Pissarro Quilt

I knew immediately which painting I wanted to use for this challenge. A friend and I had gone to the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown MA to see the Pissarro show. I loved the soft green, blue, and peach colors of his Apple Pickers painting. I found that finding a copy of the painting on the internet with true colors was very difficult and even played with the one I found to make it darker and have more contrast-closer to the painting as I remembered it.Looking closely at the painting, I could see more colors than I first realized-shades of blue and green, plus the peach were obvious but there was also small amounts of yellow, orange and tan and dark brown. I tried to keep the color palette somewhat in proportion to the painting.

I used some of the silk fabric that my friend sent me and made a long narrow quilt 8" x 24" to fit an artist canvas frame that I bought. The embroidered flowers came on the fabric as did the buttons on the peach fabric. Working in geometric shapes seems to be easier for me but I'm not sure it is as artistic as decorative.

Nancy Schlegel, Albany NY

Van Gogh Colors

I used Van Gogh's "L'Arlesienne: Madame Ginous with Books for my colors.

The leaves are real hydrangea leaves that I painted.
Vase hand appliqued.
Machine quilted.

12" x 16"

Storm Survival

Trees are just incredible living plants. They with stand all types of weather, droughts, storms, flooding and scorching heat. "Storm Survival" is a tree that has been damaged/ destroyed by the elements, yet it has hope with the re growth of the new leaves that show life. This was created with upholstery remnants, hand dyed roving, the tree is free form knitting. There are three layers of fabric, plus batting. The buttons represent the damage that has fallen to the ground from the storm - The Pineapple Painting Art

Harvest Time

Not yet bound, but ready to post by the deadline. I guess I don't really have a favorite painting. I like so many by different artists. I live on a farm and it's harvest time here so while checking for paintings to use I came across this one of corn waiting to be harvested by Joy Appenzeller Bauer. I used the fall colors in the painting and threw in some olive green to show that there still is some green here during harvest. I quilted it in circles to show the combine wheels going round and round in the fields.

Sunflower

10 X 10
I didn’t read the part that said, “a painting you love”. I was just looking at the links and as soon as I saw the palette, I immediately thought of sunflowers. My daughter thinks the painting associated with the palette is “downright creepy”. Palette is from William Blake’s “Ancient of Days”.
I made the petals by quilting scraps onto Peltex™ and then cutting out the shapes. The center was sewn in a grid onto Texture Magic™ to create the seeds and then I stuffed it for more dimension.
Thanks for the interesting challenge. This challenge gives us another way to look at art, much like the challenge using product packaging. I always find it interesting to see how people use color.
Comments are appreciated.
Pam

A girl just wants to have FUN!

I was inspired by Sue Church's, "Joyful, Joyful".   http://fastfridayquilts.blogspot.com/2011/09/joyful-joyful.html

My colors are all bright, lush and/or shiny with the bits of lace, buttons and ribbon adding a bit of whimsy.  To me, the mood is FUN.

Pajama Top to match these bottoms

Birthday Butterfly

Size: 9" X 10" stretched over wooden frame

Painting "Fete Famillale- The Birthday Party" by John Singer Sargent www.johnsingersargent.org

This is an owl butterfly using fusible applique with the colors in this painting. Inktense pencils were used on the lower right and were much more vibrant than expected. I loved looking at paintings with "color" as my reference.

Thank you for this interesting challenge. Comments are welcome.

Yiddish Wisdom

This picture, was my inspiration for the quilt I made for the challenge and comes from the book "Yiddish Wisdom".

The quilt is approximately 15" X 15" and in no way completed yet. I still have to quilt and bind.

I hate posting a quilt that is not completed within the one week timeline, because I feel that I am cheating. But, this time I am making an exception to "my" rule because this next week is crazy for me. I have classes all day on Monday, Wednesday's I have my Toastmasters Meeting and a lunch date and Thursday and Friday and Saturday I'm in a training. PLUS! I have a research paper to do for one of my classes. No way will I have have this completed this week. I just wanted to get it posted and out of the way, so I would not have to worry about it later.

I may or may not add French Knots for the flowers. Let me know what you think.I hope you will all forgive me for rushing this through. All comments, critiques and criticisms welcome.

Challenge 61 - Color Palette From a Painting You Love

FFFC Challenge 61 – September 2011                                       Due: Sept 30 noon ET

Select a color palette from a painting                      Host:  Delores Hamilton                                   

Let’s look at what color combinations have been used successfully in paintings by master and contemporary artists and try one out!

