THE NUNS WERE ALWAYS JUST A STEP BEHIND

REMEMBER THE SAYING...GREAT THINGS COME IN SMALL PACKAGES.  WELL I HOPE IT APPLIES TO QUILTS TOO, BECAUSE THIS SMALL 12 X 12 IN QUILT IS MY DONATION FOR THE ANNUAL SAQA FUND RAISER.

SAQA, STUDIO ART QUILT ASSOCIATES, IS A WORLD WIDE ORGANIZATION WHOSE MAIN FUNCTION IS TO EDUCATE AND PROMOTE QUILTING AS AN ART.  EVERY YEAR THEY HAVE A ONLINE AUCTION OF 12 X 12 INCH ART QUILTS DONATED BY MEMBERS.  A FEW OF THE QUILTS EACH YEAR ARE SELECTED TO GO TO THE HOUSTON QUILT SHOW TO BE SOLD IN A LIVE AUCTION.  MY DONATIONS HAVE BEEN SELECTED TO GO TO HOUSTON FOR THE LAST TWO YEARS.

ACTUALLY THIS SMALL FABRIC QUILT SHOULD REALLY  BE CALLED SISTER ACT TWO.  THE ORIGINAL QUILT WAS DONE IN PAPER AND WAS SUBMITTED AND PUBLISHED IN SOMERSET STUDIO MAGAZINE.  I HAVE TWO LOVES...PAPER ARTS AND TEXTILE ARTS AND SOMETIMES THEY CROSS POLLINATE.


I LOVE TO HAVE FUN WITH MY PIECES AND THE THOUGHT OF USING THE FINE SISTERS AS BACKUP SINGERS TICKLED MY FANCY.

THIS WAS ANOTHER ONE OF THOSE LESS GRAMMA...MORE REDFOX MOMENTS.

FOUR O'CLOCK COMES VERY EARLY

WHEN THE ALARM  GOES OFF TOMORROW MORNING AT MY FRIEND BETTY'S  HOUSE, I WILL BE DEEP IN SLUMBER.   PERHAPS I WILL BE DREAMING OF THE DAY I CAN GO TO THE HOUSTON QUILT SHOW AND WIN A RIBBON.  THAT IS MY DREAM, BUT BETTY WILL BE ON HER WAY TO HOUSTON AND LIVING THE DREAM...FOR REAL.

This is the quilt that won that ribbon for Betty.  She has been told she won a ribbon, but not which ribbon.  I really think it is first place, but winning any ribbon at Houston is the reality we all dream about.Then on top of that she got another call from    Houston and they told her that her quilt had sold and the show isn't even open yet.  Now I'll show you her quilt and you can guess which ribbon she won.  It's a first, right?

This is a painting done by Betty that she had reproduced on silk and then quilted.  Betty Hahn is a wonderful quilter and she totally deserves to win a blue ribbon.  But then I am a bit biased.

I'm thinking that instead of dreaming,  I'm going to sign up for free motion quilting classes with  the best of the best, my friend Betty.

QUOTE OF THE DAY... KEEP COMPANY WITH THOSE WHO MAKE YOU BETTER...unknown

A GOOD FRIEND WILL BAIL YOU OUT OF JAIL...A BEST FRIEND IS THE ONE SITTING BESIDE YOU IN THE CELL SAYING, "BOY THAT WAS FUN!!!"

BASICALLY A SLUTTY DANCE...

TWERKING...V.  THE RHYTHMIC GYRATING OF THE LOWER EXTREMITIES IN A LASCIVIOUS MANNER WITH THE INTENT TO ELICIT SEXUAL AROUSAL OR LAUGHTER IN ONES INTENDED AUDIENCE...URBAN DICTIONARY.

Miley Cyrus isn't the only one who knows how to TWERK.  I knew how before I knew it was called TWERKING.   We used to just call it dirty dancing.  Sometimes the less said about a subject the better.

These two quilts are my entries for the New Mexico SAQA  challenge, A COLOR RUNS THROUGH IT.

