Santeena's Musing

Exhibits - Soft Expressions and San Jacinto Jr. College

2012-01-28T20:29:00.000-08:00

I've been very busy with a couple of exhibits of my works: My first solo exhibit "Portraits, etc" at Sharla Hicks, Soft Expressions Gallery in Anaheim, CA and "Catwoman" featured as part of the "Your Face Here" exhibit at San Jacinto Jr. College. In the top photo check out the view of one of the main exhibit walls at SE followed by the photo of Catwoman at the college. I'm grateful that there's been positive feedback at both exhibits.

"Cat Woman"

2012-01-14T18:22:00.000-08:00

Here locally in the Inland Empire, San Jacinto Communtiy College's Art Gallery had a recent call for art work featuring "Self Portraiture", I jumped at the chance to feature a fiber arts piece. Artist were asked to complete either literal or abstract works of themselves in any medium.

Here is my self-portrait entitled "Cat Woman". It's my own facial characteristics combined with that of a large cat, a cheetah. Anyone who knows me well is quite aware that I'm a dog person and that not a fan of house cats. However, I love the energy of all big cats in particular the beauty and sleekness of the cheetah. Several years ago, I had the privilege to be able to play with a two year old cheetah named Ganzi in a wild animal reserve in South Africa. It was one of the greatest experiences of my lifetime.

Soft Expressions Exhibit - Opened today

2012-01-07T20:38:00.000-08:00

Today was an exciting day! Aside from being my __ birthday, (can't tell you every little detail of my life :) it was reception day and marvelous opening of my first solo exhibit at Sharla Hicks' Soft Expression gallery. Sharla and her staff did a great job of hanging my art quilts and they looked great in the space. Take a quick look see at the pieces on the prominent wall within the gallery.

I truly feel that this solo exhibit in the first week of 2012, is the start of wonderful new year, filled with the promise of the most creative year ever. I feel it in my bones that this exposure is just the beginning of a wonderful new career direction in the arts. Amen and hallelujah! Living Creatively, Santeena.

Soft Expressions Exhibit

2011-12-03T09:19:00.000-08:00

Hello fellow fiber art lovers. If you're in the Anaheim, California area anytime the first of the year, please stop me to see my solo exhibit at Sharla Hicks' Soft Expressions Gallery. "Portraits, etc." will be on display from January 1st to the end of February. Soft Expressions is located at 1230 North Jefferson Street #M, Anaheim, CA 92807 (714) 630-7414. Thank you all for your support! Living creatively, Sandra.

Peaceable Kingdom

2011-11-02T23:31:00.000-07:00

I'm back at work with a new daytime job at Panera Bread. I LOVE it! Not only does the brand have great food; each bakery cafe has an inviting ambience that is not only wonderful for customers, but also for Panera associates to boot. One of the company core values is " No jerks allowed". This saying means exactly as implied; you can't work for the Panera team and not be dedicated or unpleasant. No way, no how!

Wouldn't it be great if this no jerks concept was applied to every business, every playground, every government? The world would certainly be a much better place. To that end, I'm working on a idea for a fiber art piece of a new whole cloth quilt that will be much larger in scale than I'm accustomed to making about (72" around). It will feature our plant Earth with ink and thread painted smiling faces of children from all over the world. I've already named this work "Peaceable Kingdom". It's my hope that future generations won't replicate the jerky behavior of some world leaders today; but govern as shining examples of what our Creator had for us to be: brilliant, even tempered, peace keepers. It's true that cooler heads always prevail. Peace must be given a chance, now and always. Until next time...

Living Creatively,
Santeena

Mandiba's premier @ Textures Fiber Art Reception at the Merc

2011-10-08T21:37:00.000-07:00

People have asks me "Where did you come up with the name of your latest quilt MANDIBA? It's a play on the names of Nelson Mandela and Madiba. Mr. Mandela is one of my lifetime heroes. His courage in times of adversity and exemplar leadership was pivotal with the creation of the new South Africa. Madiba is his Xhosa clan name and a term of endearment. Prior to going to South Africa, I really admired Mr. Mandela; but after arriving there and seeing his intricate involvement in the unification process which give birth to the new South Africa, I knew that I needed to pay tribute to this great man in some tangible way. So here's my tribute to Madiba, may God continue to bless him and us with his presence for years to come. Until next time, living creatively, Santeena.

TEXTURES FIBER ARTS Gallery opening, Friday, October 7th

2011-09-30T21:20:00.000-07:00

Contemporary Fiber Art in Old Town Temecula
Oct 7- Nov. 10, 2011

Textures Fiber Artists use a wide variety of materials and techniques; from Weaving and Sewing to Color Discharge, Rust dyeing, and Needle Felting, these artists explore the edges of what is possible with fabric. Come and meet the artists and experience their journeys through this unique medium.

Textures Fiber Arts and the City of Temecula invite you to an artist reception on...
Friday, October 7, 2011
5:30 pm — 7:00 pm

Gallery at the Merc
42051 Main Street
Temecula, Ca. 92590

Exhibit dates:
Oct. 7 — Nov. 10, 2011
Gallery hours are subject to change. Call 866-653-8696 for information and times.

For Artist information visit: TexturesFiberArts.blogspot.com

We're looking forward to seeing you there!

Mandiba

2011-09-04T19:28:00.000-07:00

"Mandiba" is the clan name for my hero Nelson Mandela. Mandiba is also a term of endearment for a man who is held in such high esteem in his native South Africa and all over the world. My latest work of Mr. Mandela will be premiered at Textures Fiber Arts Exhibit at the Merc in downtown Temecula on October 7th. I decided to do this fiber arts piece of him because there's already so many photos, drawings and paintings of him and probably very few quilted works with his likeness. I know, I know, I say this every time I create a new piece that it's my favorite; well this is truly my favorite so far of all my portrait pieces probably because I admire Mandiba so much. He's a person who throughout his entire life his fought tirelessly for equality for all people. For this and countless other reasons he has been a huge influence for me.

Anyone who is familiar with my work knows my love of painting diverse portraits. My new goal is to create a quilt featuring faces of cultures from all parts of the world. I hope to preview this piece; done as small portrait quilts built into one early next year at my first solo show. Stay tuned!

SAQA Auction - Whose child is this?

2011-07-17T22:01:00.000-07:00

It's been almost two months since being asked to be one of two regional reps for Studio Arts Quilt Associates (SAQA) here in Southern California and Southern Nevada. It's certainly an honor to be in the position, however the transition has been a bit of a whirlwind. Much going on including getting our booth ready for the Long Beach IQF quilt show. In this short time as a SAQA Rep, I've met some great people as a result of the new role. As the rep my goal is to see how I can effectively represent regional SAQA members by listening to their ideas and needs regarding perhaps learning and sharing techniques, possible exhibit or gallery opportunities for our region, etc. All this equates to more activity to add to my already crazy schedule.

Hey check out my SAQA auction piece that will be exhibited at the Long Beach show at the end of July. It's called "Whose child is this?" It's my ink and thread painted rendition of a little afghani girl whose stiff stare perhaps indicates apprehension of the photographer. I can only imagine that she, as well as other children in countries at war are often confused and scared. They just want the violence to all end so they can go about their business of just being kids at play. My hope is to feature more children from around the world in future quilt art. Until next time, living creatively, Sandra

Gimme Shelter - revisited

2011-06-28T23:46:00.000-07:00

I just got the "No Place to Call Home" exhibit quilt titled "Gimme Shelter" back from the SAQA Mancuso tour. It was a honor to have a fiber art piece featured in this quilt exhibit curated by So Cal SAQA member Kathleen McCabe. It's funny how you forget the intricacies of your own artwork when it goes away for sometime. After getting it back home, I put the quilt on my design table and took a long look-see. I didn't realize how much quilting I did on this piece until someone pointed out to me. I'm really proud that what I tried to convey in the theme's message of homelessness in Haiti after the devastating quake was quite apparent. Many people suffered in the initial months and unfortunately still now. Take another look at the mother and child forced to live their lives in a tent after being left homeless by the quake. It's chilling...

A Movable Feast

2011-05-27T21:50:00.000-07:00

It's been more than a week since returning from the SAQA Visioning Conference of May 19 to 22nd held this year in Denver at the Brown Palace Hotel. The conference of several hundred professional and wannabe fiber artists was as inspirational as it was educational. I've had a chance to reflect on all of the learnings and now have the light under my feet to move...move toward perfecting the art of the paint stitch method. This is what I do; love doing and will continue to do in the quilt art genre. Although there's still alot to learn on the painting front; I do feel comfortable dazzling cloth with inks; water colors; pastels and colored pencils. A lot of work is still needed in the area of thread paint and the final workmanship. It will come. This weekend will be a creative one. Mind you, it's been a couple months since I've have been able to return to my studio in my new home, which I dubed "A Movable Feast". I will use that name in the same metaphoric tense that Ernest Hemingway used it when writing his famous book; It's the memory of a splendid place that continues to go with the moving traveler for the rest of life. Where ever I am; whether working my day job or traveling somewhere special for a getaway; my thoughts always trail back to my studio and how I can do my own interpretation of a gorgeous site viewed and photographed from that day.

The attached photo of the Acacia tree photographed in South Africa is a scene that is caught in my mind because of ut's magnificents, I would like to do an interpretation of in ink and thread. Someday we'll see it manifested. I'll keep you posted. Until then, Living Creatively, Sandra

Me vagabond?

2011-04-13T22:07:00.000-07:00

It's been several weeks since I've sold my home and downsized into a smaller, yet perfectly sized (2,096 sq ft) home. This is why I've been away from blogging for the last several weeks. It's so very true that moving is very high on the list of stressful events in life; right up there with the death of a love one, divorce, etc. Believe me; I thought I would lose my mind in the past few weeks. I personally packed up every room in my home with my studio/creative area being the one with the most stuff - i.e. fabrics and more fabrics, threads, paints, brushes, etc. This is the first time in my life that I've moved in stages. This move is excruciating and it still going on! One good thing about moving is that you have the opportunity to organize; to take things that are scattered and bring them together based on their common traits or purch them altogether. It's also a time for lost and found. I was thrilled to discover a precious stone embellishment for a UFO I have pending; as well as a long lost cord to a desk calculator; yippie! I want and need to get back to normalcy; which for me is reading books; creating art and planning vacations. Hopefully the return to my former self and the abanding of this quasi-vagabond life will be sometime in the next couple weeks. Until then, dreaming of creativity :) Sandra

Inspiration

2011-03-12T23:04:00.000-08:00

I belong to three local fiber arts groups. Each month I attend a club meetings of one of these groups to connect with other fiber artists who share the same love as do for Quilting Arts. At today's Quilts on the Wall meeting, the "Bridge" theme quilts for IQF Long Beach exhibit this coming July were turned in. Many artist produced wonderful pieces with various interpretations of the bridges theme; some literal and others with more abstract references to the subject. I submitted my "Closed bridge on the felt" piece for consideration for the exhibit. This quilt features a male hand in the closed bridge stance on a pool table ready to break a ball set. Holy Moly! It was lots of fun making this piece. The meeting was quite effective for providing inspiration to me for future art works. There was one bridge themed quilt submitted which featured a gray and red interpretation of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. It was beautiful. Another woman made an abstract suspension bridge out of quilted fabric and straps made to the required dimensions of 38"w x 48" l; it was stunning, yet genius in the planning and construction. I wish I thought of it. These meetings and the great ideas I take from them are integral in providing out of the box techniques and supply ideas. Great stuff! Living Creatively, Sandra

A Time, A Season - A Visual Tribute to Oprah Winfrey

2011-02-03T22:10:00.000-08:00

In A Time, A Season - www.blurb.com, Janelle Dowell, Publisher of Black Art in America, spearheads an artistic collaboration applauding the unprecedented accomplishments of one of the most significant individuals in world history, Oprah Winfrey. This book features distinguished artisans from across the country.

