monday's motivation

i realize that my plan for daily blogging has been sporadic at best. i have ideas and thoughts to share, but they never seem to make it on here. i guess there is always room for improvement right?

my american literature class has made it to the american renaissance. whoo hoo! so here's a bit from the ever optimistic ralph waldo emerson.

"every spirit builds itself a house, and beyond its house a world, and beyond its world a heaven.  know then that the world exists for you.  for you is the phenomenon perfect.  what we are, that only can we see.  all that adam had, all that caesar could, you have and can do.  adam called his house, heaven and earth; caesar called his house, rome; you perhaps call yours, a cobbler's trade; a hundred acres of ploughed land; or a scholar's garret.  yet line for line and point for point your dominion is as great as theirs, though without fine names.  build therefore your own world."

finish friday - oil paint

this is the first painting i've finished for my painting class. it is oil on canvas, 30" x 28" and a still life of neutral colored objects set up by my teacher.

it was my first time working with oil paint, on canvas (that i stretched myself) and with real brushes. i actually liked it! and i like how my painting turned out.

more to come... i've already started on my next still life....

thursday thought - i'm really busy

yep. this is my thought today (and every day for the last couple weeks).

i sat down with a good friend, who happens to be really great at organization, and we wrote out all the things i need to do with my time. we included class time, homework time, feeding myself, showering, etc.

i was glad to know i actually have enough time for it all...

i made a huge weekly calender, divided it down to the hour, colored it in with my sharpie's and stuck it to my wall.

 
now i have a big fat reminder of what i should be doing (if i find myself procrastinating) and i can relax knowing i don't have to remember all that stuff at every moment. i can just look at my wall...

thank goodness for the support of great friends!

finish friday - dyeing fabric

one of my first projects for fibers II.

i did a 9-step gradient dyeing process between 2 colors. then, i did that 3 times resulting in 27 different colors. i will end up sewing this fabric into something to turn in, but the result of the fabrics is exciting enough to post.

this is a picture of all of the fabric marinating in their dye baths overnight. i brought them home in a big plastic tub so i could keep a close eye on them.

my mom came to the studio to help me rinse them all out. it was quite a job and i was glad to have the assistance and company. we hung them on the line in color order, and it was so awesome looking i had to take a picture.

i was standing on a stool to snap the shot and about fell on my a** when getting down. suppose that would have added some humor to the day...

monday's motivation

 

illustration by mary engelbreit

friday finish - self portrait

for the final project in my figure drawing class our assignment was to create an alter ego.  we were to pick something that occurs naturally (not manmade), so animals, plants, minerals, etc. then we had to impose some or all of our features onto our object of choice.

i did a drawing of a seadragon (closely related to a seahorse) and i imposed my iris in the place of the original eyeball. the contrast of the blue eye is striking next to the yellow and oranges of the body. the background is a deep purple, which is the compliment of yellow, although it doesn't show as well in the photo.

i used chalk pastels on bfk reeves drawing paper. it was my first experience with pastels and i found i really enjoyed the materials. i only used red, yellow and blue pastels (and white to get highlights) to create all the color in this piece. i have to toot my own horn in this case because i think the colors turned out amazing, and i mixed them all!

this piece is currently at the frame shop and there is an empty space on my wall waiting for it....

willy-nilly wednesday - exhaust

for this wednesday treat i have a random thought.

while walking from one side of campus to the other, with only 15 minutes between classes, my breathing space was filled with cigarette smoke (from the girl in front of me) and, later, gasoline exhaust from a campus atv....

if i had to choose between the two....i pick gasoline.

happy hump day!

tuesday tribute - ajean ryan

i took a figure drawing class over the summer....and i suffered a lot. mostly from my own resistance though, i will admit. once the class was done i actually missed it. it was as if i had finally gotten into the groove of it and the 8 weeks were over.... now i'm back to trying to self-motivate drawing in my sketchbook. needless to say, that hasn't been so successful.

i also have to say that my teacher was a great sport despite me being difficult. she is a wonderful teacher and has an incredible passion for both teaching and drawing...and art!

she recently had an art opening in denver that i had the privilege to attend. there is nothing quite like experiencing great art with the artist standing right next to you.

ajean's work is beautiful and definitely worth seeing in person. she works with ink and chalk pastel, which i have to say is an intriguing combination. i've never seen it used together before.

