Thursday, January 1, 2015

Looking Back at 2014, Part 2

Happy New Year!  I'm hitting some of the things that happened in 2014.  It was a crazy-busy year with more travel and events (mostly good) than I have ever packed into a single year.  Here is the second part of the year....
Throughout the year I guest-blogged for Stencil Girl products.
I love all the amazing ways I can use their exceptional stencils in my work!

June:
Tim and I traveled back to Europe for Art Basel.
"Tim's Vermeer" was a featured film at the festival.

If you ever find yourself in Basel, Switzerland, you must go to this museum.

We also took in a Paul Chan exhibit.  He is Iris Karp's nephew!


I love trains!  I convinced my husband to take an adventure with me into the Alps on
the Bernina Express!  It just seemed right, don't you think?
We boarded this great observation car and had it all to ourselves.
The train is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Take the trip if you ever have the chance.


We ended up in the small Italian town of Tirano, 
where we spent the night.


It is so breathtaking these pics seem fake.



What a great adventure!

Late June/early July:
I was honored to be present for the birth of these identical twins
in Los Angeles just a few days after I returned from Switzerland.
These girls held hands in the delivery room!


We had babies closer to home:  this is our great-niece.

Later, I bumped into this wild animal, er, I mean Mark Lipinski!

We both serve on the board of the Quilt Alliance.

Here I am with a rare "blow-out"  Straight hair?  Only for a few minutes...

August:
Back to Europe!  This time for the Festival of Quilts in Birmingham UK.
I was honored to have a quilt in the Art Quilt Masters category.
Tim accompanied me.  His first quilt show.  Ever.

We traveled into London as Tim had a business meeting.
I tagged along and went my own way, as I was anxious to see the Matisse Cut-Outs
exhibition at the Tate Modern.  Amazing!

I turned 60!
What do you think of my new crown, made for me by Jamie Fingal?

My curator's piece for "Whats For Dinner?", entitled "local flavor".
Inspired by my trips to London, I created "Matisse and the New London Skyline"

My amazing "Bizzi At the Bernina" birthday cake!

The creation of a dry creek bed through my garden...

September:
A trip to Cleveland to tape episodes of Quilting Arts TV.

On to New York for Quilters Take Manhattan.  We filled every seat.

Two of my favorite women:  Melly Testa and Yvonne Porcella

late September/early October:
Then we went back to Italy!  We met Jeannie and Mike Moore in Tuscany.

I love all the old surface textures.

Beautiful tomatoes on the vine.

Grapes.




I came back to Texas and met Ringo Starr prior to the All Star Band concert.

Then, I traveled back to Ohio and took a week-long workshop with Nancy Crow.

Here is a work-in-progress.

Then, on to Quilt Market!
Jamie and I pose in front of "Selfie" by Kristin LaFlamme

We ran into our friend, Marie Bostwick!

November:
And, after almost 2 weeks of work and play, we returned to San Antonio.
Breakfast outdoors!

Tim and I traveled to Puebla Mexico to another conference,
where I met Piper Kerman, author of "Orange Is The New Black".

December:
In early December the Modern Quilt Guild had our holiday party and gift exchange.
I am the fortunate new owner of this beauty by Allison Chambers.

And a photo booth at the Newtek party.


There were extreme highs and deep losses in my life this year.
Tim and I lost family members so there was profound sadness mixed into all these bits.
It was a crazy, creative year.  
Let's hear it for the year ahead!  A very Happy New Year to you all.  
What does the new year hold in store for you?   Do you have artistic goals?  I would love to hear about them.  Drop me a line!  xo Leslie










Wednesday, December 31, 2014

A Peek Back at 2014, Part One

I love to reflect on some of the highlights of the year and this one has been a doosey (is that a word?).
So, let's go....
January...
New Years Day... making pizza in the wood oven despite it still being a construction site.

A beautiful wedding on 1/5 in Los Angeles.
Working on a quilt for a show deadline.

To Palm Springs for the film festival.   My friends Jeannie and Mike Moore joined us.


The annual independent study at Art Cloth Studios in mid-January.

making a mess to make.....


this bundle of yummy.

February......

Valentine's Day at the Dorchester Hotel in London.



 Prepping for the BAFTA Awards ceremony
Big Night.
We lost.
Still a big night.

I taped The Quilt Show, with Ricky Tims and Alex Anderson.
They did a road trip through Texas and we taped at the home of 
a dear friend of mine.  Such fun!



Constructed another improvisational quilt.
This one is called "Thoroughly Mondrian Millie"

The work continues on the outdoor kitchen....
March:
I traveled to Fort Smith, Arkansas, to teach a workshop and give a lecture
at the Bell Point Quilt Guild


April:
Finished constructing two large quilt tops and backs at the 
spring annual retreat of the San Antonio Modern Quilt Guild.  Yay!

 I made a two-sided hexi quilt out of my friend Melly Testa's new fabric 
line called "Meadowlark" by Windham.  Such gorgeous fabric!


I did a lot of Kantha-style stitching on sheers.  
Unfortunately, I lost this piece from my luggage in an airport.

May:
In May I flew to San Diego to take a workshop with Cas Holmes,
a mixed media artist from the UK.  She is the author of "The Found Object".
I am a great admirer of her work.
I left San Diego and flew up to Monterey, California, and met Tim.
He was a speaker at the eg. conference.

I got to meet Amy Tan!

Afterward we rented a convertible and meandered down Highway One.

I have taken this road trip numerous times but never with Tim.
It is one of my favorite places on earth.



...and the work continues
toward the end of May I traveled to the Crow Timberframe barn in Ohio to 
study with Carol Soderlund.  Two weeks of intensive dye study.  Great.


Carol is a gem.  A wonderful teacher and human.

Color Color Color!


Week 2 was all about neutrals.  

In early June I traveled to Fort Collins Colorado to tape a couple of episodes of
The Mixed Media Workshop with Julie Fei-Fan Balzer and Jenn Mason.

We had a blast!
June:

Mid-June brought a show opening in San Antonio that I was honored to be a part of.

The second half of the year is to follow!