Well *Red* Studio

I love red.

I always have and always will.

I'm sure somewhere there is a thing as too-much-red, but for me, for now, there's always a bit of room for some more.... 

Like here, in red felt and sequins and beads....

Or here, in a delightful Mardi Gras throw....gotta love red shoes!

And yes, this is SUPPOSED to be red, but it's kinda fun against the Flame-Rug!

LOL!!!

Sometimes it's that little intense POP of red that makes things work....

My favorite images, hearts~~anatomical or not...definitely RED!

Spotlighted under a small lamp; red hand knit doily and a beautiful red beaded sacred heart pin from Jan...

Or here, in work from a Michael DeMeng class...new ways to play with RED!

And my sweet red heart milagro from New Orleans....aging perfectly; it looks like it has wings.

Today was a RED LETTER day!

Hope yours is too!

Pax....

Jack Frost

A visitor came last night.....quietly, leaving a trace of white across the landscape.

In frosty cold, I gazed at fields only yesterday gold....

Today, white and glowing in the cold morning light.

Lungs filled with the chill,

I stood and captured.

The remains of delicious Fall

All aglow

Deep petticoats of bronze and green,

Soon to drop

And blow into the Winter breeze.

Pax....

White Day In The Studio

Yesterday was what I refer to as a *white studio day*. These are the days when bundles of canvasses are opened and the gesso comes out.
 

The above photo pretty well describes my world. I am in the throes of prepping these, to get them (and a few others) acceptable for paint and collage. The new gesso that is used is not to my old fashioned liking; it is nonabsorbent and many of the techniques that make my work my own will not function on a slick surface.

The backs require attention as well; being mass produced means little details like extra canvas showing from the front is the norm, so everyone gets a haircut. (I notice these things from years and years of doing my own canvas, raw, from the sizing up.....maybe I would have been better off born into this pre-made world we live in! LOL!)

And *THIS* is much more ME...color.

And MORE color. As I sit in my little world of nothing but white, I am taunted by these gaudy girls and brushes that seem to beg to be used.
Instead, I reach for the broad priming brush and keep to the job at hand.
Two coats minimum; frequently three depending on the substrate. For my box canvasses, it is many more (they require both sides to be slathered and filled) as I build up texture and air bubbles with layers of the gesso~~well worth the work for the effect it gives.
But sometimes, at the end of the day, all I have to show for my efforts is this...

.....and I suppose that is okay.
Artist's hands are not clean, not manicured.
Not when we're working.
They bear proof that indeed I did something productive all day.
I think today though......I would enjoy COLOR!!!


Pax....

Three Photos For Those Of The Quercus Persuasion.....

Yes, I said I was on a blog break and I still am, with my head up in the clouds but I found these lovely leaves yesterday and could not wait to put them out there into blogland! 

This is my pin oak, in the north part of the yard, and even in bad years it  puts on a color show all it’s own. Words can’t describe the colors that this tree produces, and frequently all on one leaf. With the sun bright, it glows in ways other trees don’t.

Greens, yellows , rusts and reds all combine into an amazing and slightly surrealistic combination. It generally is a tough choice on what to post……

But sometimes, you get something almost perfect, and it is obvious it needs to be seen by more than my eyes.

Enjoy this taste of Quercus Autumn!

 

Pax….

The Glorious Glow of "After-Storm"

We had a surprise thundershower late in the afternoon the other day; when the storm had left and the sun began to shine again while setting through the moisture rich atmosphere, Mother Nature put on a color show.

There has been no retouching of color in these photos.....this is what it was really like as the shades and hues undulated, changed, glowed, sparkled and left me running trying to capture everything at once.

Enjoy!

The ultimate paintbrush, don't you think?

Pax....

Racing Before The Rain…..A Farmer’s Life

Yesterday was a beautiful Indian Summer day; blue skies, very warm, and the sound of farm machinery all throughout the countryside.
No different here; usually I miss the acreage being cut, but had the opportunity to get a few shots. Those big JD’s move fast!

