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Thursday, July 28, 2022

Persimmons 2



“Persimmons 2” Copyright 2022 (30.75 x 14.25”) by Susan Brubaker Knapp. Wholecloth painted, free-motion machine quilted. White cotton fabric, textile paint, cotton thread, cotton backing fabric. 


Just finished this commission piece, based on the same photos I used as inspiration for the persimmon piece in my solo show at the N.C. Botanical Garden earlier this year. I love the color combination, and the way the echo quilting recreates the way the wind was vibrating the ripe persimmons on that October morning I took the photos at Lake Norman State Park near Mooresville, NC, about 10 years ago. 


For information on my wholecloth painting materials and techniques, please visit my blog post here: https://wwwbluemoonriver.blogspot.com/2014/01/faqs-wholecloth-painting.html


Here are some detail shots:






Tuesday, July 26, 2022

Quilting Arts TV – Series 2900

After several years of craziness because of COVID, we shot the 2900 Series of Quilting Arts TV last week! I had to skip the last taping because I have some health issues that put me at higher risk for COVID. 

The shows will start airing on many PBS stations across the country, and will be available for purchase (as individual shows, series, or the entire QATV library) in October. (See more information below.)

This new series will features guests Lea McComas, Denise Labadie, Helen Parsons, Valerie Goodwin, Carolina Asmussen, Luana Rubin, Margaret Abramshe, Heidi Zielinski, Valerie White, and Barbara Yates Beasley. If you follow me on social media, you can see lots of photos of the guests and the projects and techniques they are demonstrating (July 18-22, 2022) here: 

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/susanbrubakerknapp/

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/SusanBrubakerKnappFiberArtist/

We shot the show at Golden Peak Media Studios in Golden, Colorado, for the first time (Golden Peak Media owns Quilting Arts Magazine) with an entirely new production team, and had the opportunity to refresh the set, which features a more neutral backdrop that really makes the art and guests shine. There’s new lighting and camera equipment, and the light on set has a different quality, too. 

BERNINA machines – the 570 QE, 770 QE, and the Q 20 longarm – were on set, as usual. BERNINA has been our sponsor since the show began!

On TV: Visit your local Public Television station’s website to see if the show is available in your area!

Get access to all 29 seasons: Video Downloads or Stream All Episodes on Quilting Daily


Valerie Goodwin

Valerie White

Barbara Yates Beasley

Carolina Asmussen

Denise Labadie

Heidi Zielinski

Helen Parsons

Lea McComas


Luana Rubin

Margaret Abramshe




Me!

with Jeanne Cook Delpit


EPISODE 2901: Layers
Today’s guests add depth and dimension to their artwork by building their quilted compositions one layer at a time. Lea McComas creates her complex quilts by adding elements from background to foreground, stitching each layer before adding the next. Heidi Zielinski creates pieced strata from short strips, paying attention to basic design principles as she makes her work.

EPISODE 2902: Slicing and Dicing
Technology plays a role in this episode as Valerie Goodwin works with a laser cutter to precisely cut fabric for her intricate map quilts. Next, Margaret Abramshe reinvents her less-than-favorite quilts by isolating focal images, cutting them apart, and assembling the pieces into entirely new works.

EPISODE 2903: Creating Transparency
Artistry is enhanced by the depth and complexity achieved through transparency. Helen Parsons mixes translucent layers of fabric paint using acrylic craft paint and textile medium for her work. Valerie Goodwin creates collages by layering sheer and opaque fabrics and adding hand stitching.

EPISODE 2904: Exploring the Quilted Stitch
Artistry abounds when art quilters stitch and sew by machine! Margaret Abramshe uses her knowledge of the human facial structure to guide her quilting and create contour lines. Next, using a longarm machine, Carolina Asmussen introduces couching work into free-motion quilting.

EPISODE 2905: Back to Art School
It’s back to school—art school, that is!—for refreshers in creativity that every artist can use. Lea McComas demonstrates how using a single point of perspective creates depth in her compositions. Next, Barbara Yates Beasley focuses on creating realistic eyes.

EPISODE 2906: The Art of Being an Artist
Meaningful artwork comes from thoughtful expression. Launa Rubin discusses the importance of creating quilts with powerful messages. Next, host Susan Brubaker Knapp demonstrates how she creates quick, custom artwork that enables her to reach a wider audience.

EPISODE 2907: Picture This!
Taking great photos is the first step for these quilters. Barbara Yates Beasley shows how she creates patterns from photographs for pet portrait quilts. Helen Parsons explains how she photographs her subjects for her art quilts, with tips on layout, lighting, and composition.

EPISODE 2908: Let’s Go!
Travel can have an enormous influence on the work of any artist. Luana Rubin shares some of the great quilts she saw at Quilt Canada 2022. Valerie Goodwin uses the map as a jumping off place for her art and explains how she creates map-themed art with a sense of place.

EPISODE 2909: Contemporary Appliqué
Mastering new techniques takes time and practice. This episode features Carolina Asmussen’s machine quilting, which pairs raw-edge appliqué with floral free-motion for a contemporary look. In addition, learn from Denise Labadie how mixing appliqué styles can create realistic stone textures.

EPISODE 2910: Paint and Dye
Art quilters explore many ways of applying color to fabric. Helen Parson’s “paints” are actually finely cut strips of fabric that she stitches with thread. Artist Valerie White showcases basic techniques for transferring images using disperse dyes.

EPISODE 2911: Surface Design Sampler
Pattern your own cloth with surface design! Valerie White creates texture with oil paints in a solid stick form to create texture and visual interest. Denise Labadie makes the stone fabrics in her work using paints and resists.

EPISODE 2912: Artful Imagery
There are many ways to apply imagery to a piece of quilted art. Lea McComas teaches her method for re-sizing human figures within a composition, so each appears in correct proportion. Heidi Zielinski uses paint to stamp imagery onto fabric or directly onto quilt tops to incorporate motifs without drawing.

EPISODE 2913 Exploring Color
Color is a big part of every artist’s work. Denise Labadie’s landscapes and skies are made with free-form strip piecing that create what she calls “color complexity.” Heidi Zielinski makes small collages that revolve around one color on the color wheel, and adds blending or contrasting stitching and beadwork.

Friday, July 1, 2022

Quiltfolk

I’m so thrilled to be featured in Quiltfolk magazine Issue 23: North Carolina, which is out today! The photo above shows me at the North Carolina Botanical Garden in Chapel Hill with “Pink Coleus,” which I shipped off to the Sacred Threads exhibition today. It will tour with the traveling exhibition through 2024. The cover (below) features work by Kimberley Pierce Cartwright. 


Quiltfolk is a beautifully produced ad-free magazine that’s more like a book. They do four issues a year, focusing on traditional, modern, antique, and art quilters in an individual state. This issue is 164 pages of North Carolina quilting wonderfulness!

Use coupon code SusanQF23 for 20% off your purchase through Sept 30, 2022 at
https://www.quiltfolk.com/issue-23-north-carolina/

The photo below shows me in the doorway to our house, with a miniature version of “I See the Moon” (the larger original sold to Karey Bresenhan for the International Quilt Festival Collection). 


Photography by Azuree Wiitala and Trevor Holloway. Writing by Meg Cox.