This challenge begins with selecting a painting, identifying the color palette used in that painting, and then creating a piece based on that color palette.  You can challenge yourself to use only the colors in that palette or you can add or subtract a few colors, if needed.  Don’t be concerned with anything else except the color combinations  in your chosen painting….This is a color study, not the art style of the painting.  Subject, style, techniques, size, etc are your choice.

Color palette links:

http://www.colourlovers.com/blog/2007/06/20/color-inspiration-from-the-masters-of-painting/

http://artvarsity.com/35-inspiring-color-palettes-from-master-painters

http://www.non-solo-arte.com/caravaggio-colour-palette.html

Information on colorists:  

http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/colour-in-painting.htm#colourists

http://www.webexhibits.org/pigments/intro/renaissance.html

Paintings that could have inspired art quilts (hypothetically): 

Painting by Ruth Palmer:

http://www.redbubble.com/people/ruthpalmer/art/1672071-caught-in-a-rainbow

Art quilt by Laura Wasilowski:

http://www.artfabrik.com/images1/housingdept7.jpg

Painting by Cliff Briggie:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/cliffbriggie/5565081100/

Art quilt by Deb Seegart:

http://seegart.files.wordpress.com/2008/01/many-lovers.jpg

Painting by Gretchen Hancock:

http://gretchenhancock.blogspot.com/2011/04/black-cup-orange-slices-on-white-and.html

Art quilt by 12x12 group:

http://www.serendipitypatchwork.com.au/contemporaryquilts/gfm/gfm.JPG

Painting by Colleen Sanchez:

http://colleensanchez.blogspot.com/2009/12/abstracted-poppy-twins-by-daily-painter.html

Art quilt by Rose Rushbrooke:

http://www.roserushbrooke.com/lydia-lg.html

Loss

This scene came to me as a result of all the forest fires occurring in the southwest U.S. including here in SoCal due to lightning. I used fused raw-edge applique, glitter glue for sparkle, angelina for forest fairy's hair and dryer sheets and tulle with circular quilting to create smoke. Please tell me if I accomplished my goal -- sadness as a result of the terrible loss of woodlands from fire. 17"x22"

Approaching Storm

I mulled over this challenge all week until the Friday night before the deadline. As I was falling asleep, this quilt came storming into my mind. I could even see the grass fabric that I had in my stash. It ruined a good nights sleep but in the end, I think it came out very close to what I wanted. Of course Hurricane Irene having blown through here (no damage to our house) made me thinking about storms anyway.

Everything is raw edge applique. The tree, leaves and woman are fused. I was trying to portray an atmosphere of threat and danger and helplessness. Almost a metaphor for our lives now a days with all the economic and political storms swirling around.

I also wanted to do this for our art quilt exhibit so made it larger than usual for a FFFC project.

It ended up 39" x 25 1/2".

Hopefully better late than never and worth the wait

The second photo is the quilt after changes that I made due to suggestions from a friend to make the woman's shirt purple so it showed up better and a suggestion here on the blog to shade the dark gray into the light gray. I tried it and decided that having more dark gray portrayed the menace of the storm more vividly.

Nancy Schlegel, Albany NY

Blue Mood

I took a photo of my neice sitting on a sand dune. She looked very contemplative. I originally did this quilt in realistic colours, but then was challenged to try redoing it in another colour scheme. This is the result. It changes the mood of the piece entirely. I like this one better than the original.

Intensity

I am a new member to FFFC and thrilled to be here. I have been following this blog for the last year and have been impressed with the creativity of the group. I loved August's challenge and wanted to get an early start:)

This piece represents the inner turmoil and tension brought on by the external world. This person is internalizing the immense tension 0f the storm. I used two photos which I altered and merged in photoshop. I played with the color to get that deep purple/grey of dark stormy days. I further intensified the color with Neocolor II water soluble crayons before binding and freemotion stitching.

I have been spending a lot of time the last year playing with art quilt tools and colors. I have been using: dye, various paints and inks, water soluble crayons, pencils and markers, screen printing, stamping, transfers, deconstructive printing, etc. However, very little of my playing has resulted in finished pieces. I am hoping to complete one piece a month using different techniques. All critiques and comments are welcome!

LindaBN from Louisiana

"Pina Colada Anyone?"

