More adVANtures…

When our son and daughter-in-law were here, on their way to their own adventure rafting the Grand Canyon, we took a quick overnight trip up to one of the campgrounds on the Grand Mesa, which overlooks our valley. They stayed in their tent, and we, my husband, Murphy, and I, were in the van.  Like most (or maybe all) of the Mesa campgrounds, there was a lake, which delighted Murphy. While the others took a long hike, I did my small 5x7” acrylic painting of the scene. The watercolor sketch of my daughter-in-law was from a photo my son took. The wildflowers were, again, amazing!

We had already reserved a campsite at another of the Mesa campgrounds for the days after our kids left. Again, Murphy was thrilled to swim in yet another mountain lake. He reminded me of the tapestry I had woven of our last dog swimming in a mountain lake! There was a boat sunken in the lake, and that is what I chose to paint for my 5x7” acrylic ‘memory painting.’ We were so tired from 2 camping trips in a row, we did little else but rest for our time there. It was a lovely place to rest!

Several weeks later, still in July, we went to Ridgeway State Park. Friends were also camping there, so while Craig went for a bike ride with one of them, I had time to paint and sketch. On a short hike, we’d heard an unfamiliar bird call, so I pulled out my phone to have Merlin identify it as an eagle! But as we got closer, we saw that the bird making the sound was not an eagle, but a Raven in the tree above us. As we looked below, there was a young eagle resting on the cliffside. That story so amused me, I had to put it in my sketchbook. 

The morning was foggy, and the distant mountains were indistinct as I painted them from our campsite. But I also wanted a ‘memory painting’ of the eagle, that the Raven imitated, so painted that from the photo I’d taken, as well. Both are 5x7” acrylics on canvas.

 

Camping adVANtures….

At the beginning of the summer, we were shocked to realize that we are not getting any younger! We decided that it’s time to act like retired people, and admit that, though we love camping, we no longer enjoy tent camping or sleeping on the hard, cold, rocky ground. So we got a camper van. It’s not large and, in fact, with a growing-bigger-daily yellow lab, it’s downright snug! But it has been taking us to see new-to-us places; mostly Colorado State Parks, which, having lived in Colorado for over 40 years, we should have seen by now.

We started out very close to home, to get acquainted with the van. We just went to the James M Robb State Park in Fruita, along the Colorado River, and only about 5 miles from home. It was hot, but Murphy had four lakes to swim in, and he may have hit them all. I decided I was going to use my van time as studio time, and would document our little trips in a sketchbook.

Our second van trip was to Silverjack Campground. It was the first day the campground was open, and the site was pristine and beautiful! Silverjack is the most forested campground we’ve ever camped in, in tent or van, and the wildflowers were absolutely stunning all around us. I could have picked dozens of trees to hang my hammock from, and quickly hung it and put myself in it with a sketchbook and a small kit, with a marker and watercolors. My husband and Murphy headed off for a walk, and I sketched them as they returned to the campsite, though the breeze was enough to make sketching in a hammock a fairly silly endeavor. There was a moose and her calf in a nearby campsite, fortunately closed off, as that was not something we wanted Murphy to meet up with. While Silverjack is one of our favorite campgrounds, the drive there in a van along very bumpy roads, with a somewhat anxious puppy, was not a treat. Once again, Murphy rushed to the reservoir for a swim as soon as he saw the water.

By this trip, I had chosen a ‘dedicated sketchbook’ for our van trips, but it is not my favorite sketchbook. The texture on facing pages is very different, though both are watercolor weight paper. The left side pages (back of the right side pages) is very rough, almost like canvas. But I’ll do my best to fill it this summer, and choose a better one next time!

More ‘adVANtures to come, as we are now packing the van for our 6th camping trip!

Where to see my work - part 2

This small tapestry, ‘The Haircut,’ can be seen in the Handweaver’s Guild of America Small Expressions exhibit. It is a traveling exhibition, and is currently at the Art Center in Blue Ridge, Georgia through August 23.

