"Forest Symphony"

I forgot to post photos of the other piece of artwork that I created for the Pages magazine.

It's a triptych that I made out of canvas, plaster, molding paste, natural items, lines from poems about trees and nature as well as acrylic paint, watercolor paint and maybe a few other things that I can't think of right now.

It was fun project that allowed me to use some of the tree bark, sticks and leaves that I have collected through the years.
The blog header that I have up right now (as of this writing) shows a small area of one of the panels.

"Forest Symphony"

(reverse side)
"Forest Symphony"

I love the crazy amount of texture that you can get with plaster and molding paste.
Here's a few close-ups.

I haven't actually had the magazine in my hands but I can't wait to see what they did with the photography!

Here's a link so you can check out all of the other fantastic articles they have.

Childhood Color Palettes

You all know how much I love natural items...leaves, flowers (live or dried), trees, bones and feathers.
Oh, and rocks.
And driftwood.

You could have a peek at my (inside) (or outside) studio and be able to see this, right?
Both of my large work tables (hell, every table) is littered with precious things.

I collected these same things as a child - funny, isn't it?
That we continue to love some things our entire life?

I always carried a brown paper bag, all soft and wrinkled from handling, when I was a young child.
It was chock full of broken bird eggs, pilfered fruit from  neighborhood trees, bones, feathers, rocks, pebbles and sticks.
And an occasional piece of interesting paper or discarded clothing (because of the beautiful pattern or interesting texture) (or perhaps to make my older sister angry).

What do I carry around in sewn, painted and upcycled bags now?
Same darn thing, just larger quantities.

I'm still (slowly, slowly) working on the hand stitched piece.
In my own defense, I have been doing other things too, not just working on that particular piece.
Not that much art work but other important things.
Like hiking in the woods with my husband.
Listening to the rhythm of the woods.
The flow of the water.
Watching the birds fluttering about, getting ready for cold weather.

Oh! Oh!
I saw a pair of fox squirrels in the woods!
Oh my gracious goodness, they were SO cute.
White nose, ears and feet with the rest of their bodies ranging from light grey to almost black.
I sat ever so quietly and watched them for almost an hour (Sarah and Denise - I saw your eyebrows fly up at me sitting still that long) (not doing anything!).
They walk differently than regular grey squirrels, which is what we mostly have here in upstate SC.
It's a slower, more intent walk. The grey squirrels always seem to be bolting every where they go, running and scurrying like mad men...I mean mad squirrels.

I just TOTALLY got off of the topic that I intended to talk about.
Imagine that?!

I was talking about how we like the same things we did as children (if that "thing" can hold your attention that long I guess).
I do anyway (except that cute boy in my 1st grade class).
Since I have been dabbling in natural dyeing and eco printing, I've noticed the colors that I get are similar to the natural items that I collect.
Maybe a picture can show you what I mean.

Rose hips from my mother-in-laws rose garden.

Some type of rodent skull we found while hiking,
maybe a beaver? 

I found this shed rhododendron flower in the river
when we were trout fishing. Yes, I was gathering
things from the bottom of the river... 

There you see it - one of my personal color palettes.

Dried, rotting, dead.

Well, that was (kinda) meant to be funny, but I think that there is a lot of truth in that statement.
These three things yield a fertile field for planting so perhaps they do the same for my mind.


What about you?
Can you identify one of your personal color palettes?

I do love bold, in your face color as well but today I am all about the calmer, neutral color palette that I show above.
I hear a lot of fiber artists (or any artist ftm) say that white, cream or any similar color is NOT a color.
But I say that when you use these colors you really have to put more thought into the details or they will be lost.
A neutral palette can be a great backdrop for wonderful design.
I think I heard that on Project Runway.

Do you agree?

What's On Your Table Today?

I'm working with items that I found on walks, kayaking trips, bike rides or just being outside, enjoying Nature.

Here's a few of them. Be sure and click on the photo so you can see the details of the white feather.
Beautiful!

Bird feathers, tree bark, worn turtle shell

Combined Natural Surfaces

(this is being posted to the Sketchbook Challenge blog today also!)

