The Clever Turtle

2011-10-26T19:56:00.001-07:00

Here is my newest class: Machine Quilting Techniques. Check out my teaching schedule for Winter/Spring 2012 on my website: http://www.darcyberg.com

I hope to see you soon!

2011-10-12T14:05:00.000-07:00

Here is my current show. Hope to see you there!

It Was a Great Party!

2011-09-03T13:53:00.000-07:00

Fun was had by all, especially me! Thanks to all my friends, old and new, for coming to see me! You are great support to me.

Art in the Boonies

2011-08-26T18:07:00.000-07:00

Hello,

I will be one of the featured artists in the Art Cube Studios: Art in the Boonies. My opening will be Friday, September 2, 2011, from 6:00 to 9:00. Stop by and have some thing to eat and drink. I'm not quite sure where I will be located but the following information will assist you to find me. If you can't make it the opening, I will be there every Friday night through September.

"Art Cube Studios is hosting Plainfield’s new “Art in the Boonies Art-walk.”

Through the generosity of local building owners whom have agreed to allow us

to occupy their vacant spaces, we plan to host a series of Pop-up Galleries in

the downtown Plainfield area. It’s “First Fridays” time! Every First Friday of

each month will reveal new shows in each space. Artist receptions will be

held on First Fridays from 6-9pm. Galleries will be open for the art-walk

every Friday throughout the summer. There will be maps and descriptions of

each gallery throughout the spaces and at Art Cube Studios."

See you there!

Darcy Berg

Landscape Design,

Photography and

Fiber Art

Website: http://www.darcyberg.com/

Landscape Blog: http://darcyberglandscape.wordpress.com/

Art Blog: http://cleverturtle.blogspot.com/

Gallery 7 Workshops in September

2011-08-24T20:18:00.000-07:00

Come and see Marian and I this September. We promise you'll have a blast.

August Workshops at Gallery 7

2011-07-11T15:55:00.000-07:00

More cool art is going on at Gallery 7 in August. See you there!

Little Wren, Big Noise

2011-06-29T16:34:00.000-07:00

We have a house wren (maybe two) that has taken residence at our residence. She unbelievably loud! And she is not afraid to let everyone know that its 5:30 a.m.

I decided I had to get a few shots of her. I set my camera on the tripod, attached the remote shutter release and left the garden to wait for her from inside the house. She didn't like the camera and the noise it was making at all. Wren's are extremely territorial. Here's a shot of her dive bombing my camera. Too funny! I'm glad she didn't leave any artifacts behind.

She finally got used to the camera's clicking noise. She relaxed and I was able to get a few shots in. Not the best perspective of her but unfortunately for me I don't think she's going anywhere soon. I'll have plenty of chances to get more shots of her.

Nikon D80, f/5/3, 1/400sec., ISO-100, 315mm

Announcing the July Gallery 7 Workshops

2011-06-11T09:29:00.000-07:00

July is going to be hot! Come into a cool place (pun intended) and learn how to put together your own piece of art.

See you there!

June Workshops at Gallery 7

2011-05-17T08:38:00.000-07:00

May Workshops at Gallery 7

2011-04-26T20:32:00.000-07:00

Merge & Flow Bee Accepted into SDA Show

2011-03-30T08:06:00.000-07:00

Merge & Flow Bee has been accepted into the Surface Design Association's Conference Show: Merge and Flow. The conference takes place in Minneapolis, June 9 - 12, 2011. Here's the link: http://www.surfacedesign.org/

April Workshops at Gallery 7

2011-03-14T20:58:00.000-07:00

What: Gelatin Printing

Where: Gallery 7

When: April 6, 2012, 6:30 to 8:30, or

April 9, 2012, 6:30 to 8:30

Ages: 10 to 110

Description: Bring the kids! Learn to print fabric or paper with acrylic paint on plate made of gelatin. Yes! Just like the kind you eat but it has no flavoring or color. In this fun two hour workshop you will learn how to make the gelatin plate and how to print on it. Each student will be given a gelatin plate, fabric and paint. This workshop includes supplies. This workshop is scheduled at two different times. Each workshop is limited to 15 students.

Contact me at darcy@darcyberg.com or call at 815-355-1458. Workshop fee is $45.00.

What: Egg Dying Naturally

Where: Gallery 7

When: April 21, 2011, 6:00 to 8:00

Ages: 7 to 107

Description: This one is going to be fun! Using dyes prepared from beets, red cabbage, turmeric and other natural materials, create the most beautiful Easter eggs ever! Inventive decorating techniques will also be explored. Bring one dozen hard boiled eggs in their carton. All other materials will be supplied. Limited to 15 students.

Contact me at darcy@darcyberg.com or call at 815-355-1458. Workshop fee is $40.00.

