Mary's Table

missing

2010-06-28T21:41:00.004-05:00

I've been missing in action, blog-wise for more than a month. And if I had been faithful to "doing the work" I wouldn't mind that I wasn't posting, but I've been missing the work too. Among the many distractions keeping me away is a new toy--an iPad for my birthday. I've been experimenting with all the various sketching and art apps and learning my way around the digital art world. I haven't ever done art work on my desktop computer, but the touch screen makes it so easy and fun. I'll share a few "doodles" from the ipad.

yellow poppies

2010-05-24T17:28:00.002-05:00

I like my little moleskine Japanese fold journal for the most part--I like the continuously unfolding pages and the compact size--but the paper does not take watercolor well. I had forgotten that when I sketched this poppy plant with the intent to paint it, so I improvised with some colored tissue paper. And I got the nice, loose watercolor feel I was after.

birthday

2010-05-22T15:35:00.004-05:00

Last year for my birthday I started a "tradition" (how many times does it have to happen before it is officially a tradition?) of doing a self-portrait. The birthday is still a few days off, but I had the time this morning and decided to jump right in. I like the idea that it is as much a record of how I look as it is where I am as an artist each year. This year I'm definitely a "collage-ist"!

inspired

2010-05-20T21:44:00.002-05:00

What inspires you? Tonight I was inspired by dedicated artists whose blogs I visited after not seeing them for awhile. No real excuse for my absence--travel happens, spring happens, inattention happens. But those things happen to everyone and yet these artist/bloggers manage to keep on top of it. So in honor of being inspired, a collage riff on stained glass windows by Matisse--another source I can always count on for inspiration.

ranunculus

2010-04-25T22:57:00.003-05:00

My vase of ranuculus is surrounded by fallen petals so it was time to get them down on paper. I always buy them when the florist has them--I love the randomness of the twisting of the stems.

Happy Earth Day

2010-04-22T22:11:00.002-05:00

home

2010-04-21T21:28:00.002-05:00

I've been an absentee blogger for a few weeks while I was traveling. It is so easy to get out of the habit, and while I'm not really worried about depriving my adoring public of my worldview on a daily basis, the point was to keep myself in a daily practice. So, time to make time.

I spent a lovely, sunny afternoon in my friend Kirstin's garden surrounded by her 13 "teenager" chickens. This was their second day of being out in the garden after spending their first 5 weeks in a pen. They were loving it, scratching, clucking, gobbling the worms she dug up for them.

it's not easy being green

2010-03-30T23:22:00.002-05:00

Would a stink bug by any other name smell as bad? I didn't test the theory today when this little guy came crawling along in the garden. His camouflage was perfect with all the bright green leaves poking through the dirt. Now if he could just do something about the name......

green (again)

2010-03-29T22:58:00.002-05:00

I've spent a few days enjoying the unusually warm temps and blue skies working outside, doing garden and yard spruce up. I guess its not surprising that tonight's five minute collage turned into my own little tribute to spring.

sandals

2010-03-24T16:19:00.002-05:00

The significance of this rather pedestrian (pun fully intended) drawing of my feet is the fact that they are clad in sandals. For those who might not understand.....it it March 23, it is Minnesota, I'm wearing sandals. Get it? I don't expect that the socks are retired until September, but its a nice little pseudo-spring we're enjoying.

light of the sun

2010-03-22T21:07:00.004-05:00

"Following the light of the sun, we left the Old World" --Christopher Columbus

I noticed the afternoon light hitting these daffodils from across the room and took a couple photos. I didn't expect them to turn out and was pleasantly surprised when I was able to capture the nice bold shadow behind the flowers. The other unexpected surprise was the placement of the framed quote behind the vase. Completely unplanned and yet so appropriate. I love those happy accidents.

