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.

Summer Went by in A Blur

It' been a while since my last post and I can't tell you how that happens. The fogs of August were dense around the island and then or now its the end of September and Fall has been ushered in with changing colors, ideas, clothes and the house is being buttoned up for winter. This summer i had a great time dyeing with any and all plant material from the garden or walks along the woods road. I have collected acorns to use as mordants to help the cloth accept the dyes. I finally received my Eco Dyeing by India Flint . Actually it came  a day after I had emptied all my jars due to high wind warnings and I could envison them all crashing to the brick. Sooo  the next day I read that I could have saved all that dye bath and used it with another combination. Who knew. The same with pickle juice and that old batch of beet greens I never got to in the frige. All fuel for eco dyeing. It's quite a mind expander. I have a pile of dyed fabric that includes, avocado skins, hollyhock floweres with and without vinegar, marigolds, dyers cosmos, joe pye weed, crabapple mash after the jam was made same with elderberries. I am letting the Pileated woodpecker have the black chokecherries he gets so excited and jabbers non stop in the tree.

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This past Friday some friends and I went to Common Ground Fair in Unity. A long drive but was well worth it once we arrived and took the haywagon pulled by a tractor down to the Pine entrance to the fair. we headed for the food as breakfast seemed ages ago. Found the wood cooked pizza and ordered a pesto pizza which was very tasty, next stop the felting demo and then a walk through Folk Art tent 1 and 2. Saw  a rug hooker and a rug braider as well as a man using cattail to weave a rush seat. Since i have a seat that needs a new one I stopped to speak to him. It's too late this year but next year if I have not gotten the seat woven will cut cattail in july and august to dry and try my hand. Then we went to the fleece tent and spent a long while making up our minds which fleece a. we could afford and B. which would spin up beautifully and or overdye since we were looking at a silver gray/charcoal  fleece that had absolutely no vegetation in the whole bag of fleece. This was a fleece from the Millers of Rivercroft Farm in Starks. We pooled our funds to purchase this gorgeous fleece. I have already washed one pound to see how it would come out and its as beautiful as I thought it would be.

 Off to the tent with the Wednesday Spinners from down east. I saw a wonderful patterned hat with different colored traingles knit by Geri Valentine. Well I knew a Geri she was the first woman shearer I had even seen many mnay years ago and went to find her. As friendly as I had remembered and she said Donna Kausen is here too and off we went to see Donna. It was like old home week. I used to buy the wool  clip from Nash and Flat Island years ago and Donna and Brad would either drive to my house and unload 100's of pounds of wool or I'd meet them in a parking lot in Augusta. Those were the days in some ways, wonderful fleeces, all sold by the time i'd pick them up from the kausens, they were premium spinning fleece when not all farmers thought to raise spinning fleece. We were lucky spinners then. The prices were good and the wool clean as island fleece often is. I have been revisiting my fiber roots and liking what I see and especially the way of life that brings spinning, wool, mohair and other exotic fiber and people together.  The ability to share ideas, indigo seeds, how to's and friendship all seem to be a natural component in fiber people. Donna showed us how whe wove a liitle pouch on a cardboard loom. I had been experimenting with  tapestry on tiny cardboard looms and had enticed some of the students in rug hooking to try it to sample colors and ideas. And here was a different idea using that same old piece of cardboard. From there we went to the MOFGA store for Fran and Diane to purchase t shits and a sweatshirt. I sat on a bench and did some sketching. We also visited the exhibition hall to see the silk display, the worms were huge and doing a wand like dance. I could not figure out what they ate though. I did not see any leaves. They were in all stages of growth. Facinating. Then the different silks from cultivated or wild grown. Degummed and not, and finished products too was a good introduction to the whole sericulture of silk.

We saw a woman with shiny roving and had to ask where she purchased it. Found out it was Friends Folly Farm and they were near the animals. Again off on a search.

Here's Fran checking out fiber as we look for the roving

 Here is the color I chose Northern Lights and it is spinning up wonderfully!!

 more sights, a wagon ride

Stopping for the parade

and last stilts

Quite amazing!  

Now its time to gte back to spinning I have a lot of wool socks to knit.

What I have been working on lately

Well I finally finished this rug last week, got it bound and whipped the edge with yarn. The idea came from one of my paintings.

Penobscot Bay  this rug is long and narrow so not clear what happened to the photo

Now for some cloth work, I was feeling badly that I had not done much over the month the class ran and went through the piles of fabric to see what had been accomplished. I was pleasantly surprised that I began as many as I found. None finished but ideas are there and ready when time allows.

