Bark Marks

Found this journal page from my last trip to England

As you might guess I found it very crowded

Cars everywhere and parked in every nook and cranny

and of course people everywhere too

Where I live 4 cars on the road is a traffic jam

For the last month I've been mulling over a commitment

to work on a series of tree bark pieces.

Once upon a time I would have jumped right in stitching textures

but my work has changed and I'm resisting that temptation.

How can I create a piece of stitching inspired by bark but not recreating it?

So after seeing that England doodle

I'm drawing marks on tracing paper with bark photographs underneath

trying to remember not to trace the image

but work on stitches that might mark the bark. 

Could become a mess if I use too many different stitches

but I like the concept.

Still mulling things over

More doodling to be done

What size would fit?

Natural dyed cloth would be appropriate.

At this stage I have to allow percolating time.

Darling Buds of May

Tiny blue dots populate the front flower beds in May

and purple cornflowers still nestle in their leafy green surroundings

Ugly duckings awaiting to burst into azalea glory

Blues and pinks hovering above speckled leaves

White buds hide beneath leafy foliage wait for warmer days.

The Eyes Have It

Thinking eyes and seeing them everywhere

Even trees have eyes 

but they don't come in pairs.

Some have woolly eyebrows

some form slits against bright sunshiny days

Others have bags under their eyes

Perhaps in need of some anti-wrinkle cream

or one of those tiny bottles of liquid tears

distressed and tearful

Perhaps an alligator's eye

Some trees have lips

created by a rope that had obviously been there for years.

We freed it

Hope it can breathe better now.

The first Week in May

Looking Back at the week that was

On May Day we lost a friend to cancer
He had a passion for cycling
and did just that all the way across Canada
He even wrote a song

'Put me Ashes in me Bike Pump'
Last summer he cycled Newfoundland
Now I will think of him biking among the stars at night.

The next two days of stitching

asked for some added buttonhole stitch.

and Saturday needed a woven strip.

Strutting Pheasant

Did some strutting around in my sketchbook

Little Green Men

Decided to clean out a purse that has laid unused in the closet.

Found a pocket stuffed with ties twisted into little green men.

Must of had a very long very boring wait somewhere!

Scratched dancing stick men 

not all green

but one continuous line of stitch

twisting them into shape.

Unfurling

Some leaves burst forth in the company of white blossom

Some reach skyward on long shafts of wood 

Some appear long after the catkins have bloomed

Some gently unfurl on the tips of branches

A few unwrap themselves from around tiny exotic blooms

Some look like mighty claws as if they've fought for their very existence

My goodness it was cold today