Happy New Year! I am finally finished painting my quilt squares. I have changed from my original plan of the quilt in that I was going to have a large square in the middle with an eagle painted on it. Instead, I have painted an eagle on each of the 4 corners. All of the squares are 10 x 10 plus the black frame and the fabric sashing. I can hardly wait to have it all put together. I did, however, run into a snag recently. I was a bit concerned about running out of fabric, and rightfully so. When I was putting the squares together, I found that I was short for the long side of 13 squares. I am not the one who figured out the fabric--no, no, no, I am not so good at math and figuring how much fabric I need. I really don't sew an awful lot either. The quilt shop told me how much fabric I needed, I did waste just a little through mistakes, but not that much, and I don't think my change of the original plan altered the results that much- well, I don't think so. Anyway, of course, the quilt shop did not have any more of the fabric--what to do??? My hubby said that I could get all new fabric and start from scratch- I Don't Thinks SO!! Anyway, the lady at the quilt shop was good enough to tell me that the fabric was from, Floagraphix II In the beginning by Jason Yenter. So, thank God for the internet. I found the fabric on line and was able to order more. I am posting some pictures- now, keep in mind, I need more fabric, so it should look much better when completed. I hope you enjoy the pictures. I will update with the completed quilt top and then again when it is completed, and then again, if I enter into a quilt show.

My photo's didn't all show up, so here are some more.

Well, tomorrow is July 1st- hard to believe--how time flies when you'r having fun--and with the artwokr-or play, I feel like I am almost living the dream. Anyway, here are a few pictures from the Watauga Valley Art League show going on for the month of July at Sycamore Shoals Park in Elizabethton. My photos aren't the greatest, but I hope it will make you want to go see for yourself. There is so much eye candy there! The first picture will be my display- reason being, I am not in the photo and mixed in with the others, you wouldn't know which was mine. I hope you enjoy.

I'm back home from visiting my brother in Michigan. He has cancer-in the last stages. It has spread to every organ in his body- I know he won't be with us much longer. It is very sad--enough about that. I need to update with my art classes. I have 1 more week of my bird painting classes on Tuesdays at 1:00 at the Jonesborough Senior Center. The last class will be a Carolina wren. The cost is $5.00. I will post a picture of the quilt square of this bird- ours will have a little background painting and be on a 5x7 canvas paper. We do have slider frames that one of my student's husband has made that you may purchase for $6.00.

I am teaching "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain" at 1:30 on Wednesday afternoons at Jonesborough Senior Center. Tomorrow will be the second class- you can still get into this 8 week class. The cost is $40.00-We could catch you up on what you missed last week. This class helps you to see things the way artist sees-you will then draw better and paint better.

New Classes are as follows: May 6th (Thursday) I will be teaching the pictured seascape. This is an oil painting done in the Robert Warren method. The canvas is underpainted in orange and has black acrylic paint over the dark areas before we paint with oil. The class will be a 1 day class beginning at 9:30 and lasting until approximately 2:30-3:00. We will break for lunch at noon. The supplies are: a 12x16 canvas, orderless turp, brushes, a pallette and paper towles. I will supply the paint. The cost of the class is $25.00. We will finish this painting in one day.

Beginning May 20th (Thursday) We will pick up our decorative painting course. The cost is $5.00 per class, (unless otherwise specified for special events). We have been painting birds and may continue painting a few more. I will update with pictures soon.

I will be starting evening classes at my studio very soon and will update the blog.

Here are the students from my Waterfall & Mountain Class. They just finished today. I think they did a great job. Each painting is the same, but has differences, which is the way it should be. Each student puts their own personality into their painting as the develope their skills. It was a fun class and I look forward to teaching a new project in the very near future. We will be starting "Drawing on the right side of the brain at the senior center beginning Wednesday, April 7th at 1:30, please join us.

Here are a few more bird quilt squares. I haven't been able to paint any in more than a week-must do at least two tomorrow. My goal is 4 per week- this week was busy with the new classes starting and getting ready to open 606 State Street Gallery in Bristol! Very exciting! I will take some pictures and share them later of the gallery. It is beautiful & lots of talented artist. I feel honored to have my work displayed with theirs. Anyway, here are a couple more birds. I will have to post a picture of our bedroom before & after the bird transformation!

