Ruthie Powers

Exploring Austin Music

2011-08-28T17:25:00.000-05:00

My music tastes are eclectic so I go to several favorite venues to hear music once or twice a week. I also sometimes get to Daren Appelt's home for house concerts. Yesterday I went there and heard both Paul Klemperer and Amie Maciszewski from Sanget Millennium Ensemble. He was on the saxaphone; Amie played the sittar.

Later in the evening, I went to Tom's Tabooley to hear Paul's group Manteca Beat at Tom’s Tabouli's new Listening Room. What a pleasure it is to get to know a band that is new to me.

Lighting the fire of creativity

2011-08-15T21:16:00.002-05:00

So what are you doing to stoke your creative fire?
Do you know your medium?
Do you sometimes play just to see what comes up?
When you find a creative play you enjoy do you work with it, creating over and over until you find even more delight? Ah, you are working in a series!

Do you seek more information about your creative media?
Do you take classes or explore online?
Is there someone whose art is similar to yours that you look up to?
Does this person teach? See where I am going?

The fabric above is a collaboration I did with Jean Dahlgren.

Working in a Series

2011-08-15T19:46:00.000-05:00

Artists speak of working in a series. Begin with one idea and modify it in the next thing in the series.

I enjoy the visual series. I grew to enjoy this while working on my little people which was inspired by the Journal Quilt Project.

My current series is in crochet with up-cycled wool I found at St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store. It is an experiment in felted wool which I have never done, but want to experiment with.

Complex Line Detail

2011-05-27T17:53:00.001-05:00

Thinking about the stitching as I went about my business today, I realized that a detail of the stitching might be interesting for viewers. Get the picture of what I am doing?

Stitch Lines

2011-05-27T10:11:00.000-05:00

Yesterday--I am taking several days off work to keep everything in balance and to get caught up on some tasks at home. The first day was for relaxing. After spending a bunch of time outside in the morning with the dogs and in the vegetable garden, I ended up in my comfy chair by the window with good natural light. Outside it was cooler than the 100-degree-farenheit weather we had on Wednesday, but still pretty darn hot.

Curious about what would happen when I stitched on my framed fabric pieces, I let myself spend time with needle and thread. I realized I could make complex lines with stitches by interspersing straight stitches with French knots. Interesting.

Wrapping it up

2011-05-27T09:50:00.001-05:00

Two weeks ago--I have been considering various small projects that I could do in the evening after work. I want a project that is portable. I want to be able to experiment, so a small size works well. I also want to be able to mount the project on the wall when I am done.

I remembered the 12 x 12" wooden frames I had made a while ago, so I pulled them out along with my stapler. Then I cut fabric and cotton batting to wrap and staple around the frames. It does take a little practice to get it all tight and square. But remember that I worked in the family clothing store all my teen years and became an expert in wrapping packages at holidays! So I did pretty well.

I enjoy dyeing fabric and I also enjoy stitching, so I chose some embroidery floss to match the fabric--just four to begin with. Maybe I will use other colors as I go. I also found the shortest embroidery needles I have. The shorter the needle, the shorter the stitch.

What to do with dyed fabric?

2011-05-26T22:20:00.000-05:00

Three weeks ago--I have beautiful dyed fabric that is waiting for the right use. When I look at the whole piece I cannot figure out what to do with it. There is no central focus. I could make an area of interest. The photo does not do justice to the subtle details of the one-yard piece of fabric. It just looks like a mess of strokes.

I feel pressure to meet a deadline. This is not going well. I must wait until I can work by my own personal clock. The time will come when I know what to do with the fabric.

Composition... Balance

2010-05-02T08:25:00.003-05:00

Walking dogs in the beautiful trails of Barton Creek is one way we all get physical exercise. It also is a way to exercise my visual perception by observing carefully what I see. I take along my camera on most walks. I am always surprised and delighted by the natural beauty surrounding me.

Composition... continued

2010-04-27T16:29:00.002-05:00

I was curious to see what would happen to the composition when I added another color, so I added small strips of the same fabric dyed turquoise and find this more interesting. I tried lots of other arrangements, but simple was the best choice for this quilt. This is just tacked to my wall, so it will change once I stitch the pieces together and add stitching.

Fiber Art Composition

2010-04-15T19:00:00.004-05:00

I have been printing with various found objects and with my rubber stamps. The four pieces in this composition were part of a one-yard art cloth that I really loved but wanted to cut up. I let it hang on my design wall for a while then one evening just started tearing strips. From those strips I created one small quilt which I may show you later when I am adding stitch to the surface.

The remaining pieces went onto my design wall. After a few days of looking at them and re-arranging them, I decided to dye some with turquoise MX dyes. While I was at it, I added some other pieces of art cloth to the dye pot. The composition in this photograph is waiting for those turquoise pieces to come out of the wash. What will become of the quilt? Check in later to see.

This composition is about 18 x 40".

Sources of Inspiration

2010-04-05T17:19:00.004-05:00

Today on the online group for the Studio Art Quilt Associates someone asked about inspiration. I find that I am more able to be inspired when I am present in the physical world. A walk in the woods after a tiring day at work can be a place to gather inspiration. I quiet the chatter in my mind by slowing my breath, standing still, and taking in what my eyes see. Slowing down makes it easier to see things as wonderful as the drops formed by a light rain on the Texas Mountain Laurel. Because I was walking slowly I was able to see and then photograph this unusual moment in the physical world.

Two Mothers, a collaboration

2010-03-25T19:45:00.004-05:00

Jean Dahlgren and I created "Two Mothers" in a collaboration involving each of us adding a layer of MX dye to a piece of cotton/silk voile, then passing it to the other person. Fortunately we both love the unexpected, unpredictable results of working improvisationally.

Though our styles are different, they work together. Two Mothers was our first collaboration. We entered it in the Austin Fiber Artists exhibit at Tokyo Electron. It was among 30 pieces by around 20 of our members. We just learned Tokyo Electron has decided to purchase Two Mothers for their permanent art collection, which is a thrill.

The exhibit is up until April 1st. Tokyo Electron is off East Riverside at 2400 Grove Blvd. Their lobby gallery is open from 8 to 5.

Copyright 2010 Jean Dahlgren and Ruthie Powers

Musing About Inspiration

2010-03-24T17:23:00.004-05:00

Wandering in the late afternoon with dogs and camera in tow in the Barton Creek green belt, I realized that my interest in nature is in the details. I love to see pattern and delicacy in the new baby leaves. Photographing them close interests me. It is a challenge to make a closeup composition.

