, machine quilting, and satin-stitched edges.

“Koi Pond”
Connie Fahrion

A lot of my experimental work has to do with thread trash application so I used this challenge to work beyond my limit with thread trash.  I simply wanted to see what it would look like if I laid on thread trash beyond my normal expectation.  So my goal became to distort the composition with thread trash until I felt like I had lost it.  It was a real luxury and pleasure to be able to do it.”

Susan King

When we selected the subject for this challenge (fish), I was thrilled because for years
I had kept both salt and freshwater aquariums.  My intention with this piece was to
portray the idea of a fish "sort of" contained in an aquarium.  This piece was done with raw-edge applique and used both cotton and silk fabric.

“Just the Two of Us”
Mary Ann Littlejohn

Since I am a Pisces, the fish image is almost a part of me.  Using my astrological sign was a good place to start.  I enjoyed working in some dyed cheesecloth and machine quilting the fantasy plants.

“The Book of Fish”

Linda Teddlie Minton

Incorporates a digitally altered photograph of the Grand Canyon, cotton, silk, Dye-Na-Flow paints, machine quilting, and hand embroidery.  The irregularly-shaped piece is faced rather than traditionally bound.

High Fiber @ The Arts Alliance Center at Clear Lake

“Speaking in Color” was juried in and has been awarded a Juror’s Choice prize. 
Opening Night is this Thursday at 6:30.  We would love to see you there.

Location:
2000 NASA Parkway,
Nassau Bay, TX 77058

Our Beginnings

When FiberVoices was created two years ago, we decided to create a joint project to challenge each of our abilities working in fiber and launch our new group.  We selected a copy-right free photo and divided it into 6 segments, each member working on a different segment.  The idea was to see if we could work to group- established guidelines, and cement individual construction methods and techniques into a cohesive whole.  Working with a combination of raw-edge, hand and machine appliqué, we also incorporated piecing, weaving, painting and dye work into the mix.  We feel we fulfilled our goals for this project, and we are already at work on a larger challenge aiming for completion in 2011.

“SPEAKING IN COLOR”
Each square section is 24” x 24”.  Each quilt was mounted and wrapped on gallery-stretched canvas.

Mary Ann  Littlejohn

Nancy B. Dickey

Connie Fahrion

 

Susan Fletcher King

guest artist  Cheryl Johnson

Linda Teddlie Minton