oh, what a pheeling!

Blogging is educational...thanks to Dangling by a Thread I have been introduced to Gustav Klimt (or is it Klimpt, I saw it spelled both ways). Of course when I saw his work, especially The Kiss, I realized I too loved Klimpt without knowing he was Klimpt (or is it Klimt?).  But googling him lead me to this software which I now want...Lucis Art. I love altering photos as a way to entertain myself and although I haven't nearly come close to knowing what I'm doing in Photoshop 7.0, I do believe this software program would compliment Photoshop.  So it is on my ever growing wish list.

Last year, early last year, I thought it was necessary for me to have at least one bed quilt made by me...so with my Marcus Brother Batiks, I cut and pieced an Attic window...well like most of my projects it sat and sat...I pulled it out this weekend and although the colours are fun to work on, I also got a dose of why I will never become a good traditional quilt maker...PRECISION! I know the seams will never match up.  But c'est la vie.

After sewing the blocks together for the bed quilt I was inspired to go back and revisit this piece created in the workshop last month with Melody Johnson.  This is what I did and I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!! It is named the Mermaids' Playground.  The loose threads in the middle is not waste but having purchased my first silk skein and not knowing how to work with a skein, I ended up with a tangled mess! I HAD to salvage it...so I ended up with strands long enough to hand stitch with after winding what I could around a bobbin for machine stitching.  I got the idea to tie the threads and leave them loose from a quilt at the Form Not Function exhibit...then I tried my hand at french knots and the beads came from Chameleon Quilts. She has such fabulous bead stews. 

here are 2 close up shots-

Okay, the other thing is I'm getting pissed off with myself...I'm going to learn to master this damn digital camera to the max! Dammit!  That will be my goal for the days off in April!

But I really LOVE this piece now!  Its a great pheeling :)  But the last couple of days creating texture has been important to me...running my hand and eye over the top and feeling/seeing the textures changing is so cool. Its the kind of art that we focused on when I worked with adults with mental retardation.  Tactile stimulation is the way to go when working with visually impaired or with folks who are are highly tactile oriented as a way of expanding their experiences and hopefully their enjoyment.

But thats it for now...I really need to turn my attention to making a surplus of postcards.  Hangeth in good people.