I'm so proud that my tribute piece "O" is a part of this art collection. The quilt, featured on page 38 was beautifully photographed by the very talented Sharon Mintry. I remember when I first heard the call for entries of art work inspired by Oprah, I know that I wanted to a part of this project with a portrait of a special portrait of her. Figurative and facial expressions are my speciality and I so love Oprah's eyes. One cover of "O" magazine cleverly captures the media giant being very playful, blowing bubbles. I love that cover shot; can't you tell?

Quick Stetch of Martin Luther King Jr.

2011-01-16T22:57:00.000-08:00

I was reading today that 2011 marks the 25th year of MLK Day being celebrated in all 50 states...Wow! What a wonderful achievement for an extraordinary man. To say that he has had influence on my life is an understatement. I remember as a kid in South Central LA how we studied Dr. King and other prominent black leaders during Black History Month. At the tender age of 8 years old, I stetch my first portrait of Dr. King. He was a formidable subject then and as he remains for me till this day.

This quick stetch of Dr. King to the right celebrates his legacy to seeking peace and equal opportunities for all human beings. His legacy lives on today. Living Creatively, Sandra

What will 2011 bring?

2010-12-26T22:26:00.000-08:00

2010 will soon be history; a New Year is fast approaching. It's amazing how time flies. The old saying "time waits for no one" is very true. It comes and it goes. Regarding 2010, I found myself the other day telling a friend that it was a bad year and that I couldn't WAIT for it to be over. Well yes, in 2010 there were a few mishaps both here domestically as well as on a global scale that could made the toughest homeboys run for cover. And yes, there were a couple of personal bumps that knocked me to my knees. But I did get up each time; brushed myself off like I always do and kept stepping. This evening as I further reflect on the personal events of this past year, I concluded that overall it really wasn't that bad for me. After all I did have many artistic triumphs. Had works published; pieces in galleries, both locally and travelling nationally making a further name for my myself. Those were great things! I wonder why we tend to focus on the negative while minimize what's positive around us? In 2010 I was certainly a master of this. Silly me, not the desired trait of a true believer. Enough! I've decided just at this moment that I'm not going to do that anymore. Don't have any time to waste dwelling on the negative.

I'm not sure what 2011 will bring us all. It's certainly time for positive energy flowing for me and the world. In the coming year, I will be open to learning more about the facinating world of fiber art, in particular stretching myself to learn new quilting techniques to use with my artwork. I'd like to continue to meet more dynamic artists to network with and of course make time for globe trotting! In 2011 I have my eyes fixed on travelling to the Mediterranean, in particular Greece. I'd like to see the isle of Santorini. I'm also ready to take in a city tour of Athens, as well as taking in the beauty of the city's ivory architectural structures with the glorious Mediterranean sea as a back drop. I can see a couple fiber pieces easily inspired by this travel. There's no time like now to start squiring away my pennies for a Fall 2011 travel time; Opa! Living creatively, Sandra

Sneak peak at "O"

2010-11-21T22:32:00.000-08:00

There are a few real life subjects that inspire me to create a full fiberart quilt. I was recently given the opportunity to submit a general art piece for consideration in a tribute book to the multi-talented media giant Oprah Winfrey. I thought to myself "Oprah, heck yes, let me jump right on this!" It's the 25th and final year of Oprah's famous show. Black Artist in America, a wonderful new group that I just joined is hosting this exciting challenge. Of course there will be many submittals in all mediums and I'm proud to lend my fiber art work titled simply "O". This piece is my quilted rendition of Ruven Afanador's photo of Oprah that I inked and thread painted from head to hands with her blowing bubbles of promise. (Sneak peak it to the right). Oprah frequently reminds us to "live your best life". Yes girl, I can honestly say that I've been blessed and have had a wonderful life; the best of it in the last few years. During this time my creative spirit has blossom greatly; with the focus on firmly on fiber art. Truly I love the creative process all around, fiber, water color, oils, etc. I'm even thinking of giving photography a serious nod. Indeed, we'll miss Ms. Winfrey's daily show, but her motivating words will continue to inspire. Good Luck to you "O" as you move onto "OWN" Living creatively, Santeena

The art of being an artist

2010-10-24T22:30:00.000-07:00

It's always great to be in the company of others with liked minds. We artists are a rare breed of humankind that immensely enjoy strolling through art galleries and museums searching for the "hidden meaning or themes" of featured works . During exhibits, we artsy fartsy types stop to glance at another artist's work with our heads slightly cocked to the side as to take in the energy from the piece we're observing; process said energy and either admire the artist's vision or not; glean inspiration to create something from the piece into our own work, or not. This afternoon I travelled to the Oceanside Museum of Art to take in the exciting new exhibit " No Boundaries" and also to listen to a panel of 4 noted featured artists from the show (Deidre Adams, Gloria Hansen, Jane La Fazio and Katie Pasquini Masapust) who all spoke on the "Balancing Act: The art of being and artist". It was a great discussion. Each artist discussed her own approach to producing her quilt work. I found it quite interesting that as a novice quilter; my process for beginning an art quilt piece; working though it's construction and finally onto completion was much like the process of a couple of these noted quilters. What I was pleased to learn was that all of these accomplished artists are still in the process of learning and experimenting just like me. Katie P. Masapust is quite accomplished. She's lectured and written many books (of which I have one) and she still gains inspiration to create from a weekly friendship group of artists. Oh well, there you go. I guess as long as you're living, you're learning. In the art of being an artist, truly there is not a right or wrong. There are techniques yes, but truly no right way or wrong way. It's just a matter of interpretation; like when you're glancing at an exhibited piece on a museum wall, cock your head ever so lightly to the side and then utter those profound words, "this piece speaks to me by saying..."

Planning pays off - Visioning Project

2010-10-18T23:45:00.000-07:00

Okay, I get it now. Planning does pays off. With any goal, there's a starting point; developing plan and steps to carry the goals to the next level. I've been crazy busy in the last few months and haven't had a chance to work on my Visions Project. This afternoon I told myself come hell or high water (by the way one of my mother's favorite sayings) I would get going on my Visions Page. Well I'm proud to say that I got it finished; goals and all with clear targets for next steps. It's evident that when goals are written down, reviewed and then tweaked with needed changes; the chances of those goals being fulfilled are great. My goals are to have several clear paths for the direction of my work by the end of the project in September 2011. This process of Visioning success in the art world is golden. I'm focused for a change and I think it will stick this time. During the Visions introduction webinar a couple weeks ago, I was able to connect with others that had similar goals. Great ideas were shared during that webinar. The focus is to support each other with suggestions, praise when warranted, etc. I'm enjoying the process. Ready, set and let's go down the road of success. Living Creatively, Sandra

Fall-end

2010-10-05T19:50:00.000-07:00

My Vision's Art Gallery submittal for the "Leaves and trees" challenge is Fall-end. Got it end just under the wire - whew!

Discipline

2010-09-29T08:05:00.000-07:00

Discipline is making the choice between what you want now and what you want most...Author Unknown. Wow, I lifted this quote from Karen Davis one of my Facebook friends. It's profound! It helped me to know for sure that how I dealt with very personal thoughts and feelings I have about loved ones, goals, etc., so far with a slow hand and patience; that I do have some sense of discipline. Wow, who knew? I know, I know, I'm often very transparent; perhaps at times revealing too much about what's going on in my mind. Oh well, that's who I am and it works for me.. Living creatively, Sandra.

SAQA Visioning 2011 - My deepest fear....

2010-09-22T21:58:00.000-07:00

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us most. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and famous?' Actually, who are you not to be?" - From Marianne Williamson's A Return to Love. These words are the first part of one of my favorite quotes. It reminds the reader that we are the ones that often gets in our own way; stalling progress even with things that matter to us so much. At the present time in my art career, truly there's nothing more important for me to do than to decide on the "hook" for Studio Santeena and get going on the business planning for said hook. SAQA's Visioning Project 2011 begins October 1st; just in time to assist me with corralling all the ideas that I have for my art work's hook and then finalizing my identity. This all scares me as I'm not one to be very focused with my art direction. The Visioning Project will help me to remember that I am indeed powerful beyond measure and will have a clear path to achieve a firm strategic plan...I"ll keep you all posted on my progress. Living Creatively, Sandra

Hello Down There!

2010-09-11T21:50:00.000-07:00

Every month I attend local Fiber Arts meetings to get inspiration, network, etc. Today I was present at the Quilts on the Wall meeting; a local group of very talented artists that come from ways as far south as Del Mar in San Diego County, to ways as far north as San Luis Obisbo. Each year in QOTW we have a challenge quilt exhibit where members take a theme and create a quilt based on that particular theme. This year's theme is Discovery. The Discovery quilts were due today and honestly; the pieces submitted that I saw today blew me away! Awesome work. My submittal for this years exhibit is "Hello down there! It's my fiber arts interpretation of Nasa's Discovery of a shrimp-like amphipod 600 feet beneath the surface of the ice in Antarctica. Check it out.

"No Place to Call Home"

2010-08-28T21:49:00.000-07:00

I'm very fortunate to be a participant in the "No Place to Call Home" SAQA travelling exhibit wonderfully curated by Kathleen McCabe. My art quilt "GimmeShelter" inspired by the devastation of Haitian earthquake of this past January where more than one million were left homeless, is being featured allow with local fellow Texture's Fiber Arts Member David Charity's dynamic quilt "House of cardboard". The show is making it's first stop in Manchester, New Hampshire. The theme has wonderful and thought provoking work from artist all over the world.

The one that got away

2010-08-18T00:03:00.000-07:00

When I was a kid, my sister Deborah and I played endlessly just like all the other kids in our South Central Los Angeles neighborhood. Deb and I spent countless hours playing house in the families subdivided garage. We both took turns having fun playing my dad; with our pretend roles as the husband of the family who came home from work and settled in to tea and cookies at the tiny little table we had at the time. Back in the day, playing house was okay for a minute. But our real "out of this world" fun came during sweet summer when we made and flew paper kites. These kits were constructed from regular newspaper, painted and fitted with a string, a tail and then launch for flight high in the sky. All kids in our neighborhood participated in kite construction and flying. We'd often let our kites go while in flight and ran after the string to catch them. We'd busted up laughing as we did this silly act again and again. Every now and then one of our kites would get away. While at Dockweiler State Beach, at Playa del Rey, it happened to me. I stared into the sky with arms raised summoning the kite to return to no avail. This 14" x 14" quilt is a my homage to those great kite flying times during my childhood.

