Getaway

I'm spending a couple days with friends in Lexington...where Paul and I lived for 11 years before retiring back home in Portland.  We're at peak leaf season here in New England....and the drive down was just lovely.  

I stopped at a couple favorite local spots before having lunch with my dear friend Peggy. 

Wilson Farm does this pumpkin and gourd display on the front of their building every few years....and it's always fun to see it in person.     

  

I happen to catch one of the last days of a show at Gallery Twist...and that's always a treat.  The art is displayed all around this beautiful Victorian home....and and it always inspires.

Even the dining room table becomes a place for art.  There is something to see in every nook and cranny....I usually have to go around twice.

I met Peggy for lunch at Carleton Willard....where I spent many years helping my dear friend Connie who I've talked about her over and over on this blog. Her friend Peggy has become my friend....and we had a delightful visit and lunch. I even got a  quick hello from Muffy...another dear friend and artist I greatly admire.

I'm spending the night with Anita....my friend and walking buddy for all the years we lived here. We have endless things to talk about....and time with her is always is a good for my soul.

More friends....and more fun things to come tomorrow.  I won't have a chance to post until late tomorrow.....but it's going to be a great day.

It's good to have a little getaway!

Pure Magic

Today fabulous was a mix of things....including some long overdue house cleaning.  It was a beautiful early fall day....one of those days where whatever you did would be awesome.

I put some finishing touches on my latest self portrait....this time using both fabric and stitch in the background.  

The face is still printed cardstock and colored in with markers...then just glued on. But I think I'm ready for one all in stitch. I did play a bit with it today....but I have to put it aside.  Starting tomorrow.....I'm taking  a little road trip for a few days.  Stay tuned....I'll take you along.

I do love using this simple stitch technique I learned in a class a while ago.  It's just a wonky straight stitch....where I do quick little back and forth with my reverse lever to make the little dots.  I love the perfectly imperfect effect.

But maybe the most fabulous thing I did today...was visit with Patty in her backyard....she's just down the street. I just follow the pig parade.

Patty and Reid have a berm in their backyard that over looks the woods....and it's filled with fabulous hydrangea....birds and other blooms. You can see the mid summer tour here: https://joyfulputtering.blogspot.com/2022/08/bookends.html 

I'm going to let the photos speak for themselves....it was pure magic.

Do you see our little friend?

Thanks Patty!  Back to cleaning.

Imperfection

"You don't need to be perfect to inspire others. Let people get inspired by how you deal with your imperfection."  (found here)

I'm at the point in my life where there is joy in my imperfection.  I just kind of wing it most of the time.....and on the good days I'm pretty happy doing whatever lands in my lap. 

I'm going to ramble just a bit in this post....so am going to share a few photos of this small sumac tree we saw on our walk....just to add a little color.  I love watching the sumac change in the fall.

I continue to be grateful to the people who follow along.  I've made some wonderful new friends who give me feedback and support....and it warms my heart when I hear from someone new.

This morning I got an email from Ruth in Canada asking me if she could use this little digital version of the bluebird on the mushroom I posted for a book she is making for her granddaughter.  The book about the little girls dear little stuffed monkey....who, during a staycation with grandma liked to watch the birds.  Of course she could use the image....there's joy in that!

Margie emails me on a regular basis.....but recently wrote a really sweet not about how happy she has gotten to really know the creative side of me...through the eyes of my blog.  

I visited her today....and we both commented about how lucky we are that our days are just packed with things that we enjoy doing. 

 And just a few days ago, I heard from Ida, one of the students who took my torn paper collage class last spring.  She's been following along since the class....and wondered if I was going to teach again.  That's a long story....but I was tickled that she reached out. 

I'm going to let this sit.....and watch it all shrivel up!

Speaking of imperfection.....here's a 3rd self portrait I played with today.  I kind of like the placement of that earing on the right.....that's what you get when you don't look at the paper.....much.  Gives it some charm.

I told Gina....the instructor, that I was inching my way towards a stitched face.  This one is still on paper....but the background is fused fabric on a piece of handpainted cardstock. I think I'm going to do at least one more on paper.....but will incorporate fabric AND stitch.  Then maybe try a stitched face.  

Thank you for following along....even with all my imperfections!

Too Many Choices!