Blues

For this cloth I already know what comes next and will be a series of blues in old linens and some other cloth from the dye jars.

This one I call House/Home

Lightness

Boro

The Moon's Story which I continue to work on

This one is resting

This cloth honors my old friend Mr Blue

He was at the pond the other day and I was as close as I had ever been to him sketching and taking his photo

Not clear if this one is done, not quite I'm thinking but like the dark blue  is resting for a bit. Processing. Now I will try out some of the new lessons that just happened, words, split stitches and a thumb smash. Who can tell where the cloth will wander, I feel the ocean calling, maybe dense peasoup fogg. That images keeps asserting itself in my mind's eye. Til Then back to the rugs.

New Paintings,oil

Turning Tide oil on canvas 16 x 20

Lily Pond oil on canvas 14 x 18

Low Tide Oil on Canvas 14 x 11

A most beautiful day, sunny, breezy, air full of butterflies and the sky light clouds and true blue. What could be better. Here are 3 paintings that I made last week down in South Bristol. It's been a while since I went out and painted. Looking back now it was fun but at the time all the lugging and setting up seemed to take forever. Spoiled by painitng in the studio all winter and spring with the one exception of painting in Ireland.

A Few Days near the Water

Last week my friend from the Boston area came for a week to South Bristol. She is a painter and we have been painting together in the summer over the past 25+ years. So we have the routine down pat. We make a wide sweep to see what is available, what speaks to us on a given morning, afternoon, or evening. Then if nothing right close by speaks loudly we hop into the car and go off in search of the perfect spot. And this is not easy as both cars have our gear in them so we need to find a spot to park 2 cars close by so we are not lugging tons of stuff. This summer has been a bit more tricky. We have become over the years more studio painters. We both love being outside and nature is still very important but some how the setting up and the veiws are not calling in ways they have done so in the past. We also have painted many paintings in this area and enjoy new vistas to keep us challenged.

The sea smoke facinated and drew us to the shore for a closer look. We spent a long while watching as it blew in from the river and over the islands close by. Utterly enchanting and we took time to make a few  photos  from the walkway, oohing and ahhing first on one side and then the other. Summer has hit Maine!

An online Class in Cloth Story Begins, Building A Base

Day One: What if I build a base and don't stop there? I could do some cloth weaving. Yes and then baste.

Then I thought what if I try to make a base and stop at the base?

What if I take 2 pieces of fabric and then make a weaving structure on top?

What if I try to put different fabrics on top of the backing?

And what if I add a moon to the first base?

What if that is all I manage to do for todays class? And tomorrow I find a sheer and make a cloth sandwich?

The biggest problem I am having is trying to look at the videos on dial up. Took over 2 hours yesterday to see the demo that was 6 + mintes long. This is not fun but the stitching is....

And tomorrow is the last drawing class at the Farnsworth. We'll have a model for half the class and then a crit and food. Sad to have the class end.

Class work "Steal That Painitng!"

This is my interpretation of a Paula Modersohn Becker Painting. I went back and forth a bit between Paula's features and my own. Finished it at home. This was a very fun class and all the work was so interesting. I did not have a camera so no pics of my class mates who were Freda Kahlo, Cezanne, Mogdalini, and so many more. Next week is our last and final class. The series was not long enough I feel as though I am just

getting comfortable in the different media we have been using.  Each has their own specialness to use in a self portrait.  Some I had not used before like powdered charcoal. Then also learning which papers held pigment best. Using both wet and dry in the same drawing all have added to the learning curve.  

Now I am off to do my home work which is a self portrait using things from the top of a counter, bureau or workspace.  

Warm, Cool, Dark and Briight

Well this looks a bit fuzzy but the assignment was about color choosing 3 colors and sticking to them.

This assignment also got me thinking about masks and how we all wear them even when we don't think about it. I am thinking about a series using the mask form maybe in shape of a fan where the holder holds the fan in front of her face. How does or will this change how we feel and think about ourselves?

For Friday's class we were to put oursleves in a painting.... I chose Paula Modersohn Becker who was alive and painting at the top of her form  in 1907 when she died suddenly at age 31 after giving birth to a daughter. She used to draw and paint herself in self portraits as well as nudes. Was a friend to Rilke who wrote "Requiem for a Friend" in 1908 in her memory. Paula went back and forth from Germany to Paris and wanted to make something of herself as an artist. I will finish up the 2 drawings I did in class and post soon.

