Beach Walk

I stopped in Ocean Park, Maine for a beach walk with Jane on my way back to Lexington today. There was a hazy fog which actually was quite lovely and helped tone down the sun a little.

 

And you not only get the beach when you go to Jane's....you get her gardens too which were in their full glory! Thanks Jane!

Pretty Amazing

When you stop and look, life is pretty amazing.  

I was stopped in my tracks when I saw this stunning hydrangea at my friend Rachel's in South Portland.

Trial and Error

After some trial and error this afternoon...I finally have the basic concept and layout for my July project. I think it's going to be a happy little piece. It helped to cut a viewfinder out of paper to see what was going go land on top of the little 6 inch canvas. I'm not exactly sure about the edges yet but I'll figure it out. I do like it when some of the image wraps around.

Stitching and outlining will make a big difference.  I think I might outline the lily in black to really make it stand out....I may have to practice first. Then I can stitch a stem and leaves without adding any extra color. I do like to keep pretty true to the color scheme so I won't add any green.

Working in front of the window in the studio is delightful almost all day long until the sun comes around the corner in the late afternoon. But these pleated shades do the trick...and the best part is they came with the condo.

I cut up a lot of pieces and made a decent size mess before I landed where I did. But luckily most of the scraps are useable for another project. Even small pieces of fused fabric is valuable.

I did a digital experiment this evening to see what black outlines around the lily will look like....I think it adds a lot. 

I would like to think I could do this a little loose and sketchy with free motion quilting.  But I will probably chicken out and do it by hand more precisely. We'll see. I will take it back to Lexington and finish it up there where I have more resources and supplies. I'm not fully set up in the condo yet. I also need to remember to add a a little JOY somewhere on the piece.

Gentle Reminder

Paul and I had a "Field Trip Friday" yesterday and our destination was a lovely wedding in Farmington, Connecticut. The reception venue had beautiful gardens and grounds....including this splash of orange lilies. It was a gentle reminder that I need to get going on my July project. I can't believe the month is already half over.

Today we're back in Maine for a little stretch and I took a break from cleaning the paint sanding dust and played around with a lily.

I drew a little pattern using the only things I had at the condo....a legal pad and a pen.  I cut fabric petals and fused them together.

I like it...but I'm wondering if it's too small. It's going to look a lot better outlined. Tomorrow I'll play around with a background and some sort of vase and that will help me decide if it needs to go bigger. I could also add a few simple buds.  

Mother Bulbs

I was pretty excited to get this picture from my sister
LaVonn today.  All her pots of rain lilies are blooming
at the same time....they are the mother of my bulbs.

Third Time's a Charm!

In my last house in South Portland I painted a little pass through hallway 3 times. I wanted a rich medium dark blue...but not navy. 

The first color I painted was too dark. The second color was too light....or too colonial bluish. So I mixed the two together until I got a color I was satisfied with....and I loved it!  Third time's a charm! 

I knew it was the color I wanted in the den at the condo but I couldn't find it anywhere. But lucky for me the guys at the local Benjamin Moore store were able to color match a swatch I had perfectly.

The second coat went on today and I love it. This isn't a very good picture because it was a very cloudy dark day and there's no overhead light in the den so it looks darker than it actually is. It's got a nice cozy vibe.

Edgecomb Gray is the neutral for most of the main living spaces. It's perfect because because it's both gray and beige. Someone wrote that she "wasn't hip enough to paint gray"...so Edgecomb gray was perfect for her too.

The first coat finally went on the walls in the main living space today....and I'm very pleased.  It was several days of tedious prep and reprep because of various issues....but what a difference having a fresh coat on all the walls.










I actually chose to put Edgecomb in the studio too.  I'm sticking with the purple going up the stairs and I wanted the attached bedroom to be a color so something up there had to be neutral.  A lot of artists paint studio spaces white so the color doesn't interfere with their work. It's still hard for me to say I'm an artist...but is sure feels fresh and bright and will be a wonderful space to create. It's all coming along!

Economical Gardening

My sweet mini astilbe by the orange mushroom is blooming. I've had it for years and every fall I tuck it in the ground for the winter and dig it up in the spring and put it in this planter. I do the same thing with the grass but succulents come into the house.  The small grass multiplies like crazy....so I scatter it in all my mini hosta gardens.

Everything in this basket is also dug up from the garden. It's good that I'm quite fond of green textures...it ends up being very economical gardening.

Lunch With A View

I came home from Maine this afternoon for a day or two to see Connie and tend to things at the house. I did what you've heard me say I always do....I walked the yard. First of all to my delight I had a profusion of rain lily blooms.....and once again I can't help but share.

Sorry for being a broken record....but they make me so happy. Thanks to LaVonn at least four of us sisters now have them...and we often share progress and pictures with each other. We are connecting through our rain lilies.

We also had some good rain while I was gone so the gardens look lush and happy....there may be more on that to come.

But also while I was away my little rabbit friends took advantage and had a feast eating this whole hosta. I have this same type in two completely different places....and both were eaten down to almost nothing.  I think my new strategy will be to split them in the fall and spread them here and there behind bigger ones and just let the rabbits go to town.  Rabbits have to eat too! For now....I'll just have a gap in the garden. When I'm home I use a spray called "Liquid Fence" and that seems to keep them out...but the new strategy will be cheaper and less stinky. It does, however, work really well.

