Signs of the Season
Just four blossoms this year on my young peony. I haven’t seen one of these guys in many years! Isn’t is incredible how something so destructive can be so beautiful!? Smile. . . Happy summer.
More van Gogh Inspiration
I showed you half of the van Gogh-inspired fabric postcards I obtained through Postmark’d Art, the international group of fabric artists I am fortunate to be a part of, last week. Here are the other four of the collection. Debbie Geistweidt of Texas was inspired by Cypresses. Her fabric collage is covered with sparkling tulle […]
van Gogh Inspired
Postmark’d Art, the international group of artists I trade fabric postcards with, just completed a trade with the theme Vincent van Gogh. I now have a fabulous collection of eight pieces of fabric art inspired by a master painter. Here are four of them. Meta Heemskerk of the Netherlands created two thermofax screens, one from […]
184 Art Quilts
That’s how many 12-inch square beauties are already available for viewing on the Studio Art Quilt Associates auction page. Be sure to click on the What You Can’t See on the Computer link to get more information about the quilts. The auction begins Monday, September 10 at 2 p.m. Eastern time and at this pace […]
Welcome Summer
The Truth About Critics
I look forward to reading Mick LaSalle, movie critic for the San Francisco Chronicle, every Sunday. He writes a thoughtful, intelligent column and very often I am moved to a big “Amen!” upon reading an exchange between Mick and a local reader. A reader recently asked Mick to respond to critic John Simon‘s comment that […]
On the Wild Side
There are several beautiful, well-maintained parks near my sister’s home in Boulder City. One of the parks has daily visits by a local herd of wildlife. Here’s a sign to warn you on the way. And here is the wildlife. (Click on an image to get a larger view.) These are stunning beasts. When Christy […]
An Affair of the Art
I was in Boulder City, Nevada this past week visiting my sister and brother-in-law. Boulder City is proud to be known as the city that built Hoover Dam. It’s a charming small town and it’s within a few miles of Las Vegas. We attended two concerts in old town Las Vegas at the brand new […]
Cabinet Redux
I’m visiting my sister this week and we each have lots of fun projects in mind. One of the things that Christy has had in mind for a while is working out a way to hide cubby shelves under some cabinets in her kitchen. They are little catch-all spots that are handy but not attractive. […]
Ginkgo Obsession
I’m working on a third broken color piece using the ginkgo leaf — yes, it’s a bit of an obsession. But I don’t mind. I never tire of the ginkgo leaf. I’m using the same pattern I used in February intentionally. The first one I made was sent to Studio Art Quilt Associates for the […]
Let’s Talk Turkey
Congress debated for 6 years before naming the bald eagle as the symbol of our country. And though there doesn’t seem to be a congressional record of his opposition, Ben Franklin shared his views with his daughter Sarah Bache in a January 26, 1784 letter: “For my own part I wish the Eagle had not […]
Ribbon Excitement!
I’m thrilled! The three quilts accepted for the Best of the Valley 2012 show each earned a ribbon. Precious Metals received 1st Place honors in the Mini Quilts, Art category. Oakleaf Hydrangea was pinned with a 3rd Place ribbon and Fall Ginkgos was recognized with an Honorable Mention ribbon. These are the first ribbons my […]
Best of the Valley Quilt Show
Oakleaf Hydrangea, Fall Ginkgos and Precious Metals were juried into this year’s The Best of the Valley show which opens tomorrow, Friday, April 13, in Lindsay, CA. I am always thrilled to have my work accepted by judges who are seeing art works from some of the best in the art quilt community. Acceptance is […]
Tart Skills
We had several friends at our home for dinner Easter Sunday. It was a great opportunity to work on my skills at making a tart because my friend Peter was there and what he doesn’t know about cooking isn’t worth mentioning. I had sweet pastry dough in the freezer (I brought it home from his […]
Moon Setting Over San Francisco
The air was swept clear by a strong wind over night and the moon setting over San Francisco was a spectacular way to begin the day. 6:16 a.m. 6:17 a.m. 6:18 a.m. 6:21 a.m. What looks like a hill is actually a bank of fog on the coast. Have a great day!
