Japan! Quilt Visions! Quilt Japan Award! OH MY!

I was honored at Quilt Visions 2016, for my work, "The Creative Hand", with the Quilt Japan Award at Visions Museum in CA. I was invited to Japan to share 2 workshops. Digital Fiber Mini Quilt and Media Mix Creative Photo Transfer Collage. In addition, I had a featured solo exhibit at Quilt and Stitch Show in TOKYO !! This piece and several others are on tour in Japan for the Niigata Quilt and Stitch Shows 2017!

 My host was RYOKO KOBAYASHI General Group Leader of Japan Handicrafts Instructors' Association.

Digital Fiber Mini Quilt  
includes my innovative batting technique- fusing felt to the back which serves as both backing and batting, plus coating and finishing techniques! Students had the opportunity to try specialty medium enhancements for a unique mixed media mini quilt!

working on a Digital Mini Segmented Quilt

Lovely Finish!

Media Mix Creative Photo Transfer
includes a creative easy collage technique using fiber and other mixed media elements. We create a black and white photo for transfer. Easy and curiously satisfying!
More workshop selections- http://fiberartgoddess.blogspot.com

beautifully done transfer

Chiaki Dosho and I after shopping at the fabulous Nuno shop in Tokyo! I love the textures in the subtle fabric colors!

 I was treated like a princess! Chiaki and Hiroko took me around for some wonderful sightseeing. 

I had the pleasure of a traditional dinner with Mr. Seto Chairman JHIA, President Nihon Vogue and his lovely wife.

wonderful transfer

time for show and tell!

another wonderful transfer

Happy 2017 Holidays!

As winter’s shadows wane,

the light begins to return.

The time of gathering is near.

Let us pause to remember our blessings.

Appreciate the moments, 

This Moment, 

this moment, 

every moment!

A Day in the Woods

Walking while I wonder is a treasured activity. It helps me center. But sometimes I just don't or am too frazzled to remember, to remember to do just that.

Naturally, all expectations were confounded. I've been ever so busy teaching and traveling. It doesn't allow much time for thinking, the life bread of creating my art. I'm heading toward giving up teaching. I do love it when I'm actually in the workshop- but the time preparing, traveling, then decompressing and evaluating when it's over- not to mention trouble shooting the venue!

You can only deal with what is happening now.  Nothing is perfect, nothing is perfect.

International Quilt Festival- Holographic Workshop Projects

Teaching at the International Quilt Festival in Houston TX has been quite a new and different experience. I taught Holographic Images Workshop on Monday, during the Quilt Market. I had a group of 20 wonderful and talented students.

Marilyn 

We climbed over changing rooms, incomplete supply list, my fault, and limited plastic work surfaces but came out on the other end with some wonderful works. Here's three!

Susan!

Hope!

Jean!

Marilyn's side view

brand new 3 or 5 day workshop -Digital Explorations in Fiber

Most of you know that I have a brand new 3 or 5 day workshop that delves into "making your photographs your own! Expand your vision of a digital print! Participants will be introduced to inkjet printing on fiber and mixed media substrates. The types of substrates that can be created are nearly limitless. Explore the possibilities! Based on Wen's book- ‘Digital Fiber Art and Mixed Media Masterpieces’. The focus is on experimentation and construction of substrates!"

 

General knowledge of Photoshop or a similar editing program is advantageous but not necessary.  This is not covered in this workshop and simple images are just fine!

       A a printer is required as it will enable you to print at your own pace. You could share with a couple people. (If sharing printers, bring your photos on USB stick to plug in their computer.)      3-5 days 
More about this workshop HERE

Printer Suggestions 8/25/2017 (subject to change)  HERE

some lovely quotes- 

Digital fibre art is one of Wen's signature techniques. She has been recognized in the textile/fibre world for decades, and this experience and expertise is well reflected here. As with most how-to books, it starts at the beginning with the kinds of tools and equipment needed to give a good result. Wen then takes off from there, showing how to alter images, print them on different fabrics, and then apply stitch for added depth, interest, and highlighting. By incorporating a number of different techniques, the finished work looks more layered and complex, but it is very achievable. An interested beginner should not be put off, as Wen offers many tips. At the same time, experience artists will find enough here to take their work to the next level."  Down Under Textiles, Issue 25

"To say that I'm excited about what I've learned from you would be a huge understatement.  Next week can't come soon enough; getting to see so many of the techniques you discuss in your book is a dream come true." Karen

my book, center stage at the Stitching Post, Sisters OR 

"Your book has been on my wishlist since it was announced.  Glad finally ordered it.  It has really energized me and inspired to to experiment with adding  a new dimension to my work.   Right now I'm just having fun and exploring options.  Love the process!"  Kathie

More workshop selections- http://fiberartgoddess.blogspot.com

poppy

The morning begins. 
The touch and feel of paper and fiber call me again and again. 

