I live in northern Virginia and the firework display in Washington DC is spectacular. I beaded the fireworks on this fiber piece. My haiku for this piece is:
Bombs bursting in air...
I see and hear the fireworks...
My heart beats quickly...
Thursday, September 29, 2011
A Spectacular Rhapsody - Fiber Art and Haiku - September 29, 2011
I live in northern Virginia and the firework display in Washington DC is spectacular. I beaded the fireworks on this fiber piece. My haiku for this piece is:
Bombs bursting in air...
I see and hear the fireworks...
My heart beats quickly...
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Hungarian Rhapsody
The first thing that came to mind when considering September's Rhapsody prompt was the Hungarian Rhapsodies by Franz Liszt, probably some leftover fragment of my years of piano lessons. While thinking about the musical theme, I was also making up the grocery list for the coming week and somehow Hungarian Goulash, which has paprika as the defining ingredient, entered the mix.
I used an inkjet transparency transfer method with gold Lumiere paint to create the background. The piano keys were done with CorelDraw, Photoshop and good old pencil and paper, when I couldn't get the computer to make just what I was after, then printed onto fabric and enhanced with colored pencils. The pepper shape was from a photograph and just the perfect bit of fabric. I left off the haiku words, as it seemed busy enough already. The whole is machine quilted - the lines are meant to represent sound waves. I tried a facing for the edge finish, which is certainly clean and easy, though the corners aren't sharp enough to suit me. Next time. This one is small - only 9x6.5".
music fills the air
expect the unexpected
rhapsody in life
I used an inkjet transparency transfer method with gold Lumiere paint to create the background. The piano keys were done with CorelDraw, Photoshop and good old pencil and paper, when I couldn't get the computer to make just what I was after, then printed onto fabric and enhanced with colored pencils. The pepper shape was from a photograph and just the perfect bit of fabric. I left off the haiku words, as it seemed busy enough already. The whole is machine quilted - the lines are meant to represent sound waves. I tried a facing for the edge finish, which is certainly clean and easy, though the corners aren't sharp enough to suit me. Next time. This one is small - only 9x6.5".
music fills the air
expect the unexpected
rhapsody in life
Friday, September 16, 2011
Rhapsody
Joyous ecstasy,
Harmonic rhapsody,
Music to my ears.
9"x12", this is my contribution to this month's prompt.
Ann In Fallbrook, CA
Harmonic rhapsody,
Music to my ears.
9"x12", this is my contribution to this month's prompt.
Ann In Fallbrook, CA
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Monday, September 12, 2011
Sheers Series #8: Rhapsody In Blue
SPARKLING AUTUMN SKIESSHADES FROM AZURE TO SAPPHIRE
RHAPSODY IN BLUE
I am posting my piece unfinished, as I am leaving town again and won't be able to finish til I return home. It is all sheers, #8 in my series. This time I opted to use no fusible, so the pieces are all basted together right now. Not sure exactly how I will finish the edges...I have two or three ideas and will experiment when I can.
It measures 36"x27"
Thanks Pat for the beautiful word prompt!
Your comments and suggestions are as always gratefully received!
Cherie
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Life's a Rhapsody
My small quilt is 18x 30". It is on a silk background quilted with music symbols. The ribbons are doing the dance. I love all comments, criticisms, and discussions.
Life is a Rhapsody
Irregular, improvised
colorful music
Sunday, September 4, 2011
September Word Prompt: RHAPSODY
Howdy everyone...Here it is another month gone by, and time for our Sept. word prompt. The word this time is presented by Pat Havey: RHAPSODY.
This should elicit some wonderful poetry and art...I'm looking forward to them!
Cherie
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Journey - Seeing the Elephant
No one knows the exact origin of the phrase "seeing the elephant" in conjunction with a journey.
Hindus consider it a good omen to see an elephant when one is traveling. In the Hindu pantheon, Ganesha, who is depicted with the head of an elephant, is the patron of beginnings, the arts and sciences, and writing. Ganesha is revered for his ability to remove obstacles, though he has been known to place those same obstacles in the way of those who need to be deterred from the paths they have chosen.
Historically, Alexander the Great defeated an army mounted on elephants during his campaign in the Indus Valley in the 3rd century BC. The ancient Greeks used elephants in war, as did the Seleucids of eastern Macedonia and the Egyptian Ptolemaic dynasties. The Carthaginian general Hannibal drove an army of elephants over the Alps in 218 BC, though most of his elephants didn't make it.
In these early encounters, those who "saw the elephant" would have likely been awed and frightened, unless of course, they were those fielding the war elephants.
Charlemagne was intrigued by stories of the massive beast and managed to acquire one of his own for his palace at Aachen (Aix-la-Chapelle). People came from all over to see this marvelous animal.
In America, there were traveling circuses which often included an elephant, and the inhabitants of the towns which these shows visited would ask each other if they "had seen the elephant".
