August 29th, 2010
Arrived Kalamazoo yesterday evening after a very long day in the airand airports. This is a pleasant moning. The sky is soft and hazy. The hotel is fairly quiet although the remaining guests from two weddings are stumbling about. Attendees for Fabrications will begin trickling in soon and the mood should get lively.
Lynn and Kate are hanging the Blurred Boundaries show. The work looks good. There’s a lot of emphasis on surface and texture. The aesthetic is consistent across the selected works, making a cohesive exhibit. There are so many ways to jury a show. I wish I’d seen all the entries for this one. mystery. If photos are allowed, I will take some of the installation.
With a few hours to myself the plan is to relax, to get organized for the workshops that begin tomorrow and perhaps do some writing.
I’d hoped to do some computer work but either the telecom system here has firewalls that are in my way or my little laptop’s OS is obsolete. It is nice to have quiet time and a few hours with no obligations!
this little piece was made in 2004, I think. It would be nice to see it again, somewhere.
***
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August 27th, 2010
bags packed – check
cat food replenished – check
find items that went missing Wednesday = found one (right where I put it of course), the other may be in my class bag. End of month business issues – check unless something has slippeded my mind, always possible.
Packing the class bag was exciting. The work in process pleases me and all the odd bit are going to be fun to work with. It should at eat make a ood jumping off point for the studio discussion/
see you in Michigan!
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August 24th, 2010
Tuesday. There’s still a lot of packing to do for the upcoming workshops but most of the organizing is done. I still have a couple of days to focus. My time has been given to the studio, finishing up some things, preparing work to ship, making treats for the participants at Fabrications and Textile Evolution.
Another in the “Little Rooms” series has sold and will ship tomorrow. That work seems to resonate with people.
“little rooms: talking to myself”
“little rooms: telling stories”
The series began as a way of processing a difficult time but transformed into somethings else. I thought it would be used up by now but more pieces keep coming along. Even the newest studio work (the “mapping memory” mixed media pieces) is closely related to the little rooms. Everything flows.
in the garden:
The black hollyhocks finally bloomed! I want more more more, with white and the palest pink variations all mixed in the beds, set off by those wonderful deep reds that have done so well this year… it’s time for planning and keeping track again. hollly hocks are such an old fashioned flower. They remind me of my grandmother’s gardens.
Four O’Clocks are blooming in pots and along the foundation in the front. These are wonderful color as the light changes . With our shade patterns these days, they bloom most of the day.
Later this fall, if time permits , I can plot out color for next year, actually design what I want to see and when. 20 years ago, when I began gardening in this space, I did exactly that but life changes, gets busy. Many Springs and Autumns have seen me away from home and garden. Things go wild, volunteers take over, plants live out their cycles and the mini climates change over a decade or so. This year will be a good opportunity to catch up – assuming the weather holds and I don’t get obsessed by the studio work.
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August 22nd, 2010
for Debi
It’s going to be a busy week: packing for back to back Retreats (Fabrications, then Textile Evolution), trying to leave the house and gardens in order, taking care of all the end of month/ beginning of month stuff and more. The studio work is making sense to me again, just in time to leave it <G>. In years past, I’d leave something in process on the wall for an easy re-entry on my return. This time, I am taking the work with me. We’ll see how that goes.
At Textile Evolution, we’ll be focusing on creating surfaces with mixed media. This new work excites me to the point I wonder if I am headed back to where I began: painting, drawing, collage and what role the stitch will play in any of it.
The pull toward tall folding screens was the impetus behind exploring these transparent surfaces. I have yet to actually begin building the screens but the cottonwood roots for the uprights are waiting.
This Fall, after the teaching trips are done, there will be time and room to dedicate to exploring those ideas. Meanwhile, play, explore, learn and play some more is being a good mode for the studio time.
a detail from “mapping memory, B” (in process), one of the 32″ x 20″ panels shown earlier. Media: packing paper, painted silk organza, rice paper, tea bag paper and cotton on exposed cotton batt, mounted on Peltex.
Here’s a newly finished “little rooms” piece titled, “Telling Stories”. The decision remains whether or not to mount it on painted stretched canvas. Its’ a small piece and the presentation matters. We’ll see what happens tonight.
