Judy's pillow

I just finished a pillow as a gift for my friend's 60'th birthday.  She likes bright colours, especially blue.  All the petals are floating like prairie points, and there are 60 of them!

another student's great work

This is the completed work from another OCAD student who took my quilting workshop. I think she did a remarkable job!  How interesting that she decided to leave the batting exposed around the perimeter of the top fabric, as she left the bottom fabric a bit larger to create a second frame.  This is what happens when you introduce non-quilters to quilting techniques, they come up with great new takes on old traditions!  Martina calls this piece Weathering the Storm, and by the looks of things she is weathering her storm quite beautifully!  Congratulations Martina!

looking up at the 100's project

This is a shot from the ground up, so you can see the spiralling effect.

100's project with Jake

After my son helped me hang it from the ceiling with the fishing wire, he couldn't resist tucking himself right in there with my creations!

final photos

I created the structure from a sheet of grid steel, copper coated.  It was a process of cutting away the holes to create the frames for the figures.  Then I bent the strips of metal into semi-circular shapes.  The idea was to suggest our inter-connectedness.  I am suggesting that, although we are all unique, we are all dependent on each other to carry on;  "our humanity binds us".  This is the Ubuntu notion of community which I find quite compelling.

100's process

Here are a few shots of the figures in process.  I decided to layer up the fabrics before doing the hand embroidery, but not cut them out.  Were I to do it again, and not want evidence of hand stitchery on the back, it would have been a lot easier to do the hand embroidery before layering.  Also, the heavy bead embellishment did interfere with the hoop's function....always something to learn....

100' s project

 I was challenged to create 100 of something, and decided to use the opportunity to brush up on my embroidery skills.  Hand embroidery being something I did as a child but haven't done much of since falling in love with the skills and speed of my machine.  I decided to create 50 figures, making each one different, but each made up of 2 sides (thus 100) with batting between.  These are a couple of shots drawing out my pattern.  I hand dyed the cotton.

detail

This is a detail of my quilt, showing that I created the shadow effect by intensively quilting it with a black thread. 

This is the back of the quilt.  I used the piece that I had cut away and appliqued it onto the back.  This background fabric is one piece but it has the feel of the multiple fabrics on the front.

stand strong on your own

 I created this quilt as an homage to a lovely wooden sculpture that we are lucky enough to own made by Davoud Khosravi.  If you are not familiar with his work, do yourself a favor and check it out! http://woodenpottery.com/aboutwp.htm

Jake's portrait

This is my son's latest work.  It is a self portrait.  He used newspaper font as his underpainting, and then acrylics with a gloss medium.

goddess series

I do return to the female form frequently.  I find it so beautiful.  I love to create the form in a joyous, position of power and triumph.  This is done using the technique of painting with acrylics on fusable.

silk painting

21" x 13.5"

21" x 12"

While experimenting with silk painting, I wondered about layering up some pieces of silk and doing some free motion stitching on top to pull out some design elements, and these were the result.  Free motion on silk is a dream to do and really lends itself to intricate stitchery.  I feel both these pieces 'read' as quite female.

soul shadows

12" x 18.5"

These 2 pieces mark the continuation of my exploration with the idea of (dis) Honour.  I am calling them "Soul Shadows".
These are works in ink on paper, a medium I am not familiar with but really enjoyed the layering effect that can be acheived through multiple washes of water and ink.




                                                                      



                                                                               10"x 10"