When American settlers began to move west in the early 1800s, their letters and diaries often mentioned "seeing the elephant". In the early years of the westward migration, the phrase denoted excitement at seeing new places and anticipation of a better life ahead. In later years it became more common as a description of discouragement when the hardships of their journey turned out to be more than they could bear, or when their destination eluded them. Indeed, many of these immigrants turned back in their defeat. During the Civil War, soldiers would refer to a battle they had been in, or an upcoming one, as "seeing the elephant".
I have chosen this elephant to illustrate our journey word this month because I think all of us who create have met our own elephants along the way.
My elephants this month were an earthquake and a hurricane, neither of which did any real damage here, though that first elephant made quite the bad impression on one who had never even considered worrying about such a thing, and stopped forward movement for over a week.
This piece is 8.5 x 11", machine appliqued and quilted. The background design is my own drawing, and the elephant was machine embroidered prior to the quilting and is based on an elephant drawing in the public domain, from wikicommons.
when following dreams
the journey must continue
past the elephant
Hindus consider it a good omen to see an elephant when one is traveling. In the Hindu pantheon, Ganesha, who is depicted with the head of an elephant, is the patron of beginnings, the arts and sciences, and writing. Ganesha is revered for his ability to remove obstacles, though he has been known to place those same obstacles in the way of those who need to be deterred from the paths they have chosen.
Historically, Alexander the Great defeated an army mounted on elephants during his campaign in the Indus Valley in the 3rd century BC. The ancient Greeks used elephants in war, as did the Seleucids of eastern Macedonia and the Egyptian Ptolemaic dynasties. The Carthaginian general Hannibal drove an army of elephants over the Alps in 218 BC, though most of his elephants didn't make it.
In these early encounters, those who "saw the elephant" would have likely been awed and frightened, unless of course, they were those fielding the war elephants.
Charlemagne was intrigued by stories of the massive beast and managed to acquire one of his own for his palace at Aachen (Aix-la-Chapelle). People came from all over to see this marvelous animal.
In America, there were traveling circuses which often included an elephant, and the inhabitants of the towns which these shows visited would ask each other if they "had seen the elephant".
When American settlers began to move west in the early 1800s, their letters and diaries often mentioned "seeing the elephant". In the early years of the westward migration, the phrase denoted excitement at seeing new places and anticipation of a better life ahead. In later years it became more common as a description of discouragement when the hardships of their journey turned out to be more than they could bear, or when their destination eluded them. Indeed, many of these immigrants turned back in their defeat. During the Civil War, soldiers would refer to a battle they had been in, or an upcoming one, as "seeing the elephant".
I have chosen this elephant to illustrate our journey word this month because I think all of us who create have met our own elephants along the way.
My elephants this month were an earthquake and a hurricane, neither of which did any real damage here, though that first elephant made quite the bad impression on one who had never even considered worrying about such a thing, and stopped forward movement for over a week.
This piece is 8.5 x 11", machine appliqued and quilted. The background design is my own drawing, and the elephant was machine embroidered prior to the quilting and is based on an elephant drawing in the public domain, from wikicommons.
when following dreams
the journey must continue
past the elephant
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
"Journey" - fiber art / haiku - August 30, 2011
My haiku fiber art piece for August was about a journey. I did a photo transfer onto treated fabric of a digital photo that I took while taking off from LAX this past month. It is machine quilted.
My haiku for the fiber piece is;
Where am I going?...
My journey to happiness...
I'm above the clouds...
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Journey
One Step begins a
Journey of one thousand miles.
I can't find my shoes.
This is a small watercolor with pen and ink. I used a few patterns from Zentagles to do the border and background.
ANN
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Journey
my found haiku reads:
The next train arrives
rounding-up of stray children
outside the station
Thursday, August 4, 2011
AUGUST PROMPT: JOURNEY
Here it is , the 5th of August already, can you believe how fast this summer has flown by?
The word prompt for this month comes to us from Becky: JOURNEY.
Looking forward to all the wonderful haiku and art pieces for this one! Have fun
Cherie
Saturday, July 30, 2011
"Balance" - Fiber Art and Haiku - July 30, 2011
Look at how you stand...
Life is full of challenges...
Maintain your balance...
I designed and made this fiber art piece to go with a haiku about balance. I used cotton fabric, fancy yarn and shells on this piece.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
(un)balanced
Balance - yin and yang
Competing priorities
Pushing and pulling
This may be my favorite piece so far. It is "8.5 x 11" like my other pieces, but is not square - the quilting distorted the dimensions and so I left it that way.
Competing priorities
Pushing and pulling
This may be my favorite piece so far. It is "8.5 x 11" like my other pieces, but is not square - the quilting distorted the dimensions and so I left it that way.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
July - Balance
The first thing that came to my mind when I saw our word for July was "The Ape Who Guards the Balance" (Amelia Peabody, anyone?) A bit of research told me that the book title refers to Thoth, the ancient Egyptian deity who weighed the hearts of the deceased to determine their fates.