The contrast between the baby leaves and the old dry red oak leaves is visually exciting for me. The visual rhythm of the young compared to the old.

How can one branch hold both the old leaves and the new leaves?

Red Bud Isle, Austin, Texas

2009-11-23T11:27:00.003-06:00

Beauty is everywhere. I have much to be thankful for. Good health. Morning walks. Wonderful friends. Art all around. Dogs abound. And natural spaces right in the city.

My way of viewing

2009-11-13T20:35:00.006-06:00

What interests me visually?

When walking, what catches my eye?

What will I stoop down to see close?

What will make me stop in my tracks?

For me, it's the details that arouse my curiosity.

It's the things that don't make sense and beg for understanding.

It's the beautiful leaf backlit by sun that shows it's structure. Oh, that is what holds the leaf together.

It is the way water flows around a rock.

It's the cactus bloom up close with my simple point-and-shoot camera. How can the blossom curl and curve like that?

The Beauty of Barton Creek

2009-11-12T20:35:00.005-06:00

I often take walks in Barton Creek, source of water, beauty, life and pleasure feeding Barton Springs.

Yesterday was visually exciting. The water is now clear. The mud particles have settled. I went there at the end of the day so the sun was at a slant. It is a time of contemplation. Will we have water here by spring time so we can swim? There is no place like it.

Paper Cutting

2009-10-01T19:53:00.003-05:00

I sent a newsletter today to those on my Constant Contact list. I will include the writing here as well because I think you would enjoy it.

I would like to tell you a little about the beginnings of Next Signal Designs rubber stamps. For several months, I enjoyed cutting stamps and paper with an art knife--first I was cutting Master Carve, a marvelous product for creating stamps by cutting into the surface. Pretty soon I realized that I would end up with a mountain of rubber stamps because I found the process of cutting shapes and patterns so satisfying. So I decided to cut black paper. Every evening when I came home from work I laid out a 5 " square of black paper and set to work with my art knife. When I finished one, I would begin another one, completing 6 or 8 at one sitting.

Some were simple; some were complex. Some took a long time to cut; others were like a quick and dirty sketch. After about a month, I noticed a definite style developing. I postponed any thought about what to do with these little designs for 5 or 6 months, just storing them for easy viewing in 3-ring binders. Then began looking into making them into rubber stamps.

I chose rubber stamps because they can be used in so many ways. They are a very basic, simple printing tool. Stamping with dye or paint, making rubbings with colors or oil sticks, and making deconstructed screen prints are just a few of the ways to use rubber stamps. You can print on fabric or paper or walls if you want to. Clay artists can make surface designs with them. Those who like glitz can emboss Angelina fiber using the stamps and an iron. I am sure there are many more ways to use stamps that I haven't discovered.

Deconstructed Screen Printing

2009-09-24T18:19:00.006-05:00

This image is scanned from about a 2-inch square of the print. I printed from one screen that had all the greens, then later printed with the screen that printed the browns and reds.

What are the characteristics of a deconstructed screen print (DSP)? As the breakdown begins on the screen, interesting lines form on the print. Usually they are a small line of color on the edge of a larger color. On the left of this print you will see turquoise lines. Also, note around the reddish-brick colors, they are darker at the edge. They are characteristic DSP.

Artist Statement, version 2

2009-09-23T16:45:00.002-05:00

This is for my page on the Women Printmakers of Austin web site.

Dyes, paints, silkscreens, and rubber stamps help me create my own fabrics. I am a quilter, dyer, surface designer, printmaker and collector of interesting objects. I enjoy cutting paper with a knife and have chosen my favorites to start my own rubber stamp company, Next Signal Designs.

I also create fine screen prints on paper using techniques learned from creating surface design on fabric. MX dyes intended for cotton and silk fabric are my color. I thicken the dyes with sodium alginate, a seaweed derivative. Then I use the thickened dyes to create images and textures on the silkscreen from my rubber stamps . Once dried, I screen print the images onto cotton rag paper. I add layers of abstract patterns to create interest, depth, and unusual colors. The results are always variable from print to print.

Exploring and learning new techniques come natural to me. I enjoy the unpredictable results, amazing colors and unusual patterns that go on to the surface as I screen print on paper.

Women Printmakers of Austin Exhibit

2009-09-20T12:42:00.002-05:00

Women Printmakers of Austin Trade

2009-09-20T12:06:00.006-05:00

One tradition I love about the Women Printmakers is the annual trade. My first year in the organization I was just soaking in all the information. Somehow I felt like a voyeur. There was a lot that I was interested in, but as a surface designer on fabric I wasn't sure I could call myself a printmaker.

Now I know differently. I AM a printmaker. One way I got past that was to do a demonstration of deconstructed screen printing at a meeting. People were fascinated. I was initiated!

So when the signup for the trade opened, I added my name. After seeing positive results from printing on paper, I decided to do an edition of deconstructed screen prints. There was a problem, of sorts. I can print 4 or 5 good prints from one screen then it fizzles out (not a technical term). So I prepared 5 screens in a similar way, so that I would have enough to make an edition of 20. But I knew I could not make them all exactly alike. That was when I learned about the "varied edition," where there are slight differences in the prints. So... mine have quite a lot of variation, but you can tell they are in a family. Want to see some?

Printing with MX dyes on paper

2009-09-20T11:53:00.004-05:00

Over the summer I experimented with printing on paper with MX dyes. Many of the prints include direct printing with my rubber stamps. Most of the prints were done with deconstructed printing, using the rubber stamps to create silk screen impressions with MX dyes that were dried and later printed in a spontaneous manner. The process is not complex to do once you have tried it and I feel I have a knack for creating interesting prints, full of complex colors and depth. The images so far are abstract because I want to explore what my rubber stamps can do.

This will be my first year to exhibit with the Women Printmakers of Austin in the annual show. It is my second year to be a member and I have been serving as co-chair this year. The annual member show will include work from 27 members and will be at a new venue, The Pump Project. I submitted 3 prints, 11 x 15" plus a handsome black frame. This one is named "Silent Night."

Stamp-a-day Four is Pineapple Stamp on paper

2009-07-18T19:23:00.002-05:00

As part of creating an image every day from my rubber stamp collection I decided to print with MX dyes on 100% paper. Today was the first day of experimenting. It's different than printing on fabric with MX dyes. I had to be more careful while working so I wouldn't put too much thickened dye on the page. This image is one I liked. I will continue working with the others.

