Virginia A. Spiegel

Leni Wiener
Approaching Storm

Beautiful fiberart for a good cause! It’s finally almost time to go shopping and contribute to the American Cancer Society at the same time. The Invitational Reverse Auction of Fabulous Fiberart opens tomorrow, March 10, at 10 a.m. CST.

It is apparent that Leni Levenson Wiener is a former professional photographer and sculptor. Leni’s “subjects are very photographic in nature and always start with her own photographs.” Approaching Storm materials include cotton, rayon and poly organza fabric. Techniques include raw edge machine appliqué and thread work.

I do think evocative is the best word to describe Leni’s work. There is a human need to create narrative and this is exactly what Leni’s artwork invites you to do. You can see more of Leni’s art on her website.

In the past year, Leni’s work has been juried into major art quilt venues across the country, including the highly prestigious ArtQuilt Elements exhibition. She shares many of her techniques in her book, Thread Painting: Simple Techniques to Add Texture and Dimension. Leni teaches extensively everything from basic beginner quilting to art quilting, and runs a monthly art quilt workshop.

Happy shopping tomorrow and thank you for your generosity and support of this Fiberart For A Cause fundraiser for the American Cancer Society.

Larkin Van Horn
Hidden Gold
Medallion: 7″ long including fringe x 2-3/4″ wide x 1/2″ deep
Necklace: 13-1/4″ from back of neck to top of medallion
Detail photo below

Larkin Van Horn has generously donated this free-form bead embroidery talisman necklace to the 2008 Invitational Reverse Auction which opens this coming Monday, March 10. The necklace includes glass, stone and shell beads on a base of cotton fabric and batting.

Here is a detail:

It’s easy to see why Larkin is in demand as a teacher and lecturer among quilters, fiber artists, and beadworkers. Her second book, Beading On Fabric, was released in 2006, and she has also published patterns for wearable art garments and fabric vessels. Her work has been displayed and won honors both regionally and nationally.

Larkin’s newest venture is creating and curating the It’s Good To Be Green exhibition now showing at Latimer Quilt and Textile Center, Tillamook, Oregon. More information as well as a CD of the exhibition artwork is available here.

Visit Larkin’s website to see more of her art.

100% of the proceeds from the Invitational Reverse Auction are donated directly to the American Cancer Society through Fiberart For A Cause. The Reverse Auction opens this coming Monday, March 10, and the minimum donation decreases each day. Go here for all the details and to see the fiberart from nine additional artists.

Susan Sorrell
Storm
Fiber, fabric paints, embroidery thread and beads.

Exhuberance. Bold Color. Stitching. These are all hallmarks of Reverse Auction artist, Susan Sorrell. As Susan states on her website, “I am a Southern Fried Folk Artist living in South Carolina. I love to paint on fabric and make it 3-D with beads and thread. Painting is a passion, so I tend to paint on anything that doesn’t move.”

What I love about Susan’s work is that you can look at one of her pieces a dozen times and see something new in it each time. Her optimism and boundless energy are made manifest in her artwork.

Susan’s artwork requires hunting and gathering, “I love the way textile art can push the boundaries of traditional quilting and sewing. I like to add color and textures to the fabrics with anything I can find. So, I am always searching for buttons, trim, unusual beads, old jewelry, rubber stamps, paint, and any other items to make my fiber collages unique.”

Susan has generously donated three small artworks to the Invitational Reverse Auction. You can see all three here and follow the link to view her artist’s page.

Susan teaches classes online and also at her studio, Little House Art Studios.

100% of the proceeds from the Invitational Reverse Auction are donated directly to the American Cancer Society through Fiberart For A Cause. The Reverse Auction opens this coming Monday, March 10, and the minimum donation decreases each day. Go here for all the details and to see the fiberart from nine additional artists.

Karen Bettencourt
e onziéme étourneau (the eleventh starling)

UPDATES: Deadline for receipt of collage jpegs is April 1. The submission details are explained in the Call for Artists.

There will be a drawing (as a small thank-you for artists shipping their collages directly to patrons) among all artists whose collages are acquired during Collage Mania. This week’s highlighted thank-you is a BOLT of Mistyfuse donated by Iris Karp of Attached, Inc..

20″ x 100 yard bolt of Mistyfuse White. Retail Value $300

Attached, Inc. is a Promotion Partner this year for FFAC and has already made a substantial donation. Thank you, Iris!

On to the collages! The collage that opened this post is e onziéme étourneau (the eleventh starling) by Karen Bettencourt. Materials include old papers, acrylic paint, image transfer on canvas. The collage was created and mounted on 10″x8″ heavy watercolor paper, signed, dated and ready for framing.

Karen is co-curator, with Maxine Farkas, of Paste-up, a juried exhibition of small format collage to be presented at the Ayer Lofts Gallery in Lowell, Massachusetts. The deadline for submissions is March 15. For more information, visit Karen’s website here.

Bonnie Sabel
Tropical Orchid

Bonnie describes the unique construction of her collage, “This tropical-themed collage of 12 cotton fabrics began with an actual 4″ x 6″ quilted postcard The postcard is a collage of an orchid print, along with six other fabrics. The postcard is quilted with free-motion quilting and embellished with a bead and a flower charm.

The postcard was trimmed with a quarter-inch black grosgrain ribbon and set into a 4″ x 6″ opening in an 8″ x 10″ mat with backer board. The mat has been embellished with a black background cotton fabric and four green fabrics, along with a leaf ribbon. A half-inch border of the white mat remains around the perimeter. Mat is signed and dated by the artist and ready for framing.”

Bonnie’s collage is dedicated to her sister, Susan, a breast cancer survivor.

Bonnie is the author of Positively Postcards. Visit Bonnie’s website for more information.

Collage Mania is May 5 and 6 with 100% of the proceeds going directly to the American Cancer Society through Fiberart For A Cause. A preview of all collages opens April 28. Click here for more information.

Striped

I love serendipitous finds when out walking (which, if you think about it, is why The Garbage Day Project is such fun for me). This was a walking stick that was left in the woods leaning against the tree. We had passed a person with a walking stick earlier, but why would he spend the time to make the little striped grip of grosgrain ribbon and then leave it in the woods next to the path?

There is more serendipity today at The Garbage Day Project here.