St. Pat's Day

2010-03-17T17:40:00.002-05:00

I've fallen into the trap that this blog was created to avoid. The I'm-too-busy-to-journal trap. It's so easy to put all the other daily "stuff" first. With that in mind, I took 5 minutes (yes, this really took that long!) and grabbed a couple bits and pieces and put something in my journal for the day. It's not a piece for the ages, but that wasn't the point. Happy St. Patrick's Day......

another stamp

2010-03-15T12:58:00.002-05:00

A proof of another new stamp I carved last night. I like building up my "library" of stamps, but I've also found that carving them is a relaxing process and can be done when my brain is past the point of working on projects that require more creative energy.

ode to thin mints

2010-03-11T13:56:00.002-06:00

Why do we love you so? Is it the balance of sweet/slightly salty flavor? The chocolate with mint combination? The "absence makes the heart grow fonder" phenomenon? Whatever the reason, you're the best. There are those who would argue for the peanut butter tagalongs or the trefoil but I shall remain steadfast to you lovely thin mints.....

crazy pod lady

2010-02-26T15:30:00.005-06:00

magnolia pods from Laurie

some from my "collection"

pod-inspired necklace (paper mache, collage, wax)

collaged, beaded pods

paper mache "pod" bowl

paper mache pods (collage, wax)

There are those who would not think a package in the mail full of dried pods was all that exciting. I am not one of those people! Thanks to my friend Laurie, who knew that I would be thrilled to get just such a package. I have a collection of all shapes and sizes of pods and dried blossoms that I have picked myself or been given by people who know I will appreciate them. Sometimes they are a source of inspiration in my work, sometimes they actually become part of it.

new stamp

2010-02-24T18:31:00.003-06:00

Part of layering the papers that we made in Taos is printing with hand-carved stamps of all sizes and designs--and we were lucky enough to have all of Anne's at our disposal. Not as easy to get multiple layers here at home with one or two small stamps. So, time to get busy. I've used the time spent watching the Olympics to do some carving of my own. Here are some of the papers I made this morning to proof my new leaf stamp.

paper

2010-02-20T14:41:00.003-06:00

Here are a few of the sheets of paper that we created in the Anne Bagby workshop. We started with 12"x 12" pieces of deli paper and proceeded to glaze, paint, print, stencil, repeat to create the wonderful layers of color and design. The final papers are thin but strong--great for collage work.

taos journal

2010-02-17T16:18:00.004-06:00

I spent the morning gluing, snipping, writing, stitching. Generally filling up the journal I made for the trip. Its fun to wait and put it all together after the fact. You get to relive the trip through all the photos and receipts and scraps. The key is to not wait too long! This one is bustin' right out of the cover, which is just the way I like it.

1st anniversary

2010-02-16T22:19:00.003-06:00

a few more pages of my workshop book.......

Wow! I've been posting here for one year. I started this blog as a way of keeping myself motivated to keep up a daily art practice. And it worked. Although the number of posts is not quite at 365 yet (even bloggers get vacations, right?) even on days when I didn't share anything I did do the work. I've filled several journals and created a couple travel journals, as well as continuing to paint and do collage work. And exploring the world of art blogging has led me in several new directions and introduced me to some inspiring artists and artwork. All in all, a pretty good deal.....I guess I'll keep at it.

a fitting anniversary quote: "You become what you are everyday"

home

2010-02-15T16:22:00.004-06:00

page three

page two

front page of the book, after the sheet was folded

This is the full sheet (24 x36) that was then folded into the book.

What a great week! New sights, sounds, ideas, friends, experiences. Just what a trip should be. Our two workshop teachers kept the 14 of us busy from breakfast till dinner (with a quick break for a delicious lunch made by the wonderful staff at the San Geronimo Lodge in Taos). We started the week working with Anne Bagby, stamping, glazing, collaging, stenciling and printing beautiful decorated papers. She has a wonderful sense of color and design and shared her ideas with us freely. (I'll post some of the paper soon).

The second half of the week we worked with Lynne Perrella learning her unique collage/layering style and creating a beautiful book using the papers we made earlier in the week. She was the most generous teacher, encouraging each student to work in their own unique style and the results were obvious in the wide range of books that were produced--no two alike, but all wonderful.