I am a little bit behind the ball, but decided after having commented on the works of others meeting this month's challenge, that I should get busy and get something done.  The foundation for this piece is fabric which I sunprinted a number of years ago.  I used rice paper, maple leaves, and water lily pads.  My intent was to invoke a feeling of the tropical jungle with it's humidity, heat, and lushness.  I inked the large parrot in the foreground and then colored it with Inktense Pencils and Neocolor II Watersoluble Crayons.  I then added metallic highlights with gel pens and then re-inked some of the black lines.  The silhouette of the parrots in the back was done with black ink.  

The plan is to trapunto the parrots and leaf shapes and then do free motion quilting in the background.   I would also like to add some type of border on two sides of the piece.  Any and all suggestions and comments are welcomed.  This doesn't feel like my best work, but I have been in a slump, so hopefully this will put me on the right track to begin creating again.

Challenge 60, "A Journey in the Rain" by Jeanne Holmes

I loved the challenge to create a quilt where atmosphere and mood are created with color. Immediately I thought about rain, especially with hurricane Irene getting ready to wreak havoc on the east coast. I love the rain; I especially love to walk in the rain. It was difficult to show the rain and the stormy clouds but to still keep it joyous especially since painting is not my strength. I painted the sky and used fusible applique to create the woman walking in the rain. The piece is 19 1/2” x 16”

Joyful. Joyful

My goal was to express "joy". I started with the warm colors, then found that I moved to bright, visual compliments and used circles (bubbles, droplets) which also "seemed" joyful to me. The edge is irregular finished by Terry Grant's method using perle cotton along the edge.

The cream is my design board behind my piece (probably black or grey would be a better background choice). This measures approx: 22" X 11.5".

Thank you for an inspiring challenge. Comments welcome.

Winter Wonderland

I made this little quilt, 13" X 15" quilt, for my Challenge 60, Atmosphere & Mood. I hope it gives you the feeling of cold and winter. Even the tree is without its leaves. I put it on the outer borders to give a more 3-D look.

Orange petal

What a fun challenge this was. I decided to work from a photo I had taken of a tulip - looking top down. To concentrate on the large blocks of color to set the mood/atmosphere and to add shading with thread painting.

One of the skills I have just begun to work on this year is through the challenges I have done is thread painting. The flower was the first thing I have done so large. The piece is approximately 17" x 12".

The top picture is a detail of the painting and the bottom one is the full piece.

It was a real struggle for me to work with such large blocks of color (rather than small details). Another first for me was cutting all of the pieces free hand based on a printout of the photo that I had taken.

This was my first year participating in the fast friday group. It has really stretched my abilities and challenged me not to overthink what I am doing. I have also really appreciated the constructive criticism that I have received and tried to incorporate it into my work going forward.

Ticia

Terpsichore

25½" x 16"

Here is the finished piece. The hair is now tinged pink, to make it stand out a bit more, the dancer has lips, and the edge is finished! 9/11/11

Terpsichore is an early kind of dance from the Middle Ages. The colorful striped fabric started me out; I folded it so that the colors radiated out for the dress. The gold fabric started out just for the body, but it worked well for the border, with a lace edging over it. I used Angelina fiber for the hair and collar, sequins for the eyes. I had found a tiny gold rose for a flower in the dancer's mouth, but lost it, so I made that out of fabric paint.

Comments welcome!

Sunset Over the Island

While we were on our boat Tuesday last week, there was a spectacular sunset over an island---not reds, pinks, etc. but golds, bronzes. I kept taking pictures but could never really capture the colors. The brightest was like a molten pale gold. This was the closest I could come to it. It is not quilted---had to take three days this week to be sick. However, the more I look at it, I think I will probably frame it. The white rim and outer black are batting and backing--just not trimmed. The size is 12"x7.25".

Mosaic Table

I loved the idea of using color in a different medium for this challenge. My scrap collection of glass is just as large as my fabric scrap collection.The glass and tile mosaic table is waiting to be grouted.

Meena

Sanctuary

The idea for this piece began by planning to make a layered photo piece that would finish out at 13 x 18. I had plans to use it as a study for a larger piece. The idea didn't work and I had two pieces printed already so I started playing and the project morphed into 37" x 45" piece.

I started out with two photos taken at a bird sanctuary on Harbor Island, SC, I blended the photos in PSE to achieve the final image. One of the photos was taken at sunset and the water reflected the pink in the sky. They are printed on silk habotai, cotton sateen, silk organza and tulle. The background is a purchased hand dye. I've had the hand dye piece of fabric for years and finally found the right use for it.

