Red Work

This past week I was working on pieces predominately red in preparation for a little local show.  The pieces are complete but the show is called off. Oh well,  I am glad for the incentive at any rate.

' Martian Landscape #1', 7x5, procion and prismacolor on cotton, machine stitched

 'Martian Landscape #2', 5"x7", procion and prismacolor on cotton, machine and hand stitched

 ' Martian Landscape #3', 7x5, procion and prismacolor on cotton, machine and hand stitched

 'Skiff #2', 5"x4.75", procion and prismacolor on cotton, machine and hand stitched

 'Skiff #1', 6.5"x4.75", procion and prismacolor on cotton, machine and hand stitched

'Gale', 8"x6", procion and acrylic on cotton, machine and hand stitched

January is coming to an end at last.  This was the view from the post office parking lot Friday afternoon.  Devils Thumb, our famous mountain, is the peak to the left. 

Ice

 The book store yard has a very nice hedge of wild roses which really caught my eye in this gray weather. 

 I like how you can see the thorns against the snow, and that little glimpse of red roofing.

The rain drops hang like tears of joy.

Wishing you each a very creative Last Week of January!

Slush Demands Color

All that beautiful snow is melting into slippery gray oblivion.  Town is rather a mess on foot or by car.

Color in the studio was the only antidote.  I escaped into my sewing machine.

K. has commissioned a pouch for her electronic book.  I curve-pieced a tree.

The lining is silk I picked up in Singapore on speculation.

 More rain is predicted into the foreseeable future - I am grateful for the color within!

wordless

Animal Feet

Dneese over at Grrl+Dog was wondering about how our animals' paws keep from freezing in all the cold.  We amused ourselves on this quiet Sunday by taking the following photos, which document the amazing weather-proofing our beach animals are equipped with.

 William Wallace foot #1

 William Wallace foot #2

 Thomas foot

Flossy shows her front paw.  

(Sorry, we couldn't get a picture of Bertram's feet, which are fabulously well covered in nice thick fur.  He was against this whole thing).

Winter weather continues with two days of steady snow.  Looking out my south window this morning, I saw a deer was browsing the beach for breakfast.

 mixed media on cotton; 5"x8"

Tomorrow is a holiday at the Mighty Mighty Day Job - I will be glad of an extra day in the studio.  A creative week to you!

Venus

Happily, we have had more than the usual number of clear skies this winter, and as a result, Venus has been my companion on many morning walks.  The past several days she has been noticeably lower on the horizon.  This morning, she was gone altogether, sunk below the trees.  I miss her.  This little painting is an ode to her light and a celebration of the many shooting stars which entertain me as Flossy and I brave the cold and dark.

'Morning Stars'; acrylic and prismacolor on muslin; 5"x8"

The waxing moon holds my gaze these crystal evenings.

Alpen-glow turns the mainland range fleeting pastel at sunset.

Out on the beach, frost builds.

Flossy and William Wallace meander in the cold at the foot of the old driveway.

William in his winter furs.

Small Work from Ohmer Creek

I am going to show you the small pieces I began working on back in late summer/fall which I just finally finished binding.  These are based on my walks at the water meadow and on the beach.
This work is all approximately 3x5 or 4x6 inches, cut from cotton I painted with procion dyes.

 

 This piece has beading and couched threads in addition to machine and hand stitching.

Machine stitching only on this one.

This is a tribute to the gorgeous orange grass the Seattle Girl likes.  The edges are finished with that wonderful recycled sari silk yarn from Treenway Silks in British Columbia.

A combination of machine and hand stitching on procion painted cotton.

'My Blue Heart', approximately 3"x5" - machine and hand stitching, acrylic paint on hand-cut rubber stamp.

'Home Fires, II'

'My Red, Red Heart'

One Year Old

Today marks the first anniversary of Flying Dog Studio Design Wall.  The hopes and goals I set for myself in joining the blogging community have been exceeded to an amazing degree in this first year.  Thank you, Readers, for welcoming me so warmly to the Blogosphere, and for all the inspiration your beautiful blogs give me.  Within your pages I travel the world, see first rate art, exchange ideas, share your successes and losses, and sometimes laugh out loud.   Your comments encourage me and provide accountability for my studio endeavors.  Thank you, and huzzah for the start of this new year!

I added a silk ribbon tie closure to my new 8.5x11 inch sketch book in which I am practicing Daily Drawing.