TWERKING

 

 

When I made this first quilt I didn't have a title in mind.  I just had a guy and two girls in a slightly provocative pose.  But my good friend Betty took one look at it and said..."Twerking".  So blame Betty, I never ever would have thought of it myself.

EXTREME TWERKING

 

 

 

For my second piece I got a little sexier.  I just couldn't help it... blame Betty.  It was either her egging me on or the red circles, I don't know which.  I added another lady to the mix, or maybe LADY is not the right word...ANY WAY IT WORKS.  

So here are my ladies, in the act of moving/shaking ones buns in a circular up and down, and side to side motion...

BASICALLY A SLUTTY DANCE
                     ... REDFOX

 

DOPPLER NEVER LOOKED SO GOOD

When I lived in Oklahoma we spent a lot of time watching the tornado alerts on tv.  I t was like the stations would compete to see whose Doppler images would be the bigger or the most accurate.  So I watched with avid interest as the Doppler imagery came to life on Betty's canvas.  

These two wonderful art quilts are Betty Hahn's entries for the SAQA quilt show, A COLOR RUNS THROUGH IT.

All Bluster I                                                                               All Bluster  II

All Bluster I and All Bluster II   detail

I was fortunate to be able to watch as these two quilts were created.  The rules were that black and white with only one other color was to be used.  The first quilt, All Bluster I, was created using paint and small amounts of organza overlay, and the second quilt, All Bluster II, used the same with the addition of rusted cheesecloth.

I was excited to see that Betty had used the cheesecloth that I had rusted and given to her.  After seeing Betty's quilts I think I better dig out the rusted cheese cloth I kept and see if I can give her a run for the money.  Actually I bow to Betty as the better quilt maker, but I think I am keeping her on her toes...

AFTER ALL, WHO DO YOU THINK TAUGHT ME?

A COLOR RUNS THROUGH IT...

A color runs through it is the theme for the Silver City fiber show in Silver City New Mexico.  Frances Murphy, Betty Hahn and I will all be sending pieces.  The pieces must be 18in X 24in and they must all be shades of black and white with one other color allowed.  It will really be an interesting show.  It is really fun to see how each different artist interprets the theme.


Today I have asked Frances if I could showcase her quilt.  We all have different techniques and Francis likes to do abstracts.

ATHANOR

I haven't seen this piece in person, but Frances does such a terrific job, on both the design and the quilting, I know it will be stunning.

                       GOOD JOB FRANCIE

"Athanor", in alchemy, is the place where the spirit takes form, is transformed into matter and eventually makes its exit into the world.  The black and white theme was well-suited for this piece, which resembles the mouth of a cave at night.  The turquoise represents waters, the giver of life in the desert...Frances Murphy

 

THE ONLY THING WE CAN BE SURE OF IS CHANGE ITSELF

My art pieces seem to evolve as I make them, or I should say, while I make them.  It is only fitting that this quilt has frogs on it as frogs are a symbol of METAMORPHOSIS, and that's what this piece is all about...

LOGIC  13X18in

My Halloween art quilt was sparked by finding a picture of a flying witch in my Dover clip art book... a rather SAUCY one at that.  On the same page happened to be a picture of a servant sweeping with a broom.  BINGO, I had my idea.  My original title and premise was going to be "DAY JOB"....My thought was meek maid by day and risque witch by night, but as the piece played out I thought about how illogical this all was and a quote by Gloria Steinem came to mind..."Logic is in the eye of the logician."  I knew this quote had to be included in the piece...illogical as it was, LOGIC was born.


So it went to double moons and fish (orange and black) flying across the sky.  The magical white frogs add to the picture and the whole piece just makes me smile...AND ISN'T THAT WHAT ART IS ALL ABOUT?


AFTER ALL, "LOGIC IS IN THE EYE OF THE LOGICIAN."

LOGIC....PUBLISHED IN SOMERSET HOLIDAY

NOT IN THE MOOD FOR ORANGE AND BLACK

It is time for a Halloween project and I am definitely not in the 
mood for black and orange.   This is the first sentence in the cover letter I sent to the magazine SOMERSET STUDIO when I answered their call for Halloween art.  I'm telling you this because I believe that what we write about our quilts is very important.  If you want to get published,  what you have to say to the editor is sometimes as important as how your art looks.  well, maybe not quite as important, but it really helps if you get their attention.  It must have worked because this quilt got published.

