Art Outpost

The Joy of Books

2012-01-23T03:15:00.007-06:00

50/50

2012-01-23T03:02:00.001-06:00

An annual exhibit at the AIGA National Design Center presents the best in book design and book covers published in 2010 in the 2011 competition.

All of the book covers are in the design archives here.

A few of my favorites ...

This book is a memoir of two years in the life of a Jewish librarian in a Boston prison. The portrait is made up of colored library date stamps.

This is one of my favorite reads of 2011.

And this one was gifted to me by my daughter for Christmas.

Book of the Month Club

2012-01-18T03:18:00.051-06:00

Via Spoon & Tamago

The concept is a mobile pop-up book shop, and this second iteration was called Numabookcat.

This sculpture in books is great, but there's more. After a conversation with the bookseller and the exchange of 4200 yen, you would be mailed a book every month for a year based on this interview. Kind of like telling your fortune in books.

How often would the book selection be just right, I wonder?

U-Ram Choe Kinetic Sculpture

2011-11-16T05:59:00.000-06:00

B Yourself

2011-10-21T21:13:00.007-05:00

Set the Black Cat to the task of doing the cutting on multiples of a Paula Best rubber stamp,

the "B Yourself Mannequin". I scanned a print of the stamp at 100% and traced the outer

edge, cut multiples in cardstock, and then hand stamped using a stamp positioner.

It was a little off in places, requiring a tiny bit of trimming, but not much.

There's probably a better way to do this, but I haven't investigated yet.

It's hard to see in the pictures, but I cut three images for each tag to paper-piece

them together: basically the bottom is the whole stamp, the middle is the

mannequin minus stand and wings, and the top is the head and rabbit.

So that's a lot of mannequin that I didn't have to cut out by hand. That is an excellent thing.

I tweaked a basic tag shape in the MTC program, and cut tags from Donna Estabrooks'

"the Colorful Life" 8x8 cardstock pack, and then cut a shadow layer in black.

On some of the tags, I used the Tim Holtz Pickett Fence Distress Stain to tone the colors down.

The "B Yourself" figures were partially colored first with various Distress Stain

colors and then over-colored with Copic markers. Some of them got a final distressing

with the Picket Fence stain. Added ribbon and a little key charm to finish.

These three also got a "believe" stamp, embossed in white detail EP.

I also used the cutter to design and cut an envelope for the tags, which were then embossed

with the cuttlebug and finished with a tiny 3D letter "B" sticker. Some of the mannequins got

brown faces, for all of us Mocha Divas (saw that on the TLoblog commentary recently,

and it tickled me), and the rest are bit more fantasy face.

Something Old, Something New

2011-10-12T04:34:00.000-05:00

The new labels!

Rock, Paper, Vinyl

2011-10-12T03:58:00.001-05:00

In a previous post, I mentioned using the new digital cutter to make new labels

for the card catalog that holds a lot of my crafting supplies and rubber stamps.

And I rather blithely mentioned that paper didn't work so well.

May I present Exhibit A: Paper Not Working So Well

Then I remembered the little sample of cut vinyl that came with the cutter as a test cut.

I'd never cut vinyl on the Craft Robo, so it hadn't occurred to me until now to use it.

So I dug out a roll of vinyl that I'd bought a long time ago and never used, and it worked really well. The experiments I'd tried with transferring and gluing paper were marginal at best, and the vinyl has an adhesive on the back already. "Weeded" (vinyl sign talk for getting rid of the little bits inside the shape with an x-acto or other tool) it and lifted the letters off the backing with transfer tape . . .

and then transferred it from there to a piece of transparency paper.

That was rather fun.

A lot more fun than scraping tiny letters off a mat.

The Day We Changed Our Lives Forever

2011-09-15T17:26:00.002-05:00

Cut paper and hand sewn tunnel books by Andrea Dezsö with interactive LED lights.
" ... tiny red, green and blue LED lights that correspond to three sliding knobs on the wall. Shifting the balance of light from blue to green changes the energies and intentions of conversing devils, whispering rabbits, dancing pixies, perching grasshoppers; the creatures live in aÊtenuous balance between cute and sinister according to the behaviors of red, green and blue. Here, the narratives are open-ended; we create the story as we the turn the knob."
Chloe Hawkins: Zero to Superhero, NY Arts Magazine

Pilsner Urquell - The Day Pilsen Struck Gold

2011-09-04T23:56:00.000-05:00

Behind the scenes:

Black Cat Cougar Digital Cutter

2011-08-14T05:05:00.010-05:00

I have a little obsession with digital diecut machines. Not that big, I guess ... as I am reading recently in various forums about people that have several, and prior to this week, I just had the one itty-bitty one. Now I have a bigger one that will cut 13 inches wide rather than 8 inches) and can cut through a variety of thicker materials that the bitty one couldn't -

a Black Cat Cougar "Cub".

Here's the Cougar with my cute little first generation Craft Robo.

Project One is making a record of different kinds of papers and settings used ... cut the tags on the Cougar out of cardstock. Printed out labels to put on them and glued on a little sample of the paper.

Project Two is cutting labels for the drawers of the card catalog. Needed to be done, and I thought cut labels on a clear background would look more interesting visually than just printed ones. Kind of a "because I can" moment. I'm using an Arts and Crafts style font, Chelsea Studio.
After experimenting with paper, I discovered vinyl. How could I have not known about vinyl before now?! After cutting the labels in vinyl, it was easy to transfer that to a transparency and then trim the transparency to fit the drawer front.

Exploding the Codex: Theatre of the Book

2011-08-12T03:50:00.000-05:00

EXPLODING THE CODEX from Douglas Sandberg on Vimeo.

Through Felt and Wire, a film and photographs by Douglas Sandberg Photography featuring artist's books from the collection of Mary Austin in a show entitled "Exploding the Codex: Theatre of the Book". I especially like "Inside Chance", a book using a form I've seen in several children's toys ... as it is a kinetic piece it's best to see it in the film, at about minute 3.

French Toast

2011-08-12T03:36:00.000-05:00

It's been ages since I made French toast. I looked up the recipe in Joy of Cooking, and it says the first time I made them was in 1988. Somewhere along the way I stopped making them, but I've made up for it in the last few weeks.

This little gravy boat was part of my wedding china. We don't have gravy too often, but we use this all the time for maple syrup.

Back then I used honey in the egg mixture. This time around I used vanilla and cinnamon.

Bacon, strawberries, blueberries, and of course, maple syrup, round everything out nicely.

And it comes out here ...

2011-08-12T02:07:00.002-05:00

Another beautiful day for the Summer Band Jam in the park.

I love the way the trees are reflected at the top of this instrument.

James Koetting - Postal Workers Canceling Stamps

2011-07-15T11:48:00.001-05:00

I heard this awhile back on a Hearing Voices podcast from NPR - a recording of postal employees in Ghana canceling stamps.

3D Printing

2011-07-01T16:40:00.000-05:00

My favorite: Helvetica Cup (This link also has a very cool visual of the quick brown fox and the lazy dog!)

3D printing is just such science-fictional magic ... I think this must be the beginnings of the Star Trek Star Trek replicator. Cunicode (via BoingBoing) company designed 30 coffee cups in 30 days using 3D printing technology. Basically, if I'm understanding this right, layers of binder in a container of ceramic dust were built up one by one to form the object which is then dried, the excess ceramic dust removed, then fired and glazed.

The first 3D printer work I saw was from an Etsy jeweler, nervous system.

nervous system vessel pendant - white nylon and sterling silver

Their beautiful organically-inspired jewelry is made from different plastics and metals

(and with some different processes as well, not just 3D printing.)

Here's their blog: nervous system which has more details about the beginnings, the process, and the inspirations for their lovely art-to-wear.