I'll post just a few pages of my book today, and get to some more later......(unfortunately, the breakfast till dinner work schedule just isn't feasible back here in the "real world" of snow shoveling, appointments, laundry and grocery stores!)

taos

2010-02-05T13:41:00.004-06:00

I had to put some Georgia O'Keeffe in for NM. (thanks, Peggy!)

cover made from a recycled shoe box

I'm leaving Sunday for a workshop in Taos, NM with Lynne Perrella and Anne Bagby. It should be fun and inspiring. And so, instead of doing the arm's length list of everything I need to do to get ready, I made a journal. Oh well, I always work best under pressure. And besides, I may not have packed the right materials or clothing but I'll have a cool journal!

more valentines

2010-02-03T20:55:00.004-06:00

Ma'am, we need you to put the scissors down slowly, and step away from the doilies.......

Groundhog's Day

2010-02-02T20:04:00.003-06:00

What's not to love about a holiday named after a rodent?

geek

2010-01-31T16:15:00.005-06:00

A few of the finished products

After spending all last weekend doing studio clean up, I've managed to re-mess in record time!

True confessions- I'm a total Valentine's Day geek. Its not even the romance and chocolate (although I don't object to those either!)--I just love making and sending Valentine's Day cards. When I was a kid I loved going to the dime store (I'm aging myself on that one--now its Michael's) and getting ribbon and doilies, construction paper and glue to create the cards and the special collection box to put on my desk. I guess I never outgrew it.

zentangle

2010-01-27T20:28:00.003-06:00

my "zentangle" done sans instructions

I was just recently made aware of the "Zentangle". You can check out the website and read how they were "discovered" and all about the great benefits you can derive from making them. You can also spend $50.00 to buy a kit with instructions on how to make a zentangle along with some pens and paper. I hate to be cynical, but I feel like the guy who pointed out that the emperor had no clothes. Seriously, this is the art form formerly known as "doodling". We've all been making zentangles in the margins of our papers for a long time! And I agree that doodling is fun and meditative and creative--all the things the website claims for zentangling--I just think that you can probably derive just as much benefit all on your own with no instructions and totally free of charge. Have fun!

white tulips

2010-01-25T22:07:00.002-06:00

More than once I've stopped myself from jumping to the defense of my work as it appears on the screen. I want to say "really, it looks better in person". But I don't. So I don't know why I feel compelled to fess up when the process works in my favor. I was pleasantly surprised when I saw the scan of this little collage I did in my moleskine today--I like it better NOT in person!

14 things

2010-01-24T22:12:00.006-06:00

a stack of bird images from the paper discovered in the weekend clean up

from a card sent by my neighbor--(click for a larger image)

I have figured out over time that I fall into the category of artists who work best surrounded by a certain level of "visual input" (polite way of saying MESS). A blank white page on a clean desk is intimidating. I had a painting teacher who started each painting by splattering a brush full of paint across the clean paper for that very reason. The creative juices don't really get moving until there are multiple layers of papers, brushes, tubes, fabric strewn around.

That being said, there is a fine line between that creative environment and just plain chaos. The latter was reached and this weekend was dedicated to studio clean up. While "clean up the studio" would definitely make my list of "14 things I don't want to do", it is sort of ironic that I found the card with the list on it buried under other things while cleaning the studio.

to tear or not to tear

2010-01-19T16:26:00.003-06:00

I overheard a discussion at last evening's journal collective meeting about whether or not to tear out journal pages that you really don't like. Its a tough call--sometimes we all do pages that don't turn out the way we would have liked or don't "fit" with the rest of the journal and our inner critic has a field day.

I don't think you should keep a page that will make you cringe each time you happen upon it, but there is a lot that can be done before you resort to the scissors. Gesso, collage, stencils, stickers can all cover a little or a lot of the offending page. In fact, a painter friend of mine advocates getting yourself "into trouble" as quickly as possible in a painting because working yourself out of it is always more satisfying. And more importantly, I think, it means that you took a risk. If you never have a "bad journal day" then you are probably not pushing yourself as far as you could.

In that spirit, I'm posting a page that I had decided to skip over in the public posting realm (I can't tear it out because its an accordian page journal). I painted over some of the parts I didn't like and added a couple images from the paper and I'm happier with it. I still don't love it, but I'm OK with that.

water

2010-01-18T13:55:00.003-06:00

I was following news about the earthquake in Haiti this weekend. It made me aware of so many simple things that I take for granted......like clean drinking water from my kitchen sink.

spot

2010-01-14T21:23:00.002-06:00

My spotted orchid sent me off on a "spot" tangent including a spotted warthog and some paper that may turn into some weird tropical spotted fruit--but that's for tomorrow.

