Art and farming combine

I have so many projects on the go that I don't feel bored these days.  Plus, I am getting a sense of completion from many of them, which makes me inspired to do still more.

I have finally finished my sampler quilt!  Yay!  I decided in the end that it looked better without a border and with just very plain crosses for the quilting and I am happy with the decision.  Anything else, I felt, would have taken away from the dyeing and the embroidery.  So, here it is, folks:

and here is a detail:

I have also finished knitting the doll.  Now all I have to do is make the lining and sew it up. Such a relief!  Knitting and humidity don't go well together.

As well as that, I have got all the strips finished for my Japanese string quilt.

 I have ironed them too, so the next step is joining the strips together to form the quilt.  I was surprised at hoiw much of my fabric stack it took up.  I've just about run out of blue and brown Japanese fabrics.  Oh well, a good excuse to buy more!  I have put aside a small stacks of blue and white fabrics, plus the little rust  animal fabrics, so I still have a few more Japanese fabric projects to keep me going.

I received my dyes from Batik Oetero - gee, they are prompt with their deliveries!- so I have been applying rubber bands to calico in preparation for another bout of dyeing.

But, best of all, classes have started again at the BIA.  I changed my original choice of etching for more working with water media and Mia, and am delighted with my introduction to working with inks.  So far, I have just played with the inks, but I am planning a more ambitious project in the future.  Stay tuned.

Apart from projects, I had a lovely day out last weekend.  A friend suggested a visit to the Allora Show, so off we went.  The drive is delightful.  We went through flat farmland which is still recovering from the recent floods.  Those poor farmers!  Some crops were rotting in a layer of mud, and some fields were covered in silt from the rivers.  There were fences down and tractors coated in sludge.  It is truly amazing to see the devastating effects of what is usually a little stream when it floods. Even higher country was badly affected by the cyclone.  The beautiful Cunningham Highway when it runs through Cunningham's Gap and the Main Range National Park still has its impressive views, wonderful craggy, basalt mountains which are the remains of volcanoes, and lush rainforests, but with all the continuing landslides, it was impossible to stop, take photos or sketch.

 

The Allora Show was a real country show.  Mandatory uniform for visitors seems to be a very large hat, preferably a well loved akubra, and blue and white gingham or striped, long sleeved shirts with jeans or moleskins.  Officials wore jackets over their clothes. 



 Needless to say, I didn't fit in.

We admired the beautifully groomed cattle.  It was great to see the pride people took in their animals.  And it wasn't just older people.  There is a very capable generation of youngsters who are professional and enthusiastic about their animals.

 The horses were beautiful too and we, marvelled at the control of the riders- some of those horses were very feisty, trying to "pig root", buck and rear to knock off their riders. 

 

I had fun visiting all the dogs and met some lovely Tibetan spaniels and yearned after a Bernese Mountain Dog puppy.  We sniffed our way through the sheep and goats- not as warm and comforting a smell as the cattle and horses, I am afraid.   Bob thinks they smell like their cheese and I think the cheese smells of them.

But I was absolutely inspired by the patterns of the feathers the ducks sported.  Really incredible.  iridescent blues and greens, intricate patterns, wonderful impressions of textures.  Unfortunately, my photos didn't come out so I think I need to go to another show.  The chickens' combs, feathers and faces were also pretty inspiring for an artist.

 I don't know how, but they will both appear in my work one day. 

The cakes and crafts were pretty uninspiring, surprisingly, but the town has a good photography club and the range of shots was very good. 

Plus, I met a bloke who prints 3-D models of his drawings.  I didn't even realise that you could get a printer for the home that makes what you design......horses, wheels, torsos, machinery, jewellery, tools......Amazing! Apparently the models are made of cornstarch which can be painted with acrylic paints.  If you are interested, google MakerBot.   Googling Thingiverse gives you lots of digital designs to get you started.  Have a feeling it is too technical for me, but I thought it had lots of potential for an artist with the right temperament.