Wednesday 30 November 2016

A Sunday Afternoon Walking Rusty Pups


We all love walking in this place
where not only trees tower above us.


Moss covered rock giants


grow between the trees.


Rocks crowd along the river's edge
trying to contain rushing waters.


But the river manages to break it's banks when the Springtime
melt comes.


The Rusty Pups love this place.


When they were younger they would rush through the trees
following every scent and noise.
Now they are content to lead the way along the paths
and rest every now and then waiting for us
 two legged members of the pack to catch up.



The sun was very bright that day


and low in the afternoon sky
making for long shadows across the path.


Huge grey rocks...


....looking a bit like elephants taking a dip.


Tuesday 29 November 2016

Crumb for Week Forty- Eight



Just four more weeks left.
2016 will soon be history
Can hardly believe it.


I've been looking back over the year
and find that some Crumbs just don't have enough stitches on them!
I think I will have to rectify that.



This month not only do Diane and I have a show at Sissiboo
but we also have our Community Art Centre Member's show
So I was a bit short of work
and decided to quickly frame a few Crumbs.
As a result I have decided to collect 52 old photo frames
of various sizes
remove the glass
respray them
use them to frame my 2016 Crumbs 
and show them as a grouping in one of next year's shows.



Monday 28 November 2016

A Show Called Recording Nature



Diane and I have a show on at the moment in Bear River
A show called Recording Nature
Deb at The Lucky Rabbit Pottery
Kindly donated a beautiful turtle platter,
a huge vase and tiles
proceeds of which will go to 
diane's passion
'Species at Risk'.
Erin and Jon's Sissiboo Cafe is a great place for a show with
long clean walls
and the best Latte's anywhere!


Today is Diane's Birthday
So I thought I would show her work.
These hooked rugs of just some of the species at risk
were designed by her and her daughter.
Again all proceeds go to that cause.


Diane's own work for this show
is all about the Blanding Turtles project.
That top piece maps the area in the turtle study.
The Bottom one represents the
protective coverings they place over any eggs
the moment they are laid.


This piece of Diane's represents the walk
they take searching in the known
places for turtle activity.


If you can enlarge this photo you will see
bits of a turtle skeleton and shell.


 Another of Diane's pieces
It is lichen
and lovely suggestions of woodland behind it.


And Finally Diane's trees.


My work in the show stretched along a 26 foot wall.


I called this piece "Resting" but I think I want to change that to
"Resting Between the Shadows"
or
"Resting Between Night and Day".

So many thanks for all of you who came and made the opening vibrant.
I met so many interesting and creative people.

Happy Birthday Diane!

Monday 21 November 2016

Colour Mixing on a Crumb - Week Forty-Seven


Running stitch
Kantha stitch
Quilt stitch
Do you remember being told that the best quilt stitch
would be ten stitches to the inch...
...or was it more?


Certainly no perfection here
but quite a few crosses or near crosses on top of crosses!

Sunday 20 November 2016

Getting Organized With New Beginnings


This soft grey is one of my favourites from this summer's dyeing.
I plan to stitch it into a cloudy sky
I was thinking of adding white fabric into the piece
but


then I tried it with another blue grey and a shot of yellow...
...I think I will get started on the stitching
before I make the final decision.


Then another layer of colours got pinned to the design wall.


It was a lovely morning of putting colours together.


As more layers of colours were pinned to the wall....


....they became edged with flashes of previous colours....
I liked that.


Perhaps I will include bits and pieces of colour
at the edges of this new series.


Now all the potential colour combinations
are pinned to a design wall that gets no sun
just in case they might fade
as they wait to be stitched.

I came home from Manitoulin and Collingwood
intending to start five new pieces.
It looks like I have done better than that!
Perhaps an overachiever!
Ha

Friday 18 November 2016

Crossing Lines - Week Forty-Six


Another scrap of discharge
has worked it's way into a Crumb
perhaps with a shooting star?
But no, a shooting cross!


I am still playing catchup since my visit to Ontario.

Wednesday 16 November 2016

A New Beginning and an Established Lodge


A new piece on the table being layered and pinned.
Decided to return to tradition and try a wool batt for this one.
Lately I've just used two layers of fabric.
Not sure if I will like the puffier effect.
We shall see.


If you look carefully you can see that a rock shape
has already been roughly basted to get me started.


The beaver lodge is enormous
A well established family.


The Rusty Pups always have to have a good sniff
to find out what the beaver has been up to lately.


It is a huge mound of mud and branches.


Sometimes we arrive to find tree trunks blocking
the driveway.
Not our driveway....this is where our neighbours live.


Below the lodge is a second muddy damn the beaver have
built to hold the water back.
They like it wet!



Monday 14 November 2016

Bringing Colour Back to Discharge - Week Forty-Five


A swirling, energized week


I was surprised at the colour of the threads that ended up
through the eye of the needle.

Wednesday 9 November 2016

Single Male Pheasant Looking for Company!


He spent the day hanging around
Patiently waiting
As if he had arranged a rendezvous
"Let's meet by the Tanglewood pond after our summer vacations."


It is hunting season
 I am glad he is here.... protected.
Lately, on our daily walks along the dyke
we have met hunters and their dogs working the bushes and grasses
trying to flush out ducks and pheasants.
I believe all the geese have gone south.


I am stitching rocks nowadays
but these untamed woods will appear back in my work
perhaps sooner rather than later.
Grey lines of stitch broken with yellow, rust, burgundy, rusty clusters
of french knots perhaps.

You all know what it is like looking at something that inspires
and you automatically imagine a stitching
or 
colours
shapes
lines


It is a grey, grey day outside
Grey and yellow
with dark lines of naked branches
Yummy!


greys
greens
yellows
oranges
reds
salmon pinks

Monday 7 November 2016

Marking Cloth and Canvas - Week Forty-Four


An old family napkin
dyed
ripped
marked with stitch


A not so old painter's drop cloth
dotted
spotted
marked in play


Even when painting I can't get away from 
simple shapes
soft greys and browns
and of course
marks that could be stitches


Not so many layers of colours here
but what I learnt
was that I prefer the marks to be a lighter value
rather than darker


An old acrylic painting completely covered
then marks were made by
scraping into the top layer of oils.

I'm trying to teach myself to paint with oils
Exploring mark making with oils
Most of the time I end up with mud!

I am still a stitcher!