OURstory!

I responded for another call for entry entitled "OURstory" which will tell the stories of disenfranchised people and their fights for equal rights.  I created a 25" X 40" quilt inspired by Rosa Parks.  I chose to base my art quilt on the iconic mugshot photo of her, but I changed it up a little, by putting equal on the sign she was holding up, and in the background, I used an original thermofax screen, to "inscribe" common words and phrases from that time on the brick wall behind her.  I included words like, "colored, segregation, whites only and back of the bus" to name a few.  I am REALLY proud of the job I did quilting her face.  But, I can't post pictures of the finished product just yet.  Here is a photo my daughter took of me while I was working on it, and a small shot of the back!  More to come.......

Herstory News!

A while ago, I posted that I had gotten accepted/juried into the HERstory book and possible exhibition.  Well, not only did I get into the book, but my Hattie McDaniels quilt was featured in Quilting Arts October/November issue, and my Misty Copeland quilt was on exhibit at the International Quilt Festival and in the Houston Chronicle!!!  I am so excited! 

Quilting Arts:

Houston Chronicle:

IQF-Houston:

Juried!

As I said in an earlier post, I created three quilts for the Herstory book and exhibit, and two of them got in!  Here is the one that did not get in!  It is in honor of Oprah Winfrey and the work she did with her Angel Network and with Hurricane Katrina victims.   I drew it first to make the pattern, and hand painted the background with textile paints as well as the likeness of Ms. Winfrey.  The houses and clouds, etc. were made with fused applique.   I really liked this one, but you never know what the jurors have in mind.  Plus, I am almost certain that someone else also did an Oprah quilt, too.

Accepted

The same person who brought us the "Fly Me To the Moon" quilt challenge, came up with another opportunity entitled "HERStory", which was about women who have made great contributions to society and the world in general.  I was approved to make quilts in honor of Oprah Winfrey, Misty Copeland and Hattie McDaniel.  Talk about a learning experience....Whew!  I would say I really loved the way the Oprah quilt came out, but I was most proud to make the quilt of Hattie McDaniel. The Misty quilt, called "Misty in the making" was in honor of her, but it was based on a photo taken of three little ballerinas that I happened to run across of a classmate's daughter. There were other people who submitted quilts about Oprah, and mine was not accepted, but both my Misty Copeland and Hattie McDaniel quilts were accepted!  I can't show photos at this time.....(I know, I know!)

It's been a minute!

I have not posted in almost a year.....but I have been busy!  I entered and was accepted into the Cherrywood Fabrics Lion King Challenge!  I was so inspired by the Wicked Challenge quilts I saw at the International Quilt Festival in Houston, that I couldn't wait to be a part of their next one.  I can't post any pictures of it, but I enjoyed making it.  Each time I enter any type of challenge, it really helps me to grow as an artist.

Trying Something New

As an artist, I feel like I should continually be improving and honing in on my craft.  I know if I had to pick only one medium to use it would be fibers, but I still consider myself a mixed-media artist.  After all, a considerable amount of my quilts start off as paintings on cotton.  So, I decided to venture into using watercolors and Prisma for an artwork for a friend and to honor a couple of our school district board members.  I like the way they turned out, but I would definitely put more effort into the colored pencil accents and values next time.  I wonder how this would be if I printed it onto fabric and quilted it?!?

Accepted and Completed

Back in April of last year I applied to have the opportunity to create a quilt for the theme "Fly Me to the Moon" in honor of the 50 year anniversary of landing on the moon.  There were a lot of different categories to choose from--including specific missions and astronauts, but I chose to go in a familiar direction: Romantic Moon.  Anything that has to do with "amore", is alright with me!  My specific inspiration was the song, "That's Amore" by Frank Sinatra.  You know..."When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie....." 

I was accepted!  So I initially thought of a couple strolling together under the moonlight. I wanted to take it a step further, so I thought about a younger couple, and I had some of my middle school students pose for a picture in our courtyard.  I based my quilt on the notion of new love and the images of my teenage students.   Once I created the quilt, I had to send pics and wait to see if my piece would be accepted........

YES!  I was accepted and my quilt will be included in a book to come as well as a traveling exhibit!  I can't show any pictures of the piece itself, but it was based in part on this photo: