Happy May !

Well it's just after midnight where I am and officially May 1.  We DO have a prompt word this month - thank you Kristin Freeman.  The word is Awakening  

For those of you who are in the midst of developing a series, I think that's great and hope you will consider the prompt word as another influence on your work this month. We had discussed that some of us would like to end up with a more cohesive body of work at the end of the year - including myself and that will definitely be doable. Most of the prompt words that we are given can lead us off in so many directions.

Remember - the prompt word itself does NOT have to be in the Haiku.

This is definitely a time of transition for our Haiku Art Group. It's wonderful to look back over the last 16 months and see all the moving words and exciting art that has come from this group.

And now we are welcoming new members and are excited to have Elena Stokes already posting her work!

We look forward to having Phyllis Cullen joining us soon as well.

Kathy Loomis offered a great observation about our two sites (internal/external) and suggested that perhaps we post exclusively here so that everyone knows exactly where to seek information.

That will certainly simplify communication.

However I recommend that we leave our internal site active for the time being just to see if there are occasions when we need it.

I don't think that the art will get lost in the chatter - we have such an easy system with the labels to find everything readily.

My final note - Congratulations to our most diligent completers and posters:  Martha Dennis and Kris Bishop. Many kudos to both of you. That's sure not an easy accomplishment.

Have a wonderful productive month of May!

hugs,

Guila Greer

honeyquilts@gmail.com

April - Pink Moon

Another moon.  I've always wanted to do a series on the traditional full moons, so I reckon that's what you'll be seeing here now, since there won't be any more prompt words.

The Native American name for April's full moon is Pink Moon, called such after the wildflowers that bloom around this time of year in the east.  Other names are Sprouting Grass Moon, Egg Moon and Fish Moon, all of which reflect what's going outside in the spring.

I have cheated a bit on this one, in that I made this piece in early March and have written the current haiku for it.  In February, I took my first class at Quilt University, a class called Dyeing with Tea and Spices, taught by Marjie McWilliams.  It was a lot of fun playing with what was already in my kitchen to create colors on fabric and I've learned enough to be experimenting with what's growing out in my yard.  Over the weekend it was dandelion greens, which produced a fine pale yellow.  Intrigued?  The class will come around again in mid-July.

This was my final class project and all the fabrics in it were dyed by me.  The pink gradation was made from Tazo Passion tea.  Those blue birds were probably from berries, or perhaps red cabbage.  The yellow and greens could have been from a lot of things.  I didn't write it down, I was busy making it out of my new fabrics.

in the warm moonlight
spring blossoms cast a pink glow
as birds soar to mate

Just thought I'd share . . .

Greetings!  I'm so happy to join your group.  Two of my favorite things - art and haiku!

I don't have an April haiku and art piece but I thought I would share a peak of the quilt I made for SAQA's Seasonal Palette exhibit that will premiere in November at the Houston show.  They have asked us not to publish until after the exhibit opens but I can show a little sneak preview.  Just to give a little background on this exhibit and me . . . I'm new to SAQA, I joined in July of 2011 though I've been quilting for about 20 years, and this exhibit was the first members exhibit I tried to enter.  Submission to exhibit was a little unusual.  Artists had to submit a portfolio of four quilts, choose a season and explain why, along with an explanation of the technique to be used. They selcected 38 artists out of 147 but I think only 36 will be exhibiting.  We had six months to create the artwork which had a size requirement of 32″ x 78″ high.  Originally, I chose winter as my season but since so many of the selected artists did as well, about half, many, including myself were reassigned.  I got spring!  Plus, when writing my artist statement, I decided to write it in haiku.  It just seemed to fit.  So, my quilt and haiku do have a little to do with April especially with the very early spring we're having here in New Jersey.  Today, in fact, I saw my first iris!  In April!  So, maybe I do have an April haiku, two haiku in fact, and artwork to share.  

My technique is simple:  I tear fabric into strips and collage it into a painting, then I fuse it down and then finally quilt it.  Even though it sounds simple enough, the collaging - the painting of the scene - takes a long time.  I use hand dyed fabrics and batiks that I collected for years.  Did anyone say fabriholic?

I realize you won't quite get the the first haiku because you can't see the entire quilt but I will post the whole thing in November!  Anyway, I hope you enjoy. 

Elena

The title of the quilt is from one of the haiku: 

Tranquil Marsh - Wild Iris

warm golden light

shrugs off the chill of gray

blinking open

lush violet

blooms in a tranquil marsh

wild iris

March - Glimmer

This is the result of experimenting with my Inktense pencils.  The rainbow colors are a bit bright...

the dark sky brightens
as the storm ends, a rainbow -
a glimmer of hope

Phases of the Moon

I thought of all the different sayings that we have to describe the moon: some quite descriptive, others turned into common expressions and a few quite fanciful.  So much folklore and romance has evolved from our common experience of viewing this orb in the night sky. 

I chose just 3 such expressions to paint a little mixed media piece called Phases of the Moon.

The Phases are:  Blue Moon, Green Cheese Moon and Harvest Moon

At a future time I plan to do a textile piece based on a similar theme:

and the Haiku

chameleon moon
many faces to delight
changing yet constant

February - Moon

Many cultures have names for their full moons, and in North America the February full moon is most commonly called the snow moon. Alternate names are Bone Moon or Hunger Moon, due I suppose to all that snow keeping the game inaccessible while the previous year's harvest stores are dwindling.

The snowy fields and the moon are hand appliqued, and the snowflakes are hand embroidered.  Lucky that no two showflakes are ever alike.

february moon
snowflakes falling to the earth
each one different

Exhileration

Arms stretch wide, graceful
Music flows all around us
Rhythm beats through us

The art came first this month. I went rooting around in the material bins, and found this snow-dye that just *looked* exhilerating. Then I noodled around with embroidery floss, sequins, and beads, and it started to look the way I felt when I belly danced. (Too many years ago now.) The haiku reflects the feeling of dancing with a group of other women.

Urban Moon

Freeway overpass

Blossoms in red graffiti

Slicing grey moonlight

The strip piecing in the upper left began as an trial of a free rotary cutting and curved piecing method I ran into last summer.  When the small bit I'd done and the cut fabrics came out from beneath the piles on the cutting table at the new year's clean up, I thought I'd play with it some more and see where it went.  There was no plan ever.  The quilt told me what it wanted and that's what it got.

This quilt is 9 x 11.5" and is totally machine done.  I also tried a new facing method, which was easy but I still come out with those weird curved corners.  Leftover traditionalist that I am, I want those corners to be square. 

I have also decided not to write the haiku on the quilt unless the design would be enhanced by the words.  I struggled with that all last year.  My handwriting is so sloppy,  that  no matter how hard I tried,  I felt I ruined some of my pieces with the lettering.

The original haiku I wrote for January was about the exhilaration to be found in working with a new method or idea:

experimenting
trying something different
exhilarating!

But I liked what turned out so much that I thought it deserved a haiku of its own.  I want to make a larger piece like this, only I would satin stitch those fused rocks first, instead of quilting them on.


exhilarated,
a river rushing to sea
wears away rough rocks

Exhilaration

The American Heritage Dictionary defines "Exhilaration" as    "The state of being stimulated, refreshed, or elated."

Sometimes all it takes to experience these feelings is to step outside on a sunny day.

The Haiku

scent of new mown grass

sunbeam caresses my cheek

living...feeling...aaaaah...

For the art work that I was preparing to go with this haiku - I didn't want to be too structured.  I wanted to indicate an almost childlike feeling of exhilaration with my composition and color choices.

At the same time, as a developing art quilter, I wanted to incorporate a couple of new techniques and see "what if"?

First off I used a "blah" pastel print in lieu of plain muslin as my base. I didn't mind that it partly "showed through" - just felt it added some interest.

I felt that color was of first importance in this piece - so before doing anything else I painted my background using acrylic paint.  In order to add some texture to the piece I used some Golden Light Molding Paste to parts of the grassy area.    

I quilted it extensively with heavy thread.  

Guila Greer

January: Interim Exhilaration

This is not my "real" haiku piece for the month, I'm still working on that one.

Despite my venturings into machine quilting, I never want to be without a quilt on the frame.  Hand quilting is so relaxing every evening.  This project was begun last fall and has been on the frame for almost a week.  I meant to take a picture of the completed top before it went on the frame, but I got impatient and forgot.  I thought the occasion deserved a haiku.

the piecing finished
a new quilt is on the frame
exhilarating!

Orca Bay and a new design

I started designing a wallhanging to teach in the spring. I did it in Bali's , not bad, but prefer the home dyed fabrics. Here it is:

It still needs quilted and binding.
Here is one row of the Orca Bay quilt, as you see my design board is not wide enough :)

It has turned very cold, our spring like weather is gone. -29 today and will stay that way most of the week. Great weather for finishing the Orca Bay quilt!
Hope you are having a great week.

December - Yule

from the bright yule fire
sparks rising, becoming stars
to light the new year

http://www.protectourcoralsea.org.au/act-now/sign/4019

http://www.protectourcoralsea.org.au/act-now/sign/4019

Yule Haiku and Fiber Art - December 30, 2011

Yule Haiku and Fiber Art - December 30, 2011

Sparkling baubles...
Glistening upon the tree...
My eyes dance with cheer...

       A designed and made this fiber art piece to go with my "yule"  haiku.  I made thousands of beaded icicles for my Christmas tree over the years.  I took a digital photo of some of these icicles in a crystal vase on my coffee table and then printed it on fabric.  I then quilted it and added real  red beads to the tree and many of my beaded icicles onto the photo of the vase.   This gives it a 3-D effect.   Fifteen of my beaded icicles were attached to this fiber piece.   It does glisten brightly.

November - Gnarled

ancient catalpa
gnarled witness to history
leaves whisper secrets



Our prompt word immediately brought to mind the gnarly bark of the catalpa tree which I have photographed many times.  Chatham Manor, built around 1770, stands just across the river north of Fredericksburg, VA and served as a Union headquarters and hospital.  In front of the house are two catalpa trees, known as "witness trees", which were planted before the Civil War.

To learn more:
Chatham Manor
Chatham Catalpa Tree

The background image in my piece is from my own photograph, transferred onto a batik with Lesley Riley's TAP paper.  The quilt measures 11.5 x 14.5.

December prompt

The word for December, and our final word for this first year is: YULE

Have fun, and Happy Holidays!

Cherie

"Gnarled Coral" - Haiku Fiber Art and Poem - November 30, 2011

"Gnarled Coral" - Haiku Fiber Art and Poem - November 30, 2011

We're safe and secure...
Hidden from the world's dangers...
Is it just a dream...

   I designed and made this fiber piece with cotton fabrics, fancy yarns and beads.

My Peach Rhapsody

Just about the time we got the Haiku prompt word for September I was itching to do another fiber/ribbon collage quilt.  The perfect opportunity arose when we were presented with the word “Rhapsody”.
I always think it’s  interesting to look at thought processes and how we end up where we end up so I hope you do too.  I considered “what have I been rhapsodizing about lately?” Peaches!!  I had brought home some from the market and every time I had one I was oohing and aahing about how declicious and perfect it was.
AND, just a few days before I had been in the local quilt shop looking at orange and PEACH fabric and carrying on about how gorgeous it was.

Tada!……………….. Peach Rhapsody
And here’s the Haiku

late summer harvest

fruit heavy branches bow low

ripe juicy peaches

November - Gnarly Old Cat

For several years we have had a little family of feral cats occupying our back yard. Yes, we’ve been feeding them, and at one point early on we trapped them (3) and took them to be sterilized and for shots. We then turned them loose once again. There was no way these were ever going to be pets. 
Now, there is one plus a couple of neighborhood interlopers who come around from time to time.  This remaining little cat is the original – the Mom cat – she must be at least 15 or 16 now and is a tiny tough kitty. And very gnarly indeed.
Here is my Haiku:  

Gnarly Old Cat

Gnarly old cat waits

Not quite feral not near tame

Now running away

 

November word prompt: GNARLED

Here is the word for November : GNARLED

I hope you will have a lot of fun with this one. I see all kinds of possibilities.

Cherie

"Canopy of Caladiums " - Haiku and Fiber Art - October 31, 2011

 "Canopy of Caladiums" - Haiku and Fiber Art - October 31, 2011

A place of shelter...
Caladiums surround me...
The bugs feel secure...

October - Canopy

My 10x6" quilt is meant to depict the rain forest canopy, and that flash of crimson represents all the exotic species to be found up there.  The leaves were cut from my collection of leaf fabrics and are not fused, only glued enough to hold them in place for the stitching.  I thought the frayed edges might make them look wilder...or something.


in the canopy
high above the forest floor
a streak of crimson

Canopy

Leafy canopy,
Dappled shadows on the earth.
Life revealed below.

9"x12", done with Noriko Endo's confetti landscape technique.
Ann

Canopy

My found haiku reads:

   the turtle-doves sat
   or fluttered from bough to bough
   pines over my head