At the end of August I must have an edition of 20 similar prints for the Women Printmakers of Austin annual trade. This is one way I am stretching myself artistically by exploring materials and their various results.

The necklace

2009-07-17T18:39:00.007-05:00

Minka wrote saying she wants to see the necklace. I can grant your wish. I think that showing you the Cloth Paper Scissors ad is the easiest way. This is for the September issue.

I spent about two weeks experimenting with Shrinky Dinks shrinkable plastic until I got a style I liked. The glossy side of the unshrunk plastic is stamped with permanent stamp pad ink and my rubber stamp "Pineapple". The back is colored with colored pencils. After baking, I made "S" hooks and attached the charms to a silver bracelet.

Please come to my web site to see the rubber stamps!

Charms with polymer clay

2009-06-28T15:55:00.006-05:00

I am creating charms using my rubber stamps to make the impressions. My idea is to make the charms with polymer clay, with shrink plastic, and with fabric or paper. I started a couple days ago with Premo polymer clay. So far, I love the results. I bought several colors so I could experiment. Pretty quickly I learned that conditioning the clay by hand was not very fun, so I got a pasta machine. Whoa, using it is really fun. On the pieces in the photograph, I mixed translucent clay with a little green. It is a great way to learn about color mixing. Who would have thought?

I still need to bake and finish them over the next week. I am preparing them for a Cloth Paper Scissors ad.

Musical Blue over Yellow

2009-06-08T21:59:00.004-05:00

Jean Dahlgren and I played in my studio with the Musical Instruments stamp. It is 7 inches by 9 inches and lots of fun because it is so large. First we stamped the yellow, then the blue. We wanted to see how the colors would mix.

Samples of Stamps in Action

2009-06-08T21:55:00.003-05:00

This print uses thickened dyes on cotton and the stamp named Willow in positive and negative. Each stamp is 4.5 inches by 4.5 inches.

Surface Design and Stamps

2009-06-03T20:20:00.004-05:00

I just returned home to Austin from the Surface Design Association conference. I had a really great time so I thought I would begin with a post about this fabric I printed. I was a newbie vendor. I had done other kinds of shows, but this was my first time with my new rubber stamps and the first time at a national conference. I set my booth up like a studio and printed with the rubber stamps on cotton. Before leaving Austin, I soda-soaked 12 yards of Test Fabric mercerized cotton so it would be ready. Oh, and I tore it into fat quarters so it would be manageable in a small space. I took along stamps, roller sponges, cups, plexiglas sheets, cleanup materials and MX dyes.

We had an opening reception Thursday night, so I demonstrated the use of the large-format stamps while answering questions and making sales. It was quite fun. And often I found that the conference attendees had ideas for using the stamps that I had not thought of. I took copious notes! And eventually over the four days I printed more than 50 fat quarters of fabric.

Another Rubber Stamp Printed

2009-05-13T18:44:00.004-05:00

Please meet "Wings", the figure and the ground of my paper-cut image made into a rubber stamp. Each side is about 4-1/2" x 5" in size. Printing is really fun. I this example I used a foam roller with thickened dyes. I enjoy working with the yellows at first, going in this case toward the greens by adding blue. Want to learn how colors combine? This is one great way.

I can get lost in it for hours until I drop from exhaustion, not even realizing I am tired.

The stamps can be used with inks and paints as well. Look for future postings with examples.

And, please feel free to comment on this post.

Rubber Stamp/Thickened Dye/Fabric

2009-05-13T18:31:00.007-05:00

I want to show you my new rubber stamps. Here are the elements: a black and white image for the rubber stamp. The red and yellow fabric is made with thickened dye on cotton. I used ProChem's Strong Orange and several yellows.

I was able to work very spontaneously and improvise as I printed the piece of fabric, much like printing improvisationally with a silk screen. The rubber stamp is called Little Piano and it is part of a collection of similar rubber stamps. Please give me comments.

Just play!

2009-04-26T19:07:00.005-05:00

I decided to take the Relief Printing and Book Making workshop offered by the Women Printmakers of Austin (WPA) because I knew I would be quite busy in the coming months and wanted to take time to play along with everything else in my life. I have spent a lot of time printing my own rubber stamps onto fabric with thickened dye. I am very comfortable with that process, but when it comes to paper and ink—yikes! So I wanted to see what similarities exist between lino block printing and the printing I have been doing. I was in for some surprises.

We learned about all the tools and materials to cut the linoleum from our very knowledgeable and enthusiastic leaders, Angela Hayes and Amy Guadagnoli. Then we were set loose to sketch our simple drawings and to cut the images on our small pieces of linoleum. As beginners, we learned that simple images work the best. We learned to heat the material for easier cutting. And Amy and Angela gave us lots of ideas and aid.

Both teachers showed us ways to print our images—from directly printing with the linoleum to monoprinting to offset. This part is where I almost started jumping up and down. Now I had names for techniques I was using while printing onto fabric. I know about monoprinting, but I didn’t know that I was also offset printing. When talking about printing onto fabric, I want to use the words of printing field so I came away with an enlarged vocabulary. I like that!

Before lunch we made sure we had all of our prints done so they would dry. When we came back, we put our pages into sections and learned to hand-bind them with the Coptic stitch. Our lino pieces became our book covers and we ended up with beautiful samples of our printing—all in a small book of our own.

Amy and Angela know their subjects and came well prepared with all the materials and tools we needed. They brought their own work to share and were very generous with their knowledge. I hope they will offer this class again so more WPA members can learn or re-learn these very simple techniques. Workshops also give members time to get to know each other better.

First two sheets

2009-03-26T21:29:00.002-05:00

I wrote this in February and am just now getting it posted. I have worked the last day to get my images ready for the engraver. I scanned the papercut images, then did some cleanup in Photoshop. There were some calculations for size and location and I hope they are now ready.

I am having these two 8 by 10-inch plates first. I am a little green at this, so just doing two to start. The plates are magnesium like the ones that were used to print the daily paper before computers came along. The plates will be made in Texas, although no one in Austin makes them any more. Then the plates will be shipped to another company who will make the matrix and press the stamps in a vulcanizer. Think hard rubber tires; it's a similar process. Once pressed, they will come back to me for cutting, packaging and hopefully selling. Please let me know what you think

Introducing some of my stamps

2009-03-26T21:22:00.005-05:00

I have been busy getting layouts done of the papercut designs. I send them to an engraver who makes a magnesium plate for each one and sends it to a small company that manufactures the stamps in something akin to a waffle iron with no waffles. It is vulcanized--heated to a certain temperature to make it hard. Then each 8 x 10" piece is sent to me where I am still trying to figure out what to do with them. No, actually, I am right on schedule. I took stamps from the first two plates to Karey Bresenhan's ranch a couple weeks ago where they were well-received. And I will have a lot more when I am a vendor at the FASA fashion show in a week or so. Please let me know what you think.