Handspring Puppet Company and War Horse

2011-06-13T13:04:00.001-05:00

"Handpring Puppet Company: The genius puppetry behind War Horse"

War Horse: A Horse and His Boy

2011-06-13T04:02:00.001-05:00

via luciolepress

via The Telegraph

What caught the corner of my eye during the Tony awards last night was a glimpse of this amazing horse "puppet" created by the Handspring Puppet Company for the play War Horse, which won the Tony for Best Play. It's based on a children's book by Michael Morpurgo, which was published in 1982 and is about WWI as seen through the eyes of a boy's horse. I never read it, as that was well past my horse phase and I hadn't had children yet, but it's a Black Beauty kind of horse story. Black Beauty was one of the books I read over and over again as a girl, along with lots of other horse stories ... My Friend Flicka, The Black Stallion and all of the books in those series.
Anyway, about the puppet. Puppet just seems like such a small, scrawny kind of word for a creation this magnificent. In an interview with the puppeteers in the New York Times, it's revealed that it takes three people to operate each horse (two of them carrying the weight) which weighs between approximately 70 to 85 pounds. The puppeteers inside also have to carry a rider (another 130 to 150 pounds). The puppeteers provide the horse noises, and it takes a coordinated effort to produce the breath sounds -- one person starts, the second person continues, and the third person finishes the sound. This is all in concert with movements that cause the horse's ribcage to rise and fall and the horse's movements. The third person does the head movements, including the eyes and ears and tail.

It takes ten months to make all the puppets for the show; nine horses, soldier puppets, and various birds.

Chenille Hate

2011-05-21T02:17:00.001-05:00

I know.
From love to hate in one warp. Look at it. Lying there so straight and peaceful.
As if just a couple of short weeks ago, it was not acting like some kind of live red and gray
octopus with exactly 212 arms. (Well, it did end up on the warp beam with a few less arms ...)

There were many things that I did in a different way with this warp, all of which innocently changed the yarn from "I can work with this if I'm really patient" to
"I am two seconds from getting the scissors!"

Now I know why some people swear off chenille altogether. Getting the CD book from Su Butler, Understanding Rayon Chenille, though perhaps too late for this scarf.

3D Architecture Dutch Stamps

2011-04-08T10:24:00.004-05:00

Postage stamps for philatelically and technology inclined architecture lovers.

A New Home for Yarn

2011-04-02T17:46:00.003-05:00

First offload all of the yarn from the super cheap bookcase and put it on the treadmill
(which often does double-duty as a storage unit. More often than it's used for walking, in fact).

Then bring in the china cabinet from the garage where we put it after rescuing it at long last from the storage unit. Its first home that I know about was my grandmother's living room in San Antonio. (I don't really remember what she had in it specifically, but it was used in the traditional way. I do remember what was in my grandmother Nina's china cabinet, because my favorite thing to do at her house when I was a child was to take out the little china figures and animals she kept there . . . I remember some little china dogs and perhaps a shepherdess, women in kimono with fans, I think, and some others . . . and have some imaginative play time with them. I don't think I ever broke any, amazingly enough. She also kept peppermint sticks in there.)

Transfer all of the yarn to its new home!

(OK, well . . . almost all the yarn. There is still some on a couple of shelves in the laundry room.)

Admire.

Rest on laurels.

Beads should be a controlled substance . . .

2011-04-02T16:47:00.004-05:00

Really.

These are tiny 11/0 cylinder beads. (And my purely selective OCD tendencies are making an appearance, but I am telling myself I labeled the colors for the benefit of party guests.) These are Toho Treasure Beads found in my local craft store, definitely several notches above the generally available craft seed bead variety pictured below, and quite a bit spendier! Evidently it's the cylinder type beads that you need for more precise bead weaving - or is it loom beading? They have a more consistent shape and size and larger holes for multiple passes of the needle and thread. I've learned a lot about loom beading rather after the fact. The party is over, and it's a day or two later that I learn some very useful techniques for such things as warping, changing the weft threads, preferred size of needles, finishing, etc. The books I have in my stash all have a few pages about loom beading, but I learned the most from a dedicated book that I got from the library, Contemporary Loom Beading: An New Look at a Traditional Stitch. And the best site I found for online instruction of various beading techniques is at Fusion Beads.

Sixteen Candles

2011-04-02T14:50:00.004-05:00

Another birthday, another crafting party!

This time we did loom beading and made some bracelets.

I printed out a template graph and the guests made up their designs and got started. I helped with warping and attempted to demonstrate threading a beading needle with an assist from a needle threader, but the thread was too thick and the needles too thin and the threader too flimsy . . . eventually I broke every one of them with nary a needle threaded. The youngers had no issues with threading, though, and were able to do it without the "assist".

A couple of the girls completed their bracelets before night's end and I added a ribbon crimp end and a toggle clasp for them. The others took their looms home to finish up.

New Yorker Cover - iPhone Brushes App

2011-03-10T20:45:00.001-06:00

A couple of videos - the first one showing the cover drawing in progress by artist Jorge Colombo (from the New Yorker blog). I love that the artist extols the importance of the "undo" function! And the second video is an interview with the artist via ABC.

David Hockney's Fresh Flowers

2011-03-10T20:41:00.007-06:00

via NPR

Catching up on NPR podcasts . . . I just listened to a show from December about an art show featuring tiny works by David Hockney composed and displayed on the screens of iPhones and iPads (In Paris, A Display From David Hockney's Pixelated Period : NPR).
A few things that I liked or wondered about:

1. When Mr. Hockney first began making these little works of art, he emailed them to about two dozen friends in the morning after they were finished. (Imagine being on the email shortlist of David Hockney? And what happens after you get one of these digital paintings . . . should you save it forever? Wouldn't you feel just awful if you accidentally or on purpose deleted it?)

via NPR

2. The paintings were made with various painting/drawing apps for the iPhone/iPad, including an app called Brushes. Here's a look at what other artists at the Brushes site and at a Brushes exhibit of art in Austin, Texas, which opened on March 10, are doing with the app.

3. Hockney would get so into the "painting" process on the iPad that he would sometimes wipe his fingers on his clothing, as if cleaning the paint off. He prefers using his fingers to using a stylus for different effects, and sometimes will use the fingers from his non-dominant hand.

4. The 20 iPods and 20 iPads in the exhibit were on 24 hours a day, and occasionally Hockney would email a new painting to one of the devices, swapping out images.

5. . A quote from this article on the BBC site (which includes a video of Hockney talking about the show) -
"Drawing is rather like playing chess:
your mind races ahead of the moves that you eventually make."

6. There's a companion app that creates a video as you're using the Brushes app, and that's how these videos of drawings from start to finish were created. Portrait videos by artist Olechka are here, and a New Yorker magazine cover here. This cover was drawn in May of 2009 by Jorge Colombo while standing outside Madam Toussaud's Wax Museum in Times Square. (I'm sure we passed by this very spot, or close to it, when we were in NYC in the summer of 2009. We could see the Madame Toussaud golden hand from our hotel room!)

Portlandia: Put A Bird On It

2011-02-14T00:49:00.000-06:00

I've seen this video in a couple of different places now. Hilarious.

Even for someone who has "put a bird on it" here and there and will more than likely do so again. At any given time. Without warning.

Cupcake Liner PomPom Garland

2011-01-16T01:20:00.001-06:00

What's not to like about a handmade pompom garland?
This one - directions included - from Handmade Weddings: More than 50 Crafts to Personalize Your Big Day (through Design Sponge), is made from cupcake liners. The directions say it will take about 4 to 6 hours for 6 twelve foot strands. That sounds like plenty (and also plenty labor-intensive), but I suppose it all depends on the size of the room you need to decorate, and whether you have a crowd of willing minions to do the assembly-line folding and gluing. Right?
All I'm sayin' ... start well in advance. Especially if you're prone to searching for the perfect cupcake liners, and not being able to find them in the right design/color scheme, you decide that you can do some Japanese dyeing of plain liners (or substitute coffee filters! Cheaper! Bigger! Probably more fragile and/or too floppy, but you won't realize that until you've dyed and glued 720 of them!), and do some extra fancy scissor work or punching ... times 720 liners, times double that number if you have a big room to decorate ... times triple hours because you're doing it late at night when minions are not available ... times triple stress because you should have started three weeks earlier ...
Still, it can't be harder or more labor-intensive than the felt pompom garland I was thinking about trying a few weeks ago. After reminding myself about how much work goes into making just one felt ball and then multiplying that by a gazillion ... please. There are not enough minions in the world for such a project and I'm thinking garlands of 720 cupcake liners are a piece of cupcake.