Using an ancient Egyptian god in a Japanese poetic form wasn't going to fly, nor did I want to make anything death themed, but those scales stuck with me. Then I thought of juggling the things I have to do and the things I want to do. I googled juggler images and turned up an Egyptian tomb painting of female jugglers. Still ignoring the obvious sign from god to make an Egyptian sort of quilt, I came up with this one.
The juggler is based on the tomb painting (which is in the public domain), but the face and eye were modernized. I drew the scales while looking at various scale images, and scanned a real skeleton key to trace. They key bit came from a book-on-tape I was listening to at the time, can't think what now. The line was "the key is balance".
Techniques include fused applique, stitched down with monofilament, machine quilting, and hand embroidery (the chains holding the scales). The haiku is written with a Liquid Gold pen.
trying to juggle
too many balls in the night
balance is the key
Using an ancient Egyptian god in a Japanese poetic form wasn't going to fly, nor did I want to make anything death themed, but those scales stuck with me. Then I thought of juggling the things I have to do and the things I want to do. I googled juggler images and turned up an Egyptian tomb painting of female jugglers. Still ignoring the obvious sign from god to make an Egyptian sort of quilt, I came up with this one.
The juggler is based on the tomb painting (which is in the public domain), but the face and eye were modernized. I drew the scales while looking at various scale images, and scanned a real skeleton key to trace. They key bit came from a book-on-tape I was listening to at the time, can't think what now. The line was "the key is balance".
Techniques include fused applique, stitched down with monofilament, machine quilting, and hand embroidery (the chains holding the scales). The haiku is written with a Liquid Gold pen.
trying to juggle
too many balls in the night
balance is the key
Thursday, July 21, 2011
July Haiku Art - Balance
What balance means to me these days is the attempt to put the mind and body into a balanced or integrated state as we do through Yoga practice.
My quilt incorporates the words: "Shanti" which means peace and "So Hum" . So Hum is a mantra that we use for focus while doing deep breathing.
The Haiku
close your eyes breathe in
jasmine scented air swirling
find your center - stay
 |
| Shanti 2 |
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Balance
My found haiku reads:
they float through the air
dance on the tips of their toes
The dancers take joy
they float through the air
dance on the tips of their toes
The dancers take joy
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Steam-A-Cheese
This is my first project for the Haiku Art Quilters, and I hope it is OK. I made a small quilt, only 5"x7", and it represents my dilemma. Do I stop to make meals, or do I continue to quilt? Ironed cheese, anyone?
Cooking and quilting,
I'm often torn between them.
Where is the balance?
Ann In Fallbrook,CA
Thursday, July 7, 2011
balanced diet
Haiku -
A balanced diet -
Coffee, chocolate, chips and wine
A balanced diet -
Coffee, chocolate, chips and wine
Any arguments?
This bit of sillyness is made on handdyed background. The cake is velvet and metalic knit with beads as nuts. The wine is layered and painted with shadows. The chips are two layers of organza and one of tulle all bonded with misty fuse then heated with the heat gun for shaping. What a fun one this was!
This bit of sillyness is made on handdyed background. The cake is velvet and metalic knit with beads as nuts. The wine is layered and painted with shadows. The chips are two layers of organza and one of tulle all bonded with misty fuse then heated with the heat gun for shaping. What a fun one this was!
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
YIN AND YANG
My Haiku for July : BalancePerfect harmony
Masculine and Feminine
The Yin and the Yang
I simply drew a couple of Zentangle type symbols for my journal this month. Too many challenges at the moment, LOL.
Cherie
Monday, July 4, 2011
JULY PROMPT: BALANCE
It's time again for the word prompt...this months word given to us by Carole is...Balance. There are so many ways you can go with this one. I can't wait to see what turns up .
Remember the form is 5-7-5 syllables (for this first year at least). If you can do it in the week, great...if not, post when you can...it's never too late!
Cherie
Thursday, June 30, 2011
"Stream" haiku and Fiber Art - June 30, 2011
It runs through the land...
Gurgling in the sunlight...
Cool and refreshing...
Saturday, June 25, 2011
June Haiku Art: Waterfalls
I am currently working on a couple of water related quilt art projects and did not want to start another one right now. So I turned to another art form and designed and made Waterfall earrings.
Waterfalls the Haiku
cascading splendor
mists rising torrents swirling
mighty falls thunder
and the Art
 | ||
| Waterfalls |
Sterling Silver and Swarovski Crystals
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Waters of home
I grew up in south Florida, on the shore of Lake Okeechobee, so that's what jumped into my head when I thought of "waterways."
Lake Okeechobee
Altered by the hands of man
Fragile, beautiful
One shot with flash, one without. Combined, you get an idea of what the piece actually looks like! Color is truer on the darker/no flash shot, but you can see the couching (new technique this month) around the lake better on the lighter/with flash shot.
I really like how this one turned out.
Lake Okeechobee
Altered by the hands of man
Fragile, beautiful
One shot with flash, one without. Combined, you get an idea of what the piece actually looks like! Color is truer on the darker/no flash shot, but you can see the couching (new technique this month) around the lake better on the lighter/with flash shot.
I really like how this one turned out.
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