GARDEN WITCH

 I have decided to make my witch into something a little less haunting, a little more mellow, and a lot more beautiful.  My witch is throwing off the stereotype of being the ugly, black clad woman with warts on her nose.  In fact my witch has nary a wart and isn't clad in anything but her own beauty.

You've heard of the kitchen witch, well this is my garden witch.  She flies over my garden flowers with a grace that is nothing short of musical.  When I have her on my door for Halloween I think she will be met with all smiles and no tricks.

P.S.  I COULDN'T HELP BUT THROW IN A FEW MULTIPLE MOONS, PERHAPS MADE OUT OF GREEN CHEESE.

IT'S ALMOST THE WITCHING HOUR...

Hi guys.  Just a teaser today.  why you ask?  well, you didn't, but I like to think you might.  Have you ever told anyone they were a pain in the neck?  well I literally  have a pain in the neck, and this blogging is what did it.

               So here is the tease...

Garden witch

LOGIC

  That's all folks.....  Redfox

MEN AND WOMEN, WOMEN AND MEN, IT WILL NEVER WORK...Erica Jong

DAMAGE

Today I delivered this quilt to the Surprise City Hall in Surprise AZ.  The quilt will be part of a 2 month exhibit of two dimensional  art.

The inspiration for this quilt came from a quote by Erica Jong..."MEN AND WOMEN, WOMEN AND MEN, IT WILL NEVER WORK."  I created this quilt while my mind explored the LOVE-HATE relationship of a man and a women when love goes wrong...DAMAGE.  Of all the paradoxes of love, though, perhaps the most inextricable connection that love has IS with hatred.  And in a fascinating twist, the pains of love are often a source of pleasure.

     LOVE... IT HURTS SO GOOD!

How did she do that?

Damage is a piece that was created with intuitive cutting and piecing.  That means I did it with no pattern, no rulers, no pins, NO RULES, NO HOW.  I didn't even know what the quilt would be until the background was done and it told me what it wanted to be.  Then I added the figures and stamped the words... DAMAGE 

YOU'RE WINNING RIBBONS AND LOSING WEIGHT!!!

Today Francie Murphy, Betty Hahn and I went to Chandler to take our quilts to the Vision Gallery.  We were all fortunate to be chosen to hang in Art Quilt XVIII.  After we toured the gallery we had a wonderful lunch.

There is nothing better than having lunch with two sister artists you love...
                                        

         These are the two entries that Betty has at Houston.  She has been notified that She has won a ribbon and she will not know which quilt or which ribbon until the award night at Houston.  As we were driving  home she was telling us how excited she was about winning and I was feeling very good about myself. Here I was, so happy for her and not feeling sorry for myself.  I was even hoping that it was a first place ribbon.  It was then that she uttered these fatal words. "I'm losing weight too".

 

 

           What!!! winning ribbons and losing weight!  That was just too much.  It was a good thing that Francie was driving because I almost had a stroke. A person can only have so much goodwill.

 

Just kidding...congratulations betty! I love you.

                         

                                              

                                                                            

 

"Next year, Francie, it's me and you!
 

"START OFF EVERYDAY WITH A SMILE AND GET IT OVER WITH" ...W.C. Fields

https://www.facebook.com/sandrabranjord

BE YOUR OWN EXCLAMATION POINT!!!

            The french painter Rousseau was once asked why he put a naked women on a red sofa in the middle of one of his jungle pictures.  He answered, "I needed a bit of red there."

  We all need a bit of red in our lives.  Red makes us feel warm and excited...HOT!  And circles, circles make me smile.  Circles get me excited (it doesn't take much).  And circles do something else.  Circles cover a lot of mistakes...not mistakes, HAPPY ACCIDENTS.

SPLIT CIRCLE

Did I say Circles get me excited?

This circle does not hide anything, rather It accents the figure.  The circle in this instance was cut and appliqued over the black and white background.