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-31T03:16:00.011-06:00

It really felt like not enough got done this Christmas, nor done at the right times,

but when you get right down to it, there was some decorating happening, and lights lit up . . .

there were some stockings hung . . .

and a bit of cheer spread around here and there . . .

and a couple or three little collections got out of their boxes . . .

and the Egyptian cat on top of the hall closet got her bell and ribbon.

Some of us made some cookies.

And we crafted some steampunkish crafts.

And we made our version of Christmas crackers.

We ate a lot and we sang a lot and we went to church

and we greatly enjoyed the company of friends and relations.

That seems like the right things accomplished then.

Christian Tagliavini

2010-12-09T21:13:00.026-06:00

Amazed wonderment about these 1503 Series photographs by Christian Tagliavini (studiojudith). At first, I thought they were computer-manipulated photographs, but they are carefully crafted portraits of live models wearing die-cuts of what seems to be a combination of fabric and/or paper-backed or stiffened fabric (Correction here: I thought the very long necks on some of the models were post-photo computer manipulation, but Christian explains in the comment below that while Photoshop was utilized for certain atmospheric effects, the long necks are a result of an illusion).

More wonderment at these photographs, a 2008 series called Dame di Cartone (Cardboard Ladies). Kind of like real people paper dolls, yes?

There is a Casting Call on his site, where you can apply to be one of his models. FYI, he's looking for "great character" and perhaps an "element of surprise". I wonder if you might get a flight to Switzerland if you are chosen?

Christian Tagliavini:
"I start with the idea, then I search someone to impersonate it. I build up stories and dramatize them using photography and creativity as a skillful artifice being at the same time author, stage designer, costume designer, casting manager, director and photographer."

Napkins

2010-11-24T23:38:00.008-06:00

This work is part of a room-sized installation of 565 drawings of pen-and-ink flowers on paper napkins by artist Jim Hodges. Hodges explores universal themes, and in this piece, "A Diary of Flowers - Above the Clouds" a correlation is made between the ephemeral nature of the flowers and the material they are drawn on. The 100 napkins in this piece are pinned onto the wall. "A Diary of Flowers", completed in 1995, is now part of the collection of
The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles.

More drawing on napkins from "The Napkin Dad Daily" blog. He started drawing on napkins for his daughters' lunch bags and did these daily until his last daughter graduated from high school in 2005. That first year, he thought all the drawings were thrown out at the end of the lunch period, but for Father's Day his daughter presented him with all the napkins he had drawn for her as a gift. What a sweet story! And how dedicated is that?

I am more prone to obsessively twisting and folding napkins than drawing on them.
When I was younger and holiday meals were hosted by my mother and grandmother, I was the one in charge of setting the table. I often took great pleasure in lining up the plates and silverware, placing the goblets and stemware, selecting candles and making centerpieces, and rolling the napkins into holders or folding them in different configurations. My mother has a buffet with stacks of cloth napkins in different colors and fabrics to choose from, and a wide selection of tablecloths, all ironed and folded and organized just so. Nowadays I am either a guest at a gathering that uses paper plates and napkins, or I am elbow deep in meal preparation and the table gets a last minute frenzied setting as the potatoes are getting mashed or the turkey sliced. I'm thinking about napkins today, though.
I think I once had a tiny little paperback book with diagrams of napkin folds, but haven't seen it for years. There are, though, plenty of sites that have instructions for fancy napkin folds ... like the Water Lily/Rosebud, Bird of Paradise, and Bishop's Hat instructions at The Butler's Guild. (Really?) Martha's site has some simple and elegant napkin folds featured. Happy Thanksgiving!

Eugene Andolsek

2010-11-09T02:31:00.015-06:00

Eugene Andolsek (1921-2008) was an outsider artist who had a secret life creating complex drawings (American Primitive Gallery) ... using graph paper, a compass and a straight edge, and colored inks to create these pieces which never saw the light of day ... he made thousands of them, and they were hidden away and never displayed or shown to anyone until they were discovered by a caregiver when his health was failing. The drawings - highly patterned, kaleidoscopic creations - were a coping mechanism, and he never considered them to be art. An excerpt of an article by Tom Patterson at Raw Vision notes that the patterns his mother stitched into quilts and crocheted piecework were influences on the drawings he later made. They are rather like mandalas, and I can see how creating them would have been a meditative and calming process. And some of them make me want to play the most beautiful game of parcheesi ever.

China Fashion Week

2010-11-04T19:04:00.003-05:00

TLo had a couple of posts on Fashion Week in China post-Project Runway, and I have to say, all the talk on PR about "wearablility" and "on trend" is really boring when you could be looking at something like this. I vote for creatively campy, unwearable, costume-y and over-the-top when it comes to a runway show and Project Runway!

Rare Spider Silk on Exhibit at AMNH

2010-11-03T01:30:00.001-05:00

Yep, I've posted about this before, pretty sure it was on FB. But I came across this video from the Museum of Natural History and one gets a better feel for what the whole process was like.

Eric Joisel, French Sculptor of Origami

2010-10-26T01:08:00.005-05:00

Eric Joisel, French Sculptor of Origami - NYTimes.com:

Recent pieces include a series of musicians, each less than a foot high and each holding an instrument made of a separate piece of paper. This link shows some of the process ... from fold diagrams and collapsed forms, to the pieces after shaping. Incredible!
The NY Times article includes a link to the diagram for making the hedgehog (good luck!), and one to a great trailer for a documentary about ten artists and scientists working in paper/origami. I will be putting this movie, Between the Folds, on my Netflix list posthaste.

Update! I watched this and was a.mazed at the segments on postmodern origami (who knew?) and origami tesselations. I need a really big sheet of paper!

iPhoto - Letterpress Cards

2010-10-22T12:52:00.001-05:00

Lisa Hannigan - I Don't Know

2010-10-20T00:53:00.001-05:00

Paper arts, of course, but also ... love the hat. And the combination of red and burgundy. Get a little caught up in thinking how long one would actually have to cut paper (with a much better pair of scissors), to fill this room.

Invitations to the Wedding of the Year

2010-10-15T19:50:00.028-05:00

I was planning to save all letterpress posts, including the anguish of acquisition and all,
for a dedicated letterpress blog, and I still may do that. But I thought I'd post pictures
of the invitations I printed, designed with my daughter, for her wedding.

A nice tidy stack.

There is another, untidy stack that didn't make the final cut.

(There is still major tweaking to be done in the cycle of the press,

specifically having to do with the rollers and when and how they meet the form.)

Invitation assembly. Almost done!

Printing the flower disks. I worked it out so I could slide

the disks into a half-circle template, four at a time.

Sweet. They almost look edible.

Turn Around

2010-10-10T19:00:00.001-05:00

10.10.10

Rag and Bone

2010-09-22T02:57:00.002-05:00

One of my favorite blogs for seeing a vast variety of art and artists in paper and book arts is Rag and Bone. Some things that caught my eye on this visit:
Folded "word" books by Veronica Salazar

The classic British red phone booth recycled into darling little libraries

"Corrugations" folded by Dutch artist Noud van den Boer

Paper Couture

2010-09-22T01:26:00.005-05:00

A Zoe Bradley Paper Dress Installation

Through the Rag and Bone blog, a Cardboardia Paper Clothing Gathering

Zoe Bradley

2010-09-21T23:52:00.003-05:00

I know these pictures of the fantabulous paper stylings of Zoe Bradley have made the rounds long ago... these I found here ... but they're here now!
There's talk of weddings around here, and if I had more time, I would totally attempt some grand paper flower gesture at the reception.