'The Hidden and the Haunted' : pastel and ink on mounted board

her work is delicate yet powerful, and it comes from her soul. it comes from the part of her that every artist has. it's the part that calls out, longing to be expressed, and will quite possibly make life miserable if it is ignored.

'Just Until Tomorrow' : pastel and ink on mounted board

ajean is deliberate in her process and what she wants to convey with her work, and she is very articulate when describing her intentions. that is an area in which i wish to grow as an artist.

'Summer Snow' : pastel and ink on paper

thank you, ajean, for sharing your passion with the world.

to view more work by ajean:

www.ajeanleeryan.com

info on her current show can be found on the gallery website:

www.icecubegallery.com/current-exhibit/

new format....hopefully

i find that without a specific intention by blog resides in the part of my brain with all the other things that seem like a great idea, but never really come to fruition...

well, that is going to end now. hopefully....

i am beginning a new blog format with a daily prompt for myself. my hope is that this will open my perception of the everyday and i'll find lots of intriguing things. it's amazing what you find when you have something to look for.

so, here's the rub:

monday's motivation - a bit of encouragement to start the week. it's really for my own motivation really, but i'll share.

tuesday tribute - i often come across artists/art that inspires me. i'll share them on this day. it's open enough to include current artists, classic/historical artists, great books, new music, etc.

willy-nilly wednesday - this is really whatever comes up. it's sure to be entertaining at least...

thursday's thought - i'll attempt to share my brain musings here.

friday finish - i'll share my own artwork here. i need a bit of prompting in my creating as well. this section could include quilting and sewing projects, school projects, etc.

tune in for the days that interest the most... and bear with me while i get into the swing of things. my intention is to post daily. it might take me a couple weeks to get consistent.

yay art!

bring on the babies!

nerdy bert quilts are here! hooray!

i finally finally finally finished the first four quilts. i am very pleased with how they turned out, and i hope that each one of them will bring lots of love and enjoyment to some lucky babies.

i created a pattern that i really liked, and rather than reinvent the wheel, i used the pattern for each quilt. it was fun to see my design with several different fabric groupings.

each quilt is made of 100% cotton materials and measure 40" x 45". they have all been hand quilted by yours truly. i really like the result of hand-quilting, gives them that extra character.

nerdy bert designs does have a page on etsy, and the quilts will be posted there for sale very soon...

www.nerdybertdesigns.etsy.com

enjoy!

#1: 'sweetpea'

 

the front...

 

the back....

 

detail of the hand-quilting...

  

 #2: 'sugar plum'

 

the front...

 

the back...

 

detail of the hand-quilting...

 

#3:  'sassy girl'

  

the front...

 

  the back...

 

 detail of hand-quilting...

  

#4: 'punkin'

 

the front...

 

the back...

 

 detail of hand-quilting...

each quilt is priced at $165.

thanks for visiting!

what i did on my summer vacation...

well, my summer vacation is over already.

i had a month between classes that i put to good use quilting. yay! it was quite fun getting the experience of being a full-time working artist. i think i could get used to it...

i have a few previews of things i worked on. they are still works in progress, but i just had to share anyway....

this one is in the works as a gift for a friend.... i had a ton of fun working on it, experimenting with improv piecing and no rotary cutter. i used scissors to cut my pieces and i didn't measure anything. quite liberating indeed! quilting and binding are next for this one...

these next two pics are a continuation of the ongoing 'turning 30 project'.  3 of the 7 quilts are finished and have been given to their owners. the next four are scheduled to be given in the first half of 2012. i'm pluggin along...

now on to figure drawing (my summer class)...

is it summertime yet?

this was the first weekend recently that supported the idea that summer just might be on it's way. yay!

a friend of mine came to town to celebrate her birthday with me. the big 3-0. (a lot of those happening recently, seems like) we spent time catching up, drawing, journaling, planning, etc and we even got in a sunrise hike up to horsetooth lake.

lots of fun, and a birthday quilt too....

larissa has always loved the color red, and a couple years ago i found a bunch of fabric that had her name written all over them. they finally worked their way into a quilt in time for her birthday.

