Mary Ann Van Soest Fiber Artist Meet the Artist Reception Sunday, May 17 - 1:30 pm Following a 30 year career as a successful real estate broker, Van Soest knew she wanted to spend the next 20 years fulfilling her passion creating art. Her new journey began as she explored different art mediums. Through that exploration she experimented with different ideas and crafted her art with unusual elements. She has been the recipient of many awards for not only her paintings but her breathtaking art quilts. Using hand dyed fabrics, acrylic paints and photographs on fabric, Van Soest creates stories about nature that draw the view into her world. Her passion for trees and water are shown in many of her works and her life spent on a farm in Jasper County and travels are her inspiration. Van Soest was recently awarded the Helen V Surovek Memorial Award at the annual Salon Show at South Shore Arts. In addition to exhibiting both locally and nationally, her works can be found in galleries in Indiana, Ohio and Montana. The exhibit will be on display through June 25.

About Us The Village Gallery at Pines Village Retirement Communities opened in 2009 and has showcased many artists from around the region and across the country. Located at 3303 Pines Village Circle, the gallery is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. All exhibits are free and open to the public. For more information call Amy Page at 219/465-1591.

Summer on the pond.

Summer on the pond is finished.

2 more quilts should be enough for the summer show.

A total of 6-must leave some of the wall space for fellow artists.

Maybe need to throw some paint at a canvas or two.

Busy day today.

My daughter and I went to Sam's and Meier's grocery shopping.

Super Bowl week-end she has a big party.

Out for lunch at Joe's Crab Shack.

We don't get together too often so it was fun.

She worked a 12 hour Monday and Tuesday

and an 8 on Wednesday.

I was surprised she had the energy to go.

Nurses are tough.

What a beautiful spring day in February.

Not the usual Indiana weather.



Foto Fiber 2012

My studio is featured on Virginia Spiegel's blog today.

Of course it is not that clean now.

Amazing how quickly we mess them up.

Check it out at

http://www.virginiaspiegel.com/blog/archives/7244

And read about Foto Fiber 2012

An American Cancer Society fundraiser.

Bonus pack for FotoFiber

My third bonus for the Foto Fiber fundraiser.

Batik, hand painted, hand dyed fabrics

Purple and light green my favorite colors.

Beads to match.

2 landscape quilt cards

and a skein of hand dyed thread from my Artfabrik stash.

Check out the web site to the right of my blog.

All you need to know about the American Cancer Society

fundraiser in February.

A chance to win the yellow Barns II art quilt too.

Photo art quilts

I started bases for 3 new art quilts.

12 by 12 inches.

Incorporating photographs I have taken printed on silk.

I like the first 2 but the third one not so much.

It will be interesting to see if I can turn it into something.

I like the softness of the first two.

I really love the winter one.

Colors are great and will make a great addition to

the summer show Under Indiana Skies. 

 This one with the rock and post  is a good base too.

This one will be a challenge.

Maybe it needs to be a mixed media collage type quilt.

No time for work today.

My grandson is coming over to help me.

Need to switch out computer towers.

Put a new sewing chair together.

Put in a new smoke detector.

He is a electrician.

Change some high up light bulbs.

I bribed him with some tacos for lunch.

Plus 2 jars of Jalapeno sweet pickle relish

Have a great week-end.

Better late than never.

Started a new quilt today.

I made some clay forms last fall with bird

stamps I and carved.

Painted and stained these will add some interest to quilts.

I have a group of crows that entertain me all year.

They like to hang out by the pond and gossip with each other.

 I printed a fall scene onto silk fused it to the background.

Added some leaves.

Stamped some circles and dragonflies

Now to add some hand stitching.

I messed around  making a book cover for my Kindle.

It was hard not to pick up the Kindle and read.

Wednesday is a day of grocery shopping  and my

yearly mammo. Than to top off the day a massage.

Rough life.

We should have retirement when we are 45.

Could enjoy it more.



Sunrise art quilt.

 After a cortisone shot to my shoulder Tuesday I am finally

able to start working in the studio again.

I have been dealing with extreme pain since December 1st.

I can finally get my arm behind my

 behind my back without cringing.

Started on my sky series yesterday.

The first will be a sunrise.

This is my view out my kitchen window.

I will paint in the clouds today and hopefully

get started on the free motion quilting.

Supposed to get  snow today for  only the second

time this winter. Terri started  a pool on the amount

of snow we are to get . I got  2.75.

I will let you know how close I come.

Prize is a snow shovel.

Circle around it.

 Found some time to work on the circle project.

I am adding accents of beads.

I will have beads sprouting out of the button.

