Archive for Wines of the World Series

Materials Used to Create Grapes for the Wines of the World Series

Grape cluster costume jewelry pinI’m often asked where do I find my materials for my art quilts, and just about every place that people suggest, the answer is yes! I find supplies at yard sales, on eBay, through wholesale accounts, in stores, and sometimes, wonderfully, in somebody’s grandmother’s button jar. I’ve even been known to pick things up off the street, if the look of it suits my fancy. So, while creating the Wines of the World series of quilts, I began collecting in earnest….and you have no idea how intense I can be when I’m on the prowl.

Yes, it’s the thrill of the hunt that keeps me digging through old boxes and dusty bins in the backs of old store or at flea markets. When people find that I’m really interested, they pull out old worn cases from underneath tables. Such a find is the costume jewelry brooch in the center of the photo above. While the grapes are a little too pink for any grapes that I know of, the image is identifiable, so it got used in this art quilt based on wine.

Grape metal stamping used in the art quilt series, "Wines of the World"I’ve always said that any material that has a hole in it or can have a hole put through it is fair game for inclusion on my quilt tops. The two holes in the top of the gold colored metal stamping of a grape cluster had to be drilled with a metal bit. There was a block of wood underneath the stamping so that when the drill bit pierced the metal surface, the stamping didn’t collapse inwards around the hole. Then, the burr left from the drill bit had to be filed flat with a metal file, so that the rough edges wouldn’t cut the thread used to attach the piece to the surface of the quilt. Sometimes, if I know that the piece will be handled a lot, I’ll use clear nylon thread first to fasten down the stamping, and then cover the nylon with the whole six strands of colored embroidery floss that comes out of the package, as I did in this photo. That way, as gravity pulls downwards on a piece hanging on a wall, there is less likelihood that the threads will be cut.

Beads sewn together to look like grape clusters in the art quilt series, "Wines of the World"Sometimes, I’ll combine beads to suggest the theme of the piece, as I did with the lavender enamel on metal beads in the lower middle of this detail photo. There are some gold, low luster beads scattered in with the lavender ones, because, just as in a real grape cluster, not all the grapes are ripe at the same time. You can also see some of the shiny purple buttons scattered around that I added to play along with the grape theme. In the very middle of the photo are some magenta circles on black velour that I cut in circles. I wrote about this fabric on another blog awhile back in Dec, 2011, called “Laughter“. In the second photo on that earlier page, you can see that same fabric used in a more pastel setting.

Glass grape Christmas ornamentsSometimes a find is fine for the theme of an art quilt, but the size is way too big. These glass grape Christmas ornaments are 3.75″ T x 2″ W or 9.5 cm T x 5 cm W. For the scale that I was working on, the entire cluster would have been way too big. However, each “grape” is a bead that has a loop on it that could be secured individually or cut into smaller groupings. When I’m looking to cut something apart, I look at the cost/unit. Since the entire cluster cost $3 US, I could have made at least three smaller groupings out of the larger one, so the $1 US for each section is within my price range when considering materials for a piece. Glass is always a nice shiny addition for my work… ah the glitter and gleam!

One of the unknown factors in creating a series of art quilts is how many you’re going to want to make before you’re ready to move on to a new theme. Being rather fanatic when I start collecting, I now have enough grape elements for several more quilts still in containers in my studio. Perhaps another good bottle of wine will spur my thoughts back to great wines paired with great art and another quilt based on wine will be created.

 How do you go about gathering materials for a new artistic endeavor. Do you choose the theme first, and then obtain the design elements, or do the materials themselves tell you how they want to be arranged?

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!

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.

“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.

“Dreams of Pinot Noir” – Another Art Quilt in the “Wines of the World” Series

With this contemporary art quilt, “Dreams of Pinot Noir”, I’m continuing my blogs about my series that I’ve done on Wines of the World. Packed into its relatively small space, (36.5” sq or 93 cm sq), are lots of subtle details. Good pinot noirs are known for their elegant, velvety textures and are described as being of “leather and lace”, so that’s the look that I was going for as I began this piece.

The image for this quilt came to me as a whole image in a dream. I have some of the coolest dreams, and this one was while I was dozing on a bus during a tour of the Burgundian wineries. The section of road that we were on was overhung by trees, so that the sunlight was flashing on and off as we drove under the shade of one tree, moved out into an open area, and then were in the shade again. In that halfway state between consciousness and deep sleep, I could see behind my closed eyelids, the lights flashing on and off. All of a sudden, I “saw” the image of this quilt, which looks pretty much the way that I saw it in my dreams.