See you at Gallery 7! For more workshops and information go to http://www.darcyberg.com

Birds in Flight Migrate West

2011-03-08T14:17:00.000-08:00

Birds In Flight #1

My friend Margie Trembley has a gallery in Springfield Nebraska. She is exhibiting one of my pieces and several of friends of mine; Frieda Anderson, Sharon Malec and Anne Lullie. Here's the link to her gallery: http://www.springfieldartworks.com/LatestNews.html

Open Lens II, A Juried Show, Now Accepting Submissions

2011-02-04T18:08:00.000-08:00

To View Prospectus and Entry Forms online: http://www.hankphoto.com/workshops
To request prospectus and forms, email: hankphoto@sbcglobal.net

January & February Workshops at Gallery 7

2010-12-27T08:02:00.000-08:00

Introducing Lines and Arcs

2010-11-15T20:54:00.000-08:00

Lines and Arcs will be part of the Group Show at Gallery 7 for the Holiday Open House on November 28, 2010, from 1:00 to 4:00. Refreshments and live music are all a part of the fun. Here's the link: http://www.galleryseven.net/

Lines and Arcs is 30" x 40" and is made of my own hand dyed and painted fabrics as well as some commercially purchased batiks. Below is a close up on the quilting on cotton velveteen and cotton broadcloth, hand painted by me. Cotton velveteen...YUM!

Also, new, just for the holidays, will be a line of crocheted ear flap hats. Check it out! Here's just one.

I hope to see you all at the Holiday Open House!

That reminds me. I better do something with those snow dyed fabrics I made last winter.

A Visit with Linda MacDonald

2010-11-10T16:00:00.000-08:00

On a recent trip to California, I had the great opportunity to meet Linda MacDonald. I was in the area where her studio is located. My husband was attending a conference south of San Fransisco and I was tagging along. Looking through a magazine of the area I saw a feature article on Linda. Wow! I couldn't believe it. I got in touch with her and asked her if we could come by and visit for awhile. She was gracious enough to give us the nod to come on over.

I have long admired Linda's quilts and the environmental situations that she depicts through them. Even though today she is no longer concentrating her amazing talent toward quilts she continues with oil paintings.

Linda not only gave us a tour of her studio but a detailed explanation of the process that she follows as she produces her art work. I got to see some beautifully painted pieces that depicted the fate of mountain lions, frogs and the forests being destroyed in her home state.

It was great to meet her. I will continue to follow her through her newsletters and I encourage you to do the same. I purchased a giclee' from her and off my husband and I went to eat dinner.

Thanks, Linda!

Fabric Painting Workshops and Gallery 7 Holiday Open House

2010-10-31T10:45:00.000-07:00

Snow...What...Dying? What's that?

2010-02-22T09:23:00.000-08:00

Last Thursday I decided to try snow dying. It was probably the last chance I was going to have for the season. At first I was critical of my results but as I continued to look a the fabrics, I decided I really liked them.

I soda soaked 6 yards of fabric. Almost all of it was TestFabric's Mercerized Cotton. One piece is cotton velveteen that I got from JoAnn's. Put them on a racks and put them outside to freeze. After an hour brought them into the dye studio and placed them on top of the laundry sink. I have a large old double laundry sink. Packed on 4" to 5" of snow. Then squirted on dye. Since this was my first experiment I was not overly concerned about the dyes migrating to the fabric next to it. I just wanted to make sure it worked before I started to get overly detailed. The dyes I used were New Black, Fuchsia, Lemon Yellow, Turquoise, Blue Gray and Bronze.

Take a look at my pics below and leave a comment! Stay tuned to find out what they get used as.

New Black whole piece.

New Black detail.

New Black that was next to Fuchsia and Turquoise detail.

Cotton velveteen dyed with fuchsia and turquoise whole piece. The turquoise didn't appear to strike very well but its there.

Cotton velveteen dyed with fuchsia and turquoise detail. Picked up a little yellow. Interesting.

Fuchsia, Lemon Yellow and Turquoise (I think) whole piece. I didn't keep copious notes this time. Also, couldn't really tell where the fabric was once snow was on it. I'll correct that.

Fuchsia and Lemon Yellow whole piece.

Fuchsia and Lemon Yellow detail.

Regina Benson

2010-01-28T09:34:00.000-08:00

On January 16th I and two friends traveled to Beloit, Wisconsin to hear Regina Benson lecture about her art. Regina inadvertently started her lecture early as we all crowded around her and asked her questions about her art cloth and her techniques. I found Regina to be a genuinely engaging person. She was very forthcoming about all her techniques.

But, mind you, her work processes is not for the weak at heart. They are bold and fantastic. Supported by detailed research into chemistry and the industrial arts. The chemistry supports her art cloth. The industrial art, literally, supports the subsequent art pieces as they hang away from the wall.

I encourage you to take a trip to the Wright Museum at Beloit College to see her work. It will be on exhibit until March 26, 2010. www.beloit.edu/wright/exhibitions.php

If you miss Regina this time, check out her website to see if she will be in your neighborhood in the near future. You won't want to miss her. http://www.reginabenson.com/

Happy New Year!

2009-12-31T11:01:00.000-08:00

Courage doesn't always roar.

