Finding your quilting style

I have moved through a variety of styles in my art and quilting.  I started as many people in traditional applique and crafty projects.  As I moved along this road I realized this was not fulfilling me enough then I discovered art quilting and I was hooked line and sinker.  It challenges me in a way that no other medium has.  I love the flexibility and experimentation involved in art quilting.  I love being able to express myself freely.

Being able to use a variety of medium  for a person who is a collector and a dabbler is an added bonus.  I love being able to put my heart and soul into my work so expressively.

But how do we find our own style of work.  Some people seem to figure this out quite quickly in their journey but others, like me,  need a little more time to find this out. It is a quietly evolving phenomenon. What is our style today may not be our style in 3 years and what we like may take a lot of work to discover.

I am still very much in the experimental phase with where I fit on the continuum.  I still am trying to find out what I am in art.

I have some identifying features in my work now though. 

I love bright colours and strong lines.

I like my work to be cheerful and positive.  I love to work with different patterns and textures.

Full of fine details that eyes can come in and look at.

and lots of quilting detail. I have found it useful to look at others work and analyse why I like them and what draws my eye in.  I have chosen  to spend quite a bit of time analysing the design aspects used in others art to help me to develop as an artist and find my

It has taken alot of experimenting to find out a little more about what I like and what view I have when I create.  I have been going along this path for a while and I think I will be on this journey for my whole life.

style. 

Photography this week

We have just had our yearly Guy Falkes celebration.  Our family loves to have a bonfire for this night and time with family.  this year we had my twin sister's family over and boy did we have a great night.  We cooked sausages, bread, potatoes and apples over the fire and finished off with brownies (in the oven just too hard on a fire) strawberries and vanilla cream.  Vanilla cream is so yummy and so easy

Vanilla cream

Mix together equal parts of plain yogurt and coconut cream. 
 add vanilla essence and sugar to taste. 

Use it to go with cake, trifles,  brownies  and fruit.  Just yum

I like to my camera to capture the elements of an evening to tell a story of what happened or to capture the essence of the night.  This is a great way to remember celebrations in years to come especially with a memory like mine!

Gathering together to bake our dinner

Embers to cook over

Cooking sausages (gluten free of course)

Dessert

Strawberries

Brownies

Having a sing song.  Nothing like singing the old scouting and guide songs around an open fire.

Close up of the fire again

Sparks flying

Pure enjoyment

Sparks flying captured on a long shutter speed.

Fireworks

Fireworks

Making shapes with sparklers

More shapes

Dancing around the fire and singing loudly.  Even the teenagers joined in.

A great evening recorded now for history.

Skechbook challenge: 7 days of drawing

A new week and 7 more pages. 

 I have found animals extremely difficult but a positive challenge. 

 I love animals but putting it down artistically on paper is quite hard. 

Cute frog I ofund on an advertisement....I just had to draw him!

Gannet...the elegant flyers of the seas

Emperor penguin.......her highness

Chameleon.........The master of disguise

Golden eagle

Zebra

Fish

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.