200

2010-01-11T17:48:00.003-06:00

I've been procrastinating because it seems like post number 200 should be something significant and I have been pretty uninspired by the journal I'm finishing up. I decided I will finish it (there are just a few pages left) but I was ready for a new one. So here is the debut entry in my new Moleskine japanese fold journal. ( All the pages unfold into one continuous page.) I did a watercolor of the new "speckled" orchid I just got--the spots look like a dalmation, only purple! How cool. I'm not crazy about how the paper in the journal took watercolor--it isn't intended for that I guess. But I'm happy to have a new journal underway.

is it spring yet?

2010-01-06T16:34:00.002-06:00

It has been unrelentingly cold here for more than a week. Bone-chilling, cabin-fever-inducing cold. I felt the need for some hot pink!

face in the crowd

2010-01-05T15:16:00.002-06:00

Try as I might, true abstraction in painting eludes me. I always "find" something in there.....and most often its a face. If you can't beat em, join em.....

Happy New Year

2010-01-02T17:20:00.005-06:00

a new journal page that started in a different direction and turned into "2010"
somewhere along the way. Maybe there is a metaphor in there.....

Holiday time pretty much turns all routine on its head......schedules, school, work, meals, sleep- it all gets disrupted and forgotten. And that is a good thing. We all need a little excess now and then to make us appreciate the mundane and routine. So, after a bit of a holiday disrupt, I'm back in the studio, hopefully with some fresh ideas and perspective.

all saints

2009-12-15T13:18:00.002-06:00

Calendar-wise I think I missed All Saints day by a month or so, but journal-wise its today.

a fine line

2009-12-14T17:41:00.005-06:00

I've struggled with this question before, and have not come up with a satisfactory answer. What makes certain pages feel more "crafty" than others? Where is that fine line between art and craft? And, does it matter? Today's pages felt somewhat "scrapbook-y" to me and I can't put my finger on what the difference is.

living things

2009-12-12T12:31:00.003-06:00

Maybe I was drawn to these images of bugs, plants, fish, flowers because of the seeming lack of life in my environment right now. I know its there, it is just more difficult to find and appreciate under inches of snow and breathtaking cold.

still life

2009-12-09T18:56:00.003-06:00

I had forgotten how much I was enjoying this journal. Working on it is almost meditative. I keep saying it is directing its own course, but the reality is I'm just getting out of my own way.

the path

2009-12-08T16:09:00.003-06:00

those are the words that found their way onto the new page in my current journal. I'm back to it after a long break for travel and the travel journal. My mind was wandering as I was working, getting very philosophical about paths and journeys and journals--how those two words are from the same root meaning how far you can travel in one day. Suddenly I realized that I only had about twenty minutes left to get my butt out the door on my dog walking "path" if I wanted to complete that "journey" in one day's light! Nothing like reality to bring you screeching back to the straight and narrow path.

finishing touches

2009-12-07T12:46:00.003-06:00

I stitched all the sections of my St. Petersburg journal together this weekend, added a map of the city to the inside cover and the final piece de resistance--the fur lining.

scary baby chocolate

2009-12-04T16:17:00.002-06:00

I love going in grocery stores when I'm in a foreign country (why is that? I hate it here at home!) I like looking at the labels and seeing what is and isn't available, foodwise. These were the labels from some of the chocolate bars we bought. The "scary baby" chocolate was the best.

putting it together

2009-12-02T07:01:00.003-06:00

I wasn't sure how it would work out to try and put the travel journal together after the fact, but once I jumped in, it turned out to be alot of fun. Reliving the trip, picking out favorite photos to include. And I love the way the pieces just fit together--the happy coincidences that so often happen when you're working on a project like this.

back from the USSR

2009-12-01T13:43:00.002-06:00

Yeah, I know its not the USSR anymore, but I've got that Beatles song in my head. As has been known to happen, trying to keep up with a journal while traveling is tough. St. Petersburg in November is definitely not the place to sit on a bench and sketch the architecture! But, I'm working on putting all my little saved bits and pieces together now that I'm home.

neglect

2009-11-20T14:06:00.003-06:00

this journal has suffered some neglect the last few days while I've been busy with other projects. I thought I should give it a little attention before it gets put aside again for a week while I'm gone. Hopefully I'll have plenty of full travel journal pages to share when I get back. Dosvidania!

