Color Study

Our fledgling art quilt group, no name yet, did a color study exercise this past month.  This was a much more interesting exercise than it appeared to be on its surface.  It was supposed to be 12 squares of varying colors and patterns with a medium color square in the middle, and using the same medium color on each of the 12 fabrics.  We then viewed each square at different distances to note observations.  It was interesting to see which colors were enhanced and which went flat, how sometimes the medium color looked darker and sometimes looked lighter and sometimes did not show at all.  Have you ever viewed a painting up close and had no idea what the painter was trying to convey in design and/or color, only to step back 10 or 20 or 30 feet and go, "Wow, I get it now"!  A quilt viewing experience can be much the same.  See photos below (Fig. 1-8). 

I had so much fun with this, I ended up with 20 squares, and 4 different mediums, two of them blended warm/cool colors then added warm and cool neutrals plus black/white to view impact.  I decided next month we will explore the color intensity, value and temperature exercises as described by Elizabeth Barton in her book, Inspired to Design - which again seem simple enough on the surface...we shall see...knowing me, I will find a way to complicate the obvious!

Susan's Color Study                     Fig. 1

 

  

Jerry 's Color Study                    Fig. 2

 

 

Liz's Color Study                                         Fig. 3

 

 

Dot's Color Study                                 Fig. 4

 

 

Connie's Color Study                                     Fig. 5

 

 

On the Wall                                                   Fig. 6

 

 

Susan's Quilt                                                  Fig. 7

 

 

Jerry's Quilt                                                    Fig. 8

 

 

Children's Art

It is no secret I love children's art.  I once selected a group quilt made by a Kindergarten class as my Judge's Choice Award quilt at a quilt show.  I don't think it had ever been done before.  The show's sponsors made a disclaimer saying "a Judge's Choice award is NOT a merit quilting award" for those attendees who did not understand what a Judge's Choice Award was all about.  I think it is the children's innocence and inexperience that attracts me.  Picasso himself said, "I could paint the master's by age 18, but it took a lifetime to learn to paint like a child".  Only two pieces of children's art survive from my own children - Richard's Family Portrait done in pen when he was in first grade (Fig. 1) and Peter's Fish in crayon and watercolor done when he was in third grade (Fig. 2).  When my granddaughter, Abby, was here, she and Elizabeth created name paintings on scrap shelving (Fig. 3, 4).  Finley, age 5, also painted but Grammie could not resist going in and "finishing" it and, of course, was sorry afterward (Fig. 5).  I then cut up many of his drawings and paintings and created a collage (Fig. 6).  I'm told the smiley face with the little brown point is Chewbacca and R2/D2 is down in the right hand corner.  I was able to make my contribution here as well.  I drew Finley's Minion which he painted yellow.  Having too much fun with grandkids.

Family Portrait - Richard Fahrion    1979  (Fig. 1)

 

 

 

Fish - Peter Fahrion                       1984    (Fig. 2)

 

 

 

Abby's Celebration 2014                           (Fig. 3)

 

 

 

Elizabeth Celebrates 2014                          (Fig. 4)

 

 

 

Finley & Grammie Celebrate 2014            (Fig. 5)

 

 

 

Finley's Work/Grammie's Collage              (Fig. 6)

 

 

 

A New Art Quilt Group in Town

A few months ago friend, Sylvia Weir, called and said she wanted to start up an art quilt group in the Beaumont area.  Yep!  I was there.  There were three of us actually as fine artist, Jackie Stubblefield, attended also - all SAQA members.  So, feeling we were a bit small, we decided to see if any non-SAQA quilters were interested in joining.  We have 6 more members!  Yippee!  We meet at my house once a month.  Our design exercise last month was Zentangle (some of mine were posted on another post - Putting the Zen in Zentangle).  See Figures 1-7 below.  Dot drew hers on fabric (Fig.5) and Sylvia began hers directly on a quilt sandwich in stitch (Fig. 7). 

Zentangle work on Wall                                                     Fig. 1

 

 

 

"S" is for Sherry   Sherry Walker    Fig. 2

 

 

 

 

Untitled              Kathy Risinger                   Fig. 3

 

 

 

Untitled        Susan Cornell                       Fig. 4

 

 

 

Untitled              Dot Collins                         Fig. 5

 

 

 

Love Changes Everything               Fig. 6

Jerry Lynne Kelley

 

 

 

Zentangle Beginnings in Stitch                     Fig. 7

Sylvia Weir