Poppies Will Make Them Sleep

I have sprayed this again and again, trying to keep the deer away long enough to see the plant bloom. And if those deer eat this, they will get sick from the garlic and (remember what happens in the W of Oz?) they die. Or maybe sleep. Okay, I think just sleep.

Its in the Mail

Don't know if it will reach in time, but I have put "Petite Mummy 2" in the mail for the 2012 SAQA auction. Its signed, ready to hang, and can be yours if you bid for it. Look around for a sampling of what will be up for auction in September http://www.saqa.com/gallery-mini-detail.php?ID=2053.

What Makes You Happy

A dear friend gave me a dozen phoenix ware plates. She knows my heart, and knows what I love. I guess that is what a friend does. Right? Giving away is as good as getting.

Fading Away

The most recent challenge for quilt 2012 uses "Memory" as the theme. "Fading Away"  is about how something starts bright, then dims. And on Memorial Day, here's to my father who served along thousands more during the war. He was lucky to make it home.

Punctuation

A very snazzy bike lock station in the heart of the Southwedge area of Rochester, New York reminds me of some advanced punctuation mark, and a very excited one at that.

Forget Spring

...Because we seem to be in summer. This combination of purple clematis and pale pink dutch iris grace the hidden garden at Marcia's many acres. And wonderfully weed free -- at least in parts.

Screen Prints on the Design Wall

When asked what she would do with these "deconstructed" screened fabrics she made, Linda had no hesitation indicating she would be just cutting them up. Way to go. Got Pretties? Cut them up. This after a day out at Marcia's studio.

Egg-Stream Art

Why do I see my next composition here? Lines, blobs, nine-patch, triptych -- they all seem to be here. Taken at the Fly-In breakfast on Saturday in Williamson, New York.

Tubes in the Mail

Weeds (see background) will have to wait while I ship these two works off to South Carolina for "Textiles in a Tube 2" for exhibit in June. Requiring the work to fit in a standard 3" x 36" mailer, it can be any kind of textile work. I love a challenge.

Behind You All the Way

Just an average crowd standing behind me, keeping me going. Taken at the Toronto Distillery District. But they seem so, well, one-dimensional, no?

Tightly Wound

Answering the challenge to make a piece 12" x 20" for the Quilt2012 blog (using the theme "Tightly Wound") is this little quilt. I am trying to explore that white space. A challenge for someone who loves saturated color, for sure.

A Long Cut

Carol starts the cut to join two sections of her piece from the weekend's class in Geneva. She was very capable and adept at piecing, and we all quietly cheered her progress. (Don't startle anyone who has a rotary cutter in their hand.)

Grant Would What?

Devorah Sperber's work (and yes, you are looking at it right way up) is composed of spools of thread. This is just a detail, but you can see it big time at the Memorial Art Gallery. I did.

Hats Off

Using flower pins, Angela Ellsworth made this "Seer Bonnet" and is now in the collection of the Memorial Art Gallery, where I saw it this week. Textiles with a prick, no?

Gifts

The ginko tree (hit from the late snow) and the iris were gifts from long ago. Someday I will have to leave these behind, but for now they are part of my landscape. Love how they glow in the early morning.

Out of the Wash

Finally washed out last week's experiments in my little "Surface Surprise" workshop. And the results are the same if washed within four hours or forty.Tons of fun, and now I want to make more.

Thread Work

What to do with those old threads? Copy the famous portrait of Marilyn. Saw this at the Toronto Distillery district. Squint to see her.

More Hard Work (and Lots of Fun)

We needed all the space we could get, worked till our feet hurt, and had loads of fun. Here the "inspectors" are checking Anne's progress, while others just try to keep ahead. From the workshop in Toronto this weekend.

Mother's Day

It is not often easy to look to the future when the past is so strong. This is almost 21 years ago, with my mother and my two daughters starting just another day. I guess mothering is just that -- starting again and again.

Cutting Up the Pretties

Anne is drawing her design for the workshop here in Toronto "Cutting Up the Pretties". Great group to work with, and I believe we all went home to collapse. From happy exhaustion, for sure. Many thanks for enduring my day!

Just Face It

Chairs for outdoors (choose black or white) in the public space at Toronto's Distillery are giant faces. They are about 5 feet high, and make quite a statement. Love 'em.

Sweet Flowers

I am taking a break tomorrow night, and these mini-cupcake pots of flowers will be the end of the evening's offerings. At least, these are the examples we are aiming to copy. Cute, huh?

Getting her bachelor's in screen printing this past Monday, Aafke peeks at the results. Love the studio background garbage. It's there for inspiration, 'natch.

6 x 6 x 2012

Rochester Contemporary Art Center runs a fund raiser by posting and exhibiting (all anonymously) 6" x 6" donated works. Wonder who made this one and left it on my front step? Ha! For more info: http://www.roco6x6.org/6x6x2012_intro.php

Surface Surprise Workshop

The rain held off for us today while I gave a "mini" workshop Surface Surprise. We tried our hand at screen printing, object printing, and here (with burning concentration) monoprinting. It was a blast, and as a consequence, my studio is swept clean!

Cinco De Meyo

This is the little 12" x 20" piece that answered the challenge for this week themed "Cinco de Meyo" and I could not help to think about what someone called it "Drink-o de Meyo" and so these just look like olives to me. Martini anyone?

Opening of Marcia DeCamp's Show

This afternoon Marcia DeCamp opened her exhibition at the Wayne County Arts Council gallery. It doesn't look it, but there was a hearty crowd, lots of great treats, and of course, her wonderful and colorful works. Catch it from now to June 9. Of course, the cookies won't be there.

Sure Sign of Spring

Mom is overlooking the pansy bed at the Highland Park here in Rochester. In a couple of days it will be overrun with food machines, loud music, trinkets, and lots of garbage cans. We liked it just the way it is. But, the Lilac Festival goes on regardless.

Mummy Bags in a Body Bag

Can you believe that my precious art works are in the middle of this plastic bundle? They (those mummy bags quilts) are about to take a wild ride to be exhibited locally. And you can bet they will be chatting on the wall about how they got there. Ha!

Bermuda Triangle of Soda Soaking

Getting ready for a "Surface Design Surprise" workshop next week and getting some fabric pre-soaked in soda ash. Glad we had great drying weather. And if you get stuck in this triangle, there is an exit sign on the right.

All in a Day

Amazing that so much could be done in a day, but then, Liz was working pretty hard at Saturday's "Slash and Burn" Falmouth workshop. We used some 3/16" foam core boards 40" x 60" as our design walls. I keep a dozen in my studio and they are handy to move things around. Overlap boards for editing works to determine where to crop.