Thanksgiving

Mixed media

3" x 3"

Giving thanks today for all that is good.

Have a wonderful day, wherever in this world you may be.  May it be filled with love, joy and harmony.



Piecing It Together. . .New Mixed-Media Collages

here



here

Last weekend, I laid out twenty or so potential collages to be made from assorted prints, remnants of prints, embellished papers and ephemera.  This weekend, I've managed to finalize these three and a couple more.  (These are spare, on creamy art paper -- not greyish at all -- and some of the fine graphite and ink has not been fully captured in the scans.)

Yesterday, I gave up a potential afternoon in the studio to go watch our neighbor's son play his final game as the hometown quarterback at Portland State University.  There was a chill in the air, and my husband and I were "on the fence" as to whether to go or not....all things considered  (which translates into "Gee, it would be great to go and support him, but there are just too many things to do in too little time.")   We were glad we chose to go.  It was great to drop down into the city, just ten minutes away, and take the brisk walk to the outdoor stadium.  Before the game, the seniors and their families were honored on the center of the field; a bittersweet moment, to be sure.  We've watched this young man and his equally talented older brother practice ball in their backyard and play assorted sports since they were in middle school.

It is gorgeous today.  Time to stop and head out to assist my husband with a major leaf clean-up.  (Just in time for the next couple of storms that are scheduled to blow in at the beginning of the week.)

Hope you've had an enjoyable weekend with a little time for creativity!

Thank you for stopping by!

:)



Taking It In

   

Well, the November rains have arrived, and with them, the fragrance of foliage and the earth, and a wondrous fabric of leaves that is developing on the ground plane.  I managed to get out for two short walks in my neighborhood this weekend and it became all too apparent to me that "house / car / city office / car / house / car / city office" is a sure recipe for nature deprivation.  Interestingly, it was my olfactory sense that drove home the point that here, in my neighborhood, I was surrounded by vegetation and soil that was actually alive and dynamic, and that I was a part of this web of life. Nothing too profound here, mind you; it's just that it occurred to me while walking and taking in the fragrance, that during the dry summer, this fragrance of the earth, so characteristic of the Pacific Northwest, is virtually non-existent, unless one is in the woods, or better yet, deep in the forest.  And of course, it's non-existent year around in the immediate vicinity of my office downtown.  And therefore, similarly to "out of sight/out of mind," if one cannot smell the earth, one can lose track of just how long it has been since one has been out in a meadow, or a forest, or even in one's own neighborhood, taking it all in.

Hope you're not in a state of nature deprivation.  :)

Oh, and along this line, if you haven't already done so, pay a visit to Jennifer Judd-McGee's Swallowfield and take in Sophie Windsor Clive's short, beautiful video of the natural phenomenon of starling "murmurations."   And then scroll down to see Jennifer's holiday card and recent collages, before heading over to Novembergrass to see Sue's beautiful "murmuration" of stitches on her most recent work.

Have a great week!

Splendor in the Garden

  

Such a riot of color on this tree that is leaning over our fence. It was really something yesterday, against the brilliant blue sky. Anyone know what it is? And regrettably, these two small works are not new, and in fact, they've probably already appeared here. But they seemed to match the mood of the tree.  :)

Hope the week ahead brings good things your way!                                 

Good Cheer from Kristen Donegan

Such a delightful start to a recent grey and cozy Saturday in Portland . . . a lovely handprinted and stitched note, atop the cheerful package, above, from Massachussets artist, Kristen Donegan.   

Image courtesy of Kristen Donegan



And inside the package? A few of her wonderful cards. :) 

Among assorted art works, Kristen is currently featuring a series of bird-themed cards in her Etsy shop, as well as a very nicely curated selection of vintage items.  You can catch up with what she's been up to on her blog, A Sunny Spot, where she shares snippets of her artistic process and creative daily life.

And in our garden ...hydrangea leaves recently in their glory.
(But now suffering the effects of a deluge.)

Hope you are having a wonderful week!
(Hope folks back East are recovering from the storm.)

Thanks for visiting!

(I feel an artistic weekend coming on. . .)

 

 

Columbia River Gorge in the Fall

 



The Columbia River Gorge is a mere forty-five minute drive from Portland and it is particularly beautiful in autumn.   We took a short excursion, travelling east on the Oregon side of the river, and then crossing to come back on the Washington side.  It was wonderful to smell the fragrance of cedar and fir on the forested hillsides; beautiful to see the vibrant fall foliage against the deep green of the conifers and grey basalt rock.  We passed through a series of double tunnels in rock outcroppings on our way back; narrow tunnels for the trains, and slightly wider ones for the cars.  It was rather exhilarating to encounter a train speeding along in the opposite direction, so high above the river, and so close to us as we zoomed around the cliffs.

Time to transition to the week ahead.  Chilly nights are in the forecast, which means the autumn leaf color will become even more intense and the "big drop" will begin in earnest . . .

Cheers!



Flower and Dots . . . to the Shop

"Flower and Dots"

acrylic on canvas

24"x 24"x 3"

Detail

This painting has found its way to the shop.    

Thanks for visiting!

:)

In the Shop Now . . .

 "Remnants 6" 

Mixed media

7 1/2"  x  9 1/2"

"Remnants 6" was one of six mixed media collages that I made for a show in June of 2010.  Two of the pieces have sold; another one is currently in the shop and "Remnants 5", also above, will be there soon. 

And by the way, don't you just love bookhou?  Such signature style in everything they do.  A simply wonderful, graphic aesthetic.   And such a great, conversational blog: bookhau at home.   Oh, and here's their Etsy shop.

Hope you have a wonderful week!

:)