A glimpse of the trees beyond the corn, in their festive colors. They will be bare fast, I fear---the color seems to change before my eyes. Leaves crunched beneath my feet and gently swirled down in the warm breezes.

And the behemoth comes chugging around the corner, filled with the crop from the field. Swift passes, stalks cut, seed separated…..

Hissing and spewing chaff all about…….oh yes….I would LOVE to drive one of these! (think Milo and the small John Deere….uh huh….not good!)

And finally, this green giant depositing beautiful, golden corn into the waiting semis.
I romanticize---this is a hard life that requires relentless faith and constant upkeep of what it takes to put the crop in, keep the land healthy, feed and nourish the plants and pray for rain….and then dry for harvest.
My grandfather farmed, and I am sure, if he were alive, it would amaze him as it does me, how the process has become so LARGE. But I thank the families who still do this, one acre at a time, in the proper manner. They are our food source, our health, and our ability to step away from corporate farming and the illness and scars it brings to the land.

To all the family farmers; THANK YOU. A THOUSAND TIMES.

Pax….

Between The Raindrops....

(just a teaser of the final work---top of the canvas)

....popping in to say hi and no, we did not get blown away to the merry old land of Oz, but then the day isn't over either.
I had planned to have the final post up about the current collage piece; got most of the text saved yesterday afternoon, took photos and then the weather rolled in and I decided *off and unplugged* was safer than sitting here trying to load photos and getting electrocuted! Hopefully I can integrate the pix I took into the words I wrote later today and have the post up tomorrow morning.
It will be long, with quite a few photos, and I am really praying Blogger doesn't start eating them like last time......what a nightmare.
But other than varnishing, the piece is done (I think!) and the decisions left will be satin or gloss varnish or both, some on different elements. This is a good place to be with it; giving it a days rest and looking with fresh eyes tomorrow for anything I might have missed or want to add to a bit.
One thing I noticed as I worked was the color of warm yellow/red I used kept reminding me of something and sure enough, I finally remembered; betadyne. And some parts had that lovely old stain left from mercurochrome---who is old enough to remember that being a staple in first aid kits and being swabbed on cuts, scrapes and bloodied knees? (I think I was some shade of it peretually when I was little.....)
I assume maybe I choose colors subliminally? I don't know.
You decide tomorrow.

Pax.

Color Abounding--Hard Crops of the Studio Flotsom, and WELCOMES To New Followers!

First off, before I become lost in this post, which is completely possible with my swiss-cheese-for-brains state...LOL!!.....  WELCOME to my new readers! Hope you have a good time here; jump in, comment, ask questions, or if you have something you want to inquire about privately, click the *more about me* (or whatever it is on the side) and e-mail.

Happy to chat, happy you've found the studio! :-)

Yesterday, after working the amount I felt safe with doing and not having myself in deep *You-Know* with both DH and the upcoming visit to the Surgeon, I took a quick look around the studio and realized that right under my nose was all this color.

You have to understand that I can walk into a wall and not pay much attention to it if my mind is in creative mode, which thankfully it has been, so I knew the studio had a lot of *stuff* out, because I had been tripping over it and shoving it from pillar to post, but I was not looking at it.

Seeing, but not looking, is the greatest sin of the artist, or anyone who wishes to put more creativity into their lives. I don't care what you do, what medium you work in or what you would like to try, learning to see is vital. Basically, unless you live in a white cube, there is always something of visual interest about you. It is a matter of honing in with a different view.

One of the simplest things you can do, and it's fun, is to take a piece of cardstock and cut two *L* shaped pieces (about 2" thick strips), hold them so there is a hole in the center and there you have it; your own private viewfinder to the world! It is a simple tool, fun to use, and let's you rethink the overlooked in your personal space.

Thank heavens for cameras and computers to crop our photos with! Above are pieces I had tossed into my scrap basket during one of my emergency table cleaning escapades. Just sitting and waiting......Suddenly the mundane becomes sublime. You start looking. You start seeing. Life gets interesting!

