Thursday was Orange 04-05-20

This past week the Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA) asked members to post on their Facebook page, pictures of their quilts according to color.  So, Wednesday was Red, Thursday was Orange, and so forth.  The only quilt I showed was "Cactus Flower" on Wednesday, because it is very ORANGE.  The color is close to the top of my favorite colors, yellow being the most favorite, as anyone can tell.  I suppose the group will continue through other colors and maybe I will look up a picture in my files to post another day.  

"Cactus Flower"   Del Thomas  2000   61.5"W X 48"L

Commercial Cotton fabrics, Batiks, Hand-dyes.  

Cotton Batting and Thread.  Machine pieced and quilted. 

I started this in Ruth B. McDowell's Nature class at Empty Spools Seminars in 1999.  In March 2000 I spent a week in a house in Lake Havasu and this is what I worked on the entire time.  I had taken two large boxes of orange fabrics, but still had to visit the local quilt shop to find just one more!  At that time I was skeptical about putting paint on quilts (how old fashioned was that?), but couldn't find a print for the center of the flowers.  So, I went to Michael's and bought (of all things) puff paint in the appropriate colors and put little dots on a dark orange fabric.  It worked and I tried very hard to not apologize.  Now, twenty years later, I wouldn't give it a second thought.  How we grow!  

The quilt is all pieced, no applique, using Ruth's original methods with freezer paper templates.  

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Food on Monday !! 07-01-19

After my dental appointment this afternoon I needed some comfort food.   And I just happened to drive by Bruxie's in Orange, CA.  I couldn't resist. 

As always, I ordered the Green Eggs and Ham with lots of napkins!

There are a lot of calories and a rather messy thing to eat without dripping on my clothes. 

They start with their special waffle and add ham, fried egg with broken yolk, cheese, pesto sauce, a dab of mayo, and fold it over.  You can see how full this sandwich is.  So delicious.  And I didn't need any dinner tonight.  What a deal. 

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Hilbert Museum of California Art in Orange 05-11-18

Blogger wouldn't post this last evening, so I am trying again.  Del

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Today I met two friends in Orange and had a lovely brunch and a visit to a museum I had never heard of .  And it is very near where my doctor's office is, so I should have been aware.  My two friends and I met at The Filling Station a restaurant that is just off the circle of old town Orange.  It was at one time a real filling station, but has been a restaurant for quite a few years.  The extensive patio is where the pumps used to be and there is also dining inside the old building.  They have delicious Mexican food and serve both breakfast and lunch.  It is very popular, but we didn't have to wait very long for a table.  The Huevos Rancheros were scrumptious and went well with hot lattes. 

Then we found our way to the museum which is just a few blocks away and across the street from the Orange Train Station (which also houses a Ruby's restaurant).  The Hilbert Museum of California Art is part of Chapman College and, although not large, is spacious and well lit.  The Hilberts are a couple who support Chapman and have collected California paintings (oil, watercolor, pencil, ink, pastel, etc.) for quite a few years.  They donated at least part of their collection along with the building to Chapman a couple years ago.

Currently there are about six small exhibits: Westways (Automobile Club of SCalifornia) Cover art from the 20's and 30's, Magical Visions from Eyvind Earle who worked for Disney for many years and continued his own art at the same time,  pen/pencil drawings of the original Star Wars trilogy by Robert Bailey, selections from the permanent collection, and paintings donated by collectors Jim and Lynne Doti depicting California scenes.  It is a lovely variety of works and there is, I think, something that anyone could enjoy.    

I didn't record the artist on this one, but it is a charming depiction in oil of Angel's Flight in downtown LA.  

These fantastical horses are part of the "Magical Visions" of Eyvind Earle.

There were artist's names I recognized and a number of paintings that I have seen in print, along with a few actual magazine showing how the works appeared in print.  

It was a very pleasant day and I felt I had learned something from the signage and labels in the museum.  I know I will go back again and probably take a friend.. or two. 

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"Orange" you glad you came? 09-11-12

Surfside Quilters Guild met this morning, it is the only guild I find time to attend regularly - admittedly because I have a "job" as photographer.  But it is such a great group of ladies and they give me a feeling of belonging, something that doesn't seem to come from other the other guilds I belong to.  It is always a happy experience to be among my 100 or so quilting friends for a few hours.  Today our speaker was Wendy Mathson from San Diego and the topic was "What's Wrong With Orange?"   The membership had been asked to wear orange - from pale apricot to rust - and many members did.  It was fun to look at all the different orange shades and prints - I was surprised that so many members obliged.  I wore my orange hat, but my orange shirts have all been relegated to the "painting clothes" pile.  Wendy says that the Panetone color of the year is Tropical Tangerine (or some such name), so maybe I can find some shirt replacements.  I'll have to go shopping .

President Jan Hirth started out the meeting with a Knock-Knock that I haven't heard for ages - lacking grandchildren, I suppose. "Knock - Knock."  "Who's there?"  "Orange you glad you came?"  Nothing like a little laughter to get us in a good mood.  Wendy showed about forty quilts, all with orange in some shade - some very bright and others more subtle.  Most of the quilts were made by friends in her guilds and friendship groups, so the variety was exciting, along with the color.  I do love orange!

 
There are always flowers on the refreshment table - these are not orange, but aren't they lovely?  Members who bring refreshments put their name in a basket and one is drawn to take the flowers home.  Notice that the French flower vase is covered with a bag made from blue jeans and has yellow flower cutouts attached.  Very coordinated.  Members are asked to bring something in their birthday month and my contribution every September is a tray of See's chocolates - seen on the right of the picture.  Every year I think I will make cookies, but it is always so hot in early September that I loath to turn on my oven, so I just make a stop at See's.  Everyone seems to love them and there are no leftovers!

 
I was on stage to do a promo for Visions Art Museum in San Diego and took advantage of the height to snap some pictures of the orange-clad members.  I took this one first and I think they were all wondering what the heck I was doing, so they are very sober.

But when I turned the camera to the other half of the room they understood and were smiling at me.   The two ladies in the front are VP Vickie Janis and Secretary Sheri Hill, who is busy taking notes.  The violet leis are worn by officers and committee chairs.  They go well with the orange!

To our surprise, when we went outside the clouds had lowered and rolled in from the sea, which is beyond the distant palms.

And we had water on our cars! 

We didn't expect rain, but it was actually raining.  More of an Oregon mist, but real water coming out of the sky.   I headed north on I-5 and was soon out of the rain, but it was cloudy all day.  No rain in Placentia.