Marketing--I will be selling them as the whole sheet/collection (7 x 9"), large stamps (7" x 4.5"), and smaller stamps. I am trying to give people options and also push them to use the large stamps.

Working with them--I did some stamp printing. It was really fun with thickened dye on fabric. I can't wait to work with paint and will post some when I get a chance.

Another night, another blade

2009-02-07T22:14:00.003-06:00

This evening I am back at my art table cutting contact paper stencils for silkscreens. This is still an experiment to see what I can come up with for the valentine trade with WPA. I am showing you two different screened prints. One is my usual style with one continuous cut to make the design. This is a little more difficult to position and has little technical problems I am working out. So I decided to try one where I cut pieces out of the design and ended up with lots of bridges. Here they are just for fun.

Finished size: 2.5 x 3.5"

Preparations for Valentines Trade

2009-02-06T21:03:00.005-06:00

I am still "sketching" my valentine. I did lots of papercut samples which came out great, but I would have to get a silkscreen made of them in order to make multiple valentine prints. Tonight I tried cutting a very fine stencil from contact paper. It was OK. Further experimentation is warranted on that one. I know I can make great stencils with a little practice.

I then decided to use some Mastercarve, a Staedler product that is basically a large white eraser. It is great to cut, but the lines cannot be as fine as my papercuts. I practiced on two images and came out with this one. It is not a masterpiece, but it is capable of making multiple prints with materials I already had at home. This is for a trade with Women Printmakers of Austin. I must do an edition of 11 for the trade. The size is 2.5 x 3.5".

Valentine Symbol Exploration

2009-01-18T22:08:00.005-06:00

I am a member of Women Printmakers of Austin and have just joined the annual Valentine’s day trade. I often go right up to the deadline with projects, so this time I am starting early. Right now I am just playing with cut paper and exploring. I will make a bunch of papercuts, then probably make a silk screen to print the cards, we’ll see. I might decide to cut a rubber stamp instead. Please let me know what you think.

Friday's lost text

2009-01-11T17:33:00.003-06:00

On Friday I wrote a blog I liked and posted it with this picture. Very soon after that I got a comment which included a spam link so I went in and deleted the entry. But I forgot to save the text before deleting it. Well, here is the photo anyway. It was of a bus-stop bench that I played with in Photoshop.

2006 and 2007 Blog Entries

2009-01-11T17:30:00.002-06:00

At the beginning of 2006 I started creating a 5-inch square each day. These are chronicled in this blog now. They had been a separate blog and I decided to bring all my blog entries in to one. You can find them by clicking on 2006 in the right-hand column. Check them out and let me know what you think of the Little Ones that developed out of this practice.

Patterns--they're everywhere

2009-01-08T21:05:00.005-06:00

This was a glorious day. The sun was bright, showing through the leafless trees and making wonderful shadows on the ground. Around noon, I took a walk in a quiet area of the university just to get some exercise. I spotted a chain-link fence and went for my camera. Click, click, click, move positions, click some more. Just those few moments were refreshing as I concentrated on interesting angles and the sun's light. My mind shifted. I had found something special in the very ordinary.

Resolution Clock the Morning of New Year's Eve

2008-12-31T11:15:00.007-06:00

This is the view at sunrise. It will be burned tonight at 8 PM with everyone's resolutions written on it. I will be there.

New Years Resolutions

2008-12-31T10:58:00.005-06:00

Click on the journal page for an enlargement.

Walking Today

2008-12-29T13:10:00.004-06:00

This turns out to be a day for walking since I went too far on my bicycle yesterday and ended up feeling bad. I am not complaining, just explaining that sometimes I don't recognize my limitations.

So that lead us to take a nice walk this morning into territory that we have been before, but not in a while and not from this perspective. Even though I live in the city I am close to easily accessible natural areas. Today we went to the Barton Creek Greenbelt where we often go, but we took another path through the woods. It was hardly a path. I could see that someone had been developing it. I wonder if it was that homeless man I met a while ago that was into straighening up the rocks to make pathways. I have run into homeless camps out here many times so it is quite possible.

The day is cool and crisp. The sky is very blue and the sun at an angle and bright. My eyes were alert for beautiful images from nature; my ears were alert to unusual sounds; and my feet were carefull climbing over paths and rocks. The woods is thick with red oak, cedar, and limestone.

Bear, Amber, and Houdini loved the walk. They get so excited with all the new smells. I just let them run, not worrying whether they will come back.

As we move to the end of the year, as we pass the solstice, it is a time for thinking of the past year and for envisioning the ones to come. I wish you all a wonderful new year.

Action in 2009

2008-12-24T11:22:00.005-06:00

I am thinking forward to the coming year.

2009 will be a year of action. It will be a year to put into practice ideas that have been brewing. It will be a year that I explore the wider world and show other artists my designs through a company I am starting. It will be a year of connecting with new people. It will be more outward than inward.

Like Amber in the photo, I will grab the stone and run with it!

Cheers to you all in the new year.

Composition

2008-12-20T15:51:00.006-06:00

December 20th and the temperature is supposed to get into the upper 70s here in central Texas today. I woke leisurely, had my tea, washed dishes, and loaded the pups into my truck for a little trip to the park. I like to go to this park along the Colorado River because it is relatively uncrowded and I can let the dogs run free. They love to get into the water, smell dead stuff, and run, run, run. While they are doing that, I am walking, looking, thinking, and conversing with myself. I have been very full of positive ideas lately and count on these walks to keep me spiritually healthy.

I bring along a small digital camera to photograph interesting textures and compositions. The trees are mostly down now so this tree's branches were asking to be photographed. I made this composition with the trunk a little to the right so that the viewer's eye would move around the photo. I believe it captures the overcast moment there at the river and is interesting to me as well as other viewers.

an⋅thro⋅po⋅mor⋅phize

2008-12-16T14:53:00.004-06:00

definition. To give human characteristics to a non-human object, such as a tree, a dog, or some garlic. I give these human characterics thinking they must be very cosy and warm. I may be projecting because it was just below freezing last night and I have been cold.