Everything I have photographed was out in the studio, photographed as is and the only manipulations were to move a piece of junk if it was obscuring the frame or to go in and crop. That's all.

That means I have a lot of junk out in here---a lot.

A LOT.

I discovered that the Christmas bows I had not put away were extremely difficult to focus with an auto-focus digital. The abundance of color made up for the lack of clarity and sharp edges, so this one snuck in..... I know, I know; I should have tougher standards but I am not a professional photographer, and I don't think the *photography police* are going to pay me a visit! (and if they do, good luck getting in the door....HA!)

A simple close up of a cigar box shrine I made several years ago.....I happened to look only at the bottom...cropping everything else out mentally and decided I liked the possibility. I really am fond of that little segment, all by its self.

Last, and certainly not least, my pencils and markers on the table. This was both a close up and hard crop to remove a lot of distracting items and leave the sharp focus of the implements and the nice soft focus of color and pattern in the background. Also, the matte covering on the right container shows nothing, but the glass holder reflects pattern around it.

Maybe I should have recommended sunglasses at the beginning of the post, or put up a dislaimer of my love of bright, intense, saturated color!

I'm hoping you'll forgive me......

Now go make art, or at least take a walk about and try and look at your surroundings a little differently!

Pax.

Autumn Glory

Yesterday was sunny, windy and chilly; perfect for a romp around the acre with camera in hand. A few photos to share that need no explainations.....just that lush color and breathtaking transformation that Fall brings quietly, suddenly, overnight.
All photos should enlarge, some are quite worth the extra moment!
Have a beautiful,bright and breezy day.....
I bid you...

Pax.

Noro.....a Rainbow on the Needles...

......and a pip to knit, being one of their one ply types, but gosh, the color is worth the trouble. I did not even try to bother with color correcting the pics; the shades are so luminous that I don't know where to start. Truly, the color is much more intense than pictured. The yarn is beautiful in person.....no other company can compete with it. I have lusted after their yarns for ages, but cost always held me back. It is not inexpensive.
I remember the first article I read about it, the photos of the fibers being readied for carding, the Japanese asthetic in color blending. I was in love; L-U-V!!!
And fairly broke, so, no Noro for me.
However......finally, years later, Simply Socks has a SALE (the magic words for any woman!). And Noro was on SALE.

Okay, fess up time. I bought this at half price, have two other balls in different colors, will no doubt use them for socks too....just not now. I want to see how these wear. I chose ribbing for the back panel and kept the lace on the front; I wasn't sure about long term strength. And the lace has a lot of yarn overs, which are thin is some areas......me visualizing the worst, a thread breaks.....things unravel...I unravel!

Spinners know the travails of one ply; it twists back upon itself in thin areas. When I spun, mine was always over twisted and I had all these little knotty messes. I only had a few with the commercial yarn but you still can't be harsh--it has to be handled carefully. I think, though, after a good wash that they should be fine. 100% wool, so minor felting should occur, thus locking the fibers. (just nod your head *yes* and agree with the crazy lady with the sharp needles)

I have a bamboo blend yarn on the needles now and it has NO give what so ever. All I can say is it is soft. Have doubts about the amount of ease when finished.
This is my "sitting on the couch behaving" work. By December, I should have enough socks knit for ten centipedes. Even centipedes with my size feet...nervous energy put to good use. And the stash diminishing. Well, not that much but I can see yarn I forgot I bought, and now wonder WHY.......
The best part is when I get to knit socks from the leftovers. I like those the best--all mixed colors and solids and quirky! Like I need help in that department. HA!
So that's my contribution to the creative end of the gene-pool today; at least for the most part my legs didn't show...... ;-) Thank heaven I didn't have to post the "pasty leg alert" this time!
Have a good one and someday maybe I'll share my little cussing-fit story of doing that picot edge from the toe up. (totally backwards---it is much easier when doing cuff down! like you're supposed to)
I bid you warmth, good yarn, and above all else....

Pax.

