Quilt Festival Fun Classes 2013

I always try to take a class or two at Quilt Festival each year though I find I attend more lectures than I used to and sometimes classes take a backseat to that.  This year, I took two classes - one on using Photoshop Elements software and one on painting with Tsukineko inks.
 
David Taylor taught the Photoshop class.  He made it look so easy and fun.  Better yet, he made it seem like something actually doable by the novice photoshop experimenter.  Now, I'm actually thinking of downloading the software I bought three years ago and never took out of the box so I can play.  Well, at least it will be getting out of the box...

The other class was with Patt Blair, a wonderful teacher.  I thought I would do a portrait of my granddaughter, Elizabeth, when she was around three years old.  I mucked it up irretrievably at the eyes, drats! (See Figure 1, Original Photo, and Figure 2, my first ink attempt at portrait painting, below) but decided to finish it so I can further muck it up (making even more mistakes), before attempting the re-do.  Finished version and re-do version to be posted down the road when ready.

                                                  Figure 1

 

 

 

 

1-day Class with Patt Blair

 

 

 

 

Quilt Festival Fun 2013

Besides my annual thread purchases, including new SAQA thread, I bought two 12 x 12 pieces in the SAQA Booth, gave one away and an Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative piece which I also gave away.  I congratulate the staff of that wonderful organization who worked so diligently to reach their goal ($1 Million).  Of course, I also had to have 4 Pet Postcards (who could pick just one?) to support Friends for Life, a no-kill animal shelter and adoption center in Houston. 

The SAQA donation work I kept was made by Amira Wishinsky.   She called it Graffiti in Berlin (See Figure 1 below).  I loved the abstractness of it. It reminded me of a cartoon "speak" bubble and seemed Picasso-ish.  I rotated it right (See Figure 2).  It reminded me of a water drop and really spoke to me.  It now lives at the beach cabin.  Pet Postcards, Figures 3-6, shown below.

Graffiti in Berlin         Amira Wishinsky  12"x12"

                                                                       Fig. 1

 

 

Beach Perspective   Amira Wishinsky  12"x12"

                                                                  Fig. 2

 

 

 

 

Scratch Loves Soccer  4"x6  Wendy Butler Berns

                                                                      Fig. 3

 

 

Untitled       4"x6"       M.Bull

                                       Fig. 4

 

 

 

Best Friends                         4"x6"

              Maker Unknown   Fig. 5

 

 

  Jazz Cat       4"x6"     Grace Sim

                                             Fig. 6  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Postcards - What to do with them

I love postcards, both receiving them and creating them myself.  But what does one do with them once a large pile has accumulated and continues to grow? Mine are generally displayed in a large clamshell at the beach cabin.  I have even framed and hung them on the wall in such a way as to "suggest" headboards above each of the beds (I had to get creative after checking out the cost of real headboards for the six beds in the cabin).  This was a fun project, and saved a bundle on real thing.  See Fig. 1 - 4 below.

  Bedroom 3                                                   Fig. 1

 

Bedroom 3                               Fig. 2

 

Bedroom 2                               Fig. 3

 

Bedroom 1                                                   Fig. 4