Handmade Artist's Christmas Cards

2010-01-26T13:31:00.003-06:00

Catching on on reading, and came across this article in the December issue of Smithsonian magazine about an exhibit of artist's handmade Christmas cards at the Smithsonian Reynolds Center for American Art and Portraiture. An interesting note in the article is that the cards were selected from a collection of artist's ephemera, an archive that includes journals, photographs, and sales receipts. (Be careful what you save!)

Blockprint sent by William Zorach, Lithuanian-American sculptor, and his wife, Margeurite, to artist Alfred J. Frueh.

Frederick Hammersley's screenprinted Christmas card design.

NZ Book Council - Going West

2009-12-28T01:47:00.002-06:00

Chenille Love

2009-10-06T13:59:00.003-05:00

I warped up enough for two scarves ... this is the second in progress, with a substitution of the black for the dark blue in the weft. I was a little worried that the pattern would not show up at all after wetfinishing. In the end, the patterning is subtle, but still noticeable in both scarves. The pattern is an extended point shadow weave (not that I really understand what that means, exactly) from
A Weaver's Book of 8-Shaft Patterns. Sett at 20 epi (elongated the pattern into a long diamond).

Scarf #1 after wetfinishing.

Scarves #1 and #2. The black weft greyed out the color... most noted when side by side or when examining the fringe.

And speaking of fringe. I'm not sure what I did wrong, because I twisted fringe exactly the same way with a previous scarf. It could be because I didn't hem stitch the start and finish or that the fringe was a couple of inches longer. I pulled out the worming, but I'm sure it will do the same thing again when washed again. Since I put Fray Check on the knots, I'm not even sure I can retwist them.

How does your garden grow?

2009-09-15T03:17:00.007-05:00

This year not so well. Guilty of outright neglect.
Next year will be better. Pinkie promise.
Right this very minute I am making a cold cucumber soup with fresh dill. Not from my garden, which has mostly never had veggies or herbs in it anyway. Unless you count the mint that threatened to take over the city. But still.
And I am trying these zucchini fritters from whipped to go along with.
(100 Proof Press (veggies), Herbarium or Leavenworth Jackson? (guano bag)
I cannot tell you how I ended up with a bag of dancing guano (that's bat ... fertilizer). Well, actually I can tell you how I ended up with it ... it came in a grab bag purchase. I don't think even I would willingly buy a stamp of a bag of dancing guano. It is kind of cute, though.
I cut the stamp outline and the shadow out with the Craft Robo.

Canon SELPHY ES40 Compact Photo Printer

2009-09-01T08:27:00.004-05:00

Canon SELPHY ES40 Compact Photo Printer: "SELPHY ES40"
Why I am thinking about another photo printer is beyond me. While on vacation I managed to change the settings on my camera without realizing it, and all the way from New York to Cape Cod I took pictures that can only be printed out on a postage stamp.

From the Archives: Soft Block Carvings

2009-09-01T03:09:00.002-05:00

Duke Ellington

The Tempest (sweet airs) - carved on one block, the instrument on the large surface and the bow on the side

The Arboretum (originally designed as a letterboxing stamp)

Not Mastering the Art of French Cooking

2009-08-15T13:54:00.001-05:00

Looking forward to seeing "Julie and Julia" after having read the book for book group this year.
When at the Smithsonian Museum of American History this summer we saw Julia's kitchen on display. It would no longer be possible to place a stick of butter, or any other tribute, actually in the kitchen. It's all behind plexiglass now.

The 2009 Smithsonian Craft Show

2009-07-19T01:57:00.013-05:00

Just a very few of the very amazing wearable art pieces shown at the Smithsonian Craft Show in 2009. From the fact sheet: "The Smithsonian Craft Show features 120 superb craft artists, each one reflecting the story of contemporary American craft in one of 12 categories: basketry, ceramics, decorative fiber, furniture, glass, jewelry, leather, metal, mixed media, jewelry, wearable art and wood. The individual artists or partnerships, including 44 first-time participants, are selected by a panel of 3 jurors, a new set each year, from over 1,300 applicants."

Turquoise Jacket/Scarf (handwoven complex twill in silk, merino wool, and rayon jacket, and handwoven and felted scarf in merino wool) and Blue Cool Squares (handwoven and felted merino wool jacket, handwoven silk and wool collapse weave scarf) -
by Patricia Palson, Contoocook, New Hampshire.

Detail: Firefall Euro Jacket - needlefelted merino wool
by Candiss Cole, Sedona Arizona.

These whimsical, organic, handfelted hats are by
Lauri Chambers, Nordland, Washington.

The Louet David Loom

2009-05-22T01:40:00.009-05:00

It seemed serendipitous that I was musing about how a lot of the weaving drafts I was looking at in books required at least 8 shafts, (and I, alas, had only four) at the same time that I wandered into the basement of Lakeside Fibers during a spring sale. The store's
owner(s) had decided to divest themselves of all weaving equipment and supplies and their demo looms were for sale.
Kismet, right?
And so, the Louet David, in cherry, an 8-shaft, 10 treadle sinking-shed loom, joined the Harrisville in the sunroom. V-e-r-y tight quarters, but I made them fit, I think. Sort of.

The Harrisville Loom

2009-05-22T01:23:00.005-05:00

Up into the light at last, with a warp that was meant to be a baby blanket for the child now graduated from college. I had to buy a new handle for the beams, and make a new bar for connecting the warp beam to the castle, but that was about it ...
This is a four shaft Harrisville Designs loom that I built from a kit. It has four treadles with direct tie-up, but if I ever felt the need I can evidently buy a conversion to make it six treadles.

I replaced many, many broken warp threads, but felt I owed it to the weaving gods to try to finish it.

Tied onto the the warp beam, but the replacement of so many threads caused this waterfall of tangled warp when finally ready. I cut off the last six inches or so... I didn't have enough weft for weaving the whole length anyway.

Started weaving and finished within two days. It's a waffle weave, though the waffle-ly part would be deeper with more shafts. The baby seemed pleased with it, though...

April in Chicago

2009-04-30T01:58:00.002-05:00

An overnight trip to the Chicago Art Institute and the Field Museum. We spent most of our time in the African and Asian wings.

We missed seeing the Pirates exhibit at the Field Musuem, but we plan to return in the fall.

Ode to Trader Joe's

2009-03-11T00:02:00.004-05:00

(Came upon this on another blog and later find out it's called "If I Made A Commercial for Trader Joe's", created by Carl Willat and posted on YouTube. A nice tribute to a fine spot. Too bad it's a store that's not in the golden circle of travel time from my abode.)

From the Archives: Fun with Art Stamps

2009-03-05T02:54:00.004-06:00

Zettiology (flying creature, alpha, cloud),
100 Proof Press (buildings)

Ma Vinci's Reliquary (numbers), 100 Proof Press (ribbon)
and?

ERA Graphics

Paula Best

hmmm... Redhead?

100 Proof Press (dancing elephant), Leavenworth Jackson (shell), Gumbo Graphics (cityscape), Stampscapes (stars)

Crazy Quilts and the Contemporary Crafter

2009-03-05T00:55:00.003-06:00

I saved this article by Gayle Worland from the Sunday paper on March 1, because there were a few things that really resonated with me in the interview with Beverly Gordon (professor of textiles and apparel design at UW-Madison and the curator of this exhibit, "A Fairyland of Fabrics: The Victorian Crazy Quilt" )

She compares the craft of these women to present day scrapbooking (and that segues into other paper and fabric crafts), citing an emphasis on creativity, invention, and play, and the importance of "abundance" and "collecting" of material as part of what fuels the craft(s). There's also the intriguing aspect of collective motifs - themes or subjects that appeal to many of us who do the same kind of art and craft that are reflective of our time and cultures and interests.

I quite like this quote the article ends with:

"There's a sense that there's infinite possibilities with materials and making beautiful things ... It's about making something with little bits, the fascination of combinations, because essentially they are a collage."

More Artistamps

2009-03-04T13:08:00.003-06:00

An homage to Wilson's in Door County, made to go with the postcard below. Just a cropped unedited photograph with text added. I think I had the pinhole perforator when I made this, but for some reason chose to use the old Fiskar's postage stamp edger instead. The perforator might have been buried under the leaf blower and other lawn-related junk as it lives in the garage right now.

