Buzy Summer

The summer is here in full force with 93 degree days and above. There is a breeze flowing through the old school house today. I got up very early to tend the weeds which love this weather. Then I gave all the veggies, herbs and flowers a big drink, dug up an unwanted rose bush the birds planted, did a brief meditation outside and wrote my 15 to 20 minutes. By then it was growing warmer and the body does not like that bit at all.

I want to ackowledge the passing of one of the great painters who "did it his way", Lucien Freud died last Wednesday in England. I went on line to find a certain catalogue a friend had told me about to learn prices for his books are skyrocketing. This one was 350.00 and another was over 400. So i am very grateful i have 2 books about him and his paintings. Then I attempted a self portrait and am not sorry i still have no way to post images.

The hooked rug show at Mariner's Compass is up until Aug 15th. Located in the shipbuilding town of Bath on lower Front St diagonally across from Bracket's Market. Open tuesday thru sat 10 to 5. Don't miss it! Great rugs done by my students, first projects to original designs. The round Robin is a special challenge project by the Monday Hookers and they did a  beautiful job. Red's Eats has been the overall favorite. A second rug by Susan Schweigard of wiscasset, Maine. Check out the marinerscompass.blogspot.com. There should be photos of some of the rugs there.

Then in August on the first weekend, 5,6 and 7, I will be on the Maine Fiber Arts tour. Come by see the gallery where i have hooked rugs for sale as well as my painitngs and story clothes. Then visit my studio where rug hookers will be demonstrating. The studio is a working studio so you can see inside where i paint, hand sew the story clothes and hook my rugs. The hours for that weekend are 10 to 5 daily. Fall schedules will be ready if you have a hankering to make an heirloom to pass down to children or grandchildren or if you want to beautify your home.

In September, part of each week, I will be in the little red building at Maine Fiberarts in Topsham for the month. We are still working out a schedule for classes to be held there. I will have rugs there, some supplies and be glad to show you how i hook.
There will also be a Rug exhibit in the Fiberarts gallery you won't want to miss.

I've got the word out again for anyone who has upgraded their laptop if they want to dontate their old one to a worthy artist. The one i presently try to use is 12 years old and simply does not have capacity to integrate with updated systems.  and tends to crash if i go on a search that travels thru 3 sites. Ever  hopeful, Enjoy the summer winter is not far behind, Diane

The Long Story

Shortly after the last post my computer not only crashed it asked a question, I answered and then every thing went away. A friend came to check on it and basically said toast. Here I am months later still computerless. I say that but am writing on a borrowed computer 12 yrs old and with no capacity to download pics, to print, to do a lot of the things i took for granted. Consequently this blog is photo free until I can come up with a working newer computer.

 I am in day 2 of the Free Wrte Fling with Cynthia Morris of Original Impulse. I have so much I'd like to write about but find that I get so busy making art, hooking rugs, teaching others to hook rugs. And right now am compiling a stack of my student's rugs for an exhibit at Mariner's Compass a quilt shop in Bath Maine. Please stop by next week to see the rugs and if you ever felt you wanted to create an heirloom. I teach at my studio on Westport Island. Mondays now is the day I am teaching here this summer. In Damariscotta I am doing an intro class at Pine Tree Yarns, this class is full.

The drop in class is Thursday afternoons at Pine tree Yarns from 1 to 3pm begins July 7th this week. This is a class that you can sign up once or many times. There is a break on signing up for 3 or more sessions. Must already know how to hook.

My gallery is open now for the summer.  Fridays and Saturdays 11 to 5pm and Sundays noon until 4Pm.

Still looking for a computer until next time enjoy the summer it is fleeting, Diane

Productive Week

I must say the cold weather agrees with me. I have had a solid week of working both teaching and in the studio. Feels good. I finished some projects, some still have a bit more to go, another done except for steaming. All my rug hooking is steamed for finishing.

