Andrea Zuill’s Blog

  Valentine Girl, another painting for my BE Mine… show at Galleri Urbane in Marfa, TX

Now, questions that need to be answered:

1. Referring to my Transfer Eze post:   Wow! I’ve been looking for something like this. My biggest challenge is finding ways to transfer embroidery designs. Can you recommend any other products or techniques? Thanks for sharing such valuable information!

Here are the most common ways to transfer embroidery designs onto fabric - 

Transfer Paper - You can get this item at any fabric store and Sublime Stitching.

Iron on Transfer Pencil  -these can be found at most fabric stores, like Joanns. 

Light Table  -  Well, actually, using a window as your light table.  If you are using the window method, you will find that taping the design to the back of the fabric or to the window helpful as the design will not slip easily while you trace it onto the fabric. To trace, use a light pencil, chalk, air or water-soluble pen, or even a fine tip permanent marker in the shade of thread you will be using. (This info is from Victorian Embroidery and Craft)

2. Just curious. When you are buying fabric, for not a particular project, how much do you buy? A yard? Fat quarter? 2 yards?

Since my quilts are smallish I tend to buy fabric half yards.  But, if I am head over heals in love with a fabric I will buy 1 to 2 yards.  Other reasons to buy more than half a yard of fabric is hard to find colors, hard to find patterns and great fabric to back a quilt with. 

I have trouble finding a good orange fabric, so if I find one I like I’ll buy a yard or two.  Same with brown.  I am always looking for a good chocolate brown.  The color is not the only thing that is important.  I am very picky about the type of pattern on the fabric .  Everyone has their own needs when it comes to size, design and rhythm of pattern on their fabrics.

When I find a nice feeling cotton fabric that would make a great backing for my quilts, and it’s cheap,  I’ll buy several yards. 

 How does one go about creating a art quilt?  I won’t get into the details about discovering your creative voice, love of fiber, personal symbolism  and bizzare fabric fetishes for now.   I just want to give you a idea of what goes through my mind.

  First I had the creative urge.  Then I fell in love with Jude Hills’s quilt, Hearts in the Wind. This quilt got me thinking about what I wanted my next quilt to be.  Hearts have meaning for me.  They don’t represent love for me, but emotions.  

There is something very primal yet delicate about Jude’s work.  Her work feels personal.  What might be considered flaws for some quilters (tears, holes, loose threads, illregular shapes) are what give Jude’s work soul.

So when I started to create my quilt there where certain elements I wanted to keep in mind.  I wanted to use the symbol of a heart.  I wanted my quilt to scream handmade.  And I wanted the stitches to provide texture and a kind of humanity.

  Then I saw The Silly Bodilly’s Work Quilt.  I just melted for the playful use of colors and shapes.  I personally have trouble dealing with such a large compositions, so I decided to stick with a simple composition.  Like the Hearts in the Wind quilt, this quilt has great texture provided by the quilting.  Bodilly’s quilting is a bit more formal yet she is able to keep the humanity in her stitches.

The color’s Bodilly used are strong and natural.  They convey a strengh that isn’t forced. 

From Bodilly’s quilt I learned that I wanted a quilt that was strong and solid.  I also wanted abstract shapes.  And, like with Jude’s quilt, quilting stitches that add a zesty texture.

   This is my Quilt.  Quite simple.  Not finished yet.  It has a heart.  It is hand quilted with texture in mind.  It has a couple abstract elements.  I believe the colors give a feeling of strength, even though the yellow applique has a softness about it.  It looks very handmade.  It’s small, about 30″ x 30″ since I find that I don’t enjoy doing large quilts.  The fabric is soft to the touch.  There is a small bit of embroidery (clck on quilt images to see the details better).

Sometime soon I will go into the actual steps of how my designs evolve into the finished design.  Just so you know, it took four false starts to get to this design.

Also, did you notice that I was able to use the word zesty in this blog?  I believe that I have never, ever used this word in any of my writing.

Jude Hill’s Blog:  http://www.spiritcloth.typepad.com/

The Silly Bodilly’s Blog:  http://thesillyboodilly.blogspot.com/

Usually when I do a search on Etsy to see what’s new I search  under Art.  This time I took a big step out of my comfort zone and searched under Sculpture.

I like things that look like toys.   Cornflower Presses folk-artsy ( or, as I like to say, Fartsy)  miniture buildings are fun.  Fun is important,  very important.

Check out Cornflower Presses Store:  www.CornflowerPress.etsy.com

How can something so plain seem to have so much personality?  Art Mind has a bunch of great creatures and other items too.  My favorites are the scupltures that look angry or peeved.

Art Mind is Here! www.ArtMind.etsy.com

Gee, I wonder if you can tell why I like Jason Tennants work?  Humm….  Animals with personality, I love it.

