My backyard garden has the most amazing fragrance in the morning. It is the combination of the fragrance of Brugmansia, Wisteria, and the blossoms of a lemon tree yet to be planted.
Don’t be too quick to remove weeds from your garden. This “weed” has a lovely flower that I would never have seen if I had removed it from my garden.
Tim and I went to grad school at WSU in Pullman. Friday He rang me to say he was on his way to Pullman. One of his former students was having their thesis show. We caught up and reminisced. I can’t believe that it has been 20 years since I had my thesis show.
On Saturday I received a letter and the following newspaper clipping from Mark, my friend from my days at Ohio State. He saw the article and remembered how excited I would get whenever I opened a kiln to see what the kiln gods gave me.
Hearing from Tim, reading Mark’s letter, and seeing Dustin Harris’ soda-fired piece brought back memories of my own past firing experiences and my year as a research assistant working for Ann Christenson on her vapor glazing project.
Phone call and letter, coincidence and connections. I am fortunate to have such thoughtful friends.
More of Ann’s work can be viewed on her website.
An image from Tim’s Figures in Landscape series. You can see more on his website.
More of Dustin Harris’ work can be seen here.
My nephew was born on April 11th, 1973. When he was 18 months old he was admitted to the hospital. While there he was given an injection of insulin that resulted in coma and brain damage. He died after surgery in 1990. When his birthday comes around I still celebrate his life. I have baked cakes, made sculpture, gone for hikes, whatever seemed appropriate for remembering him.
What does that have to do with Roger Ebert? On April 11th last year Roger wrote a blog post about the recent losses of family and friends.
“Memory. It makes us human. It creates our ideas of family, history, love, friendship. Within all our minds is a narrative of our own lives and all the people who were important to us. Who were eyewitnesses to the same times and events.”
My memory includes watching Roger talk about film, reading his books, and over the past year reading his blog. If I read reference to a film and wanted to know more I would read Roger’s review. He was like the professor who exuded so much passion about the course, you never wanted it to end.
Repetition and Oxidation
Great Color
Before adding the jute border.
After adding the jute border.
Corner Detail.
Need to add some more jute stitches to the corners and then the piece will be ready for aging.
I always had one of those metal thimbles in my sewing box. Never used it. I liked the look of it, but it didn’t really fit and felt bulky.
I recently ran across a silicone and metal thimble. Since I have been doing a lot of stitch work I decided to try it.
The thimble is comfortable and is great for pushing the needle through my work.
After several hours of work, I went to the kitchen for a snack. Started washing my hands and there it was. Had actually forgotten that I was wearing it.
It sure beats using pliers to pull the needle through my work. I suspect using the thimble will also extend the life of my needles.
Clover Protect and Grip Thimbles
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 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.
Last night a package arrived from Dave, my brother-in-law. He sent us three jars of the jam he has been making. That in itself is very cool, but the I thing I was more excited about was how he packed them.
When I dug through the sea of white, I found this–
I love the packing materials which have now been added to my stash of potential art materials.
The last time Dave visited he brought me tea tins that he thought I might like to use in my work. Words cannot express how it feels to have such a thoughtful and supportive person in my life.
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.