Hot August Days

This is 13 X 17. A small piece with beading, hand painted fabric and texture developed with ribbon, yarns and strips of fabric. This could be framed.

Lets get back to work?

OK the holidays are over. The dinners have all been cooked, the presents all put away the tree is down and the ornaments packed away for another year. Winter is settling in here in Missouri and the day and nights are cold. Not just cool but cold. As in nights of 20 and days it warms up to a big whopping 28. So You would thing that now I may have time to get back to art quilts. We can only live in hope. But for some reason I am just not in the mood to do much in my studio. I have walked in there, cleaned up boxes, cleared out shelves, and folded fabric and still no inspiration is coming to me. I have been reading lots of good books though.

Maybe what I need is a change of scenery.

Fall Inspiration

OK so fall is finally here. Today it was only in the 40's and mostly gray and overcast damp and just generaly ugly out. Tonight will be in the 30. More of the same tomorrow. Time to light the fire and stay indoors and get cracking on some new and wonderful quilts. I am inspired to work like crazy after my 3 days at the biggest quilt show in the world. I went to the Houston Quilt Festival. There was 1,800,000 sq. ft. of quilts and quilt related "stuff". A bit overwhelming. I think I seen it all but when I viewed the CD I think I missed half of the quilts.

Here is a photo of some of us from the Great Bus Trip to Houston Quilt Festival 11-2010

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

I try not to get on my Soap Box too much in this blog. But this month,October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. That is the reason for all the PINK on my Blog. As you know if you have been covering my blog My Daughter Teresa was diagnoses with Breast Cancer 12/08. So this month is a special time in our family to stop and remember what we can do to advance research and help anyone who is given this diagnosis.

Select one charity/research and support it.

You can read about Teresa journey through her treatment and triumph over Breast Cancer at

her blog. thedoglived.blogspot.com

you can read about what the Pink Ribbon Place is doing to help women at thepinkribbinplace.org

You can see what the Susan G. Komen Research is doing for breast cancer Research at
ww5.Komen.org

Take part in curing cancer forever.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

News and awards!!!!!!! :+)

OH my this has been a very busy week for me. I placed first in the Art Quilt category at The Ozark Peacemakers Quilt Guild Show for Early Morning In the Ozark. This measures 35 X 50 and hangs like a tapestry.

I also got a jurors choice award at Waverly House Gift and Gallery show for Wild Fire.

Well some weeks you just work and work and work and see no results. Then again it all comes together and feels so right.

I hope I can continue to produce and sell some art work.

Yes I am having a good time now!

Cracked Ice 14 X 29

This is a wonderful little piece of fantasy that looks like cold water with cracked ice all around it. I am getting ready for a winter show here in Springfield and thought this would look nice in the show and in someones home all winter long.

Night Poppies.......SOLD

This is a study in contrasting colors. It is interesting to see how opposing colors sometimes make the best composition.

It is so hot and humid here in the Ozarks that the only time I can spend much time in my garden is at night. The Poppies look just a good at night as they do in the day.

Water Lily's on the pond (sorry I's sold)

I love the french impressionist especially Claude Monet. This is just my version of Monet's Water Lily. I hope I have conveyed the water and the light of the original paintings of C Monet. 23 X 35

Wildfire Displayed at Waverly House (sold)

Having lived in California I know how destructive a wild fire can be. Sometimes there is nothing left but the charred remains of a home. The colors of a wild fire set off the black up-rights of what is left.

Harvest Time......21 x 30 SOLD

I know fall is a few months off but I am so looking forward to cooler days that I am working with the colors of autumn. This is simply called Harvest Time. I was thinking of the pumpkins, squash, apples so available at that time of the year. I love the almost iridescent colors on the maple trees here in Missouri.

Grape Harvest (sold)

This is my latest creation inspired after viewing 500+ photos of my daughters trip to the south of France wine area.
This must be a beautiful area of the world. I wanted to portray the deep vibrant colors of the warm day in the vineyards.

