Ellen Lindner: Art & Creativity

After pulling “York Wall” from the UFO pile, I began to work on it in earnest.  My goal was to make it looser than my earlier attempt.  This meant more patterned and colored fabrics, and more roughly cut pieces.

I started with the sky, using a variety of fabrics (rather than the sole fabric I intended to use 9 years earlier.)

Click any image for a larger view
When working loosely like this, it’s easy to get something that looks a little wacky.  When that happens, I usually ignore it and continue.  I know that:
1) I can fairly easily rework it later, and
2) I have to consider all the components together, rather than just one a time.  So, I don’t get too excited if items (like the sky) seem overly patterned/broken/ bold, etc. at the beginning. 

I added the tree and the far right dark wall area.  I didn’t put much effort into making the stones have the perfect shape.  Instead, I allowed them to be a little off, hoping that this would add charm.

After adding the dark “crack” fabric for the mid-wall, I drew in perspective lines for the stones.  That’s when I realized that the stones in the dark area were a little too off-kilter.  So, I reworked them. 

Can you see the difference in perspective in the photos above and below?

This is developing pretty well.  Instead of pins this time, I’m revisiting the idea of securing everything with a glue stick.  It seems to be working out.  Glueing is definitely faster, so if it holds throughout construction I’ll be over joyed!

Ellen Lindner
P.S.  The next online “Sticky Fingers” class starts on November 30th.

In 2002, my family went on a wonderful vacation to Britain.  We had a fantastic time and I took a ton of pictures.  This one was my favorite, showing the sun shining golden on the old York city wall.

(Click any image to see a larger view.)

Gorgeous, right?  I thought so, and I decided to make a quilt with this image.  This was before my current loose style, so I did things very exactly.  Oh my!

First, I manipulated the photo and got this:  (Click to see)

It’s a wonder I didn’t abandon this project right then and there! 
What made me think “This looks like fun?”

I don’t know, but I made a pattern.

I mean, how hard could it be to cut and fuse ALL THOSE PIECES? 
WHAT was I thinking?
(Don’t ask me what the pattern coding means.  I have no idea.)

I transferred some of the primary reference points to a base muslin fabric, and got started.  I even made pretty good progress.

But, it was way too tedious for me.

I was NOT having fun! 

So, I put it all away.

Now, 9 years later, I’ve pulled it out again.  This time, I’m trying to work more loosely.  I have to admit, though, once that pattern line is staring me in the face, it’s VERY easy to want to follow it! 

I’m working on it, though.  I’ll be showing you my progress in upcoming posts.

Ellen Lindner
P.S.  Has anyone else ever put something away for so long?  (I did this once with another quilt –  for 6 years.  And all it needed was a border!)

Check out more of the exciting art on display in the “SAQA in Florida” exhibit.

“Old Old Path” by Mary Rhopa la Cierra has a wonderful sense of depth.

Click any image for a larger view

She created her art with many small pieces of HAND stitched fabric.  Wow!

Nearby was Juanita Yeager’s lovely painted quilt “Freesia.”

It was beautifully lit (as were most of the pieces,) which showed off the wonderful quilted texture, as well as the heavy thread painting.

Speaking of quilting, Irene Watson’s “City Heat” was also heavily quilted. 

This, along with her striking composition created a dynamic work.

Several pieces were mounted, and Jo-Ann Jensen’s “Fen Shei” was one such example.  Perhaps you can tell that each of the vertical panels is a black box with the art mounted on the front.  This preentation sets it off from the wall and adds a wonderful depth.

Jo-Ann made the little 6″ collages as daily journals throughout 2008.  She switched colors each month, producing a broad selection.  Now, she is combining these into dramatic 3D works of art.

The juror for the exhibit was Maya  Schonenberger, and I was delighted to see one of her pieces  also on display.  This is her “Magical Garden,” which is highly textured.  Click to see if you can find the flowers made from painted dryer sheets.

The texture in her quilt is wonderful!

