far, far behind and very, very hot ending to August 2010

The past few days have been very busy and steadily getting warmer. No time to blog or make much art. I squeezed in a little time to work on a simple spread in ART JOURNAL: July-Dec. with some text as the focal point, written sideways.

Thursday and Friday I was at school. Saturday Deezel and I took a long walk. I did some scraping in preparation for painting the trim on the house. Then I had a manicure . On Sunday, I did the shopping and took a short walk. Then we stopped by our neighbor's for a visit with her family. They get together for her birthday.

Then we went to Bow Lake for 50th anniversary celebration. My sister and her husband , Anne & Bruce, had a small group at the Inn. It was very nice. It was a hot day, so we were relieved to be inside.

Finally today I'm sitting down to catch-up. Deezel and I got a 3 mile walk , but were sweating/panting excessively when we got home. I met the sisters, Anne & Elizabeth, for lunch at Margarita's.

I tidied up my work table a bit, finally salvaging scraps from "Scroll #2" and an amazing pile of paper pieces from several projects. I have a hard time throwing away any scraps since I've been doing small projects.

DAILY HAIKU 2009

August 30

I used the text as the visual across the card. It's written with a black gel pen and surrounded by green, also a gel pen.

Relax, allow the

pleasures of the blue sky and

green grass to enter

August 29 was, obviously a rainy day. One of so many this summer. I drew th raindrop shape, lettered inside it in two directions and colored the letters with a white gel pen. The test is lettered in the framed space around the raindrop. I like both

Steady, early fall rain

floods gardens washes pale

late summer blossoms

August 28

I covered the central portion of the card and stamped with ink pads around it to make this frame. The triangles are the corner of the bronze ink pad. The text refers to school starting, so I wrote it in my best cursive.
An vague portion of an oak leaf stamp is in the lower right.

August 27

You can travel to

new places or familar,

real or imagined

I was playing around with the title of our school-wide theme. I wrote it Dr. Seuss style, since it's atitle of one of his books. I got attached to this style of floating, irregularly sized mixed fonts.

It's raining nicely this morning, steadily but not torrential. I could hear the rain hitting the leaves when I first got up around 5:30.

I'm off to work -school. Today we have an all day in-service workshop. It's built around our technology program. We have interactive white boards - I don't ,but classroom teachers do - and projectors. I have several ideas for lesson plans to develop. Tomorrow is staff meeting and Friday is a day to prepare our classrooms. I'm ready to add finishing touches. I'll post photos next week.

I did a two page spread in ART JOURNAL yesterday. I used three days of Haiku and visuals for one side.The right side is folded and opens to a leaf, half collaged and half colored. One Haiku is on the front and two are around the leaf

DAILY HAIKU 2009

Aug 26 Lettering of various sizes and foms on tracing paper simulate a page of names. The text serves as the title of this document.

Aug 25

The spiral stanp in red for the heat, some tissue for the clouds, Deezel's paws and flip-flops are scattered for this entry. The text wanders:

last day of summer

vacation, white cumulus

float over the bay

August 24

The scattered orange scraps are confined somewhat by a frame of green and yellow. Light pencil lines add subtle texture.The text is written in various fonts and sizes:

changing weather, hot

humid to clear azure sky

to bubbling raindrops

Art Journaling magazine

Finally some wetness, not really rain, but some variation of a rain has dampened the ground slightly and cooled the air nicely. Great day to be in the studio, maybe tidy up a little and solve the question of the next few pages in the current ART JOURNAL.

I'm leaving tag theme and doing a mixed media, seasonal page. The challenge is how to create some link between the two. I'll work on something else, that's when some solutions present themselves.
The indoor kitties are watching the birds with interest. Their eyes are round and their tails twitching. Zeek haunts poor Zoey , who right now s outside). She has to be carried in in the afternoon.

I saw the grey fox again Friday night. It started crossing the lawn even after I'd turned on the back light and Deezel was outside. It stared right at me. There's something humbling and exciting about eye contact with a wild animal. Whenever I have one of these encounters, it reminds me of Annie Dillard's writing about her eye to eye contact with a weasel.

