Tie Dyed Easter Eggs

A friend sent me to a sight at the Kansas City Star with instructions for a quick and easy method to dye Easter eggs. Put your hard boiled eggs in a colander, splash with vinegar, then drop food coloring over the eggs, slightly rolling them around by jiggling the colander. When you have added all the colors you wish, rinse the eggs and allow them to dry on a paper towel. Simply beautiful eggs. Try it!

PlayDate with Kate and Peggy

Once a month artists from a number of backgrounds meet at my studio for PlayDate. Peggy Spence and I bring new ideas and techniques to the group and they, in turn, share their techniques with the group. We have tons of art supplies to play with and try to keep our projects somewhat related to fiber. It is a free form group. The email list is huge and anywhere from 6 to 15 people show up. You can see from the photo that we have our priorities - note the Cheese Nips and Chips Ahoys in the foreground.

Lately we've been working on new methods of painting on fabrics and we're doing round robin art journals.

The day is always stimulating and more fun than one can imagine - exhausting, too.

Doll making

In my dye group we've been making art dolls. I've finally finished her - first doll - no name yet. It was so much fun, I'll start another tomorrow when we meet.
This doll was made using a combination of patterns from Patty Culea's book on making dolls. She was painted with DynaFlow in an orangish brown skin tone. She's dressed in a hand dyed gauze and a knit (from an old turtle neck shirt of mine) Her jewelry came from the stash of broken jewelry at my studio. Since I made this photo, I've added various tatoos to her arms and feet.

Trip to the Fort Worth Modern

In mid March I flew to Fort Worth to visit the Fort Worth Modern Museum of Art. In particular, I went to see the new Sean Scully exhibit. I'm always overwhelmed by the building and the entire collection there. There are textures that can be achieved by painters that are not so easy for textile artists, particular the quality of line and texture. I've been working with different techniques to achieve this quality in my work. Combining my interest in the texture and lines of old and new buildings and painting on fabric, I have been able to create some useful fabrics to use in my work.

Paths cross in interesting ways and renew my excitement in creating tangible expressions of what is in my soul.