I started teaching new classes this week at the Jonesborough Senior Center. Tuesday afternoons we paint birds, this week was a cardinal-the one pictured in my blog. Today we began painting a mountain scene with a waterfall. We will complete that next week and I'll post pictures of the students and their paintings. There were six in the class today. We got about half way finished which was the plan. Pictured is the painting we are doing. Also here are a couple more quilt squares. I didn't do any new ones so am posting some I have already completed. I hope to have 4 more by the end of the week. I also decided to start teaching another class in drawing-on the right side of the brain. This is a great drawing class. I have taught it 3 times before and the students love it. It not only teaches you to draw better than you can imagine, but, it teaches you to see things the way an artist sees. You will be pleasantly supprised at your improvement & the things you notice after this class. Also, if you like painting, your paintings will improve. I also completed my Blue Jays winter painting today in oil. I will publish that soon. I hope to hang it in the gallery soon.

Here is a Free hummingbird painting packet. I hope you will give it a try! Please let me know how it turns out for you. It was a lot of fun to paint and takes very little time. Enjoy!

Just got home from Kairos Outside 2nd meeting-they are always uplifting. Here is a link to the website for it my husband created. http://www.northeasttennesseekairosoutside.org/ Check out Weekend # 3 fror the theme & theme song.

I have a new painting I just finished yesterday. I'm excited about it and will be able to offer prints for sale. The prints I had made are the actual size of the painting 10 1/2" x 36" I think They are done on canvas, so I have to stretch them over stretcher bars (wood) and hopefullt they will look very nice. They are giclee prints and I may touch them up if needed. I have to ask a much higher price than just a print on cardstock. I hope to get some of them also. I will publish the photo at least to show what it will look like. The print is a little better than the photo. Also, I am posting some more birds for my quilt squares.

I have some more quilt squares to post. These are just the painted squares-I need to photograph some of the completed squares so that you can get the picture of what it will look like-I'll do that soon. I am also working on a new birds on the window sill painting, I'll share that later. Also been thinking of posting a hummingbird, with painting instructions. Anyway, here's the new quilt squares- if I also have the same bird painted on canvas for a class, I'll post that as well for comparison.

Didn't get a chance yet today to work on my quilt squares, but I have some more to post. I went to Senior Center to take the photo's I'll be using for teaching the bird classes-there was a mix up in the newsletter-saying that I am teaching painting bird quilt squares! Humm--well, I have plenty of muslin & textile medium-I guess they can paint on that if they like, I'm flexible. They can have a choice. Why not? Anyway, I will post the pictures of the birds we will be painting in that class-well 4 out of the six anyway, the others will come later. I am using some of the same birds as are on my quilt squares, only the background is different. Maybe I'll post them and you can decide which you like better, the quilt square or the bird on the canvas.

I am finally making my "Bird Quilt"! I am very excited about it. I love birds, especially song birds and we have plenty of them here in beautiful east Tennessee. My home is mostly decorated in a totally Tuscan Theme, but, I think I can incorporate the birds into it--do you think? I'm sure they have birds in Italy too! I'll have to post some before and after pictures of our bedroom. It is not so much tuscan as the rest of the house. I had planned on taking it more that direction, but with this quilt, birds will have to be the major "theme". I am combining my love for birds and my painting into a work of art that will be usefull and hopefully be around long after I am gone. I will share my progress here with the quilt. I have 21 squares painted already, I need 48. I only have a couple that are complete with the framing and sashing sewn on. I will be sewing them together on the machine, and then, taking the completed top along with batting and backing that I have not picked out yet to the Jonesborough Senior Center to get help from the quilters there to do the hand quilting. I will not be leaving it completely to them to quilt though. Oh no, I will be there quilting along side them. I feel like this will be like the old fashioned quilting bees. It should be finished much sooner with their help. So, now I will post some pictures of the birds I have painted. I will post a few new ones every few days to catch up, and then, as they are completed and as they are put together. So, hopefully, you will follow this and watch the quilt grow into something beautiful!