Cloth

Yes this is the same piece of cloth I've been photographing the the past several years now, it's still sitting outside on the indigo vat waiting for something... what I don't know yet.

Crow Card No. 2

I think I may have made it even more confusing by using a varigated thread, two different varigated colors actually, to do the stitching.  And then I remembered that the Crow is a Trickster...

Hand stitching and some possible beading will ensue with this piece tomorrow.

Studio Redux 073011

If all goes well I may actually get to watch Paula stream live tonight from my new mixed media area in my new studio!  John hasn't found the ends for the dsl wire yet, he has to make a new longer cable for me. 

The knee is feeling slightly better, after last nights horrific fall on the back landing.  John didn't look to pleased when I told him that I was going to be putting non-slip rubber duckie decals down on the floor.  It's the one place in the house that I have consistantly hurt myself on in the last 10 years and it's because that floor becomes ultra slick with even the slightest hint of moisture.  This time the moisture was left by a 12 pound tri-color sheltie who decided she couldn't wait any longer.

Angel the puddle maker.

Thomas

My boy Thomas, the cat with the great big hairy feet, I'm thinking he's got some hobbit in his bloodline somewhere :-)

Update

Am updating the blogs look today.

Corn - A New Series

I am working on a new series of pieces around the subject of corn.  There are seven pieces, so far, in the series and they consist of my natural and compost dyed (eco-dyed/printed) fabrics and machine stitching.  Each piece is approximately 7x7 inches and is machine stitched onto a timtex core.

As many of you, my followers, know I struggle with wanting the prairie of 200 years ago versus the prairie that we have today.  My mother told me once that I was born about 250 years too late, that's how much I love the rugged primitive prairie.  Where I expect to see a bison rounding over a hill instead I'm greeted with a tractor or a combine.  Where I think there should be teepees and other primitive housing I'm greeted with silos and barns instead. 

There is, however, one piece that binds both the past and today together and that bit is Corn!  In doing a survey of the artwork I've produced over the past 15 or so years there is one theme that seems to be repeated and that is the theme of corn.

So with the idea of corn in mind I am setting out to create a series dedicated to that which intrigues and haunts me, corn.

Thomas the Watcher

I was sitting at my table merrily away sketching images onto canvas cards, for my new thank you card series, and suddenly realized I was being watched.  I looked over into the suitcase and there was Thomas watching me sketch, he really does love sleeping on silk fabrics and is such a silly cat he'll even pull out a piece to sleep on, when I'm not looking! 

Poor Angel is trying to stay cool.

Studio Update 071211

Tonight I spent the better part of the evening in the wood shop helping John construct another shelf system for my studio.  The end result of our time out there was not one but two different shelves being concieved for my new studio space... which he is more than willing to do so long as it means that I'm NOT bolting anything into the walls.   Tomorrow night we will finish the first shelf and Thursday we will finish the second shelf. 

I'm loving my new studio space, I was stressed that I wouldn't be able to create in the new space but much to my amazement the creativity has been overflowing.  The lack of central air during these very hot and very humid days has been the biggest deterent so far.

WIP - I am going to create a special page for the new pieces I've created this past week, all proceeds will be going towards my new central air unit and furnace.  Seems when the new smart meter went in most of my appliances went "uh no I don't think so and died" this would include the central air and furnace. 

Artistically Speaking with Rebecca Parsons

Rebecca Parson's will be interviewing me on Artistically Speaking 8/21/2011‏!  I recieved my info packet today and cannot wait!!!

Chipmunk Update

The chipmunk is deceased and is no longer eating my madder root, bran, or cochineal bugs! Oh and it's safe to say the the organic soy beans are safe as well now, as am I!!! No more jumping chippies from a corner!

Thursday evening I discovered that I did indeed have a chipmunk in my basement and subsequently my wet studio.  The little bugger has now met his maker.  How can I justify this you ask? Easily they carry rabies in addition to three different forms of the plague, that's how and this little bugger was so comfy living in my house that the pets (two cats and a dog) were treating it as if it was another family member.  And that had to come to an end!

Prairie Potholes - WIP - Detail

Detail from a new piece I worked on today.  Little did I know whilest I was creating in my studio that I would be needing a replacement furnace and central air unit :-( 

Central Air I can live without, well 28 days out of the month during the summer months that is.  The furnace, however, is a major must have for the northern climate I live in, more tomorrow.  We still haven't purchased a house fan replacement, am still waiting to hear what the electric motor repairman has to say.  Which leads me to a question: How did we end up with such a disposable society that even furnaces and central air units are no longer repairable???