Deezel and I saw some creatures on our walk Saturday, particularly at the pond which is very dry. We watched the Great Blue Heron as he/she walked on his stilt-like legs across the muddy pond bottom. Tiny frogs squeaked and hopped away into the grasses and little water to get away from him. Also, we watched what I think are upland sandpipers. They run around on the mud scaring froglets and eating bugs. Deezel liked watching them also.

DAILY HAIKU 2009
This entry is on the back of an old attendance card Paula gave me from her collection of stuff. The gold color could be its original color or its patina. I stamped the flip flops for a walk and used the paw print tissue for time with Deezel.

I created a border with drawn rectangles using a pen. I stamped with a square stamp as well as the spiral and sun stamps.

I printed the text on a piece of white paper then cut it into strips. I glued them to create a point of interest where they intersect. The day and date are also on a strip.

bright summer blossoms

fade with hot sultry days

passing to autumn

#234 , 8/22/09

I used another old attendance card that Paula gave me. I was looking at "Art Journaling '09" and got inspired by several ideas. Somehow from among the photos, the idea for repeating a motif on a page, framed came into my sketches.

early to change from

green to yellow, single leaves

beat the season's rush

This entry has become a fabric piece, but I have never found the right color for the leaves. It needs another border also.

August 21

hot sultry summer's

day reminds the green leaves that

fall will soon happen

"Art Journaling 09", p. 54 suggested a single image in a frame. Leaves are always a favorite and comfortable image to return to so I used a stylized leaf.
First I protected a rectangular space in the center, then stamped with gold, melon, then topaz stamp pads. I free drew the inner rectangles then the leaf in the center. The text follows the outline of the leaf in the same green.

two days, one chore a year apart

I'm ready for the season to change. I don't enjoy watering or any gardening right now. I didn't even go for a dip when I got home from school.

I went there to get some things back in order and get some color on the bulletin boards. When you share a studio space with nearly 200 kids, it helps to have thing organized. I have had a workable , efficient system of portfolios- they are color coded by the table where kids sit - and sketchbooks in place for several years. But it was time to dump boxes of stuff that had collected on top of the cupboards. It'll be easier to keep the room tidy with that gone. The room always had a cluttered look. Now, I have only small, prep details to focus on next Friday.

Since the temperatures were lower, I took Deezel with me. He was very good. He's timid with men but was ready to play when a visiting kindergartner yelled and started to run away. I did have a squeak ball there for him to entertain hinself so I could get something accomplished.

Here's another example of life's rhythms - last year on this day I was at school cleaning and dumping stuff.

DAILY HAIKU 2009

This style of irregular lettering began with thinking about our theme of "OH, The Places We'll Go" adapted from Dr. Seuss' book. Because I generally can't right letter evenly or on a straight line, this fits my natural tendency to float and change size.

For this entry, the text is the visual. Let's see how it looks evenly lettered:

Sort and tidy. Clear

and toss, preparation for

enjoying classes.

I think it's more effective as a poem with the floating lettering, don't you?

heat of summer & woven non-fusible interfacing

I went to Portsmouth today looking for more "buckram" for a wallhanging based on "Scroll#2". First stop Jo-Ann's. They had buckram, but it's very stiff and not as transparent as what I had. What I had is "woven, non-fusible interfacing". I was at odds to describe to the sales clerk what I was working on. She didn't accept "an art project"as an answer to her inquiry, and wanted more information. I think I saw her loosing interest after I continued, "I'm making a scroll..."

The description, woven, non-fusible interfacing, was confirmed at Portsmouth Fabric - they didn't have any, but will order it. This sales clerk didn't ask what I needed it for. Is she more accustomed to different requests? Or maybe she sensed it was a not-explainable-in-few-words project. So,now I know I can make the wallhanging based on "Scroll #2". I'll plan and construct the patchwork over the next couple weeks. Stay tuned.

This morning I finished a page in ART JOURNAL: July- Dec and started the next. I stamped a small tag inside the stitched outline of the tags. On the right side, I made large tags from postcards about Luanne Udell's work (Craftsmen's Fair trip) and the Broderie Perse exhibit (New England Quilt Museum). I stitched the front of the pocket using scraps from the postcards and cheesecloth. I attached it to the page with a Tombow glue runner. The tags aren't attached, just tucked in. This will end the tag pages, for now.

