Friday, December 12, 2014

Madonna and Child Window

madonna and child stained glass window by Marion Grisa
Madonna and Child stained glass window by Marion Grisa

One of the fantastic aspects of the internet for me is viewing many beautiful artworks, famous and not, that I would otherwise never be able to see.  A given concept, for example, "Madonna and Child", can be executed in thousands of ways.  An artist chooses the style, the lines, the colors and textures, the composition, the details, embellishments or simplifications, and the medium the work is created in - paint, sculpture, glass, fabric, etc.  These decisions are part of the joys of being an artist. 


madonna and child stained glass window by Marion Grisa
Madonna and Child stained glass window detail

My mother-in-law Marion Grisa created this glowing yet extremely simplified Madonna and Child stained glass window in the early 1980's.  The spare and simple lines she chose were part of her style at that time.  I am sure she carefully considered every line and placement, and I know she enjoyed picking out the textured glasses and colors, tiny trapped bubbles and all.

stained glass by Marion Grisa
Glass Detail
The resulting window she created is a cherished family heirloom that I display in my house every Christmas.  The window's dimensions are about 16 inches by 21.5 inches, and the glowing colors remind me of the reason for the season.

stained glass by Marion Grisa
Glass Detail

Marion Grisa (1925-1986) was a talented artist in many mediums, including stained glass.  She designed and made the stained glass windows for an entire  church, Heritage Presbyterian Church, in Muskego, Wisconsin.  She also created smaller windows, including this Madonna "Mother and Child" windowAnother of Marion's windows, an Angel, is shown here.

Searching "Madonna and child stained glass" on Google.com and clicking images is a fun search, as well as "Madonna and child"

Click on the images to see them enlarged.

If you enjoyed this post, you might also enjoy...

Heart Window
Heart Window
Angel Window
Angel Window
Madonna Window
Madonna Window
Window
Beveled Window
Stained Glass
Tree Pins
Chicago Xmas
Holly pins


















I am linking up to these parties:
Tatertots: Party Palooza (Entry 185 of 798.)
Funky Junk: Christmas (Entry 35 of 119)
Natasha in Oz: Say G'day Sat 117 (Entry 25 of 451.)
Be Diff: Show and Tell Sat (Entry 8 of 276.)
Pieced Pastimes.gr: Saturday Sparks 93 (Entry 57 of 171.)

Color in Colorado: Frugal Find 59 (Entry 42 of 43.)
Thoughts from Alice: Sun At Home 41 (Entry 6 of 70.)
Silver pennies: Silver Pennies Sun 99 (Entry 31 of 91.)
Its Overflowing: Count your Blessings (Entry 59 of 151.) 
Lakeshore Drive: Bouquet of Talent 119 (Entry 253 of 310.)
Jembellish: A Round Tuit 236 (Entry 8 of 288.) 
Uncommon designs: Monday Funday (Entry 19 of 388.)
Under the Table: Sunday Showcase 270 (Entry 75 of 254.)
Boogie Board: Masterpiece Mon 206 (Entry 6 of 65.)
BNOTP: Metamorphis Monday (Entry ~46 of 184.)
* Coastal Charm: Nifty Thrifty Tues 241 (Entry 41 of 193.)
Uncommon Slice: Inspire Me Monday 38 (Entry 6 of 321.)
* Stroll Life: Inspire Me Tues 247 (Entry 2 of 283.)
 

Cedarhill Ranch: The Scoop 149 (Entry 205 of 348.)
Homework: The Inspiration Board (Entry 16 of 164.)
Elizabeth.gr: Be Inspired 143 (Entry 30 of 111.) *
Dwellings: Amaze Me Mon 89 (Entry 127 of 134.)
Etcetorize.ca: Make it Mon (Entry 46 of 78.)
 Cozy little house: Tweak it Tue 120 (Entry 123 of 169.)

Thrift Store Addiction: Creating Christmas (Entry 25 of 28.)
Ms Moozy.com: Tue with a Twist 89 (Entry 20 of 120.)  
Upcycled Treasures: Makers link Party 47 (Entry 158 of 217.)  
Cupcakes and Crinoline: Project Inspired Party 97 (Entry 270 of 291.)
Diydreamer: Share inspiring Projects 148 (Entry 108 of 497.)
Bddesignblog.com: Outside the Box (Entry ~13 of 69.)
Green willow pond: Accomplished Wed 68 (Entry 1 of 73.)
Savvy Style: Wow Us Wed 200 (Entry 163 of 333.) *
Someday Crafts: Whatever goes Wed 252 (Entry 258 of 353.)

