Flower Basket

I've finally finished another fiber and clay basket. This basket features an organic fiber study with flax seeds, leaves, angelina fibers and man-made yarns. Now I'm anxious to get busy with creating the fiber pockets for two clay purses I pulled from my last kiln load. 

John McCoy and Friends Exhibit

My camera quit working part way through the show but I got a photo of many of my favorite pieces. Great show!

The Gallery Visits Continued

Last post I promised more photos of the other gallery shows I visited a couple weeks ago. I just had to visit a show of clay and fiber work! The incredible art quilts were created by Pat Kumicich and Jo-Ann Golenia. Above quilt is by Pat and the piece directly below is by Jo-Ann.

Ceramic pieces are all by members of the Ceramic League of the Palm Beaches

The wonderful "Feet on Pins & Needles" is by Karla Walter. I'm sorry I'm not sure which artist created the lovely family. If you know please let me know and I'll add in the credit!

"Form & Fiber" runs until March 27th at Lighthouse Center for the Arts in Tequesta, Florida.

Another local show, sponsored by the Broward Art Guild just opened on Saturday. "Elements" runs until March 25th at Art Expressions in Wilton Manors, Florida. Works included clay, fiber, metal, stone, wood and glass. I forgot to take a camera to the opening but below is "Tea in the Garden".

A Day of Shows

 Last Friday I met my friend Karla, who manages The Gallery at Eissey. She took me over to the gallery to show me "Twice Upon a Time". What a great show! Here are a few photos of Brian Somerville's clay sculptures and  paintings by Sibel Kocabasis. Fabulous works with lots of thought provoking titles and creations.

Following the show we had lunch at Whole Foods before stopping by one of Karla's favorite shops, Sur La Table, where she showed me lots of her favorite clay tools! As any clay artist knows there are lots of texture tools to be found in a kitchen shop. I came home with a new "silicone trivet with raised nibs."

I went on up to Tequesta and back down to Boca Raton to visit two more shows - clay and fiber! Photos to come .....

Puzzle Quilt

When Sue announced the quilt challenges at Three Creative Studios I knew I wanted to join in. The first challenge was "puzzle". I went through several ideas; first being time as that is my biggest challenge - finding time to do it all! Then I thought of creating a quilt inspired by one of my brother's paintings of the Primrose Triangle. Finally I decided on a functional quilt - I thought I'd only use that term, functional, for my clay work!

 So with three across and five down how many variations can I make with this quilt? Is it 2 to the 15th power? That makes it in the thousands! Here are a few ......

 

The photo below is one while in the making before quilting or adding the velcro.

Check out the other challenge quilts at Three Creative Studios Quilt Blog.

Deconstructing Clay!

 

Last week I enjoyed a workshop at Palm Beach State College. Brian Somerville gave an excellent demonstration of his sculpture building techniques. He builds solid then deconstructs to hollow out, carve and then puts it all back together. Of course it is not so simple as it sounds! 

Above Brian has cut through the neck and is about to remove the head. He continued cutting up his sculpture, explaining how he decides where to cut; another step that sounds easier than it is. Brian also gave a slide show each day showing past works he has created and what he learned from them. He gave us some insights into the meanings of his work and showed the path he has taken to get to where he is now. I look forward to seeing his show; I always enjoy his work and now with some insights from the artist himself I may hear even more from his sculptures.

If you're near the Palm Beach area stop by The Art Gallery at Eissey Campus and see his show going on until March 26. 

If you're into deconstructing with a different medium; that being fabric, Judi shows her work and process over at her blog.

Tea, Beads and Veggies

 

I'm a tea fan. Since I started creating quilted postcards with my tea bag wrappers my taste preferences have expanded to allow for a wider color and design palette. I've also moved my tea bag wrapper quilts to my wall pieces. Here I have stitched my tea quilt in place using some handmade beads. I like the earthiness of the stoneware beads with oxide finish but I've made and fired a few naked white beads and buttons.

In the kitchen I've been trying out a few new recipes. We had some delicious veggie kebabs and I didn't noticed that I had forgotten the cherry tomatoes and tofu in the fridge. Next night I added tomatoes, tofu and meatless meatballs. Have you had your veggies today?