Now for a change in images these are 2 cloth pieces I am working in anticipation of Jude Hill's Story Cloth Internet class That begins next week.

This is part of a story cloth I am working on now.

Pinned and getting ready to bast together. This will be a base on which I will add other thoughts and ideas.

Just previewed this port and realised the header is still in winter. Will have to take some photos of the pond in almost summer.

Last Week's Homework Plus Class work with model

charcoal and pastel

Last weeks home work: One in charcoal and one in ink.


Now for the class wher we had a model. It was a very rugged class we made more drawings than any other class and I for one was exhausted by the end of the 3 hours.

Model done with 3 colors. We had to make up a formula  using 3 colors. The key was choosing good colors to use.

I call this one Blue Man

Then the teacher Martha Miller had us take a partner and everytime she said swicth we worked on our partner's drawing. The only time I had done anything like this was a round robin where when the teacher said switch we moved to the next easle. That one was in oils.

2 person drawing

And the last one was a drawing where the teacher put herself in and had no idea the pose taken by the model.

And that is where I will leave it we did many more 3 minute, 5 minute drawings. Our homework for this week is to draw 4 drawings , self portraits one warm, one cool, one bright and one dark. all about color..

Project Updates Keeping Current

Here are 2 projects from the Monday's rug hooking class. One a small house rug by Charlotte.

And a chair seat cover by Christine. As the advanced class they have designed all the rugs they have made. I am very proud of their accomplishments. They are taking the summer off but we will all go to Charlotte's cottage for a day of visiting and what else, hooking!

The portrait class I am taking at the Farnsworth is still great fun and tends to stretch ones ideas and imagination. This week we had to put ourselves into a faiy Tale. Lots of wings came about with Icarus, Dedalis and angels as well as dragons and a woman rising from the ocean and one sleeping in a pond. Having been facinated by the myths perpetuated with the color red and combined with shoes my own tale is with the overlaying of feminity and culture portrayed with red shoes. I chose to use to tissue as a way to portray the layers. The teacher gave me this idea when I struggled to push one image back and bring another forward. All I could think of was organdy!

Red Shoes charcoal, tissue paper, acrylic paint, pastel

Next will be to put ourselves into a famous painting like the Mona Lisa. I will have to think on this. And our assignment is to make an exagerted drawing pushing those details that make us us.. Hmmm am I ready for this not sure. But adding the paint to the charcoal helped to beef up the heightened color of the shoes which were done in pastel to begin with and not powerful at all. So maybe I am getting this... Time will tell.

Getting Through a Rough Patch

Spring is in full flower here on Westport Island. The air is soft, the trees have unfurled their leaves, lilacs almost gone by and lupine is coloring the roadsides. In the studio I have been busy with rug hooking classes and I have also begun the class in portraits that I am taking at the Farnsworth in Rockland with Martha Miller. It is a challenge to dive into drawing the face when my paintings  move closer to abstraction. Here are examples of what I have been drawing in and out of class.

Non dominant hand

In class we drew from the skeleton and then drew our face over it

Homework ink

Homework a bit of color with the ink

The class is fun and difficult at the same time. Also feels good to be stretched in a new direction. I have always been intrigued with self portraits as well as drawing others faces. The portraits of Van gogh, Alice Neel and Lucien Freud are among my favorites. Last week we had a model in class which was a delight as the whole family ended up in the classroom and we were able to draw a mother and child together.

Every other week we draw oursleves or a model. This week we are to draw oursleves in a fairy tale. I have been facinated with the tales of red shoes and the different stories they tell, from Hans Chistian Anderson's Red Shoes, to Rose Red and the Snow Queen with her red shoes and even into the Wizard of Oz with Dorothy's Ruby Slippers. They speak to repression, gaining of energetic energy, about a woman becoming independent or actice, making her own choices. There is the 1948 film  Red Shoes, based on the Hans Christian Anderson story but more about ballet and the darker powers of dance with the ability to beguile and break the hardiest spirit through ambition and sacrifice. In broad stokes it is dreamlike about the deeply felt moments of empathy and understanding of injustice, selfishness and disappointment. This fleeting moment is one we chase after in dreams and in love and as spectators in art, and for some of us as artists. Well, thats where my research has gone so far. I also have a collection of red shoes. Maybe this will be a time when I can bring all of these ideas and objects together. Time will tell.