You will find a circle in almost every piece I make.  Like I said they just make me happy, and they have become a signature of sorts.

Find a figure you want to use and the arm is missing?  Put a circle over it and keep the dog away from your clipart.






The circle below would be appliqued onto a background quilt with a panel quilt hanging freely over it. This technique will add a lot of dimension to a quilt.

 One day a week I meet with a small group of art quilters.  We get together to work and laugh.  We call it        
      GIGGLE WITH THE GIRLS...





  We each do whatever project we want to work on.  I will often sit and turn the edges on my perfectly cut circles.  I most often work in black & white, so the circles will be waiting for me when I need them.


       

Giggle with the girls circles

Creative Memories cutting system

      TIP

This is a must to anyone who would like to cut perfect circles.  It is the circle cutting system from CREATIVE MEMORIES.

I brought it along when I crossed over from scrapbooking to fabric art.  You have to find a consultant to order it from, but it is well worth the effort.

Detail from Metamorphosis

 This is a closeup of one of my Halloween quilts.  You can use a second circle in a contrasting color to mirror the original circle.  In this instance I used a silver fabric and it really sets off the moon.

Quote of the day...

The soul moves in circles.  Hence our lives are not moving straight ahead; instead, hovering, wavering, returning, renewing, repeating.
         ...James Hillman 

THANKS FOR BEING PART OF MY CIRCLE...
        I needed a bit of red there.

LESS GRAMMA MORE FOX

About fifteen years ago I was a wife, mother and grandmother named Sandra (Sandy) Branjord.  One day I walked into an art gallery in Grove America and found like minds doing amazing art...You guys know who you are.  With not much prompting and a lot of help I became less Gramma and a lot more artist.  I became REDFOX.

I tell everyone I chose Redfox as an art name because that is what my hubby called me when we were young and he thought I was foxy.  The truth is that I picked Redfox because it was easy to sign and looked great on my pieces...Smart like a fox!

People that don't know me might think that I am really blowing my own horn.  Heck, people that do know me think that, and they would be RIGHT.  Ladies we need to blow our horns.  A great deal of my art deals with the empowerment of women.  I want all women to do what they love, do it the very best they can and tell about it.

Starting this blog makes me feel like I've given birth.  I AM FOXY!
Follow me tomorrow.  I don't know what it'll be about, but it should be good, the best I can do.

Good nite...the kits are howling.

A WHALE OF A TIME

Wallstreet detail

Wallstreet

The buzzards are circling, the bears are growling and the whales have gotten all the cream.  It's all happening on Wallstreet.  This is the quilt that was accepted into Art Quilts XVIII at the Chandler Center of the Arts.

I made this quilt when the market was going down, down, down, and everyone thought it would never come back.  I decided to make my statement...a tongue in cheek quilt.  I thought to defuse the moment by poking fun at the situation.  To do this I used an unusual set of characters.  Or maybe not so unusual at all.

The center of the quilt is all painted surface design, most of which was made with a handcarved block that I made on one of our artist playdays.

Under the ties I appliqued some more characters, such as the sheep in wolf's clothing and the wolf in sheep's duds.

This is one quilt that says "PLEASE TOUCH".

 

Now we turn it over and on the back is a bull's market, check out the hedge funds.  I have to get my little bit of naughty in.

 

check out Art Quilts XVIII at Chandler Center for the Arts. For more information go to 

GOODWILL HUNTING

Add caption

My name is Redfox and I am an addict.  Yes, I admit it.  I am addicted to thrift stores.  The workers at Goodwill know me by name, and that's not a good thing.

I'm also an artist.  I make unique art quilts.  I call this quilt "Goodwill Hunting" because every thing I used to make the quilt came from my trips to the Goodwill.

I created this art quilt as my main entry to Chandler's ART QUILT XVIII.  The theme this year was ARTRAGEOUS and I thought this quilt was really out of the box.  The juror didn't agree.  Oh yes, I got into the show, but with another quilt.  I'll tell you that story tomorrow.

I REALLY MISS THAT ZEBRA SWEATER...