Two Cats

Watercolor Cat

Watercolor Rabbit

Praise the Lord O my soul, Psalm 103

To make this piece, I first randomly pieced scraps of green and light green prints. Then I painted the design onto the fabric - with the Tsukineko inks. Painting over the seams can be a little messy - but the final effect - especially after quilting, is nice I think. I really must break out my 'brand new' (now 4 years old, never used yet!) airbrush. It would make a much cleaner effect over the seams!

Newest ACEOs

Wildlife ACEOs

Skittles

Tropical Depression #5 Fabric

Trying to figure out how to use our fierce southwest Tennessee sun as a catalyst for some fabric dying/inking - The sun-tea has been getting very dark, very strong this summer. So maybe the moist tea on fabric in the sun would work.

Problem...I dragged my feet too long making it happen. Finally, I used the wet loose tea after making sun-tea - spread it on top of folded and scrunched fabric. I added some drops of pigment ink (burgundy and tangerine) and a double handful of ice cubes. I set it out in the sun - and about an hour later, it clouded up and rained. So I moved the fabric onto the porch - waiting for day 2.

The next day was overcast - but that's OK - ultraviolet rays still penetrate. But then the rains started again - we were in the direct path of the Tropical Depression #5 today!! We received over 6 inches of rain.

But some interesting patterns showed up anyway - I believe it is because the damp tea leaves held the dye in certain areas. Interesting enough to warrant trying it again - later - when the sun returns!!

Cats

Catfish

This photo is cropped in on the 8x10.

This photo shows the fullsized 11x14 canvas.

Back to Work - ACEOs again!

Trophy Paintings in Acrylic

Signs of Spring, ACEO 62

ACEO #40

More ACEOs - Through the 31th

God's Creation

Two things really appealed to me in the reference photo for this painting. The first is - look at those eyelashes!! Brooke Shields in her current advertisement for growing longer, thicker eyelashes has nothing compared to this fawn! I had no idea their lasher were so thick and long!

The second thing that appealed to me are the fawn's ears. While living in West Virginia - I was walking in the woods behind our home when I heard a crashing noise coming down the side of Sidling Mountain. I stopped to see what was causing it when into the clearing ahead of me ran four fawns and 3 doe. The fawns started scampering and jumping and playing while two of the doe started grazing. The third doe came a little closer to me (she had not seen me yet) and was the sentry - watching out for any danger. I stayed perfectly still in the shadows but there was bright sunshine behind me so I knew she could see my silhouette. She became very suspicious of that 5'4" slightly overweight silhouette before her - but had not yet raised her tail - which means DANGER! So we stood there, staring at each other - about 20 feet apart.

She also was in light shadow with sunshine behind her - and what amazed me were her ears. They are shaped just like leaves! They are the same size and when backlit - they are the same reddish color as autumn leaves. Sorry folks - evolution didn't select those ears for deer - evolution didn't know that hunting season would be in the fall at Thanksgiving. I became convinced that warm spring day that God's amazing grace created that creature.

ACEOs #24 Brown Bear & #25 Chipmunk

Chipmunks are in the genus Tamias which is greek for 'storer' which they do by collecting and storing their food in the autumn to last them thru the winter. Their burrows can be more than 10 feet long and I find interesting that where they sleep - they keep extremely clean - they have separate tunnels for pottying.

Curious about the chipmunk genus Tamias - I did a bible search on the word. Thru the website http://www.searchgodsword.org/ I found that a contraction of the greek word is used four times in the New Testament - the greek work Tameion. It has been translated into english as storage chamber, inner chamber, secret room.

In Luke 12:24, "Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap; they have no storeroom (Tameion) nor barn and yet God feeds them; how much more valuable you are than the birds."

Finishing UFOs - Morning Star

Working my way thru some unfinished pieces/items - some a few years old even. The center of this piece I made while still living in WV - about 3 years ago. The background in the center is altered cloth - I spread some white fabric on our back gravel driveway, threw some things on top of it - gravel, twigs, macaroni - and oversprayed it with thinned blue acrylic paint.

I just recently finished this piece by adding the 2 outer borders and the painted small stars and bible verse in the outer border. It reads.....

I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the root and offspring of David and the bright Morning Star. Revelation 22:16

More Pen & Ink ACEOs

This is an Acorn Woodpecker, native to the west coast. Trivia - Woody Woodpecker's 'laugh/call' is supposed to be based upon the call of this bird. Well, at 53, its been a long time since I watched a Woody Woodpecker cartoon - so when I read that bit of trivia it meant nothing to me. But then I found a site that plays recorded birdsongs. And at the end of a 20 second recording I heard..... hahaHAha hahaHAha hahahahahahah......and I remembered!! Here is the link if you want to walk down memory lane also... http://allaboutbirds.org/guide/acorn_woodpecker/id !

Fast Fibre for the Front Door - & an ACEO

Watercolors, Pigment Inks with Leroy

These are pictures of watercolor being applied to fabric using a Leroy pen - which is simply a reservoir and a wire nib. I used a paintbrush to add water to the watercolor paint - then used that same paintbrush to put it into the reservoir. I am applying it to fabric without any sizing - it won't be permanent - but notice how little wicking is happening - as long as I keep the pen moving!

The first picture, the pen is in a Leroy scribe and I used the Leroy lettering templates - to make straight lines and to make numbers and letters - a great way to get words onto an artquilt! In the 2nd picture, the Leroy pen is in a handle for freehand drawing.

This technique was suggested on the quiltart digests - thank you thank you!! I have had these tools and supplies for years - never thought to use them together.

Colors of the Sky Quilt - its OK to laugh

This quilt started because it was time to use some of my scraps. And I read somewhere that adding grey to a color scheme will 'tone it down'. So I built this scrap quilt sewing together horizontal strips of scraps separated by greys. As I was building it - the rainbow of colors led me to arrange them as a sunset - greens on the bottom changing to some blues then reds/yellow/oranges and back to darker blues at the top. And its name became - Colors of the Sky. But I think it is maybe better called - Joseph's Coat of Many Colors.

When I finished quilting it - the drop on our bed wasn't as long as I had hoped - so I sewed on a backing extension - mounted it back onto the gammill, positioned a piece of batting - and used the gammill to first 'piece' the two strips I was adding to the top - then quilt them. That addition is the green and purple on the left above. But now the quilt touched the floor - too long - so I cut off 6" of that extension and the quilt is now perfect!!! lol!!

And of course that 6" piece I cutoff did not go into the trash - it is now the beginning of another quilt!!!

Watercolors - some ACEOs