I also have a tapestry in the 15th American Tapestry Biennial in Chicago, Illinois. The opening reception is August 1st, and the exhibit runs through September 26th.

If you are fortunate enough to see either of these exhibits, please let me know!

Here’s Where to see My Work! (Part 1)

Back in the day - and don't ask me what day that was - I would quite often have work out to 5 or more exhibits at a time. I kept a calendar with them color coded, so I could keep track of where my work was, when it was to be shipped, and when it would be shipped back to me. It also showed Opening Reception dates, in case I was able to go there, or so I could post them for others who might be close enough to see them. Since the pandemic, galleries and exhibits slowed down, and I slowed down a bit as well. But things are picking up, and this morning I got out my calendar and my multi-colored pen to make sure to keep up with where my work is, once again.

‘The Duet’, 1 of 2 tapestries in Symphony in Fiber exhibit 

This is one of two tapestries that are in the Symphony in Fiber exhibit. The exhibit is at the Art League Rhode Island Gallery in Pawtucket, RI. The opening reception for that exhibit is this Saturday, May 3rd from 5:30-7:30. The exhibit runs through the end of May. If you are unable to attend the exhibit in person, it can be viewed online at https://www.artworkarchive.com/profile/alri/exhibition/symphony-in-fiber-and-weavers-duet/pieces?room=symphony-in-fiber

Tapestry Weavers West is hosting two exhibits which will include my work. The Gateway to the West exhibit opens in St. Louis June 8 and runs through July 11. It is at the Craft Alliance Gallery, and will also include 2 of my small tapestries.

“Let it Be”, 1 of 2 pieces in Gateway to the West exhibit

The What’s Going On? exhibit, also sponsored by Tapestry Weavers West, is to be in San Francisco June 16-September 26, with an Opening Reception on June 17th, 5-7pm. It is to be in the Mills Building at 220 Montgomery St. My tapestry of our cats, Poe and Ringo, is to be in this exhibit.

Yin/Yang

I have work accepted in 2 other exhibits, and will post about them here soon. In the meantime, if you get to go see one of these 3 exhibits, let me know!

Diary of a Frustrated Woman

I recently requested and am now reading this book from the library. I totally love the volume they got me! It has a copyright date of 1931, and still has the original checkout system in the front cover, saying it was first checked out in 1937. The book itself is held together by brown duct tape. The book is in diary form, and is a delightful escape, as well! I mention this because I recently began a new sketchbook, and, because it has larger format pages, I seem to be drifting towards making each page a bit of a journal of my days.

Unfortunately, my days have been quite frustrating. Not, as in the book, because I can’t really afford the perfect gown for a party or the hat I want to wear to compete with the other grand ladies, but because things just seem to be falling apart around me lately. I won’t even mention the country - which I do see in the news to be falling apart around us all of late. But I will mention my Fitbit, which I have come to rely on, and which Murphy, the toothsome puppy, chewed to bits, requiring me to get a new one. And I’ll mention my iPad, which I have come to rely on for many things, which also decided to die on me, losing a lot of passwords, apps, etc permanently in the process.

 

My sketchbook has become a record of my days. Although I’m trying to not dwell on negative things, sometimes the frustration just needs to have its say. Mostly, though, I’m recording things and people I see that catch my interest. And the world has turned to Spring here, so there is a lot of beauty around me, as well.

 

These are some pages from my current sketchbook. They are not ‘great art,’ but each sketch takes me back to a moment, a day. There are birds and blooming trees and adorable children and interesting people to remember. Things that keep frustration at bay - even when a 3 month old lab puppy and new technology does their best to frustrate me. And maybe someday these sketchbooks will be held together with brown duct tape, and will bring all these moments and memories to life again.

 

Sketchbook Selfies

 

I completed a sketchbook today, and began a new one. My tradition is to both end and begin a sketchbook with a self portrait. It is my way of ‘checking in’ with myself, documenting what I am doing, the materials I’m interested in or trying out, and in many ways, how I’m feeling.