IQF Long Beach - Obama quilters in the house!

2010-07-24T23:51:00.000-07:00

Whew! The IQF Long Beach show has come and gone in a whirlwind! Had a great time checking out exciting quilt art; the exhibitors and networking with old and new artist friends. I also had the wonderful opportunity to meet with two of the very talented quilt artists whose tribute quilts were also featured in Carolyn Mazloomi's Journey of Hope - Quilt's inspired by President Barack Obama. I've known Cynthia Catlin for a couple years now. Awesome artist. I also had the pleasure to meet Diana Bracy for the first time this show. She's very talented and a sweet lady. Here's the three of us together holding the JOHA book. This is a proud moment for me!

Each time I go to one of these conventions; I get inspired to create a new quilt using new techniques. I saw a beautiful piece of thread painted nude figures that were brilliantly crafted with scrim fabric as a background. When I saw this of course my creative juices got going. From this piece I'm inspired to create an ink and thread painted portrait with a scrim-woving background. I simply can't wait to see how this comes out. Stay tuned! Until next time, Santeena

Colors

2010-07-11T23:03:00.000-07:00

In a couple weeks, I have the good fortune to attend the IQF show at the Long Beach Convention Center. Although not as large as the show held this fall in Houston, it's still facinating to go and see how other artists are creating their art; what colors and techniques used, what materials, etc. At every show of this magnitude there's also vendors present selling their wares; most notably fabric pieces in every color imaginable. My personal stash is relatively small compared to most fiber artist. The goal during shopping this year is strategic; to find unique fabrics, maybe some silks that can be used in quilting having vibrant colors. Thread colors are equally exciting. I posted the photo above of hanging fabrics with some interesting textures and awesome colors. When I choose fabrics, I choose their use. Right in the moment of purchase, I choose how each beautiful piece of cloth will evolve into an important part of a fiber art piece to come. I know, I know, it's goofy that I get off on fabric selection. I know that I'm not along here. I can't wait to see the fabric and thread colors at IQF! Living Creatively, Sandra

Self Promotion - My Portfolio

2010-06-27T21:15:00.000-07:00

This weekend, I had a chance to finish the "Geronimo" fiber piece (see below) and tweak my "It's not easy being Green" quilt. As I was working on reconfiguring the "green" piece; Geronimo stared me down from his wall space as to say "why did you take so long to finish me?". I often wonder the same thing.:) He is stunning. I'm quite proud of this piece. The Green quilt was altered so that I can place it in my personal portfolio that I'm putting together. It's a lot of work getting this portfolio thing together; but will be a valuable tool with promoting my art going forward.

I've always had trouble with self promoting. To me it's a little like boasting of who you are and what you can do and it's hard. There's a art to self promotion; a way that you can network selling yourself without sounding braggadocio. I like the idea of the portfolio; it's a clever way to show your works to galleries, curators, etc. I know that I have a unique approach to quilt art and a style that may not be widely accepted. The nice thing is that I do have an audience of supporters who like my work and that's a good thing. Until next time, living creatively...Sandra

Being grateful

2010-06-14T23:51:00.000-07:00

I'm so grateful; really appreciative for many things. Recently, I was injured slightly in a fall. I made an awkward move while walking and my left foot rolled to the side causing the injury and massive swelling. The pain was excruciating! In fact, I've been out of commission the last ten days; and not being able to work out. As a result of not being active, the pounds have been creeping up yikes! During the last ten days; I've been confined mostly to my home, probably getting some needed rest. I've had more time to read and also most importantly, more time in my studio creating some artwork; some really good artwork I must say :). The accident was not a good thing of course. However not being able to walk briskly like I normally do caused me to slow way down; and to be still to do a lot of thinking. I thought mostly about how things have recently changed in my life, some real good things have happened and some not so good things; in fact devastating things that in the moment felt like I would die from the impact of those experiences; and I didn't! God is good. He's sent his ministering angels to encamp around me during those difficult times. in the end I can always say that I'm so blessed and quite grateful for so many things - my general health; the encouragement and love of my family and friends and last but not least my ability to escape reality and go into that zone that all artists know so well; a place we magically go in mind to visualize and then create beautiful art. Making pretty things; using any genre is a true passion of mine. I'm so thankful for this ability to create with abandon.

Geronimo Revisited

2010-05-31T23:21:00.000-07:00

This memorial weekend was really cool. Three days of hanging out in my studio tinkering with art. Oh yes, there was a little fiber art schedule planning involved as I'm very blessed with several upcoming exhibits to audition for. I also had time to revisited an old friend, my fiber art piece Geronimo. This art quilt rendition of the great Apache warrior has "patiently" waited on my drawing board for months as I finished other more timely pieces. I still have several projects in the queue with very little time to work on them since I'm soooo busy with my daytime job. I'm 85% finished with Geronimo who I plan feature as my entry into the Quilts on the Wall group portfolio submission. I'm really proud of this painted appliqued portrait of him adorned with a real feathered headdress. He's stunning! I won't display him just yet until I get clearance from QOTW. Here's one of the great photos of Geronimo that I used as inspiration for this piece. Living creatively, Sandra aka "Santeena"

Hey Kitty Kitty

2010-05-25T22:51:00.000-07:00

My good friend Toni is a huge animal lover and she really likes cats in particular. Last year was very tough for Toni when she lost Kenya her beloved cat of 18 years. This little fiber piece is my tribute to her and her kitty. Take a look see at " Here Kitty, Kitty"

Finding Inspiration

2010-05-17T22:06:00.000-07:00

I spent most of this past Saturday going through sections of my home getting ready for a garage sale in the next several weeks. As you probably know, It was such a tedious process meticulously going through stuff trying to decide what to keep, discard or put up for sale. Somethings are very easy to decide on such as dated clothing, fad exercise equipment/DVDs, etc. Come on now, will I ever use that ab roller thingamajig again? Not! Deciding what fabrics I should perhaps put up for sale was far more harder to do. In fact, as I took several pieces out and looked at them closely, I tried very hard to remembered why I bought them in the first place. Truthfully when I bought most of those fabrics, I had no idea what they would eventually be used for. I just liked them at the time of their purchase. It's very hard for me to pass over vibrant fabrics. I'm so attracted to them. After all, I'm the true Material Girl...watch out Madonna! ;). As I pulled them out I got huge inspiration from a couple things; in particular an Egyptian fabric that I hadn't seen in a while and a papyrus sheet I got from Dick Blick's. A papyrus sheet? Who knew? When I saw these two pieces together, sparks started to charge in my mind. Suddenly I came up with what maybe a spectacular idea. I'm calling that idea for the time being "Fabric inspired". I'll think of a catchy Egyptian name later. You'll have to stay tuned for those developments. This work will be fourth in the queue of pending art pieces for me. Oh well...until next time...Living Creatively, Sandra

Every home should have one

2010-05-07T22:29:00.000-07:00

Sunday is Mother's Day. HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY, to all the mothers, mamas, moms, mommies, step-moms, grandmothers, grannies, Nana's and women who may not be mothers, but are role models for young ones. Today I thought alot about my own mother who has passed on. My mother, Gertha or "Miss Gert" to most was a wonderful role model. My mama was mother to seven kids! Who has that many kids anymore aside from the octomom! :). She was a tough but loving and always encouraged my sisters, my brother and I to dream big, but also to work hard. She insisted that success without sweat didn't exist. Yes, Miss Gert was there for us, a mainstay something every home should have. When we were all grown up and independent; she flew the coop several times traveling to places all over the world, taking in sights. Is from my mom that I got that same sense to travel and see the world; view different cultures; people watch and taste varied cuisines. From those travel experiences, my sense of colors and textures in art has expanded. This blog entry is dedicated to my mom with love always - Santeena.

Running with scissors!

2010-04-23T21:30:00.000-07:00

Okay, Okay... I didn't get around to completing my Mother Earth quilt before Earth day this past Thursday. To quote Joy Behar of The View: "Who cares?". Yes Sandra, who really cares? I've finally come to the conclusion that there's only 24 hours in a day and I can only make so many things happen in that window of time. I'm been my own worst enemy with over committing myself. I do like staying busy with work, creating art and spending time with family and friends. I can still do those things; I just need to continue to remind myself to s-l-o-w down; take a breath; enjoy the scenery and stop running with scissors all the dang time! This weekend, I will complete Mother Earth and possibly another collaborative effort with master quilter Muna Elias. I'll paint the portrait "Bella" and Muna will unleash her magical thread painting talent. Okay, now let's review: The order of the weekend is quilting, painting and oh yes, sipping tea.....What joy! Scissors will be involved, but I won't be running with them :). Living creatively, Sandra

Mother Earth

2010-04-13T06:43:00.000-07:00

Next Thursday, April 22nd is Earth Day. I try very hard during the year to do my part with being green i.e. being energy efficient; recycling plastics and paper items; carrying cloth grocery bags, etc. All of these actions of course are a good thing.

Some may remember my last year's quilt art dedication to Earth Day, "It's not easy being green" a whimsical look at how we all struggle with being green conscious. I've decided that my tribute for this year's Earth Day would simply be titled "Mother Earth". I'm inspired to do this special fiber art piece with many different found objects and fibers, of course with the primary hue being green.

Now, will I walk to work or do a special community sponsored activity highlighting Earth Day? Probably not, but I will continue to keep myself in check with doing those small, but equally important things I currently do to give back to our amazing planet. Lastly, if you haven't already checked out the National Geographic's "Life" series which is similar to the very popular "Planet Earth", do so. Oprah Winfrey narrates another great series dedicated to the wonders of our planet. Until next time, Living Creatively, Santeena

Cheetah Girl in QA

2010-03-20T22:35:00.000-07:00

I was thrilled to see that my Cheetah Girl (featured just below) was featured in the "Unleash your inner Animal" reader's challenge in the April 2010 edition of Quilting Arts magazine. Aside from the nice surprise of the seeing my work published; overall this month's QA issue is quite good. I'm really impressed with the work of the featured artist Diane Marie Chaudiere whose beautiful art quilts features frogs, fish and vegetable gardens. Interesting arrangements of color with such detail. Her work is astounding. Check it April QA when you have time. I promised you will not be disapointed!

