I’m thrilled with the article in today’s paper concerning the Kentucky Guild of Artists and Craftsmen member exhibit at the Carnegie Art Center in Covington, KY.
Thanks, Jackie, for the great write-up and Liz, for the cool pictures!!
It’s October already!
I’m finding it hard to believe how much time has elapsed since my last post here! About the only thing that remains of the summer are the bug bites that still itch.
Lots has happened including a new grandson! Sebastian John is already two weeks old and growing! Such a cutie, but then I’m his grandmother – I’m supposed to say things like that.
I’ve been involved for the past 6 months with a yarn bombing movement in the Cincinnati area – check out BombShells of Cincinnati to see our handiwork! (We are also on Face Book if you want to friend us.) What was originally intended as a one project adventure now seems to be turning into a small art company! Keep tabs on us to see what we are up to next.
More immediate is some teaching this coming weekend in NY for the Eastern Great Lakes Fiber Conference. And then on to getting some work accomplished to be ready for three – count ’em – THREE! back-to-back fiber sales in November.
Add in some local basketry and book making classes and I’ll be keeping busy for the next couple months! Hopefully that won’t keep me away from this blog to much. Hoping to be more consistent with my presence.
Thanks for patiently waiting. Hope your summer went well!
Paper and Books
Today was filled with paper and books and all the lovely people involved with them.
After doing some mudcloth with Sue last night (great red and decent tan from local muds), I packed up, bade a fond farewell to Sue and Andrew and the Dandenongs, and loaded into Tricia’s car this morning.
Along the way we made a stop at a local art center – really a cool place(even though I can’t remember the name right now. Built specifically for making and exhibiting art of all sorts, the spaces were large and open and full of light. They used art all over to decorate the place, from leaf tiles in the sidewalks to the wooden fence tops carved in whimsical figures.
While gazing through the windows at a large hooked wall hanging in one painting room, we were literally pulled into the space by the instructor who asked me to show off my scrumbled vest that I was wearing. Too funny! Nice bunch of ladies who had been painting together for 13 years. From there we visited a $2 store in Box Hill on the way to a lovely lunch at Gail’s home with seven members of the papermakers group.
A number of scrumptious dishes (topped off by fresh watermelon and homemade baklava) comprised our feast. Gail then shared lots of pictures of some super paper pieces from various exhibits she had seen. She also pulled out books that the group had made in the past and there was some sharing of really cool work that various people had done. The papers were gorgeous and the ideas and skill of the makers was top-notch. What a pleasure to soak it all in!
Tricia and I then had the fun of checking out Gail’s backyard where the ‘monster’ pumpkin was overtaking the lemon tree! A HUGE pumpkin vine was literally swamping a good-sized lemon tree which was filled with ripening fruit. And in the midst of it all there was a basketball sized pumpkin being propped up by stakes so it wouldn’t break the lemon tree limbs. Gail also had papyrus growing along with a number of other good papermaking plants.
We did a bit of clean-up at Gail’s and then the three of us headed off to a BBQ being held as a joint meeting of the basketmakers and the bookmakers. Another round of delicious salads and desserts (fiber people REALLY know how to cook and eat!) along with some wine and sausages/hamburgers/veggie burgers.
To fill out the evening and provide something to do, they had four vats working for marbling paper. Everyone was invited to do some marbled sheets (I’ve got one drying out downstairs at the moment) and I think pretty much everyone marbled at least one sheet.
Bags got transferred to Anne’s car. After she made sure all was cleaned up (such are the duties of the group president!), we headed off to her home in the city proper (Melbourne) where I am staying for the next several days. I was met by Boris, an imperial and egotistical Russian blue cat, and Tim Tim, a more sedate tiger.
All in all a good one. Time to tuck in – feeling bushed for the day.
Starting October off right
I was lax on posting last month – sorry! So, to start October right, here we go:
Yesterday I took 8 women, mostly older than me, into the woods in Kentucky and we pulled grapevines for random weaving. Learned about other invasive plants and how/why they are good or not for basketry. We harvested some fairly large diameter grapevine – it took four or more of us to get some of it down out of the trees. The women had a blast and felt so empowered by the group strength. They also made some nice baskets! Sent them home early all tuckered out. I’ll post a picture of the large class basket made from the really heavy vines that we pulled – it was a community project and is already installed at the Kenton County Extension Office garden.
Today I taught four different simple bookbinding techniques to high schoolers at Oldenburg Academy – and for the most part they looked as though they felt accomplished, too. Always a warm feeling when the ‘aha!’ moment happens and a face brightens.
Tomorrow a niece and her friend are coming to do some papermaking – I cooked up some asparagus stems and leek leaves this afternoon to be ready for them. Also pulled out a bunch of baggies from the freezer with bits of cooked pulp and some already beaten. My love may run away for the day so as to get out of our way!
Simmer in the summer
Well, there is absolutely no way to avoid the heat and humidity and still be active. The only activity I’m intent on at the moment is to gather all the supplies needed for the 8 classes I’m teaching at Convergence 2010 Albuquerque.
Dyed some reed this morning for the jelly bean baskets and it is drying out nicely with the heat! I may have gotten the blue a bit on the dark side but it should still weave nicely.
Have some bookboards (aka cereal box cardboards!) to cut for the book classes and then decide how many examples to take for the mudcloth. The black dirt is already taped securely – hoping for lots of reds, etc. to come in with the students.
The best part about gathering my supplies is that I’m doing it in the cool, dry basement! Any office work (copies of handouts, etc.) gets accomplished in my office which boasts windows and a fan – plus the shade of surrounding trees so it isn’t too terribly hot in there. Hot enough, though.
Off to the basement to cool down and cut!