I know it’s been a while since I updated this blog!  No excuses.. the renovations are continuing …. I have walls. But the real reason for the delay in posting is that  I have been at Art Quilt Tahoe for the past week recharging my creative batteries. Tahoe is the most lovely place …once you get there!

This picture was taken as we passed over the Siskiyou Summit just a few miles before the California/Oregon border. The mountain passes on the way through the Sierra Nevada mountains can be snowy this time of the year. Nope I didn’t take the picture, I had both hands firmly on the wheel.

The weather was very dramatic all that day. We were met by this amazing sky when we arrived at the lake.

I spent 4 days in a wonderful workshop with Valerie Goodwin. The workshop was called Favorite Places and we used maps as a source of inspiration for our work. Valerie had us do some “warm up” activities  the first day and then set us to work on our own designs.

My design is created from an image taken from a float plane flight between Vancouver and  Victoria. I created a drawing from the original image and then Valerie had us create a thumbnail collage in the fabrics we might use. The thumbnail is just the size of an index card and great fun to make … not to mention a really valuable step in working out the fabrics and colours I might use.

The quilt itself has a long way to go but I am off to a great start with it.

There is always something happening at this conference! each faculty member gives a presentation at meal time to talk about what they have been up to. They show new work, chat about inspiration and their process it’s like a mini workshop with everyone.

Velda Newman brought her amazing quilt “Zinnia”, winner of the Quilts Japan prize at 2010 Quilt Visions.

Here it is being opened out in the dining hall during Velda’s presentation to the group.  I didn’t make a note of the actual size of the piece but it is stunning!  here’s another image with Velda in front to give you an idea of just how large this quilt is.

Valerie Goodwin talked about her career as an architecture professor and how that work has inspired and informed her quilt making.

Judging from the sign below we weren’t the only ones enjoying the dining hall! this was posted on the outside door.

There was even a little time to relax and enjoy the scenery… which was gorgeous.

Now back to work… Bye for now, Catherine