Sunday, January 23, 2011

Stephanie Kimura - Art Quilt Exhibit @ Molly's House

This is my art quilt and I am kneeling so that we can get my little heron (white bird at lower left) in the photo. This photo was taken by Leo Arbeznik, professional photographer for Molly's House.

 I just got back from an art quilt show in N. Ft. Myers created by Art Quilters Unlimited. It was a beautiful show, well organized, and the best vendors. I'll add posts about it in the next few days.

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Vintage Kimono Clutch...Kinou no Yume..Dreams of Yesterday

This clutch was made with fabric taken from a vintage Kimono. This fabric is over 70 years old and the colors are as vibrant as ever. In keeping with the very traditional floral images, I've embellished the fabric with hand sewn stitches using silken rayon thread while quilting through the layers of batting and underfabric. I lined it with yellow silk dupioni and machine quilted with two colors of rayon thread. Between the outside layer and the lining, I've included a strip of very stiff stabilizer and insulated it with more batting. This way the clutch can "sit up" on it's bottom surface. I just love this fabric and clutch.

Fellow Kimonophile, Cheryl Imperatore, is editing her book and getting ready for reprint "Kimono...Vanishing Tradition...Japanese Textiles of the 20th Century". I'll keep you posted about the book.

Do you Do DENIM...Artwear?


The reason to exist...Truth! Wear your message of creativity.
This denim noir jacket came together quickly.
It started with a silver foiled "Truth" on the back.
Black lace and meanderingstitching added drama
and it was finished with curls drawn with a permanent marker.
Add Swarovski crystals to put light on the message.
Sometimes an Artwear Journal focuses on a moment in time.
After watching all the politics of our Nation... we need to:
Say what you mean!
Mean what you say!
Put it in writing!
Wear it on your sleeve!





Truth...

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Vitriol & Rhetoric

vit·ri·ol 


[vi-tree-uhl]

noun, verb, -oled, -ol·ing or ( especially British ) -olled, -ol·ling.

–noun

1. Chemistry . any of certain metallic sulfates of glassy appearance, as copper sulfate or blue vitriol, iron sulfate or green vitriol, zinc sulfate or white vitriol, etc.

2. oil of vitriol; sulfuric acid.

3. something highly caustic or severe in effect, as criticism.

–verb (used with object)

4. to treat with or as with vitriol, esp. sulfuric acid.
 
rhet·o·ric 


[ret-er-ik]

–noun

1. (in writing or speech) the undue use of exaggeration or display; bombast.

2. the art or science of all specialized literary uses of language in prose or verse, including the figures of speech.

3. the study of the effective use of language.

4. the ability to use language effectively.

5. the art of prose in general as opposed to verse.

6. the art of making persuasive speeches; oratory.

7. (in classical oratory) the art of influencing the thought and conduct of an audience.

8. (in older use) a work on rhetoric.

refudiate

not a real word

Bwaahahahhhahahha.....

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Barbour's Produce vegetable and fruit stand in Jensen Beach, Florida offers inspiration for ART

This is my favorite place to shop on Indian River Drive

Look at those wonderful colors...

and textures...

this is the first time I saw a brussel sprout on a stem....

Wickles are hot pickles...

I bought those radishes and pickled them...

 It would be awesome to reproduce the texture with fabric dye....

Roasted these....

Orchids are like the dessert of market stands....

Sunday, January 9, 2011

Sewing notions that save time and energy

My favorite sewing supplies. The disappearing/water soluble ink marker is perfect for "marking twice, cutting once". The other is a curved blade seam ripper which makes all the difference in the world. Before I found this, I would just fold up the project and put it in the back of a shelf...ha, ha.My third favorite notion is the Schmetz-Leather sewing machine needle. I used to struggle while sewing with leather...and now it's like stitching through buttah....

Thursday, January 6, 2011

To Savor It All...interview with Morton Kaish

I just read this interview and it blew me away. Some friends of mine take art classes with him and now I see why. Please read:  http://www.sedonaartscenter.com/images/VisitingArtists/MortonKaish/2009-NYC/Kaish-Article.pdf

He studied art in the 1940's and the work above was created in 1993, part of his America series. He was way ahead of his time. Awesome.

Koi Luck Club quilt

I stopped in at Molly's House where Michele and Judy were busily hanging the "I Candy" quilts. The last time I saw the quilts, they were hanging at the World Quilt Show-FL in West Palm Beach.

The Martin County Quilt Guild is exhibiting their Challenge Quilts recognizable by the challenge of including the "log cabin" piecing technique. Some of the quilts are for sale.

There was extra space available (small spaces) so I created another quilt to sell with all of the proceeds to go to Molly's House. I forgot how much fun it is to create these small pieces. It fills me with immediate gratification...which makes me happy. So, this latest piece is called the "Koi Luck Club - 101". I plan (but don't hold your breath...and you won't if you know me) to continue making these and numbering them. (Next one is 102... seemed like a good idea to start with three digits. I think if I started with "1", by the time I got to "3" I might give up.) Ha, ha.

I know this will be a very good New Year...which inspired this quilt. The images on this quilt are auspicious and remind me of the colorful money envelopes for the Chinese New Year....another reason to celebrate, EAT, and receive those envelopes. BTW, 2011 is the Year of the Rabbit. Maybe I should have made quilts with wabbits...no, it's about FABRIC!