Next Signal Designs

2008-12-15T17:32:00.006-06:00

I am enjoying this fall season in central Texas. This year included a wonderful display of colors because the conditions were just right. The picture above is a red oak out in the hill country where my cousin lives.

I also am enjoying settling in for a little cold weather which is giving me time indoors to gather my thoughts after a very rich and stimulating year. I am very happy exactly where I am. At the same time, I have a new project germinating. It will take me the next 4 or 5 months to get it off the ground and I am very excited about it. The project uses many parts of me and my interests so it feels like a real "fit". I am reluctant to describe the exact project just yet because it is still in development. For years I have been using the Myers-Briggs type indicator as a tool to think about myself and my vocation. There is a book named "Do what you are" which takes the Myers-Briggs and helps readers discover what kind of work they would really be suited for. One of the things that I have finally realized that might fit is what they called new product developer. Until now, I didn't quite understand but I am finally pulling together a project that is a good fit and it involves product development.

And the name of my new business is Next Signal Designs. What do you think???

Design workshop

2008-12-07T18:17:00.007-06:00

This weekend Austin Fiber Artists hosted Jane Dunnewold for a 2-day design class. She took us through a variety of exercises that built on each other. I have been doing expanded square since August 1, so cutting paper was really easy for me. Besides, I had discovered the Exacto swivel-head blade and Astrobrite black 24-pound paper which makes it easy. The last exercise of the weekend was to take a playing card, selected randomly from a deck of cards, and create a composition in which it was evident which number and suite we were representing.

Peaceful Days

2008-11-09T18:55:00.008-06:00

The weekend was peaceful. I spent a lot of time cleaning, clearing out, and arranging my living room. I have a wonderful little table and light where I enjoy working on my design exercises. Now there is less stuff in the way and less to distract me. I took a little time to walk the dogs at Red Bud Isle where there are lots of social opportunities for them and restful water and trees for me. I was surprised to see the leaves changing color so much.

I continue to enjoy the design exercises cutting black paper with an exacto knife. It is wonderful to repeat an exercise over and over--and then again. I have learned that the first one I do when I sit down to work is different from the last. And sometimes I make a "mistake" and learn how to do it better the next time. I have gone to a #24 black paper which is easier to cut with the exacto swivel-head knife.

This is the center section of #103.

For the love of paper--#66

2008-10-12T19:43:00.008-05:00

Now I am delirious over cutting paper to do black and white studies. I think I am on about number 75. I have been sitting at my little table for a while each night. I pull out an exacto knife with a fairly fresh blade. I take a 5" square piece of Canson black paper, put down some white paper and a cutting surface. I look at the paper and think, I guess I will just start cutting here, like this...

And it is slow like my tai chi class. I have no goal. Well, actually, I want to get to 100 of these things.

I cut therefore I am

2008-08-04T19:06:00.005-05:00

I have had so much fun lately cutting Mastercarve and have almost run out of materials. So I decided to try the notan exercises that Jane Dunnewold www.complexcloth.com describes. It is my first attempt and I can see how I can expand and probably never get tired of this exercise.

Oh, yea, I had a nice practice slowing down on Saturday. I got to take care of Tobias for quite a few hours. I am just infatuated. It is great watching him become active. He's very interested and looking all over. He eats lots and lots, too. I will put up another picture soon.

My new boygirl friend

2008-07-31T17:58:00.002-05:00

Mastercarve

A Little Photography

2008-07-25T21:42:00.005-05:00

This weekend I will finish my journal quilt and submit it to the International Quilt Festival in Houston. From the theme, I chose to work with fire, but here is the contradiction: I have been working on a fiery piece at the same time as I am slowing down. It is bright reds, full of energy, and visually stimulating. I am quiet, comtemplative, and slow. It will be interesting to see how others see it--hopefully at the festival in November.

This morning when I was outside the building where I work I was looking at the effects of the hard rain we had last night. It had helped some bark release from the trees and fall to the ground (nice texture) and the rain was helping some greenery revive. I admired the fine shapes of some ferns and picked one to take home and photograph. I have just had my fun in Photoshop and came up with an interesting image, natural yet red in color.

Stop! Don't run! Breathe! Sit!

2008-07-23T18:52:00.003-05:00

I came home from work about 60 minutes ago. We had a birthday party with cake so possibly I was experiencing a sugar low. I was tired, ya know, like when you have a sinking feeling in the solar plexus. I wanted to go look at Half Price Books. Maybe they have just the book to give me energy. Maybe I could go to the thrift store. It is 30% off today for this senior citizen. Who could I call on the phone to distract myself? Did I have a bunch of emails to read and reply to?

Resigned, I turned on the TV with low volume to watch news of the hurricane coming ashore in Texas. Turning on the TV is a rare event in my home.

My mid-century Danish modern side chair with the original wool/linen avocado seat invited me to sit down. A few days ago I cleared a little section of my kitchen table of debris so I could cut cork stamps. I hadn't put anything away yet. This would be session three of carving the cork if I decided to begin.

60 minutes later I have some stamps carved in cork on the table with a few more outside on plexiglas letting the E6000 glue dry. I feel better. The sinking feeling in my solar plexus has, let's see, yes it has disappeared. Maybe now I can go shopping, wait I mean browsing.

I love a comfy chair.

2008-07-21T19:58:00.004-05:00

I guess it was about 15 years ago and I was thinking that I needed a comfy chair when suddenly I saw it! Right there on the sidewalk of South Congress in front of a store that sold old things. The cushions were a little ratty; the wood a little dry. So I fixed her up and she became a pal. Now she sits by my window where I can look out and see the birds in the bird bath--when I have remembered to fill it. I have dogs at my feet--Bear because he loves to be near me and Houdini because she loves to watch out the window for danger. My chair has wonderful wings to put things like my pincushion, threads, scissors and my sketchbook.

I take one stitch at a time on my way to being grounded. Slowing down and being in the moment with the stiches helps me do this.

Quirky Squiggles

2008-07-20T11:51:00.007-05:00

Last evening I sat in my comfortable chair with spiral note pads of sketch paper and my india ink. I love using the old-fashioned nib because of the lovely, and sometimes very messy, way that the ink flows onto the paper. I can draw lines that are even or lines with a lot of character. I feel and see the ink going onto the paper. It is very immediate.

I don't attempt to draw anything realistic. These characters are from my imagination, quirky squiggles. Here is one that turned out to be a combination of my three dogs: Bear's tail, Amber's head, and Houdini's body.