New journal

2009-11-17T11:04:00.004-06:00

I haven't really been slacking off, just not posting for a few days. I got inspired this weekend to make a journal to take on my trip to Russia next week. My inspiration came from Mary Ann Moss who makes the most wonderful, wild journals when she travels (and everyday) and shares them on her blog "Dispatch From LA". Here are just a few pages. I'm going to wait to bind the sections into a book when I get home, hoping I might find some fun paper or fabric while I'm there. I do plan to make it fur-lined. C'mon, its November in St. Petersburg!

blue chair, green leaf

2009-11-11T18:02:00.004-06:00

this is starting to sound like some sort of Dr. Suess book.....

blue chair

2009-11-11T17:20:00.003-06:00

Digging through some old papers, I found this blue chair from a printmaking class I took awhile ago and so into the journal it went next to the back side of the Matisse quilt. I didn't notice till later that it is very much like the blue chair that the woman is sitting on in the Matisse painting. This book just keeps finding its own way forward.

matisse quilting

2009-11-10T12:26:00.003-06:00

Matisse card pulls out of the pocket

I needed a little infusion of color after the somber November snow pages. Matisse is just the thing. Of course, there are few situations in life that can't be improved by a little Matisse!

a cool frosty evening

2009-11-05T17:02:00.003-06:00

flap folded out showing caption "a cool frosty evening
among the closing days of November"

I'm getting a bit ahead of myself with this peaceful snowy scene and the caption, "a cool frosty evening among the closing days of November". Must be I have Russia on my mind, where I will be among the closing days of November.

hearts and camels

2009-11-04T19:55:00.002-06:00

How did they end up together? I've got no explanation, but I like it.

visiting the pyramids

2009-11-03T22:05:00.003-06:00

Somehow the page with three little holes punched in it became the great pyramids of Egypt complete with camels. Wonder where the caravan of camels will lead me tomorrow.....

orange dots

2009-11-02T12:13:00.001-06:00

the flap folds out, the words underneath say "you are here"

the orange fruit is a flap that opens--see above

So far in this journal, each page has bled over to the next in some way forming the starting point for that page. Its a bit of a stretch, but the best I could come up with for this page was the paper punch holes up in the corner.

possumus

2009-10-30T14:18:00.003-05:00

Possumus is latin for we can

Possumus is latin for "we can". That is what the little words say on the dark background. They were there when that page went into the journal, so they stayed.

map of the world

2009-10-29T13:11:00.003-05:00

the map at the bottom forms a pocket

cards in the pocket

the map at the bottom of yesterday's page got folded up to form a pocket--that was my starting point today. I found myself overthinking the direction the pages were headed and made myself stop and go with the flow.

possesed

2009-10-28T21:42:00.004-05:00

the strips are loose and fold over the picture

each strip of paper has a few words glued onto it

the stripes at the far right fold over to the following page

I just finished reading a book in which the main character writes a book that takes on powers of its own. Maybe its just the power of suggestion, but I know the feeling. This current journal seems to be directing the progress and telling its own story and I'm just the conduit. (if it starts directing me to write page after page of "all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy" ala The Shining it will be time to retire this particular book!)

playing along

2009-10-25T21:36:00.003-05:00

(rectangle on the right hand page is a cellophane window that opens to the next page)

So far, this journal seems to be taking on a life of its own and I'm just along for the ride. And I'm
OK with that. I'll just keep playing along and see where it takes me.

inspiration

2009-10-24T15:20:00.002-05:00

"Inspiration is 99% perspiration"--I do believe the old saying. You gotta do the work. But sometimes it feels easier than that. I started out with a scrap of purple paper with a practice pomegranate print on it (say that 3 times fast) and the rest just fell into place. Maybe today was the karmic pay-off for the "perspiration" that went into yesterday's leaf mounting extravaganza!

turn over a new leaf

2009-10-23T17:43:00.002-05:00

I had this vague plan of starting the new journal with fall leaves in some sort of open overlapping way (think wax paper placemats). It turned out to be way more fussing than I expected, but its a nice beginning.

start all over again

2009-10-22T15:58:00.003-05:00

I finished off the red, dog-chewed journal yesterday and it is time to start a new one. I spent some time looking through the three I have filled since starting this daily process. Its seems like a good time to take a measure of where I am, how far I've come, where I'm headed, etc.

