Tag: inspiration

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Spring Yellow~Hope

In March, winter has a hard time leaving the area where we live. One day it will be sunny and warm with signs of the hope of spring.ylFlrs

A few days later winter’s blanket of white will cover the newly budded flowers and trees.

yllFlrsSnow

But through this transition, ultimately spring will arrive and summer will follow…A recent art quilt, which is now on exhibit, also shows the brilliance of a yellow flower. For me I always think of these as signs of hope and a celebration of life!

The inspiration for this piece was a photo that I took in a backyard garden that captured its colors and shape from a different angle~the bottom side~ with the sunlight shining from above.

A Different Perspective, rayon on cotton. 45" x 45", © 2014 Joni Beach. Pieced, free-motion quilting. applique, threadsketching.($2000)
A Different Perspective, rayon on cotton. 45″ x 45″, © 2014 Joni Beach. Pieced, free-motion quilting. applique, threadsketching.

I enlarged the image to the desired size to use as a guide. The composition was pieced by cutting fabric pieces and gluing them into position. Extensive free-motion quilting was used to construct the design and add depth and texture. The edges were finished with a facing. I also sign and date each wall-hanging in the lower left-hand corner, using free-motion threadsketching.

A Different Perspective and other contemporary textiles may be seen in the Art Gallery. Enjoy these signs of spring…hope…and a celebration of life!

 Several pieces are available through Eucalyptus Massage Center Gallery. 

*I would love to hear what inspires you and are your reminders of hope?

 

 

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A Different Perspective

After a snowy weekend I am back in the studio. Winter has really shown itself this year and we are digging out of 17″ of snow. Though, it is beautiful while it falls and white snow brightens the gray days.

Today’s photo is of the piece, A Different Perspective. I loved creating this design…A photo that I took in a backyard garden was the inspiration. I loved the vivid colors and the composition of the small flower as seen from the bottom. I thought the unusual design it had from this angle gave a different perspective, or view, from how we normally look at flowers. And of course, what could brighten a February day better than this!?

A Different Perspective, rayon on cotton. 45" x 45", © 2014 Joni Beach. Pieced, free-motion quilting. applique, threadsketching.($2000)
A Different Perspective, 45″ x 45″, rayon on cotton , © 2014 Joni Beach. Pieced, free-motion quilting. applique, thread=sketching.

The photo was enlarged and a size was selected. I used the copy as a guide to make the individual pieces and assembled the flower on batting. This was shown in an earlier post...See Here! A glue stick was used to “tack” the design together. This allows for moving pieces and making changes as I work. After the basic flower was formed, details were added and layered on top.

The background was then placed around the central design. Extensive thread-sketching was used to finish the raw edges and bring out the sections of the flower. Thread-painting was then used to add contouring and shading. I used dense-stitch quilting using free-motion techniques on the background, which gives dimension and accents the flower. A facing was added to finish the edges and a hanging sleeve was added to the back. I try to remember to always sign and date the wall-hanging in thread, using free-motion quilting!

You can see this and other art quilts in my website’s Art Gallery!

Available Artwork May Be Purchased Through: Eucalyptus Massage Center Gallery.

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Visions of Spain

Visions of Spain is a new series I began this summer, which are expressions inspired by the amazing country of Spain. Its sights, sounds, art, history, vistas, food, and music…In this piece, The Present Through the Past, one looks through an arch of a Roman Aqueduct and gets a view of the wonderful city of Segovia with the snow-covered mountains in the background.

The Present Through the Past (Roman Aqueduct, Segovia), rayon and cotton on cotton. © 2014 Joni Beach. Applique, threadpainting, free-motion quilting. ($975)
The Present Through the Past (Roman Aqueduct, Segovia), rayon and cotton on cotton. © 2014 Joni Beach. Applique, thread-painting, free-motion quilting.

On this piece I enlarged one of my photos and printed it in black and white in a few different sizes. Sketching the desired size onto interfacing to use as a guide, I used 3 photos as inspirations and to compose the design. Here is a picture as I began to cut and place the pieces of the center scene. 

PiecingSegovia

After the center was pieced and some of the details were thread-painted, I began cutting and placing the stones, surrounding the middle.

StonesForSegovia

I experimented and improvised to discover what the materials would do and which fabrics would give shading, depth, and the look I wanted. 

photo

 After the arch was pieced, it was put in place on the interfacing around the Segovia scene. Additional free-motion thread-painting and  quilting added to the texture and gave the scene more details and dimension. I added a facing to finish the edges and liked the results for this wall-hanging.

See this piece and others in this series, Visions of Spain, in my website Art Gallery!

Available Artwork May Be Purchased Through: Eucalyptus Massage Center Gallery