Amena's Upcoming Exhibit at Urban Roots May 2015

Amena Butler -2015

A Mixed Media Artist based in Oklahoma City. She grew up in Far-East Asia and that is where her art education began. As a military child, education in the arts through an exchange program was Amena’s introduction to Traditional Japanese Printmaking and Calligraphy along with other Asian arts & crafts.

 “It was an absolute blessing that I grew up in Asia immersed in a different culture. I was allowed to try many different art mediums and was encouraged by my teachers to continue my studies. I was never treated like an outsider, which made me always excited to learn new techniques. That continues for me today, I enjoy working with different mediums and techniques to capture a feeling, a visual language, in my art work”.

Amena graduated from the University of Central Oklahoma with a Museum Studies degree. “Art tells the history of a people, the story of a civilization, and is essential to improving the quality of life. Art also communicates the personal emotions of an individual artist”. 

Emphasis on a Colour Environment

“Color is the language of the listening eye”. Paul Gauguin

The chosen pieces for this show, are all about enhancing ones mood in a chosen walled environment. Color can change everything. Color can increase or decrease someones appetite, increase endorphin levels, decrease depression, color in your environment can transport you to a place of serenity.  Color has an impact on our sense of well-being, which is instantly recognized by our subconscious.

Do you remember your crayons, do you recall the colors, and didn't the colors just make you happy!

Stress Test

Generally, how are your sleeping habits?

1. I do not sleep well.
2. I am sleeping okay.
3. I sleep very well.

How do you feel when you wake up?

1. I am usually still tired.
2. l feel okay.
3. I wake up energized.

Are you experiencing weight gains or fluctuations?

1. I am gaining weight, especially around my belly.
2. My weight is consistent, though higher than I’d like.
3. I am at, or steadily working toward, a healthy weight.

How often do you get sick? 

1. All the time!
2. I fall ill a few times a year.
3. I am rarely sick.

Do you experience food cravings?

1. I often give in to cravings for junk foods.
2. My cravings for unhealthy foods are balanced.
3. I satisfy my body’s cravings with healthy foods.

How often do you experience backaches and headaches?

1. I often suffer from them.
2. I get an occasional headache or backache.
3. I rarely have a headache or backache.

How is your sex drive?

1. It is very low or nonexistent.
2. It is okay, but could be better.
3. I am satisfied with my sex drive.


How often does your gut act up?

1. My gut often troubles me.
2. I sometimes experience digestive upsets.
3. I have a healthy digestive system that doesn’t act up.


How are your levels of anxiety?

1. I often feel anxious.
2. I occasionally feel anxious.
3. I am content and rarely anxious.


How would you describe your general moods?

1. I feel blue pretty often.
2. I am doing okay.
3. I generally feel happy.

Each answer is worth the number of points to its left. Tally up your points, and gauge your stress level on the following scale:
26–30 points: You are doing pretty well and experience low levels of stress.
20–25 points: You are dealing with a moderate amount of stress.
10–19 points: You are suffering from a high buildup of stress.

How to Make a Scarf Souvenir

article by Quilting Daily

Fabric Painting on the Go!

When I look at on Instagram, I can tell at a glance the photos posted by fiber artists: they almost always convey texture or pattern. Not just photos of fabric or fibers, but fences, grates, cracks in the sidewalk, and so on. When a fiber artist goes to Paris, she's just as likely to take a picture of an unusual subway tile pattern as the Eiffel Tower.

'Paint' on fabric with Paintstik rubbings to create a memorable travel scarf like this one by Lois Jarvis.

Photos and sketchbooks can help you keep track of textures and patterns when you travel. But you can also collect these souvenirs in a more tactile way--by painting on fabric.

You might think fabric painting and traveling don't mix. But if you use an oil paint stick, it can work. Oil sticks, such as Shiva Paintstiks, are solid paint in stick form. A seal forms over the exposed part of the stick when not in use; you have to remove this skin before painting or writing on fabric. The paint is set and washable after 24 hours.

Paint sticks pick up relief patterns well. You can easily make rubbings by placing fabric over a texture and running the stick over the top.

Lois Jarvis showed how she created a silk travel scarf with paint stick rubbings, in a past issue of Quilting Arts Gifts. The scarf became an artful memento of her excursion.

Here are some of Lois's tips for making successful rubbings:

• Raised letters and textures work better than carved ones.
• Leaves, especially exotic native ones, make good rubbings.
• Keep scale and rhythm in mind while designing your scarf on the go.
• Start on the ends; when you wear the scarf no one will see what is gathered up behind your 
• neck.
• Concrete makes an interesting fill-in texture.
• Keep all the rubbings on one side of the scarf.
What a conversation piece you can make!

You can make this scarf or any of eight others with our Make Your Own Fashionable Fiber Art Scarves Collection. Each kit includes two habotai silk scarves, a set of Paintstiks, a set of Dyn-a-flow paints, and our eBook Fiber Art Scarves with tutorials on making scarves with fabric painting ideas, fabric dyeing techniques, patchwork, beading, and more.

Scarves of all shapes and styles are hot right now, so be sure to get your Fashionable Fiber Art Scarves Collection and start making your own artful scarves.

Editor, Quilting Daily