VAM - Fashion Exhibit Reception 06-15-13

I drove to San Diego this morning and am staying overnight at Homewood Suites.  It took me almost three hours to make the two hour drive - the traffic was horrendous, both south and north , on I-5.  May have been a combination of factors - Father's Day, graduations, weddings, County Fair at Del Mar.  I'll never know the reason, but I did not see any accidents or construction.  One of the mysteries of SCalifornia traffic.
  
 This evening three new exhibits opened at Visions Art Museum in San Diego.  In the main gallery is "Second Time Around : Fashion Recycled" showing new garments made from discarded garments.  In the small gallery is " Supporting Roles: Fiber & Photography" an exhibit of works combining quilt art and photographic art.  And in the foyer gallery there are 28 12"x12" quilts by members "Tops & Bottoms".  All are worth a visit to the Museum - check the website for more information: www.visionsartmuseum.org       



Before I even drove out of my neighborhood I spotted this unicyclist pedaling along on the sidewalk past the golf course.  Isn't he amazing?  That huge pack on his back must make balancing even more challenging.
 

I saw this lady at the bakery/restaurant catty-corner from the museum.  She has made her shoes into "wedgies" by merely breaking down the heels.  But what really caught my eye is the decoration she chose to wear on her shorts.
 

As I said yesterday my aversion to glitter in the daytime has grown less with the years.  But this is just beyond my comprehension.  Why?

The fashions in the exhibit are generally amazing.  How do the designers think of these things?   Osbaldo has shown work in previous fashion exhibits and I think he does just awesome fashions. 

 

This is the professional photograph with the garment worn by a professional model.
 

And here is Osbaldo with his creation on a manikin in the exhibit.  From this angle it looks like a big white fish with arms and legs!   Notice that Osbaldo is wearing a sweater made from "leftover" socks!   

Friday Feet 06-14-13

I may have gotten over my aversion to "sparkly things" in the daytime.  Something I inherited from my mother who thought it was cheap and ugly - she didn't like gypsies and they frequently wore sparkly things just any old time.  When I was in high school I wanted to wear rhinestone earrings (clip on, of course) and she threw them away. 


This lady at Starbuck's looked great and I like her sparkly shoes.
 

Unfortunately, I can no longer wear heels or flats.  Too bad.

Kangaroo Paws 06-13-13

I have posted before how much I like the Kangaroo Paw flowers.  I've seen them in yellow, red, pink, and white, but gold is the most common color.  Since they were introducted in SCalifornia at least a decade ago they have become a very popular landscape plant not only in private yards, but shopping strips, resorts, street plantings - I see them everywhere now.  On Tuesday I stopped for lunch at Kappa Kappa Hana on La Paz, just off the I-5 - I think that is Mission Viejo.  And what is blooming like mad in the parking lot? 


Gold Kangaroo Paws!  I took this shot showing my car to demonstrate how tall these plants are.  Over six feet, I believe, the largest I have seen. 
 

I took this image before I got out of the car - a solid wall of golden "paws".
 

Look at the gorgeous red stems - what a wonderful contrast to the bright yellow.  There are several open flowers in this picture.
 

I put a brown bag behind this branch hoping that the flower shapes would stand out a little more.  At the bottom is a unopened bud and at the top a couple that are just opening - this is when they look most like the paws of a kangaroo.  And in the middle is one open flower - green with bright yellow spikes sticking straight up. 

Previous posts on this subject:

http://www.delquilts.blogspot.com/2012/10/more-kangaroo-flower-10-27-12.html

http://www.delquilts.blogspot.com/2011/11/monday-browsing-11-07-11.html

http://delquilts.blogspot.com/2010/05/kangaroo-paw-05-07-10.html

Wordless Wednesday - I-40 06-12-13

 

 

 

 

Taking the night off 06-11-13

My father's family had a saying, "Too far, too hot, and too hard on the horses."  Which applied to anything that was beyond some one's ability at the moment.  I am invoking that quip tonight.  I still need to catch up on my sleep - or maybe it is my energy I am chasing. 


 

Dried cattails in a bed of pink wildflowers. Kentucky 5-28-13

Monday Browsing 06-10-13

Portland’s World Naked Bike Ride   Amazing – this is not the Portland I knew in the 1950’s.  Warning: front and back nudity!  http://vimeo.com/65591403

There are regular journal entries for Libby Lehman on Caring Bridge, an organization that provide a newsletter website for families and friends to stay abreast of their friends who are suffering an extended medical issue. You can sign in to Caring Bridge (it's free) and follow Libby's progress by clicking this link: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/libbylehman.

Studio Art Quilt Associates is a world wide organization that promotes art quilters and their work.  Check out their website  www.SAQA.com    There are pictures, books, quilts for sale, upcoming exhibits – just a lot of information about what is happening with art quilts.

Visions Art Museum has several new exhibits, including fashions made from recycled clothing.  The opening reception is Saturday, June 15^th at Liberty Station in San Diego.  www.visionsartmuseum.org
 

 

La Posada Hotel, Winslow, AZ Built in 1930 by Fred Harvey and Santa Fe RR. 06-03-13

Charlotte Bird quilt in TCQC 06-09-13

A few months ago I hung almost all the quilts in Thomas Contemporary Quilt Collection that depict birds.  There are an amazing number and every one is special to me.  I think there are more black birds (crows, ravens, larks) because they are so dramatic on just about any background.   One of the things that attracted me to this quilt by Charlotte Bird is the sort of pinstriped border and the irregular shape of that border.  The contrast between the blackness of the crows ravens and the screaming red branches they sit on also attracts my eye. 


"Conversation"  Charlotte Bird - San Diego, CA  2009  25"W x 13"L
Cotton fabric, cotton thread, cotton batting. Beads for eyes.
Fused, machine edge stitched, machine quilted.
 

I especially like the sort of roughness of the outline stitching and the definition of the wings and tail.  Crows Ravens always seem scruffy to me, even though they often appear sleek and shiny to other observers.
 

Here is the back side of the bird on the right above.  No hiding the back with a liner - I can see every stitch and knot, which is just the way I like things to be.
 

Each conversation "balloon" is stitched around with matching thread.
 The irregular spiky horizontal line is a human heartbeat.
 

If there were no sleeve or label I could hang it backwards to enjoy the quilting lines.
 

Sensible label with a contact for the artist. 

06-10-13  I asked Charlotte if she had any corrections or additions and she e-mailed this info:
"The birds are ravens...from a picture a friend took in Denali Park, Alaska.  The irregular spiky horizontal line is a human heartbeat.  I love ravens...smart, sassy and tricky.  There are often depicted in indigenous people's folk tales as tricksters and changelings. Charlotte"