Photographs for the week

There  are so many ways to take photographs and so many subjects to take a photograph of.  Each photographer will be drawn to different subjects and how to take them.

I love to get up close to things in nature and see the fine details.  I love to see how things look from very close.  Often we miss the little details when don't take the time to stop and look.  In our very busy world these wee detail often get missed.

I use photos in my art work for quilting line, texture, ideas for stencils and stamps and for the subject of the quilt.

To take photos this close it is a good idea to use a close up lens or the close up setting on your camera.
try to use a tripod if you can.  I was unable to use a tripod for these photos as I was on a long walk and carrying a tripod wasn't practical over the bumpy rural road of New Zealand and it is noticeable in some of the photos.  Make the f stop as low as possible to get the lovely blurred background, put a hand under the camera to make it more stable, breathe out then shoot.

Artists I love

I love looking at other peoples work.  It is inspiring to see how others work,  what art they produce and what inspires them.  

It is great we are all different and unique and that we all look at things differently.  It makes the art world a wonderful and diverse place. 

These are some of the wonderful textile artists I love.

Moeder by Colette Berends

Annemieke Mein

Early Snow 7 by Lorraine Roy

David Taylor

Carol Taylor

Karen Kamenetzky - Life Goes On IV

Hollis Chatelain

Anne Lullie: Gallery 1- color play

Hilde Morin

Melody Johnson

More of my favourite quilts and artists are on my Pinterest board stunning quilts.

Go to 

http://www.pinterest.com/

Put in search pinners Catherine Parkinson (I have the most followers) and Look at my board stunning quilts.

 I couldn't get the link to go straight through to my board as It would only come up with my actual board for pinning not the one everyone else could see.   Sorry!!

Come and see some other amazing work  which I promise will inspire you.

Hanging textile art work

There are so many ways to hang quilts and art quilts and it can be very challenging narrowing down or coming up with a creative idea to present the work that has been created.  Some art pieces just need a very simple treatment of a hanging sleeve (an invisible pocket to put a rod through on the back of the art work)  But other work need a much more creative solution to hang them.

When quilts are in the planning stage consider....

• How can the art be showed to its best advantage?
• What hanging structures could display the work professionally?
• Recording some ideas of how it might potentially be hung.
• Where it will be hung
• How the work will be cleaned

Jamie Fingal

A collection of small quilts could be hung together on a washing line type hanger.  It gives a sense of fullness to small art works and a line for the eye to travel along.  Each piece of work is still individually important but collectively gives more for the eye to study.

This piece has been hung with large clips on a rod.  This way of hanging is especially good  for work that is going to be moved around.  It also is a strong way to hang such a strong quilt.

Another way to hang a quilt is with 3 or more tabs across the top of the art work and to put a stick or other rod through the tabs.  It works quite nicely for this naive quilt.

Lots of very small art pieces in a collection could be displayed quite effectively in this way.  I would probably find a more permanent way to attach the art to the threads.  Drift wood,  stick and other organic material would be great to us in this configuration.

Imagine art being hung from the top of the room like this!!  what a creative way to display Artwork.  The threads coming down from the ceiling could be made to become part of the artwork or a nylon string could be used so oi looks like the work is floating on the wall.

Hang the work from the ceiling and attach it to a structure on a table or if it is a large work on the floor.  this would be particularly effective if the artwork is a double sided piece.

Hang small work with ribbons.  This is very effective with this piece because of its transparency and light floaty feel.

A piece of art could be hung between two pieces of wood or between two small canvases.  This works particularly well with pieces that can be seen through or have any transparent qualities.

Join together small similar pieces of work.  Try eyelets, thread, string,or even netting behind the artwork for a sense of floating art.  This wouldn't work with art that was very different in size, shape or composition,

Another way to hang a collection of work.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/just_because/


Another form of clip hanger.  This could work well with a narrow canvas too.

Shawls,  tablecloths or other drapey textiles could work well draped over a coat hanger or dress form.

Place the work inside a picture frame.  Small works would be more effective using this technique than large quilts.  This works well for this 3D textile piece.

So get your thinking creative thinking caps on and see what ways you can creatively hang work.

(I apologise for limited links for the artwork in this article....I had a brain fade :) and now I can't find the photos again. Sigh)

Photographs for the week

Progression of a sunrise

The sketchbook challenge

This months theme for the sketchbook challenge in Homes and Hideaways.  There is something so special about drawing homes.  I think it is because people reside there.  There is heart and soul in a home that makes it live and breathe.

Home are much more than a shell.  They have souls.

Each house I have lived in has been so special while we have lived there but when we have left it has just become a dwelling place.

I love making my home a beautiful place to live in both emotionally and physically. A safe place for my family to reside.

Protect our homes,  make them safe and beautiful so our families have a special place to go.