When All is New

 

Finally!  We've replaced the camera that was lost .  And just in time to capture the essence of late spring, when "newness" still abounds.  Above: new fern fronds; a new (?) lovely (?) fly; new salmon berries, and a new board in the bird "condominiums" that my husband built twenty years ago. (The downstairs units are accessible from the other side.)  The condominiums are a focal point in our coastal garden and there is now a bit of a sad (and now silly) story associated with them:  My husband built this hoping to attract the birds that had frequented his father's garden through the years.  However, when he built it, the birds were no longer coming to his father's garden and there was some uncertainty about what kind of birds they actually were; were they Purple Martins or Tree Swallows, or perhaps both?  And then, many years ago, his father passed away.  And all the while, no birds established residency in our condominiums. So disappointing!  Then. . . while we were in our garden last weekend, the Tree Swallows were suddenly circling overhead and occasionally swooping down to land on the perches, before quickly taking off again.  

Not far away, we saw a swallow land on the perch of a stand-alone birdhouse, enter the hole, and then emerge to fly off.  While observing this, I commented that the entrance to that house -- which he had also built -- looked like it had a bigger diameter than those of the condominium entrances.  My husband replied, "Wouldn't that be something --  to find out after all these years that the holes hadn't been large enough!"  Well, he got right to work.  He measured the entrance to the other house, removed the entryways to the condominiums (south side, only -- so as not to overly commit to the new design) found a replacement board and drilled three new holes, hammered new perches into the board and nailed it to the structure. Within minutes, the Tree Swallows returned.  We then spent the rest of the afternoon watching assorted pairs swoop down to investigate the "south-side" units while we fabricated funny dialogues between the spouses regarding the respective features of the various units, and why one unit should be selected over the next. For awhile, they limited their investigations to peering in from the perches, but eventually, the females (I imagine) hopped inside to take a look around. The following morning, there was still activity around the condominiums and now, one week later, it appears as though residency has been established!  Such a happy ending! (Or rather, now, a new beginning.)

Happy weekend!

Three Diamonds . . . . Small Print

 

Monoprint

4" x 4"

Just a quick drop in.

Still working with my small monoprints.

Two small collages on the table, each with shots of lemon/mustard and turquoise.

Eager to pick up a paint brush.

Soon.

Have you seen these recent lush colorworks by:

Annamaria Potamiti

Kristen Donegan

Shu-Ju Wang

Hope your week is going well.

Thanks so much for visiting!

Cheers!

Finally. . . Off the Table

 

Mixed media collage 

4 1/2" x 6 3/4"

 Here

  

Mixed media collage

4 1/2" x 6 3/4"

Here

I think I'm "back in the groove." My gluing "production" area has been moved to a new location and after finishing these two pieces, it stands ready and waiting for me whenever I get an hour or so.  It had been so long since I used my drafting table, triangle, architectural scale, glue, etc., that I sort of had to re-train, if you know what I mean.  (Does this happen to you?)  Like, it was only after I glued my first piece down, with sticky fingers, that the little voice in my head kicked in with, "Oh . . . remember, you need to get an art "rag" and dampen a portion of it so that you can use it to clean your hands periodically while gluing, and can also use it to dab up any glue that gets on the face of your collage."  And, "Okay, use your parallel bar and your triangle to mark off where on the support paper your print should go. But remember, make the marks on a blotter paper -- not directly on the support paper.  And, by the way, use a Micron pen instead of a graphite pencil so you don't get graphite on the support paper or your work." :)  

But the retraining was no big deal, and now I'm ready to roll.  

Thanks very much for visiting!
Hope you have a wonderful week.

Making Time for New Work

  

Acrylic relief print and painting on reused papers

4" x 5"

 

Acrylic relief print and gold gouache on paper

7" x 9"

It seems like I've been "clearing my very full plate" forever so that I can get back to making art.  Meanwhile, I've been without a camera for over a month.  All of this by way of saying: Forgive me for the lengthy hiatus from here; I hope to not be away so long again.

Finally,  I found some time this past weekend to ease back into creating while visiting my daughter.  I took a small sketchbook to her home and proceeded to make some simple potato prints while she worked on a painting, knowing that I would at least be able to fit the prints on my scanner.  Nothing too demanding on my end, and certainly no high expectations.  Still, the fact is that creating even the simplest works of art or craft  requires thoughtful decisions throughout the process, and those who don't participate in the artistic creative process often don't appreciate that fact.  And actually, it's that problem-solving process that makes the act of creation so stimulating and engaging.  Well, at least that's my take on it.  :)

Cheers!