I felt like a kid in a candy store all day today....just too many choices!    

I took a walk in the drizzle this morning...and the gray sky made the fall color just pop!  I took dozens of photos....but for now and I'll just share one of the explosion of color across the pond.  This is just steps away from our condo.....and hardly a day goes by when we don't walked around it a time or two....or three.

  Then I spent a few hours making more leave and grass prints ...who knew that that those chunky blades of grass on the left would become my favorite printing tool of the day.  More on that later.

Another new path from top to bottom on my puzzle.  Slow and steady!

But I was also a little giddy about my latest self portrait piece.  I colored another face last night....then woke up in the middle of the night with an idea of what to do with it.  Adding collage elements was the next lesson in "Funky Faces in Stitch"...and this was my interpretation.

I flip through every paper flyer, and free magazine that comes into my house for interesting images and text. You never know when I'm going to need some colorful text....and I'm glad I had choices!

I told the instructor that I may never make it to the stitching part of the course.....I'm having too much fun with paper.

My initial plan was to do a weaving for the background...but after auditioning the cutout on the strips....I decided it would make it too busy.  The weaving idea may show up on another one.....I have a dozen ideas in my head!  Too many choices!  

"Beyond Words"

I started my post yesterday by saying "interesting things can happen outside of comfort zones."  And the outside of my comfort zone day ran a bit into the evening.  I hardly ever go out at night anymore....especially by myself.  But I headed downtown Portland after dinner to attend this event.....to support my good friend Marita....who is an English teacher by necessity....and a poet by choice.  

Five poets were sitting in the lounge....writing poems on manual typewriters for anyone who wanted...or needed one.  Marita (on the left of the photo) and Katherine (on the right corner) each wrote one for me. 

They asked me a few questions....and I mentioned about recently spending time out of my comfort zone with my drawing project....and finding joy there.  And...the irony of being out of my comfort zone at the this event....after dark.

Here are my "On The Spot Poems" by Marita and Katherine.

Marita knows me well....so wove all kinds of familiar things into her poem....and she asked me to just talk while she was typing.  I was her first poem of the evening....and she was rusty with a manual typewriter.   But I loved her poem....even especially with the typos.....beautiful imperfection.  I did ask her for clarification of the last line....and that is down below.  

Marita's intention for the last line was: ....."making beauty from the 

broken things, lines lost, ledgers of lives not to be forgotten." 

The event was at the Press Hotel on upper Exchange Street.

The doormat....as you enter the hotel.

I was so glad I went....it really was "beyond words."

Katherine Ferrier actually has a custom poetry business...and does special events like weddings.  She always asks what a poetry client needs....saying poems can be healing....like medicine.

https://www.threadwrite.com/

Going outside of my comfort zone gave me the chance to see some 

early evening ambiance in Portland.

City Hall...as the sun was setting.

The Courthouse on the way to my car.

And...when I got home....

I did more coloring......outside of the lines of my comfort zone.

Comfort Zones

"They snickered at her life full of many patterns, but she smiled knowing that she was only being her true self!"  Alisson Burda

Interesting and funky things can happen outside of comfort zones.

I really can't draw very well....so why not take a drawing class where it doesn't matter.  I'm about a week into a class called "Funky Faces" by Gina Ferrari.  We've started by doing self portraits....WITHOUT looking at the paper.....and now we're adding color and pattern.  Eventually we will be doing them in fabric and stitch. 

https://www.instagram.com/gina_ferrari_art/

 Looking at this photograph....I only glanced a few times at the paper to get my bearings while I sketched. This is one of a dozen or so drawings I've done so far.....it's kind of addictive actually.  Most of them are amusingly awful!

This is another one I might play with....remember...I did this without looking at the paper.  I was a little a lot off on the right side with my hairline.  I did add the extra lines around the glasses in afterward and may try to take out some of those extraneous lines on the right before I color it.

I will admit....there is joy outside of my comfort zone.

Winterberry

As I pull into the parking lot at Margie's place....there's a long hedge of winterberry at the edge of the parking lot overlooking the woods.  

I have to pause every time I visit this time of year.....to admire the berries....and soak in the fall foliage in the woods. 

It's a beautiful time of year to look closely!

And....another puzzle was finished on Margie's board.