Hello everyone. For today’s assignment, “Landscape”, I headed out around our great town with my camera in hand. I thought about a shot of Stalker Lake. Umm, not today. I saw the bluffs behind the school, and actually settled on a spot just down the road. I expected to focus more on the cliffs, but the sunshine was bound and determined to take center stage.
I was glad there were a few clouds to add more interest to the gorgeous blue sky.
The dirt road does pull you into the scene, and I love the way the sun rays explode in the sky.
I’d say it’s another beautiful day here on the eastern plains of Colorado.
Have a great day, and be inspired.
Fellow Quilter,
Brian
Hello everyone. Today, for my Photo101 posting, I’d like to share this “Swarm” of Kewpie Dolls.
My Sister-In-Laws doll collection is very large. You can’t help but wonder what they might be thinking, Right?
Enjoy this small sampling of some of her favorites.
A few of Ann’s Kewpie Dolls…
Her first doll was made by the Cameo company, and she received Kewpie (We call her “Number 1”) for her birthday as a small girl. “Number 1” is on the right with the necklace. If you want to read more about Cameo Dolls click here.
Hello everyone. Here is my entry for “Moment”. The assignment… to capture a moment, and enhance the photo with blur or motion. I think the photo is pretty cool. I am pleased with the location, which is the auto parts store along the highway in our town. I did enhance the color vibrance with photoshop a bit to give it an ethereal vibe.
Hello everyone. Today’s photo blogging prompt… “Architecture”. Well, that was an easy target. Joe and I love our 95 year-old craftsman bungalow. We are only the third owners of this grand home, and it’s beautiful inside, and out. I could have shown you photos of the original woodwork inside. Mrs. Groves had the foresight to apply 15 coats of varnish to the trim and doors, so aside from a few minor dings, they are as perfect as they were back in 1919.
I chose to go outside. It’s been pretty cold here, but today is a bit of a break from that. I took several totes of recycling to the local center, and I shot 38 photos of our home, all in black and white. (a suggestion from the photo blogging assignment team)
I chose two images. One for the literalists, and one is a bit more abstract thinking.
A beautiful craftsman bungalow, built in 1919 by T. Barr and Merle GrovesArchitectural Elements – from about a century apart.
Let me know in the comments which image you like better.
Hello everyone. Today’s topic on Photo101… “Mysterious”. I’ve lived in this town for nearly 18 years, and these two houses are a mystery to me. Who lived here? Why did they leave? What happened to them? Who owns them now? I really don’t know, and people don’t talk about them.
I guess you can just make up your own stories to go with these photos. The smaller house is not for sale, or at least there is no realty sign out front. The larger house has a realty sign hidden in the weeds. You can’t see it in the photo, but trust me it’s there.
I hope you have fun creating a story for these. I’ll be crafting some quilt blocks this weekend to go with my ongoing project. I’m almost to the 200 mark. (That’s halfway, if you haven’t read my earlier post…)
If you think of some good story lines to go with these images, I’d love to read them in my comments. Have fun!
Hello Everyone. Today’s photo challenge is “The Natural World”. And my world today is freezing cold. I grabbed this photo of frost on the window in my quilt studio. The darkness you see in the back are the trees off in the distance. I just love the intricacy of lines and patterns in the image. It’s also very cool, how the leading edge seems to be in a curve each time.
Hello everyone. Today’s photo assignment was “Landmark”. I considered a few ideas, but Flirtation Point is perhaps the major landmark here. In fact, you’ll find the rock formation on old postcards from the very beginning of photography.
I decided to give you two views. I drove around town capturing it from about ten different vantage points. It’s a very cold day, and it will probably snow tonight, so we are lucky to have this image of the fading fall colors blanketing the town.
For the first view, it’s looking at the backside, if you’re speaking relative to the town. The three crosses on the top were put there by the Wray Ministerial Alliance some years ago. The smaller monument is a Masonic marker.
The second image will show you the view once you go on top of Flirtation Point. The city looks so great laid out before your eyes. I’ll tell you… it was cold standing up there today! I hope the photo conveys that feeling.
Todays Photography 101 assignment was “Street”. I looked around on this chilly fall day, and it was as if there were more tumbleweeds than cars or people on Main Street at that moment. I had a great time shooting in manual mode, and the shadows made me think black and white. I think the sun hitting the weed really highlights the texture of its branches. The contrast against the shadow of a nearby car gives a lacy effect.
It’s amazing how different this image is, than it would have been in color. The atmosphere today is kind of gray, yet sunny, and the wind temperature is a bit cold. I think it’s a great day to warm up my creative juices.
So… I guess I read the wrong prompt for today’s assignment. The second-hand story was a daily writing prompt, not the blogging 101 assignment.
The assignment was actually “write and publish a “who I am and why I’m here” post.”
Vacationing – yet sewing/quilting is on my mind.
First of all, I am a good student, so I’m going to correct my mistake.My name is Brian Clements from Wray, Colorado. I am a quilt artist, who does some long-arm machine quilting for customers, as well as makes quilts for my own personal use. I’ve been quilting since I happened to watch a show on PBS in 1989.
At the time, I lived in Lincoln, Nebraska. I was always good at math and geometry in school. I’m good at solving puzzles, and I’m a logical thinker. The Double Irish Chain quilt being shown on Kaye Wood’s show, seemed like something I could figure out. I hit the local big-box fabric store, and purchased black, grey and white fabrics. Color wasn’t always my forte. The black fabric I chose, was from the special occasions area. A nice shiny moire taffeta. Now, if you’ve sewed much… you already know that wasn’t the best choice for a beginning project. The fabric had no give or stretch to the weave, and the fabric squares I cut, were quick to begin to ravel.
Well, I finished the quilt piecing, and I “tied” my quilt sandwich, by bar-tacking satin ribbon about every six inches. I then tied the ribbons into nifty little bows. This quilt was destined to be a wedding gift for my Brother and Sister-in-law’s upcoming wedding. The quilt was finished on schedule, and gifted. They used the quilt for a long time, and it has held up remarkably well. The ribbons are pretty tattered now. Their cat found them irresistible.
From that humble beginning was born a love of fabric and quilts. I have progressed, and learned so many things about the craft. I’ve also learned quite a bit about myself, too. I have used my journey in quilting, to create beautiful art, using techniques that come from my logical ways. It’s opened my eyes to beauty and design, that I did not notice in my early years.
I’ve made countless friendships through quilting. Some are near, some very far. I’ve become much more confident in my abilities, and I’ve enjoyed sharing my talents with others.
Since moving to Wray, Colorado 18 years ago, I’ve really honed my craft. I have a wonderful husband who supports my creativity, nudging me into the sewing room on occasion. We joke about this, but it’s true… when I’m down, sewing is a reliable way to bring things up.
I started my blog a few years ago, as a means to share my ideas and inspiration with a new community of online artists, Also, current and future customers can find my information here. In reality, it’s pretty simple to blog, yet I seem to go in spurts. My good intentions get caught up in thoughts of “what should I write” or “how do I keep it fun”, so I’m here in Blogging 101 with hopes of finding ideas to keep the blog flowing.
Thanks for reading my intro, and I hope you find something enjoyable on my pages. I always love when people follow the blog, and or leave me comments. Thanks for reading all of this. Have a great day!
Fellow Quilter 