I've Been Slowed Down

It has been a rough week in the Wheeler Art Studio. First, my sewing machine broke. The pulley attaching the belt to the motor disintegrated--of course right after the warranty expired. It most likely will be a couple weeks before it comes home from the doctor. Then the power supply connection on my laptop broke. With a dead battery and no way to charge it, I have been limited to trying to navigate my husband's computer that he uses for work. Needless to say, I don't have access to all my photos and I don't know how to upload any to this computer. Hopefully I will be able to add photos to my blog soon because that is my favorite part. I have been trying to still create despite the frustrations slowing me down. I have painted some paper and fabric combinations and paper textured with gel medium in preparation for a creation locked in my head. I also received several bags of fabric from my mom. They are mostly old designer samples, so the fabric ranges from silks to thick velvets to upholstery fabric. I have been playing with the contrast in textures. I tried sewing them on an old cheap sewing machine that my husband fixed for me. Not an easy task. I guess all these distractions gives me time to slow down and think about what I want to say with my work. It also gives me a greater appreciation for the tools that I have.

Made One

The idea for this little quilt came while sitting in church last Sunday. The sermon was about Ephesians 3 and God making the Jews and Gentiles one in Christ. My thought was to combine fabric and paper into one creation. I used a piece of copper as the center and sewed the whole thing with copper thread. The binding is copper tape meant for use in stained glass. I placed the quilt on a painted canvas and added the bouquet of coiled wire for fun. I love the contrast in texture between the fabric, paper and metal. Just like people, their differences seem so great, but they are beautiful when combined. Our differences in texture add interest and wonder. Isn't life beautiful, if we focus on the good?

Accidental Cross

This is a quilt I made from a piece of muslin that I used to clean up spilled paint. I cut it up into various rectangles and arranged them in a composition. I laid them out in a horizontal orientation. When I looked at the quilt vertically I saw the three crosses. What an exciting revelation. I really like the texture of the randomly painted fabric, but I'm not happy with the contrast in the piece. I tried adding the silver paintstick to the crosses, but I don't think it worked. I need to experiment with a higher contrast fabric. I am working and learning all the time.

Small Wonders

This past week I have been having fun creating collections of inchies. Each collage is composed of one inch squares in a single color theme. They explore many texture possibilities. I raided my collections of fiber, wire, buttons, beads and scrapbooking dodas. I love the variety within each collage. They invite the viewer to come closer and explore. I love to be able to view art up close -- so much so that I have gotten in trouble at museums before. If you ever see my art in person I promise I wont be upset if you touch gently.