A Wilson's hot fudge sundae (pencil/colored pencil, pen), with A- waiting for me to take the photo in the background. My kids are very tolerant of my quirks, generally speaking.

This is the first artistamp I ever made, I think. No graphics software, so just text printed on cardstock, and then the sisters were collaged together on top of gold tissue paper, glued onto the background, swiped with a gold inkpad, flicked with gold paint, and then reproduced by color copy. It was made for a book group invitation to a discussion of Wuthering Heights.

Artistamp Mailing List Anniversary

2009-03-04T12:51:00.003-06:00

It's time for the annual AML (Artistamp Mailing List) anniversary exchange. This is the 10th anniversary, though I have only participated in three of the exchanges so far. At the moment I can't find the first one I did, but the last two years were still on my desk or by the computer.

9th anniversary: digital photo of watercolor/rapidograph (old college-era) piece and added text in Photoshop.

8th Anniversary: another re-purposed watercolor, this one was unfinished (for good reason), but fixed the bird's beak and added a background in Photoshop.

Zetti Ornaments

2008-11-29T00:27:00.015-06:00

Ornament for a ZettiZoo exchange ~

Sewn taffeta body (stamped with Stampers Anonymous text stamp U1-722), domino face (stamped with Zettiology 0101E face), alcohol marker coloring.

ArtGirlz crown. Collar beads are a modified "gift tie-on" from Target Christmas season '07.

Didn't find any more in this year's selection... but I did collect some glass chandelier drops there this year, so didn't feel so bad then...).

Letterheads Paper Doll RR

2008-11-28T04:51:00.029-06:00

At long last completed and mailed! This was a paper doll round robin through the Letterheads Yahoo group. The participants began with a concept paper doll and case, and mailed them off to others to add bits and pieces. My doll was a Dias de los Muertos theme, pictured HERE, (Cris' additions to my doll are added there as well), and this doll is the brainchild of Cris P., a magnetic doll housed in an LP album case. Each slipcase was to represent a place that you had traveled to or wanted to travel to, and would include travel ephemera along with magnetic clothing and accessories for the doll.

I chose to have Cris' doll visit "Reality TV" via Project Runway in New York City, and was bound and determined to coordinate the Craft Robo with Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop.

I finally figured it out, the cutting, print and cut, the remarkable importance of "orientation", but there was much ado and a lot of wasted paper...
Sleeve front: The outside of the envelope formed a pocket for the "travel" miscellany, (a map of Bryant Park, an adapted Fashion Week schedule, an invented ticket, and a postcard), with a backdrop of a NYC cityscape, and a foreground collage of Season 5 contestants with Tim Gunn and Heidi Klum.

Inside the sleeve are three components:
1) The Workroom (three dress forms with magnets on the back to hold the paper fashions, and three magnetic PR "challenge" outfits. My daughter pronounced the first one to be an "out", and the other two were modeled after a "garden" and a "museum" challenge.)

3) "Tim Gunn's Bon Mots", which has paper sliders that pull out to reveal some of my favorite Tim Gunn quotes from various seasons. I tried and failed, for various reasons that I cannot even comprehend, to do this completely with the Craft Robo and Illustrator, but the circles, slider holes, Tim Gunn pulls, and the backing sheets, at least, were cut out on the CR. I had to manually match the NY pictures and glue in the quotes so they could be seen in the windows.

The Bryant Park photograph by Sonja Peiper used in the postcard is from wikimedia, an archive of free-use photographs; the NYC image by Roswitha Schacht used on the outside of the LP sleeve and Tim Gunn's Bon Mots is from morguefile, another public image archive.

More or less how...

Paper Sculture and the Craft Robo

2008-10-05T23:05:00.010-05:00

Yet another crisis when trying to use the Craft Robo, this time the culprit appears to be too much pressure and not enough test cuts (i.e. none). Ruined a blade and the cutting strip this time. However, now I know how to do multiple test cuts and will do so religiously from now on.

In my search for answers online, I clicked a link on the Graphtec America Craft Robo Store titled "See What Others Are Roboing".

That led to the flickr photos of Polyscene and EnWhySee, along with a side trip to the paper engineering site of Ingrid Siliakus.

These examples of paper engineering aided by the Craft Robo are from Polyscene's photos.

This is an example of some of the very complex work from Ingrid Siliakus' gallery. Do look there if you like this kind of work... amazing! I'm not really sure, as the site is in Dutch, but I think the cutting and scoring is all done by hand, with many test models before the final piece is completed.

Figuring out how to simplify the completion of paper engineering projects was one of the main reasons I bought this machine, but I'm still struggling with the basics. Inspired now to keep trying, though ... (but now I have to wait for new blades to arrive.)
Both of the artists linked from the Craft Robo site are using sheets of a lightweight plastic called polypropylene, but so far no luck locating any.

Anthropologie

2008-09-07T10:54:00.017-05:00

Anthropologie transforms discarded books into sculpture:

Pictures are from (1,2) casasugar, (3) apartment therapy through aesthetic outburst, and (4, 5) dreambirdz.

These displays almost make me want to buy some overpriced clothing... or at least a doorknob.

Random Doodles

2008-09-06T16:10:00.008-05:00

My daughter has a campus newspaper comic strip!

We keep up with what she's doing at Random Doodles ...

Orizomegami

2008-09-06T14:51:00.011-05:00

A couple of pics of orizomegami papers that were made by 3rd-5th grades when I was teaching elementary art. (Actually, I called it orizomegami, as that is what I did in an after-school class once upon a time, but really we did a combination of orizomegami (folding only) and itajime (sandwiching the folded bundles in clothespins and binder clips and the like). A book I used for reference is Paper Art, by Diane Maurer-Mathison. We made some things out of the papers... some japanese stab-bound books, little holders for seals they made. And some of them were simply mounted on paper for display. These papers were some of the leftovers that kids bequethed to me (or I fished out of the trash can ... for them it was all about the process, which is something I should get back to! I'm going to see if I can find some of the pictures of the ones we mounted... many of them were stunning. I've used a few of these scraps as backgrounds for cards, like the one below. The bird was designed by my friend Mary for Prickley Pear.

A Bug's Life

2008-08-28T21:53:00.013-05:00

While looking for something else, I stumbled across the website of
Jennifer Angus, who is an associate professor at the University of Wisconsin - Madison, in the school of Environment, Textiles, and Design. (Yes, that was my first degree... except it might have been called something else back in the day)

She does these amazing installations that are made of real (though thoroughly dead) insects, mounted on walls and placed in precise patterns. Beautiful, repellent and fascinating at the same time, somehow; a marvel from across a room or inches away...

These last three photos are from an installation at the
North Dakota Museum of Art.

There is a video that shows some of the process of doing an installation on her website, and also some educational games for kids.

She says that the insects are reused for installations until they cannot be repaired anymore, but I can't imagine that we will ever run out. Of bugs, that is. Insects will be the last living creatures on earth. I missed the Chazen exhibit last year in Madison ... it would have been great to see in person; I have a well-known and cataloged fear of insects coupled with a kind of morbid obsession.

Breaking Dawn Masquerade Ball

2008-08-03T00:42:00.021-05:00

Barnes and Noble announced a masquerade ball for the book release party of Stephenie Meyer's Breaking Dawn, and we decided to make masks for the event. M. and friends gathered on a Friday night and decorated paper-mache covered plastic masks with paint, fabric trim, feathers, sequins, jewels, etc. We made a fine mess.

I decided to make one at the last minute. You never know when you might be invited to a ball.

At the ball, there were many fans who were dressed in prom/homecoming type dresses or vampire black and fancy and not so fancy masks. I don't think I've ever been to a midnight release party, but it was kind of fun. I pulled up a footstool and browsed through several art/collage books after admiring all the finery. We chose not to dress up, but did carry the masks with us.

This young couple, who had made their masks that day, using plaster strips to form them, allowed me to take a picture of them. They and we were at the very front of the line, along with others who had submitted art (M.s friend!) or had been to all three of the release parties.

