"Peaceful Places"

Almost every year I buy a Claudia Diller "Peaceful Places Calendar"...usually right from her at a local craft show.  Sometimes it's desktop size...like this year...and sometimes it's poster size. Either way I like to repurpose the beautiful images.

Claudia is a local artist from Portland, ME....and I love her work.  She captures the Maine coast...and the rolling hills and farmland in soft but bright colors with whimsical lines and swirls. Check out her website here.

The Bug Light....one of my favorite spots in South Portland.

Because of our construction project I have the chance to rethink the space in the living room in Maine over my blue cupboard. This time it will feature a few Claudia pieces. Several years ago I bought one of her originals called "The Midnight Moonlight Sunflower Red Light Green Light Ho Down."  Yes...that's the name. I also chose an old "Peaceful Places" calendar pages to mount on a paint panel.   

Since the frames I will be using are black...I chose to paint the edges of the panel with black acrylic paint.  I adhered the calendar page with Matt Medium and it's ready to hang. I'll let you know how the wall came out tomorrow. 

"make space happen."

Anita and I chuckled when we came across this message on a recent walk....I'm pretty sure it's a sign....or a shove. I had just started an overhaul of my craft room when the art show fell into my lap back in February.  I got to work in the midst of my chaos and made a bigger mess. (Have I mentioned that I'm a messy crafter?) It's time to clean up...get more organized...and make art space happen!

Leftovers

There were a few pieces left over from my show....and today I had fun giving one of them away to a very dear friend.

Another leftover was this mixed media piece I posted about earlier. I called it "Coastal Glow" ...it features a photo of the Maine coast and the Florida coast. I should have called it "Bicoastal glow."  I made it on a deep profile repurposed wooden canvas and it can hang or sit. For now it has a spot on my living room shelf right alongside Paul's Big Little Books. But it's up for grabs if anyone is interested.

I had it priced at $50.

Aunt Wilma

My Aunt Wilma passed away today.  She was almost 94 years old and the twin sister of my dad...Walter.  She lived in Dana Point, California and every time I visited I felt like I was in a special place. She was a remarkable woman and she will be missed.

My sister Nancy and I visited several times together 

and have lots of great memories to hold on to.

"People Buy Your Joy"

Lilla Rogers, artist, teacher, and author of the book I just Want to Make Things claims that "people buy your joy." 

Today was take down day at my "Unexpected Horizons" art show and I think it was a big success. Over the two months I sold 23 pieces and at least 6 or 8 mobiles. On my way home this morning I delivered "That Piece" (above) to its new owner...my friend Amy....and tomorrow I'll deliver "A Little Serenity" to my friend Linda. Thanks for buying my joy!

And the good news is Dr. Adams wants me to come back for another show sometime. 

As we were taking things down....Dr. Adams bought that last piece I just took in a few days ago.... "Indigo Moon" and she and I picked fabric for the second commission she ordered.  

It will be fun to come up with some new things again at some point...but for now I will welcome the break and focus on my house and my gardens.

This was a good thing for me to do...I learned a lot about myself and what I'm capable of. I'm very grateful do Dr. Adams for giving me the opportunity.

Round One

I found this lovely pottery plate at a local consignment shop...I love the colors and the earthiness.

I was keeping my eyes open for something to sit in the middle of my dining room table in Maine....and I think this works pretty well. This is round one of what's going to be displayed...I guarantee it's going to get changed up.

A Splash of Color

A welcoming entrance to Jane and Andy's beach
house where we had dinner tonight...

...and a lovely beach walk.

"Indigo Moon"

My show is winding down soon....and a few days ago I took in one last piece I called "Indigo Moon." 

It's rather simple...but I'm pretty happy with it. I played around with different pieced quilts blocks at the bottom...but in the end...simple worked best. I won't mind if it doesn't sell because I have a couple places I could hang it.

I used an altered photo and two different fabrics with a little sliver of silver metallic paper peeking through.

I took the photo a couple of years ago in Bedford as I was leaving Connie's apartment....I've always loved it.  

For this piece I used a version that I digitally altered. 

I think it looks kind of etherial...and artsy.

Here's another view of the moon that same night.  I will play around with these photos again....I think they are beautiful. I do love indigo!

This and That

I drove up to Maine last night to get a head start on my day of doing this and that.
 

This morning I finally finished up the painting in the living room. Now I can put it all back together...and this little construction project will be nearly done.  (I still need to paint the new shelf in the kitchen....but that may wait a while. If you don't look too closely...the primer looks like paint. Or that's what I'm telling myself.