DAILY HAIKU 2009

Both these entries could be about the summer of 2010. We've had heat most of the present summer and heat finally arrived for '09.

The orange Japanese paper and the red hot spirals for the sun denote the heat.

For the heat of the 19th, I stamped spirals and drew some with an orange LePlume. The text follows the geometric lines formed by the papers, stamps and pens.

How I'm baking in the

summer's heat. Steamy air will

soon chill and blow.

On th 18th, I attached a torn page from a book and wrote the verse over all the papers.

the heat of summer

roasts the air, the trees, all plants

we miss the cooling rains

phases of creating- solved, unsolved, solving

I'm finally finishing the tags for "Scroll # 2. Some days I feel the need to be creating new work -even if it's related. Stitching more tags is repetitive work. It's a problem solved. Some days I like being on the solved side of working creatively; other days I like to be on the unsolved side.

When I go the solved side, and it's repetitive, it's a meditative process. I repeat the same steps for each tag. The details of each loom large as I trace the template and stitch the shape. Subtle differences inject themselves. I change the thread color, the stitch pattern, or place something between the two pieces of buckram. No two tags are the same. But there is a level of comfort in not going into an unknown phase of work, rather choosing to return to the familiar.

To reestablish a connection with creating today, I printed photos of the tags I'd done. I glued them to a blank page of my journal and wrote over the two photos. I wrote about the tendency and need to investigate a theme or motif over a period of time and/or by creating several pieces of work containing the same motif. I this case, tags.

Sunday, I looked an unfinished page in ART JOURNAL: July-Dec. It had 9 tags traced in pencil in an orderly pattern. So then what was I to do? I was definitely in the unsolved phase of the process. Or should I say the solving side?

To get started, I wrote some sketchy thoughts on the edge of the page, looked for some language about fabrics from Whole Cloth by Margaret Constantine in my notes. I paraphrased and wrote fragments on each. I'll use these as a basis for the language fragments on "Scroll #2". As I worked it became clear that this was a plan for a fabric wallhanging. See August 16th's post for photos.

DAILY HAIKU 2009

Today would have been Daddy's 100th birthday. He's been gone since 1993, but we still feels his presence in our lives. (See August 9's post for photos of a shirt I made in testament to him.)

The collage is messy, yet ordered with few shapes and colors. The rectangles plaacement suggests a plaid. The curve of the spiral contrast with the edges of the rectangles.

The text leaves specifics to each reader in its meaning, but states the need to celebrate each moment as it becomes part of a life.

busy weekend, tags and more tags

What a fun weekend. Saturday I went to Lowell for the Quilt Festival and to catch up with friends. It was a nice day and the exhibits were wonderful. Sunday, I was up early, hearing a fox. I had time to do some art work, then got ready for company. We got together for a celebration of Roger's birthday. Family and a few friends celebrated with us. We played two croquet matches. Deezel kept grabbing my ball and running away with it. I got poison first, but my brother Steve won.

Today, I'm pretty much taking it easy. I did some work on ART JOURNAL: July- Dec.

I traced the tag template for "Scroll #2" on the page. Then I traced each one with a fine black pen, drew on threads and stitches. Each tag has a cloth based phrase. I began to see the potential for a wallhanging, so I colored the background.

The lower right hand photo shows a page with the buckram scraps from creating the tag. I stitched them to the paper and glued the page onto the the page behind it at the binding. I had torn that page to about a quarter inch from the binding to be able to see the back where the bobbin thread shows.
(It also looks like a tea bag.)

DAILY HAIKU 2009

August 16

This entry is a quote from a book I altered: "How shall we live so as to get the most of this little earth's journey?" I wrote it in Haiku form. I lettered it with a black pen. It's framed with Japanese paper and a band of white out with lettering on it.I printed around the edge for a border.

August 15

The fabric came from a former colleague that I saw in Lowell. I stitched it to the card using an embroidery stitch.The plastic and scrap of paper were there, so I attached them also. It is a serendipitous arrangement of items.

early morning art time, garden spider

Oh, what a beautiful morning, Oh, what a beautiful day... etc, etc,

I had enough energy after our walk to dig up the grass and weeds in preparation for a brick path. It'll be between the screenhouse veranda and garden #1.