One of the things that I love about hiking is that you have time to look at the world around you.
Really look.
We tend to miss so many of the little things because we are so focused on the big ones, thus losing out on a myriad of visual pleasures.
I have a folder on my computer that holds hundreds of photos that I have taken while hiking, kayaking or camping. The vast majority of the photos are not sweeping landscape shots but macro shots of tiny mushrooms, lush emerald moss or grains of sand that are clustered onto a dried creek bed.
Kind of like this -

A tiny little world growing on top of a moss covered rock

Long hair moss among the short

Looks like acres of emerald moss but it's really on a six inch rock

Alien growth stretches from a skinny limb

Love, love the textured tree trunks of my favorite
forest by the river

Be sure to enlarge this one

Dry creek bed

Not necessarily a natural surface but certainly
has been altered by natural forces

The peeling paint is a perfect surface to try out
some crackle paint

I wanted to create a panel for a triptych that I am working on based on the combined attributes of these natural surfaces.
Even though it isn't a drawing or sketching, I thought that you all might be interested in it just the same.

It is a combination of plaster, joint compound, molding paste, acrylic paint and crackle paste.
Oh, not to mention the fabric that is underneath all of that - vintage lace, canvas, tulle and organza.

6" x 8 1/2"

All of those crevices in the surface look
just like the rocks, compacted soil and tree trunks in the
photos above

I love the way that the fibers work their way up
to the top after sanding the surface

Lovely, unexpected surprises

I added crackle paste after I took most of the
photos above. I may go back and add more.

I hope that you've enjoyed the trip through my "natural surface" photo album.
And the beginnings of a new piece of art work - a triptych that will be based on one of the sweetest spots in Nature that I know of.

Along Came A Spider

and sat down beside her
and frightened Miss Carol away.

After picking gardenias to bring into the house, I noticed a HUGE spider on the counter.
EEEEKKKKK! I am afraid of HUGE spiders!

My husband wasn't at home so I put a cup over it to contain it.
Then I figured that I had better add a note in case I forgot that I had captured a spider...

It was relocated to a safer habitat (other than my counter) at a later date.

Crisis averted.

Finding Inspiration

I usually work on several projects at one time.

Art ADD.

I get bored too easily.

I also get tired of working on the same thing for long periods of time (aka bored too easily).

I'm involved with a group show this October in Old Forge, New York.

I've had several great ideas, lots of techniques & concepts but can't seem to settle on one to get started with.

So what did I do?

Yep, started several at the same time.

I'll continue to work this way until one catches my attention.

The first photo shows what I have cooking on my studio table.

What's on your table?

Here's a close up of the really cool colors and textures that I collected for one of the projects.

All cast offs hoping for a new lease on life.

Maybe they will find them here.

Inspiration

I love to look around me for inspiration.

Imagine my surprise when my own artwork totally knocked the socks off of the "inspiration meter" today!
(something that I noticed on my artwork, that is)

I had this quote hidden under a strip of lace on the inside of a book that I made.


"Come forth into the light of things, let nature be your teacher."
William Wordsworth

I love that.

"Come forth into the light of things, let nature be you teacher".

How smart would we be if we actually did that?

Evening Sky

While riding home yesterday with my (sweet & handsome) husband,

look at what we saw as we topped a tall hill in South Carolina!

(these photos were taken out of the window of our car while cruisin' down I-85 at about 72 mph)

I just loved the way that the sunshine was highlighting the clouds.

I think we're in for storms today and tomorrow but yesterday the temp was up to 82 here!

Sometimes it feels like we completely miss spring and jump right in to summer weather.

I'm sure that we are in for at least one more frost but the warm weather was really nice yesterday.

All the warm weather makes me long to be kayaking...

I can't wait to get out, to be doing things that we enjoy in nature.

I love seeing all the birds so active, singing so early in the mornings.

They sound happy that spring is on the way.

Bling, Broken Bones and Dreaming

Those of you that regularly read my blog know how very much I love nature, especially birds.
We have a topiary beside our side entrance door that houses a tiny bird nest.
We've already had one family move in and move out this year - complete with new family members!
Well, some birds must not mind moving in to a "previously lived in" nest
because we have a new couple in there now!
I peeked into it the other day and noticed they had been doing a little redecorating...
I snapped a quick photo of the sparkly fibers in the new digs.
It's a piece of fiber that I had hung out in one of the plants nearby for the birds to use in their nest building.
How cool is that?!

I wanted to thank everyone for their inquiries into my husbands well being.
He broke his lower left leg (spiral fracture left fibula) a week ago on Saturday.
He is doing better (pain wise) but still feels the pain that goes along with mobility issues...
especially hard for him too. He is one of those people that is Always on the go.
Always.
Constantly working.
So, it's been tough to find a balance around here the past week or so.
But, he is on the mend - so thanks for your concern!