Detail of the contemporary art quilt based on wine, "Dreams of Pinot Noir"In this detail, you can see some of the folded ribbon flowers that I was making at the time, with the burgundy one in the middle right with a button center being the largest of the the ones in this scene. Directly above it, to its left, is an antique crocheted button with a seed bead center that probably graced a coat at some point in the past. In the middle are some of the tri-colored grapes that I embroidered with floss. The large leaves are sort of rubbery and have a mildewed look to them. I found them by accident in the silk flower section of a local crafts store. They were exactly the effect that I needed to duplicate the aging grape leaves that I “saw” in  my dream. In the lower left is a white lace grape motif that I again found by accident, this time in a fabric store that I have been going to since I was a child, Mary Jo’s Cloth Store, which is now in Gastonia, NC, USA. (I used to play under the tables while my mother picked out the fabrics for my dresses for the upcoming school year.)

Detail of the contemporary art quilt based on wine, "Dreams of Pinot Noir"I think that you can get a sense of the wealth of materials that I have in my studio by looking at this detail shot. In the center is a black, embroidered button that I got from M&J Trimming in New York City, USA. That amazing place is a “candy store” for ribbons, buttons, and all kinds of trims, with a patient staff that will pull down materials from the top shelves for you to drool over. Below it to the left, and to the right are some of the costume jewelery pieces that I find at thrift stores, yard sales, and of course, on eBay. My rule of thumb is to look for pieces like necklaces or bracelets, count the number of individual elements that can be cut apart, and divide that number into the total price to get a cost/unit. Over the years, (and countless purchases), I have a sense of what can be found out there in the supply stores and how much they cost. Jewelry pieces, however, can give an individual look to an art quilt, as you usually won’t be able to get more of that piece. However,sometimes things can be bought in a limited supply, as the black beaded applique in the lower left. Those were sold as individual pieces to be added to clothing, but were only made for one season. So, when I find an item like that, which I feel like I’ll use again, I buy as many as I can find. Hence, the well filled shelves in my studio,

Pinot Noirs are some of my favorite wines, and I am fortunate to have a large number from Williams Selyems from Sonoma Valley, California, USA, which have graced many of my dinner parties. While the image that inspired this art quilt came originally from an experience in France, good pinots are being crafted in many parts of the world now, especially in California and Oregon in the USA. The paring of good food, wine, and art has been a part of most of my adulthood, as one flows into the other for me, and all are part of a life dedicated to creative endeavors of all kinds.

 Have youe ever been inspired by good food and wine while creating a work of art? How do you fit your whole lifestyle into your artistic endeavors?

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.

“Herbs, and Grass, and Sauvignon Blanc”

When working on the theme of wines for my art quilts, some color combinations were hard to duplicate. Cabernets and pinot noirs have a rich depth of color that is hard to duplicate in red commercial fabrics, especially after they’ve been washed before use. (Red fabrics tend to fade in the wash, as the less expensive direct dyes are used for that color.) Sauvignon blancs, however, are known for their grassy, herb-like flavor, and so the pale greens and yellows that I chose, topped with a pale blue to suggest the sky, were perfect colors to denote the true nature of this particular type of wine.

I’ve spent a lot of time on vineyard tours, walking between the vines, as the winemaker explained the various qualities of a particular type of grape. No real vineyard would ever have their vines arranged in the fashion that I have in my art quilt. It would be too labor intensive to tend them when they’re not in straight rows, but as an artist I can take whatever liberties I want in the arrangement of my plants. Roses are usually planted at the ends of the row, as they’ll show black-spot sooner than the grape leaves and thus indicate it’s time for spraying. Here, in  my art quilt, yellow roses are mixed in with the vines, again because in my fabric vineyard scene, I can put them where I choose.

Detail of the contemprary art quilt, "Herbs, and Grass, and Sauvignon Blanc"“Herbs, and Grass, and Sauvignon Blanc” ( 38″W x 37.5″T or 97.75 cm W x 95.5 cm T) , created back in 1994, incorporated some machine embroidery to attach the fabric motifs, lace cut-outs, and silk flowers and leaves to the surface of the quilt. A large part of the background fabric is actually an old tablecloth, as good wine should be paired with good food. Shimmery organza was used to suggest sky and a light green quilting thread was used to hand quilt the three layers of the quilt sandwich together. Pale green, rubbery, plastic grapes were used to simulate the “greenness” quality of this type of wine, instead of the red and purple grapes that I used in “Dinner for Three on the Banks of the Cabernet“, a few posts back. This piece was done back before I used as many buttons and beads as I do now, and I was experimenting with silk ribbon flowers that I stitched and folded. You can see some of them in the lower middle of this detail shot.

