Art House Refrigerator Photos

Inspiration from the icebox.  World Market used to sell French Lemonade in glass bottles with pressure tops (like Grolsch bottles), and we've used them as water bottles ever since.  I must have been photographing in my fridge for too long as one of the bottles collected a lot of condensation (and the dog hair is nice, too).  I love the image, both from Hipstamatic and from the normal iPhone camera. 

I've been reading about contemplative photography, and practicing it with my iPhone.  I like how taking photographs of everyday objects makes me slow down and really see the beauty that surrounds me. 

Drink up.

I'm a Steamroller, Baby

Or at least I'll be printing with one on Friday night when Dayton Visual Arts Center has their Flat Out Fun
celebration at the old Greyhound Bus Terminal in downtown Dayton from 5-9 pm on Oct. 7. 

I've taken a trip back to my flower period with this print. I've carved lots of Easy Carve before, but I've never done a lino print.  Whew.  It was hard.  I finished it in one very long day, and I was sore afterward.  I can't decide if I want to print it before I take it to test it to see if I've carved it deep enough.  I've a few more days to decide.  I'll repost a print if I decide to cheat.

Otherwise, I'll see you in downtown Dayton on Friday.

Hipstamatic

I got an I-Phone before Tony headed off to Iraq so that I could be constantly available to him by phone or skype or e-mail or however the heck he wants to reach me.  (And it works, we talk twice a day nearly every day.  Thank God for my consistent husband ;-).

A few weeks ago I saw an online photo journal of pictures from the war in Afghanistan
taken with an I Phone using an app called Hipstamatic.  I bought the app; I bought some lenses and film beyond what were supplied, and I've been having a blast.  At first I was worried that I wouldn't be able to download them onto the computer, but no problem.

John S lens, Alfred Infrared film

Libatique 73 lens, Claunch 72 Monochrome film

Matty ALN lens, Ina's 1969 film

Lucifer VI lens, Kodot XGrizzled film

Kaimal Mark II lens, BlacKeys SuperGrain film

John S lens, Alfred Infrared Film

John S lens, Alfred Infrared film

I'm still getting used to it.  And obviously the last one was a mistake, but I love the texture of the concrete I was walking on.

You can't really trust that what's showing on your screen is what the lens is seeing, and that can be frustrating.  The cool effects without ever stepping into a darkroom make that drawback something I can work with. Now, I always have a fun camera with me, even if I leave my DSLR at home. 

I love the Alfred Infrared film and the John S Lens.  I also love the Claunch film.  I've done some tests with the other lenses, but I haven't quite figured them out yet.  Summer's almost over, so it should be cool enough again to head into the studio soon.  Can't wait.  I have lots of yo-yos waiting for homes.

Good Neighbors

I had a wonderful birthday.  Got to see Cave of Forgotten Dreams, had a wonderful dinner with Connor and Jude at the Winds, delivered my quilt to Dayton Visual Arts Center, and got to see Connor play some great lacrosse, but the day after my birthday was great, too.  The Aullwood opening was fun, and some good friends and I had a great dinner at Harrison's in Tipp City (Black and Blue Salmon Salad, yum).  Best of all the wonders of the 2nd day of my 47th year were the beautiful flowers that Debra and her daughter Lara, my neighbors, delivered.  They have an amazing yard, and the entire bouquet was from their wonderful gardens.  I thought I would share. 

My 47th year is off to a wonderful start--full of love and beauty.  May I find both and love and beauty to appreciate in each day of the coming year. And, dear reader, may you, too.

Water, Water Everywhere at Aullwood in Dayton, Ohio

Hope you can stop by the Aullwood Audobon Center  where three of my quilts from the Wrack Line Series will be on display with 33 other quilts in the theme "Water, Water Everywhere."  The show closes on August 21, 2011.

