Doodle shoes

Not a lot of art has been done here in the past month. My children are keeping me very busy. I bought these shoes on clearance for a buck and doodled on them. I like them- fun and comfortable.
The temp has been up near 100. We haven't turned on the a.c. here for the past couple years, so we slow down a bit when it gets pretty hot.

To quilt or not to quilt

Sometimes it is difficult to decide which medium to work on or with. I nearly always go back to the quilt. It is such a comforting medium. It's like being wrapped up in one of the quilts my grandma made me. There was a difficult time or two that I would only sleep with that blanket, because of how it made me feel loved.

Here are a couple recent pieces. The sunflower quilt is painted with acrylics and the background partial flowers are photo transfers.



In Remembering, I rust dyed a cloth and screen printed it before stitching and beading.

Carry on

Today I started the day pretty bummed, so I decided to take some pics. Taking photos helps me forget about whatever it is that I want to forget.
This truck is at a neighbor's house to the south of us. Whenever I go into town I google over it; so today I got permission and headed right over.
What is it about these old trucks that are so cool?

(I later did a bit of photoshopping. My camera and photoshop are two of my favorite tools.)





Still, this evening I was a bit bummed, and I thought I'd share what I felt God was saying to me.
Yes, there is sorrow, but do not take the time to wallow in it. This will only let the sorrow and darkness grow. Instead dig in your heals and press on for those around you. How else can the purposes of God be wrought? To wallow in sorrow is selfish and does not bring about the purposes that God would use you for in anothers' life. Carry on.

Altered Angel

The last few weeks have been a bit of a blur.

I've been thinking about Ecclesiastes. When I have those times of questioning the point of life; I often find my way back to this book.

'What does man gain from all his labor at which he toils under the sun? Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever. The sun rises and the sun sets, and hurries back to where it rises. The wind blows to the south and turns to the north; round and round it goes, ever returning on its course. All streams flow into the sea, yet the sea in never full. To the place the streams come from, there they return again. All things are wearisome, more than one can say. The eye never has enough of seeing, nor the ear its fill of hearing. What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. Is there anything of which one can say, "Look! This is something new"? It was here already, long ago; it was here before our time. There is no rememberence of men of old, and even those who are yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow. Eccl. 1: 3-11.

If this so dreary, well the monotony of it all can be, but there is good news too.

'For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you," declares the Lord, " and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you," declares the Lord, "and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile." Jer 29:11-14.

My emotions don't always match what I know to be true.

New work

"Leap" is a new pieced and embroidered quilt that I am getting ready to place in my etsy shop. It is something that I actually made the design quite some time ago, but later decided to embroider it. There are many designs that just sit waiting for me to decide the best way to carry them out. There are many commercial fabrics that I really like, but don't often use them. They don't feel as much 'mine'. The fabrics in this quilt are very soothing.

"Peace" is a small acrylic painting on canvas that was also started some time ago, but not finished until recently. I hope to get this also put in my etsy shop today. It takes me awhile sometimes.

Here is a treasury that I have been included on etsy. It goes until 4:30 pm today.

http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=39241

Mailboxes

Have you ever seen this many mail boxes in a row like this. I never had before, so had to stop and take a few pics. This one shows better than the others how many there were.

More about this mini quilt here:

http://artaweek.blogspot.com/

Final Friday

My work will be displayed here for the 'Final Friday' art crawl in Wichita this friday.

United Country Wichita

509 E Douglas

Wichita, Ks.

Jan. 30th, 6-9pm