Antony and Cleopatra DisCovered (AC-DC)

2010-03-14T17:03:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a beautiful day here in Southern California. When it's nice out, it always makes for a great ride in my little Honda. Such was the case as I had to travel a little ways to a meeting of one of my local fiber art groups. This time the meeting was to Quilts on the Wall; a regional group of mulit-talented fiber artists who reside from ways south in San Diego to as far north up the coast to Santa Barbara. With each group that I belong to, I truly enjoy networking with liked minded Fiber Artist; getting inspiration from their works and sharing ideas. I love it! At this QOTW meeting, we got a chance to preview the group's "Journey" quilt entries that will be featured at IQF Long Beach. There were some spectacular entries unvaled. We also learned that our "Archaeology" themed travelling quilt challenge will be first exhited at the Denver National Quilt Festival from April 29th and running through May, 2, 2010. Inserted is my entry for that show "Antony and Cleopatra DisCovered (AC-DC). This quilt celebrates the possible April 2009 archeaology discovery of the infamous couple within the confine of a deep shaft in a temple near the mediterreanean sea in Egypt. This art piece features my usually ink painted scene. Materials used this time were cording for Cleo's hair, various threads and buttons for Mark Antony's cape and a little glitter on Cleo's draped cape. A glass snake embellishment was sown right smack in the middle of the piece near the ill fated Queen's heart. Last but certainly not least, various decorative papers and papyrus bark slithers were used on the background of the quilt. This was a exceptionally fun project. Living Creatively, Sandra

Talking Shop

2010-02-21T21:22:00.000-08:00

It's always great to talk shop with another artist. This weekend I had interesting lunch with a friend of mine and discussed everything artistic. Literally from A to Z, we chatted about how quickly acrylic paint dries (that bugs us) to the new Zentangle trend which we both adore. His primary focus is photography and mine's of course is fiber arts.

Although we both dibble and dabble in all forms of creative expression from time to time, we agreed that we must remain true to what moves us most and take that to a new level. Perfecting our respective crafts was the call to action. His photography is fantastic; mostly wide views of landscapes and nature. We vowed to collaborate someday on an art quilt piece of his photography. Can't wait to take one of his rich photos and recreate it with either ink or acrylic paint on muslin, then thread stitch it for effect. Stay tuned, our project might just happen sooner than later. Living Creatively, Sandra

Feather Series

2010-01-24T10:06:00.000-08:00

As I'm exploring what makes me tick as a artist, I see that there's a trend toward creating fiber art that's clever, bright and has a little something extra. Admittedly, I do go overboard at times with "a little something". It's all in fun. I just found a new inspiration for a quilt series from an experience I had while travelling in South Africa. While at the Canga Wildlife Ranch, I was charmed by a peacock that keep strutting bye as I was at a gift shop booth. He was begging for me to notice him, no different from his human male counterparts :). When I mentioned about the bird going back and forth to the gift shop clerk, she said to me " Oh he's always just showing off". I thought this was so funny. So in a tribute to this strutting peacock, I will used beautiful cock feathers as a focal point in the first quilt of a feather quilt series. I'm interested to see what I come up with. Living Creatively, Sandra

The Journey of Hope in America: Quilts Inspired by President Barack Obama

2009-12-31T10:49:00.000-08:00

I'm honored that my quilt "Everybody's All American" (shown below in the blog) is being featured in Dr. Carolyn Mazloomi's book "The Journey of Hope in America: Quilts Inspired by President Barack Obama. This long anticipated book is now being published by Voyeguer Press and will be released late April. Sherry Shine's Obama quilt "Fearless" graces the cover at the right. How exciting! As always Living Creatively, Sandra

Guitarist Extraordinaire - Jesse Johnson

2009-12-28T19:46:00.000-08:00

YES! I'm on vacation this week and already at play. I've started two different projects. The first is painting the face of Geronimo on the quilt top and auditioning colors and other embellishments for his garment. I just love this phase of the quilt making process. It allows me to imagine how the finished artpiece will possibly turn out: i.e will it be dramatic or whimsical? Shall I make it one dimentional or have an object jumping off the quilt for effect? Sometimes I never know until the quilt is almost finished. The second project will be a journal quilt of my friend Toni's kitty that past away several months ago. I'm gonna call that one "Hey kitty, kitty". I'm so enjoying this time off to do nothing but read and create.

Well I finally finished the rock star project. I decided to name it "Guitarist Extraordinaire - Jesse Johnson". This fiber piece is a tribute to Jesse and his music. He's come a long way since since his stint with the R & B Group "The Time". My friend is his close friend and manager. We'll be presenting the quilt to him this week. I hope he likes it. Well, I gotta get back to work. Living creatively, Santeena

Geronimo

2009-12-09T20:32:00.000-08:00

OKAY... I've found my inspiration (my secret) and have begun to create a series of portraits featuring faces of American Indians. My first will be of the famous Indian Chief Geronimo. This piece will be a faced forward (see his likeness) quilted portrait, embellished with beautiful colorful threads, traditional feathers and beads. I have such a profound love for expressive faces; ones that tell tremendous stories of varied experiences. That is definitely found in the faces of our American Indian culture. I'm currently studying my subject and reading a little more of history so I can be sure to capture and express his essence. Would love for you to follow my journey with this series. Living creatively, Sandra

Seasons change

2009-12-02T22:17:00.000-08:00

It's so amazing to me how time now flies. It's already fall, soon to be winter in 2009. As the seasons change so does my mood for creativity. It's weird. I do my best work (having a creative edge) in the warmer months of the year. It's a fact that during the spring and summer the days are longer. With the sunshine, my subject ideas are plentiful. At the current time (early December) I'm so busy at my day job;and then working on building a new website during the evening that I'm exhausted at the end of the day and too pooped to produce art. So sad! I've been stuck on a couple projects for the past month and I got to get them finished and to their venues. My goal is that at the first of the year to get going with a "head" series i.e art featuring catchy portrait /cartoon themes featuring a head and other inanimate objects, i.e "head of lettuce, egg head, etc.". I'll keep you posted on my progress. Living creatively, Sandra

SAQA Visioning Project

2009-11-12T21:55:00.000-08:00

I'm privileged to be involved in several dynamic professional creative organizations. One that has international recognition; Studio Art Quilts Association (SAQA) has an over aboundance of members that are very talented quilt artists. The group's current president Lisa Chipentine is one of those truly talented creative types. Not only is her art work stunning, but she also has great insight to know the importance of giving back to the artistic community; to help follow artist who are up and coming with creating their own vision of how we want our art to evolve. Her pet project available to SAQA members is the Visioning Project. Through this year long program, quilt artist are encouraged to use many tools via the SAQA web to realize their goals. I just signed up and I'm truly proud to be apart of this program. My goal is to have my artwork be very recognizable in the fiber arts community. That means developing a signature style; sticking with it and contineously enhancing it. I'll keep you posted as to how it goes. Living Creatively, Sandra

Jesse

2009-11-10T18:11:00.000-08:00

I find inspiration for my work from many different sources. Because musicians are also creative types; making wonderful music to listen to while i'm creating, I often find them to be facinating subjects for my art. I'm currently working on a piece of R & B master guitarist Jesse Johnson formally of the group "The Time". I'm quite proud of this fiber art piece; especially my interpretation of one of his beautiful guitars; a pink hand painted face embellished with large shelled pearl beads with metallic silver thread guitar strings. It's stunning. Jesse's new CD "Verbal Penetration" is a smooth blend of fresh, clever tunes coupled with a hint of the funk from his stint with The Time. Many times when an artist releases a new album/CD, there maybe one or two hits that are fan favorites and the rest of the CD is something forgetable. Not the case with Jesse's Verbal Penetration. I've been singing his praises since the CD dropped (see cover above) on October 27th, encouraging everyone i speak to to buy the entire CD. You will not be disappointed. I'll have the privilege of presenting the finished quilt to Jesse when finished. Before I publish a picture of this work, I want him to see it first. I can say that I'm very proud of it so far. Living Creatively, Sandra

"Now that's a hat!" Interpretations in Black & White

2009-10-23T22:17:00.000-07:00

Quilt Visions is one of the wonderful local groups that I belong to. QV has an upcoming small quilt exhibit this winter called Interpretations 2009. It's unique because each member is required to submit a 12" x 12" black and white piece. This work must use only black and white colors; gray can also be used. When I saw the size, I thought cool, although I'm extremely busy, I can put something together to meet the deadline. So, I came up with a b/w Drunkard's Path block featuring another portrait piece with an b/w ink painted rendition of women wearing a crazy pillbox sequined hat top with a gray feather and veil. I call it " Now that's a hat". I just love, love, love the small quilts size. It takes me more time to visualize and plan, than to make the actual 12" squared quilt. Check it out. Living Creatively, Sandra

Quilt shop to re-open in Lake Forrest

2009-10-10T11:15:00.000-07:00

One Friday evening several months ago, I was so jazzed that I had finished my daytime gig's work and was in the vicinity of one of my favorite quilt shops; Material Possession in Lake Forrest, California. Oh joy! I was going to drop in and see what's new. Well, when I arrived, I was shock to see that MP had closed their business. Oh NO! In this struggling economy, unfortunately many businesses including our beloved quilt shops have been forced to close and Material Possesions was the latest casualty. I was so bummed out. As I was leaving, another car drove up and took a look. I went over to tell the lady that the shop was closed. She introduced herself as Charmaine, a local resident who already knew the shop was closed, but was just checking to see if it had re-openned. She knew of news that the shop was to possibly re-open with a former staff person's management. To make this long story short; cuz I'm even boring myself :), we exchanged information with the promise of updates on the shop's status. Great news! I got an email from Charmaine saying that Material Possessions will in fact re-open November 7th, under the new name "Sacred Moondance Creative Sewing Center". I'm now doing my happy dance again under the sacred moon! Until next time, Living Artfully, Sandra

Textures Opening - Huge Hit

2009-10-03T20:10:00.000-07:00

Friday evening, October 2nd our local group; Textures Fiber Arts had it's opening reception for our 3rd annual quilt exhibit at the Merc in Temecula, CA. It was a huge hit. Our group of 17 quilters all have big talent with a wide variety of quilting styles. Today, I'm working on two pieces; "Bad hair day into night" a play on featuring my hair stylist Michelle as the mythological character Medusa (see right). I hope to finally finish this piece so that I can show it formally. The second piece, my ink and thread painted quilted rendition of the legendary guitarist for the group "The Time" Jesse Johnson will be one that I hope to unvail at the end of the month. We'll keep you posted on my developments.

Texture's Fiber Arts at the Merc in Temecula

2009-09-13T10:38:00.000-07:00

One of the local Fiber Arts groups that I belong to is having their annual Fiber Arts Exhibit beginning Friday, October 2nd and continuing until Sunday, November 29th at the Gallery at the Merc in Downtown Temecula. Our opening reception launching this fabulous exhibit will be on October 2nd from 5:30 to 7pm. Complimentary refreshments will be served. We'll have the works of 16 very talented art quilters there for you to enjoy. "My Fast Friends" quilt featured below will be part of this showing. Try to make it if you can, it's a must see! Gallery at the Merc - 42071 Main Street, Temecula, CA 92590 - For more info call (951) 694-6480.