To create, to apply paint, line and stitch, to print my images! 
Play! 
Explore and experiment! 
Fingers tingle at the thought!

Any Given Moment

I love to experiment, collage and layer. Often I do this digitally but there is something so satisfying about creating collage with pieces of found items, scraps of fabric or paper and creating something wonderful!

Any Given Moment, a collage of Plastic, paper, original printed digital cloth, painted fabrics, text & stitching. 12x12 

I created a everybody has fun collage workshop called Serendipity Collage. It's at least a 2 to 5 day workshop but can be done in a day. 

More about that workshop HERE or see the workshop tab at the top of this page.

detail

One feature of this collage is painted plastic. I work on plastic, allot! I have created a new substrate called medium lifts, which I explain in my book. (see sidebar) The paint marks left on the plastic work surface can be quite nice.

paint left on white kitchen plastic

white gesso 

layers of paint on both sides of clear plastic

'
Any Given Moment is my donation for the wonderful organization, Studio Art Quilts and is available for purchase in the upcoming SAQA Benefit Auction on 9/15---more info  HERE

2017 Benefit Auction Dream Collection

Dream Collection Theme- The Mystery  

Who is that?

Where is that? 

How did they do that?

 Why did they do that?                     
 

 The 21st century art quilt explores the surface, makes marks and pushes the limits.

 It is an expression, a creation and a shared perception!

Bid on these & many more starting this September 15 at the SAQA Annual Art Quilt Auction!  

info HERE

Art Quilts Extraordinary

The Whistler Museum, Lowell, MA, has a fantastic exhibit of art quilts, right now, until 9/1.

Juror's Award: The Wrath of Poseidon by Marilyn Belford

Puzzles Through the Trees by Maryann Gallaher

I had the pleasure of teaching at the Museum in April. The workshop was called Media Mix Creative Photo Transfer. There are tons of ways to do transfers but this technique works especially well over a textured collage of fabric, string, threads and paper.

St John's Bridge by Janice Jones

Mushrooms in the Field by Diane Harris

Where Are We? by Arlene Jacobs

There was a student’s display of works from the workshop! I usually never see the results of my workshops so it was a real pleasure to be there for this display. 

Students took the concept and made it their own!

I was proud of them! Arlene created 3-D Dragon Flies in this piece!

See my workshops HERE

More information about the exhibit go HERE

Quilting by the Lake Workshops

We had a fabulous time at Quilting by the Lake. I taught 2 classes, 2 day Holographic Memories and More, which is a compound workshop that included Thermal Fax silk-screening. 

Carol

Eileen

We used our own photos to silkscreen the fabric for the borders we used to create our unique 3-D Holographic fiber photos. Everyone completed some terrific pieces. 

Some how I didn’t get shots! Here’s my Holographic demo piece though.

The second three days I taught the premier of the new workshop Digital Explorations for the first time. This 3 day, or also available 5 day version, is based on my new book, Digital Fiber Art: Combine Photos and Fabric - Create Your Own Mixed-Media Masterpiece available on the side bar, CT Publishing or viva Amazon.

Jan

The workshop focuses on the creation of a variety of substrates, which we printed in workshop. Most everyone had printers; some used them for the very first time in class!

Joanna

Denise

Some of us affixed our printed results in an accordion book, which really looked lovely. A great way to keep track of printed samples! Everyone was excited and inspired- at least that’s what they told me!

Cindy

More workshop selections- http://fiberartgoddess.blogspot.com

Let Me Tell You About My Workshops- Stalking the Wild Leaf

Learn about this low-tech alternative printing method without a press!

A focused printing workshop based mainly on printing with flat natural items like leaves but other items too.

Use fabric and any kind or paper!

Create a journal with the finished work in several different ways.

Journal base made with up-cycled greeting cards

This is a relaxing workshops with results that can be used in almost any project!

More workshop selections- http://fiberartgoddess.blogspot.com

#ARTifacts Art Journal Project with Seth Apter

a diary
a journal

a scrapbook
a record keeper

design inspiration keeper
a source

a reminder

see more journals at Seth's blog HERE