Gingersnap crafts:Wow me Wed 185 (Entry ? of 467.)
Girlish Whims: Whims Wednesday 193 (Entry 69 of 227.)
Ivy and Elephants: Whats it Wed 147 (Entry 28 of 168.)
My Salvaged Treasures: Vintage Inspiration (Entry 15 of 124.)

Snap: Show and Tell 146 (Entry 75 of 240.)
Family Home: Wow us Wed (Entry 76 of 155.)
Jan Olson: Share your Cup of Tea Thur 130 (Entry 31 of 150.)
Creative Princess: Its a Party 189 (Entry 20 of 90.)
I Gotta create: Wildly original (Entry 18 of 225.)
Charm of Home: Home Sweet Home 200 (Entry 8 of 98.)
French Country: Feather Nest Fri (Entry 39 of 270.)
Redoux Interiors: Handmade Hangout 28 (Entry 199 of 314.)
* Romantic Home: Show and Tell (Entry 92 of 246.)
Katherine: Thurs Favorite Things 169 (Entry 20 of 398.)
From my Porch: Treasure Hunt Thur 186 (Entry 17 of 131.)

Craftberry Bush: The Inspiration Gallery (Entry 131)
Chic: Flaunt it Friday 235 (Entry 22 of 48.)
Delightsome Life: Home and Garden Thurs (Entry 52 of 149.)
Someday Crafts: What Ever Goes Wed 250 (Entry 258 of 353.)
Christmas In The Country (Entry 102 of 102.)

Life as We Know It: Weekend party 115 (Entry 145 of 146.) 
Bloom Designs: Lovely Little Link Party (Entry 131 of 138.)


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Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Kaleidoscope Star Quilt

Today I am sharing a completed quilted wall hanging that I started in the 90's.  One that I actually finished this year - top piecing, quilting, and binding, all done!
Circle star foundation pieced quilt by Jeanne Selep
Foundation pieced circle quilt

Finishing a quilt is kind of a rare thing for me. 

I started the quilt top over 16 years ago, before at least two of my now high school aged children were born.  The quilt top was foundation pieced, based on a pattern from a foundation piecing workshop I took at a quilt show in Minnesota, but with a modified center.  I have no clue who the teacher was anymore.  (I took the workshop last century, ha ha...)   

foundation pieced quilt by Jeanne Selep
Detail of foundation pieced star quilt
I finished the top before the turn of the century, and it sat until last year when I quilted the top using a long arm quilting machine that I rented.  Then it sat until this year, when I actually put binding on it.  It now hangs in the family room above the PC. (Haha - I also completed that difficult step - hanging it!) 

Quilt foundation pieced by Jeanne Selep
Detail of fabrics and quilting on my foundation pieced star quilt
Although fabrics change over time, I feel the quilt doesn't look dated. (I realize that perhaps it doesn't look current, either...) But batiks are still popular, as well as star fabric, so maybe that helps. I also didn't use a "trendy" color scheme. I mixed batiks and non-batik fabric, pretty sophisticated for me.

I learned that binding a circle is a skill I don't quite have yet, so ignore the less then perfect edge shape.  


Recently I have been sharing a Kaleidoscope technique with photography that I have been playing with - with this quilt you can see I have been fascinated with Kaleidoscope like patterns for decades. 

Enjoy the upcoming Holiday season!  I hope that I can inspire you to finish an old project you may have from a long time ago...  even if the project might have to wait one year more until after the Holidays are over.  Have a great Thanksgiving, everyone!


Click on the images to see them enlarged. 


























I am linking up to these memes:
Nina Marie Sayre: Corona-quilt-along (Entry 25)

Connie at Freemotion: Linky Tuesday (Entry 54 of 62.)
Quilt story: Fabric Tuesday (Entry 42 of 53.) Blossomheart: Sew Cute Tue (Entry 35 of 43.) Colorful life: Really random Thur (Entry 7 of 7.)
Richard/Tanya quilts: Link a Finish Friday 145 (Entry 5 of 23.)
Mollisparkles: Sunday Stash-102 (Entry 10 of 10.)

