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.