Eight years ago I shared a poem that I’ve had on my desk. The historical days we are living now are a good time to be reminded of this. 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 […]
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Plaster Pages
I can hear your reaction to the title of this posting. “Huh?!” or something close to that, right? Well, the answer is another on-line class, this one called Inspired By Lives and Letters with Lendon Noe. Find the class through Seattle artist Carla Sonheim. Lendon Noe is a native of Jackson, Tennessee, and was a […]
More Junk Mail Postcards/Sketches
I’ve managed to get a couple more sketches done on the junk mail postcards I created earlier here. I saw my first Handkerchief tree late last summer and was smitten with the seed pods which littered the base of this huge tree. I have enjoyed seeing them every day since. The stems of the pods […]
Junk-Mail Postcards
I am having some fun with the blank junk-mail postcards I produced earlier. These cards lend themselves to all kinds of art making and I would like to do more sketching. Here is one that I dashed off and put in the mail to friend. Click on the image for a larger view. Let’s face […]
Oak Leaf on Felted Wool Done
I have been taking my time on the project. In fact, I worked at a couple other projects in between stitching on this one. It gave me some variety and the time I needed to make decisions. To see the beginnings of this project, go here. I had done part of the beading on this […]
Junk Mail Revisited
I like to have a supply of my handmade fabric and paper postcards handy. They make special occasions and just saying hello a bit more special. A recent review of what I have on hand has found me in need of creating more postcards. The easiest and quickest way to create my own paper postcards […]
Sorted Books: Art
Taking time to think, appreciate a long walk by the river in the morning and reading are just a few of the positive things that have kept me going during these strange pandemic times. I am part of a new book group which formed just before “social distancing” became a way of life. We are […]
Sorted Books: History
What a powerful play Hamilton was! I think of it more as an opera. Click on image for larger view. Be strong. Be patient. Be kind.
Sorted Books: Dogs
As a dog lover there’s no surprise that I was able to sort out several meaningful books. No Better Friend was a gift to my brother-in-law for Christmas 2016. He used the gift tag as a place keeper. He was a life-long dog lover. My sister returned it to me when he passed away. Another […]
Sorted Books: Cooking
I’m reading a book by Nina Katchadourian, an artist who, among other things, has spent the last 20 years creating a body of work entirely by sorting books. So far she has used other people’s libraries, including significant libraries throughout the world. Fascinating. Fun! Thoughtful and thought provoking. Humorous. I thought I would have a […]
Spring Sunday
It’s a beautiful Spring Sunday with all our duck family in a row. The ducklings are growing fast. Click on an image for a larger view. This little family and a bunch of peonies from our local farmer’s market keep a smile on my face. What has you smiling? Be strong. Be patient. Be kind.
Oak Leaf on Felted Wool
I’m stepping out on my own with this piece, using the oak leaf as inspiration. I’ve used this design before here, so it feels like returning to an old friend. I am using two #8 Perle Cotton threads — both part of the Painters Threads Collection by Tentakulum — and beads on the hand-dyed felted […]
On the Willammette
Every spring the water feature around my two-building complex called Waterfront Pearl becomes a nursery for Mallard ducks. It is always a joy to see them arrive and watch as the parents teach the babies the survival skills they will need too soon. Every spring our building engineer strategically places a couple of boards in […]
Monday Morning Walk
Spring is here in all its glory. A breath-taking sunrise on the Willamette River flowed into a gorgeous spring morning. A thoughtful person left a hand-painted stone on a bench in Fields Park. There is much to take joy in. Be strong. Be patient. Be kind.
A Trip to the Country
Last week we were more than tired of our own walls and decided to take a drive in the country. We packed a simple lunch and hit the road. It was a beautiful day to be outside. Our destination was the wine country, about 30 minutes away from us. Specifically, Durant Winery in Dundee. We’ve […]
Soothing Hand Stitching Part 5
I completed the top left section of the leaf with Needle Weaving stitch. Then I couldn’t help myself, I dove right in to doing the scattered Seed Stitch. It was quite satisfying. While I completed the final stitches I was contemplating what I would stitch next. Happily, retail therapy is just a few keystrokes away. […]
Wordless Wednesday
Soothing Hand Stitching Part 4
The compartments in the leaf are getting smaller and I’m familiar with the stitches in the next few compartments, so the project is steaming right along. The next section is stitched with Blanket Stitch and Colonial Knots. Laura calls for French Knots but I’ve always been a fan of the Colonial Knot because they won’t […]
Soothing Hand Stitching Part 3
I am thoroughly enjoying this small hand-stitching project. The piece of felted wool is about 6″ square so it is easy to handle. I also see grand progress each time I sit down and pick up the needle. I’m using hand-dyed #8 pearl cotton from Laura Wasilowski. The first compartment of the leaf was stitched […]
Dogwood on the Willamette
Soothing Hand Stitching Part 2
Last night I shared a Happy Hour drink and catch-up chat with friends from the Bay Area. With all the negative things that the virus has brought to our lives, this is one big positive. I got onto Zoom earlier this week and will remain on to stay in closer contact with distant friends. It’s […]
Soothing Hand Stitching
I have been wanting to do some hand stitching for some time. Ten days into Oregon’s stay-at-home order became my tipping point for finding something fun and easy that would allow me to create something in my lap. I went to Laura Wasilowski’s website and checked out her tutorials. There are quite a few fun […]
Sebastopol Center for the Arts Exhibit Reminder
There are still a few days left to take advantage of viewing the art quilt exhibit at Sebastopol Center for the Arts. In fact, there are two exhibits running simultaneously, so that’s twice the reason to make the trip. Art Quilts, an international juried exhibit, is featured in Gallery III and How Did They Do […]
New Bed Quilt: Beyond Stack ‘n Slash Done
Back in mid-August I started a new quilt for my bed. You can see all the how-to details here. It took several weeks to complete the king-size top. And the lovely bonus is that I had more blocks than needed for the bed quilt so I was able to create a second quilt for those […]
Sebastopol Center for the Arts Exhibit
The Sebastopol Center for the Arts will have an international juried exhibition titled Art Quilts running from January 10 – Febraury 16, 2020. The North Bay Local Connection of SAQA will be exhibiting innovative 12-inch square artworks in its exhibit titled How Did They Do That? to run from January 20 – February 16,2020. The […]
Even More Botanical Prints
I’m still using soy milk and iron blankets to print these papers. It’s interesting to see how the various plant materials act with the same treatment. This time I reduced the steaming time to one hour. I don’t see a significant difference in the printing with the reduced time. Click on an image for a […]
Wordless Wednesday
More Botanical Prints on Paper
This is getting to be quite addictive, not to mention productive. I’m continuing my experimenting with soy milk for dipping the paper. And I still have an iron mix of 5g iron to 1 quart of water. This time I dipped the cotton fabric into the iron mix then laid it on a dry cotton […]
More Botanical Printing on Paper
Fall is upon us in the Northwest and I find the color and texture of the season completely irresistible. I have to keep myself from picking up every leaf on the sidewalk. A few days ago I decided to let myself scavenge — in the name of art, mind you! — and do a bit […]
Botanical Printing on Paper
I got together with my study group friends to do some more botanical printing, this time exclusively on paper. All of the prints I made during class and subsequently have been mailed to friends. I purchased a box of Fabriano cards in the diminutive size of 2.5” x 3.75” along with envelopes for mailing, gathered my […]