The sketch above is the last page in my sketchbook. The image is a memory of a day with my son, daughter-in-law, and 2 of my grandkids. We went through a large maze together. This sketch also includes me in my favorite black jacket; the one I wore in Paris, but now seem to have lost somewhere. As with most of my sketches these days, I do not strive for realism, but to capture a feeling. I used gouache and colored pencils for this sketch. The sketchbook was put on my studio shelf, joining 34 other filled sketchbooks (not including my travel sketchbooks.)

I was happy to be done with that sketchbook, and to start a new one, which is larger and has better paper. I recently got a set of oil pastels, and was anxious to try them out, so the selfie in the new sketchbook is an experiment with them. I wanted to see if I could blend them, and if other media (colored pencils, watercolor, gouache, marker) would work with them. As my daffodils are blooming, I stuck a few in my hand. Everything I tried with the pastels did what I wanted it to do. So I’m pretty happy to add them to my media cupboard! I have also found that I do enjoy working in a larger sketchbook, so I plan to have a lot of fun experimenting in this one! 

These selfies sometimes feel a bit ‘self indulgent,’ but, as I have also done a series of self portrait tapestries, one of the sketches may inspire a small tapestry. 

Living in the Chaos!

Murphy, 11 weeks old

Yes, living with an 11 week old yellow lab is chaotic, and that’s not going to change for a good while. Living in the US with leaders who are either certifiably crazy, or afraid of the ones that are crazy, has become pretty chaotic as well. I’ve been doing my best to not add to the chaos, even if I can’t escape it completely. 

It’s well documented that creativity helps us deal with stressful situations. So I’ve been trying to create, whether or not I feel creative. I have had a linen warp on my 4-harness loom for several years, with a plan to weave some old rug yarn into rugs. I finally did that! I did 2 simple twill rugs, not using up nearly enough of my stashed rug yarn. So yesterday I pulled out a couple of large containers from my yarn closet (this is where non-tapestry yarn is stored) and put together a dozen bags of knitting wool to take to my local ARC. More will be going soon!

A few recent pages from my sketchbook

I have been taking frequent walks through the neighborhood, as well as sketching. What I see on my walks often ends up in my sketchbook. Because of the National news, which is always bad these days, I am avoiding most online news and also social media, where everyone is in a constant (and understandable) state of dismay about the National disorder.

I did recently cut off a large tapestry so my Shannock studio loom is empty. I’m not sure what will come next with my weaving, but, in the meantime, I hope to do a bit of painting. The new tapestry is below, and it is titled “Letting Go.”

‘Letting Go’ 32x32”

 

A Bit Blah-Zee

I don’t know if you know the Larkins, of The Darling Buds of May, by H.E. Bates (also several TV series,) but Pop Larkin notes that Ma is ‘blah-zee’ and needs a break from things. Today, I feel definitely blahzee. 

We’ve had a pretty wild bit of time since the holidays. We went to Boston and back on the train shortly after New Years; we continue to witness the unraveling of our country under the new administration; we had about half the interior of our house and part of the exterior painted, which of course required total dismantling of all of the house; and we got an 8-week old yellow lab puppy.

Yes, he’s adorable, but he also can be a handful!

On top of all this stress, I completed weaving a tapestry that has been on my Shannock loom for a number of months. This morning, as I was feeling especially blahzee, I realized that this last thing, the completion of a long term creative project, is probably the main reason I am so low in energy and interest in things. I always feel this way after completing a large tapestry. It is a common thing for artists, and some compare it to ‘post partum blues.’

I have the tapestry trimmed, blocked, and am working on the lining. I want to do a bit of painting, sketching and designing now, but my studio is a total wreck, with piles of stuff from the house painting project in there, as it was a room not painted. And I’m just too blahzee to do anything about it today. Maybe tomorrow.

PS. I looked up the definition of ‘blasé’ which was what Pop was meaning, and it says to be blasé is to be apathetic to pleasure or excitement; to be world weary.

PS2: I am definitely world weary!