At one minute to midnight, the wrappings were torn off the cases of books waiting behind the counter. By 12:05 we were out the door and on the way home...
M. finished the book before she went to bed tonight. I still have two more to go before I can read it.

Polaroid PoGo - Gadget Geek Alert

2008-07-25T11:29:00.010-05:00

I saw this amazing and super wonderful little printer on telly today.
Standing at the ironing board (Do not look askance! It happens sometimes!) and not paying much mind to the TV until I heard the words "INKLESS"!
No ink. The paper has heat-activated dye crystals embedded in it, and it prints out little 2x3 pictures. The technology is called "Zink" - Z = Zero Ink.
I think I'm in love!
Of course, I said the very same thing in reference to the other little Polaroid-type camera, the i-zone... the one with the tiny little prints that were in vogue several years ago. You know I still have an unopened one and some film down in the basement.
This one is supposed to retail for $150 this fall. Don't I need it?
It's called the Polaroid PoGo. Check it out here.

Annabelle Hydrangea

2008-06-28T16:49:00.002-05:00

This row of hydrangeas was a gift from my mom several years ago. I'm never sure if I'm doing the right thing... cut it back in the fall, don't cut back, when to cut blooms for drying (I think I finally have that right, anyway. First they're green, then white, then green again ~ then they will dry nicely. I planted them in the right place, too... because they have been doing very well. I have a pinkish mophead hydrangea in the back... and that one I think I got wrong, because this is the first year that it's bloomed. For those, I read that you shouldn't cut them back in the fall, because that's what the new blooms form on. I need more. Must have more.

A summer outing to the Chazen Museum

2008-06-19T23:32:00.010-05:00

I took M. and friend on a little field trip to the Chazen Museum today.
This Deborah Butterfield horse sculpture is one of my favorites from the permanent collection. It's actually part of ArtSmart program, a collaborative program between the museum and the school district. We had posters of this work and some of Deborah Butterfield's other works at school, and I had some lesson plans based on her work. One I remember in particular was a felt hobby horse I made with kindergartners - great fun but very labor-intensive for yours truly.

This is one that M. was particularly taken with. I don't remember who the artist is, though... I'll have to look it up next time we go.

There is one Louise Nevelson work in the permanent collection. Both M. and I like the use of the violin (and cello?) bridges in the piece. Every time I see it I think about getting some old bridges to use in some assembly work. I do have a little collection of the pegs for strings... I always thought they would make great little doll pieces.

We were actually there to see an temporary exhibit: "Ringmaster: Judy Onofrio and the Art of the Circus". The museum description:
"Judy Onofrio’s life-sized sculptures of extraordinary performers, animals, and circus acts will be exhibited alongside examples of banners, posters, and carvings—drawn from the Circus World Museum collection—that have inspired her work. Onofrio’s glittering constructions are carved, molded, painted, and assembled from wood, fiberglass, beads, ceramic shards, and collected objects. With Onofrio as ringmaster, these materials take form as contortionists, acrobats, and magicians of yesteryear who once again twist, soar, and cast spells for audience..."
Photographs of the temporary exhibits are not allowed, but you can see some of the pieces that were on display at her website. I was amazed at how large the pieces were... some of them must have been 12 feet high... and so detailed.
In Ring of Fire, (third row down on the page you can get to from the "exhibition" link on the left), the woman balances without being attached to the hoop... you can see her swaying gently up in the air.

I've probably passed by this door a million times... it's a church right in the middle of campus... between the Humanities Building, the Chazen, the University Book Store, and the Lake Street Parking Ramp (where I have spent countless hours roaming in circles looking for parking), but I don't think I've ever had a camera when I passed by the very cool doors.
We wandered over to the Union, got a Babcock Hall ice cream cone, and sat out on the terrace to watch the lake and the boats. (This is right after the major rains/flooding we had here, so the lake level is really high, and probably a bit toxic at this point, but that doesn't seem to phase anybody out there.)

Texas Barbeque

2008-06-02T12:32:00.021-05:00

We were in Texas checking up on the old home place. On the way out of San Antonio we stop at Rudy's. We're tickled that they bill themselves as the "Worst Bar-B-Q in Texas". It's good, though. When my grandmother and great aunt did the run out to the country house, they always stopped here. In Texas it seems that barbeque is not served on plates. You get a kind of deli paper for the meat, and rectangular paper bowls or styrofoam cups for the beans and potato salad, etc. When you order your barbecue, you don't order a sandwich, you order by the pound. And the bread, at least the bread I've seen, is always from a loaf of soft white bread.

The rest of the pictures are from Woody's, the barbeque/gas station/convenience store down the highway from the old home place. Much the same scenario... house barbeque sauce for sale, and all manner of meats and other foods for sale, including fudge, pecan pie, and those pink peanut patties I used to eat all the time when we visited grandmom in the summer. Two big stainless steel serving canisters of iced tea, one sweet and one unsweetened. Picnic tables and loaves of bread just laid out on the table... help yourself. The gentlemen behind the counter were pleased to provide samples of everything they had for sale, including buffalo and venison jerky, and elk summer sausage.

Spring

2008-05-21T21:35:00.002-05:00

WDW 2008 - Welcome home.

2008-04-10T21:03:00.003-05:00

WDW 2008 - These are a few of my favorite things...

2008-04-10T20:19:00.002-05:00

Some of our favorite WDW things... the Cinderella Carousel and Castle, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, entering the Magic Kingdom and heading down Main Street, the Indiana Jones show at Hollywood Studios, Space Mountain, and It's a Small World.

WDW 2008 - We Like Trains

2008-04-10T20:07:00.006-05:00

Magic Kingdom

Animal Kingdom

OK. Not officially a train. But it's the Thunder Mountain Railroad engine. I think it counts.

WDW - Animal Kingdom and Lodge

2008-04-10T19:20:00.013-05:00

This is the first time we've been to the Animal Kingdom or the Animal Kingdom Lodge. Like the Kingdom... LOVED the lodge.

Expedition Everest

We saw the vine woman! She's on stilts and moves ever so slowly...

Animal Kingdom Lodge - looking over the pool area. We had a reservation for a dinner buffet at Boma. So delish... they were kind enough to email some of the recipes for dishes we liked most.

This is the lobby area. We (I, that is), decided we have to save all our pennies in order to be able to stay here a few days.

Detail of the chandeliers.

In amongst all the artful "inspired by" were many original pieces of African art.

WDW 2008 - Dumbo and The Teacups

2008-04-10T19:12:00.003-05:00

Two of our most favoritest places in the Kingdom.

The view from Dumbo.

WDW 2008 - Port Orleans Riverside, Contemporary Resort

2008-04-01T18:29:00.011-05:00

A new resort for us this time... Port Orleans Riverside. Very charming and peaceful (for WDW) atmosphere. You can take a boat from here to Downtown Disney, but we never had the time!

On day four it was back to our favorite resort so far, the Contemporary. Mostly because of the monorail going through the hotel, the size of the room & bathroom layout, and because we can walk to the Magic Kingdom.

The mural in the Contemporary.

The view from our window. Yup, it's zoomed a bit. In the real view you can see the parking lot and construction. But it is the cat's PJs to see the fireworks from your room...

Chef Mickey's. Start twirling your napkins.

Winter 2007-2008

2008-02-10T17:01:00.001-06:00

An exceptional winter.

Mississippi Houseboat

2007-10-10T14:32:00.026-05:00

My book group took a weekend excursion on the Mississippi on a houseboat, courtesy of the planning and piloting of a member and her friend who loves being on the river. We had to have a book, of course... and that book was The River Queen.

Houseboats in a row.

Home away from home. Very cozy, with electricity and a real live bathroom.

Close quarters, but comfy nonetheless.

Our main activities were kayaking, eating, reading, eating,

talking, eating, admiring the views as we toodled up and down the river,

and eating.

The food... many thanks to the book club members, all of whom it seems are quite accomplished cooks. My contribution was an appetizer of hot spiced pecans, and a Red Velvet Cake, a redux of a club meeting for Getting Mother's Body.