Carol I hope this fits the challenge. While the piece is not quilted I do have the top done. Getting this far in less than a week on large piece is quite an accomplishment for me. I'm so glad this group is staying together.

Any comments would be appreciated.

Dream of a garden with fish

Challenge 60 Rosemary Hopkins

It was a lot of fun to work on Carole's challenge. I got out my favorite color fabrics (blue) and built the quilt on the batting, as I have done in Pamela Allen's classes. I had a 4 X 5 piece of light vine like fabric that I intended to use as the middle. I wove the roof piece, ala Jude Hill, and was going to set it so that the short sides of the triangle were parallel to the edge, but my little green piece wasn't up to it--it was too small. I selected another piece of light fabric and moved the triangle to suggest a roof. I invisibly based the fabrics down, and then used thread and floss to quilt the light piece and the blue. I attached the roof, and added a facing to finish the piece. I don't know if it meets Carole's challenge guidelines, but I am happy with it. By the way, husband didn't like the "pointy thing" on the top, but he said I was the artist and it probably made sense to me. I called it Dream of a garden with fish. Rosemary Hopkins

Joy!

While doing some sunprinting with my granddaughters ( 3 and 6years) last weekend, we found the strangest thing in the bush near our cabin. It is a battery-operated light contained in a square block about 11" by 11" by about 2" thick. It is a bas relief of a sunflower. With my last piece of fabric we took an impression of it using wet fabric and thin paint. As the piece dried the paint settled into the grooves resulting in the background of this. The colours were so cheerful and happy that I knew it would be perfect for this challenge. I FMQ'd it with bright yellow rayon thread, but it didn't show up very well, so I added some bright green around the edge of the image. The edge is finished with satin stitch over twisted perle cotton.
Great fun, and I'm very happy with it, and have made two more ( without the grandchildren's help-lol), with a little more care and attention, that have much greater detail.
I certainly can't take credit for the design, but neither can I give credit where due, as I have no idea where the original object came from or who made it.
Pat f in Winnipeg
aka fndlmous

Ray of hope

From the smallest candle shines a ray of hope we have heard throughout our lives. At this time of disaster all rays of hope I am sure are welcome. This piece is raw edge and many overlays of fabric - simple and direct.

Pat Havey

I took Jans suggestion and added quilt lines radiating from the white.

The Waiting Bride

This piece is a painted composite done in Photoshop. I used white mist to convey the illusion of a bride waiting for her groom, but is she there now or is she a ghost? You decide.

All comments welcome!

Into the Woods by Cynthia Ann Morgan

The atmosphere I was going for was a mysterious, moody, misty, slightly scary walk in the woods.  This is a small piece 9 x 10" using hand dyed fabrics and raw edge applique.  What do you think?
Cynthia

Flowing Summer Flowers

This is a Nuno Felted Scarf - Flowing Summer Flowers
I used a silk blend fabric with hand dyed alpaca roving and curls. The fabric has green and blue tones it is pretty sheer and reflects the colors of the roving .. One of my favorite things are summer flowers!

"sisters"

I took Carole's challenge as using color to portray mood and atmosphere in this challenge. I've used some very bright colors in this piece to portray the liveliness of jazz. Also some hand stitching to create the movement of music. My older sister plays piano and has the most beautiful jazz voice, and I ...well I always dreamed of playing stand up base. So here we are 'Sisters'.

Looking forward to your comments, and thanks for the great challenge Carole.

Pastel Corn

Great timing for this challenge. Next week I'll be in Colorado at a pastel painting week in the mountains with my sister. I've been practicing all week since I haven't done anything with pastels in several years. Doing laundry the other day I noticed the pile of lovely colored 'Color Guard' sheets from previous washings. I had 4 of these lovely mahogany colored sheets. This a.m. I put one on my drawing board and proceeded to do a painting of a dried cornstalk simulating what they must look like now in dry Texas compared to our nice green ones here in Nebraska. Interesting surface to work on. I had a fairly nice drawing and then decided to attempt some quilting lines for more detail. MISTAKE! It shook loose much of the pastel muddying the appearance. So I took it back for more pastel. Of course, I couldn't get the original look. But here is the finished piece and I learned a lot about surfaces with this little piece. Thanks for a wonderful, timely challenge!