Third Quarter Woes

It' never ceases to amaze me when God gives me what I need before I actually need something. Friday I sold three pieces of art to a new collector!  That is certainly a Praise!  Nothing is more validating to a visual artist than to be able to sell their artwork and at full market value.  Usually when I have a sale I put a little aside for savings, my 10% for tithe, and typically replace materials used and any equipment needed in the studio with the remainder.

As of yesterday the guessing game was new tires for John's truck or taking my truck and having it fixed OR buying a new house fan.  As of today that question has been anwsered and we will now be having the central air repaired/replaced and the furnace serviced. 

When I got back from shopping with my BF Brenda, this afternoon, I noticed the house was exceptionally warm.  Looked at the thermostat and sure enough it was set to 73F but it was 78F in here.  Went down to the breaker box and it had been tripped.  Me being the chicken little that I am refused to touch the breaker and had John flip it back on and I'm glad I did.  Pop, crack, and flames shooting out of the breaker box.  We'd been having electrical problems all weekend John has been blowing circuits in the garage, etc, which has been happening since the city replaced our old meter with a new digital smart meter but now things are getting way worse and I'm looking the large appliances.

I'm not happy, but I am grateful that the Lord covered this one in advance! Here's to hoping and praying the CA can be repaired and not need to be replaced, this year.

Down to the Wire!

One corner cleaned and ready to go!

The junk gone and soon the studio table will be in place!

John and Keith trying to figure out how they are going to get my six legged sewing/work table back into the house!

Prairie Potholes Past and Present No's 1-8
It's time to go rearrange and fluff before the collector arrives, he'll be here in less than 45 minutes!

Studio Redux - 063011

Table is coming along nicely.  John fixed the buckling veneer, filled in the divits and then sanded the top, tomorrow he will paint the top a very nice warm white color, will have to see what it is called made by Valspar.

New studio space is becoming congested, BUT I'm getting rid of some tolerances I've been hanging onto for the past five years and there will soon be room for my fabric on the shelves!  I learned about tolerances as obstacles in a class I took with Alyson Stansfield last year... now that I'm a member of the Artist Conspiracy Project I'm learning how to eliminate those tolerances as they are obstcales to my peace of mind and success as a professional artist.

Every time I either come up from my wet studio or down from the new office space I bring a load with me into my new studio space.  For the first time in about oh ten years I can finally see all of my studio supplies.

Studio Redux - Update 062911

Studio Curtians:  I was going to make some simple curtains/drapes from white fabric but after looking at this quarters issue of Where Women Create I decided to go out on a limb and add some color to my otherwise bottle green studio!

I'll have to paint more fabric this weekend, the trauma there is just unbelievable, NOT :-) as these two inspirations pieces won't be enough for one window even. 

Studio Table, Etc.

It's been living on the front porch for the better part of three years so I thought I'd give it a bath before bringing it into the house.  In cleaning the table loose paint started coming off of the top, so I got a scraper to help remove the lose paint and smooth things out.  As you can see the paint came off of the entire table top and with very little effort.

John using a teardrop scraper to clean paint off of the table trim.

We will repaint the table tomorrow, after a wee bit of sanding.  Can't wait as this table is very sturdy I always loved using my 6500 on this table as it didn't vibrate when running the machine at full tilt, like my current sewing table does.

More thread and beads, half the bead collection is now in the new studio space.  I also took time to seperate the threads, mostly, by colorways.

John put keyhole slots on the back of my Gutermann display rack this morning while I was sleeping in, using his router.

Thread Storage

A rack for larger cones.

John hung my thread racks this afternoon and I'm slowly moving my thread downstairs into the new studio space... I've started calling it my "No Excuse Zone". Tomorrow he'll hang the storage bin, that is on the floor, underneath the cone rack in the first photo.

Studio Redux - 062511

Cubbies!  John and Keith moved these down from the second story into the new space.  Floor has been washed and now the cubbies are almost full with fabrics, etc.

Now to start moving my threads etc., into the space.  Eventually, maybe by this time tomorrow, all of the boxes, etc., to the left will be gone.  I'm pacing myself so as to not re-injure my rotar cuff.

Almost There - Studio Redux

Let me start this post by saying how much I hate humidity!  I really really really hate humidity!