I spent the afternoon outside...weeding, trimming, and cleaning up.  It was a beautiful day....for this and that.

My new favorite bush is Aronia...a kind of choke cherry.  The blossoms are just lovely and it has a nice upright shape with black "super berries" in the fall.

I like it in front of the house. It will only get 5 or 6 feet tall so won't cover the window...but provide just a bit of privacy. The variegated red twig dogwood on the left will get 5 to 7 feet tall and will fill that corner nicely.

Creamsicle Orange

I grew up on a farm in Wisconsin where the ice cream man came once a week during the summer. My mom would buy big tubs of ice cream for the family...but we kids would buy our own individual treats that we would hide in the corners of one of the big chest freezers. I often bought Creamsicles....and I only remember orange. And that was the color theme of this morning's walk with Anita and Janet.

We came across a cluster of azalea bushes in Creamsicle orange and yellow....they just glowed. It was fun seeing the buds in all of their stages: closed....just opening....fully open. Janet and Anita were patient with me while I took pictures....they know what they're getting into when they walk with me.

As we walked on....I spotted some sweet little orange glazed mushrooms in front of a house. As I was snapping a picture....I was caught. Joan, the homeowner, came out pleased that we were enjoying her mushrooms and invited us into the backyard to see the rest of her collection. What a treat! Her gardens were lovely filled with hosta, ferns, and Solomon's Seal...and of course several little clusters of mushrooms.

There were the oranges and yellows.....

....blues and purples

...and sweet little browns and earthtones.

The shed was charming....which matched the funky garage.  The whole yard was a sanctuary.

It was a delightful side trip....and we made a nice connection with a friendly neighbor.  Thanks for the tour Joan!

Don't you love the wide, rustic stone wall in the front of her house!

 








Here's my modest little collection of mushrooms.

Tracing and Coloring

My friend Connie lives at a retirement facility that is in the middle of a major building project. 

There is a long hallway called Main Street that has a temporary barrier wall with little windows so residents can watch the project unfold. They have divided the wall into sections and are inviting and encouraging residents to do murals and coloring projects. They asked Connie to design a section...and she enlisted my help.

Connie's vision was to depict the 21 original board of trustees in simple stick figures with a list of all their names.  We came up with a computer rendering which I printed on a transparency and projected on the wall with an overhead projector.  I traced all the figures and names using a black marker and together we colored the ties and beads. The figure in the middle represents the current CEO...who is also on this list of original trustees. I think it was a successful project! We make a good team!

The Blue Chair

This photo was taken before the wall came down.

We have a tired blue chair and ottoman in the corner of the living room in Maine. The stuffing is losing its loft and there are a few burn holes from the fire place....but it's the best seat in the house. It's where Paul sits to read, write, or listen to music or the Red Sox, and it's where I sit and stitch.



The flat arms are just the right height for a board Paul uses to hold his laptop or journal (you can see it there on the left)...and they are perfect perches for the supplies and snippets from my current project. Last time I was there I sat there all evening starting my new wool and felt project...enjoying the view out the window...and the peace and quiet.

I have tried to find another one like it....even from the same company...but no luck.

Here's it is in our three season porch when we lived in Madison, Wisconsin.  This was my favorite room in that house...and of course my favorite spot to sit. Do you have a favorite spot to sit?

Hosta Leaves

It's garden season....and time to plant the pots and urns at home and at church...it's where a lot of my creative energy goes this time of year.  I still hope to continue working on art...but since the show is winding down in a week or so it will be a good time to focus on other neglected things inside and out.

This morning I was walking the yard and wondered how many varieties of hosta I have...I'm not even sure I got a sample from every one. But just for the record there are 26 in this picture. Some of the leaves will get a bit bigger....and some will stay the size of my pinkie. I love all the textures and shades of green.

Button Button....

...who's got the button?  Anyone else play that game when they were young?

I recently ordered a bargain bag of misc multi colored buttons from Etsy.  There are several projects where I've used a spectrum of buttons and my supply of some of the colors was getting low.

Ever since I made the "beach balls" piece for the show (I actually made two) I've wanted to do a version in a swirl.



So I've cut some circles out of felt and wool and chosen some buttons. Some of the circles will be needle felted right into the gray wool felt and some stitched on. I will likely work in some beads and maybe even some embroidery stitches. In the end it will be mounted on a black square canvas. I think it will be a fun piece.

Spring Color

Lots of spring color on a couple of recent morning walks.

Words and Pictures

  A view of the Lexington Battle Green from Hancock United Church of Christ.