Thoughts about slowing down

2008-07-17T21:24:00.002-05:00

Ahhhhh. I have finally finished up a series of commitments and am breathing a sigh of relief. I have promised myself that I will never apply for an exhibit unless the piece I am entering is completed. I have come up to the deadline for having 4 different fiber pieces done in the last several months. It really takes the joy out of the creative process. I want to go back to being more quiet, more spontaneous.

I don't usually say I will never do anything again, but my balance is so important to me that I say it now.

A Well-Behaved Woman

2008-07-17T18:58:00.004-05:00

There is a fiber exhibit opening this weekend in Fredericksburg at the Artisans at Rocky Hill gallery. This piece is in the show. She shows what can happen when I collage my hand-dyed fabrics using my old techniques to make my "little people." Only now she is BIG. She has lots of serendipitous hand-embroidery too.

My first prize

2008-07-07T20:21:00.006-05:00

Today's mail brought a package with Quilt Surface Design Symposium on it. It felt like the fabric I sent for the fabric exhibit and sale during the symposium. To my delight I found out that I had received the 4th place ribbon in the judging! Ya never know, do ya?

And I learned that I had sold one piece, but not the award-winner. So I still get to look at it for a while.

Hot Ones debuts at Austin Fiber Artists exhibit

2008-06-15T06:09:00.004-05:00

Let me introduce you to Hot Ones. I am quite fond of her. She will be introduced to the public at the first Fiber Artists of Austin exhibit.

Please come to the Artists Reception, Friday, June 20 from 6-9 PM

The gallery will be open Saturday, June 21 from 10-5 and Sunday from 12-5

Wesley Gallery, 27008 RR 12 in Dripping Springs, (1/2 mile south of 290 West)

I will be doing a demonstration of raw-edge applique on Saturday from 2-4 and talking about the Journal Quilt Project

A few more images

2008-04-29T21:46:00.003-05:00

These first three were made after taking Kerr Grabowski's deconstructed screen printing class. The last two are made from the process I learned from Jane Dunnewold in her water soluble resists 3-day workshop in San Antonio about a month ago--flour paste screens. The black dye on the 4th image is from the flour paste on the fabric process. I have grown very fond of these two methods.

What I have been up to

2008-04-29T20:44:00.004-05:00

Lots of screen printing. Too much in love to write. Sorry, all other girlfriends have been thrown to the wayside. Take a peak at what I have been doing. Deconstructed screen printing, flour paste on fabric, stamps, soy wax--they have all been my intimate friends. Now I am realizing that I have to have a little more balance, but thought I would post a few shots of the work on silk crepe.

Really Letting Go

2008-03-12T21:26:00.004-05:00

Last night I had two uninterrupted hours in my studio. I wanted to make something pastel in the blues on my 2 yards of silk crepe, but I had the dye colors mixed too densely it turned out. I printed some nice images from a silk screen in a medium blue, then decided to see what color would come off the grapefruit bag that was full of dye. It was black. It was red. Making nice patterns on the fabric in a kind of grid. I spritzed some of them with water and was delighted to see the black begin to separate and bleed outward in many colors.

A little later I was making a bunch of small circles with the syringe and dense turquoise, about 1 inch wide, with some character. Then I thought about making some larger ones, but the syringe full of dye didn't want to glide over the fabric very well, so I raised my arm a bit higher and made wonderful circles from the air. Gradually the circles became larger and larger. Then I added different colors of dye circles. It was a whole-body application of dyes once I realized that I could squirt filled syringes over the surface.

More calmly now, I spritzed the whole thing with water and watched the dyes slowly migrate on the surface! In my left hand I had a small pot of light yellow thickened dye. What to do with it? Right hand responds by scooping the yellow out and applying the color to white areas. It felt like working on a fine leather skin that had comtemporary graffiti. Rubbing the yellow into the fabric with my fingers, seeing the colors interact. As yellow runs out, I make some lightly tinted orange and continue the process over the whole piece. The fabric and I must rest now.

The fabric was hung outside to dry, then wrapped in plastic to batch in my warm car today. After a couple hours soaking in water this evening, it is now in the washing machine to remove the remaining excess dye.

My Screen Prints from Kerr's workshop

2008-03-12T21:11:00.002-05:00

Here are close-up shots of the fabric I screen printed and painted at the workshop in January.

Deconstructed Screen Print

2008-02-05T20:05:00.000-06:00

I had a wonderful workshop with Kerr Grabowski. Here is a peek of what I made.

China silk

2008-01-25T19:24:00.000-06:00

Silk chiffon

2008-01-25T19:22:00.000-06:00

Shibori

2008-01-25T18:19:00.001-06:00

When I meet a friend who asks how I am doing I can honestly say that I am doing very well. The past several months have been filled with lots of creative ideas and continued exploration of dyeing fabric. I have been dyeing lots of silk scarves because I like the size. They are small enough to work through a design idea, and I buy the China silk or the silk chiffon with the edges already finished so the scarves can be completed quite easily. I have been doing what I think of as an improvised shibori technique. It involves folding and clamping the silk before adding the dyes. Then use colors that are similar side by side to get richer colors, for example turquoise next to a different blue. I welcome your comments.

Pod

2007-12-21T19:11:00.000-06:00

Driving through the neighborhood I saw the dark magenta pods from some sort of legume. The leaves turned out to be interesting as well. Here's one version. I played in Photoshop, trying to bring out some texture and ended with creating some interesting color combinations.

Photoshop crystalizes acorn hats

2007-12-16T20:42:00.000-06:00

From this evening's walk, an acorn picked up then worked in Photoshop. Nice pattern.

Shibori dyeing--December 2nd

2007-12-09T11:12:00.001-06:00

It is an 85 degree day here in central Texas.

It's a perfect day for dyeing. The dyes bond faster to the fibers when the dyebath is warm.

I always enjoy folding and clamping the pieces of silk scarf. And then waiting patiently for another 24 hours while the dye bonds to the silk in the dye pot.

These three turned out beautifully in one dye bath.

The others will be overdyed on another warm day in Austin.