Self Portrait in progress

Bench cover

Hollyhock Rug Border left to do

Fish Mat needs steaming

Old Santa  also work in progress

That's it for now it may be warm enough to go for a walk with no trucks or hunters on the roads...

Another Day of Gelatine Prints

Determined to make a few decent prints I brought out the gelatine again. This time i had a bunch of stencils already cut to mix and add to. So not many words but here's the results.

This one on muslin

That's it I just want to add my friend Laura's blog for more prints to be seen  http://llmdunn.blogspot,com/
Check out her awesome prints

I will try to load the mixed media portrait that I have begun from the first of the week that refused to load. Here goes.

Time Passes, Surprises happen

Something happened in September which made me stop painitng, stop anything smacking of art. And then my friend Laura and I met , she showed me her monoprints printed on gelatin, right knox gelatine. Well I have to say after the second meeting and seeing as many more of her stunning prints I felt the twinges of getting my hands messy and digging out some acrylic paints, printer ink anything I could find. Now on the same day I met Laura in Portland I came home to a book from Amazon in the mailbox. One i did not even know had been  written. Man with Blue Scarf, On Sitting for a Portrait by Lucien Freud authored by Martin Gayford. He is the man with the blue scarf and what a read. I knew LF took a long while to paint portrats but this following along from August 04 to April 05 was extrodinary. And from that read and those prints I began a foray into the gelatine area.

The first ones were too messy to even take photos but the 3 heads I rather like. The 2nd one is what is called a ghost print after one print is already made there is still ink on the plate, enough to make a ghost print. Often they are delicate and have an evocative feeling that is wonderful.

The first night my dyslexic tendencies got square in my way and I had to email Laura to have her make me a map of sequences. For that first try after getting frustrated I ended up just drawing into the gelatine which are the above heads. Then back again for a next go.

 
Having tried with a small pan of gelatine I am now ready to make a larger cookie sheet to try this facinating process. This all wetted my juices that have been doing nothing in the paint realm for ages. So I got a piece of this super paper that Laura also got for me and put it on the wall and got the mirrow out and charcaol, pastels and began an exploratory mixed media drawing using myself loosley as model. Its a bit blurry as I had to move furniture to get to my drawing wall and then to take a pic was not easy. Ok Google is being uncooperative will load alter when it has calmed down. Seems to be happening a lot lately to a few bloggers...

Early This Morning

Out back of my house

Across the road all misty before the heavy rain

The pond that has been such an inspiration for many paintings

The littliest bundle from the last post when I also had trouble with photos

This is the wood's road where i gather a lot of windfalls for my eco dyeing

And this is the bread I bake now after many tries and several different pans, I think I have it now!!

The photos loaded ok this time but I can't get my words back to the top.This was early morning when I looked out to a misty landscape just had to grab the camers and take it for a walk. The rest of the day has been dark and rainy. I finished a hooked mat for my weaving bench. Was still a bit damp from being steamed so I will photo it tomorrow and then got all my new ecoprints ironed. Some leaf prints as well as flower and rose petals. I think my silk was too think so will be on the search for the thinner fabric . More pictures soon.

A Stunning Fall Day

This morning is bright, crisp and definitely fall. The cat decided not to go out the wind is brisk, the trees are blowing off their leaves at an alarming rate.

The wind is playing tag this morning as
one tree after another does the
flutter dance and then
is still.

                                        Wind dances across the water

This is my morning walk first by the pond and then next down a woods road to gather windfall

Down this road is where I gathered the leaves and other bits of lichen and fern for this tiny bundle.
Picture will come next time !


 Blogger is not allowing me to access the rest of my images.
I will close for now and try back later. The outside is calling me and so is the wrapping of the bottom of the house in plastic. This last nor'easter let me know just how much wind is coming through this old 1780 schoolhouse. Too much! Off to do chores and enjoy this glorious weather, we all know what's due soon. The white stuff and with the amount of acorns this year looks like it could be a very wintry year.