Burning the candle at both ends

2009-08-24T19:49:00.000-07:00

Time to slow down for a bit. I'm truly burning the candle at both ends with my very involved daytime career as a business consultant and at night with creating art. I enjoy both, but clearly my passion is with my art heads down. When I'm in my studio, time just seems to fly by as I'm entwined in a potpourri of fabric and thread colors. I did however, gave my sewing machine a rest this weekend as painting on fabric was the name of the game. I'm working on piece for a traveling show with an archaeology theme. I'm calling it "AC-DC' or Antony and Cleopatra Dis Covered! Anyone that knows me already knows about my fascination with the Egyptian Queen. Tony and Cleo's possible burial plot discovery in the north coast of Egypt made the news this past April. Archaeologists are still carefully digging to see if their hunch that this is indeed the famous couple is right. We'll see. I'm taking the night off. I need the rest. Those wonderful paints, fabrics and threads are going to have to wait for another color infusion opportunity. I'm pooped, but
still Living Creatively, Sandra

Great News - Obama Quilt to be featured in book

2009-08-09T22:01:00.000-07:00

I just got the wonderful news that my Obama tribute quilt "Everybody's All American" will in fact be featured in Dr. Carolyn Mazloomi's upcoming book. I'm honored and privileged to be a part of her latest project. Dr. Mazloomi is one of the forerunners experts in African American quilting. Speaking with her is so inspiring. She has high energy combined with a spectacular background in quilting and fiber arts in general. I'm so jazzed. One of the ink painted panels is featured just right. Scroll down to view the entire quilt below. Living Creatively, Sandra

Been busy...

2009-08-02T11:25:00.000-07:00

Having time to create is always a challenge when working full time. I'd planned all weekend doing the creative thing and I'm track to do just that. I completed a quick water color sketch to put on paper my visualization of "AC - DC" Antony & Cleopatra DisCovered! As you can see, my idea is a little elaborate. It has the Egyptian Queen and her guy emerging in full regalia from the ruins of a new excavation. This scene will eventually evolve into an 28" x 38" portrait orientation using fabric paints, cording, scrim, Egyptian trinkets, on cotton, organza and tulle fabrics. I hope to have the painting part completed next week ready for quilting soon. Wish me luck!

My other projects "Fast Friends" is coming along nicely. Last evening I was able to start the thread painting process on one of the faces. I hope to have pictures of this finished quilt soon. Until next time.

Living Creatively, Sandra

AC-DC

2009-07-29T10:23:00.000-07:00

I'm back from IQF - Long Beach inspired with many new ideas and materials to incorporate into my two pending art projects. One of the projects with an archeology theme is a quilt for a Quilts on the Wall travelling exhibit. I aptly named this piece "AC-DC" or "Antony and Cleopatra discovered carefully". My challenge is to come up with vertical quilt orientation with an archeology theme. Since the possible unearthing of the burial site of Antony and Cleopatra is currently in the works in the Valley of the Kings in Egypt, I thought this would be a perfect time to capitalize on my fascination of Cleopatra by highlighting this event. My plan is to have her sitting on her throne with Antony looking over her shoulder in the Valley of the Kings while real life archaeologist are digging around them in the foreground. At the IQF festival there were many vendors to choose nice little Egyptian trinkets from. I was able to pick up some of these trinkets and also abacus paper and matching cording shown in the attached photo for this 28" x 38" quilt. I want to try to keep the background mono-chromatic in beige's, light browns and sepia colors. I also plan to play with papyrus paper, tea dyed organza and scrim to use in the piece. I'm starting this long overdue project this weekend. I can't wait!

Living Creatively,

Sandra aka Santeena

Detours Exhibit at IQF Long Beach - Check it out!

2009-07-03T20:51:00.000-07:00

I belong to several Fiber Arts and Quilt clubs with many talented members. One in particular that has a wide variety of gifted artist is "Quilts on the Wall" located here in Southern California. This group is very unique in that members live as far south as San Diego and to ways of north Santa Barbara. Much of the work of the QOTW members is extraordinary. I'm proud to promote QOTW's participation in a Fiber Arts exhibit named "Detours" at the Long Beach International Quilt Fest from July 24th to July 26th. Clever interpretations of the detour theme are featured by Madeline Bajacharya, Mia Bloom, Cynthia Catlin, Maureen Whalen Cole, Cindy Cooksey, Joanell Connelly, Jo P. Griffin, Rose Hughes, Stacey Hurt, Jeanette Kelly, Mary Beth Kile, Catherine Ravera, Suanne Summers, Mary Tabar, Susan Trindle and Susan Willen. If you have the chance check out this wonderful showing. IQF at the Long Beach Convention Center at 300 East Ocean Blvd, Long Beach, CA 90802. Be sure to check us out,

Living Creatively,

Sandra "aka" Santeena

Bad Hair Day into Night

2009-06-27T22:43:00.000-07:00

I'm so scattered...I have about five projects going on at one time with deadlines fast approaching on a couple of them. OMG! I vowed that this weekend I would "get it together" and be on track with completing and submitting at least the two due first, however that's not going to happen. Unfortunately, I got an eye infection and had to go to the doctor today to see what the heck is going on with my left eye. The good news is that the doc thinks it's not pink eye as I suspected, but allergy related. Running to take care of this medical issue, took away more time away that I had to planned to work in my studio. As I passed the entry way of my studio door before entering the laundry room and then the garage, I glanced in my creative space and saw those UFO's in various stages of production in the room. One of those UFO's that I'm particularly amused with is a likeness of my hair stylist Michelle as the mythological Medusa. This fiber piece is hilarious to me because of it's irony; my fabulous hair stylist having a bad hair day. Who knew? I've started this portrait of her with strips of fabric and couched ribbons to serve as the snakes as Medusa has in her hair. I'm painting the faces of the snakes to apply hopefully tomorrow. Maybe I can start the quilting also tomorrow. We'll see.

We've all had bad hair days, that sometime morph into the night. When we have those days we quickly make an appointment and run, not walk to our hair dresser. My stylist Michelle is relocating to Atlanta. She's been a true "Miracle Worker" whipping my old tired do into shape on more than one occasion. I will miss Michelle, such a professional who was great at healing my unruly hair. I feel better now; back to work tomorrow morning.

Living Creatively,

Sandra aka Santeena

Sneak Peak - Santeena's Web link

2009-06-14T22:16:00.000-07:00

I've been busy......The demand of maintaining a full time business consultant job and part time art career is taxing. On top of juggling both the day and night gigs, I've been slowly working on my new baby, Studio Santeena's website. Using Vista Prints to power, I'm doing the first past on the site's creative piece myself. It's a daunting task and believe me I've learned so much as I worked countless hours tweaking this puppy. My goal is to have the site ready to roll out and market by July 24th, the first day of the IQF at the Long Beach Convention Center. And yes, this girl is on her game. Got the website intro postcards on deck for mailings and business cards handy for handing out. I'm affliated with several fiber art groups. I plan to work both the SAQA and the Quilts on the Wall booths at the conference to catch up with follow artist and do a little networking. REMEMBER, I'm still tweaking; adding more art quilts, etc., but you can get a sneak peak of the work in progress by checking out the site's banner attached and also at the actual site on this posted link or my visiting:

http://www.studiosanteena.com/

Enjoy!

Sandra aka Santeena

Shaunna's Big Day

2009-05-31T22:51:00.000-07:00

My beautiful niece Shaunna graduated from high school this past Friday afternoon. I'm so proud of Shaunna and her many accomplishments. She, as well as my other niece and nephews are often the subjects of many portrait quilts and paintings I've done. Since "Ms Shaunna" is a such a "fashionista", I thought she would appreciate a specially designed denim jacket featuring a quilted photo of herself predominantly featured on the back. I was right, she loved it! It's a thread painted ink painted image of Shaunna. Her hais is felted with alpaca fibers. Here's a quick photo of Shaunna posing with her quilted jacket as well as a close-up of it just below. Check them out! Living creatively, Santeena

The Big Dig for Anthony and Cleopatra

2009-05-12T22:19:00.000-07:00

One of the quilt groups that I belong to, "Quilts on the Wall" has a September Challenge - Archaeology, "The Big Dig". Well I've just decided that my theme for this challenge will be "The Big Dig for Anthony and Cleopatra". On April 19, 2009 near the Taposiris Magna temple in Egypt, what is thought to be the burial site for the doomed couple was uncovered among ten noble tombs found near the temple. Dating back to about 30 B.C., Cleopatra and Mark Antony are believed to have committed suicide after being defeated by Roman military leader Octavian in a battle for the Roman Empire. I've always been captivated by Egyptian history, so now is my opportunity to get inspiration from this recent discovery and really come up with something magnificent. I will depict some painted rendition of the dig referencing to the couple and of course it will be thread painted to death. I can't wait to see how this develops! Check out this photo of a caravan of cars driving away from the site taken from one of my favorite magazines National Geographic.

Living Creatively,

Santeena

Athena versus Medusa

2009-04-27T23:34:00.000-07:00

I have two smaller projects that I've began work on: One is a smaller UFO quilt that I started several years ago as part of Jane La Fazio's small quilt class. This project has for us to create an image on a canvas type material and then embellish it with threads, beads, buttons and other found objects. Well as you can see here to the right, I decided to use two images of lucious tomatoes, one red and ripe and another not so ripe that is green. I reversed their backgrounds with water color application of the opposite color. The other project will be a bit more controversial. My hair stylist Michelle has gorgeous big hazel eyes. I thought it would be fun to take her promotional picture, paint it with ink, then deliver two distinct images of Michelle, one good and the other evil and then quilt and embellish with all fun stuff like felt, cording, beads, etc. With Michelle's permission I got to work. To the left is the initial image of Michelle that I've started with, just her face on cloth. The plan is to then to create Michelle in two versions of the mythical goddesses; one as Athena, whose beauty was legendary and the other as Medusa who also beautiful but was terribly jealous of Athena. These two didn't always get along. According to the myth, they had a tremendous fight and Athena turned Medusa into an evil creature with her hair crowned with snakes. The image of Medusa with her mouth wide open with hair as snakes is commonly depicted in works of art and comic books. I can't wait to see the contrast of the two in my quilted fantasy. I plan to feature both on one single quilt with a clever name. Stay tuned! Living creatively, Santeena...

Pas de Deux - Fini

2009-04-13T23:00:00.000-07:00

Pas de Deux is finally finished... Whew! When Textures Fiber Arts, my local quilt group decided that they were going to participate in an Spring exhibit with the theme "Inspirations of Nature", I immediately knew what photo would be my inspiration: Mike Maples wonderful shot of two Cecropia moths mating on a branch from a tree in his back yard in Tennesee. I began this project almost two months ago hand painting the scene from the photo, then thread painting the moths and parts of the background on the weekends only. Embellishments include various beads and glitter on the wings. I'm pretty proud of the results. Take a look at a detailed shot of the thread painted wing of one of the moths. It's magnifique!