Early Morning in the Ozark

This is called Early Morning in the Ozark. I moved to the Ozark 4 years ago and fell in love with this area. It has rolling green hill, crystal clean rivers and streams and clear blue sky. There are deer in the woods near our home which I see in the morning on my walks. I hope you enjoy my version of Early Morning in the Ozark.

Sun Flowers... What else would you call this?

tThis is a acrylic painting I did in 2008. It hangs on my living room wall. I kind of like the informality of sun flowers hanging on a formal living room wall. It adds sunshine to any day and kind of makes you smile.

Hot Summer Day (sorry... I am sold)

This is such a cute little quilt I kind of hate to sell it. This was inspired by Ellen Ann Eddy's work and a class I took from her. The little frog seems to be enjoying the hot summer day in the sun shine and to prospects of getting the critter.

Pet Portrait of my BarBee dog.

My friend, Roberta Ranney, made this little pet Portrait of my BarBee dog. This is absolutely what she looks like. BarBee is a Australian sheep dog, blue Merle. As you can see Roberta captured her inter child look. She is 11 years old now and still looks like a pup.

Pet Portrait of my Muffin girl

This is my little Muffin Girl. A small little quilt of my cat Muffin and it sits on the wall just outside my studio. She likes to sit in the window of my sewing room and keep me company while I sew. I was inspired to do a pet portrait when I saw the one that Roberta did of my BarBee dog.

Me and GrandPa

This is my all time favorite quilt. This is a series of photos of my Grandson and my husband at the park. They are walking hand in hand over to the swings. But they stopped to discuss something. Lucas, my grandson, likes to do what Grandpa does. So when Grand Pa bent over to talk to Lucas, Lucas also bent over. So they had their conversation and continued their walk to the swings. Grand Pa Ted looks the same but Lucas is now 11 years old, 5 ft.5 in. and still likes to do what Grand Pa does.
I hope it looks like a dream sequence fading into the past.

Survivor's Garden

This is a large full size quilt that I made to hang on the wall in the entry way of The Pink Ribbon Place. I call it the Survivor's Garden. It has the photo of cancer survivor through out the quilt. My daughter's photo is in the center. I hope to put new photos on the quilt through out the years to come.

new computer

OK OK so I did not post anything for 3 months. My computer was not cooperating, the holidays were present and then there was any number of excuses that I will not bore you with today. But the new computer is great and will be loaded with all the new art quilt photos soon. you will have new blog photos to enjoy as soon as that is completed.

The Art of Everyday Life

This is called Twilight in the Ozark and was on an older blog page. I am bringing it back because it was accepted at The Waverly House Gifts & Gallery,Holiday Season Show to Benefit The Regional Girls' Shelter. The show will open with an artist reception Friday, November 6, 2009 from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m.
The them is The Art of Everyday Life. If you live in the Springfield, Missouri area drop in to meet me and the other artist. The show will run form November 6 to December 19,2009. This is an honor to be accepted into this show. There will also be a silent auction. 100% of the auction will go to the Regional Girls Shelter.
You can visit Waverly House at www.waverlyhouse.com


Twilight is my favorite time of the day. The sky is getting dark and the lights are Just comming on. But here in the Ozark the rolling hills in many shades of green are a wondrous sight as the sun dips below the horizon. This is just part of every day life here in the Ozark.

Cancer, Anyone?

Thedoglived.blogspot.com
This is the blog for my daughter, Teresa. She was diagnosed with breast cancer December 2008 just before Christmas. Her blog is about her dog's cancer and about her cancer. It tell you all the medical procedures she went through, her thoughts and experiences during and after treatment. It is good reading for anyone who has cancer or anyone who know any one with cancer. She has what might be called sarcastic, and humorous way of dealing with this.
She lives in Riverside, in Southern California area called the Inland Empire. Trying to get medical treatment in an area that has one doctor for every 100,000. documented people and god know how many undocumented people is what California calls medical care. Maybe my statistics are off here but you get the idea.
She has decided that this in unacceptable, especially for someone that has just been told they have a devastating diagnosis like breast cancer. She has been asked to head up a committee to raise money to start a Breast Cancer Resource Center in the Inland Empire. IT will be called The Pink Ribbon Place. Her blog will also take you to their site where you will see the quilt that I made called Teresa's Water Garden. This quilt will be used to raise money for the new Center.

