Playing @…In the Studio!

After posting about goals, discouragement, and motivation, I want to keep you posted of my time in the studio–playing @ with new ideas, experimenting with different methods, and a push to create, create, create.

Here is a finished wall-hanging that is a gift for someone special:

Coffee Anyone?
"Coffee Anyone?"

I liked the style and colors of these squares that were found at a favorite quilt shop…The three were joined together with sashing and gold corner squares. After layering with a backing and batting, I quilted in-the-ditch around and with-in each block, and then used free-motion quilting to add motifs in the gold squares and sign my name & the date. Then, threadpainting was used to highlight the steam, whipped cream, and a few other details…

I’m centering and attaching this small art quilt by the top corners to an stretched canvas. It is Sea Images #1, which usually hangs in my husband’s office.  This will give it a stage of sorts and more presence in the room as visual art.

Sea Images #1,  (c)2006 Joni Beach.
Sea Images #1, (c)2006 Joni Beach.

Also, Lifeweaving #3 is coming along!–Layering the backing and batting and then basting the strips in place…more to come soon on that.

*FYI!!  A great book for creative motivation is Make Your Creative Dreams Real: A Plan for Procrastinators, Perfectionists, Busy People, and People Who Would Really Rather Sleep All Day, by SARK… For Fun & Inspiration visit her at www.planetsark.com.

~Hope you are enjoying your time this week as you strive towards your goals–don’t forget to have fun with the process!~

Summertime…

Summertime…

Summer Flower

I am still in vacation mode” after trips to visit family…

Summer Frog

This means a non-schedule schedule, late mornings, and not much actual work getting finished!

Motivation to begin projects is low…

Hopefully this will be a time for the incubation of new ideas and a renewal of energy that will later kick in and inspire me to accomplish great things…

well, one can always dream

Dragon Fly

                                         

         

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  especially in the summer! 🙂                                                                               

DaylilyDaylilies

Watermelon and Sweet Iced Tea…

Iced tea with lemon.
Image via Wikipedia

This past weekend we traveled home to North Carolina. I love going in the summer for many reasons but among them are the fresh garden vegetables and fruit. We visited a produce garden selling in-season fruits and vegetables.

After shopping in boutiques and eating lunch in town and driving past my childhood home, we ended our day out. The rest of the evening was spent with family…and supper included chilled watermelon and sweet iced tea. (Since it had topped 99° F on Saturday, nothing was better!).  A quick wind and thunderstorm ended the fishing in the pond. But, all in all it was a great day.

This produce is ripe much earlier than where we live in the mountains. Not only did the farm we visit have patty-pan squash, zucchini, green beans,  early cling peaches, they still had strawberries we could pick! Mom added the homemade blackberry jam (with seeds!). Yum!

Early Summer's Bounty

On the way home we stopped at the Seagroves pottery community. First stop was at the  Phil Morgan’s Pottery. Phil is well-known for his crystalline glaze process.

New Pottery Mug

I bought a new coffee mug…and we enjoyed talking with the artist in his gallery. One day I would like to own one of his crystalline glazed pots…the yellow ones are so unusual in color and very delicate looking. They remind me of Japanese design.

Viewing the artistic creations of potters always inspires me. To learn of their stories, methods, and to get to visit their studios and galleries provides an artistic perspective from a medium different from my own. It gives me new ideas on color and the design process.

And, on an extremely hot and humid summer’s day…                                                                                                                                there is nothing like watermelon and sweet iced tea!

Iced Tea Image Credit: Via Wikipedia                                                                                             Additional Links:                                                                                                                                 *NC Pottery Center (www.ncpotterycenter.com)

*Phil Morgan Pottery(www.philmorganpottery.org)

*Discover Seagroves (Seagrove Area Potter’s Association)