July 30, 2004
Fatal Cruel Pyrimidine
Got a lot done today, finished up the Eeyore collage and you can see it at yesterday's blog. I replaced the gluey one that I had photgraphed last night. Then tonight I started a new one using some anaglyptic wallpaper I had lying around. One area isn't staying down so I am concerned what it will look liike in the morning- it may require some plastic surgery.
Soent hours today knitting on the multidirectional scarf and wishing it was on bigger needles to speed it up, but I like the way the alternating colors are combiniing- I have three different varigated reds and I am micing them with a black, a rust, and a varigated tan/orange. It's really much more subtle with the plain colors added in, I may have to add fringe or something to jazz it up a bit. I've done maybe 2 feet so far and am aiming for 6 if I have enough yarn.
Ralph laft for NYC for his meeting with Bikram and I betcha he makes arrangements to go to India. The only drawback is that he is taking the tour over Christmas, but with our current lack of family enthusiasm, it wouldn't matter much if he was gone anyway. At least that way I may get a Christmas present.
I am including the loopy yarn scarf I finished but never took a photo of. No big deal, I was simply using up old yarn and trying my little pink tube maker, a very cool thingy.
July 29, 2004
Posted 11:18:37 PM
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Tyrannic Bullyboy Gentry + Text + Links + Images
EEYORE AT THE DNC, 12" x 24" (2 12" panels)
So, I was sititng listening to Kerry and it struck me out of nowhere that he looks just like Eeyore, probebly because I was looking through the pattern envelopes Nancy gave me the other night, There was a pattern for the Pooh characters and I thought it may be fun to work with ...someday...
Well, ya never know when it will hit so I skipped out of the Kerry speech and hit the glue pot, and here he is, Eeyore at the DNC! I've included the scan of the pattern front too so you will see the uncanny resemblance.
Knit all morning, hit eh opricians to get the glasses adjusted so I can see again (these new ones are a problem, I cannot find the 'sweet spot'), and then came home to paint and glue.
The moon is unbelievable tonight coming through the studio window, nicely centered and full. Wish a picture would capture it, this one is so fuzzy. So much to learn about this camera.
OK, I've put in my day, time to give up and collapse and get ready for my weekend alone- TY is going to NYC for a yoga experience so I am on my own until Monday with a full tank of gas!
Category: Craft
July 28, 2004
Posted 10:06:44 AM
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Centenary Sociology Borough + Text + Links + Images
CEILING FAN, 24" x 24" (4 12" panels)
A week away, wish it weas something better than handling an estate sale of my dad's belongings! Stayed in a Mildew Motel, ate crap at every meal, and worked off the tail, but it's done finally. Got a call yesterday from the woman handling the estate sale and we made $20,000 and got rid of EVERYthing so it's a done deal. Now I have to go back one more time to clean the house up and collect what's left, arrange for a mover, and transport the cranky old cargo back to Boston.
But enough of 'life', and on to 'art':
Max called and wants 8 pieces for a restaurant for the Lowell Quilt Festival which starts next week. Offered her 40 pieces but the restaurant has limited space and "won't take down the picture of the cow". Hmmm, never thought my first one-woman show would be in a BBQ pit. Anyway, I am finding sticks and collecting my pieces so I can deliver them Monday.
I am pretty much finished with "Ceiling Fan" now too, so I may take that- every open pit restaurant needs a ceiling fan, don't you think?
Had crit group last night at Nancy's and she gave me a huge bag of old patterns. It was fun to just look at the envelopes, like a trip through the last 3 decades with the shoulder pads and the wide lapels, then the fitted things and detail. and finally the very simple learn-to-sew items that were her daughter's years ago. I now have more pattern paper than I can use in my 25 year life expectancy, so I had better get busy.