The views... the houseboat as we traveled up and down the river or were anchored on a beach, from the kayaks... lazily paddling through the back byways and collecting monkeypods, riding along with or struggling against the current of the Mississippi.

Though it looks idyllic... there were a few "inconveniences" ~

the unexpected and unseasonable heat wave, the flies, the no-see-ums.

Just a little reminder.

Unexpected Landing

2007-09-08T17:46:00.002-05:00

Sometimes in the summer we are graced with the appearance of hot air balloons. This one appeared amongst the neighborhood houses on a rapid and must have been untimely descent.

It came down in a cornfield behind our neighborhood. We walked up, and others in the neighborhood drove to the nearest dead end street out of curiousity. The corn was too high to see more than the balloon, but nothing seemed to be happening.. just an unexpected landing. Within a few minutes a pickup truck with the company's logo drove up. We didn't stay to see what would happen, as the mosquitos were out in droves.

Iris Folding

2007-07-14T14:03:00.008-05:00

My first attempts at iris-folding cards for graduating seniors and a birthday. The papers I used for the last two were thin glossy paper from a book of Japanese print giftwrap papers. The top one was origami paper. The addition of a thin gold line at the edges of the folds helped to define the pattern of the iris. I cut the frame shapes on the Craft Robo, though that would have been pretty easy with an x-acto. But these fancy gadgets have to earn their keep somehow...

Lilies in July

2007-07-07T01:50:00.005-05:00

These are some lilies I bought and planted just before they bloomed. I tend to do that, as I want the immediate gratification, which I now understand is a rare thing in gardening. Once in a while I will get something that will bloom a month or two later, but never do I get a plant whose season is over. I don't want to wait 'til next year to see it. And then, too, in my garden the chances of it coming up the next year are 50-50 or worse.

Oak Wilt Aftermath

2007-06-29T14:11:00.019-05:00

The answer to the question previously put... "can this tree be saved?"... is a resounding, echoing, expensive NO. The tree was pronounced by the city and independent arborist types to be afflicted with oak wilt, a date was set for its removal (the deadline was sometime in the fall), and down it came. The stump was ground, a friend took most of the wood to burn as winter fuel, and we were left with a gaping treeless, grassless, dead zone. It was so sad. This was one of the trees that sealed the deal for the lot purchase... the tree that the house placement was shifted for, the tree that we daydreamed about putting a treehouse in one day, and the tree that we named Genevieve. Now comes spring, and we hired a landscaping company to fill in and fix up the area that the tree was in. The above picture and the one below give an idea about how much dirt was needed to grade the spot.

Here they have almost finished grading the back portion of the lot where the tree was removed. Last is to spread the grass seed and cover with straw, and to mulch in the areas next to the house and rock wall, and back by the wooded area. All that's left is the watering. Day in and day out through the hottest days of the summer. We manage ok by attaching two hoses to the faucet in the back and then not moving the sprinklers, just twisting the lever that switches from one hose to the other. The ground is really soft and can't be stepped on without sinking into the dirt like quicksand.

The wooded area looks semi-civilized for the first time since we've been here. I've started adding more plants along the lines of hostas and columbines, etc. After about the middle of June, though, it's hard to work back here because of the mosquitoes. I am drawn to high-maintenance plants that need lots of watering and plucking and whatnot, but the best plants for back here are the ones that need nothing at all. Ever.

Baby Robins

2007-06-14T15:24:00.010-05:00

We have this little dwarf tree just outside the front door.
A robin made a nest in it and now there are three baby birdies.

I think this is Mother Robin watching from a nearby tree.

Sunset, Facing East

2007-06-01T17:59:00.006-05:00

Once in a great while, I happen to be in the right place, at the right time, and with a camera.

Columbines

2007-05-28T11:03:00.005-05:00

This would be a picture of columbine leaves before the annual infestation of leaf miners. When I first noticed the serpentine markings of the miners, I thought it was just part of the way the plant matured. Now I know better.

the sight of stars

2007-04-18T13:36:00.008-05:00

A card done for an IOSCA exchange (Images of Color Stamp Art yahoo group). The Somali Woman stamp is from Stamp Francisco, and the star background is Stampscapes. The text stamp is from Penny Black, the bottom portion is cut off. The whole quote is "i know nothing with any certainty, but the sight of stars makes me dream" (Van Gogh).

Catrina

2007-04-13T13:40:00.022-05:00

For a Letterheads paperdoll swap, I made a Catrina (Day of the Dead) paper doll. This is her traveling case. The saying on the front of the case translates as "When we live with hope, we die happy". The ribbon closures tie at the side, and a pair of eye milagros adorn the front of the case. That's an Acey Deucey stamp - the one with the guitar.

On the side of the case, the words translate roughly as
"There is more time than life".

When the case is opened, there is a top layer with a coffin-shaped piece tied on with string and a heart milagro. Marigolds, flowers of the dead, were constructed of dyed paper flowers and glued to the case and the coffin piece. The hand milagro lifts out the portion of the case that covers the paper doll's clothing.

The skeleton body was manipulated in Photoshop from clip art and printed on cardstock. Her articulated limbs were attached with the tiniest of eyelets. It was a little tricky making the eyelets tight enough so they weren't floppy, but loose enough so she could be posed. Her makeup was done with Prismacolor color pencils.

Before she went off to her next round robin destination, I made two outfits for her. They were attached at the back with little bendable copper strips. Her dresses were primarily constructed of decorative paper glued to a paper base, with various trims attached. The trim on her ruffled dress is a lace-stamped tissue paper, her boa is also made of tissue paper. Her bridal veil is fabric trim, along with the pearls accenting the gown, and she carries a simple bouquet of calla lilies.

Doesn't she make a beautiful bride? She's off on a round robin. I'll post her new duds and bibelots on her return.

UPDATE:

Cris P. added THE most inventive and beautiful items to Catrina's wardrobe!

All manner of tissue paper Dias de los Muertos miniatures, including a little booklet with a sugar skull recipe and the tiniest papel picado banner...

Queen of the Rodeo...

The traditional Catrina hat...

An envelope of faces...

And more! Thanks again, Cris!

Armando Reverón

2007-02-15T14:59:00.004-06:00

I don't read all the arts news that comes into the inbox, but this one from an article in the New York Times caught my eye. Armando Reverón was an Venezuelan artist, and he made these life-sized dolls to use as models in his paintings. However, they eventually became a kind of extended family; he gave them names, made them clothes and musical instruments and pets, even constructed a cafe for them to hang out in. The writer descibes them as "tattered mummies, a macabre sight", but I found it touching, at least on the surface, that he peopled his life with these dolls.

Spider Bling

2006-10-31T11:45:00.005-06:00

These are spider ring bling. We did these at a Halloween party the other day. The idea came from the beadyeyedbrat Halloween pages online. First painted with acrylic paint, and then sprinkled or dipped in glitter. (A spritz of sealer after the paint dries will keep down "glitter dust".) Jewels, sequins, beads were added with a tacky glue dot ~ (it helps to have a tweezer and a steady hand for the smallest ones).
These are some big spiders that came in the plastic assortment; they're about 3-4 inches from tip to tip though they look smaller in this picture than the rings. Tiny dots of color and decoration can be added with a 3D paint like Scribbles. One could also apply the baubles with one of those fancy tools that heat already-applied adhesive on the back of the jewels. Could also use glitter glue, and I might try a bit of gold-leafing today!

Can this tree be saved?

2006-07-18T01:11:00.005-05:00

Can this tree be saved? When we bought this lot about 6 years ago... this tree was one of the reasons we bought it. It is a huge, magnificent red oak tree. There was another oak tree that was even bigger, but it was, unfortunately, right in the middle of the lot and had to be cut down to build the house. This one was actually too close to the house, but the builder moved the house over and forward as much as he could to try and spare it. And we thought it worked. It's been doing well until this year. Now several branches are dead or dying, and dried leaves are strewn all over the lawn and gardens. I don't know what happened. If it is something called oak wilt, it is just a matter of weeks until it's all over, according to what I've read online. Could it be something else?

