Category: The Work

  • It’s a Fall Fabric Designing Frenzy!

    It’s a Fall Fabric Designing Frenzy!

    Over the last several months I have been absorbed with designing fabric with Spoonflower. It started by designing mask fabric and then I moved on to designing a repeat pattern from my mushroom painting. After designing the repeat, I printed Fungi Fantasy in 2 different scales because I love the idea of seeing big mushrooms…

  • My wish for 2020

    My wish for 2020

    is a clearer vision for the survival of our planet, it’s the only one we’ve got. It’s heartbreaking to see the devastation that climate change is wreaking on Australia. If that’s not a wake up call, we have little hope for our future. We must do all we can to change our way of being.…

  • Boho Bluebird revisited

    Boho Bluebird revisited

    Back in 2010, I taught several workshops at the very first Create retreat in Chicago organized by Pokey Bolton, and while there I had the opportunity to take a class with Alisa Burke on painting on canvas. I had two goals when I took Alisa’s class, one was to have fun and spend a day…

  • Painting the hive

    Painting the hive

    My recent bee hive painting began with a piece of canvas that I had painted in a range of warm colors using fluid acrylic paint. Then I used a stencil to paint a pattern of hexagons over it in warm yellows, oranges and ochres mixed with some white, also using fluid acrylic. Then the canvas…

  • Looking through rose colored glasses

    Looking through rose colored glasses

    I’ve spent the last 25+ years painting fabric with textile paint, Tsukineko inks and acrylic inks. I’ve learned how to successfully paint smooth gradations of color, avoid bleeding, and paint fine details on an unprimed or gessoed substrate (cotton fabric). Gesso is the white painted surface on canvas that keeps paint from absorbing into the…

  • The Migrant’s Alphabet Project

    The Migrant’s Alphabet Project

    I’m so thrilled to have created work for the Migrant’s Alphabet project that opened October 4th in Bridgeport, CT. W is the fearless Women who stand up to protest raising their voices against separation of families and children’s arrest   Inspired by a book from 1846 (The Anti-Slavery Alphabet),  leading mixed media artists and activists…

  • Unraveled: 7 threads

    Unraveled: 7 threads

    This Friday, July 13th is the opening reception for a group exhibit I have work in at the Artery in Davis, California with Martha Wolfe, Marjan Kluepfel, Bernita Dodge, Louise Schiele, Debra Hosler, and Marjorie McWilliams. The exhibit will be up through the month of July. Phil helped me prepare by building 11 gorgeous floater…

  • The paintings continue

    The paintings continue

    I don’t have multiple photos of this one in process, because it was a bit of a disaster for a while and kept changing until I turned it into a painting of succulents, but if you’re really curious this is what it looked like at one point. See, sometimes my stuff looks awful too 🙂…

  • Learning, Creating, Living

    Learning, Creating, Living

    There are countless articles on the importance of continuing to learn new things as we age. They say it helps ward off declining brain function, memory loss and boosts low spirits, and eases depression. This year I’ve immersed myself in more small art projects than ever. To be honest, I haven’t had the energy or…

  • Painting canvases

    Painting canvases

    I love painting fabric then stitching it, but the downside is that it’s a much slower process than simply painting canvas. Sometimes I want to work on more projects and be more experimental with my painting since I feel like I learn so much every time I sit down to paint. Unfortunately, I don’t have…

  • I speak the language of color

    I speak the language of color

    Polychromatic Predilection 40″ x 40″ whole cloth painted with acrylic inks, free-motion machine quilted. Over the last month, I’ve tried going on a news diet, limiting my intake of news to brief morning and evening reading. I think this is mostly because no matter what happens, nothing seems to change, and the frustration is overwhelming.…

  • Liberty Assaulted

    Liberty Assaulted

    Liberty Assaulted 26” x 34”   I feel very strongly that racism, calculated deception and dishonesty won the presidency for Trump. His administration is an assault on people of color, women, the poor, education, science, facts, the environment and the personal freedoms and rights that made America the land of the free.   This is…

  • It’s been a productive week! Finishing the red vase

    It’s been a productive week! Finishing the red vase

    This week, in between packing up supplies for teaching at International Quilt Festival, this is about half of what I’ve had to pull together for all my classes, 4 other boxes have been shipped, . and finishing a cable sweater I’ve had in the works for 2 years, did I ever mention how much I…

  • Blue vase painted with acrylic inks

    Blue vase painted with acrylic inks

    Back in April I taught an acrylic inks workshop at the Focus on Fiber Florida retreat in New Smyrna Beach, Florida, and I had the opportunity to extend my stay by 3 days to paint and spend time on my own work. I made the sketch on the left as an idea for overpainting a…

  • 10+ Techniques with Acrylic Inks in San Luis Obispo, CA and a New Quilt for Yvonne

    10+ Techniques with Acrylic Inks in San Luis Obispo, CA and a New Quilt for Yvonne

    On August 12-13, I’ll be teaching a 2-day acrylic inks workshop in San Luis Obispo at SLO Creative Studio. I’m really excited about this not only because it’s a beautiful area of California and I get to visit an old high school friend, but also because it’s my favorite class to teach! There really is nothing better than…

  • You win some and you lose some, it’s all about perspective

    You win some and you lose some, it’s all about perspective

    BUSHWHACK Bushwhack: to cut a path through dense vegetation.  Inspired by patterns in nature, I saw each block like plant cuttings scattered on the ground. 40’ x 40” You may remember when I posted some progress photos of this quilt several months ago. I started to make it for sheer pleasure, but as I was sewing…

  • My Fabulous Trip to Florida: Part three- painting with acrylic inks

    I know I said there were only going to be two parts to My Fabulous Trip to Florida, but my second post was getting so long I soon realized I needed to break it up into a third segment to show you the artwork I made as well as the surroundings that inspired me so much while I…

  • Woo hoo, I’m a cover girl!

    Woo hoo, I’m a cover girl!

    This is the image I just received of the next issue of Machine Quilting Unlimited that I wrote an article for. I was told that if you get a new subscription by February 10th, this issue will come with your subscription. To get 10% off your renewal or subscription on print issues, use promo code MQUSPECIAL to…