Category: Misc Interests
Gift Box and a Piece of Wood
Last night my neighbor gave me the coolest gift ever! He knows that I collect and make boxes, so he thought that I would like this one–
When I opened the box there was a lovely piece of wood that on first glance appeared to be a preserved bird.
My neighbor’s house is filled with all sorts of interesting objects that he has collected during his 80 plus years. It is such a treat to visit; to see things missed on previous visits.
Lichens, Flowers, and Ants
Lichens seen on early morning hike.
Blooming succulent with ants.
Replacement of the Sad (Probably Dead) Plant
Over the weekend we attended a succulent show. There were many interesting and beautiful plants, but I went with the objective of finding out what killed my plant. And I hoped to find a suitable replacement.
Accually I do not know for sure that my plant is in fact dead. It could be one of those add water and something sprouts from the debris. And you can’t really replace a plant. You can add a new plant with similar attributes.
Just a few images of plants that I found interesting–
Probably dead plant–
New Plant
Flat Stanley Came For A Visit
My nephew’s teacher sent Flat Stanley for a visit. I put together a scrapbook and made a box for the collected things from the beach and hikes.
I didn’t know anything about Flat Stanley. Apparently Flat Stanley books have been around since 1964.
These are a few photos of the scrapbook that I made for my nephew and his class.
Scrapbook and Box. The box contains rocks, shells, pods, and twigs with lichens.
Scrapbook Pages 14 and 15. While Stanley was here he went with John when he donated platelets.
Stanley also went with our bunny, Big Baby when he went to the vet’s for a check-up.
Scrapbook Page 17 shows John at work with his assistant, The Bird.
Scrapbook Page 19 has photos of a project that I made for my sister’s 50th birthday.
Stanley helped.
Scrapbook Page 20 is the back cover.
Had a difficult time getting a photo of Stanley and Big Baby.
Big Baby was a bit too interested in Stanley.
Stanley is Packed and Ready To Travel.
I included a CD with the images of Stanely’s visit and the pages of the scrapbook.
This is what the class will see when Stanley arrives.
Potentially Dangerous Can Be Beautiful
I recently snagged some Oleander pods from the parking lot of a neighborhood restaurant. In California it is common to have plantings in parking lots.
Oleander has a reputation for killing people and animals. Some stories have a valid science component, others lean toward myth and urban legend.
The pods I snagged have dried and opened exposing their lovely seeds.
Why did I snag the seed pods? I use poison plant bits in my work. Some of the bits that I use are from plants banned in a few states. The reason for the ban is reactionary. A couple of kids decide to get high, use too much, have a bad reaction, and the plant is held responsible.
Each of the cups in my Poison Cup series has a small bag of bits from poisonous plants. These are a few of the bags included in the series.
The title of the series is actually Preservation. While the cups refer to the tea ceremony and poison goblets, the cups have been perforated making them a nice vessel for seedlings.
Treat with Respect contains the seed bag in the upper right corner of the above graphic.
The bag contains 11 Castor Bean seeds.
Additional image of the series can be seen on my website.
Aphids, Lichens, Rust, Mold…
Aphids and Lichens
Yesterday I found a few of my Hellebores were covered with aphids. How does that happen? I had just purchased a bottle of peppermint castile soap and decided to give the plants a washing and a cutting.
The lichens were seen on stones in the mountains behind our house. I have taken photos of loads of lichens but never red.
Rust and Mold
A rose bush very near the Hellebores has small orange splotches. I didn’t know it was rust until I did a google search. According to the Royal Horticultural Society what I found is probably the parasitic fungus, Phragmidium tuberculatum. More cutting will be needed.
The rose bush, actually more of a vine was here when we bought the house. We keep digging it up, attempting to move it, apparently never getting it all because it keeps coming back.
The mold is growing on a container of tomato and basil hummus. The container was hidden behind a large dish of couscous.