I stopped at The Art Store and picked up a few more canvasses yesterday but was apalled at their prices- seems I had bought all the others on sale so this hit me bad- I love those canvasses though, they are finished so nicely on the back and no where else has them. I wasn't happy with the gallery canvas from the place in Cambridge, the canvas was simply stretched and stapled and was quite lumpy and unattractive from the sides- I did a bunch of trimming and re-doing and they are acceptable but not good looking.
Have to get to the gym now, another area of my life woefully neglected lately. Yesterday I was able to tick off the oil change finally- I really really really wanted to tell them to add the iPod dock but thought it senseless since I don't even have one yet. I need one, plus I need a Mac laptop- gotta sell off some of this inventory!
July 18, 2004
Posted 04:40:57 PM
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Abridge Esophagi Peek + Text + Links + Images
FLOWER COLLAGE, 18" square
Yippee, finished and hanging, I'm smokin'! Also today I put the last stitches into 'Formations' so now that is hanging in the hall.
Yesterday I found a place to do a website to link the collages to www.donabed.net without doing the coding so I did it in less than an hour. So far I am real pleased with it, easy peasy to do.
Did I tell you I was again re-run on HGTV? I've gotten a total of three responses, hardly earth shattering, but the whole push to get the website finished and updated was for that. Today HGTV also emailed me about my address too, so I was surprised they keep up with that- maybe someone was rejected at the old address, I don't know.
I am also going to upload a picture of the sunset last night from Nantasket looking back over the city. Just to the right of the center you can see a rain storm hitting the gas tanks- it was quite spectacular.
July 15, 2004
Posted 06:36:40 PM
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Javelin Tinge Decoy + Text + Links + Images
NAMELESS FLOWERS, in progress
Went to the eye doctor today- tried to get at least part of my head examined. Things are good, the pressure is down somewhat but I am still on glaucoma watch- have an appointment for another test in August. While I was there I was reading an article in 'Traditional Home', I think it was the May edition, about how auctioneers cannot even give away quilts any more. Apparently things that were going for high prices a yeatr ago are not even making the reserve. The artiocle said to hold on to the antiques and wait for the next 'wave'. Guess I don't have to worry about that.
Today's accomplishments are that I just finished the tube scarf. I sewed tassels on the ends of all the tubes because I couldn't get pom poms to look right. I don't know that I will ever wear it- looks kind of weird in Jupiter FL winters! I'll take another photo in the morning and add it here.
Also I've scanned three more colors of zinnias, and I got 'em right before the whole vase died off, good timing. When I printed them they didn't look as good as yesterday's batch, but I'm cutting it up anyway. I've added quite a few little bits of color and think that the end might be near soon- maybe a bit more yellow. Of course I spent a good part of my time on removing parts I didn't like- AFTER it had dried partially. My plastic scrubber seemed to do the trick, but it certainly isn't a delicate tool. I really really like the way th4e pencil guide lines show through and have placed the petals slightly off register to show this. Hope that the viewer 'gets' it. Anyway, it's pretty- a real change for me.
Category: Art
July 13, 2004
Posted 07:51:20 AM
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Fusty Inopportune Bam + Text + Links + Images
'FORMATIONS', 24" x 24"
WHooooa- went to the trash room today and all the barrels were full so I went to the furthest one from the door and pulled it open and maggots were swarming! Ohmigawd, thankfully pickup is tomorrow- maybe there was a body in there? I am, sitting here waiting for the kids to come help me eat the leftovers from the ladies dinner the other night, everything is ready, no fuss, no muss. Even TY cooperated by being gone, a last minute emergency yoga class. Right.
Got the big black chest for the bathroom today- "some assembly required", as it says. I can barely lift the boards that are the components, let alone the whole thing, so I am somewhat hesitant to assemble it in the living room for fear that will be where it has to stay. Should take the better part of tomorrow unless I ...get...a...hand tonight from 2 strong young men. nah, they wouldn't be able to figure it out at all.