I don't usually work with a palette of warm colors like these. The fabrics on the top half and the Kanji vignette at the bottom left came from Lonni Rossi's Collection for Andover Fabrics. All the different fabrics were in a one yard length (kinda like "cheater cloth" for quilting...I hate using that phrase...implying that we're doing something wrong...but, it puts a visual in your head and you know what I mean). Since all the colors match perfectly, I wanted to keep them all together. See, I would have never picked those fabrics to go together...but I love them. And, OF COURSE, they're no longer available...unless they're on a shelf in some little ol' quilt shop somewhere.

The fabric used for the bottom half of the quilt is named "Koi with Lotus and Waves" from Michael Miller Fabrics. This is my all time favorite fabric and there is another turquoise colorway. This was designed by my really, really favorite Designer, Mark Hordyszynski. It was out of print and Kathy & MMF decided to reprint. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

So, you'll be seeing more quilts with Koi...unless I run out of fabric...yeah, like that's gonna happen!

Monday, January 3, 2011

Champagne Reception for the Martin County Quilt Guild @ Molly's House!

What: The Martin County Quilt Guild Challenge Quilts are on exhibit at Molly's House. This is a non    profit endeavor and some of the quilts will be for sale. A portion of the sale goes to support Molly's House. There will be a Champagne reception in our honor and the public is welcome. I'll have a quilt there...please buy it...I am donating all the proceeds from the sale.


When: Thursday, January 6, 2011 ~ 5:30 to 7:00 pm

Where: Molly's House (click here for the link and directions)

Sponsored by the Law Office of Lauri Goldstein

PS:  Here is a link to a quilt the MCQ Guild created for the House of Refuge

Saturday, January 1, 2011

Indian Riverside Park, Jensen Beach, Florida

First let me say, this is a loooong post. You may enjoy it or you might get bored. It's kind of a personal post for old friends who have moved away. I keep meaning to send them updated photos but it's been ten years since that idea started. So, since I am taking friends for a tour, it seemed like a good time to take these photos. I've been meaning to send them to Nancy D and Marie. Here it is:
I started at the north side of the Evans Crary bridge  (it cost almost $31 million) at Sewall's Point where there is a plaque. The photo to the left is of the shore just before you get to the plaque and in front of Benihana.
Then I got in the car and drove about a mile to the restaurant that used to be the "The Frances Langford Outrigger Resort" where you could get a perfect Mai Tai. You can still get one and now you can get a Raspberry Martini too...yummmm. The resort was renamed "The Dolphin Bar".

This is an awesome tree in front of the restaurant.

This is where Frances Langford docked her megayacht the Chanticleer (next to the restaurant). 

 I walked to the street, Indian River Drive, and this is the view of the river with the restaurant at the right.

This is the very exclusive gated community across the street from the restaurant. It used to be very rustic and overgrown with foliage. Frances Langford's estate is deep inside on the water. She used to have peacocks and let them roam freely. Have you ever heard them SCREAM?...I mean the peacocks.

I am approaching one of the few "hills" we have. If you make a left turn, where that car is coming from, you can experience our hill.

Here it is....our hill. A long time ago, this hill lead to the F.I.T. dorms that used to be on the right. They demolished the building and took away that enormous trash bin and built an enormous assisted living facility.

Here is the new building and another view below.

It's big.

Across the street, back to the river front, is the new Indian Riverside Park.
This was the F.I.T. campus. Here is a link to an editorial article written by Sally Swartz for the Palm Beach Post. She writes about how the money was collected for the renovation, the history of the buildings, and land. She informs us that Mount Elizabeth is really a 4,000-year-old Ais Indian midden on the National Register of Historic Places. The mound contains fish bones, pottery, shell ornaments and other remnants of Ais life.
Here's their dolphin fountain.

I'm looking through the trees down to the main facility. This is not a great photo technique.

Here's the building I was trying to photograph and it is named in honor of Frances Langford. It has huge room for events. Nancy, we could have used this building when you were here! It's really more beautiful than it looks...and the view is spectacular.

This is the Children's Museum of the Treasure Coast. I think this building was once a Chapel.

Heading north on the path.


Hmm...this is a photo I took of the Mansion but it looks more like a painting. This was the former Leach Family estate. I read that it was the administrative building for F.I.T. at some time after that.

A friend who used to live in this area just emailed me and gave me this additional info about the history of this building before it was used for F.I.T. :   "This was also the novitiate convent for the Sisters of St. Joseph in the 50s where girls entered to become nuns. I entered the convent in 1956. The Postulant (beginners) dorm was on the upper left side. The curved windows below was where our dining room was. Middle second floor where the balcony is was our bathroom area with shower stalls, toilet stalls, sinks. Behind that facing the back was our second floor recreation room. On the upper left was more dorm space. Chapel was below. In the circle (of the driveway) we had a statue of St. Joseph."


This is the view of the river from the Mansion.

Now, back down to the main portion of the park.

Here's the back of the building and a little beach.

And there's a pier.

On the way to the pier, behind the building, there was a wedding rehearsal. The grass died because we had some cold weather. Mine looks like that too.

I walked to the end and looking back at how far I've walked.

To the left is the bridge that takes you from Sewall's Point to Hutchinson Island.

Looking at the Dolphin Bar from the river.

On the way back...I noticed these commemorative plaques on the boards of the pier.
"Loved, Laughed, Lived, & fished my greatest catch Danny Walraven"

"Whatshisface...We Love You"

THE END