Looking Back...

Shroud No. 1

Cotton Fabric

Natural Dyes

Rust

Time

Air

2002

I started out with several yards of white cotton fabric that I wrapped around a pile of leaves, twigs, stones, etc. into what looked like a swaddled child.

And there it sat, for a couple of months, in a rusty wheel barrow filled with rain water and vinegar.

And then it lived on my concrete driveway for a couple of months.  

The fabric bundle unwrapped.

Detail of the marks, stains, etc. 

En Plein Air Painting

I spent some time on the porch capturing the colors of the crabapple trees.

Studio Update 071211

Tonight I spent the better part of the evening in the wood shop helping John construct another shelf system for my studio.  The end result of our time out there was not one but two different shelves being concieved for my new studio space... which he is more than willing to do so long as it means that I'm NOT bolting anything into the walls.   Tomorrow night we will finish the first shelf and Thursday we will finish the second shelf. 

I'm loving my new studio space, I was stressed that I wouldn't be able to create in the new space but much to my amazement the creativity has been overflowing.  The lack of central air during these very hot and very humid days has been the biggest deterent so far.

WIP - I am going to create a special page for the new pieces I've created this past week, all proceeds will be going towards my new central air unit and furnace.  Seems when the new smart meter went in most of my appliances went "uh no I don't think so and died" this would include the central air and furnace. 

Prairie Potholes - WIP - Detail

Detail from a new piece I worked on today.  Little did I know whilest I was creating in my studio that I would be needing a replacement furnace and central air unit :-( 

Central Air I can live without, well 28 days out of the month during the summer months that is.  The furnace, however, is a major must have for the northern climate I live in, more tomorrow.  We still haven't purchased a house fan replacement, am still waiting to hear what the electric motor repairman has to say.  Which leads me to a question: How did we end up with such a disposable society that even furnaces and central air units are no longer repairable???

Third Quarter Woes

It' never ceases to amaze me when God gives me what I need before I actually need something. Friday I sold three pieces of art to a new collector!  That is certainly a Praise!  Nothing is more validating to a visual artist than to be able to sell their artwork and at full market value.  Usually when I have a sale I put a little aside for savings, my 10% for tithe, and typically replace materials used and any equipment needed in the studio with the remainder.

As of yesterday the guessing game was new tires for John's truck or taking my truck and having it fixed OR buying a new house fan.  As of today that question has been anwsered and we will now be having the central air repaired/replaced and the furnace serviced. 

When I got back from shopping with my BF Brenda, this afternoon, I noticed the house was exceptionally warm.  Looked at the thermostat and sure enough it was set to 73F but it was 78F in here.  Went down to the breaker box and it had been tripped.  Me being the chicken little that I am refused to touch the breaker and had John flip it back on and I'm glad I did.  Pop, crack, and flames shooting out of the breaker box.  We'd been having electrical problems all weekend John has been blowing circuits in the garage, etc, which has been happening since the city replaced our old meter with a new digital smart meter but now things are getting way worse and I'm looking the large appliances.

I'm not happy, but I am grateful that the Lord covered this one in advance! Here's to hoping and praying the CA can be repaired and not need to be replaced, this year.

Three Winters Cloth

Three Winters Cloth sitting atop my indigo vat lid.  These bundles, wads would be a better description, of fabric, table clothes, and linen towels have been here for three winters/years.  I expected way more damage than what occurred.  There was some rusting (yeah) due to the fabric touching the iron grid next to the dye vat.  More pics later.