-choosing a journal to work in has been a bit of a Goldilocks process. Too big, too small, seeking "just right". Or maybe, continuing to change sizes is a good thing, a way to keep the process fresh.

-I started with the idea of wanting to improve my comfort with drawing because I've been frustrated in the past when trying to keep a journal while traveling. I had hoped daily practice would improve that. Instead, I've done some drawing, but lots of other stuff as well. So going forward I'll recommit to the drawing, but keep enjoying all the other stuff too.

-Looking through the first book I worked in, I noticed that I did a lot more experimenting and just trying out new ideas. I'll try to aim for more of that again. I really enjoyed it and it keeps the creative juices flowing.

So, here I go on #4!

studio table

2009-10-21T12:41:00.002-05:00

True to the blog name, this is a "table of contents". And I even did some selective editing of contents while I was drawing. Maybe this dreary, rainy day should be studio clean-up day........NAH.

autumnal delights

2009-10-20T15:43:00.004-05:00

My daily horoscope this morning encouraged me to "sample the cornucopia of autumnal delights". Seriously, how do you respond to such a statement while eating your cheerios?! It sets a tone for the day ahead.

Center for Book Arts

2009-10-19T21:55:00.002-05:00

Tonight was a meeting of the journal collective which is held at the Minnesota Center for Book Arts. I like to go early enough that I can sit and have a bite to eat in the cafe before the meeting--they always have good, out-of-the-ordinary soups. I did this sketch of two women sitting at a table right next to the open staircase--it made a nice backdrop.

sunshine

2009-10-17T15:54:00.002-05:00

My dog, Bonnie, came into the studio and circled around til she found a spot in the patch of October sunshine coming in the window. I didn't even give her a hard time about acting like a cat--I think she has been missing the sun as much as I have.

future applesauce

2009-10-16T16:09:00.004-05:00

These fat, red Macintosh apples might not be looking quite so shiny and cheerful if they knew the fate awaiting them in the very near future!

apropos of nothing

2009-10-15T10:12:00.003-05:00

Its a phrase from a song--maybe Sheryl Crow?-- and it came to mind when I did this piece today. No particular context or inspiration. Just using the colors at hand.

dipchycks

2009-10-14T18:03:00.001-05:00

I was so taken with the idea of diptychs using images from two people that it evolved beyond just a post on my blog into one all its own. Check out the newly minted "Dipchycks", a combined effort between my sister and myself. It promises to be lots of fun......

ratatouille

2009-10-13T13:52:00.002-05:00

long before it was an animated rat it was a vegetable stew. Its a wonderful dish and even better when someone else does the cooking. Thanks, ma!

dipchicks

2009-10-12T16:06:00.006-05:00

I was reading a blog called Dispatch from LA (always entertaining and inspiring) and she had posted several diptychs or pairs of photos. A couple of them were pairs of images from two different people--one hers, one her sister's. There was also a link to a site called 3191 where two friends who lived in Portland, ME and Portland, OR (3191 miles apart) each posted a photo from their day. I love the idea (the simplest are the best). So, here is my first attempt at a "diptych" between my sister Martha and myself. Her beautiful fall photo, my fall drawing. (BTW, she gets credit for the title!)

old coots

2009-10-07T21:09:00.002-05:00

This time of year, large flocks of coots--round, black birds with white beaks--gather together here on the lake before migrating. I have to laugh when I see them trying to get away from the kayak. They actually run across the water trying to get airborne--they are the most un-aerodynamic bird I can imagine!

