The Joy of Ex(quilt)

Seriously. I cut up about four quilts that were  unfinished, unloved and uninspiring into postcard-ish sizes, formed them into stacks and have progressively experimented and/or tortured them with lino cut prints (sometimes twice), stamping, printing and free hand unstructured embroidery.  I have carried about twenty of them with me during this year of quietly waiting. In our home-away-from-hospital we turn off the electronic noise-makers and talk away the evenings. The constancy of the stitching brings great comfort, as does the laughter, knowing smiles and the delight of having purged(some of) the things I unnecessarily cling to ... and am learning to look at them from a different perspective. And now, what to do with these newly created EXquilts.

Dyeing to decolour

Over the Open Studios weekend I used Procion MX Aubergine on PFD (prepared for dyeing) white cotton (220 thread count) and left the eight pieces in the the dye bath for the day. Later,  I mixed another teaspoon of the dye  with a little chemical water and dribbled it into the dye bucket. This last addition was not mixed very well - I was hoping to create a stellar like impact where undissolved dye made contact with the fabric pieces.

Day 2 afternoon and the fabrics were washed then "batched" before washing, drying and finally ironing / pressing.

This weekend, I've used the silky oak leaf( previously used for printing) and gently painted it with de-colourant. Once printed onto the fabric the piece was left to dry before steam pressing. The leaf appears to float over the  fabric. The finished piece is being free motion quilted using Bottom Line (grey) both top and bottom!

Printmaking and the Silky Oak leaf

Today is a time for quiet cutting and carving of a silky oak leaf retained from the Open Studios weekend. During the Open Studios, the leaf was variously printed, rolled over and otherwise left with a protective coating of gold and black inks. The shape is the basis of my next lino cut (this time I'm experimenting with a softer material, much like an eraser which is easier to cut - and can be used on both sides). the proof will be in the printing as to whether the same level of clarity can be achieved. This is a slow process - the fine lines around the intricate leaves and the tendency for them to overlap slightly has left some interesting problem solving in terms of how and where to cut.

I've since gently painted the leaf with decolourant - and printed it onto some of the fabric dyed during the Open Studios weekend. Many beautiful results which will be shared over this gorgeous, long weekend at home.

Sharing creativity with the SAQA MOB (Members of Brisbane)

Last Saturday the MOB gathered (Members of Brisbane from SAQA's Oceania region) for a coffee and a chat about all things creative. It is important to share with others - seek feedback - work through ideas - experience show and tell on in impressive scale. Rebecca, Kate, Mel and I spent a wonderful few hours looking at the way Rebecca had interpreted her images of an historic church in Wellington (NZ) - through bookmaking, textural and layering elements, and creating her own fabric based on rubbings and images of the church hinges.  Kate had been playing with a glue gun to create a wonderful array of textured designs - ready for printmaking and many other uses. Mel's digital design work is always worth a trip to Brisbane - and her clever bag for holding all the essentials of a portable digital and textile artist - water colours, pens, art diary. Mel was able to share further work on the sketches made during the Open Studios at Aliquilts at the end of May - it was great to see them brought to life with watercolour. Speaking of watercolours ... couldn't resist using  a set of "vibrants" to demonstrate a couple of different techniques in applying the pigments.

SAQA MOB meets on the 1st Saturday of the new season - next get together will be 1 September

Sharing the creative spirit

The capacity to share creative space with others is  magic - whether on retreat, a catchup over coffee or the interaction that occurs during Open Studios. Mel Forrest and Chris Jones shared their art, methods and materials last weekend at Aliquilts. Then there's the presence of other artists who've encouraged and supported each of us including Sue Dennis , Kate Oszko, members of our State guilds and textile art groups. The magic of the weekend will last for a very long time in each of us. Staying with that theme, the SAQA MoB (Members of Brisbane) will meet this Saturday at the Queensland Art Gallery cafe from 10 am - bring some show and tell and/or artists cards.  There's also the SAQA Oceania collection available for viewing - a collection of 12 inch square art quilts donated by Oceania members for SAQA's Benefit Auction in September.  If you are interested in joining SAQA, the Queensland Quilters or the Queensland Quilters Art Quilt Group please contact me for more information.

Studio time at Tarome

At the end of  our Open Studios weekend we took a few minutes to take stock on the bench. One hundred visitors passed through the studios and gallery - many from Brisbane, Redlands and Boonah. We had a fabulous time playing with inks and dyes, printmaking, monoprinting, stitching, sewing, creating, colouring ... and the taking time out to reflect on our art and SAQA's "This is a Quilt" exhibition. Thank you to everyone who helped out over the weekend including Judy and Dick, Sue, Jenny and Bill. Also grateful for the great support from our fellow artists, mentors and friends and our Council for supporting arts and culture in the Scenic Rim. Especially thrilled to have Bill give the Studio a buzz in his Tigermoth on Sunday morning - a very special treat and one we won't forget.

Open Studios is here!

This weekend has it all - the Boonah, Aratula and Tarome studios of the Scenic Rim are open for visits and out here, for everyone to come play at our place. Yesterday we were almost overwhelmed by the visitors - Anne flew in from Townsville (about 1400 kms north) and played for a  few hours, others came from the local area. Another visitor had flown home early from a trip to Darwin (3000 kms) to participate in the weekend. One thing is for sure, everyone had a great day viewing the SAQA exhibition "This is a Quilt" in what is now known as "The Garage Gallery" - then playing with monprinting and mark making in the adjacent studio. It was great to hear feedback about everyone's visit to Suzy Buhle's studios and most visitors had also been over to Christine Leah of Zengarra at Moogerah. The Open Studios program is part of the Scenic Rim Regional Council's support of the arts and cultural tourism in the region.  Many thanks to Sue, Mel, Chris and Jenny and the Lavazza Coffee machine - and the WMBM who took care of the culinary treats for hungry visitors.  A big thank you to everyone who came out to the Studio and played at Aliquilts.  Other artists featured this weekend include:  Mark Paddick, Felicity Smith, Catherine Anderson, Rachael Brook and Christopher Trotter.