Notice the gap just to the right of the rain lilies?  That's one lunch stop. In the big scheme of things it's a relatively small problem....or not really a problem at all. How could it be when I have so many lily blooms! The rabbits had lunch with a very pretty view.

And...by any chance if my rock fairy is reading this....I put the orange starfish back on my mystery rock that appeared last summer. (it came with its own starfish)  I still don't know who's responsible....but the mystery is fun.

Better An Oops!

A few days ago I stopped at a green house and was blown away by the intense colors of hydrangea. Can nature really do this?  Or have humans intervened? 

Speaking of intense colors...I had the purple for the stairway wall lighted a bit....and I'm going with it. It's just paint...and it's just one wall. I can always go back to neutral.  

"Better an oops than a what if!"

A Summer Sunday

The days have been full and wonderful here in Maine. We've been enjoying the pool....our favorite times are evenings and mornings. The back patio beckons us every day....and the last couple of nights we've enjoyed a wonderful firefly show in the woods. We haven't seen many fireflies in New England so this was a pleasant surprise.  I have such fond memories of growing up in Wisconsin catching fireflies.

I'm still in the middle of picking all my paint colors...thank goodness for samples. I still love the idea of purple going up the stairs....but I may have to lighten it up a bit. The color in this photo is a little off...it's a hard area to photograph...but it's pretty luscious in the right light and makes quite a statement.

I have to figure this all out in the next couple of days and I'm getting close. Some colors are just right....I've tossed out a few... and tweaking the others. My inspiration rug is always in my head.

I did take a few hours this afternoon and sat at the little table in the studio. What a delightful place to work and play. There was a nice breeze and pleasant view.  I loved watching the walkers and hearing the sounds of kids playing at the pool...perfect for a summer Sunday afternoon.

But....July is sneaking by so I also took some time and played with my orange and yellow fabric. More to come on that.

Friends With Views

Then next best thing to having a house with a water view...is having friends that do.  Paul and I visited our good friends from Deer Isle who now have a condo on the Easter Promenade in Portland with great views of Back Bay, Casco Bay, and the Portland skyline.

And today I went to a bride and groom shower for good friends at the grandparents house in Falmouth Foreside....also overlooking Casco Bay. How lucky to have friends with views!

I've never been to the upper floors....but I bet the views are great from up there!

I have a digital art project that I am doing for the tables at this wedding with a nautical theme. I have a month to get it done....I'll let you know how it turns out.

It's Time....

....to call in the professionals.

Paul and I recently came to the conclusion that it's best for both of us if we hired the painting done in our condo. Painting is something I can do...but the job was more daunting than I had imagined. The more repair and prep I did...the more I saw.  It needed to be done right this time. Then if I ever want to change a color....it will be easy.

A chance meeting at the pool led me to Pete the painter and we're off and running. Pete and his crew did all the ceilings in the whole place yesterday before we arrived and this morning they were busy fixing more holes and filling more cracks prepping every space for paint. As I've said before...the prep is the most important part and these guys were amazing. We're in a mess for a little while....but we're OK with that. We have a patio and a pool and a beautiful world out there to explore.

But what this means is that I have to pick colors for the whole condo....3 bedrooms, 1 den, 1 studio, 3 bathrooms, a kitchen and a living room/dining room space. Of course I've been thinking about it for a long time but my head is spinning with color. But with the help of the designer at the paint store...I'm getting if figured out and have some samples to experiment with. The crew won't be back until next Thursday....then the whole place will magically get painted over 3 days....maybe 4.

The big open living space will be a calm neutral....but the separate rooms will be colors. Like I mentioned a few days ago....there's a fair amount of purple's and plums in my inspiration rug.

So why not go big and bold on the accent wall going up the stairs right to the left of the rug. You only see it when you walk in the front door or when you're going upstairs. So I'm auditioning purple. I've never used purple before....we'll see.

  

Real Work

Storypeople.com  Brian Adreas

What's the Buzz....

...at Gallery Blink?  Another exhibition called:

I checked out the new show yesterday afternoon and per usual it was just a delight. It included art inspired by flowers, fields, and the honey bee. There were little honey bee decals scattered here and there on the walls...such a special touch.                                                                             

I love this large collage piece by the home/gallery owner Gillian Ross that was hanging over the mantle. The details in each room are incredible and Gillian makes all the art look like belongs. 

The little touches and details pulls everything together....like the little book above called Stung Again. You can't really see it but there are a few sunflower playing cards sitting on the mantle. Jars of honey were scattered around as well as pieces made of beeswax. You have to make the rounds several times to see everything. 

Inspired by the rosy pinks, purples, and reds in my Condo inspiration rug...I made a little purchase.  I have admired Dora Hsiung's woven art work at every show. Many of her pieces are large and wonderful....but this time there was a small 5 by 7ish piece that seemed to be calling my name.  I loved the colors and the dimension.  It will remain in the show for a few more weeks then it gets to go to its new home in Portland. I'm not quite sure exactly where it will go....but it will have a special little spot.

It's hard to tell from the picture...but the piece is very dimensional.....each square is convex....or is it concave. You get the idea.

Oh....how I love a splash of color!