More rocks

2007-12-08T21:31:00.001-06:00

This evening I have been experimenting with photographic images of small rocks using the filters and other settings in Photoshop to create an image that I can silkscreen onto fabric. This close-up became very graphic when the contrast was increased.
© Ruthie Powers

Dogs and their rocks

2007-12-08T19:34:00.001-06:00

Last weekend while exploring the Barton Springs green belt with Bear and Amber, we fell into our game of fetching rocks out of the water. It goes like this. I throw a rock about the size of my fist into the water and they go after it. Bear is the dominant one, so he pushes Amber aside and pulls/digs his rock to the shallower area. He then has this interesting ritual of tending the rock. He moves it around, nudges it with his nose, paws it and claims it as his own. When he gets in that space, Amber is now able to get the next rock that I throw because he is preoccupied with his rock. She loves the game, gets a little crazy and excited. She runs, pulls the rock shallower, then goes beneath the water with her nose to pick the rock up. Then she brings it back to shore, not usually very near me.

One Rock, Two views

2007-12-02T21:05:00.000-06:00

Today has been 80 degrees, warm and windy. It is December. How can this be?
I took the dogs to Barton Creek green belt for a long walk and some time to be quiet and enjoy nature changing into winter. The trees are more skeletal. Many leaves have fallen, so the tree structure and the limestone walls of the creek valley are more visible.

Often when I photograph, tho, my vision goes for the details of nature, the spines of a drying leaf, the textures of pebbles. I couldn't choose which of the views of this white rock against the dark I preferred, so I'll post them both.

Day one of daily art

2007-11-23T23:17:00.000-06:00

Thanksgiving Day, 2007
I remember meeting a man in the green belt behind the church. Actually, I felt I had interrupted him in his home. He had found a beautiful spot and cultivated a sanctuary with rock-lined paths meandering throughout. He had pulled up the low brush which made it more interesting. Done in his free time. He was homeless. Amber had gone straight for his food stash.

A while later I had again accidentally walked into this area. The man had gone, but had left such a mysterious and spiritual place. It left me content, curious about who he was and why he had made this.

Once, after the first encounter, I saw him back there and recognized him. He said he liked it because it was so peaceful. But the police had told him he couldn't stay there any more, so sometimes he just visited.

Later I saw him once walking through the neighborhood on the way to that part of the green belt. I haven't seen him in a while, so my guess is that he's not around--maybe he is making his artistic mark on another part of the land.

Daily Art

2007-11-23T23:03:00.002-06:00

I have begun the practice of making daily art again. This is day two. Each day I will make time to sit with pen, thread, ink, pencil, paper or other media to see what I come up with.

Any media.
No particular end result.
It could be words.
It could make sense, or not.
It could be technical, or not.
It could be private, or meant for others.
Today I am going to play with the dried cedar sticks I picked up in the green belt behind the church. These sticks made me immediately think of how to create shelter with the sticks as poles for a simple structure.

10:00 p.m. after going to the countryside near San Marcos I came into my studio and saw the sticks lit against the white on top of the table, so I photographed them, then played with the images in Photoshop. This photograph is one of the results.

2007 Journal Quilt description

2007-11-06T04:56:00.001-06:00

Barney

Creative Quilting techniques used: hand-dyed and over-dyed cotton fabric with Procion® MX dyes (p. 260); write/draw/doodle (p. 201) with India ink; hand-draw dog image (p. 183) then silk screen the image onto cotton.

Journal entry, September 17. Barney, dear one, how can we live without you? After I started a version of this journal quilt, I had to begin over. I realized that the cartoon-ish animal image I was doing didn’t represent a journal entry. Actually, Barney’s passing is something I want to mark with a small quilt. And Alison will be moved to know I am making a quilt honoring the great hound.

He was known far and wide for his easy, friendly manner. Never one to pass up a treat or a good rubbing. Loved by children and adults equally. He brought people together. He helped us make connections. Not one to sit idly by, he would howl when excited. What? A trip to the park? AHOOOO. My dog Bear comes running when he hears me practice the howl. He knows I must be talking with his pal Barney-dog.

Much loved and much missed, four of us carried him on a royal fabric for his last visit to the vet. We then buried him in the deep hole a friend had dug in the summer heat. Into the hole went ashes along with collars and tags and leashes from other loved pets.

For several evenings I drew his image while looking at photos I had taken of him. I spent time with all the curves that made him. Those ears, the eyes, short legs, huge feet. Later, I made a silkscreen and printed one of the line drawings that I liked. Another evening, I doodled with India ink and pen tip on gold silk that would have gone well with the color of his hair. I wrote my feelings; made funny little characters; and kept the pen and ink moving.

What I learned while making this journal quilt is how much I love process. I also love the excitemesnt of having a deadline. And today, I wish I had just a little bit more time before sending it to Houston.

2007 Houston Quilt Festival

2007-11-06T04:48:00.001-06:00

I am back from the Houston International Quilt Festival full of ideas and inspiration. I again joined the Journal Quilt Project and made a quilt in honor of Barney.

Again in love with dyeing

2007-05-13T08:36:00.002-05:00

I have begun to dye fabric again using MX type dyes. For a long time I have been looking at fabric in the Dharma Trading Company catalog with desire. So a month or so ago I ordered a variety to try out, planning to sew up some fine threads eventually.

For the 2 yard piece of silk crepe, I folded using a shibori method. A handful of folded fabric which I dyed blue/turquoise.

For the overdye a day or so later, I used a pole wrapping technique and added red-orange-yellow dyes.

I still need to do more to this piece of fabric. I am waiting for the correct urge!

Day to dye for

2007-03-21T21:18:00.002-05:00

Last week I had an adventure. I went to the country northeast of Austin to an Angora goat ranch to dye wool and locks. It was a glorious spring day. I met the wonderful women of Blue Earth Guild.

The blue and yellow are the wool tops that I dyed. And my red-orange kid locks are drying in the sun.

While there we all walked to the pasture to see the Angora kids who were a little over 2 months old. They were so curious and some were affectionate, responding to scratching behind the ears.

The process of raising animals for wool interests me because it is fiber-related. It is so basic, pre-yarn. I will be felting my dyed wool next month, so stay tuned! I am curious and enjoy learning about lots of different techniques.

Beauties of the dog world

2007-03-05T20:48:00.000-06:00

I often take my pups to Auditorium Shores in the evening. The leaves have begun to pop from the branches, so there is excitement in the air and lots of dogs with their people. Please meet a beauty that would hardly hold still for the portrait. Later at home, I posterized the image in Photoshop. All comments are welcome.

Creativity

2007-02-27T20:32:00.000-06:00

I have been in a whirlwind of stimulating creative people over the last month. Gradually I will find time to write about them. I am excited, seeking, awed, encouraged, supported... and more. I have met people from around Texas, the U.S., Canada and Japan. I am feeling a lot of gratitude for all that I have and all that I am able to express. I have seen mountains of generosity and positivity.... and have been able to reciprocate. I wish you the same. Tell me about your experiences.

