ART CLASSES!!

I will be offering art classes starting mid-May.  I'm excited about this new step!  I have wanted to get back to teaching art for quite some time, and I'm finally ready.  Schedules will be coming out in the next few days, and will be on this blog at the right under "Art Classes".  Stay tuned!  There will be ongoing classes as well as special art nights and camps.  I am committed to a high standard of quality.  Kids of all ages welcome.  Teen and adult classes offered as well!

Please email me to be on the mailing list!  I will only send out a few updates a month, so no need to worry about being concerned about tons of emails!  studioscumble@gmail.com

Paddle boarding on Lake Texoma, Batik Appliqué Lap Quilt, 50"x70"

My awesome sketch.

So, yes, I'm an artist.  As is CLEARLY evidenced by the sketch to your left.  But hey, that's how it goes sometimes.  I knew in my head exactly what I wanted it to look like when I got the request for this new quilt.  I'm so used to tropical California-inspired quilts, that even though this was still about paddle boarding and sunshine and water, I knew this one had to a little different.  And I'm from Texas, so I knew exactly what those differences should be.  In fact, I've been on this lake many times and spent 17 years of my life just a few miles from Lake Texoma.


I still used my favorite medium for quilts--Indonesian batiks.  Full of life and color and amazing patterns, they make a beautiful composition.  I started with the colors of the sunset sky and the water. Which brought me to my first difference from my tropical quilts.  The water is more green and darker in nature than the vibrant turquoise blues I would have normally used.  Not that California is turquoise....but it does scream tropical.



The next big difference was the trees.  I'm always using palm trees of some kind.  But these had to be Texas trees  I went for the larger, fuller Texas Oak and/or Pecan tree look.  I still used beaches, because the lake does have sandy beaches.  Well....sand may be a strong word.  Not exactly white sandy beaches, but not full on dirt either.  Somewhere in between.  So I went with a tan color for the island part.  I found some beautiful batiks for the trunk and leafy parts of the trees and built some lush green Texas-style trees on either side of the sunset.  Love the beautiful fabrics!

The next thing I did was draw the pattern for the paddle boarder on freezer paper.  If you don't use the freezer paper method with appliqué quilts, you are missing out!  I drew her paddle boarding across the lake in the sunset.  I will cut her apart and use the pieces to cut out the fabric and iron all the edges under cleanly.  The next big difference will be the fish.  No tropical fish here.  I have plans for a nice handsome catfish, a striper, some bass...some fun things you would find out there.  A little lake grass, but no crazy dangerous underbrush as is typical there...trying to stay authentic without getting too historically accurate!  Don't think that would make for a nice quilt... :)  Stay tuned!  Hoping to finish in the next week or so, so keep watching to see the progress.  I also post daily shots on my Instagram account @studioscumble.  Come follow me for this and other quilt and textile art!

In the last year, I have switched gears in my artwork to focusing on quilts and textiles.  Currently I'm using mostly Indonesian batiks as my foundation fabric.  I have acquired studio space in Studio 19 (commonly known as the glassblowing studio) in the Spanish Arts Village in Balboa Park. I have found a nice little home here and it has become a wonderful place to work and meet people from all over the world.  I get to work on my latest textile design as well as discuss art and new resources and ideas with fellow artists in the village as well as people living in and also visiting San Diego from across the globe.  I am loving it!  I have decided to get my blog going again so I can introduce you to my new work, give tutorials, show process work and express my thoughts and vision through my art. There are lots of ways you can keep up with what's going on with me and with the other artists in Studio 19 and in the Village.  The easiest way, beyond following my blog, is to follow me on Instagram @studioscumble.  I post almost daily with new projects so that's always fun to see what new thing I'm creating and the challenges that arise.  You can also contact me at studioscumble@gmail.com or through this blog!  Comments welcome!

This photo is of my boys surfboard quilt...the one that started it all!  It's made of Indonesian batiks and Hawaiian prints and was the first design I made.  After that, orders started coming in, and the wheels started turning with more ideas....  I will be adding more photos soon or other quilts, so stay tuned!  You can also buy my quilts at www.etsy.com/shop/studioscumble

Love One Another

Love One Another.  A beautiful commandment and great words to live by.  It all comes down to this, and it makes for functional art. A bold, colorful reminder of how we should live every day.  The colors make it work for a child's room or the living room.  Vibrant liquid watercolor and a slightly textured paper.  Put it in a great frame and give it as a gift to any loved one.



Contact me at studioscumble@gmail.com for requests, commissions or comments.

Drink the Wild Air

Living in a beach community, I finally understand all these great ocean-related quotes.  There is something about it that you don't fully comprehend until you've stood on the shore and smelled the air and looked at this vast thing that is so much bigger than you are.  You feel large and small at the same time.  But mostly you feel a sense of life and a desire for freedom and dreamchasing and warm sunshine.  This loose watercolor with the Emerson quote captures it all.


Contact me at studioscumble@gmail.com for requests, commissions or comments.

This was a free giveaway I just did.  Lots of comments on this one.  Another great gift for Valentine's or birthdays or any occasion.  It can be a romantic gift or just one of friendship.  Original, bold and beautiful.  This one was an 8"x10" but I can create any size for that special gift.  The photos don't do justice to the quality of the color of my paintings.  I use a high end liquid watercolor that reads more like ink.  My favorite medium so far.

Contact me at studioscumble@gmail.com for requests, commissions or comments.

Simple and bold.  I love liquid watercolor.  Four hearts in a graphic style combined with the loose feel of watercolor and a beautiful quote about friendship.  It makes a great gift for that true friend, and a great focal point for any room.  Commissions welcome!  I can make your own version of this any size you want for a birthday, Valentines or any occasion gift.  Unique and original.  No chance they will have anything like it. 

Los Angeles Temple

I wanted to play with a pop art look for the Los Angeles temple, to incorporate a little of the LA feel.  I love color, as a scenic artist, and I love adding it to images that may not naturally have it.  I think it adds a little bit of a story--it tells about how you feel about a place than just reproducing what it looks like.  The bold colors and graphic squares suggest there is more to it than a large white building may show.  And of course, a great quote from Psalms captures how it feels to be inside.

Contact me for commissions, requests or comments.  studioscumble@gmail.com

San Diego Temple

I love having faith-based paintings in my home, but often it is the same style, over and over again.  I wanted something that was modern and artsy looking.  I was inspired to create this painting when I saw a photo of this angle of the San Diego Temple.  It says so much, but in a simple way.  You don't need to see a realistic picture of the entire temple for it to mean something.  It's still a favorite of mine.  I am working on prints of these, but for now, a 10"x10" original is $195 and a $15"x15" is $300.




Contact me at studioscumble@gmail.com for questions, requests or comments.