Pas de Deux

2009-03-26T10:07:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite magazines is "Nature's Best Photography". This magazine features wonderful still photography mostly of spectacular outdoor scenes that are captured in split seconds. The Spring 2007 issue had a spread on a backyard photo contest called "Small World Wonders". One of the photographers featured was Mike Maples of Tullahoma, Tenessee who submitted a beautiful shot of two rare Cecropia Moths mating spotted in his backyard. Well, I love this unique photo and how it features details of each moth. Equally impressive is the greenery of the leaves combined with the brown limbs where the moths perch while mating, spectacular! "Pas de Deux" is my interpretation of this photo. The french name literally means a "dance for two". When I look at this photo, it certainly says to me that the two moths are dancing. In my interpretation of the piece, I've painted the scene as photographed and then thread painted the moths with exaggerated colors, including gold glitter on the wings. The wings will then be embellishments with various colored beads. I'm still working on the piece for local exhibit. I hope to have it quilted and finished this weekend. Isn't it romantic? Living Creatively, Sandra

Moving up to the Big Leagues

2009-03-13T10:55:00.000-07:00

I'm no different than any other artist. We're constantly looking for new interesting art subjects and then translating those images into works of art for display hopefully in galleries; on our websites, shows, etc. I enjoy every stage of the creative process from first sourcing subject, then painting, piecing, quilting and the finish. Last but certainly not least is the photographing of my pieces. for publication. I've had and enjoyed several very capable point and shoot digital cameras. However, I recently moved up to the big leagues with the purchase of my first Digital SLR camera, a Canon EEOS Rebel 1000D. I'm not sure what the letters and numbers mean on this model; I just know that for a SLR is a good starter camera. I'm elated with this purchase! I plan on taking fabulous scenic shots during daily travels for painting later. Stopping at parks and beaches will probably be a regular thing for me in the next few weeks. Wish me luck with this new aspect to my creative quest!

Living Artfully,
Sandra

The Creative Entrepreneur

2009-02-25T22:31:00.000-08:00

I'm a bookstore browser. I love, love, love to go to bookstores, pick up design or photography books and/or magazines, and then get lost into my creative process. Inspiration for future artwork comes from many places. Images from books and magazines are probably at the top of the list. Just this week I found a wonderful DIY Visual Guidebook for making business concepts real in the art section of Barnes and Noble. "The Creative Entrepreneur" by Lisa Sonora Bean is the perfect book for us right brain types to harness our creative ideas and package them in a neat business plan, and then moving forward with those ideas for profits. Since we all have such passion for our artwork, It should be natural for us to believe our talents should translate into a profit center...we don't always think that way though. But why not? Weren't we always taught to do what we love? Isn't it a wonderful thing to be rewarded for our creatve journey? A book of this type is right up my alley especially since I'm both a business consultant during the daytime and the artist (my true self) at night. "The Creative Entrepreneur"...It's great. Click at the title above and check out the website. Enjoy

Living Creatively,

Sandra

Aliance for American Quilts - Save our Stories (Click to link)

2009-02-13T20:58:00.000-08:00

I'm so jazzed! My Obama Quilt "Everybody's All American" was featured along with an interview of moi in the "Save our Stories" article through the Alliance for American Quilts". What an honor! The quilt featured in it's entirety just below was one of 35 in the collection of quilts that featured our new prez.. Attached to the right is a close up of the quilt's last panel upper right featuring the first family. First daughter Sasha Obama's hair is adorned with a little green ribbon to match her pinafore dress. The interviewer and I marveled over how Barack Obama has inspired so much works of art. I'm certain in the future I'll do another piece with either one of his quotes or his great accomplishments...

Tomorrow, another subject... A beautiful landscape of snow covered mountain. Stay tuned... Living Creatively, Sandra

Santeena in the flesh

2009-02-07T20:49:00.000-08:00

It's my recollection, that alter-ego Santeena has never been featured as a picture in my blog. As my friends and family know, Santeena the doll was the first art piece that I submitted for publication back in 2005 through Quilting Arts Magazine. Although Santeena didn't make the highlighted section in the Fantasy Guardian Angel article, she was featured in the group photo. This was probably my proudest moment as an artist. At that moment, I knew that my long dormant passion for arts and crafts was then reignited and I was on my way to creating for the rest of my life. Since making this doll for fun back in 2005, I've taken a couple of art doll classes which were really enjoyable. However, it's fiber arts, in particular art quilts that I'm most facinated with. Journal art quilts (8.5" x 11") are quick and fun and my favorite. My creative process begins with visions of color; then an image or subject. I ask myself, what is it going to be? A landscape or portrait? An abstract or something more true to life? Where ever my imagination takes me, It thrilling to me to see how each art piece evolves and it's final completion. Each hobby becomes a passion when the creative mind is unleashed and the artist starts to soar. I believe that I've donned Santeena's wings and have started to soar. I'm really enjoying my craft. Well ta ta for know... Living Creatively, Sandra

Obama Presidential Quilt - A huge hit!

2009-01-29T22:08:00.000-08:00

"Every body's all American" made it's debut at an inauguration party on January 24th. It was a huge hit!. I decided to go ahead and display the 24 " x 36" quilt despite it's not quite finished. It's 95% complete. The binding needs final tack down on the rear side and the workmanship needs tweaking, then it's good to go!

As I'm getting out there and displaying my works, I'm learning to accept the praise; of course thanking the observer with a smile. It's interesting how it's easier to accept that your work is viewed as not impressive; i.e. criticism over praise. Constructive criticism can be helpful if not malicious; but taking in and then processing praise from others is the ultimate high! I've attached one of the last panel's of the quilt; one of an Obama's supporter with her heart-shaped Obama glasses whimsically displayed on a fence-rail quilt block. How fun! As always, living creatively, Sandra.

A tribute to the new president

2009-01-20T22:52:00.000-08:00

Today, January 20, 2009 was a spectacular day! A new chapter was curved out in American History with the inauguration of President Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States, our country's first African-American President. I arranged to have the day off from work to be able to watch the inauguration festivities uninterrupted. I didn't want to miss a thing. Because of all the excitement of the day; I was inspired to create, so I multi-tasked while watching America’s change of power. My sewing machine was humming as I did the last piecing and then quilting of my artistic tribute to President Obama; the "Everybody's All American" quilt. Featured below is the entire quilt three-quarters complete. Here's a close up of one of the panels of the quilt; a portrait of the new leader of the free world smiling intently. For the first time in history, two million people of all ages, races and religions braved the cold temperatures to be present at the capital's quad to view Obama's swearing in ceremony. President Obama is truly a leader for every person. It was a joy for me to be able to pay tribute to him in ink and cloth. Beads, hand stitching and binding will be done to complete this quilt for it's unveiling this weekend at inauguration party. I'm so proud of our new President As always, Living creatively, Sandra

Asian Beauty

2009-01-15T22:50:00.000-08:00

My mind is swirling with many ideas about the Obama Inauguration quilt. I haven't settled on a final look. I was recently at a meeting with my local Textures Fiber Arts group. One of the talented members displayed a beautiful sunflower quilt she made with calligraphy writing. It was stunning and quite classy. From that quilt, I got the idea to have the Obama quilt's name displayed in calligraphy on the quilt, "Every body's all American". With just over one week before it's debut at a inauguration party, the quilt is no where near being finished. It's interesting that I'm not the least bit stress about making my deadline. I guess this means that I'm trusting my intuition more, which is a good thing! I'm also working on another quilted Fantasy Portrait, this one of a Geisha Girl. This is another ink painted face with thread painting. I also stuffed the cheeks for highlight and added a three-dimensional hair bun complete with chop sticks for fun! This Asian Beauty doesn't have a formal name yet; it's not complete, but I'm pleased with the results do far. Take a look see!

Living Creatively, Santeena

2009-01-06T22:59:00.000-08:00

I'm thrilled to announce that I'm pregnant! No, not in the literal sense. Heavens no... My dream child, Studio Santeena.Com has finally been conceived. I've snagged the domain name and have already started tinkering with my website design. It's important to me that this site is interesting to prospective customers. It must be attractive, yet functional. To that end, I've decided to take my time with formulating how the final presentation will look; what it will convey to potential customers about Studio Santeena's Quilted Fantasy Photos; precisely what they are; how I can take any face and position it in a vast array of fantasy designs on fabric. I love to recreate faces; especially detail images of eyes. I'm currently working on a Tsukineko ink drawing of a Geisha Girl on fabric which I hope to pair with an exotic Asian pastel background. Hopefully this will be featured soon on the blog. In the meantime, check out my water color interpretation of a bull elephant that was emerging from the bush during November's safari at Mala Mala. I'm still on cloud 9 from that world wind trip! Until next time, Living Creatively, Sandra

Real Big Cats

2009-01-01T21:15:00.000-08:00

Its' New Year's day, welcome 2009! 2008 was a year that many want to forget; to totally purge from their memories due to the many troubles our country and the world endured; weak economy; devaluation of the dollar, etc. I basically feel the same way as others; longing for a time that felt more comfortable. Yes, 2008 was tough; except fir that fact it was a monumental year for me in which I turned 50 years of age; and finally made my pilgrimage to Africa. I loved, loved, loved Africa in particular Capetown, South Africa which was quite sunny because it's their spring season during November. Capetown also sports beautiful scenery in the city and along the Atlantic and Indian coasts. I plan to visit there again some day soon. Safari was exciting. Seeing animals in their natural habitat is something to behold. Because these animals live freely many years on the Mala Mala's private game reserve, they've become used humans creeping around as anxious voyeurs. From our eight passenger Jeep Landrover, we'd crane our necks and focus our cameras or camcorders to get the perfect shot. I'll brag a little and admit that I took some great photos. Here's my watercolor version of a couple of the big cats seen in the bush: The King of the Jungle, the male lion and just below the leopard at night. Other members of the big "5" to follow shortly. Living Creatively, Santeena

Progress made on the Obama Quilt

2008-12-23T23:32:00.000-08:00

I love this time of year....The holiday season always brings warm thoughts to mind about being with family; playing games and staying cozy inside the house. When it's cold outside, that's when I'm the most creative. Living here in Southern California it's very seldom that we have very cold temperatures. Winter officially began this past weekend. The weather was overcast; just perfect to help unleash my creative juices. I reviewed my animal photos from safari and did some preliminary sketches of the "big five". They'll be water color photos that will be revealed soon. I also did the some piecing on the Obama Quilt. I'm in love with the main focus of the quilt; the stars section of a flag featuring a ink painting of President elect Obama; but not so please with the photo collage to be featured in the stripes portion of the quilt. Consequently, I decide to also fabric paint these photo vignettes onto the stripes. Decisions, decisions!!! Just below are photos of the quilt in progress. Tell me what you think.

Living Creatively,

Sandra

Ultimate vacation over..Back to work!

