Tag Archive for contemporary wall hangings

“Dance of the Zinfandels” – an Unfinished Homage

Unfinished contemporary art quilt top, "Dance of the Zinfandels"My last piece to date in the Wines of the World Series, “Dance of the Zindfandels” is actually an unfinished embellished top. Most of my art quilts are beaded as I go along when I sew the three layers (top, batting, and backing) together. This piece, however, had the top completed first. Right now, it measures about 70″ W X 44 ” T (178cm W x 112 cm T). Allowing for about 2″ shrinkage when it’s quilted and the ends evened out, it will still be one of my largest pieces ever when it’s completed. To quilt something this big, it will have to go on a quilting frame, which will take up a large part pf the family room, so the top awaits a commission to motivate me to haul out the quilting frame and baste the rest of the quilt together. I can see why there were “quilting bees” when it came time to quilt a piece that was meant for a bed. It’s just too much fabric to manage by myself unless a pay check is motivating me!

Detail of contemporary art quilt top, "Dance of the Zinfandels"In the lower middle of this detail shot, you can see the main dancers for which this piece is named. They are a male and female pair of costume jewelery pins, and I put them close enough together so that they could hold hands as they twirl across the surface of the piece. For me, good red Zinfandels are a party wine and I love to serve it with BBQ ribs. Since such parties often go long into the night, there are a number of stars for my dancers to dance under. Along the bottom of the photo, you can also see some of the grape cluster buttons that I collected. Other buttons with purple centers help to give a “grape” look to the display.

Detail of contemporary art quilt top, "Dance of the Zinfandels"“Lushness” is one of the descriptive terms I would use for a red Zinfandel, and “big and bold” is another. I think that the detail photo shows how I tried to incorporate those feelings with my use of buttons, appliques, and beads. If you’ve been reading these blogs for awhile, then you’ve heard me say before “Why settle for a couple hundred buttons and beads, when several thousand will make a MUCH bigger statement!” I think that I’ve accomplished impact with this piece, if only because of its sheer size and weight. It’s very hard to hang it on a study coat hanger and have it stay as it awaits its time to be finished,as the beads make it very slippery.

Collecting wine was a passion that my former husband and I shared, so I had lots of opportunities to share good wine with like-minded souls. I don’t have as many friends now that drink, so my mid-sized cellar is winding down. Still, there are a few friends with whom I still share the delights of good food, wine, and art, so while I may not dance as much as I used to, my heart still has many memories that cause me to still smile.

 What are your favorite themes for your art work? How are you able to incorporate them into your everyday life? Are there secret dreams that you wish that you could include in your work, but haven’t chosen to express yet?

Why not leave a comment as to your thoughts on this posting. Please take a minute, fill out the form below or by clicking on the “comments/no comments link” at the top of the posting, and then share your ideas with the rest of us. We all grow when we share our thoughts and impressions, so why not join our growing community of those who appreciate art quilts and textile arts. We’d love to hear from you!… and PLEASE tell like minded souls about this blog! The more readers and contributors, the more I write because encouragement helps the words flow!

You can see more of my art work on my web site at www.fiberfantasies.com (be patient as it loads; it’s worth it), my healing work at www.transitionportals.com and can find me on Google + , Facebook (for Transition Portals) Facebook (for Fiber Fantasies),  and Twitter.

To find out how to buy my art work, please check out “How to Buy my Art Work” in the “Pages” section to the right of this blog.

“Fruit of the Vine” – an Art Quilt Celebrating Wine

A beaded, contemporary art quilt, "Fruit of the Vine"Of all of my art quilts based on wine, “Fruit of the Vine” is probably the most opulent. At 40” W x 35.5” T x 2” D ( 101.5cm W x 90.5cm T x 5cm D), this piece is filled with the lushness of a vineyard at harvest time. That’s when the vines are at their most werdant. While no self-respecting vineyard master would ever let the foliage get this exuberant, as there’s a strict ratio of leaves to grape clusters in order to get the best wine, as an artist, I can fill my vines with grapes, flowers, and have striped trellises under always sunny skies, if I choose.

As with many of the other art quilts that I’ve done in this series of “Wines of the World”, I’ve used rubbery plastic grape clusters that have held up well over the years. If you don’t squeeze them too hard, they actually have a bit of the feel of real grapes. The size is rather close to real wine grapes, too, as thye generally are smaller than the table grapes that you’d find in the grocery store.

Detail of contemporary art quilt, :Fruit of the Vine", based on wines of the worldIn this detail shot, you can see some of the lavish silk flowers that I used in the surface design. There are also a number of small, rolled  ribbon roses, which including the leaves, measure about 1/2″ or 1.25 cm across. They can be found in small packages in many craft stores here in the States, but I buy them in bulk on eBay from stores in Hong Kong. In the lower left, there’s a folded ribbon flower of black and white stripes with a black and white button center. I’ve written in the past about what a big influence Candace Kling’s ribbon work was on my art quilts at the time, and this piece is no exception.

Detail of contemporary art quilt, :Fruit of the Vine" based on wines of the worldThere are both dark purple and green grapes shown in this detail shot, and they would be grown in separate parts of a real vineyard as they have different horticultural needs. This “fact” however, does not need to apply in my fabric version. Scattered throughout this shot are a number of five petaled silver looking flowers which are actually mirror buttons. They are one of those amazing finds that I acquired in some wonderful place and of course, have no idea how to get any more. I believe they’re antique, and since they’re glass, they do break, as I’ve lost a petal or two in folding and moving quilts about that contained them. They’re an excellent example of if you like a material or embellishment. buy as many as you can afford, as the source will probably not be around later. While i’ve found some plastic mirrored glass flowers, they don’t have the richness of these glass ones.

Wines and art are a natural pairing for me in my personal life, and I have a few good friends with which I can share them both. I’ve had the good fortune of crafting a life based on all of the arts and the luxury to promote them. I hope that you, too, can find time to gift yourself with whatever you see as “the good life” and share it with your friends.

What is the “good life” for you? Is it a regular part of your everyday existence, or only for special occasions? 

Why not leave a comment as to your thoughts on this posting. Please take a minute, fill out the form by clicking on the “comments/no comments link” at the top of the posting, and then share your ideas with the rest of us. We all grow when we share our thoughts and impressions, so why not join our growing community of those who appreciate art quilts and textile arts. We’d love to hear from you!

You can see more of my art work on my web site at www.fiberfantasies.com and can find me on Google + , Facebook,  and Twitter.

To find out how to buy my art work, please check out “How to Buy my Art Work” in the “Pages” section to the right of this blog.