Tuesday 29 August 2017

A Gathering of Stones


Grey is a favourite colour of mine these days.


Sometimes as I go through my scraps
one jumps out
asking to be used.
The markings on this scrap shouted out loud that they wanted to be used
despite it being the wrong colour!


This one makes me smile
Reminds me of my mother's old fashioned loaves of bread.
Hundreds of tiny French knots made with one strand of floss.


Really weird!


A moonless night pebble.


I nearly missed noticing this is heart shaped.


Perhaps my favourite this week.

This week I have to say my thoughts are with
all of those affected by Hurricane Harvey
rather than with insignificant gathering of pebbles.

May their recovery go quickly and smoothly.

Wednesday 23 August 2017

A Sense of Place....Work by the Artist's Way Cooperative




Last Thursday we drove down to Yarmouth
and hung our second show at the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia Western Branch.
We called the show
A Sense of Place.
Each of us worked in our own way to that theme.


Grace Butland worked with fabrics dyed from foodstuffs in her kitchen.


For Nadine Belliveau it was scenes from her village that inspired.


Sherry Caldwell had been in France just before she
started working toward this show.


Diane Clapp found inspiration from her photos of sand cranes
and reflections in the lakes around here as well as lichens.
She also dyed three of her pieces naturally.


And this is a very yellow photo of my work
based on the rocks that form the foundation of the land around here.

We call ourselves the Artist's Way Cooperative.


Monday 21 August 2017

Stone Pathways with only 4 1/2 Months to go


The delicate shading of this first stone is my favourite this week.

This year is flying by
only 100 more or less
stones to go until the end of the year.
I am by no means wishing away my life
but have needed to get organized and make sure
there are enough background squares to finish Stone Pathways!
So, that job is done
and now I can throw the leftovers into the dye pots!
One of the joys of Summer for me
is preparing my fabrics for Winter's stitchings.


A Plimsol line perhaps


Makes me think of circling the wagons.
Strange association, I know.


But there again perhaps I like this one too!


Crossing Pathways


Ah, but perhaps this one is my favourite!


Broken lines.

Have an inspiring week.

Wednesday 16 August 2017

Marking Stone Pathways


This beautiful stone could perhaps
be mistaken for a soapstone carving


The marks on stones
are beginning to make me think
I should perhaps take them further
next year.


Perhaps I should isolate them
from their stone surroundings.....


.....remove them from their size restrictions.....


.....play around with them in sketchbooks.....


.....and explore their potential.....


 .....as stand alone marks.


Meanwhile the weather this August
has been exceptional.....


.....around our beautiful Annapolis Basin.

Have a great day
go to the beach!

Monday 14 August 2017

Untamed Things Group of Canadian Landscape Artists

 


 Those of you in Ontario will have seen the Toronto Start article

Mark and a bunch of his Canadian landscape friends
who are all fans of Tom Thomson
have formed the group
Untamed Things
(Words taken from the To Thomson Memorial Plaque)

They have made trips up into Algonquin Park
over the past year.
They are all producing great work
getting ready for their show at Arta Gallery
September 6-19


Mark Berens
Wapomeo Island
where they brought Tom Thomson after he drowned


Mark Berens
Canoe Lake
On the climb up to the Tom Thomson tribute plaque
where he often worked


Mark Berens
Canoe Lake with Wapomeo Island in the distance


Mark Berens
Kiosk Lake

The opening reception is Friday, September 8
6 - 9 pm
Go and join this nice bunch of artists if you can
and tell Mark his Mom sent you!

Wish I could be there

Good luck guys.


Wednesday 9 August 2017

Running Late Along Stone Pathways


Stone Pathways was hanging in the studio
wrong side out
Caught my eye
Liked it
Decided I had to record it.


Just a few marks on a big heavy stone.
Knowing that the background squares
are roughly 5"x6"
you can judge the size of the stones.


A teeny weeny speck of a pebble.


Nature always does a better job at mark making than I.


This is a large heavy stone
and I like that a delicate sheer silk chiffon
is what I chose.
It will look fragile despite it's size
lying alongside it's companions.


A little bit of madder red.
(I am dyeing with madder this week)


 Small and simple.


My studio is my place of peace
My place for calm thought
My safe place to take the next exploratory steps
The place where I can look out at the woodland world that surrounds me

Have a creative studio day.


Wednesday 2 August 2017

Inspiration Under My Feet


Just being at the beach is renewing
for the mind and the body.
But the worm pathways caught my eye on this trip.
I am really drawn to the chaos the worms have created
contrasted by
the regular diagonal lines created by waves and tides
and
the random diagonal line of tiny pebbles stretching towards
the top left hand corner.

I see couched chaos
atop a grid of simple diagonal running stitch
or perhaps stem stitch or back stitch.

I have gathered together in my baskets
so natural dyed threads that could be couched
onto a piece of linen or wool.
or perhaps
the basket of bright procion dyes would would be more fun.
But I am still thinking natural.





These guys are always inspiring companions
but....


....today it is the very straight line of footprints
going off into the distance.
Strange
Three of them
Just one line of footprints.


A walk in the woods
always provides some inspiration


Just walking along
looking at my feet
to avoid tripping over roots or stones.
Perhaps more couching
or 
wrapping
or some other
fabric manipulation.


Perhaps dots could be added
along a seam-line 
to add emphasis.
I like that thought
and
to remember those thoughts
I have to record them here
or they will go poof into the vacuum of space
never to materialize!