Please join us for the Artist Reception, Sunday, November 11, 3:00 – 5:00.

Distressed

Going with the Flow II

All images (c)Shelley Brucar 2012

Hope to see you there the first weekend of November!

Venetian Reflections I

 Venetian Reflections II

Venetian Reflections III

Free Spirit I

Free Spirit II

All images (c)Shelley Brucar 2012

There have suddenly appeared many top 100 lists on facebook – places we’ve been, what we’ve eaten, etc.  Instead of a list of where people have been, how about everyone’s TOP FIVE FAVORITE PLACES?  Mine are:

VENICE   – Awesome water reflections and the very colorful island of Burano

ZION NATIONAL PARK, UTAH   where hiking The Narrows was one of the most exciting adventures ever!

BARCELONA – art everywhere and the BEST FOOD!!!

CAPRI – Complete beauty

CINQUE TERRE, ITALY – intense hiking between the towns

Yes, I see that 3 of my top 5 are in Italy!  I also love Rocky Mountain National Park, Durango (and all of Colorado for that matter), Yosemite, Boston, northern California, New Orleans, Yellowstone, Sedona.  I could go on and on…

The same two pieces have been up on my design wall for many months – first because I did not have enough studio time, and second because when I got to the buildings I could not figure out how I wanted to stitch them.  (Buildings are outside my comfort zone of water and landscapes!)  Well, I have finally found studio time and then woke up one morning knowing what to do with the buildings.  So here is some nostalgia from a long-ago Venice vacation…

 Venetian Reflections I  (c)2012 Shelley Brucar

  Venetian Reflections II  (c)2012 Shelley Brucar

  This one is the island of Burano where colorful buildings abound!

Barbara Schneider’s background is in visual design.  She began quilting in 1966 and discovered the pleasures of cloth, dye, paint and thread.  She has an on-going interest in the Japanese concept of Wabi-Sabi, finding beauty in things that are imperfect , impermanent and incomplete.   Barbara tries to capture the essence of light and movement in her art.

Sally Schoch’s art career started and still includes abstract flower and portrait painting.  She considers abstract art a marriage of imagination, spontaneity and color.  Sally started working in fiber, after a trip toLondon, and her fiber dolls will be exhibited in Viewpoints.

Michelle Sales will tell you that her work is concerned with the excavation and transformation of memory.  She creates art to capture and preserve memories, to document events, emotions, growth and decline.  Working with an earthy palette allows her to explore our connectedness to nature and the human condition.

My art brings to life my spiritual connection with nature.  For me, spirituality is about connecting with something larger than oneself as well as with one’s inner being, one’s core, the values by which one lives.  The tranquility of the natural world is my inspiration.  I wants to share a sense of serenity and encourage viewers to let go of life’s daily demands, to step into the art and feel their own connection with nature.

Last week was my “Explorations with Fabric Paint” class for Northwest Suburban NeedleArts Guild.  I’m pretty sure all participants had as much fun as I did!  We did immersion painting, gradations of color, color mixing, sun-printing (no sun needed), pole-wrapped shibori, scrunching and rubbings and rollings over texture plates.  We used ProChem textile paints – transparent and opaque – and we experimented with Shiva Paintstiks and Setacolor paints, including metallics.  We used gel medium for texture and collaging.

It was so much fun, I have decided to promote my workshops to other guilds.  Here is information on my current offerings for workshops as well as one lecture:

WORKSHOP 1

EXPLORATIONS WITH FABRIC PAINT

 2-3 day workshop                                All levels

 Experiment with different textile paints and application techniques.  See the wide range of effects that can be achieved.  In this class you will learn about the possibilities of textile paint; you will experiment with new ideas, have fun sharing, and create new fabrics to use in your textile art.

 This workshop is intended for students who are interested in learning new tools and techniques.  We will cover mixing color, value gradations, immersion painting, drip-painting, pole-wrapped shibori and more.

 WORKSHOP 2

PAINTING WITH FABRIC

 1-2 day workshop                                Beginning to Intermediate

 This is a design workshop which will cover basic design principles including color, value, pattern, etc.  You will use a background fabric (or batting) as a blank canvas and raw edge or fusible appliqué to “paint” with fabric.  You will learn to create your own pattern, work without a pattern, free-form cut, and design your art quilt.  Day 2 will be a continuation of design along with finishing instruction including free-motion stitching and various bindings.

WORKSHOP 3

STITCHING FOR DESIGN and TEXTURE

1 day workshop                   Beginning to Intermediate

For a follow-up to “Painting with Fabric” class or for those unfinished tops in the closet, bring your art quilt ready to be stitched.  Different stitching designs for each quilt top will be discussed and demonstrated.  Students will practice free-motion machine quilting and start stitching their art quilts.

LECTURE

AN ARTFUL JOURNEY

My path from junior high school clothing class to textile art – with some detours along the way.

Contact me by phone (847-921-4364) or email (shelley@handmade-memories.com) for more info.

Southern Lights IV  (c)2010

The first week of January is my “Explorations in Fabric Paint” workshop for North Suburban NeedleArts Guild in Northbrook, IL.  We will be experimenting with transparent and opaque fabric paints and many different application techniques for a wide range of surface design results.  The piece shown above started with several layers of “drip-painting” which is one of my favorite techniques and one of the explorations for the workshop.

Regular meeting and lecture on Tuesday, 1/3/12, 9am.  Two-day workshop Wednesday and Thursday, 1/4-1/5/12, 9am-4:00.   More info at www.needleartsguild.com.

November exhibit at Schaumburg Prairie Center for the Arts.  Artist Reception Saturday, November 26, 3:00-5.  Here’s the video featuring me…

http://youtu.be/SI2r692uuQk