Quilt Matters: Thank God its Finished Fri (Entry 35 of 43.)
Confessions Fabric: Whoop Whoop Fri (Entry 45 of 69.)
Stitched in Color: Celebrate Color (Entry 46.)
Sew can she: Sat Linky party (Entry)
Quilt Infatuation: Needle-and-thread Thur (Entry 55 of 71.) *


Lakeshore Drive: Bouquet of talent 117 (Entry 199 of 208.)
Stephanielynn: Sunday Showcase 268 (Entry 65 of 201.)
Uncommon designs: Monday Funday (Entry 27 of 349.)
Mod Vintage: Mod Mix Mon 175 (Entry 1 of 69.)
Boogie Board: Masterpiece Mon 204 (Entry 29 of 78.)
Silver pennies: Silver Pennies Sun 97 (Entry 71 of 75.)
Jembellish: A Round Tuit 234 (Entry 207 of 224.)    I was Featured!
* Coastal Charm: Nifty Thrifty Tues (Entry 75 of 163.)
Uncommon Slice: Tues Treasures 163 (Entry 71 of 281.)
* Stroll Life: Inspire Me Tues 195 (Entry 91 of 243.)
Confessions plate Addict: The Scoop 147 (Entry 109 of 319.)
Etcetorize.ca: Make it Mon (Entry 61 of 73.)
Girlish Whims: Whims Wednesday 190 (Entry 64 of 187.)
Ivy and Elephants: Whats it Wed 144 (Entry 22 of 141.)
My Salvaged Treasures: Vintage Inspiration (Entry 32 of 98.)
Snap: Show and Tell 142 (Entry 29 of 153.)
Family Home: Wow us Wed (Entry 16 of 38.)
Jan Olson: Share your Cup of Tea Thur 128 (Entry 38 of 91.)
Creative Princess: Its a Party 186 (Entry 18 of 64.)
I Gotta create: Wildly original (Entry 75 of 157.)
Charm of Home: Home Sweet Home 197 (Entry 28 of 91.)
French Country: Feather Nest Fri (Entry 53ish of 201.)
* Romantic Home: Show and Tell (Entry 84 of 244.)
Katherine: Thurs Favorite Things 167 (Entry 343 of 393.)
From my Porch: Treasure Hunt Thur 184 (Entry 119 of 149.)
Delightsome Life: Home and Garden Thurs (Entry 15 of 92.)
Someday Crafts: What Ever Goes Wed 250 (Entry 12 of 328.)
Savvy Style: Wow Us Wed 198 (Entry 99 of 303.) *
Green Willow Pond: What We Accomplished Wed 67 (Entry 42 of 65.)
Shabbynest: Frugal Fri (Entry 162.)
ihavetosay: Show-and-tell Tue (Entry 27 of 39.)

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Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Creating Kaleidoscopes Part 4

Kaleidoscope desktop background by Jeanne Selep
Kaleidoscope S1: Free desktop background

God is the ultimate creator, and God gifted humans with the ability to create.  So for me, creating is an exhilarating experience - when I create I feel closer to God.
 
Kaleidoscope free desktop background by Jeanne Selep
Kaleidoscope S2: Free desktop background
Creating allows me time to think about God's gifts - nature around us, and the ability to create that he gave to us humans.  Both gifts give me much joy.

Kaleidoscope desktop background by Jeanne Selep
Kaleidoscope S3: Free desktop background

Creating this set of kaleidoscopes was particularly rewarding because I finally like the resulting images almost more then the initial photo.

Kaleidoscope desktop background by Jeanne Selep
Kaleidoscope S4: Free desktop background
It's the fall season, a season associated with spooky and dark images, but I could title these kaleidoscopes "The Opposite of Goth".  The results have happy, bright colors.
('Goth' referring to those people who like to wear black with black fingernail polish, etc.)

Kaleidoscope photo art by Jeanne Selep
Kaleidoscope S5: Fall foliage with altered colors
The photo source for these kaleidoscopes was a photo of fall foliage.


Wisconsin Fall Foliage by Jeanne Selep
Wisconsin fall foliage, October 2013
The fall foliage can be in crisp focus and yet the individual leaves start to blend into each other...