As I say in my artist statement:

The Wrack Line Series is inspired by my childhood.  As the daughter of a native Floridian and a Navy pilot, I seemed always to live close to the water.  The frigid but beautiful beaches of the Pacific in California; the warm waters and bright sands of Destin, Florida; and the cool and interesting North Atlantic beaches off of Virginia and Maryland were all part of my childhood.  But I'm not a sitter, so while my mom and friends sunbathed, I roamed the wrack lines, those lines where the highest daily tide deposits ocean treasures and human trash.  Though the quilts are abstract, I hope they evoke curiosity and mystery and the desire to move in closer to see what else there might be to find.  

Wrack Line VIII: Tidelines

Wrack Line IX: Moonjellies and Starfish

Wrack Line X: Winter Tides

On show at Aullwood are Wrack Line VIII, IX, and X.  Soon XI will be on exhibit at Dayton Visual Arts Center.  Since they are meant to be seen up close, the pictures don't really do them justice, but here's a preview of the three quilts at Aullwood.  Hope you'll stop by to see them and works by fellow MVAQN members Deb Bentley, Pam Geisel, Fran LaSalle, and Mindy Marik along with quilters from across the US.  

Wrack Line XI: Tides in Godlight

Wrack Line XI: Tides in Godlight   33x26

This quilt began with the shimmery fabric that many of the yo-yos are made of.  I started making yo-yos with that fabric, and then I found the lovely silk dupioni on the sale tables at JoAnns.  As I worked on the quilt, I remembered a writer, I think it was Wallace Stegner, talking about that golden light that sometimes arrives at nightfall and makes everything seem golden and splendored.  He called it godlight.

Godlight also deepens the shadows.  The black chiffon ribbons are the deep shadows that seem to always lurk even in the most beautiful light.  If I'm in the right frame of mind (and for me that right frame of mind happens when I've been consistent in my yoga and meditation practice), the shadows can make the light more beautiful.  They also remind me of the kelp and seaweed that get tied up in the wrack the tides bring in.

I've been sewing yo-yos down now for nearly eleven hours. (I know because I watched the entire season of Drop Dead Diva while I was sewing them--listened really, my head only came up every once in a while.  Yeah for Netflix on the Wii.).  I'm not sure how long the yo-yos took to make, but on average, I can make fifteen in an hour.  I'm not sure how many there are on this quilt, but probably over one hundred.  I love how the machine quilting I did on the bottom ripples the fabric a bit and makes it look like the ripples the water makes on the sand as it pulls back into the ocean. 

Off to put a label and a hanging sleeve on and then the quilt is headed to the Member Show at Dayton Visual Arts Center. 

detail, Wrack Line XI: Tides in Godlight

Recyled Quilts, Wrack Line X: Winter Tides

Wrack Line X: Winter Tides

 I'm expanding the color palette on my Wrack Line series a bit.  This quilt began as a Talbot's silk dupioni dress from Value Village in Takoma Park MD (best thrift store ever!) back in August 2010.  Where else could I get a yard and a half or so of silk dupioni for $3.98?  So I bought it.  It was in my size, but the style wasn't quite me.  I tried it on first, didn't like it, and then I began to cut it apart.

 I knew I wouldn't have enough silk, especially if I saved some for the quilt top, so I decided to make yo-yos out of the lining as well.  Since the lining was just a little darker and not as shiny, this added a nice contrast.

I had some cream dupioni sitting around to make other yo-yos with, but I decided to try a double layer back.  I can't remember where I saw this technique of framing the quilt, but I thought it might work to make the ice colored yo-yos pop.  It was a little bland with just the blue and white, but in a cleaning spree, I found some orange silk to add some contrast.

I pillow-cased the two silk quilt layers and quilted the larger one with a walking foot in a wave pattern (even dupioni is terribly slippery).  The cream layer is sewed down only by the stitiching of the yo-yos.  I'll add French knots when I find the right color thread.

 Even though this photo is awful, this quilt and two others in the series have been juried into the Aullwood Show "Water, Water Everywhere."