If you’re near Daytona Beach between now and December 2, 2012, I hope you’ll take the time to see this free exhibit at the Peabody Auditorium.  All the art was created by Florida members of SAQA, Studio Art Quilt Associates.

Ellen Lindner
P.S.  My piece, “Ti Plants A-Glow-Glow” is also in this exhibit.

The Peabody Auditorium, in Daytona Beach, FL, is currently showing “SAQA in Florida,” an exhibit of thirty art quilts made by Florida members of Studio Art Quilt Associates.

I got to see the exhibit over the weekend, and was very impressed with it.  The Best of Show was Barbara Watler’s “Transitions.”

Click on any image for a larger view

This amazing piece is nothing but thread painting!  Oh my!  Do click on the image below to get an idea.  Perhaps you’ll be able to make out individual stitches in the blue area.

Jayne Gaskins won first place for her 3D piece “A Note for Papa H.”

I think you can tell that this piece is stuffed.  But, click on the image below to see more fantastic thread painting.

Pat Kumicich won second place with her quilt “Weight Weight Don’t Tell Me.”  A piece we can probably all relate to.

Pat has filled her piece will all sorts of newspaper and other text, which helps to tell the story.

Marianne Williamson’s “The Inlet” won a well deserved third place.  (Do click on the image below to see some of the detail.)

Marianne used tiny pieces of fabric, paint, and LOTS of free motion stitching to add a wonderful painterly quality to her piece. 

Honorable Mention went to Sandra Donabed for her piece “Fandangode Tortuga.”  The judge commented that she particularly liked the contrast in this quilt, as well as the abstracted leaves.

Although these pieces were deemed the best of the show, there were many more wonderful ones.  I’ll show you some of those in my next post.

Ellen Lindner

Oh my.   It seems that Colorado is a hot bed of quilt activity.  On my recent trip there, I got to meet a lot of wonderful quilters, teach a class, and learn about the many quilt events going on.  Wow, those folks stay busy!

Our Double Reverse Applique class was lots of fun.  Everyone was very attentive and they mastered the technique quickly.

Click any image for a larger view

Linda and Annette looking on as Ellen explains

They jumped right in and made excellent progress.

Anne and Charlene working away, with Annette and Barb doing the same at the table behind them

Some concentration was required.

Rita busy trimming

The results were awesome!

 It’s always fun to see the great variety produced even though everyone had the same pattern and supply list.  Check out the creative colors and fabrics.

Anne was one of several people who finished both the apple and pear in class.  She used coordinating silk fabrics and black organza for the shadow.  Very effective!

Quite a few pears were finished in the afternoon, but I didn’t get a picture of all of them.  Everyone’s work was terrific!

Ellen Lindner
P.S.  If you’re interested in learning this technique, you may like to download my ebook, or sign up for the next online version of the class.

My art is on the go in November.  “Crotons” will be on view at The World Quilt Show – Florida IV, which runs from November 8-10, in West Palm Beach, FL.  This is always an exciting show, with lots of great quilts and vendors.

Click any image for a larger view

And, if you’re going to be near Daytona Beach, FL in the next month, don’t miss the “SAQA in Florida” exhibit.   This juried exhibit is pretty competitive, so I’m expecting the quilts to be excellent.  Click on the image below to see the address and other details. 

My quilt, “Ti Plants A-Glow-Glow” will be in this show.  There will be an artist’s reception on Saturday, November 10th, from 12:30 – 2.  I’ll be there, as will many of the other artists, and I’d love to make your aquaintance.

You might be interested in a photo essay about the making of this quilt.

Ellen Lindner
P.S.  Not familiar with SAQA?  It stands for Studio Art Quilt Associates.  It’s a wonderful organization that works to promote quilts as art, and to help individual artists promote their work.

Well, I did it.  I had those mountain images in my head so much that I just had to do a quick collage.  This time with magazine pages.

