Archive for the ‘garden’ Category

time enough…

Tuesday, 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.

monday again

Monday, 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!

friday color!

Friday, 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.

winding down

Thursday, 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.

monday! again

Monday, July 19th, 2010

It is cooler today and the gardens are celebrating. Day lilies and cosmos are flourishing..

The gardens still need almost constant watering (five degrees cooler doesn’t make that big a difference) but we have been eating veggies, freshly harvested. New potatoes, cukes, berries… Coming soon: carrots and beans. Garden fresh tastes so good.

***

In the studio, these fragments are on the wall:

I’ll be finishing the edges and putting them up in the Etsy shop… they seem too complete in some way to go into the leftovers boxes.

a break from the chores

Thursday, July 15th, 2010

We are clicking right along here. Keeping the gardens watered, the studio a mess and slowly clearing the desk. It’s hard to say which is a bigger challenge (the watering or the desk)  but easy to say that the studio work goes well. Painted silk organza is my new favorite thing to layer.

There’s nothing to show you at this stage but soon…

My Etsy shop is open again.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/lcaterw

The new booklet: “Just For Today: A creative nudge…” is being listed. Quotes, reminders, suggestions to support your creative journey. More covers will be shown soon. Next up: collages and very small artworks.

A revision of the workbooks is in process too. It would be nice to get them down to half size pages for ease in use. Some of the material should be updated and I am considering consolidating them but haven’t decided. If you have the workbooks, I’d love your opinion about this. What would you like to see in the new edition?

With the recent heat, the gardens are in between waves of color but the lilies have begun! The day lilies are budding, and the weeds continue to flourish despite my efforts to keep them pulled. My morning starts at 5:30 and there is never enough time for it all. Balance is needed..

whew!

Sunday, July 11th, 2010

Hooray! the deadlines are met! early, sort of.

All three phases of my project for The Quilt Show are in. (Members can download them as .pdf files)

Images of three new pieces are off to the Curator for a traveling exhibition.

Now attention and focus can shift. There are lots of other items on my list.

taxes need to be amended

a writing project – edit!

preparation for Fabrications in a little over a month, this will be my 5th year there, I think. Repeat retreats are wonderful. It’s such a great opportunity to really work with people over time.

New work that has been on hold for too long. The human scale folding pieces have been on my mind for a couple of years now. It’s time to start working on them.

meanwhile, in the garden:

These dark red hollyhocks are out by the garden gate and visible from my large studio window. This is a good red.

Raspberries! the taste of summer, just beginning to ripen now.

Teasel. A volunteer in the East bed that we let grow, much to my dismay. It has taken over. The leaves are nice for sun printing and it is rather a statuesque plant, however…

It would be good to devote a day to digging out the young plants.

and now it is Friday

Friday, July 9th, 2010

again? still? some weeks feel as though every day is a Monday. This has been one of them.

We enjoyed some cooler weather on the heels of very hot days. This made working in the gardens a top priority. Once we get into triple digits the task becomes watering and weeding, thinning, trimming, pruning go on hold until it is cool enough to enjoy being outdoors. Or, if not enjoy, then at least tolerate. I did not get everything done that was on my list, but a huge dent was made. This is a good thing.

One of my soft spots is the “volunteer seedlings”. It is difficult to pull them until I see what colors the columbine are for example. The standard yellow/red blooms can be pulled but what if the purple and white ones were! horrors… I’d much prefer to have them in the paths until a fair decision can be made.

It’s the same thing with the hollyhocks, a sentimental favorite in the “cottage garden”. The deep reds are elusive, the pale pinks ubiquitous. Once it is clear what color a given  plant will flower out, then I can remove it or let it stay.

A few years ago I planted black hollyhocks. They should flower this year.

While doing all the ruthless thinning and weeding this week, thoughts of editing were roiling about. How is this garden work similar to editing in the studio? Not everything that grows can be left in place. There would be too much competition for available light, water and nutrients. Not every idea or attempt in the studio sees the light of day. Some things go away before pen is taken to paper, paint to canvas, needle to cloth. Others pieces are started, a process or an idea is worked through and the work is edited out, leaving room for the challenging task of making something new, learning abut the concept, exploring the image.

Lately I have been working to deadlines, something avoided for the last several years. My preference is to make the work that is waiting to be made and when an invitation or entry opportunity presents itself, pull from the completed and available pieces. It is a challenge right now to have faith that the pieces in process will not require editing out, weeding from the path, culling…

late june

Thursday, June 24th, 2010

In my little corner of the world, the peonies finally bloomed!

With changing light/shade patterns in my back garden it’s never certain they will get enough sun.

Yesterday was spent rearranging and cleaning the office. Decades worth of paperwork is being shredded. Along the way, some reminders are emerging. I have been conducting business as an artist, on a professional level, for more than 30 years; have been teaching in the world of fibers, on a national level, for over 14 years (have lots more years than that of more mainstream teaching);  and have a consistent record of professional markers. It’s interesting to have these things brought to my attention in unexpected ways. Most often I get up and do my work, live my life and do not think too much about the overall pattern. I seldom talk about any of this but it is my life.

The Quilt Show has begun airing. One unexpected side effect is that people met in the past are dropping notes! That is a wonderful treat.

Other news? The “lesson” for TQS’s website is finished and in their hands. Don’t know when it will post.

The process of making an object and documenting each step visually as well as in       written form is an exercise in careful thinking. It does not come easily for me, but it’s done!

The next “lesson” will be on presentation options. That step will come more easily now that the template and work pattern is established, the tripod located and set-up determined.

Billings continues to deal with the aftermath of Sunday’s tornado. We were lucky in so many ways but for those whose property was in the path, well, it was devastating. Damage from hail, damage from the high winds, and horrible damage from flooding. If the area gets qualified for FEMA funding (based on total value of losses), perhaps that will help property owners recover. Le’s keep our fingers crossed.

p.s. if you have my website in your bookmarks, you might want to hit “reload” or “refresh”. there have been some formatting changes made.

heading toward the Solstice

Wednesday, June 16th, 2010

My trip to Salt lake City was wonderful. What a lovely group, a friendly city, wonderful landscape driving.

On the drive I saw: pelicans in flight along the Snake River, cranes grazing, eagles and osprey nesting, tourists cycling. And now, back in my familiar landscape, the Russian Olives are blooming and fragrant.

Beau and I walk in the mornings near the pond

The gardens are lush with all the rain, trees in full leaf; Spring color has held well this year. With some sun and warmth, the peonies will bloom…. Meanwhile the white iris and centaurea are still providing joy.

Studio work goes on with shipping deadlines looming and new ideas waiting their time.

More photos soon Robyn, I promise!