Persian Garden (Taken) sorry

This is a more traditional quilt and large enough to cover a full size bed. 100% cotton. It is called Persian Garden because it reminds me of a Persian rug in bloom. It now hangs in my daughter, Teresa's, law practice in Riverside California.
Most of the quilts in my closet are traditional quilts. Some are in various stages of a work in progress.

Hard Edge Abstract

This is one of my oil paintings. It took a long time to complete because each color had to dry before I could move on to the next color. The brush strokes go from left to right. This was very controlled painting and an exercise in discipline for me.

The Fall Trees

Well as you can see I am thinking about fall. Mostly because it is only 42 out today and it has been raining continuously for 36 hours.
The photos attached to this blog are of one of my favorite art quilts. The trunk of the tree is made form hand died velvet, yarns and cotton with lots of machine stitching. There is also silk leaves, and cotton tree limb. The trunk is actually 3 dimensional and inspired by an art quilt I saw in Tucson AZ in 2008.

Fall Nights

It is fall here in the Ozarks and the leaves are starting to turn color and the weather is cooling down. Today it is raining so I am all into fall colors. This is called Fall Nights and is made form cotton and polyester and has beads for a little sparkle.

Iris in bloom (SOLD)

This art quilt was made 2008 in the spring as the iris were blooming in our yard. This background was painted on white fabric. The Iris are made from cotton, silk and polyester. Some of the iris are painted with water color dye. Some have Angelina fibers on them. This was a labor of love and sold quickly to some one from California. I hope they enjoy the vivid colors as much as I enjoyed making this.

I'v got Chickens......real chickens and quilted chickens

I am a grandmother again. Well not to the human kind of grand children. The chicken kind of grand egg kind. I guess that is what you call them when they come form chickens that I raised form one day old little baby chicks to these giant hens that are now laying eggs.

These were therapeutic baby chicks that I purchase as the request of my real Grand daughter, McKinzee in May, 2009. Knowing that she would not actually be there to help me I still purchased 6 baby chicks. I was getting over SHINGLES, that is a whole other blog. and I needed something to get my mind off the pain.

But now they are a year old and I have made a quilt called "There is Always One in Every Bunch" . So true in life as it is in chickens.


I fussed and babied them to the point that one of my neighbors asked me if I had made them a quilt yet. NO I have not. Our dog, BarBee, has one. Our cat, Muffin, has one. So why do the chickens not have one? Well winter is not here yet so never say never.

Any way we converted the pony stall into a chicken coop, enclosed a chicken run, put chicken wire over the top and now they are happy and I can sit and watch their funny ways all I want. They are hysterical and amusing and very therapeutic to have. They are MY chicks not my husbands. He does not claim them and will have nothing to do with them. So he says. But he did help build their coop, run and roof. And he does eat the eggs.

Yes we have eggs finally. After 20 weeks and $250.00 worth of chicken feed, structural improvements and hay we have our first egg last Sunday. We have had a total of 7 eggs in 9 days. Not bad for the first week.

The above photos show the 5 chicks, one died, and our dog BarBee. BarBee could also be called a grand mother as she has protected the chicks and from opossum, squires and night and day varmints.

Lillies sold.

This is a photo of lilies in my back yard. I used this photo to inspire the art quilt "Lilies"
I had to pick the flowers and arrange them in a vase with leaves. This is a very formal presentation of the back yard photo but I think it works well for Fiber Art.

Where have I been?

Where have I been you ask. Off taking photos for inspiration and driving the highways and by ways of Missouri. This area of our country is great for color, and nature. I can hardly wait for all the fall colors. It has been a particulary wet summer and so promises to be a very colorful fall. So look for some fall art quilts soon.
I am looking forward to Meet the Artist at Waverly House Gifts and Gallery here in Springfield tonight. My friend Robert Ranney robertaranney.blogspot.com
will be there giving demonstrations of fiber art.
There will be many things happening in the month of September to get the creative juices flowing so look for new works soon.
Thanks for viewing my blog.
Vivian