Update: The tree did have oak wilt and had to be cut down. Red oaks are particularly susceptible. We have white oaks in the yard as well, and the most magnificent of those also succumbed to oak wilt in 2010. The one pictured here was named Genevieve and was to be the site of a planned tree house. Of course, it was only in the planning stages and probably wouldn't have made it past the neighborhood association rules and regs. (The kind of tree house I had in mind is the kind with climate and insect control.)

Owl Post

2006-06-27T23:18:00.003-05:00

Take an plush owl. This one happens to be an Audobon Great Horned Owl. About 5 inches tall. (It also has a recorded "hoot" that plays when you press its abdomen...) Write a note, roll it up and enclose it, along with some glow-in-the-dark stars, in a "baby soda bottle" (a 2 liter bottle before it is blown up). Tie it securely to the owl's leg, attach a label and postage, and mail it to your kid at camp!

Altered Surplus Library Books - Main College of Art

2006-05-09T13:58:00.006-05:00

Susan Winn - "Field of Greens"

A Maine College of Art collaboration with the Portland Public Library produced a collection of altered books created from library castoffs. Most of the books are available for checkout at the library and through interlibrary loan.

View a gallery of images of Altered Books

The books are listed in the library catalog with descriptions and are available for checkout!

International Night Table Decorations

2006-02-24T01:23:00.002-06:00

Students are coloring the multicultural designs with Sharpie markers (a happy discovery was that the Sharpies did not dissolve the toner on the transparencies), gluing them with a glue stick onto the metallic paper, and then gluing tissue paper scraps to the back. I glued them back-to-back with a piece of cardstock to keep them stiff, and hotglued the skewer into the sandwich. Then hotglue the skewer into a paper-covered tube (3 juice can lids glued to the bottom keep it from rolling) with a model magic bead that has been pressed into a texture sheet and painted gold to keep it steady.

The first one is done. Nine more to go...

Another 60 Books Project Page

2006-02-24T00:40:00.004-06:00

This was a really BIG book, maybe 15 inches tall. A bit intimidating because there was so much to fill. The other entries (3 others) were done on 8.5x11 paper and then glued into the book. Decided to paint this time...

I began with whatever acrylic paint that wasn't completely dried up in the jar... found a dark blue and purple lumiere and added a stainless steel color. After painting the whole page I stamped into the wet paint with a foam design stamp over the whole page. Unsure about what to do next, but sure that I wanted to get it done that afternoon since the book was already 4 days overdue and time is money...

After the paint dried, got out this new set of Souffle pens that are supposed to dry slightly embossed and opaque. I just decided to play around with symbols (thinking about Paul Klee, science fiction, runes, petroglyphs and heiroglyphs ...) and filled the whole page with mostly made-up symbols. Fun, even though the paper wasn't the sort that would make the pen marks 3D.

From the Archives: Peacock Painting

2006-02-20T15:40:00.000-06:00

I can't remember if there was a book associated with this project, but I do remember that I brought in some peacock feathers and showed them lots of pictures. It might have been before or after a unit about Indian shadow puppets. I think this is grades one and two.
Marshmallows, regular and miniature, were used for the printing of the eyes of the feathers.

Painting the birds took one art session, and then the feather eyes and glitter the next week.

Paul Klee Inspired Planet Symbols

2006-02-09T22:09:00.002-06:00

This lesson plan is from SchoolArts magazine. After learning about the art of Paul Klee (we used the Mike Venezia book) and talking about some of the important elements... use of color, symbols, abstractions... students made a mixed-media (black paint, oil pastels or watercolor) work using scientific planet symbols as an inspiration. After a review of color theory, students chose a monochromatic, analogous, or complementary (or a combination) color scheme.

More Klee inspired abstracts & display

2006-02-09T21:37:00.002-06:00

I put these up with a key to the planet symbols on a strip of paper on either side. I see lots of students passing by trying to figure which symbols are which in the artwork.

Handcarved Stamps for Center

2006-02-08T22:02:00.004-06:00

These were all carved very quickly - an hour or so one night in preparation for the opening of a mini-printmaking center the next day at school. I had a bunch of dollar store erasers from long ago (I don't think they make them anymore) and they are a dream to carve. Nothing drawn in advance, though I did mark the center or divide the stamp into quarters with a pencil. Simple but great fun.

The 3 stamps in the background were used in the repeat patterns below. If you match up the edges, (I marked them for students with a permanent marker on the sides of the stamps), new designs emerge from the edges and at the corners of the prints from the positive and negative shapes in the stamps.

Milk Filter Jellyfish

2006-02-08T10:46:00.002-06:00

This is how the jellyfish begin... with a huge milk filter from Farm and Fleet. Lay it on the table, spray with water, and then students paint with liquid watercolors. (Most of the filter should be painted. If not, encourage artists to add more. Can also spray with water again and have students hold the filter up and tilt it so that the watercolor spreads)...

Carry it to another counter to add glitter paint (Sargent brand - a tinted transparent base with fine glitter. I add water to thin it some). Watch that young artists don't get carried away and mix all the colors...

Then to the drying rack. When painting and drying, there shouldn't be any paper underneath, which will drink up all the color on the filter. Sometimes I have the students take a monoprint with the paint that's underneath the filter, depending on how many are waiting their turns.
The next week, when the assembly takes place, I do a digital slide show and share a bit of info about jellyfish: no eyes - no brains - no bones - and etc.

Milk Filter Jellyfish II

2006-02-08T10:45:00.001-06:00

The final steps: (Warning! At this point jellyfish for the masses becomes labor intensive. I do this for 2 classes of about 23 K's. If you don't have lots of prep time or if you choose to do this for more classes you will want help!). Prior to class cut slits for stapling and tentacles 4 or so at a time using a template. Staple each circle into a bowl shape using an electric stapler. Refold crepe paper (the kind that is like yardage) so that it will fit in a paper cutter and cut strips. Unwind and cut several strips at a time into 3rds or 4ths. Before or during class pinch the center of the bowl and use a 1/8" hole punch for string handle. Thread a tapestry needle (long piece of yarn to do several at a time) and sew through the holes, cut off a length and tie. (Students older than 6 could do some of the above themselves.) Kinders will put a crepe paper strip through each slit at the edge of the bowl shape and glue the end down inside the jellyfish body.

The milk filter jellyfish!

Before we start putting these together, I show a digital slide collection of jellyfish pictures and share the following facts:

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Jellyfish are not fish.

They do have a jellylike substance between two skins, an inner skin and an outer skin. Their bodies are a bell or umbrella shape.

They are about 95% water.

Jellyfish have no bones, no head, no brain, no heart, no eyes or ears.

They do have a nervous system. They breathe through their skin. They can react to light and smell and touch. They have a mouth, and tentacles that have poisonous cells. The poison helps them to capture prey.

Jellyfish have been around for more than 650 million years. They are found in almost all the oceans of the world.

They are invertebrates (no backbone) and are related to sea anemones and coral (creatures that sting and have a mouth in the center of their bodies surrounded by tentacles)

Jellyfish drift with the currents, but they do have a ring of muscles that contract to expel water from the umbrella-like body, and that will move them up or down in the water.

Some jellyfish are harmful to humans, but not all of them.

There are animals that eat jellyfish, like sea turtles. Some people also like to eat jellyfish.

Jellyfish range in size from about 1 inch to 7 feet. The tentacles can be up to 120 feet long.

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Picture Book Inspiration

2006-02-05T20:25:00.005-06:00

Some of my favorite lessons began with a picture book, especially for the younger grade levels, K-3.

Kindergarten/First grade gadget prints & collage

Kindergarten resist painting and drawing.

What a great story to read out loud! The boots were made by cutting out templates of an assortment of fancy footwear, adding design elements and patterns with sharpie and crayon, and a watercolor resist. The backgrounds are drawn in sharpie markers and colored with chalk. These are third grade artworks.

Kindergarten explores color mixing and mouse-making.