CREATIVE UPDATE

I have been mulling over a project for a couple of months now and it is starting to take on a reality. The inaugural issue of "Art Quilting Studio" will come out in June 2009. I received an e-mail from the editor at Stampington to consider submitting a quilt in response to a particular challenge for that issue. The challenge is to create an art quilt inspired by the following excerpt from the famous book by Antoine de Saint-Exupery, "The Little Prince":

"One sees clearly only with the heart. Anything essential is invisible to the eyes".

I generally do not assemble any art work with such a thoughtful theme and this is really stretching me in ways I have never considered. Pehaps this is the purpose of a challenge, to encourge/force the artist to look at their work in new ways and to focus on a theme never before attempted. So, the fabrics have been dyed and the general composition of the quilt has been determined. My submission will be entirely hand stitched. The fabric will be hand dyed, the lettering will be free form and painted. And there will be beading (of course!). One of my greatest joys is to hand stitch and bead. I do wish I knew more about beading! I just muddle along and learn the hard way, trial and error. Maybe I should get a book about beading? Good idea Jude.

Anyway, here is a photo of the beginnings of the challenge quilt. I am looking forward to the stitching part! First though, I need to let the paint dry.