Framing more Mini Quilts

I've been looking around for projects to finish up to make my "one woman show" coming up next month. (Next MONDAY to be precise! EEK!) I discovered these four small quilt tops, fused but not quilted.

Misde wanted to help me photograph these, wasn't that nice of her?

I found these frames at TJ Maxx ages ago and when I realized what could happen when a mini quilt was glued on over the artwork... I bought all they had.

So when you put these ready made frames together with these mini quilts...

Then the artist tends to get happy.  Check out how dimensional they are:

Yeah, I like that!
(I should have tweaked the color, they look a bit washed out in these two photos.)

I was back at UVA today for a post op check up.  I'm doing pretty good, still not 100%, Doc tells me maybe another two weeks before I can expect to get my strength back.  They took blood to see how I'm doing with the anemia.  I'm trying to be patient... but putting recovery and prep for a featured artist exhibit together on the same schedule... well... it's not exactly working for the show or the recovery.  Here I am again, pulled in a variety of directions.  I am beginning to think it's the story of my life!  Do you ever just want to stomp your little foot and tell the world to just stop spinning for a dad-blamed second?!  Yeah, I do.

On the way back from my doctor's appt, I stopped by Waynesboro for a little shopping.  I was doing it mostly for the exercise, and because I'm always so happy to get out of the house these days that I have trouble going home before I've had a little adventure, somehow, some way.  Today I happened in the door of Ross, (like TJ Maxx) and I always check the cheesy reproduction "art" section for frames for quilts...  

GUESS WHAT I FOUND?!  

More of these dimensional frames!  I'm so tickled!  I snapped up all they had!  (Only four)  I may have to take a day and just drive to all the TJ's and Ross's in reasonable distance just to see if I can find more of these!  (Put down those car keys, step away from the car!)

Time to get back in the studio again, time's a tick tockin right on by.

Happy Creating,
-Carmen Rose

The Art of a Woman

A few photos from the publicity stunt at Oasis Gallery in Harrisonburg Virginia:  Some of them are cell phone photos of really bad quality.  I should have more soon and will share when I can.

That's me.  My phrase was "She is... Changing with the Seasons."  I was wearing some quilter's batting to look like snow, a handful of tulips and mask style makeup that went from purple to blue to turquoise around my eyes.  Those photos came from my husband's cell phone.

The following three photos taken by Frank Doherty. 

Ashley with her lovely lashes and peacock feathers in her hair.  She and her friend were "birds of a feather"

Laura, "She is... as unique as a snowflake!"

This is Barbara, "She is... mysterious."  She's also really good at creating cool poses!

The following two photographs from Charles Garratt, photographer for the project. 

Jill, Ashley and Juliette

Three frames with three live models in the display window. 

Ashley, Juliette and Barbara

Ginger Ferrel did such a great job creating the "set" for us in the window!

These final photographs also from Frank Doherty.

This is the only shot I have so far of all four frames, this shows the whole display window and some of folks who came to watch from the sidewalk.  The gallery is on a corner with a stoplight, and so we had a captive audience each time the light turned red! 

This was all of us lined up before the first performance in the window.  This is us, a range of heights, sizes and ages.  Youngest 14, oldest 54 and all points in between.  You can see two of the tags that we used to explain the facet of being female that we were representing.  Most of the clothing are pieces I had dyed. 

I think this photo was taken of the group of us before the second show.  The photographer was standing on the stairs in the gallery.  This was a publicity stunt for the opening of a show called "Celebrating Womanhood."

I also have an art quilt on display in the show for the next two months.  It's titled "Feed the Glow" and I'll never forget how much creating this quilt enveloped me in the creative process.  For a few hours in a row I was able to shut out the big bad world and find a place that was creative and wonderful and very much my own.  I think this piece will always have a special place in my heart for that reason.  I've never created anything like it before or since. 

So here's to woman and our many facets, and here's to the creative process!

Happy Creating,
-Carmen Rose