The cubbies are almost empty and ready to move to the new studio space, so much to do and so little time to get it all done in :-(  I'm a day behind but otherwise am very happy with the progress being made :-)

The green wall is where the cubbies will be going, soon the boxes, filing cabinet, and the loom will be going bye bye along with all of the bags of wool in the wire cubbies to the left.  On the red case to the right I will hang my thread racks, and underneath those will go my thread/bead bins.  My studio table will live in the large open area, it all looks small in the photos but is actually quite spacious.  The cubbies are approximately 5 feet by 8 feet by 14 inches deep.

The contents of the cubbies have been moved to the new studio and are hogging my cutting table space.  It doesn't look like much but BON it does fill the cubbies to capacity.  The cutting table will soon leave and my drawing table will take it's place.

Studio Redux 062511

Color pencil tin.  Organizing my new studio space, bought a new tin today... well actually have been waiting a year for Dakota Junction to open up and have their annual flea market sale... It is short enough that I can find my stubby pencils once again.

House Fan Croaked - Yikes!!!

John and I were busily moving stuff this evening for the studio and the family room, at one point I commented that the air just wasn't moving in the house.  Sure enough when I went upstairs I noticed the absence of noise that our house fan creates. 

THIS IS NOT GOOD PEOPLE!!! I only run the Central Air when it's so hot and so humid that it makes me physically ill, that is how much I hate artificial air. 

BUT I really MUST have my house fan!  It creates a draft that makes my 1905 Victorian wanna be enjoybable to live in :-) 

So with that in mind I will be listing some yummies tomorrow, favorites from my studio, so that I can buy a new house fan by this weekend.  Praise the Lord the high here tomorrow is supposed to be 61F, there is a plan for everything isn't there and you have to know how much I love my house fan that I'm willing to sell my babies!

Break

Took a break from working on the studio space today, PT was especially vigerous and was the last one of regular therapy until Friday when pool therapy begins.  I'm back to walking a mile plus a day again and the shoulder stretches and exercises have the wonderful side effect of tightening upper arm flab!

Angel reviewing the changes to her world, happily she has found where we put the sofa and all is well with her again.

Studio Insanity

This is my future sewing area, it'll look completely different come tomorrow.  It still looks like hoarderville in the dining and living rooms but we are making progress.  Photos coming soon.

The Storm Before the Calm

Chaos, utter chaos is what this is!

Pepper sleeping during the storm!

Shot of my new studio space from the stairwell.  The floor is original and is in a picture frame pattern.

What is a dining room if you can't shove all sorts of stuff into it? It'll be empty of all the "stuff" come next Friday, even that peach colored hutch is going bye bye at the yard sale.

Our future family room, otherwise known as the Library but in reality is a catch all room.  In 1905 this house was a true double parlor home, this room was the family parlor.

Studio Redux 061411

The excitement and anticipation is starting to set in, I cannot wait to work in my new studio space!  John is retrofiting an old book shelf to fit it's new space, then we will move three bookshelves into the new space and a final bookshelf will be retrofitted for the space.  I wasn't sure as to how I'd fit everything into the space but with the two bookshelves being rehabbed it'll work!  Photos on Thursday.

Until then my madder root dye bath, that I have been ignoring and horribly so had the good graces to turn red yesterday so tomorrow it's off to wet studio and will be dyeing a variety of fabrics.

Studio Update 061311

Moved my silk cocoon collect from the shelf in the library to the chicken coop in my n ew studio space, they won't stay here long as I have plans to flip the chicken coop over 180 degrees so that the cubbies on the coop are in the correct orientation. 

Once I'm finished unloading the shelf in the library John will break it down, it's nailed together, and then cut the shelves themselves down so that the unit isn't as wide, then reassemble the unit once again.

In the mean time I have lighting issues that need to be dealt with in my new studio space.  The painting will be moving into the library/family room once everything is set up, for right now this is the safest place for it :-(

Studio Thoughts

A few supplies, these will be moved into the new studio space this week, can't wait to have my supplies all in one spot.

Studio Redux

Small bits of furniture now living the attic, chicken coop now in my future studio!  The tv and the dresser will also be going bye bye.  More later.

River Birch Stand

Stand of river birch that have died long ago, the basis for a new painting that is O'Keefe inspired.

Mad about Madder Root Natural Dye e-Class

Class starts tomorrow June 3rd!  Membership at the Natural Surface Network is required.  Cost is $30.00 (USD)  This class is a self directed class. 

 

Once you are enrolled in the class you will have access to video, instructions, etc. I will check the classroom daily for questions.



White Peonies

Heritage Rose

Old fashioned pink rose.

Pretty in Pink

Pink Peonies.  More from my studio tomorrow, I've been working hard in the yard/garden to get things done before the rains get here.