Why did I take photos of such things? It is interesting to see surfaces transformed in a natural way. There can be beauty in things that are opportunistic and even a bit destructive. Something small can make a difference.
I had lovely gardens that took a lot of care. Recently I decided that I needed to spend less time in the gardens and more time in the studio. There isn’t enough time for everything. Strong plants should survive. Since I have found multiple things to damage the existing plants and trees, I suspect it is time to clear out everything potentially damaging and tend to the plants and trees that remain.
We finally did take down a tree that had been sick for quite a few years. Tried to save it because it was being grown for a source of art material. It is a sad day when a tree must be removed. Trying to think of the future and that we can use the space to grow dwarf citrus trees. I do love a good orange, but I am sure going to miss the tree.
Memorial Sculptures
Whenever I travel I visit cemeteries. I am not morbid or do I have a fascination with death. I like stones that look like they are from the earth, have a good bit of lichen growth, and are sculptural.
Lichen Growth on Headstone in San Luis Obispo, CA
Yesterday I took some photos of a cemetery that is within walking distance from where I am staying.
Cemetery in Sparks, MD
Lovely misty and overcast morning with a flock of crows across the road from the cemetery. Or is that a murder of crows? Hitchcock came to mind.
I tend to experience the stones like I do sculpture. I want the whole to be addressed and to see the hand of the person who carved the stone. And I am fond of the use of nature–trees, flowers, animals. The best is when the stone is carved to tell the story of the individual.
It is interesting to see the same or similar imagery in cemeteries around the country. What does the imagery mean? There are numerous sites that contain lists of symbols.
Penn Artifact Lab
Last night I was thinking about how to age and hang a piece, so I did a google search for combinations of encaustic, wool, cotton, twine, rope, encased in plaster, and hit the Penn Artifact Lab. It is a working conservation space that can be viewed by visitors with a blog component. How cool is that?
While I was in Maryland, I spent part of a day at the Smithsonian Natural History Museum. The museum has the FossiLab where you can watch folks working. The access to part of the process of conservation adds another aspect to the exhibitions.
Back to my search. I found this description–
“After prying some of the loose plaster away, I found that luckily, the plaster seen around the outside of the painting is only a thin skim coat layer, and that paper was used as a barrier layer in places between the painting and the plaster.”
I looked around a bit and found so many interesting and amazing images of artifacts. Ran across this bit on a coffin and cedar–
“Cedar is a prized wood because the trees produce chemicals that make them resistant to insect damage and various forms of rot.
I documented the appearance of the board, noting its construction details, such as four wooden pegs and mitered edges. One curious feature was thin metal ribbons running in channels along the long axis of the board.”
Cedar is one of my favorite materials. It is soft, easy to carve, can be yellow or pink in color, stains nicely for my purposes, and it has a great fragrance. I originally started using it when I was making Tools for Rent a series of bronze daggers.
I was in the hardware store looking for some wood to build boxes when I was hit with the memory of opening my mother’s cedar chest. Got to thinking about the arbitrary value of an individual based on the contents of a box and how that compares to the arbitrary value placed on art. And I really like the fragrance.
Back to my search. I found this image of a bone awl. It is so clean, lovely, and elegant.
Folks listed on the Artifact Lab blog–
Project Conservator Molly Gleeson
Senior Conservator Lynn Grant
Conservators Julia Lawson and Nina Owczarek
Penn Museum’s Egyptian Section curators
Curator Dr. David Silverman
Associate Curators Dr. Josef Wegner and Dr. Jennifer Wegner
The Artifact Lab and the Penn Museum blogs have great detailed information. I just subscribed to both.
What a Relief…
that in spite of the powers that be in Ohio trying to keep people from voting, votes were cast, and the expected outcome did not occur.
Those determined people who stood in lines for hours, made their state and this country a better place.
Every vote does count.
In President Obama’s reelection speech he stated, “I want to thank every American who participated in this election … whether you voted for the very first time or waited in line for a very long time. By the way, we have to fix that.”