We had rain Monday and Tuesday nights. This afternoon, I had to water the vegetable garden. The cucumber leaves were wilted. The beans looked dry also. I only have a few more green tomatoes - why we've gotten so few, I'll never know.

The garden spider is nowhere to be seen. I check carefully. I certainly do not want to inadvertently disturb her or her web. And I do not want her on me !!! I got this photo on-line.


I got up early this morning. That quiet time of the day with no one around enables me to work. I finished a couple ART JOURNAL pages and today's tag entry.


Photos later - my camera's batteries are dead, again.


DAILY HAIKU 2009
Dawn showed us her wonderful gardens. I combined the predictable motifs and added a sticker I'd had for a long time.

feeling very relaxed

Walking is so much more enjoyable when it's cooler. Still a warm day, but it has cooled considerably.After the walk, I made a quick stop at school this morning. My room is not ready, the floors need several more coats of wax before everything can be moved back in, but will be next week. Two weeks from today I start with workshops and kids start on the following Monday.

I have had a restful, peaceful summer. It's been a nice balance of walking, gardening and visiting. I had lunch with Paula (who's a new grandmother to a beautful baby boy) then went to visit new mom, Amy, and Benjamin.

Yesterday we had a smooth, fun trip to Sunapee to the Craftsman's Fair. I saw Luanne Udell and she's making a dog pin to send. I bought a small glass vase from Kevin Englemann for my mini collection. I admired teddies and baskets. Sculptor, Mark Rangonese was building his fabulous, nature-based structures.

DAILY HAIKU 2009

August 12 #224

This is a use whatever- is- on-the-workspace design.

Scraps, spiral, sun stamp

show what a pleasurable

challenge art can be.

August 11

I stitched around a scrap of tracing paper. Machine stitching on paper is one of my favorite strategies. The edges are trimmed with drawn stitches and blue ink. I wrote the text in blue pen also. It's a Uniball vision in a near Maxfield Parrish blue..

tag book and torn paper

We didn't walk this morning... too steamy. We did have thunderstorms last night, but it didn't do much to cool off. I got up early to open windows hoping to catch some cooler air.

I started a page in ART JOURNAL: July - Dec. I traced the tag pattern from "Scroll #2" nine times. Each will have a phrase about fabric. I'll use the same phrases in the scroll.

I did several pages in my August book - since I missed four. These are fun, just tiny doodles or lettering. I give each a border first, draw with black and add a touch of color.Each measures about 2 1/2 "x 1 1/2". I used a punch to cut them from a light green cardstock. I'll assemble them as an accordion book. Some have writing on the back.

The first photo (on the far left) is a stencil I made from a shape on a piece of Japanese fabric. The one on the near left acknowledges the special day when the numerals are consecutive. I love doing this lettering. I used it frequently in Haiku project.

DAILY HAIKU 2009

I used a piece of leftover paper, trimmed with ink and wove a single piece of the paper for a focal point. The border began as the tip of a Cat's Eye ink stamp then I outlined each petal.

summer of the sauna/ animals find ways to be comfortable

Deezel panted and I sweat all the way home from our 3 mile walk this morning. I vacuumed in a similar state of discomfort. When I got ready for a dip, it was around noon and way too hot to be outside. At this time (1:00pm) it says 94 in the sun. A quick cool shower helped me be able to focus on something creative.

Deezel and Buck Wheat are in the living room. I turned on the AC for them. Surprisingly, Buck Wheat seems to not like the heat. Zeek is sitting in here with me looking for attention. Zoey is out; she has several places she frequents. This time of year, they're all in the shade.

Saturday, I'm visiting Lowell to see Quilt Festival exhibits and some friends. We're going to have "Lunch with Sylvia" at the Auditorium. See http://nequiltmuseum.org/ or http://www.lowellquiltfestival.org/ . Fabulous quilts, particularly the art quilts, ( at the Brush and Whistler House) always inspires me even though my art has taken on new form.

DAILY HAIKU 2009

My entry for today celebrates my attachment to Lowell and my fondness for the time I worked at the Quilt Museum. I even got accustomed to the hour commute. I went to the Quilt Festival. I traveled quickly through "Images", The Brush Gallery, Whistler House and of course the quilt museum.

