Beautiful Fall Color

Although I dread the cold weather that is going to follow, I have really enjoyed the beautiful vibrant colors of the trees this month. The maples especially are just brilliant...

We had lunch outdoors on the river

 several days ago.  We were driving home through a very wealthy area near the river, and I saw something kind of amazing:  a woman in a very opulent home was having her Halloween pumpkin delivered to her porch by a landscape company in a huge truck.  I don't even know what to say about that. 

"Wild Heart" by Robert Hartley II

Here are two views of the spectacular "Wild Heart" piece by Robert Hartley.

This is for the "Have a Heart" auction, coming up on November 17 at Pyro Gallery from 6 - 8 p.m.

Robert is, in my opinion, the most talented and imaginative fiber artist in my Monday night art quilt group at Forget Me Knot Quilt Shop in Mid-City mall.

Robert has won numerous awards for his work, and I was thrilled when he said he would do a heart for the auction. It adds a much needed textile and three-dimensional approach to a show that tends to be heavy on two-dimensional traditional art.

I am confident that his piece will be a "star" of the show, and I hope that it will stimulate an animated "bidding war" to benefit a very good cause, the Food Pantry for homeless people...

What is it?

We spotted this unusual image on the wall in the front hall today. It was apparent that the curved shadows were from a handmade forged table that a friend made for me years ago.

But it took a while to figure out what was producing the exquisite spectrum being projected on the wall. I have glass prisms at various windows in the house, and often enjoy the beautiful colors they create on the wall or on various objects in the path of their projections..

But there were no intentional prisms near this wall. After a little detective work, I discovered that the sunlight was passing through a reflector on my bicycle wheel. (The bicycle often sits in my living room when I'm not riding it.)

                           

The second photo actually shows a bit of the table that produced the shadow.  I love the contrast that it provides.

Bob had to work fast to get these photos. Just seconds after he captured these images, the light had shifted, and there was only a shadow, no color.

I often see photos or images that make me think "A quilt waiting to happen," and this is one of those. 

Progress on the Fractured Quilt

Tonight was the moment of truth for our "fractured" quilt. 

Our Monday night quilt group met, and

everyone in my group had finished her section for our barn quilt. It was pretty exciting when we all laid down our sections, and saw how well the piece came together.

This photo isn't excellent, but you can see how well the pieces mesh. The differences in color just add interest, in my opinion, but all in all, I think the piece really works.

Now, our challenge is to decide how to hang the piece(s).

For the time being, we are just going to mount them on a black background, and it will hang during November at the Forget Me Knot Quilt Shop, where our Monday night meetings are held.

Then we will decide on a more permanent method of displaying it.

We have talked about driftwood, antique farm implements, and straight twigs. I'll post an update, as we decide how to display it.

 In the meantime, why don't you stop by the shop (in the Mid-City Mall), and take a look. You might even want to buy some fabric while you are there!

                                                            

                                                                                                                                                            

A sunny day

After a string of dreary rainy cold days, it has really been a treat to have sunshine two days in a row, and on a weekend, too!

Bob snapped this photo today; even though many of the poke berries are gone, the color of the stalks and remaining berries was very bold and rich.

I went to the opening today of the Louisville Artisan Guild's show, at the Jewish Community Center.  It is a very good show.  Many different media, and wonderful interpretations of the theme "Fleur de Lis'. It is the logo for both the City of Louisville and the Louisville Artisan Guild.

Several artists did as I did, and created a version of a lily. Some used the fleur de lis symbol. One of the most clever was "Fur de Lis", a ceramic piece with three cats arranged in the shape of a fleur de lis.

The show will be up until mid-December, and if you are in the area, it's worth a trip.

Thanks!!

They say, "If you want to get something done, ask a busy person."

I just want to thank the people who have offered to embellish a heart for the "Have a Heart" auction, to benefit a downtown food pantry for homeless people.

In addition to helping a very worthwhile cause, it should be a fun event. 

NOVEMBER 17, 6- 8 PM

PYRO GALLERY

LOUISVILLE, KY

But why?

While I was browsing the web, looking for references to bargello, I came across a most curious reference - a woman who got a master's degree in computer science, coming up with a computer program to design bargello quilts.

It was a VERY complicated system, with "rasters" and algorithms, and complicated equations and splines and technical drawings that were very impressive. I do have a mathematics background, and could see what she was doing, but I couldn't see WHY.

In the 11 years I have been making quilts, I have designed and made dozens of bargello quilts. Making the drawings on graph paper, which her system was designed to avoid, is one of the fun parts of the process. Yes , I have to use an eraser occasionally, but it is the challenge that I ENJOY.

She even computerized the fun process of the fabric selection. That is the other part of the process that I find absolutely delightful!

I am including the link to her thesis;  the entire thesis is quoted. I admire her scholarliness, and I am glad she earned a master's degree with her work. I hope she finds as much joy in creating bargello quilts as I do.

I would be very interested in hearing any comments from people who have used computer programs to design quilts.

http://www.cs.grinnell.edu/~coahranm/mmc_files/mcoahran-thesis.pdf