Too Much Fun With the Camera

Some of you know I am taking a Ricky Tims Photography Online Course.   I am learning lots about my camera and about editing in Lightroom and Photoshop.   This week the theme was "Shutter Zoom" or Rotate and Zoom.

Here are a few of my favorites:

Zoom on a quilt I made of a monarch butterfly on a coneflower.

 

 

 

My quilt - The View from the Ship in Bermuda

 

A sunflower and bamboo sticks in a corner vase.

 

Center of my Waterlily Quilt

and again......

 

Zoom and rotate on a birchtree quilt.

 

Copper Ornament on the front of the house

 

 

Mirror Image Fun

Winter in WNY - finally arrived all in one week!

We've had a fairly decent winter all in all - with very little snow.   In February, winter seems to have arrived all in one week - or one day.   On February 16 we received the most snowfall all winter - a record for one day - on that date - 16 inches in our front yard.   The weekend before it was below zero for two days.    I'm taking an online photography course and the challenge this week was "Black and White".    What a perfect challenge for an "all white day" on Wednesday!

The first photos are of my Japanese Maple in the front yard.  The first photo is pretty much how the day looked, the second is the editing for my challenge.   The last photo was just a fun shot of an almost buried fencepost

Photo to Fabric

The next show I will be a part of....showing two of my own photos printed on fabric.   Please come and view our show!   

Traditional vs Non Tradtional show at SUNY Geneseo.

I am happy to have 4 art quilts in this show and honored to be an invited, juried artist.   I hope to have more pictures later.   

Architecture......Quilt Guild Challenges Revealed

Every year our guild does a challenge which then hangs in the Richmond Library gallery during the month of February,   This year's theme was "architecture" which could be interpreted in an art quilt or with a traditional block such as "log cabin".  Every year we get the next theme in March, but most everyone is hurriedly finishing in the weeks following Christmas,

I chose to do a, what I thought was, simple design.   My idea was perspective such as hallway arches or doorways,   It was anything but simple and involved a lot of math which meant measuring and remeasuring.   I am mostly happy with the results........always a couple of things we would change isn't there?   I found this mottled batik at the fabric store which was referred to as "glaze frosting" but I thought it looked like stonework! The fabric choices and quilting were deliberately kept simple to allow the idea of perspective to be the main focus.

Camera Challenges

I am currently enrolled in a photography course which is giving weekly challenges.   This week the challenge was a window.   The weather is cold and the snow is here and getting out and about is difficult for this Raynaud's sufferer......let alone getting time to set up a tripod and play with camera settings.    I am really looking forward to doing these challenges in warmer weather.    However, I did go down to our local library parking lot and do some focusing on the church across the street.    I have always loved this window design and it was the first one I thought of.   This week we were allowed to do a minimum of editing which made it even more fun.   Although I have power lines (which in the future could be erased by editing) I am happy with the way this looks.  I think the reflections are cool and would love to play more with them also.

Challenges.......and so it begins!

A different kind of challenge for me.....not quilt related.   I'm doing a photography class.   Our first "non-class" challenge was "Winter Solstice".   It was cold and rainy here that day....I went looking for warmth.

Christmas full moon - 2015!

A full moon on Christmas is a rarity.....the last one in 1977 and the next in 2034.    Here are a few shots I was able to get.   The first picture is actually early evening on Christmas Eve.   The last 3 are Christmas night!

It's Christmas in Longwood

Here for Thanksgiving....some of the sights tonight!!!!

The full moon.....

I'm in Houston.....or at least my quilt is!!!!

Triptych...the Leaves of Florida is on display at the Houston International Quilt Show this week.   I am honored to be one of 25 quilts chosen to be part of Jane Dunnewold's "Digital Alchemy".    These are my photos, taken in Silver Springs, Florida and manipulated in Photoshop to form the triptych and printed on fabric by Julie Brandon of Red-Dog Enterprises,   The quilting follows the shape, form and texture of the leaves.

Georgia's Pearl.....photo to fabric

My latest photo to fabric quilt.  Georgia's Pearl hibiscus. My little Sisterhood artist inspired group decided to take field trips this summer with our cameras and interpret one of our photos in textile.  This trip was to the Lamberton Conservatory in Highland Park in Rochestet, NY.   My photo was printed on cotton  by Julie Stern Brandon, owner of Red-Dog Enterprises, Inc, and  quilted and embellished with beads and crystals.  (There were raindrops that day)

It's still summer in my gardens

The calendar says fall, but my gardens say "not so fast, we aren't done yet."  The impatiens are gone and I did replace with some fall flowers, but having trouble putting out fall decorations yet.

I have 3 clematis....one usually blooms twice a season, the others at different times but often only once....until this year.   All 3 have bloomed non stop once the weather decided to get warm.

This is the one by the front door that usually blooms late May and again in August.   It's still going .... since May.

This is a small one by the light pole that I rescued from overgrown brush when we moved here,   It has never bloomed more than once.....until now.

The one by the mail box....usually gone by now,   Speaking of mailbox, look at its companion flower....the Mandevilla.

This is the hibiscus started from A little 4 inch cutting two years ago when we wintered in Florida.  It's now over 5 feet tall.

This is our largest grass....of which we have many different kinds.   I think it will need to be divided.

Gustav Klimt inspired art quilt challenge

I belong to a small art quilt group of friends who started out by inspiring each other to create on the works of famous artists.  Our most recent artist to interpret was Guatav Klimt.  I am often drawn to nature, and while he did not do a lot of nature subjects, I did find a few.   He is most noted for his painting "Woman in Gold" and gold was prominent in all of his work as were swirls and lots of color.   Below is my piece.....

The background fabric has gold flecks and the background trees are edged with gold thread,   The birch trees in the foreground are colored with Inktense Pencils which are then brushed with water to enhance the color saturation.

In and around the yard....

I really like this time of year when all the flowers seem to be going to town!   Many of the perennials and summer flowers are starting to look bedraggled.....but there is plenty to look at yet!

A portion of the Mandevilla near the garage

I love vertical gardens and this is my own little version....the sweet potato vines are vining all over the place.

Anyone who knows me knows I would have a  purple butterfly bush

The hummingbirds have been prolific this year and this is one of their favorite spaces,

Hydrangea up close and full bush below,

Love the big leaf cannas and they are just starting to send up flower stalks

I call this hosta row,   This is why I spray against deer,   I hate chemicals, but I love my flowers more!

More favorites from the Caledonia Quilt Show

Here are some more of my favorites from the Caledonia Quilt Guild show. I don't have info on all of them..so please just enjoy!

Best of Show by Mary Christopher,   A gift from Xantopia plant Nursery was part of her prize.   In an interesting twist, the owner of Xantopia Nursery was the winner of the Caledonia Raffle Quilt,   Well deserved!  

Now to continue with some more quilts....

The best jelly roll quilt I've ever seen, by Joyce Blowers,   The colors graduated within the strips...she did not plan the layout.

 Leaves by Glynnis Hunt, using her own hand dyed fabrics.   Glynnis was also a popular vendor at the show.

The next two quilts were done by Valerie Connor.

By Patty Cline, owner of Chestnut Bay Quilting, also a popular vendor.