Circling Back

 

  

I retrieved these and several other related prints and embellished papers from a stack of raw materials that have just been waiting for me to get back to them.  I have several of these stacks in my studio -- just waiting.  And now, a window of 10-15 extra hours of time per week of discretionary time has opened up going forward, some of which I intend to devote to my studio practice.  I'm not exactly sure how I will schedule this time, but I know I must be disciplined in my approach, because there are plenty of other activities and responsibilities that have also been.....just waiting. :)  

So, the above pieces include monoprints, relief prints, acrylic and gouache-painted papers, colored pencil and vintage stamps.  I intend for these to remain simple and graphic, but they are not necessarily complete yet; I've simply layered a few things here and there.  

The palette here is more in keeping with the last week or so of very dark, grey days that we had in Portland, rather than the glorious day we are having today; and my thoughts are with everyone who has been impacted by the devastating storms across the Midwest and South. . . . . 

If you need some cheering up, you might want to head over to take a peek at the photos and illustrations in Lauren Scheuer's 2/8 and 1/15 blog posts on  Scratch and Peck.  Lauren, who just landed here via  Geninne's Art Blog, is a children's book illustrator with a delightful sense of humor!

Here's hoping for a grand week ahead for you!

:)

Printing and Stitching

 

Lots of things on my plate right now so I'm still a ways out from having any real blocks of extended time to devote to artistic pursuits.  But I am managing to find an hour here or there to devote to experimenting with small printed or painted samplers on fabrics that I've made over the last couple of years.

The above pieces include a screen print on twill (on the left), and relief prints done on upcycled linen with a found object and a vintage wood block from India. I painted the red, silk-covered, found button and placed it on the screen print to cover a printing blooper. (ha!)   The fading on that piece occurred during the machine washing, even though I had heat-set the piece with a hot iron.   Unfortunately, I did a series of this print during the last half-hour of a studio session late at night at Oregon College of Art and Craft (OCAC).  I realized after I finished printing that there was a good chance that I had not used the right type of ink.  But actually, I do not mind the mottled effect at all. :)  I added machine-stitching to both of the above pieces.

By the way, something seems to be amiss with the OCAC website.  I hope you will be able to view it because the college's programs and facility are wonderful!

It's been a very busy week and I have thoroughly enjoyed my slow start to the weekend, although a significant amount of work lies ahead.  Hope your weekend is going well. . .

Cheers. . . and thanks for visiting!

Limping Along in Bloggerland

Mixed-media

4x6

here

Hi there.  Is anyone else limping around in Bloggerland due to the gwt.xmlmodule snafu? (Whatever in the world that is. . .)  More importantly, does anyone know how to fix it?  So far, I'm striking out. . . . My entire dashboard is invisible to me and I consider myself quite lucky to have figured out how to do this minimalistic post. [Update:  I think I fixed it!  When I use Firefox for my brouser, I can see everything!]

Right now, I have fabric scraps on my work table.  Lots of them.  But last night I perused several old sketchbooks and I believe I've settled on a couple of ideas for paintings.  I look forward to beginning.  But first, I have to get my ideas for these fabric scraps out of my system. . . .

I've been hearing birdsong in the early morning hours.  Nothing like what I remember hearing while I was growing up here.  Only a few birds singing.  Still, it is beautiful . . . a lovely harbinger of spring.

Have a wonderful week!

:)

"Place" . . . Recent Paintings by Catherine Freshley

"Willapa Bay Mudflats"

(Washington Coast)

30" x 40"

"Ross Island and Mt. Hood"
(Willamette Valley, Oregon)

36" x 60"

"Butte -- Columbia River Gorge"

24" x 48"

Our daughter, Catherine, has been painting like crazy and seems to have a ready pipeline of folks who would like a painting of a place that is special to them.  Place -- i.e., those places that have shaped who we are and that continue to pull us back to them after we have left -- is a theme that Catherine has explored for several years in her writing and art.   When she moved to Eastern Washington state, someone suggested that she concentrate on painting local landscapes of the Columbia Basin steppe, since the folks in the vicinity would likely be more interested in them than in paintings of the coastal area that has been so important to our family.  Of course, this makes perfect sense from a statistical standpoint.  Yet in the year that she's been there, Catherine has encountered people who have instantly recognized the rather anonymous scenes of her assorted paintings of Willapa Bay, and  have recounted fond memories of having spent a great deal of time in their childhood actively engaged with the endlessly changing coastal estuary that is impacted by the ebb and flow of the tide.  

Isn't it wonderful that mere pigments, when suspended in binders and transferred to a surface via a process of acute observation and carefully considered brush strokes, can instantly bring forth a multitude of memories and an infinite range of emotions?

Have a wonderful week!