A link for mini Christmas ornament stockings:

http://littlecottonrabbits.typepad.co.uk/free_knitting_patterns/2007/06/knitted_mini_ch.html

An easy way to learn without lots of committment of money and time......

Sunrise For Sunday

The other morning as DH was leaving for work I saw the beginnings of a dark and stormy looking sunrise. Incredibly hard to shoot, if enlarged, the pic will be grainy and slightly out of focus. I use the auto focus feature, but there was little to focus on!
At any rate, standing in the morning chill in my nightclothes, holding my breath to try and get a good photo was enough to get me awake quickly---I just wish I could have found the tripod for a longer exposure!
Well, enjoy! I love the variety of color in the shot and it is rather restful and something nice to start a Sunday with!

Pax.

The Rabbit and The Moon

There is of course, backstory behind the artwork. First off, this month's theme for our local art group was *Moon* which in and of itself did not excite me too much. But I kept seeing ads on Canadian TV for a restaurant that was having a "Moon Festival Special" and that perked me up. It was oriental food, so I started a search o-line for some info.
It seems three countries celebrate the Moon Festival (essentially a harvest festival); Japan, Korea and China. It is the Chinese version that inspired this work, which I apologize for the poor quality of the photos. maybe clicking on one will give more detail, and let you see the texture and work involved.

As the legend goes, in the Buddhist story "Śaśajâtaka", a monkey, an otter, a jackal, and a rabbit resolved to practice charity on the Uposatha, believing a demonstration of great virtue would earn a great reward.
When an old man begged for food, the monkey gathered fruits from the trees and the otter collected dead fish from the river bank, while the jackal wrongfully pilfered a lizard and a pot of milk-curd. The rabbit, who knew only how to gather grass, instead offered its own body, throwing itself into a fire the man had built. The rabbit, however, was not burnt. The old man revealed himself to be Śakra (God of the Heavens), and touched by the rabbit's virtue, drew the likeness of the rabbit on the moon for all to see. It is said the lunar image is still draped in the smoke that rose when the rabbit cast itself into the fire.

The background behind the moon is a combination of Chinese text, some from old books, some stamped, all on various types of paper, and collaged together. Then they were coated with fluid acrylic and some interference colors, which glow when the light hits them right. The moon is cut from another canvas panel, same material as the back support, and a photo image was collaged on, with paint added to that. The rabbit is a sheer, stick on material that is covered with holographic glitter.

I used bottle caps to show the various moon phases and had an interesting surprise. The background paper for the dark of the moon was a metallic, and when coated with Triple Thick Glaze, it tarnished and crackled, much like the color of the moon that is the focal point. No clue this would happen! The papers around the edges were scraps I had saved from other projects and turned out to be a good foil for the frame I had painted red. The blues accented the cool color of the moon and the irridescent bumps on the one paper almost matched the glitter of the rabbit. The symbol in the upper right hand corner that looks quite like an "A" is the figure for "Moon".

And so, I have a rabbit in the moon, and am happy with him, though it was a hurried and not nearly perfect project. But I very much like the story and the moral of it, so it endears the piece a bit more.

May we all be rabbits......

Pax.

A Bit of Color.....

We're predicted for rain today; yesterday it was on and off just enough to make it hot and humid and wipe out a good portion of the iris. I thought I would post this photo of one of my poppies; bright, red, cheerful and so full of other colors too!

I really did not realize when I shot it how much color was in the center of the flower. Typically we think of a poppy as red, or pink as the case may be, with a black center. But upon close examination there are many colors and shades and hues.

This has not been retouched or photo enhanced. This is just the real flower *as is*. What an amazing show! And how much of this do we miss by just giving a casual glance or listening to the things we learned by rote; the sky is blue, the grass is green, tree trunks are brown........

There is a lot of color out there, a tremendous amount to be seen and absorbed and investigated. We have to relearn to see with an artists eye. I go through this all the time. It is not something you necessarily keep forever. It is a tool that requires use often and sharpening when necessary.

Take a look around you at the everyday things you pass over and over and really LOOK. Use a camera if necessary. What do you see....really?

Isn't it amazing?