Art – Page 35 – Joni Beach

June 15, 2012June 15, 2012

Summer Daze?

As Summer arrived, many other events that required my attention did also. Though, this week finds me back in the studio with new goals for the rest of the season. Like everyone, I struggle at times to balance work and family, and am sometimes more successful than others.

SummerGreen,(c)2012,JoniBeach. — Summer Green, (c) 2012, Joni Beach.

But, Summer is spent gathering creative inspirations–new sights, sounds, smells, touch sensations, tastes, and experiences.

What summer activities feed your creative soul and impact your future artistic work?

So far I have been inspired by…

planting flowers and garden vegetables…
picking wonderful ripe, red strawberries…
traveling to other places…
spending time with distant family…
having impromptu picnics…
listening to an informal outdoor music concert…
sitting in the warm, bright sunshine…
eating juicy red watermelon and sweet yellow corn…

and going barefoot whenever possible!

I will continue these and other summer activities as long as possible…

My regular schedule just doesn’t seem to work on warm, inspirational summer days…

or perhaps it is more accurate to say,

I’m just in a summer daze?

Inspirations~Things in a Row…

Visual inspirations are found all around us. Perhaps this is why photoblogging is so popular. As we travel or just go about our daily lives, we all see amazing views, interesting sights, and unusual events, which if not captured instantly their uniqueness are gone forever.

Today I want to share a few images, or visual inspirations that I call, Things In a Row…

Gourds…

Flowerpots…

Shovelheads in a Row.......(c) 2012, Joni Beach. — Shovelheads in a Row…….(c) 2012, Joni Beach.

Old Rusty Shovel Heads…

Sharing these found, unique inspirations with others has become a, perhaps unforseen, result of the new technologies we are all exploring and using in novel ways.

*Do you have any favorite photoblogs or visually inspirational blogs and websites? Feel free to share them with us!

Celebrate What’s Right in the World (www.celebratewhatsright.com)

April 30, 2012May 1, 2012

What do you think of when you think about children playing? Running?… jumping?… games?…having fun? and bright colors? This week I began a new series, Child’s Play. For a long time I have been collecting brightly colored fabrics with whimsical prints. While I did not have a design idea for them yet, when my husband asked me about a small art quilt that might relate to children, my mind began focusing on a few different ideas. I thought of a favorite book on my shelf, Quilter’s Playtime: Games With Fabric by Dianne S. Hire. I was inspired to use the games of–spinners, pin-the-tail-on the-donkey, and marbles–in a composition entitled, Playtime Games.

A quick sketch of an idea was drawn…And a pile of playful, brightly colored fabrics was thrown on the table…(Actually my stash on the shelf is very orderly! )

Fabric Pile — Pile of Fun, Colorful Fabrics.

Then, I drew objects of the design on the paper backing of fusible web. (I like Lite Steam-a-Seam2 brand) These were then cut-out and arranged on the background fabric. To construct the tails, two pieces of fabric were sewn together wrong sides together, turned, and basted into place. I took digital photos to view the composition and placement of the pieces. When the desired effect was achieved, the top was fused into place.

Lay Out of Playtime Games, (c) 2012, Joni Beach. — Lay-Out of Playtime Games, (c) 2012, Joni Beach.

Next, the top was layered with low-loft batting and a backing fabric. Thread-painting was done to enhance the details of the objects. And, texture, depth, and line was added to the design using free-motion quilting. I like the way the quilting lines also add movement to this piece. A button and beads were stitched to the tails, the binding was fused to the back, and I signed and dated the front…