2008-12-16T20:40:00.000-08:00

I've been home several weeks now from the vacation of my lifetime......The South African Cape Town Visit and Safari at Mala Mala Private Game Reserve. It's been a little hard unwinding and getting back into the swing of things from the time away. Since arriving back to work almost two weeks ago, I've been quite busy including two business trips out of town. Eeek! Sadly, I've past my studio several times this weekend and peaked in.... I need to get back to my craft table...pronto! Undoubtedly, my travels have provided great inspiration for future project. During safari, I witness so many magnificent things. Someone asked of me "What was the most incredible thing you saw?" There were many things that compete for the most incredible; but I think the most unusual was witnessing the determination of the dung beetle pushing his neatly rolled pile of elephant"s**t" back to his shared nest for his mate to lay eggs. So funny was how he tried so hard to roll this big thing up a hill and it rolled back over him. I died laughing. Yet his determination was incredible at the same time. Equally fascinating was watching lioness and their cubs devour a huge Cape Buffalo. I've attached a picture of this phenomena. The "Circle of Life", survival of the fittest, that's what it's all about in the Africa bush. My next water color subjects, which I'm hoping to complete by this weekend, will be of the big "5"; the lion, the camp buffalo, the leopard, elephant and rhino. I was able to see them all; up close and very personal. It was awesome and inspiring trip.. Living Creatively, Santeena

Beautiful South Africa

2008-12-01T15:22:00.000-08:00

I'm back from beautiful South Africa! I had a wonderful time taking in the sights, meeting great people and sampling fantastic foods. And yes, I did get some great inspirations for future art projects from my experiences, including beautiful scenery like views of Cape Town's famous Table Mountain and from animal sightings during safari. Check out the great shot of the 16 year old female leopard seen while out on a game drive at Mala Mala Reserve... Awesome! From the huge collection of photos I've taken during this trip, I'm having a difficult time choosing which ones to try to reproduce as water color images. Way too many great shots to choose from! Stay tuned for my decisions.

Indaba - Conference (it means 'an item of news' in Zulu)

2008-11-12T21:40:00.001-08:00

Indaba! Certainly an item of good news. 48 hours before my flight leaves from LAX to London, and then on to South Africa. Wow, I can't believe this exciting time had finally arrived. Those who know me, are well aware of my gibber jabber about this trip. Africa with all it's majestic and wonder is a place that I will finally behold in the next few days. I've packed my water color travel kit with the intent to capture some magical moments of nature. Great if I do, but also okay if I don't. I plan to live in moment during this memorable time, relax and count my blessings. The last leg of my journey has me staying at the Mala Mala Main Camp Reserve near the Sabi Sands river in Kruger National Park. Featured are a little flavor of what Mala Mala Main Camp has to offer; excellent game viewing and wonderful accommodations. I'll be taking a break away from blogging while in paradise. I'm certain however, that my creative spirit will be alive and well. I'll capture Africa's beauty through photography and sketches or maybe not! What I do know is that I this time will be very special...and Thank God, as always for my blessings... Living Creatively, Santeena

Everybody's All-American

2008-11-08T22:34:00.000-08:00

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THE 44TH PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES..Barack Obama!.. I'm elated with the election of Senator Obama. What a triumph for all Americans and the world. Yes he's "Everybody's All-American". I kept the promised to myself to create a fiber arts piece inspired by our new prez. This wall quilt, which will be approximately 36 " x 24 " will be designed as an American Flag with the stars section featuring Tsukineko ink sketch of the new president. The red and white stripes will feature a photo collage also of the president, his family and the many Americans of all races and creeds who make up the melting pot of our great country. The beauty of photographing your art is that you can see the progression of your work as you go along. In the photo of the ink drawing I just whipped out, you can clearly see that the color value is off. The colors need more blending. This will help with more realistic shadows on his face. I love going back and tweaking my pieces! It's an opportunity to practice the craft more. So back to the drawing board with this drawing. I hope to have the entire piece featured in a preliminary form by the end of this week. I've entitled it "Everybody's All-American" and hope to display it at an inauguration party at the beginning of January. Until then, "Living Creatively" Santeena

Everybody's All-American

2008-11-08T21:50:00.000-08:00

Ladies and Gentlemen, the 44th President of the United States.. Barack Obama!

Election Eve Excitement

2008-11-03T21:52:00.000-08:00

I can clearly remember when I was a little girl how excited my sisters and I were each Christmas Eve. I was closest to my sister Deborah who is just three years younger than me. Deb and I shared a room. Each Christmas Eve, we could hardly sleep in anticipation of the toys that Santa Claus was to leave for us because in those weeks just prior to Christmas, we of course were not naughty, but nice. On the eve of the Presidential Election, I feel the same way. I'm so excited. I'm excited for America. I feel confident my candidate of choice will win this election and go on to create wonderful change for this country and all americans. I just learned that my presidential choice Senator Barack Obama has won the first community election; the one held in the Dixville Knotch, New Hampshire community election with collection of 15 votes for Obama, versus 6 votes for John McCain. YEAH, O-B-A-M-A! Remember my creative link to the senator? Yes, I still have the vision of the Obama Fiber Art piece floating around in my mind. I've promised myself that I will start piecing this quilt this weekend. I just need a little reprieve from all this election excitement and then I will get to humming on my Bernina. Godspeed Barack Obama! You are indeed loved!

Living Creatively, Sandra

What I know for sure...

2008-10-27T21:37:00.000-07:00

Was in the San Francisco this past weekend for the "O" You Conference at the Moscone Center. The Bay Area weather was just perfect!. Got a chance to met with while I was there a couple of fabulous quilters who just happen to be friends; Jeanette from Powder Springs, Georgia and Ann from Terra Verde, Florida. I met these two wonderful chicks during a couple of travels to Negril, Jamaica for Quilting Retreats hosted my my first and favorite quilting teacher Lisa Sheppard Stewart. It's great to be able to catch up with others who have the same love for fabric and quilt design. These ladies are truly very talented! Speaking of talented, although not expected, we were blessed with the presence of Oprah Winfrey. I got this quick shot of her as she graced the main stage. Oprah's best friend Gayle King alluded that Ms. Winfrey may make an appearance at the end of the day and she certainly did! The conference overall was much like many very well put together business conferences I've been to in the past. Great speakers (love, love loved Suzie Orman - she inspired and scared me at the same time!) were right on with the messages they delivered. Beautiful women, young, older, white, black, straight and gay - Yes, all women were all represented in attendance which I thought was just great. What I know for sure it that all people, but especially we as women basically want the same things: We want health and security for our families; we want equal opportunity in the work place; we want to be cherished by those we love; last, but not least, we want some time away to renew. I certainly got my time to renew this weekend...for that I'm grateful.. As always, Living creatively, Sandra

C-R-E-A-T-E-tively me!

2008-10-20T20:20:00.000-07:00

Learning new techniques to express art forms in different media is important to me. Clearly seeing shadow and forms in design and then being able to replicate what I see on cloth art comes natural. However, I'm always looking for new ways to upgrade my skills. To that end, I finally got a chance to take the portrait class from Patt Blair working with Tsukineko Inks and Fabrico pens. Patt is a wonderful painter, quilter and teacher! Tsukineko inks are a fabulous brand of Japanese inks that when applied with a cotton stump like tool really yield nice results. I needed to formally learn the technique of using these inks, because I plan to incorporate this media into my future fiber art pieces featuring portraits. I'm a great admirer of the work of Hollis Chatelain. Hollis is a phenomenal artist and quilter. I'm in awe of her work, especially her depiction of African portrait images recreated from her experiences her times in Africa. I'm so excited that next spring she will be teaching in the Northern California area. I'll ber sure to sign up as quick as possible to get some good learning from Ms. Chatelain. Check out my first ink drawing piece featuring my niece Shaunna. I think it's a fairly good representation of her. This work was done with the inks on a faint pink muslin cloth. The warm tones of her skin are developed from sand, truffle and believe it or not, purple color inks. Not quite sure how I will eventually piece and quilt it. We'll see! As always...

C-R-A-T-E-tively me! Sandra

Textures Exhibit - Reception October 10th - Spectacular!

2008-10-12T11:27:00.000-07:00

The Textures Exhibit at the Merc is currently running through December 7th here in Temecula. Our opening night reception this past Friday evening was a huge success! Beautiful quilts large and small were eloquently displayed throughout the foyer of the gallery. A notable standout was Kris Estenger's "Figuratively Speaking" featuring her signature subject dress pattern, this time with several found objects most notably car parts. Our Textures group did a fantastic job at putting on this show. Every single member worked very hard in doing their part to make this show a success, in particular our group organizer Carol Niles, she did an awesome job at pulling the show all together! All Textures members were present at the opening night reception along with their family and friends. My "50th Year" quilt finally made its debut. Here's a shot of me with fellow Texture member Phyllis Binkley discussing this piece. Plans are already in the works for making next's years exhibit even more of a success. Can't wait!

40 Days and Counting!

2008-10-05T20:56:00.000-07:00

The trip of my lifetime to South Africa is just 40 Days away! I can't wait. With my schedule being as hectic at work as it is and also the last minute tweaking I'm doing to my fiber art pieces before their exhibits, I'm about to crash and burn! I'm so ready for a needed vacation. This trip to South Africa is my gift to myself for my 50Th birthday. It also serves as a sort of rites of passage into the second half of my life. This fantastic voyage is made up of many segments starting with a day lay over in London after a 10 hour flight from LAX. Whew! From London I take another 12 hours flight into Cape Town, the sort of Beverly Hills of South Africa. After several days gallivanting in Cape Town, I then move on by motor coach through the beautiful Garden Route of the Western Cape in South Africa stopping at a charming coastal city named Knysna, known for it's beautiful beaches, lagoons and tasty oysters for eating. I then travel on further to two more exciting cities, Port Elizabeth and Johannesburg for sites and then finally spending four days in Kruger National Park at the Mala Mala Main Camp Game Resort for safari. Without a doubt this trip is life changing with each stop sure to yield very special memories. It is the safari portion of this trip that I most look forward to! On safari I will hopefully see the "big five" which is the lion, leopard, elephant, rhinoceros and the water buffalo. I'm also certain to see my favorite animal, the glamorous giraffe or as I lovingly refer to them as "tall blondes". Anyone who knows me well is aware of my strange love of giraffe's; there featured in every form all over my house and featured in many pieces of my artwork. I can't wait to see them once again up close. Here's a candid shot of me several years ago at the San Diego Wild Animal park feeding a tall blond trying to get ready for my safari! I plan to take many pictures of course. I hope to paint and quilt amazing images from this adventurist trip.....

Living Creatively,

Sandra

Textures Exhibit - Reception October 10th

2008-09-20T19:51:00.000-07:00

Time sure flies! It's almost time for the Textures Fiber Art Exhibit featuring the much talked about "50th Year Quilt" at the Merc Gallery here in Temecula California. D uring the same period, I'll be featuring the "Green Quilt" over at the Temecula Library. How exciting! These are the first of several showings I plan on participating in the near future. I'm loving this time in my life. So much to look forward to! My work keeps me busy during the day, and my crafts (fiber arts and oil painting) have me busy during the evenings and weekend. I took a needed day off today to relax, reflect and then finally to plan the details of the next several weeks... Stay tuned...

Living Creatively, Sandra

POTUS 08 - "Easy on the eyes"!

2008-09-10T21:48:00.000-07:00

It's a historical election year. For the first time in a long time, we have a exciting new voice in American in the form of Barrack Obama, an African American who is running for the President of the United States. I couldn't be more elated! As an African American woman; I'm proud of his accomplishments and I fully support his political platform. I will proudly cast my vote for him on November 4th!

Now what does this political statement on my candidate of choice have to do with art? My mother use to say that when a man was very attractive that he was "easy on the eyes". How appropriate! This is certainly true of Mr. Obama. I've collected dozens of pictures of him (incidentally, looking very presidential) that I'm carefully placing into a paper collage, one that will then be fitted into a patriotic quilt that will become part a permanent part of my personal collection.

