Whew

What a long time since I last posted. Our old computer became quite fussy, so I did as little as possible on it. Now we have a new computer and need to set things up as we go along. I'll get there.

I woke up this morning with two awarenesses:
1. I have a house of chaos that needs cleaning and straightening, and
2. I have an inspired idea for a new art project.

So glad to be able to claim a year wiser: I spent the morning making paper. The house is waiting. I hope to get things up and running in the next weeks to show my new projects.

Remembering Rich's birthday/retrospective art show/party

What a time this was – so many people celebrating all of Rich’s artistic gifts. People who didn’t know him “back when” had no idea that he was a talented, prolific artist. His work filled two rooms and several halls. Great art, great food, great friends – a great night.

Solution du jour

Somewhere between Yankee ingenuity strikes again and necessity is the mother of invention, self-preservation kicked in and I put cork on my work surface. No more worries about my cards being haz-mat. My fingers are happy and healing.

Suffering for My Art

So far today I've stuck the needle through the ends of two fingers in the process of sewing the buttons onto my hand-made papers and cards. I have to stop and apply bandages so I don't bleed on the cards. But the response to these is so positive I have to keep trying more. The good news is I'm getting better aim.

Simple Designs Are Not Easy Tasks

My heart notes have been selling very well, and I wanted to make a variation on the theme. I liked the idea of layering hearts and attaching them to the card with a button. The idea seemed simple enough. But I needed contrast, so I had to make a background paper in a different color. Sewing a button onto card stock is a lot trickier than it sounds, and that nylon thread wants to disappear. But here are my first four attempts. Can’t wait to see where I go from here.

Japanese Paper

Paper-making is my passion, and I have been making hand-made paper for many years. But I've always made my papers in the Western tradition. This month I had the opportunity to go to an all-day workshop on Japanese paper-making.

The instructor brought buckets of gampi, kozo and mitsumata fibers that we beat with sticks on wooden boards. The rest of the day we made paper with sukettas (the Japanese mould and deckle). At the end of the day we used cotton linter for cast paper and a nod to Western papermaking. I took home 34 pieces of various sized papers and 7 castings. Exhausted beyond words, but not too tired to smile. What a wonderful experience. Thanks, JoAnne!

Summer Flowers & New Heart-notes

This very rainy spring and beginning of summer has brought a garden full of flowers. I'm enjoying the picking and the pressing.

I made a new heart-note template that I like better than the old one. Since I embed my flowers in recycled pulp instead of gluing them to the surface of the paper, I sometimes lose the visual effect of the stems. I now hand-paint the stems to restore the visual balance of the designs.

Lent

I pressed nails into clay to make a mould for this cast paper cross medallion. After it dried, I painted it with water colors. I hope this symbol of sacrifice inspires thoughts of faith and hope.

Winter Walk

This is a pulp painting of what I saw on a walk in my neighborhood one sunny winter day:
When I looked up I saw a cardinal on a branch in a tree.
When I looked down I saw the red berries on a holly bush in my neighbors' yard.

Labyrinths

2009 began with thoughts on labyrinths, so it seems fitting to end the year with my creations. I wanted to make a sculptural piece to hold in the palm of the hand and trace with the finger. I had to go to the ancient labyrinth form and work with 3 layers to fit the size I wanted. I made a clay mould to cast my recycled pulp on and made a color sheet to cover the cork backing. Everything is painted with a clear acrylic varnish.

I hope people who get these find serenity as their fingers follow the path from the beginning to the center and back again. The labyrinth reminds us to be aware of the journey and not focus only on the destination. A good thought as we face a new year.

'Tis the Season

Original Card Art to Frame

Saturday morning I set up the second of my four holiday shows this winter. A friend recently asked if I would make a card that could be given as a gift- to drop a piece of original art into a standard frame. So I chose this bamboo design. By trimming the card, I was able to drop it into a 4x6 frame from a discount store. I could also have drop mounted the card onto mat board in a 5x7 frame or mat opening. So here it is – an original art card suitable for framing.

The design of this piece is based on a drawing I made of a bamboo fountain my daughter gave me for Mother’s Day one year. In order to make a clay mould, I had to change the design to bamboo in a bowl, but I like the simplicity. I painted this cast paper with watercolors and acrylics and drop mounted it on a piece of wall paper.