Stuffing Cusspots with Sweetie

Full Moon Inspiration

See?
I walked under the full moon and asked for wisdom and inspiration. When I went out the moon was a Kleig light 12 o'clock high and it was so cold out the cats looked up from their curled up nests, one-eyed, and said "Hardly" so I went alone.


Here is how it begins.  While looking for something else - and now I can't even remember what or why - I found this fabulous piece of weighty, world weary muslin that looks like a last ditch overdye.

That bites are missing means the color and texture has caught my eye before but the shape that is left is the crown grabber now.

There are drawings in the sketchbook, only black and white ideas. This color will bring the notion to life. Something large, expansive and charged. I am done crouching over the tiny and delicate for the moment. I have to flap my wings and howl, run amok and afoul.

Full October Moon

This morning, bright sunshine in the studio demanded work in the fiber mines, so there are exciting new sets in the store. Who made this stuff? 

Later tonight, me and the Kat Krew  be taking my Tarot cards for a walk in the moonlight. More about my ongoing Tarot studies in a future post.

seeing the work in print...

...is never a cheap thrill...especially when you didn't know it was coming. Thanks to my friend Mary McBride  "Innocent Bystanders" is in this month's SAQA print journal which is one of my favorite things that arrives by mail. She has written a great and timely article  "Taking the sting out of rejection".  This piece was juried into the show she created last year called "The Skinny Envelope" after it was not accepted at several others. I was in really great company at the Gateway Center for the Arts, in DeBary FL. Thanks again Mary!

ocean homes progress

After spending all day building a back by machine cobbling strips of various blues into large spontaneous log cabinish blocks (there's enough for a whole 'nother  top!) I remembered this gigantic cutwork tablecloth that I dyed ages ago.

It was on a hanger in the closet, all pressed and ready for the dance. With a little fussing around holes that I had chopped into it, I fit it to the back of Ocean Homes Since there is no batting I'm now backfilling under the cutwork holes with a little fire.


Sunday afternoon I spent several pleasant hours at a friends house stitching outside in the October sun while we talked. It was a nice way to reconnect with the piece and the friendship- both were languishing.

The decorative edge of the tablecloth has a real water's edge feel where I lapped it over to the frontside and stitched it fast. If I had only thought about putting the glow behind the holes before I stitched the edges all the way around!

blues, we got the raggedy blues...

Not me! It's my birthday and I'm celebrating with a day off, time in the studio, new ideas, burgers with my crew and a new flick later. Thanks for the many kind thoughts and wishes!

The stash has
beaucoup blues and I'm trying to make some sense of them and start something new. Of course the first order of business is piecing a backside for "Ocean Homes" -what else would I use?

The beating back of Chaos (always a temporary state) has freed up the Janome and its been calling me over..."sit here,... that's it, fiddle about.get the feel of it again..".Then there's Little Feather chirping from under the table "Use ME, use ME!"

As an exercise, I made these batted and backed leaves and now can't think of a really practical way of joining them up to make a blanket of leaves without any other stitching showing.

And did I ever show you the Blue Snakes? I can't remember why I made them.
Rayon stuffed tight with poly. If anyone wants them and are willing to pay the postage, drop me a line.

speaking of endings

When I set about photographing this one yesterday I discovered that there was an entire section of paint that was unfinished so I dragged it outside (it's over 7 feet tall) and painted in the final metallic elements.

"Pirate Circus"   







and I finished the hand stitched binding on my own private "Beach" .

Season's End

Thanks to my family and friends who have put up with me during the baseball season. I'm not a fanatic, just a fan. The Atlanta Braves season ended last night with a loss to the Giants and retiring manager Bobby Cox said goodbye to the team and the fans. 

It's a long time until spring training....

morning light

"Frontrunner"

Taking advantage of the newly cleared design wall to photograph the unphotograph-able. Guess I have to photoshop out the backdrop since I can't safely iron it. Sheesh, it never ends!I unearthed some things that have never shot properly before or correctly in the first place.


"Winds on Linen"

"Sunny Jim" (2005)

renovation

The studio upheaval continues with some surprising results when I turned the magic
table just 90 degrees instead of the planned 180.

Lo! FLOOR SPACE! (well,there will be when I box up and redistribute all the crap in the foreground)

I can turn around and scratch at the same time, something Sweetie appreciates too. Sunlight from two sources now, East in the morning and never ending North.

Happy Birthday John