Regardless of whether or not my choice becomes the next POTUS, this is a wonderful time for me. I never thought that I would see this phenomenon in my lifetime...I'm so proud and will reflect these feelings via my fiber piece... I'll keep you posted.

Living Creatively, Santeena

Beads, trinkets, feathers and more beads

2008-09-01T22:01:00.000-07:00

Hey there....

Well, for the two art quilts I'm feverishly working on to have completed by September 13th. I finally finished the piecing for each quilt top and I'm now onto the fine details of embellishment. Although this process is sometimes very time consuming; the need to place each bead "just in the right spot" is critically important. A long process, but the part of the quilting process I enjoy the best. On the 50th Year Quilt, I've chosen adrinka buttons, african beads, cowrie shells, feathers and trinkets. These fun items are all just waiting to be picked for careful placement on this very personal quilt. After it's showing, this art piece will definitely be a fixture in my personal collection. I just need to find the right spot for it on a wall in my home....

Metamorphosis

2008-08-26T20:28:00.000-07:00

My 50th Year Quilt is once again going through metamorphosis. What is this, the third change? Oh well! I'm a firm believer that you must really feel comfortable with the way each of your projects evolve and how they are completed. And this quilt is no exception. Suddenly it's evolving in the right direction. I'm happy with this latest representation. It now evokes the emotion I have about turning 50; spending time in Africa celebrating this monumental time in my life...As Martha Stewart would say " It's a good thing". Here's a snapshot of the new African dress print in the quilt..a new block, new placement of beads, trinkets - a whole new feel!

How to make an American Quilt

2008-08-26T19:57:00.000-07:00

As usual, I fell asleep with the TV on. Sometime early this morning I woke up, and the movie "How to make an American Quilt" was on. This movie is about several women in Grasse, a small town outside Bakersfield, CA. It details their relationships, both past and present. Each story is cleverly told by each woman through flashback stories. They have intimate conversations about their lifes over the construction of a beautiful group quilt. The women carefully share both past pains and hopes for a promising future. It's a smart movie from the novel of the same name written by Whitney Otto. A New York Times book review said. "It's a tribute to an art form that allowed women self expression even when society did not." I so agree! I just remembered I had the book and hadn't yet read it. What have I been waiting for? I plan to fit it to my incredible busy schedule this week!

It was definitely time to tweak

2008-08-19T19:00:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, I was consumed with working on the two quilts I have in the upcoming local exhibits. The "Green" quilt is coming along nicely. A friend of mine Della previewed both quilts. She's put in first dibs on this quilt that I aptly named " It's not easy being Green" . However, I'm having some issues with pulling together the overall look for My 50th Year piece. After I fully quilted the dark background for this piece, I decided I didn't like it and without hesitation quickly cut the quilted dress body away from the background....How traumatic! All that time I put into trying to carefully quilt (and I'm the worse quilter) between the patterned design of the background fabric only to cut it away. It be's that way sometime! I've attached a new lighter zebra print background, with a golden dupioni silk inside and various animal print outside borders. See just to the upper right. Much better.. Now check out the new overall look of the quilt below.. The light field spaces on the zebra fabric will allow me to put the Adrinka symbol meanings in a readable space. It's hard to make changes. But I've learned over the years, to keep an open mind with design process. Change is good, especially as we try to recreate something or ourselves, patience is a virtue.

Being Green

2008-08-13T23:14:00.000-07:00

Okay...Here's my tribute to the "Green Craze": My new quilt featured in full view just to the right "It's not easy being green!" My motivation for creating this whimsical homage to the concept of being attuned to the environment, is from my looking at how difficult it's been for me to try to be "green conscious" at all times. I do try, but I'm not where I need to be with this process. I think we all fall a little short here, but we'll get there...!

More on the quilt. It's the Drunkard Path's block, with cute drawings that I've added of green characters I've embellished the character's hair with felting and couched cording. I'm in the process of adding beads, and other trinkets, then I will quilted borders with variegated thread. I should finished this project this weekend.. I'll keep you posted.

I remember that UFO

2008-08-02T21:22:00.000-07:00

In any hobby or interest, one gets bored from time to time, and will suddenly abandon the project they're currently working on to start something new, something fresh. In the fiber arts world we call these abandon projects... "unfinished objects" or UFO's. Today I had the urge to go back and pull a couple ( I have about a dozen UFO's) of these pieces. Some of them I couldn't remember; but one stood out and I also remembered the time first begun and motivation for that piece. Something in my soul told me that it's this quilt's time for finalization. I found myself staring at this journal quilt with new eyes, combined with some new ideas. I used these new ideas on this soon to be "Ex-UFO". I've come to realize that life in general it's a good thing to "put something on the shelf" or make it a UFO for a minute. then later move it along, make process and finally.... COMPLETION!

Banner Details - Introducing "Papillon"

2008-07-30T21:27:00.000-07:00

I do love Santeena's posted banner which I've proudly named "Papillon". The name is french for butterfly, a subject I used frequently. The pastel drawn face on the quilt is that of my niece Shaya. She reminds me somewhat of a butterfly; young, beautiful and free. For Shaya's hair, I use alpaca hair, needle punched on felt and embellished with beading, fiber stands, and faux flowers. I'm will finish the embellishments hopefully this weekend, refining details (adding real lashes, etc) , then give it a simple quilted background and finally photographing it again for a new and improved banner posting on the blog. I plan to feature this piece in a local showing at the Temecula Library this Fall. There's also the Textures Fiber Arts exhibit at the Merc and the trip to South Africa, all this fall. So many exciting things these to come.... I can't wait!

Back home in the studio

2008-07-28T22:48:00.000-07:00

Finally back home in my studio from the travel to Long Beach for IQF. The exhibits at this show were fantastic, I got much inspiration from several pieces there. When I returned to my work station, I had exactly in mind how I wanted to proceed with the 50th Year Quilt. As I pieced, then tweaked a couple fabrics and embellishments placed on this quilt, I smiled. I know I'm really onto something with this piece.. You'll see it soon. Sandra

Fun with Elinor Peace Bailey - Art Dolls at IQF

2008-07-24T23:18:00.000-07:00

Well, it's 11pm and I'm settling down in my hotel room after an evening class making Small Art Dolls to wear. Elinor Peace Bailey, the instructor for the class is extremely talented and so entertaining. I have to admit, I'm exhausted and need to close my eyes, because I have an early morning lecture to attend regarding, what else? Making art dolls! I so love being in the company of extremely creative people. If you have an open mind, you can glean so many different ideas of how to approach your next project. Already, I've seen some beading techniques this evening that I would like to incorporate in my 50th Year Quilt. Thoughts on construction: Cloth with applique African designs; spice dyed scrim tucked nicely behind; feathered and beaded headdress; and beaded robe dress, metallic quilted background. I'm certain this quilt's composition will be tweaked several times before it's completion. We'll see!

IQF - West Coast at last!

2008-07-24T11:03:00.000-07:00

..been a little while since I've been able to write. Of course, busy with earning a living and designing two new quilt concepts: 1) one for a showing this October for the Textures Fiber Art showing in Old Town Temecula at the Merc "My 50th Year Quilt" 2)another featuring Shaunna my niece as Cleopatra. She's so excited about being featured on a quilt. Since I'm scrambling to get going to the IQF Long Beach show, I'll make this post short to just feature a preliminary set-up of the "50th Year in African Gear"quilt. It will be approximately 24" x 36" with pastel or inked painted drawing of my mug on cloth (I haven't decided yet), beads, raffia, feathers, adrinka symbols and the kitchen sink. Smile, just kidding. Take a look by scrolling down through post....

Proud member of Fiber Arts / Mixed Media

2008-07-15T00:11:00.001-07:00

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Time earmarked to quilt..

2008-07-14T22:34:00.000-07:00

With any passion you have, there are millions of thoughts about how you envision that thing will manifest...This of course, is especially true for artist. We all have this love for creating something beautiful with our hands, then displaying each work as if it's our very first work; much like we did as children with our fingerpaint creations in kindergarten.

As a new fiber artist, I've surrounded myself with like minded people who have the same passion about creating with cloth and fibers. I was with a group of art quilters this past weekend. We spoke of our works as if they are our offspring! It's actually quite entertaining! Quilting has so many facets to it. There's of course, beautiful traditional quilts with very precise lines and angles; that tend to be more functional i.e. used as bed covers. Then there's my favorite, the art quilts which really have no rules except that the piece must have the three layers and we proudly display then on walls for all to see! I can spend the rest of my days planning, purchasing fabrics and knick knacks for the project and then creating to my hearts content.

I'm business consultant (my day job). It's how I earn a living. Being an artist is my part-time (night job)....is my fabulous escape into a world of color, texture and form. I gleefully mix all these things neatly into something fun to look at. My challenge has been to find the time to quilt several times a week. I've decided that I will earmark at least one hour each day to right down and then at least sketch thoughts of my proposed art pieces. Planning this way will always keep the creative piece for me fresh. I'll keep you posted as to how it goes in coming days. Check out my new art quilts just posted to the blog below. Please let me know your thoughts.. Sandra

Here we go..!

2008-06-30T22:30:00.000-07:00

Here we go! In my wildest dreams I would never imagine starting a blog. The whole concept of keeping an on-line journal seemed so foreign to me. I do believe keeping some sort of record of thoughts, ideas and such in general is a good thing. Even though we’re not aware of it, we all journal activities or make lists of “to do” or “done” items perhaps on a daily basis. The thing that’s wildly different and captivating about web logging is that people like me have a new format; a space that can be gussied up to feature our thoughts to totally bore and/or entertain our friends and family about what’s going on in our heads. Well, since I signed up for this space, decorated and aptly named it after my alter-ego “Santeena” I’m going to have at it! Santeena is musing…. She’s got some interesting thoughts mostly about her loves; for art, for travel and relationships in her life she is so blessed to have.

Many of you already know that Santeena is a doll a created for a reader’s challenge in Quilting Arts Magazine (please see art slide show for a view of Santeena). Her moniker is a combination of my name, Sandra and one of my idols, Tina Turner. Everyone knows that Ms. Tina has gams to die for. Her legs are legendary no doubt. But more importantly for me, Ms. Turner is a symbol of someone who successfully reinvented themselves from being famous as a lead member of the Ike and Tina Turner revue, to Tina Turner solo act and mega stardom at 45 years old. Tina is now 68 years old and going on a world tour! Who knew?

Okay, you’re saying what does this have to do with you Sandra? You don’t have the same gams as Tina and you certainly can’t sing? Tina and I were at the same point in mid-life when we acknowledge to ourselves we needed to step out on a limb and take the talent we did have to the next level…. Hence Studio Santeena; an outlet to unleash this creative energy of mine through art (journal quilts, paintings, writings,etc). Through Santeena’s Musing, I invite you to come along and share with me as I explore my passions for art and the likes. I promise a couple things; to always be transparent and never to be dull. C-ya soon, in the meantime do check out my slide shows of Santeena’s happenings.. Sandra