Autumn Anticipation

I started out with the intention of making another piece of paper cloth, this time using reds, oranges, and yellows. But I ended up trying an experiment with fabric instead, using Mistyfuse as an adherent instead of the glue mixture. I intended to cut it up into smaller pieces to possibly make a wearable art pin or bookmark, but it looked so nice as one piece, I decided to make a quilt sandwich using felt as batting and then went to town with the embellishments. I love the colors and textures of autumn!

Little Treasures

Here are the beautiful pieces I received last week in the swap. As hard as it was to part with the pieces I created, it was exciting and touching to see the treasures everyone else made! I was amazed by the variety of colors, techniques, and materials as well as the time and effort everyone put in. The artists, left to right and top to bottom are Kendell Storm, Lynda Long, Jamie Horikawa, Melanie Hulse, Judy Gignesi, Vivien Zepf, Margaret Phillips, Mary Ann Healy, Micki Tedeschi, Carole Hoffman, Jane Davila, Natalya Aikens, M. Buhl, Joyce Sullivan, Barbara Sferra, Nancy Mirman, S. Rieber, Joanne Lubchenko, Kathi Jahnke, Carolyn Cooney, Gail Ellspermann, Cecelia Leiseroff, Mayann Weinberg, Kathryn Lange, Susan Schrott, Norma Schlager, Anne Louise Lyman, and Carrie Vollrath. Now I just have to figure out how and where to display them...

Macro photos

Now that the 4x4 swap is done, the fiberarts group I meet with monthly is beginning a new challenge: creating a piece of art based on a macro photograph. We had an assignment last month to begin taking some macro shots, so I've been trying to keep my eye open for interesting details. These are some of the shots I've come up with so far. My camera can only get within a few inches and no closer, so I've zoomed in further with the photo-editing software. Many of these items came from the garage. Can you tell what they are?

(a straw broom, where the straw meets the handle)

(a rake)
(brake lights on our car)

(a portion of a push broom)

This is my favorite one so far, probably because it is green and organic, as opposed to all the utilitarian objects above. It's a portion of a very large leaf we saw at the Kendall sculpture garden last week. The veining in it reminds me of malachite. I also love the way the central vein cuts diagonally across the photo, and one side is darker than the other.

I'm still not sure how I would transform any of these into fabric...

4x4 FiberArt Swap

Here, at last, are the swap pieces I've been working on all summer! The final number we had to make was 30, so I will not show you all of them, just my favorites. These first four are from the first batch of "paper cloth" I made, way back in May. Some of the materials I used for embellishing were copper wire figures (I had fun figuring out how to make fish and sailboats out of one long piece of wire) and stamped fish (I carved the stamps myself out of rubber erasers).

These are from the second batch of "paper cloth." The paper I used was a lighter shade, and after it dried (but before I quilted it) I stamped it with various acrylic paints (using stamps made from dried glue squiggles on cardboard and bubble wrap). The seahorse stamp was also carved into a rubber eraser and really makes a nice sharp image, especially using Stazon Inks on paper. The little shells were created out of polymer clay and were touched up with copper pearl ex powders. Some of the seaweed is made from copper pot scrubbers I got from the dollar store and cut up.
I used copper mesh and embossed copper sheeting on these last few pieces. I was able to get pretty good detail on the fish and seashells (below). The fish is also painted with alcohol inks to give it a little color.

I began struggling for new ideas at this point and almost abandonded this color scheme for more autumnal shades of orange, yellow, and red, but I persevered and found some new materials to work with. I used yellow produce netting to resemble sunlight passing through water in the piece on the right.
These are my final two pieces. I think they make a nice pair, side by side, and would look good framed in a spa or bathroom setting! But now they are off to their new owners!
As much as I hated to see them go, I was thrilled to see all the little treasures the other group members created! I will try to get them photographed and posted soon. I am considering stitching up a hanging piece with clear acrylic pockets to display them all in. I just need to find some wall space in the house to hang it on...

Birthday Outing

This weekend I celebrated my birthday by going with my husband, parents and children to the Kendall Sculpture Garden on the grounds of the Pepsico Headquarters in Purchase, NY. The weather was perfect for walking around viewing the sculptures, and we all enjoyed discussing our interpretations of the various pieces. Below are some of my favorite shots:

This one is called "Girl with a Dolphin," by David Wynne. This was a family favorite. With the fountain flowing over and around it, it really gives the illusion and sensation of two figures swimming in a spiral around each other. It is really something to experience.

This one is called "Double L Excentric Gyratory II" by George Rickey. My daughters particularly loved watching it swing and change in the breeze.
This is "The Family of Man" by Barbara Hepworth. I just love the ancient look of these. They seem to be connecting us to each other and to our ancestors.
This is "Composition in Stainless Steel No. 1" by Gidon Graetz. I'm glad it has a name that leaves it completely open to interpretation. I saw a flying bird, my daughter saw an ice cream cone. The reflections on the piece also alter the viewer's perception of it.

Here is "Hats off" by Alexander Calder. His pieces always look so happy to me. Maybe it's the orange.
And here's another one by David Wynne, "Grizzly Bear," beautifully carved out of black granite. It sits on the edge of a pond and is just awsome to see.
I always like to include art and the outdoors in family outings. This one was particularly enjoyable. If you live in the NY metropolitan area, check it out! Another bonus: It's free!

Summer Fun

Can you find the real puppy? We seem to have a wealth of stuffed dogs the same color as Casse and she spends time every day play fighting and snuggling with them, just as she would with her litter.

We recently took her on a long hike in Patterson, NY. It was a hot, steamy summer day, and the forest was cool, green and shady. I tend to always be looking down, spotting little ferns, moss and mushrooms along the trail. Here are some of my favorite shots from the walk.







Here is Casse with my daughter towards the end of the hike, one tired puppy! (make that 2!)

Our New Family Project!

Here she is, our latest addition! She is a 9-week-old golden retriever. I never thought I would ever get a dog, but knew if I did, it would be a golden retriever, and luckily, all family members agreed, especially our middle girl who has really been campaigning for a puppy for a long time. Hey, you only live once, right? She has a wonderful temperament, calm, friendly, and quiet yet also playful, and not too nippy. Of course, they do not come house broken the way cats do (have I mentioned I'm really a cat person at heart?), and we are now doing the arduous task of training her to let us know when she needs to go. Luckily, she will not mess in several key locations in the house and we are crate training her at night and when we are out, but when she is inside and not sleeping, a family member needs to be assigned to following her around and making sure she does not have an accident. This is our first full week of puppy care and my husband is away on business (have I mentioned he's the dog person?), making me the primary puppy trainer. This is exhausting and time consuming, but I am hoping it will be gratifying in the end, when we can take her for walks on the bike trail and hiking nearby. She will surely (eventually) be a fun and reliable companion for all of us.

Meanwhile, between chauffering the girls to and from camp, my busy summer work schedule, and my husband traveling, there has not been a lot of excess time or energy for creativity. Earlier this month I made three more charm bracelets using real metal chains instead of macrame`, but unfortuately I gave two of them away as gifts before I photographed them! I hope to post pictures of them at a later date. I am also continuing to produce the little 4x4 swap pieces. I am about halfway through that project (we need to make about 30 - hope I can get the rest done next month! My schedule should be a lot lighter in August...)