Detail of contemporary art quilt, "Herbs and Grass and Sauvignon Blanc"In this second photo, you can see some of the gold colored metal stampings of grape vines that I picked up in a button store in Paris. (bright gold color, middle of the shot). To the right of it, is a small, duller gold color pin of a grape cluster with artificial pearls to simulate the grapes. In the lower left hand is a bright gold cluster of wrapped wire beads that were from some inexpensive earrings that I found in a discount store. Add them into a wine theme art quilt, and they become “grapes”. I love finding treasures like that and seeing them with new eyes, so that I can utilize them in other ways than what was their original intention. My studio is filled with jars and boxes of similar discoveries, waiting to be given a permanent home on one of my contemporary quilts.

This piece hangs for right now in my dining room, awaiting a more permanent home in somebody’s collection. It has graced many a good dinner and has taken on the energy not only of itself and me when it was created, but also the collective energy of good meals shared with friends. May all of your own work be imbued with the resonance of good food, and if it suits your inclination, good wine.

How has your own art work soaked up energy because of its location? Do you deliberately interject yourself into your work, or does it happen on its own?

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.

“Dinner for Three on the Banks of the Cabernet”

There are many different ways that I get my ideas for my art quilts. Sometimes it’s a particular combination of fabrics that have been piled up in my studio, or a color combination that pleases me. Other times, it’s a phrase of words or the title of a particular challenge by an art magazine, such as “Quilting Arts“, or “Cloth, Paper, Scissors“. For the quilt on the left, “Dinner for Three on the Banks of the Cabernet”, the theme came from a visit to a jungle retreat camp on Christmas Day, 1992.

My ex and I had sailed up the Orinoco River in Venezuela, and then hopped on a small jet to a small jungle retreat owned by the now bankrupt Viasa Airlines. There, in the middle of the beautiful Canaima National Park, was a breathtaking lagoon fed with several waterfalls. The unusual thing about the water was that it had been colored by the tannin in the native vegetation so that it appeared a deep purple-red color, reminding be of a good rich, Cabernet. The scene is still embedded in my memory,and became the theme for this art quilt.

Detail of the contemporary, beaded art quilt, "Dinner for Three on the Banks of the Cabernet"This detail shot shows part of the imaginary Cabernet River that I envisioned running through this quilt. There are a number of rubbery, plastic clusters of grapes in two colors, deep purple, and a red color. The resilient texture of the grapes give them quite a realistic texture when touched, and they have held up well now for almost twenty years. To the far right, you can some hand appliqued doilies from China that I cut up and then fastened them to the top of the quilt. There are also some white, plastic snowflake beads that children like to play with that have been secured with burgundy colored floss. They suggested the same shape, on a different scale, of the burgundy circles outlined in white at the bottom middle of this shot. I like to repeat the same colors in similar shapes but different sizes, as I think that adds subtle visual interest when viewed up close. People see my pieces as being complicated, but balanced, and I think this use of repeating shapes and colors help to make that happen. If one could see closely into the background, one would see clusters of grapes outlined with white stitches. These are the “ghosts of vintages past”, an homage á la Dickens. Every vintage must build on those of the past, and my art quilts build on what I’ve created before.

Detail of the contemporary, beaded art quilt, "Dinner for Three on the Banks of the Cabernet"Most of the left in this shot is taken up by a doily sewn on to simulate a plate, hence the “dinner” part of the title. There are two place settings together on one side of the river bank and the third is on the other side. “Why dinner for three?” you may ask. “Who’s the third person?”, could be another question. While working on this piece, I was reminded of Edouard Manet’s, “Déjeuner sur l’herbe”, a picnic along a river bank. In his painting, the woman in the foreground is nude, while all of the men have on their clothes. I’ve always wondered “Why does she not have any clothes on, but the men do?”. As for my own art quilt, I leave it to the viewer to make up their own explanation as to why there are three place settings.

I find that it’s often fun to combine my passion for art with that of good food and wine. Gardens are another favorite of mine, so many of my pieces have flowers in them. For me, all of the these pursuits are art forms and I view them as a composite of the life that I’ve crafted for myself. One leads into the other, and another combination begins, which for me makes for a life surrounded by various art forms.

What are your passions in life and how do you combine the different components? Do you use some of them as overlapping themes or do you keep your artistic life separate from the rest of your pursuits and endeavors?

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.