Quilting competition

Last week I won 2nd place at the Auckland quilting guilds annual competition.

It was for the mixed media section of the competition.  It is the first time I have won any thing in New Zealand and I am thrilled.

I entered my entry into the Cloth paper scissors artisan challenge remade into a prism box. 

This piece of work is made from paper cloth.  A wonderful technique to use.  It is lots of fun and very open to embellishments and stitching. I learned how to do this techniques form Kelly Nina Perkins book  

 Stitch Alchemy.  You can find out more about this amazing artist by clicking on this link http://ephemeralalchemy.blogspot.com/

After the cloth was made I added Angelina fibres,  applique, stitching,  paint, stamping and a fibre I make from tinsel.

I stiffened the fabric with a heavy pellon.  and edged the box with braiding.  I ended up with very sore fingers after making this piece of work as I lost my thimble!!!1

I know that winning at competitions is only the icing on the cake but it still very sweet just the same. 

I now just have to work out what to spend my prize on :)

Photography this week

This weeks photos are from the Hamilton gardens again.  The gardens were full of lots of little rooms and doorways into each room.  With the theme view in mind I captured some of the many entrances to these little rooms and views through the many walls inside the gardens.

Skechbook challenge: 7 days of drawing

This months new theme is imaginary animals.  When I heard this theme I thought oh my goodness.  The last time I tried animals I wasn't very successful.  But when I started I realised I can do this!

Yak

Deer

Fish

Seal

Frog

Dragonfly

Eyes

Snake eyes

"

The good and the bad

I woke up today feeling ready to tackle the world.  The sun was shining (for a few minutes anyway) the kids were all on task and the house got cleaned.  It was so nice to have a clean backyard again and the washing all under the porch drying.  I love having days where the morning goes well and everything goes according to plan.  But we really can't have this everyday because we would never recognise the difference between the good and the bad.

It is a bit like this with art work too.  Good and bad days come and go.  They need to,  so we can appreciate the good and find challenge and work though problems in the bad.



I had a bad couple of days working on this piece of work.  I have put about 10 layers of paint and texture on this page before I got it right.  I wanted to have it in a monochromatic  scheme (all one colour)  but that didn't work.  The tones were all too similar and too dark. So I tried a analogous scheme (2 colours that are next door to each other on the colour wheel) but I couldn't get it to come together.  The tones where all too similar still and to mucky.   I tried adding white and silver to lighten the page but still it didn't work.



So I walked away from it over night and looked at it with new eyes this morning. (pardon the pun) As soon as I walked in I knew I needed a complementary colour.  So out came a leaf stencil and orange paint and some black paint and voila it worked.  A fresh perspective is sometimes all I need to get a piece of art to work.  A new day and a new set of eyes got this page finished. 

Photography this week

More photos from my few days away with my man. 

The colours of spring.

Skechbook challenge: 7 days of drawing

I have got some painting done this week.  Yah!!!! I have had lots of fun layering paint again and making views through the paint to see lots of different textures and colours.

View through a window

View through a window

View through a garden

View through a garden

View of a flower

View of a flower

View of the sun

View of a leaf

View through a garden