I wanted to depict the blue sky, snow-covered mountain tops, and bare Aspen trees.  I looked at several photos to get me going, but I relied primarily on the one below – mostly for composition and shadows.   I studied it before getting started, but only referenced it briefly afterward.

Click any image for a larger view

The blue sky was pretty straight forward.

The snow capped mountains were another story.  I studied the photo and realized I would need papers with blue or grey linear patterns.  I thought these might work.

I did a little tearing and loose placing to test my idea.  I could see that I’d need to orient the linear patterns in different directions to get the desired affect.  And I’d need to take it easy with the darkest blue/white pattern.

 
Yes!  That worked really well, and I was delighted with the effect!  (Click below.) 

Below, the remaining background hills have been added, along with the snow and snow shadows.  BTW, I tore these papers, rather than cutting them, for two reasons:  in order to work quickly and  to get a loose quality. 

Next, I added the  green trees on the left.

Finally, it was time to add one of my favorite elements:  the aspen trees.  This time I cut the paper.

 I’m really happy with this little piece.  (11 x 15.)  For me, it captures my memory of what Isaw, as well as my joy of being high in the mountains.

Ellen Lindner

In an earlier post I showed you the blue-green embroidery I added to try to better integrate the blue sky into the tan and cream color palette.  But, doggone it, that blue sky just still seemed too bright.  Can you tell from this photograph?

No?  How about this one?

Definitely too bright, right?  I decided I needed to do something about it.  Maybe changing out the fabric to white, or over laying tulle, or – the scariest option – over painting it.  Since that last option was the easiest, I decided to give it a go.  I knew I could always lay a new fabric on top, if it didn’t work out.

I’ve done this before with other quilts.  The trick is to use an almost dry brush.  This keeps the paint from flowing into undesired areas.  So, here it is, in progress:

If you click on the photo above, you can see the brush strokes on the blue painter’s tape.  The same level of white was also added to the sky.

And here’s the result:

Definitely better, right?  (Scroll up to those first two photos for a comparison.)

But wait, there’s more!  After looking at this for a few days, it still seemed too bright.  So, I over painted with a light grey.  (No photos.)  Finally, I was happy with it and finished it up:  facing, label, and a hanging sleeve.

But then I STILL didn’t like it! OMG!  Now what?  After a lot of consideration, I did this:

Yep.  I took it apart!  This time, I added several layers of sheer white organza to the sky and was finally happy with the quilt.  Then, I added the facing and sleeve back and here’s the finished quilt, “Winter Hills.”

That was painful, but necessary, I think.   And here are some detail shots:

Ellen Lindner
P.S.  This quilt has already sold!

From purple to green, the colors were hot in our Clearwater classroom!  Check out these apples made in a recent Double Reverse Applique class.

Click any image for a larger view

Don’t you love that purple?  And this tasty red!

In this class, the apple is completed first, with a rough outside edge.  The shadow, stem, and background pieces are added last.

When the background pieces are added, they correctly define the shape of the apple.  Like the tart green one above.  Of course, there were many more apples throughout the room. 

Since this class was only 3 hours long, these students stayed busy.  And it paid off!  Plus, we had fun!

Ellen Lindner
P.S.  I’m SO embarrasssed that I didn’t record these ladies’ names!  Actually, I think I remember them, but since I’m not sure, I left them out.  Please forgive me, ladies!

I started a really cool piece in a Pamela Allen class.  It’s got a lot of potential, so I’m a little reluctant to part with it.  But I know I’ll never finish it.  So, I’m giving it away via my Facebook business page,  “Ellen Lindner:  Adventure Quilter”. 

Here’s a detail shot.

To see the full quilt, and/or to request it, please go to my Facebook business page, Ellen Lindner:  Adventure Quilter”.  UPDATE:  This piece has already been given away.  To find out about other opportunities, watch this blog, my Facebook page, and sign up for my newsletter.

I’m excited to see what SOMEONE ELSE does with this piece!

Ellen Lindner