I have been able to spend more time in the studio the past couple of days.
I've almost got another new piece of mixed media art ready!
I usually make a new piece, then get asked to teach classes on it.
Then I spend weeks making step outs,
writing instructions, gathering materials and supplies...
I don't always have a lot of time to continue creating different pieces of work.
I decided that I am going to focus on creating a larger body of work.
I want to begin offering my art work and prints for sale.
I love teaching and am not going to stop doing that
but I want to be able to share my work in other ways too.

I would love to be able to teach to a larger audience.
I'd love to have a studio space large enough to invite people in to it.
I believe that there is a space out there - waiting on me.
One with a really inspirational location, tons of storage space and aglow with natural light.
Isn't it fun to dream about what you'd love to be doing, dreaming about what you want to happen in your life?
It's a very healthy thing to do also.
I believe that you have to allow The Universe to hear your dream...
shout them out!
Share them with your family and friends.
Email me with them if you'd like to.

And then put in some work on those dreams.
Make them happen.

If you knew you wouldn't fail,
what would you do?

Santee State Park or Gator Hunting

Well, warmer weather is here and you know
what that means for my husband and I...
Nature Trips and Kayaking.
If that bores you or just doesn't interest you - stop reading here.
But if you enjoy living vicariously through someone else's adventures
or you love nature
or you love kayaking
or you love alligators -
Read On!

Here is one photo for you stitchers out there that always looking for patterns on things.
This is a photo of the under side of the roof on an activity building
at Santee State Park in Santee SC.
It has several nests (Martin's) in the corners of the timbers.
The birds were sitting on side timbers
watching us as we snapped pictures and watched them.

We saw so much wildlife at the park, it was unbelievable!
A lot of deers...
Big deers, tiny deers
deers with big racks (antler, that is...)
Here's a night shot where a "family" was going back to their tent...
mom, dad and three kids.
Look at them...going in through the "Do Not Enter" road!
Some animals just don't follow rules well.

Even the sky was beautiful! This was shot on the way out of the Santee Wildlife Refuge.

What an Awesome place to visit if you love observing wildlife and nature!

We were in the "Cuddo Unit".

They have a "Wildlife Drive" that has an accompanying Interpretive Guide with it.

As you drive along (it is a 7.5 mile road), you will pass numbered signs that you reference in the guide. It gives great information about the area that you're in or about the animals that you will likely see.

The guide did mention we might see Wild Turkeys.

It didn't say that they would jump out on the road in front of us, running 20 miles per hour as we lagged behind.

Nor did it mention that the original three turkeys would be joined by three more of their friends.

And run for about 1/2 to 3/4 of a mile before jumping off the side of the road.

We didn't follow them the entire time. We stopped and just watched them continue to run.

It must have been a neighborhood jog night.

The first day that we were there we went for a short kayak trip in Lake Marion.

We wanted to take a peek at the cypress forest that stands in the middle of the lake.

According to the park brochure "Lake Marion is a 110,00 acre lake that is more shallow, full of stumps and trees (including a deciduous cypress forest gracing the middle of the lake across from the park) and is adjacent to thousands of acres of pristine, secluded wetlands and forest."

I'll post photos of that, along with the up close interaction with several alligators we met...

How close? you ask.

Very close...

Natures Timeline

No matter how important we think our lives are, nature moves in her own time.
I took these photos of some of the flowers in our yard a couple of weeks ago but haven't been able to post them until today.
Busy, busy, busy.
This is our "side hill" flower bed. It's a mix of this and that.
A true flower lovers garden, always in progress.
Moving this, adding that, throwing this away, sharing this...

Here's the front of the same bed. Lovely thrift and phlox blooming like crazy for two or three weeks.

This is a bed in our front yard - I love the way that the flowers are hanging over the side of the old bricks that we edged the bed with. Later we will have purple and white coneflowers (to feed the goldfinches with), Stellas blooming all summer, volunteer vincas and yellow marigolds. Maybe two or three other flowers thrown in the mix...it's always such a surprise as to what pops up here in the front bed.

I have a topiary that I made from an ivy vine on my side porch. I usually keep it trimmed quite tight but here lately I haven't wanted to disturb the family living inside of it...

A precious little mama bird picked our topiary for a secluded little bungalow for her new babies!

Can you see their shiny eyes inside?
It took mama bird a while to get used to us coming and going - as the topiary is right beside the side door.
She will sit tight now as we brush past - running in and out of the house as we try to make sense of our hectic life.

Remember to flex your creative muscles!

I'm getting ready for the "Scraps, Fragments and Artifacts" class on May 4 in Seneca.

The Lake and Mountain Quilt Guild is hosting this class. I'm really looking forward to helping a room full of quilters pull their scraps, fragments and artifacts together to make an awesome piece of artwork!