Spent a good chunk of today on the 2 outstanding collages I've been working on, and I am liking the flower one a whole lot. I plucked the petals from some dead zinnia blooms and scanned them, then printed them onto tracing paper- I'm using that to cut out flower shapes and then gluing them into the prospective positions, Tomorrow I want to add some orange and red because as much as I like the pink and purple I dealt with today, I really want this to look like the huge bunch of zinnias when I'm done and that means riotous color. Pictures to follow when the bloody camera recharges.
Last night I finished up a new scarf too- made a bunch of tubes on the little pink machine and sewed four together the long way, leaving about a foot unsewed at the ends.
I'm looking forward to the Paul Theroux book I'm actually reading, not just listening to. Have to do my bit on the new statistics that people aren't reading anymore.
Category: Life As I Know It
July 13, 2004
Posted 07:28:24 AM
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Flaxseed Bleed Dolly + Text + Links + Images
Decordova Museum
Gardner Museum
Wow- cannot believe I have wasted a whole week. Between the 'dinnah-pahtee' for the women last Friday night and having the guests here all weekend, I haven't accomplished a thing in the studio or even been knitting. Spent all last week shopping and cleaning and cooking. The Bisteeya was a hit, the Imam Byaldi is still in the refrigerator- only about half the women took some of that (and frankly it looks like barf- I probably wouyldn't have taken it either if I didn't know how good it is!) But the hit was the lemon ice cream, and it should have been. It had heavy cream, a dozen egg yolks, and mega amounts of sugar and lemon rind. A no-brainer, and I was pretty stingey dipping it out so I have some left just for me.
On Saturday I took Connie to the DeCordova for their summer show. There were two things that blew me away, the first was the photographic images of Toru Nakanishi who scanned different kinds of noodles and beautifully printed the images so they go way beyond what they actually are and become patterns and movement. Unbelievably beautiful stuff. I've lifted an image from the Decordova website, above, so you know what I am talking about.
The other image doesn't read as well when small but it's by Al Souza and completel;y composed of jigsaw puzzle pieces, multilayered and three dimensional. he had maybe four pieces on display, all over 6' square and they simply draw you in from across the room before you even see how they are built. Up close you see the little identifiable puzzle fragments but from a distance they are absolutely abstract expressionistic.
Saturday night we went to Locke Obers for a further Boston experience- the meal was stellar, loved every bite in spite of the fact I didn't have my usual steak tartar.
On Sunday I took Connie to the Gardner, always an impressive stop oin the Boston tour. We wandered through the halls and outside gardens, but I was particularly struck by the Sargent portrait of Mrs. Jack. We could get right up to it so I was happy to see it so close. The composition is so deceptively simple that you don't even notice what he did- I love that portrait so much. Connie spent time peering under all the protective cloths on the glass cases with the letters and autographs but they held little interest for me- sure it's neat that Napoleon actually hand wrote that letter, but it was impossible to actually read. The oddest handwriting was John Quincy Adams'- it looked like a handwriting font it was so perfect and upright. The rest of them seemed to have that 18th century scrolly loopy hand.
By Sunday night I was sick of listening to people talk at me continually, so when I dropped her off at 9 PM, I enjoyed the silent ride back home. Whew, I won't be doing that again soon.
Guess I like being a hermit.
July 05, 2004
Cockroach Sheppard Jog
USS Constitution and a tugboat
Started off on a photography day and ended up on the docks in Boston yesterday. We were looking at a destroyer and wondering how long before we were going to be arrested when Old Ironsides went right by on it's annual harbor turn-around. We immediately abandoned the car and got some pictures- it was beautiful out there, cool breezes and clear sky, and we got the best seat in the city. Then wee drove around a bit more and saw a huge cruise ship loading passengers- you sure would have to get me on one of those things drugged and gagged, but the people we saw looked like they were doing it willingly.
After we collected enough pictures we wanted some dimsum but the streets of Chinatown were teeming with people and the only parking was in the $9 lot so we again headed for the south end. Got a parking place on the street in front of the Metropolis Cafe so we went in. Had my first grapefruit mimosa, and it won't be the last, with a Coque Monsieur. Delish. And I have added it to my favorite restaurants list in spite of the fact that on normal Sundays (i.e. NOT the fourth of July) there is a line out the door for brunch.
