Tree of Life: Summer

Tree of Life: Summer  ©2010  Diane Evans  6" x 4"

I’ve decided that I probably didn’t spend enough time in kindergarten, because I’m enjoying my explorations with paints and inks so much lately.  I have NEVER believed that I had much artistic ability; this notion was firmly reinforced by my third grade teacher, Miss K., who, I am certain, was at least 7 feet tall (although I never measured her) and never smiled.  She told us one day to paint a picture of what we had observed on a recent field trip; since I had seen a field of cattails for the first time, I was excited to begin my drawing. 
 I painted three, really large cattails that covered most of my piece of paper and proudly showed them to her when she came by my desk. She looked at them and said, with a frown on her face,  “Oh, no, dear – that’s not what I wanted – you should have done something more like THIS,” and she pointed to Ronnie’s little masterpiece on the desk next to mine.  It was forty years before I touched a paintbrush again – seriously.

So now, thanks to the inspiration of so many of you, I’ve been encouraged to try again, and I’m having the time of my life. Here’s one of my latest experiments -- this design was printed from my photocopier onto pre-treated fabric; following a suggestion from quilt artist Jill Buckley, I coated it with Aloe Vera gel to make the surface smoother.  I then colored it in with Tsukineko ink pens and quilted it with Sulky rayon thread, adding French knots for a little texture.

What fun!  I even stayed inside the lines.  If only Miss K. could see how far I’ve come . . .

Diane