Love the colors.

This could be part of the sky series.

Doesn't it remind you of twisters?

Got any good names that would tie it in?

Let me know.

Irons in the fire.

Ready Set  and Go.

My irons are ready to apply the first layers

to the backing.

My husband made me a large ironing surface.

Makes my life easier.

When I make a landscape art quilt

I put the background on first.

Than I add the details.

It was a sunny winter day here in Indiana.

The rest of the week is supposed to be the same.

I like sunny days.

Blog hop

Welcome to my blog.

As part of the blog hop party and giveaway

I will be giving away 2 of my quilt cards.

I sell these for $15.

Become a follower.

Look through my past blogs.

Make a comment on one that interest you.

I will pick a winner on the 17th.

These make great gifts.

I call them dreamscapes.

check out the link at:

http://quiltinggallery.com/quilters-fun/quilters-blog-hop-party/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wordless Wednesday

Art Quilt cards

 I have made 30 new art quilt cards for Saturday.

Quilt cards are $15 and make a nice gift.

A card and a piece of art all in one.

If you are in NW Indiana I am hosting a studio

open house Saturday the 10th

from 10 am to noon.

Look for the Cedar Ridge Studio sign on 700 West.

Love to see you.

A busy day at Cedar Ridge

Back in the studio to make some more small art quilts.

I had request for another open house so I will be

open on Saturday the 10th  10 am to noon.

You will really see my studio as it usually  looks'

I started several new projects.

I am going to leave it all out.

Lose too much time cleaning  I need to get

some presents done.

I will be doing small quilts form this painting.

I love the fall colors and so do my clients.



More on the circles

 Worked on the circles.

There will be 4 circles making a 24 x 24 wall hanging.

I am adding beads and other embellishments.

Closer views.

Stay tuned for furture updates.

Foto Fiber 2012

This is one of the bonus packs that will be available

for the FotoFiber2012.

I will be adding some threads

and additional embellishments.

The fabrics are snow dyed.

This one is almost too lucious to give up.

I have also donated an art quilt.

Visit this link to see more of the newest fund raiser

from Virginia Spiegel.

http://www.virginiaspiegel.com/FotoFiberHowItWorks.html



Circle around it.

Works in progress.

I have never done circles before so I am experimenting.

I think I will attache them to 12 by 12 canvass. 

 I love the colors and will be embellishing them  more.

Another day of the Studio open house than

time to enjoy the holidays with my family.

We quit  the gift giving many years ago and

instead we ask people with no family left to join us

for Christmas day.

I really look forward to Christmas now.

I never know how many we will have.

My grown children have the option to add people.

Even as late as Christmas eve.

Have a great week-end.

Circles

 Round and round.

I am trying some circle themes.

These need more done to them.

I do not find them very challenging.

My husband says there is a buyer for everything.

Some one  asked if our house was still for sale.

What a sobering thought to pack up and move.

I just got my studio the way I like it.

The house smells good again today.

3 cheese cake are baking in the oven.

Pumpkin, chocolate and vanilla.

I need to make a apple pie in the morning

and then we are set for Thanksgiving.



A early start to the day at Cedar Ridge

Started at 4 this morning cleaning the studio

and setting up my displays for the Open House.

Saturday will be here before I know it.

I love cardinals they are so bright in the landscape.

I love all my birds.

They eat better than we do at times.

The woodpeckers, blue jays,titmouse's and chickadees

have been very hungry.

I switched to solid block bird feed.

They perch on it and work the seeds loose.

Fun to watch.

Well I had better get back to the studio to finish up.

I plan to be finished by noon today.

Than I can spend tome making

some more landscape quilts.



Swim Little Fish

One of the  4 x 6 art quilts I made for quilt cards

this week-end. I love the Australian prints.

They are so colorful.

The countdown starts.

Saturday is Studio open house.

How much more can I create before then?

I need to make some of the dog photo quilts.

Everyone sent me such  neat dogs photos.

The weather has been great.

At least the wind blew the leaves into the corn field.

Less picking up of leaves for the husband.

Have a great Monday.

The Road Home finds a home.

Spent the morning decorating for Christmas.

Making my space look good for the open house.

I think climbing on a chair to do the 10 foot window

might become a task  I should not do anymore.

It looks great with evergreens and lots of birds.

My daughter stopped over to pick out her

anniversary gift.

She choose wisely by taking the large art quilt

The Road Home.

Four weeks of work and I am glad it will be

where I can enjoy it for many more years to come.

I had gotten attached to it.

I wanted the kids to pick a piece of art before the show.

After all we should share our best with our children.

Have a great week-end.