On Saturday I went to Cambridge to get some acrylic medium in a gallon size- I had a 25% coupon from Pearl and that makes it (almost) OK to spend $60 on a can o' goo. There is also a new art store directly across the street, in a basement, that was great so I did both. I especially liked the handmade papers in Artists and Craftsman Supply because I could riffle through them myself and not just look at sample books- I wasn't as happy with their gallery canvas selection, they weren't put together with nearly as much skill as the ones I have been getting at The Art Store in the Fenway. I will be back though, because they gave me a nice discount. I need to start a new list for art supply sources today too.
AND I actually spent a half day cleaning out the studio and organizing all the images I've collected lately. I got some great folders at Pearl yesterday and couldn't wait to get them stuffed with...stuff. Today I have to get the ink cartridges into the printer and get the Marines picture done for the 'Formations' collage. I did get a little B&W checked border on it last night before we went out for dinner, courtesy of the fabulous papers I bought. The border is perfect, and I also have some small mirrored buttons or hangy-things that will look like they belong on a uniform. Perfect. Just have to get it all together.
July 03, 2004
Bushwhack Porcine Landslide
This is the sweater I just finished last night, made out of that nylon stuff called 'Suede' and that's exactly what it looks like. Certainly not very exciting, is it?
OK, just got back from Cambridge where I went to 2 art stores and bought more stuff than any human needs. I went for acrylic gel in a gallon can, retail 61.95, because I had a 25% off coupon from Pearl just good this weekend- it was on sale so I ended up getting almost 50% off so it was worth the trip. Across the street is a new art store so I went to check out stretched canvas. They had some but I love love love square format and all they had were 12 X 12 so I bought 6 more and just under $9 each. I didn't like their quality as much as the ones from The Art Store, but they are twice as much so these will do very nicely, thank yew. Anyway, it looks like I am in business for another week.
Basically I have been spending more time working with Photoshop- I have always avoided it because it's so involved but I have come up with a few little sequences so I can get the things done I need to. I am kind of messing about with slides from my parent's stash that I have inherited. Found a few of the Parris Island Marine corps graduation of my brother, circa 1968- memorable to me not because of his awards but because I was wearing a size 8 suit from Bonwits. Self centered? Me??? It was a wool light blue striped jacket and a plain A-line skirt and I wore it with white patent leather shoes. I looked spiffy, at least in my own mind. But, back to the slides- I found that when I scanned TWO on top of each other I got a really cool image, ghost soldiers marching through each other. But then I decided to scan them separately so I can match up the trees and the part of the image isn't double. Anyway, it's taking forever to clean up the slides getting them ready to print. This one is being called "Formation". Also found a bunch of silver button like things for the edges.
When I was in Lowell this week I stopped by Max's place of business and was pretty underwhelmed- it's sort of like those ceramics places that have opened up where you go and paint an object, leave it to be fired, then come back and pick it up. Apparently they have lots of people coming by, but the stuff they had hanging was not at all interesting. You pick out what you want to dye or print from a wall of blank shirts, pants, aprons, bags, then go at it. Somehow I managed to spend $89 on the button-like things I mentioned a minute ago, little beads and beautiful rayon shiny embroidery thread and 2 booklets from England. ANYway, they do have some equipment that may prove useful to me in the future, ie a thermofax, so I don't have to buy it. Hope they stay in business.
And now I am gonna go make a vat of Muhammara, that Turkish red pepper/walnut concoction. I can store it till next week when I have all those women coming to dinner- that will be the appetizer, maybe with one more thing like olives or hoomis or something equally easy. These are your basic white-bread Irish women so I am shaking them up a bit with middle-eastern food (One of them says there is no word for spice in Gaelic!) So, I'll go easy on the cayenne. Off to work.