I used a postcard of this art installation to show the dragon. It consists of plywood and discarded cd's. It's probably 15' long. When I made the entry originally, I drew the dragon. I was very unhappy with it, so redid it by cutting the postcard.

I didn't make a note, but I think the Revolving Museum owns this image.They are closed now, so I can't contact them for permission. So I trimmed it enough so the dragon can be seen somewhat.

familiar paths are

seen again quickly traveled

memories return

It worked well to curve the text repeating the shape of the dragon. I added a few lines to suggest the buildings in the background.

August 8
August 15, 1909 was the day my father, Robert, was born. Although he's been gone since 1993, we got together on his centennial to celebrate his unique traits, many of which are in each of the 6 remaining "children", as well as, probably in the 9 grandchildren.

He worked very hard when we were kids to feed and clothe us. He also kept and collected stuff. Whenever we needed entertainment we could find whatever we needed to make something. This was long before all the entertainment toys available to kids today. And I think it's because of this we had to be able to work with our hands and minds to entertain ourselves.

Working as an artist, I've always had the need to figure out how to do something. I like the challenge of how to assemble a piece. He worked like that also.

As a woodworker, he made patterns from objects he had seen and liked. I have a chest he made.

We sailed many times in the sailboat he made before we were born. He used a pattern in a book that he enlarged from about 6".

I constructed this oversized shirt in his memory. It has mainly patchwork . The photos were printed on fabric. The poem on the left side was written by my sister, Elizabeth, and she read it at his service. The left sleeve shows Daddy as a young man. The right sleeve has a photo of the seven of us when we were very young- I must have been about 7. The photo on the right is of my father surrounded by his stuff and sleeping in his recliner. It was taken by my nephew Joseph. The pocket above this picture has the last clipping my father saved for me about a Great Dane.

The second photo shows the back. It depicts the giant maple that stood (and still stands) in the yard. We played in, on and under this tree. I could stand in the crotch of the tree with my best friends when we were smaller and agile enough to climb up there.

I constructed the tree in many layers, machine stitched them to a piece of muslin. I made it larger than I wanted it and trimmed it to work with the patchwork I had constructed.

Portsmouth trip

I had a treat breakfast at Popover's in Portsmouth NH, then had a haircut at Portsmouth Spa. Because it was such a cool morning, I took the dog with me. We took a little walk around town for a little experience at new things. We couldn't walk much, but we (really Deezel) got lots of attention. He wasn't too nervous and enjoyed sniffing all the city smells and new people. Colby and the other ladies at the Spa came out to meet him.

Progressing nicely on Scroll #2; here are the pockets with stitched tags.

I'm using a variegated, cotton thread and varying the stitches.

Yesterday, I stitched several tags and am pleased with the overall impact. Some of the tags have scraps stitched between the layers.

DAILY HAIKU 2009

I like this entry for its simplicity and the Haiku is close to what Haiku is "supposed " to be, an image, nature related with options for interpretations.

early morning full

moon sets in a clear sky

framed by branches

weather looking LOVELY

On my way back from Portsmouth this morning, I saw something on the road. It was near the pond on New Road where Deezel and I stop to see frogs. I turned around to see if I could save this poor creature. It was a snapping turtle. It was dead, recently hit by a car. I moved it out of the road. Since it was about 5" long and nearly as wide and therefore visible, I wonder( with contempt for all automobile drivers), how could someone not see and avoid a poor helpless thing on the road. Going too fast probably.

We did get some rain yesterday.There were lots of frogs splatttered on the road this morning. They are impossible to see/miss, but a good sized turtle in broad daylight on a country road.....

Does this annoy anyone else?

Please, let's try to take better care of these defenseless, but important creatures.

DAILY HAIKU 2009

Last year I wrote of another animal observation. The hawks' chatter in the woods along New Road, led me to believe they were fledglings. They are so chatty. I'm sure the adults try to tell them to be quiet, but they squawk as little ones do...

ouch- too hot to walk

It was 74 degrees at 6:00 this morning. I know we're not the hottest spot in the country, but it's not pleasurable to be outside. Leaves are wilting and lawns are a crunchy brown. We're waiting for some rain to break this stiffling heat and soften the terribly dry ground.

The air is a bit like molasses, too hot and bad for me and the dog to do any outside activities. I did water some plants and go for a short walk through the woods. Then I went to my neighbors to see pictures of her granddaughter's wedding on Facebook.

