What a week! And here's a sneak peek!

I can barely contain myself this week with so much happening, I just had to share it with some of my friends! Not only did my fabric samples come in the mail and I was able to design a quilt for them but the Riverside Museum came to my house to select 8 paintings to hang in the museum for the next few months!! I am honored to have this exhibit at the museum it is the direct result from winning last years still life category in the Museums Members show. I am going to go to art walk tomorrow night and check it out. Then today I went to Road to California to set up our Art Groups 2012 group quilt. We have never seen it hanging all together since it is so long and to try and find a wall 27' long to hang and photograph is close to impossible. Carolyn gave us a premier spot in one of the hallways and the quilt looks amazing, the women did a fantastic job! Here is some of the details but you have to see it for yourself up close!

The quilt was something I had originally designed as a pool mural and made some changes to better fit the fabric. Each women could use any technique but had to add a personal element to their piece. From there I went over to Gingers Booth where I set up my patterns in preparation for the next 4 days where I will be demoing and selling my patterns. I hope, if you are going to Road, you will stop by and see the quilts and come over and say hi! And please, don't miss the Route 66 exhibit by Pat Blair which is amazing. Pat painted the back drop of the Route 66 hwy that runs from CA, AZ, NM, TX, OK, KS, MO and IL. The quilts represent different areas along the highway and are placed where they belong on the road map! It is an awesome exhibit, great job Pat!! Here is a sneak peek! Some of the women in the Iris challenge were also in the Route 66 Exhibit, amazing!

My Orange for Orange Aid Project-Riverside

The Riverside art Museum is having a fund raiser called Orange Aid and has asked local artists to paint a large fiber glass orange,a riverside icon. They provide the oranges and we are free to do whatever we like. These basketball sized oranges are a perfect size for display in a home or business. This year they are asking for sponsors and if someone sponsors they are guaranteed to get an original hand painted orange, done by a local artist. On the night of the Gala, on November 9th, the sponsor will be randomly assigned an orange through a lottery process, they do not choose. It should be a ton of fun and I can't wait to go to the Gala. There are a total of 125 oranges being painted and must be turned in by October 5 where they will be on display at the museum until the night of the Gala. I love to be able to help out the Arts and the museum all at one time! Here is my orange.

I first debated whether to fill the whole thing and cover the dimpled pattern but opted to leave the oranges texture which makes painting a bit trickier. I started by laying in my design with pencil.




I then laid in my background color, I chose to do a teal and tangerine color way.










I then added some of the color to my Poppies and stems






Now I am getting a feel for how it is coming together and so far I like it! I also have gone over my lettering with white so I can define the shapes. I then added color to the lettering, more details in the poppies and decided it still needed something. I had wanted to do something different on the top by the stem and hadn't worked out what that would be yet but then it came to me, a metal hinged faux top. I wanted it to look as though you could open the top. Here are the results.















I also added polka dots to the background and I am really happy with it. I have a week to make any additions or changes as I await the varnish I had to order. This has been such a fun project, thank you RAM and here's hoping for good homes for all the orphan oranges in Riverside!

To see another amazing Orange turned in by Reuben, another Riverside Artist, check out his blog. I love his orange and the great way he displayed it for all of us to see every side. I wish I had thought of that!!

- Desiree