Fly by Jason Tennant’s store at:  www.jasontennant.etsy.com

Fairytale alert!!!  You can’t resist it, don’t even try!  Andy’s Rascals are quite a collection of precocious characters, which remind me of Where the Wild Things Are, and The Lost Boys (not the vampires, but Peter Pan).

Take a walk on the wild side at Andy’s Rascals:  www.AndysRascals.etsy.com

Can you believe the guy with the popcorn in his mouth!  Reclaim 2 Frame creates art with humor.  This makes everything right in the world.

Reclaim your lilfe with Reclaim 2 Fame:  www.reclaim2fame.etsy.com

   I thought that just before this holiday season that I should feature some of my favorite Etsy artists.  I have done this before, but I have been so self involved lately that all I could think about was me, beautiful, beautiful me.

Sh*t, I’m doing it again.

 I am facinated by artist that can do things that I can’t do.  This means the world is safe from Badbird pottery, but Amanda, aka Yogagoat, has no problem with pottery.  Here are some words that come to mind when I think of her art:  beautiful, simplistic,  elegant, sophisticated, folkish, and pretty, pretty colors.  This may be the food disorder in me talking but her work reminds me a candy.  Someday I hope to touch one of her pieces, but not in a bad way.

www.yogagoat.etsy.com

MinicingMockingbird, aka Mincy,  creates haunting bird portaits.  Even thougth his images are simplistic they give me the feeling that there is a long story behind each piece.  Which reminds me,  you have got to read the titles of these pieces, they are fantastic.  Another thing is this Etsy person is a dude.  It’s hard to find males on Etsy. 

One last thing, I really like the lighting in his work.  It helps add to the sense that there is more going on then meets the eye.

www.mincingmockingbird.etsy.com

Once again simplicity and elegance wins me over.   Sandra Healy’s scupltures include mammels, birds, snakes and bugs.  To me they are like adult toys (not those kind of toys, you weirdo).  Their softness and golden undertone begs to me touch them.   Is it just me, or does it seem like if you touched one that it would be warm? 

Like I said, the images are simplistic, but they convey the nature of her subjects and how beautiful their forms are. 

www.SandraHealy.etsy.com

  So you have seen my blog on Thunder Mountain in Imlay, NV.  Now I present you with another type of personal expression in architecture.  When traveling not too far from Thunder Mountain I spotted another unusual group of buildings.   We were traveling thru ranchlands in Yerington, NV. (more…)

  Here are pictures showing the details of Thunder Mountain.

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How can someone be so good? I love everything, I mean everything Elsa Mora does. I had seen her paper bee a while ago, on Etsy, and was very impressed! Then just recently I decided to go through all her Flickr images, Etsy store and Blog. What I found was fabulousness as far as the eye could see. Here are some samples of Elsa’s work. I wanted to put tons of her images in this post, but then I though that it would just be better to let you see all her art for yourselves.  Check out the links below to Elsa’s various sites.  You’ll love what you see!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/planetelsita/

www.elsita.etsy.com

http://www.elsita.typepad.com/

After a week I have returned from my trip to Texas.  I had a show at Galleri Urbane located in the West Texas town of Marfa (See previous post for more info on Marfa).   I have many things to write about including more about Marfa, Big Bend National Park, Big Bend National Preserve, Silver City (NM), Fort Davis, javalina, deer, drug smuggling, Shafter (Texas),  but since I just arrived home I will start off with a little bit about my show. 

It was great to see my pieces all up at once.  At my house there isn’t enough room to put them all up.  I liked the way the colors played off of each other.  Ree Willaford, the gallery owner, was able to sell 4 of the pieces before the show even opened, meaning that once again the Zuill (this is my last name) family will eat. Hurray!!!!

The opening went great.  There were tons of people.   Also, two very nice families loaned us their vacation homes for our stay which really helped us out. 

I would also like to thank my friend Cecilia for letting us stay at her home in Silver City, New Mexico.  I will talk about her more in a later blog.

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How many of us can forget the War of the Wing in ‘89 when the bird overlords kept their promise that a full reprisal would be enacted on the Keepers of the Seed.  Few humans escaped the beady eye of their foes.  Few cars where left un-pooped on.  In memory of this time I present Art with a Beak.

A)      B)                 

 C)     D)   

  E)      F)  

A) While She Naps -  http://whileshenaps.typepad.com/

B) Berkley Illustration- www.Berkleyillustration.etsy.com

C) Badbird, aka Andrea Zuill - www.Badbird.etsy.com

D) Birdnerd - www.Birdnerd.etsy.com

E) John W. Golden - www.Johnwgolden.etsy.com

F) Andrea Zuill, aka Badbird - www.andreazuill.com

1. Where in Texas is Marfa?    

Marfa is in west Texas, ranch country.   Marfa is 194.68 miles Southeast of El Paso, TX and about 600 miles West of Houston..

2. Is Marfa a large town?     

No, the population is around 2,200.

3.  Well, it must have a large town near it?

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