Yesterday I started August's tag book. I added some work to ART JOURNAL: July - Dec. using test pieces from "Scroll #2" and a photo of all of July's Daily Haiku entries. I'll post photos soon.
DAILY HAIKU 2009
August 5 celebrates short hair...
I used my appointment card from the hairdresser's, a puppy paw, and flip-flop stamp for walking the dog.
I always feel pampered to get a haircut, even though it's a regular thing. Using ephemera from every day events as part of the art draws attention to repeated and special events. The gold is a bead of paper. I stamped some gold highlights across the card.

at a loss for words and direction, many questions

I know that taking a walk helps me sort out what I want to do for the day. Today, I haven't walked and am getting bombarded in my head with options.
"What should I do today?"
"What should I do first?"
Do I want to read, clean house, begin a new project, work on my scroll......
Yes to all...
Since my goal is to accomplish something practical as well as something concrete each day, I need to decide which direction to take as the day quickly passes. Walking helps me sort interests. Usually the dog helps me decide what is first by bugging me for some attention/exercise. He's sleeping still, although he has had his breakfast.


I do have to crop more of August's Haiku and photograph September's .

The foggy morn clears
Sprinkles wet unshaded earth.
Zoey snores oddly.

DAILY HAIKU 2009
We made a trip to the Craftsmens' Fair in Sunapee, NH. Anne, Ila, Susan and I go nearly every year. We enjoy our time together. We each have work or artists we hope to see, and appreciate the incredible work and the natural beauty of our home state. Since the fair is outside, there are tents for the artists' booths. This is my rendition of a tent. It's done with a Crayola paint brush. These are perfect for these little projects, quick, no clean up, look like water colors and dry quickly. Of course the colors are limited and don't blend at all.
P.S. (Just as I finished today's post, Deezel came sauntering in with a chew bone, leaned against me, smelled my breath, thumped his tail against the table - guess he's ready to do something.

Maybe a quick walk is in order.We'll go through the woods, down to the river and back to our property.[We call it a "loopie"] Then watering the gardens. Since I'll have the hose in the back yard, maybe wash my car. Did art just get moved to the end of the line again?)

where does the time go?

Yesterday and today we had steamy walks on New Road. Although it isn't as hot as last week, I can work up a sweat and Deezel's tongue hangs out one side of his mouth by the time we get home.

Yesterday I felt like my chore list was as along as my arm. I got most done, changed and went to Paula's for an art share and yummy snacks. She's an excellent cook and what she calls snacks can be a meal.

Dawn showed her "photo-a-day project". Paula showed all the yard work and plans for her new home. I showed my ART JOURNAL and scrolls.

Today I did a couple quick errands. I took the dog so we could visit a vet's office. We might change vets so I took him by there to sniff out the place and check the treats ! It's a possibility. Their emergency work is done in Portsmouth. That's a long distance when a dog is suffering with bloat !

DAILY HAIKU 2009

August 3

Dawn, Paula, and I got together to do art. We altered books. (Mine never got "finished".)

I used the old attendance cards that Paula had in her stash for my Haiku work. I love their color, weight, and texture. Making it a frame for a piece of an old book page and some tracing paper for my text, highlighted the writing on the card.

August 2

This reminds me of the envelopes that have green triangles around the edges. Why does it have this look? I don't know.

organizing plants and clothes

The closets are painted and clothes that aren't going to Goodwill are back in their places. I used the sprinkler to water garden #2 this morning. We finally replaced the falling down fence with a recycled fence from our neighbor. Then I set up the garden in that corner with house plants. I restacked some stones for a cairn in the facing garden. It's been a good day for odd chores.

Plants and gardens look nice, but seem like they're on their last push. Everything is dry and wilty looking. Rain is forecast for Wednesday. We are hoping it comes. Yesterday we soaked the beans and tomatoes. We have enough beans for a meal and several small cucumbers.

DAILY HAIKU 2009

The image consists of fancy lettering.

A portion of the verse has appeared before on many of the preceeding rainy days;the lilies are fading as are the milkweed.Both seem a challenge to depict with a figurative image.

This visual consists of ink pad stamped blue sky, multiple swirling suns and simple geometric highlights.