quilt

2009-10-05T21:41:00.002-05:00

Maybe the gray, rainy afternoon set the tone, but I was struggling to find a subject and feeling very uninspired. Even my old stand-by collage left me flat. I finally settled on piecing together a quilt of whatever textures and colors caught my eye in the stack of fall catalogs.

fall garden

2009-10-04T22:50:00.003-05:00

I saw a beautiful, loosey-juicy watercolor today and it inspired me to grab some paint. The view out my window of the remains of the summer garden.

ode to a crock pot

2009-10-03T13:34:00.002-05:00

A couple more seasonal rites of passage--the heat has been turned on and the crock pot taken out of its summer resting spot. I do love the feeling of knowing that dinner is already taken care of and its barely past noon. A simple pleasure, but I'll take it.

bead monkey

2009-10-01T19:36:00.002-05:00

My friend Peggy and I spent a nice chunk of time at a store called the Bead Monkey yesterday. She gets drawn in by the crystals and shiny baubles whereas I am drawn to the handmade or "used" beads, like the African trading beads. Judging by our respective bills, it doesn't matter what type you pick out, its gonna cost ya!

sure signs

2009-09-29T20:14:00.004-05:00

As if it wasn't enough that I had to actually put on socks yesterday, today I found this lovely harbinger of fall on the road.

5 minutes of your time

2009-09-28T20:38:00.003-05:00

My friend Roz wrote about collage in her blog today. It got the juices flowing and I went to work. (Of course I never need a lot of prodding to do collage work.) Thanks for the inspiration Roz.

acorn squash

2009-09-27T21:04:00.002-05:00

It was a dark and stormy night......well, really just sort of rainy and windy. That, plus the acorn squash for dinner makes it feel mighty fall-like.

lola

2009-09-25T19:52:00.002-05:00

My friend Grace has two new kittens that I met today. They are siblings, Willis and Lola. Willis is a yellow tom with pretty white boots, but Lola definitely hit the jackpot in the gene pool. She has the most beautiful markings--grey swirls and stripes and circles. I didn't do them justice in my painting, but you get the idea.

stop and smell the rosehips

2009-09-24T21:42:00.003-05:00

How have I missed this fact before (maybe its an age thing, like starting to recognize and identify bird calls)--the seed pods and fruits of most flowers and trees are often more beautiful and intricate than the blossoms themselves.

bittersweet

2009-09-23T23:04:00.003-05:00

full disclosure...this collage of bittersweet vines is actually a cover for the sketch underneath that went from bad to worse and finally just had to be put to rest.

apples again

2009-09-22T22:02:00.003-05:00

Apples made the front page of the paper again! Apparently our summer/early fall weather has been perfect for a bumper crop of apples. This is news I can live with.

bike trail

2009-09-20T15:56:00.002-05:00

Yet another in a string of perfect late summer days. I took a ride on the near-by bike trail. It was full of other bikers and hikers out enjoying a beautiful September Sunday.

struggle

2009-09-19T22:57:00.002-05:00

I like abstract painting.....when someone else does it. When I try it myself, my right brain is busy enjoying the play of color, the lost and found edges while the left side is quietly whispering "hey, look at that face in there"or "check out the apple". It just needs to have something "real" to hold onto. Today's page started as an abstract but before too long some sort of tropical fruit made its way onto the scene. The struggle continues.

next phase

2009-09-18T18:26:00.002-05:00

My blackberry lilies have hit their next phase and are showing off the reason for their name. Just a few of the misshapen green pods have opened to reveal the seeds, which look just like blackberries. Ain't Mother Nature grand?

thai chiles

2009-09-17T18:13:00.003-05:00

My goal was to capture the essence of this basket of chiles without getting too detailed and trying to paint every little pepper. I stopped short of doing every single one, but it did get fussier than I wanted.

morning row

2009-09-16T17:26:00.002-05:00

I haven't kayaked nearly as much as I hoped I would this summer and now the time is getting short for that particular activity. Time to row while I can.

