Inspirations for a New Quilt

A while back, I was visiting John C. Campbell Folk Art School in North Carolina. It is a beautiful place and provides endless opportunities of inspiration for art.  I do a lot of picture taking so while walking around the campus, I came upon many wonderful and interesting things to photograph. 

This old water wheel, still in place was corroded and scarred from the passage of time. The stone wall behind it was stained and boasted of many hours of being subjected to rushing waters.

It was old, it was worn and it was beautiful in its own right.

The moss and crumbling rocks just added to the charm.

I was feeling a very strong connection to this water wheel and the beautiful plant life, weeds and moss.

I also found some amazing doors which I love to photograph, especially the very old and worn ones.

Now here's a door for you....brightly painted with beautiful latching.

However,  this is more to my liking - the old painted peeling door...

and this which is not really a door but some wonderful weathered wood.

So I had to decide and the water wheel won out.  I put the photograph into Photoshop elements and turned it into a black and white and then did "find edges" in filters...

and this one which is "photocopy" in filters. I've always liked the "find edges" as I think it gives you more of a feel of values and distinct lines...but both will be used in the design process. Stay tuned for the step by steps on how this photo became a quilt.

Nature Center Inspiration

I had my 8 month old granddaughter visiting this past week and one of the things we did was to visit the Nature Center in Asheville.  It's been many years since I've been there and there are many more animals and walking paths, picnic areas - it was a wonderful day.

 All of the animals are native to this part of the country making it more personal and fun.

 Audrey was fascinated with the huge snake she tried to reach out and touch, oops except for that glass in the way.

 The cougars were among my favorite. Being a lover of cats, it was fun to see the big cats doing the same thing as my 4 domestic ones.

 And there are still lots of "winter trees" which I love with all the crazy configuration of branches.

 
My most fascinating time was with the wolves....all kinds - red, grey and white, and at one point they all set to howling, each kind of wolf had a different howl -  it was amazing. One of those moments you wish for but rarely happen. And so here is my inspiration - to photograph these beautiful animals through a chain linked fence or glass. I did both but when I did the glass, the trees behind me reflected on the glass and came through on the picture of the wolf I didn't realize this until I downloaded the photos. I love the "double exposure" kind of thing and am thinking I might want to do a quilt using this picture.

Inspirations

I've been looking through picture files for inspiration; I've been good about finishing up UFOs and am now looking for ideas for future pieces.  I love printing on fabric so some of these may wind up like that. I also love the technique which uses an acrylic medium to transfer the picture to fabric;  this gives an older look to the piece. I love this building we found on a recent trip to New York; it's a little blurry but the building is hauntingly beautiful. I'm sure I'll find a way to use it or a portion of it.

I love old country roads and there were plenty of them in upstate NY. The old stone walls along the edge were my favorite part.

 I've always been drawn to rocks and crumbling walls which were everywhere.

The old Huguenot village was amazing to see with such beautiful stonework.

The doors were so small, my 6' tall husband had to bend his head to go through.  The windows were all hand blown glass - another favorite of mine.

And the openings for guns in all the houses.  I really like this photo, I will probably use it out of context and do something weird with it.

I'm intrigued with cemeteries and old tombstones.  These dated back hundreds of years.

The writing filled the entire tombstone.

It was one of those magical days, walking through this old town and becoming a part of the past if only for a short time.

I never go anywhere without taking pictures of trees...and winter trees are my favorite with all the wonderful configurations.

and a tree in front of a church steeple - an added bonus.

and this old shed with moss all over it. I really like the door and will probably incorporate it into  something.

I still have a few unfinished small pieces and am determined to get those out of the way before I dive into something new, that's my goal anyway and hope I can stick to it.