Gunnr........Mr. February

Meet Mr. February

Click Images to Enlarge:

" Gunnr "

by LuAnn Kessi

We just found out Gunnr is February in the

2012 Quilting Arts Calendar

Theme: Feeling Pet-ty

Our son, Nicholas, brought Gunnr home 4 years ago on his birthday.

It is extra fun that Gunnr is Mr. February as

Nicholas was born in February.

Gunnr's portrait quilt was colored and painted on white fabric,

then machine quilted.

Gunnr does not seem to be overly impressed with his quilt,

but I am just tickled .

Check out the cover of the

2012 Quilting Arts Calendar:

Jill Packer created the Iguana

This is a gorgeous piece

The 2012 Quilting Arts Calendar is now for sale

at the Quilting Arts Website

Gunnr plans to hand them out at Christmas !

Better get yours before he buys them all out...

Featured artists are:

Faith Cleary

Nancy Brown

Sue Clayton

Susan Brubaker Knapp

Susan E. Connor

Lisa Encabo

Nancy Hayes

Loreen Leedy

Amber McIntosh

Joan Sowada

Nanette Zeller

Jill Packer

LuAnn Kessi

Enjoy the Slideshow:

Make your own free photo slideshow

A day at the Coast

The Oregon Coast

Click Images to Enlarge:

The Oregon Coast was the place to be this week!

We are fortunate...

Just a one hour drive to reach the ocean.

The sun was shining and just a breeze off the ocean waves.

The sound of the waves and the smell of the ocean...

so relaxing.

Sometimes you need to stop the world...

and get off for a few hours.

The gorgeous colors,

the crashing waves,

the sun on my face....

It energizes you!

A change of scenery can do you good !

It's just what we needed.

This fellow definitely inspires me...

Please feel free to use him in your personal art work.

He is downloaded at a high resolution.

Click on him to enlarge him before you download.

CLICK HERE to view Adventures in Mixed Media Class

CLICK HERE to view Adventures in Portrait Quilts Class

CLICK HERE to view Thermofax Screenprinting

May Your Bobbin Always Be Full,

LuAnn

Gunnr is......... a Calendar Boy !

Announcing the 2012

Quilting Arts Calendar Artists!

Gunnr is ......... a Calendar Boy !

Gunnr 8 weeks

This is the first day our eyes met....

Nicholas & Gunnr 2006

Our son brought Gunnr, his puppy, home to meet us.

Gunnr quickly became part of the family...

Gunnr just adores our Jack Russell, Suzy

They spend lots of lazy days in the Thread Shed

asleep under the sewing machine:

So......you can see how I was inspired to create a Gunnr quilt.

Actually, I have made several quilts with Gunnr on them over the last few years.

My most recent quilt was picked as a finalist in the

2012 Quilting Arts Calendar

I am not able to show you the quilt just yet,

but know that Gunnr is quite excited about all of this

and plans to give out Quilting Arts Calendars for

Christmas this year!

CLICK HERE: Quilting Arts Website

This year’s theme, Getting Pet-ty inspired hundreds of you to depict your beloved furry or feathered friend with fabric, thread, and heaps of love. From the countless entries received, the decision to winnow the lot down to 13 was very difficult. We saw lizards, llamas, parrots, horses, mice, dogs, cats, iguanas, you name it.

Congratulations to the following artists whose art quilts will appear in our 2012 calendar:

LuAnn Kessi “Gunner”

Faith Cleary (Untitled, cow)

Nancy Brown “Opie and Mittens Go Birdwatching”

Sue Clayton “My Pet Llama”

Susan Brubaker-Knapp “Trouble in the Pumpkin Patch”

Susan E. Connor (Untitled, cat with fish bowl)

Lisa Encabo ‘Cutie says, “FEED ME! Throw my ball.”’

Nancy Hayes “Jazz Fetch!”

Loreen Leedy “Cautious”

Amber McIntosh (Untitled, frogs)

Joan Sowada “Agnus Ready”

Nanette Zeller “A Perfect Storm”

Jill Packer “The Iconic Miss Isabella (Iguana)”

CLICK HERE to view the Thread Shed

CLICK HERE to view more about Suzy

CLICK HERE to view my Adventures in Mixed Media Class

May Your Bobbin Always Be Full,

LuAnn Kessi

Western Cowman Photo Contest.......Winners

When I am not creating Textile Art...

I am helping my family here on the farm.

I never leave home without my camera!

Farm life has afforded me opportunities to take incredible photographs.

Last fall I entered a couple in a photo contest:

The Western Cowman Magazine

Photo Contest 2010

Click Images to Enlarge:

" Oregon Wheat Field "

By: LuAnn Kessi

Won First Prize

Summer Scenic Category

The next image won Third Place in

The Dogs Category

This Third Place photo has a true place in my heart

Here is why...

This is Brad baling hay a few miles from our home.

He spent a good part of July cutting, raking & baling hay.

Which translates to a lot of hours away from home...

Our dog, Gunnr, missed Brad terribly!

So, I drove Gunnr down to the hay field for a visit...

When we pulled into the hay field,

Brad baled off the tractor to greet us...

This is when the fun began...

Once Gunnr spotted Brad getting off the tractor...

He raced through the hay field like he had wings

Jumping and leaping over the hay rows!

He couldn't get to Brad fast enough...

This is the photo that won:

" The Embrace "

By: LuAnn Kessi

A dog isn't your whole life,

but, a dog makes your life whole.

CLICK HERE to view Gunnr's Portrait Quilt

CLICK HERE to view a slideshow of HOME

CLICK HERE to view Baling Hay

May Your Bobbin Always Be Full,

LuAnn

Neocolor II Portraits......Suzy & Baby Goat

I am enjoying incorporating two of my passions:

Photography & Quilted Art

I continue to alter images in Photoshop and print them on fabric for the purpose of adding color with

Neocolor II crayons

My son's Jack Russell, Suzy

has become a common subject in my quilts.

I think because I have so many photographs of her.

Here is Suzy snuggled into a quilt.

This has been printed on 13 x 19 Fabric in Black & White

I normally start with the lightest color first, which was Suzy.

However, I was unsure of how to color her, so I started with the quilt.

Sometimes all you need to do is just start coloring...

You get comfortable with the colors...

You work intuitively...

Portions of this have been painted with the water solution and are vibrant.

This piece is now ready to be basted with batting and backing fabric.

I am anxious to get it to the sewing machine...

Last Spring I spent time down at the Goat Barn.

I took a lawn chair and my camera.

The bouncing baby goats kept me entertained for hours!

These big close up images work best for this Neocolor Technique.

This image has been altered in Photoshop, then printed on fabric.

Here is Baby Goat

Ready for Quilting...

CLICK HERE to view Baby Goat Quilted

CLICK HERE to view Photoshop Elements Tutorial

CLICK HERE to view one of Suzy's Quilts

CLICK HERE to view Gunnr's Quilt

CLICK HERE to view A Day at the Goat Barn

CLICK HERE to view Cowboy Flavor

May Your Bobbin Always Be Full......of Portraits,

LuAnn