To the right is a swallowtail butterfly that I photographed last summer just after it had come out of the chrysalis to dry it's wings and to gather energy for the flight. I watched it for several hours.

Dear Barney

2007-02-27T20:19:00.000-06:00

Barney is a beloved friend of our community. He is known far and wide due to his friendly Bassett hound nature. He is a dear friend to Bear and Amber. He has more pep in his step around them. And the little guy's days are numbered, so we value the time we have left with him.

Green veggies in the making

2007-02-27T19:59:00.001-06:00

Spring is here in central Texas. We have been having 70-80 degree days. I have been working on a garden and eating red-veined chard, collards and a small head of broccoli.

Southern Snow

2007-01-17T15:54:00.000-06:00

I have been stitching on the "possibilities" square just a little, but will show you how it is going.

It is not very often that we have snow in central Texas, but we have had lots of wet weather for the past week. First we had an incredible amount of rain -- 5-6" in south Austin where I live. This caused a great amount of flooding and lots of rushing water. I enjoyed that with the dogs by going to Barton Springs and watching the raging water rise and spill over the pool.

Then yesterday and today we had freezing rain and some huge snow flakes. To the right is the view from my chair looking out the window. Plus Casa Ruth with ice.

Work was cancelled, so I have had 5-day weekend! I have not sat with my art at all, but have been creative in many ways. I seem to have the itch to organize, so I have been organizing spaces, paper, and processes. I have made lots of progress and feel great about it.

Jan. 9 Checkin

2007-01-09T20:21:00.000-06:00

I have not been in the creative zone for a couple days. Again, it is all about balance. I need to match my desire with my energy! I have done a little hand stitching, but not enough to post. There is a little group that meets Tuesdays at lunch, so I talked and stitched with Linda for a while. It was a sweet break from the office scene.

A neighbor and I are becoming cooking buddies. We have scheduled two meals a week that we will make and share with each other. I just finished my first casserole in eons: verycheesy casserole from the original Moosewood cookbook. It smells great cooling in the kitchen and I am sure both of us will enjoy it over the next day or so. I would like this process to be creative, and maybe it will be in the future, but so far it is just another chore. A good, delicious one.

2007-01-06T23:12:00.000-06:00

Possibilities, stage 2
It is cold and a little rainy here in Austin today. I went to the public library searching for an entertaining movie and came away with several. Tonight I watched "Full Monty" and had quite a few chuckles. I also stitched for the length of the movie--95 minutes. I use embroidery floss, combining single threads of two similar colors on the needle. At the beginning of this process, I just fill the background with stitches. I change colors of threads when my needle runs out.

I'm not done yet.

2007-01-05T21:59:00.000-06:00

Possibilities
I wanted to create a square this evening using lots of hand stitching. I started it, but will continue tomorrow with stitches, stitches, stitches. I am showing this so you can see how it develops.

Stitching by hand is very meditative for me. I enjoy seeing the transformation that takes place as I add stitches in many colors.

2007-01-03T21:45:00.000-06:00

JOYOUS BALANCE
On the theme of balance, I made a house of my dyed and painted fabrics then used holographic thread to machine quilt bricks and other elements.

2007-01-02T20:50:00.000-06:00

1/2/07
On the theme of balance and a new beginning...

balance
beginning
start
play
sea-saw
swim
walk
glide
run
pause
solid
support
open
window
view
serene
quiet
energy
waves
excitement
creativity
manifest
patience
ideas
talent
ability
desire
reserve
inward
balance
satisfying

2007-01-01T21:03:00.000-06:00

Jan. 1, 2007
For the past year, I have been part of a web group committed to doing daily art. We begin a new year and I again commit to doing daily art. I will not necessarily be producing a finished piece each day, but I will do something creative. So here we are on the first day of the year. It was again a beautiful day in central Texas. I didn't have a plan for the day, but after rising I realized that I needed a day of rejeuvenation... a day of doing whatever I pleased, including taking the dogs on a walk of course. I made myself a cup of coffee and oatmeal, did my daily strength-building exercises, and then went outside to see how the yard looked.

I have been working with Matt my neighbor on cleaning up the yard and planting some spring native plants. Today, two plants that I bought several weeks ago seemed to be calling me. They are sage bushes I got for my front yard to reduce my view of the car lot just down the street. One is a lighter sage, which locals call "barometer bush" because whenever it is going to rain the bush gets small pink flowers. The other bush is a darker sage. I am not sure whether it gets flowers before a rain. Slowly, with enjoyment, I dug the holes and planted the two bushes. It was great to get my hands into the soil. I saw quite a few night crawlers, too. I did the planting over several hours in the afternoon, interspersed with other chores and minding the soup I had on the stove.

My art today was being creative in my yard. It was very grounding. Tomorrow I must clean off my table and create something in fiber.

Happy new year to you all.

2006-12-11T22:05:00.001-06:00

BUDDY thru ZAPI
My little ones. My creatures. The guys. ... these are the names I call them. Some are humans, some dog/cats, some angels. And they could be yours or a gift for a friend. Each quilt square is 5 x 5". I use mostly cotton, sometimes silk. All have machine quilting and most have colorful hand-stitching in the background. Often I paint or dye the fabric.

I have mounted each on quilt-quality black fabric that is stretched/framed to 8 x 8" all ready to hang. They are easy to mail and make a great gift or a treat for yourself. Mount two or three together and you have a great family.

2006-12-11T21:59:00.000-06:00

Buddy's hair sticks up.
Cool blue.

2006-12-11T21:57:00.002-06:00

Jack is orange.
Lalu has wild hair.
Luci is a cat/dog.

2006-12-11T21:49:00.000-06:00

Swing is gold.
Thora is blue.
Turq is ..... well?

2006-12-11T21:47:00.001-06:00

Volter is orange.

2006-12-11T21:44:00.000-06:00

Wingo has wings.
Wingling has many arms.

2006-12-11T21:42:00.000-06:00

Wolina with the golden head.
Zapa with green.

2006-12-11T21:40:00.000-06:00

Zaph

2006-12-11T21:39:00.000-06:00

Zapi

2006-12-11T21:05:00.000-06:00

Mosaic 12/11/06
This is my square that I began last night and finished tonight. I had many scraps of fabric on my table that were left over from cutting out facial features, hair and other parts of squares. I started making foliage along the bottom, then it gradually grew to cover the whole background. What do you think?