The air is filled with smoke and ash from a wildfire burning 50 miles out of town. It began yesterday afternoon and is uncontained. Fire season started late this year. Otherwise, it is a glorious Summer weekend, if hot and dry. Perfect beach weather. Alas, there’s no ocean in easy driving distance.
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August 19th, 2010
Here are two of the three “landscape” pieces that were in process for so long. An echo of earlier approaches to the surface.
home again
the name of the moon
They are each 26″h x 33″w (so is the third one, the names of the river).
It feels odd to be going back and forth between this approach and the newer work which is so heavily mixed media and much less reliant on stitch. We’ll see how it all comes together eventually, eh?
** Some new small things can be seen in gallery four and in the etsy shop (where there is a special offer).
thanks for visiting! hope to see you in Michigan or Colorado in the next few weeks.
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August 16th, 2010
It is a stunning day here. Clear skies, no humidity, a gentle breeze, temps in the low 80s.
The gardens are maturing. Sunflowers, scarlet runner beans and the silver lace vine are reaching their maximum heights. Green beans, tomatoes, sweet corn and more are gracing our meals. My efforts to tame the weedy volunteers have given way to 10 minutes here and there of trimming, pulling, thinning. Maybe this Fall there will be time for a concerted effort. Maybe not. Meanwhile I’ll praise the variety of colors and textures and try to keep the thistles from going to seed. That will have to do.
In a different area I am feeling ahead of the game. The packing for my upcoming teaching trips is well under way. On the 28th I leave for Fabrications in Michigan, then on the 7th go to Colorado for Textile Evolution. (there may be a place or two still open in the workshops) It’s a quick stop at home in between the two so I want to be prepared. I hope to see you at one of those two retreats.
Part of the preparation is for a vendor’s table at Fabrications. I have used this work to also stock my etsy shop.
Here are some samples of what’s available (it would be great to sell it now instead of packing it!):
Now it’s time to get back to the little books of quotes and helpful hints, they need packaging. The danger is that I’ll want to do yet another!
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August 11th, 2010
work on these pieces continues.
This one is put away until it decides if it is done, or if it wants painting over. There are two other panels the same size: 32″h x 20″w.
working title: mapping memory
detail
This little piece may be a component in the next panel, or perhaps finished out as a stand alone;
It needs more layers, more beads…
Materials include; various papers, including 300# watercolor paper, rice paper and tea bag paper; glass and stone beads, mystery fabric, mono-prints, painted silk and cotton bat. Acrylic inks and paints. Mounted on Peltex and stitched.
Posted in new work, process, studio | 2 Comments »
August 6th, 2010
Here are bits and pieces from various places in the gardens right now. Planning ahead might result in a solid wash of these wonderful reds, don’t you think? 
Today has been devoted to getting more “little words” onto the Etsy site, and to organizing for the upcoming teaching trips (Fabrications, then Textile Evolution). Three weeks left at home, lots to do!
It is time again to be thinking about the desired balance in my life between studio, travel-teaching, home/ family/relationships. There’s a lot of re-evaluating going on.
stay tuned.
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August 3rd, 2010
Billings hosts a hot air balloon rally every Summer. On Sunday the dogs and I watched as the balloons filled and lifted off. Beau wanted to help. Seeing the sky filled with the color of these things is so cheery.
It is deep Summer now and the veggie garden is supplying wonderful taste treats (still no ripe tomatoes though).
This morning does feel Friday-ish for some reason… time to get to work! The new collection of “little words” is waiting and there’s a 9 a.m. appointment. Ah, for a real weekend with sand and surf and no place to be…
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July 29th, 2010
July 29. It seems the year has sped by so fast. Maybe it’s a function of age, perhaps it is that this year has been so intense. Both?
Back in the Spring I dug grass out of a side perennial border and broadcast mixed seed. This lovely Icelandic Poppy has been blooming for several days. There are more about to open.
Just North of my studio there’s a shed. This year sunflower seeds went in against the wall. Isn’t this wonderful patterning! More blooms are on the way. It will be a treat to sit at my work table and see this color, dancing. Later in the year the birds will enjoy the seed. That too will be a visual delight.
The work on the wall is going well but not photographing well. Maybe later.
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