Sometimes courage is the quiet voice

at the end of the day saying,

"I will try again tomorrow.”

Mary Anne Radmacher

"Not Quite" wins Honorable Mention in Vicinity Show

2009-10-09T09:34:00.000-07:00

"Not Quite" was entered into the "Vicinity" Show in St. Charles, IL. It was honored with the prize of Honorable Mention. This is the piece in a series that studies originality, composition, and presentation. "Not Quite" is a the first publicly shown piece with a new presentation process.

This is an example of the piece submitted however this piece is only 3" x 5" and is attached to a canvas wrapped frame painted black. The fabric is a black cotton, discharged, and a surface design application of painted fusible web has been added. It has been stitched together and quilted.

Above is the announcement for the show. I hope to see some of you there!

Flyer for Political Quilts

2009-10-07T16:45:00.000-07:00

At last the PAQA group exhibit has found a place to be shown in the Chicago area. For those of you who don't know, my quilt is the one that looks like Barack Obama. This will be the second public showing for this quilt. It was first shown when it traveled to Houston and was exhibited at the International Quilt Festival. Hope to see some of you at the reception!

2009-09-14T18:10:00.000-07:00

So I got up this morning a little earlier than usual and headed down to the pond to the north of my house. It was a pleasant morning with me as breakfast for the mosquitoes. It was still a great morning to be in the sun and seeing some local wildlife. This first pic is not the best but I thought it was funny. The bigger turtle is trying to get the smaller turtle off her rock. It looks like she's yelling at him. Could she possibly be the Clever Turtle? Hmmmm... something to think about. There were some robins going crazy over the fruit from a river grape. I think they made an interesting picture.

Next to them a Flicker flew in.

And to my right a cute little downy woodpecker was trying to get the bugs out of the cottonwood tree. He's looking right at me in the first picture.

Across the pond two deer walked by. They really are beautiful creatures.

There was also a black crowned night heron and a great white egret but they were too far away for me to get a good image.

The Amazing Flying PeeWee

2009-08-27T18:13:00.000-07:00

Hello!

My name is PeeWee. I'm a baby grey squirrel.

I found this giant foot that was attached to a giant on Wednesday night. I was just minding my own business, tucked safely in my nest when an intruder squirrel ripped my nest apart and threw me and my sister out of the tree. We fell down 35 feet the to ground. That's when I ran up to this shoe attached to this giant. My sister went into the garden and ran away. I don't know where she went.

Then this giant, who's name is Bill, picked me up took me into this big cage he called the "screen tent". He kept asking me what my name was and if I was all right. I kept telling him my name was PeeWee but I guess I wasn't saying it loud enough because he kept asking me. Then he got this rectangle and started talking into it. He said, "Hi Darcy, I caught a squirrel!".

Then he got some pieces of cloth and wrapped me in them. I was so scared. I was shaking really badly because I was cold and really missed my mommy. The Bill giant then put me on the floor of the screen tent cage and I burrowed down into the pieces of cloth.

The Darcy giant came into the tent. She asked the Bill giant what he was going to do with me. I liked the Bill and Darcy giants. He said he didn't know. It was dark by this time and they were shining bright objects into my eyes trying to look at me. The Darcy giant told the Bill giant to put me in another kind of cage called a "carrier". He put some more pieces of cloth in the carrier cage and put me in it. The Darcy giant made me some peanut butter crackers but the Bill giant said that I needed Pedilite and puppy milk replacement formula. He said he read it on the computer. So the Bill giant took away the peanut butter and gave me some water and lettuce. They put me in the a bigger cage called a "garage" and turned the light off. They went to look for my sister. They looked all over but never found her.

I was so tired from being scared and cold and lonely for my mommy that I went right to sleep.

The next morning I was already to go. I was yelling for someone to come and feed me. I didn't know where my new mommy, Bill the giant, was. I need food and I needed it now. I didn't like this carrier cage either. I was climbing all over it. The Darcy giant told the Bill giant to put me in the yard in the carrier cage and maybe my old mommy would come and get me.

I was yelling up a storm. I wanted food and I wanted it now! All of a sudden there was my old mommy jumping all over the carrier cage. She was telling me to come out. But I couldn't get out because I didn't know how to open the door. The Bill giant came and opened the door. He started to run away.

"Hey, come back here! Your my new mommy and I'm hungry!" I ran after the Bill giant. The Darcy giant told the Bill giant to get into the garage and close the door. I didn't know what to do. I was looking all over. Where was I supposed to go? Then I looked back and saw my old mommy by my carrier cage. I ran up to her and she gave me a big hug. I was so glad to see her again. She put me in her mouth and brought me all the way back up to my old home up in the tree. Then she went to look for my sister.

I'm glad I'm at home with my real mommy. She feeds me better things then lettuce. Yuk! I watch the Bill and Darcy giants down below and say "Hi!" to them all the time. I don't think they can hear me. When I get older I will go down and visit with them again.