Desert Sand Storm Coming

I finally am posting an offering in a timely fashion. This is a small quilt about 8 x 10, using hand-dyed background fabric and a commercial fabric for the threatening cloud (wave) of sand. It is fused and has some very light foil on the cloud. The sun has heavy gold quilting and then heavy gold foil to make you feel the heat.

This was really fun and interesting to do.

Comments welcome and apreciated

"Brewing"

For this challenge I chose a photo I took in Florida just before a storm arrived. I have always intended to interpret this one so loved the chance to do so for this piece.

I painted the background sky with watercolor pencils on white silk charmeuse. The water is two layers of sheers: the ground is black suede cloth and the trees are cut from a printed fabric and fused and stitched on. I painted the tree trunks. The grasses are thread painting.

It measures 19 1/2"x13 1/2".

This was a super challenge Carole...Thanks!

All comments welcomed and appreciated.

Cherie

Textured Photos

For my challenge I textured two photos. I used a photo of a previous Fast Friday challenge photo for one and another Fast Friday photo for the texture on the other one.

I hope they aren't considered things done in the past because I just used them for raw material.
The challenge was the texturing that I did yesterday. I'm just learning how to do that.

You can see the before and after on my Flickr photo stream at or near the top. I have the photos that I used posted as a comment.

www.flickr.com/photos/squarequilter

Challenge #60 Atmosphere and Mood using Color

FFFC Challenge 60 – August 2011    

Atmosphere and mood using color

Host:  A Carole Grant                                    Due: Sept 3 noon ET

Let’s use color to create an atmosphere and mood in our challenge piece.  And for this challenge, for a change…you can choose a different medium than fabric if that appeals to you.  Paper art, photography, mixed media, painting, drawing or whatever else.

Mood/Atmosphere in Art – definition and examples: 

http://tinyurl.com/3c7yzus   http://www.pbase.com/pnd1/atmosphere_and_mood  http://www.danielsmith.com/Item--i-E-LightHarmony
 Heavy rain?       Alfred Sisley                       http://tinyurl.com/3m8hey2

Time of day?    Entitled ‘ Chicago Glow’    http://tinyurl.com/4ymo9y6

Water?      Entitled ‘Maine Mist’             http://tinyurl.com/444a4er

I love this one….   Entitled ‘Ridge Light’     http://tinyurl.com/4yh4kqr

In the clouds?      http://tinyurl.com/3eldc4w

Interesting use of color to depict mood and atmosphere on this blog:   http://blog.jromeo.es/en/

Joan Fullerton, artist   http://tinyurl.com/3w9qlw8

Annette Dion McGowan, artist   http://tinyurl.com/3fs86u9

Spring atmosphere--- Joseph Mazzucco  http://www.fotoblur.com/images/187864

night storm?  Photograph, Edmondo Senatore   http://tinyurl.com/3b4ut2k

Great artwork for ideas, Malcolm Bamford   http://tinyurl.com/3g5v2oz

And Some Art Quilt examples:  http://www.sueholdaway-heys.com/

http://www.saqa.com/collectors.php?ID=1823

http://www.lindalevinart.com/      http://www.hollisart.com/gallery.php

Contemplation

This quilt is based on a photo of my niece sitting on a sand dune. So far the top is only fused, not quilted. It is approx. 24" x 24". The shadows and some of the marks on the sand were done with sheers.

Solitary Canoe

I actually had a good start on this and thought I'd get it done before the deadline...I always fool myself that way.  I decided that for this one, I would employ what Pamela Allen has been teaching in the online class I'm taking with her "Think Like and Artist" which has taken me a lot of thinking since her style and mine are so different.

For this challenge, I thought of doing a number of things, my daughter running and a couple of others, but decided that I wanted to do one of my niece's fiance.  I had hoped to do him fly fishing since I intend to do a series along that line, but she only had a picture of him launching his canoe in a river near Arden, North Carolina.

To do this one, I free-cut all the pieces, none of them were drawn ahead of time. I hope that this creates sort of an abstract, although I admit it isn't what I usually do when I abstract things...  The yellowish blob is actually iridescent lame (imagine the accent there, although I admit this does look a little lame) which caught the light badly for the photo...it actually just gives a shimmer to that part of the water. 

I don't think this is a particularly good composition.  I am hoping that when I put more thread painted leaves and limbs in the background and the water, then it will be more interesting, at least texturally.

I thought of cropping it to this, however I don't feel that it gives the feeling of solitude that the larger view does.  The extra water makes it look more....lonely in a way.

Any suggestions on improving this would be greatly appreciated.