 

the back....

and the birthday girl.

i've had a few weeks off of school (summer classes start next week) and i've been spending my free time quilting. i'm realize how much i love it and how much fun i have creating and giving. i am grateful my life affords me this joy.

bubblegum houndstooth

this is the final project for my fibers one class. i can't believe the semester is already over....

the fabric on the outside is what i wove on the loom in a hounds-tooth pattern. it's made out of a cotton yarn and is pretty soft and flexible. for the bag i put a yellow plastic zipper and a sky blue cotton lining. i intended this to be a cover for my laptop, but my fabric turned out narrower than i planned. now i know how to plan for that for next time....

here's a close-up of the weave....
purple, orange, pink and brown. it kind of resembles a super 70's couch....

first weaving

a few posts back i put a picture up of a bundle of yarn waiting to go onto the loom. you can see it again here (http://shawnadoering.blogspot.com/2011/04/this-is-warp-for-my-next-project.html).

i'm finally getting the finished project posted now....


yay! my very first weaving! i'm quite proud.

camo commission

a good friend of mine recently wanted a quilt for his nephew's first birthday, but informed me that the quilts i had available were nowhere tough enough for the little guy....

so, we came up with a different plan. my friend donated some of his camo from his first days as an outfitter. there's lots of sentimental value and memories attached to the garments that will now be immortalized in the form of a quilt for the next generation.


i used my typical design style but with radically different prints than i typically use. i had a great time and enjoyed the break from my usual brights and the challenge of working with prints that are designed to blend in.

the back of the quilt was designed around a flannel shirt. again, it holds special memories for my friend. it was a shirt from his high school days, and it's possible it was worn almost every day for several years. it has now been retired.


i finished this quilt right before it left for texas, so it wasn't completely dry for the picture taking. the variation in the solid fabrics is actually water....

one of the garments used on the front was a pair of cargo pants, and i loved the pocket on the side of the pant leg. instead of working around it or deconstructing it, i just cut it out and used it for a big block on the quilt. i'm sure the little guy receiving the quilt will find lots of fun toys to store in the pocket of his quilt.

i put the nerdy bert label inside the pocket.


i also used t-shirts in the quilt and included the t-shirt pockets as well. i machine quilted the layers to give it durability, and then i hand quilted for fun. i used hunter's safety orange (or as close as i could find). it looked really great. it's visible in the next picture outlining the pocket.


this was a great idea and a very generous gift on the part of my friend. his nephew is lucky to have such love in his corner. happy 1st birthday, bronc!

turning 30 project - vol. V

the latest 'turning 30' quilt....




ranetta, my cousin, was in town this weekend so i seized the opportunity to send her home with her quilt. the wind was blowing when we finally decided to take pictures, so our posing was quite entertaining. stephanie, ranetta's younger sister, took the photos. it was a family affair....


each time i have presented a quilt to one of the girls, i'm amazed at how different each quilt is from the others and how appropriate each one is in representing it's owner. this one is no exception. this quilt is sweet and bright, energetic and cheery....kind of like ranetta.


i'm so happy with how this turned out, and once again was thrilled to give it away. i feel blessed to have awesome people in my life and the means to express and share my love with them. my cousin is ridiculously special to me and she is the spirit of love. and her quilt was named accordingly.


the label reads:

Turning 30 Project

'Spirit'

3 of 7

Made for: Ranetta Blank Kinney
June 6

Designed and Quilted by: Shawna Doering
Littleton CO USA

2011

new warp

this is the warp for my next project. it's waiting to go on the loom....


yes, it does look like a jumble of yarn, but there really is a pattern and an order to it. i am going to make a scarf and this warp will create a stripped pattern on the length of the scarf.

p.s. the posting of this is a bit late because i have the project almost fully woven. next post will be the finished result...

another peek....

another peek at a new creation from nerdy bert.....


i promise i won't drag this out for too much longer. stay tuned.

onto the loom....

the second half of the semester has arrived and my fibers class has moved to the weaving side of the studio. so exciting!


we are starting with a 2" wide sample in order to get familiar with the process and try out different patterns and such.


i have finished weaving my sample so i'll now get to learn how to cut it off the loom.


the warp has been wound for my next project and is ready to go. it will go on the loom tomorrow!