Fall foliage free desktop background by Jeanne Selep
Fall foliage: Free desktop background

... acting like dabs of paints that become an impressionistic (or pointillism?) fantasy in the kaleidoscopes.

Kaleidoscope desktop background by Jeanne Selep
Kaleidoscope S6: Fall foliage with altered colors
In the kaleidoscope images it is a struggle to find the leaves from the source image.

Kaleidoscope free desktop background by Jeanne Selep
Kaleidoscope S7: Fall foliage
Even the colors from the source image change as they become isolated in different patterns.

Kaleidoscope  free desktop background by Jeanne Selep
Kaleidoscope S8: Fall foliage

I'm hoping you enjoy this latest batch of inspired creations.  I'd love to hear your thoughts if you have the time.


Click on the images to see them enlarged. (Yes, you can see these images even larger!)  The best way to see the images in their largest format is to (on a windows system) right click on the image and select "open in new tab" from the option box that opens. This bypasses software that limits the size of the image opened.  On the newly opened image, click on the image again to see it  zoomed maximum.


If you enjoyed this post you might also like:

Kaleidoscope Part 6
Kaleidoscope Part 5
Kaleidoscope Part 4
Kaleidoscope Part 3
Kaleidoscope Part 2
Kaleidoscope Part 1
Peacock Kaleidoscope
Mosaic Window




















I am linking to these parties:
Family Home: Wow us Wed (Entry 1 of 68.) 
Someday Crafts: Whatever Goes Wed 243 (Entry 4 of 335.)
Our World: Our World Tuesday (Entry 66 of 138.)
Travel Photo: Travel Photo Mondays (Entry 24 of 29.) 
Mandarin Orange: Mandarin Orange Mon 113 (Entry 29 of 29.)
Creative Everyday: Creative Everyday (Entry 24 of 45.)
Youll Shoot Your Eye Out: Youll Shoot Your Eye Out (Entry 22 of 26.)
Nfmemes: NF Inspiring Photography 109 (Entry 24 of 24.)
Image-in-ing: Image-in-ing (Entry 120 of 131.)
Kent Weakley: Sweet Shot Tue 41 (Entry 40 of 48.)
Mon Mellow Yellows: Mon Mellow Yellows (Entry 33 of 33.)
Good North Coast: Reconnect with Nature (Entry 5 of 8.)
Gotta Create: Wildly Original 125 (Entry 81 of 158.)
Creative Princess: Party 179 (Entry 1 of 113.)
Katherine: Thurs Favorite Things 160 (Entry 70 of 380.)
Jan Olson: Share your Cup of Tea Thur 121 (Entry 29 of 139.)
A Delight: Home and Garden Thur (Entry 6 of 169.)
Ivy and Elephants: Whats it Wed 137 (Entry 133 of 186.)
From my Porch: Treasure Hunt Thur 176 (Entry 36 of 119.)
Charm of Home: Home Sweet Home 190 (Entry 7 of 157.) *
Romantic Home: Show and Tell (Entry 35 of 193.) *
Chic: Flaunt it Friday 225 (Entry 12 of 185.)
Boogie Board: Masterpiece Mon 195 (Entry 10 of 108.)
Under the Table: Sunday Showcase 263 (Entry 48 of 204.) 
Uncommon Design: Monday Funday (Entry 105 of 524.) 
Mod Vintage: Mod Mix Mon 171 (Entry 8 of 78.) 
BNOTP: Metamorphis Monday (Entry x of 143.) *
Coastal Charm: Nifty Thrifty Tues 232 (Entry 61 of 181.)
* Stroll Life: Inspire Me Tues 238 (Entry 129 of 309.)
Uncommon Slice: Inspire Me Monday  (Entry 123 of 259.) 
Its Overflowing: Count your Blessings (Entry 107 of 112.)
Cedarhill Ranch: The Scoop 140 (Entry 168 of 335.)
My Salvaged Treasures: Vintage Inspiration (Entry 23 of 105.) 
Rambling Woods: Nature Notes (Entry 6 of 30.) 
Carolyn: The Inspiration Board (Entry 141 of 201.)
Elizabeth: Be Inspired 138 (Entry 76 of 128.) *

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