sweetango

2009-09-15T14:03:00.002-05:00

Do apples make the news in other places? They do here in the land of the Honey Crisp. (James Lileks wrote a funny column on this in the Star Tribune last week). This year's newsmaker is called the SweeTango, a genetic mash-up between the Honey Crisp and Zestar. I found three lonely SweeTangos left on the display in the produce section yesterday and brought them home to check out the hype for myself. Verdict: the hype is earned, they are great. Wonderful crisp texture, sweet with just enough tangy flavor.

pears

2009-09-14T21:46:00.002-05:00

I liked the Eric Carle-like eggplant collage, so stuck with it for today's pears. I may be like the very hungry caterpillar and collage my way through all the food in the kitchen.

eggplant

2009-09-12T23:13:00.003-05:00

I was somewhat surprised when I opened my fortune cookie looking for words of wisdom to find the word "Eggplant". I wasn't quite sure how to interpret that fortune! Upon closer inspection, these particular cookies have a fortune on one side and a Chinese vocabulary lesson on the other. Others had more common words like "son" or "house" but I felt very fortunate to get "eggplant"--or "qie zi" as I now know.

before and after

2009-09-11T21:57:00.002-05:00

Its a testament to some sort of self-control that I took the time to sketch and paint this lovely cupcake from Yum Bakery before digging in. (Let's just gloss over the lack of self-control that allowed it to get into the house in the first place!) I added a corner of the cupcake paper and some crumbs when I was done.

abstract collage

2009-09-10T11:43:00.002-05:00

My work table is covered with scraps of paper for a project I am working on, and I decided to start the day with a 10-minute collage. Unfortunately, the amount of paper used here didn't make much of a dent in pile I need to clean off the table. Maybe if I collaged the broad side of a barn.....

nasturtium pod

2009-09-09T22:38:00.002-05:00

As if I needed another reason to love my bright, cheerful nasturtiums, today I discovered the pods that form after the flowers. They are round and fat with twisting stems--as cheerful as the flowers.

last of the season

2009-09-08T21:30:00.002-05:00

I bought a few ears of corn at the farmer's market today. There was only one stall that had any and I suspect it was the last for the season. On the bright side, there was a new stall with the first few early varieties of local apples. Must be fall.

crab apple jelly

2009-09-06T19:43:00.003-05:00

I finally picked a bag full of crab apples and tried my hand at jelly. It was fun, relatively easy and best of all it looks so pretty. I made four beautiful red jars full, but already gave one away. (Besides, three is a better number artistically speaking).

blue dish

2009-09-04T22:48:00.002-05:00

I bought a new casserole dish today just big enough for two people. I talked myself into "needing" this smaller, empty-nest size, but in reality it was the beautiful blue color I couldn't get past. And the cute rooster sticker sealed the deal.

glad shadow

2009-09-03T18:06:00.002-05:00

I've been nursing this bouquet along for well over a week now, plucking out drooping buds, down-sizing the vase, until finally today this is all that is left--the last few blossoms from the top of a stalk of glads.

MN State Fair

2009-09-02T12:07:00.004-05:00

a quick collage of some guinea fowl done when I got home--the newspaper was perfect for their subtle gray coloring

watercolor sketch of an Asiatic Brahman

also known as the "Great Minnesota Get Together" (I prefer my son's version--the Great Minnesota SWEAT Together). I met with a group of other Twin Cities journal artists for a "sketch out". We spent some time in the poultry barns and then did some general people watching/sketching. Check out some of the other work at Twin Cities Sketchers It was a perfect day weather-wise. It didn't even earn its usual "sweat together" title. Add some deep fried cheese curds to the mix and it was a great day at the fair.

after breakfast

2009-08-31T22:23:00.002-05:00

I got carried away and ate my "subject" before getting it down on paper. Here is what remains.....

the color purple

2009-08-30T22:39:00.002-05:00

"I think it pisses God off if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don't notice it....People think pleasing God is all God care about. But any fool living in the world can see it always trying to please us back."

Alice Walker

tomato day

2009-08-29T21:18:00.003-05:00

Today was all about tomatoes. Picking them, sketching them, collage-ing them, painting them, roasting them and especially eating them.

flip flops

2009-08-27T17:54:00.002-05:00

OK- so its not exactly the Mona Lisa of sketches, but today is one of those days that I'm giving myself "props" for the effort, regardless of the finished product.