Starry Night Done
I swung into action last week working on my project for a Postmark’d Art trade and posted about it here. The process for me is always one of adding, viewing on the wall, and adding. It began to look more painterly to me here. Click on images for larger view. One of the […]
Thoughtful Tuesday: Recognizing Grace
A month or so ago I came across a short poem that demanded my attention. I’ve had it on my desk since first reading it. How to Recognize Grace by Marilyn Chandler McEntyre It takes you by surprise. It comes in odd packages. It sometimes looks like loss, or mistakes. It acts like rain or […]
Work in Progress: Starry Night
Today is the 159th anniversary of Vincent van Gogh’s birthday. Happy birthday Vincent! The words to Don McLean’s hit song Vincent has been swirling around in my head for several days now and, unlike other times when I’ve found it annoying to have a tune linger this long, I’m enjoying its calming effect. Postmark’d Art […]
Kumquat Marmalade
I’m back to cooking my way through Rachel Saunders’ Blue Chair Jam Cookbook. I’ve shared this process before here, and other things I’ve learned through her book here. It has been another windy, rainy day in the San Francisco Bay Area so hunkering down making marmalade and writing are a natural for me. I am […]
Replenishing My Mojo
How are housework and garden work alike? They never end. And how are they different? The satisfaction derived from a clean house lasts only as long as it stays that way — say about as long as it takes to read a Haiku — whereas the satisfaction from work done in the garden is immediate […]
Portraiture of the Boys
My friend Win Dell’Ario — award-winning interior designer in Half Moon Bay — recently thanked a client for their business by presenting them with painted portraits of their two dogs. The portraits completed the newly redone mud room with such pizazz! I have been wanting to immortalize by boys for some time and I was […]
Happy St. Patrick’s Day
I was looking through my collection of fabric postcards the other day to create a slide show for the Postmark’d Art site when I came across this lovely postcard that Sherry Boram sent to me in 2006. Sherry is a charter member of this international group of artists who have been trading fabric postcards since […]
Broken Ginkgos II — Fini
It’s still raining and I finished the second Broken Ginkgos art quilt. I thought I had everything figured out ahead of time for this small quilt. I had planned to use the orange fabric — the ‘broken’ element in this quit — for the binding. In fact, it was cut, prepared and ready to stitch […]
Works in Progress: More Broken Colors
I’m happy to be closing in on the finish of another broken colors quilt. I have been wanting to return to this method since completing my first piece which became a donation for the SAQA 2012 fund-raiser. I’m eager to finish this one so I’ll have it on my wall to enjoy. The white lines […]
Support Your Local Titmouse
Last year a pair of Bewick’s Wrens found the nesting box and grew a family. This year a pair of Titmice found the box first. I spied them last week checking it out. Hmmm . . . Looks okay from here but what about the inside? Serious building started on the 9th. The dried maple […]
Furoshiki Fabric Wraps
The ancient art of fabric wrapping everyday items for utilitarian purposes or wrapping an item to be gifted has been fast forwarded by Deb Cashett and Kris Sazaki through the February 2012 publication of their book Furoshiki Fabric Wraps by C&T Publishing. For someone who is fondling and manipulating fabric almost daily, this is a […]
Lesson 6: Machine Made Objects
Last week was the sixth and final week of my on-line class with Jane LaFazio on Journal Style Sketching and Watercolor. We turned our attention to objects made by machine. The issue here is symmetry. Jane suggested choosing something that you really like and TAKE YOUR TIME with it. Good advise because getting these drawings […]
The Liebster Blog Award
I have been awarded the Liebster Blog Award by Carol Larson, a serious fiber artist you can catch up with at Live2Dye. This award is given to bloggers who inspire you and have less than 200 followers. The Liebster Award takes it’s name from the German word meaning Beloved, Dearest or Favorite. Oh MY! I’m […]
Back to Sketching
Last week I fell very short of my goals for sketching flowers. The trip to San Diego was worth it, but I will have some making up to do! I managed only two sketches — I look forward to doing many more flowers this summer. I simply adore sunflowers. And my hellebore in the back […]
