Rust

  CUTTING UP THE METAL TABLE TOP.

I’ve been holding onto rusted pieces of metal for years ... I have a wonderful old iron pot, suitable for cooking soup for a crowd over an open fire, but horribly - or wonderfully - loaded with rust. If I'm to use it for cooking, I'll need to do some serious re-seasoning. I have some large sheets of rusted metal which used to be a table top. The base of that table, also rusted, is a wonderful curlicue and will live on the deck (probably) once it gets a new top. There are also some interesting pieces of old machinery and several bags filled with small rusted geegaws of one sort or another. Family members look askance and ask, "Do you really need to keep this stuff? Are you ever going to actually do anything with it?" YES! I am definitely going to do something. But I realize, somewhat miserably, I've been uttering this assurance for so long ... Gawd I am a big-time procrastinator! Or, may I say, at least on the question of using rust, I WAS a big-time procrastinator. Because I have now dipped my toe in the water, by dipping my textile in the water, and then laying it on a rusted piece of metal, splashing it with vinegar, covering it with another piece of rusted metal, and forgetting all about it (something procrastinators are good at) for a while. 

One day I decided it was time to get my lazy bones moving and see how my rust experiment was doing. Wow! It's awesome. I love it. I'll do more, for sure. And I'll share it here. 

  I STILL NEED TO WASH IT AND SEE HOW MUCH COLOR WILL BE LOST.

She sells seashells

Doug and I went to the opening reception of Like a Flower: The Art of Missy Stevens at the Brookfield Craft Center here in Connecticut. What a wonderful event! I have admired Missy's work for many years, after having seen examples of her thread paintings which are stunning and soulful. in fact, we had just watched a film on CPTV, Missy Stevens, The Spirit and Technique of Painting With Thread and so we were revved up and eager to see Missy's works in person. The film, by the way, is absolutely lovely (as is Missy) and it is being shown this evening at The Brookfield Craft Center (which also offers many classes), with Missy in attendance to answer questions and talk about her work. If you go for the film you'll get to see the show as well, as it will be there through July 29. 

  MISSY STEVENS || MOON CROWN || 2017 (DETAIL) 

While we had expected to see many beautiful examples of Missy's fiber art, and we were not disappointed, we were delightfully surprised to also find examples of a new direction in the form of two crowns, made mostly from seashells. These crowns took my breath away. I was smitten!

  MISSY STEVENS || SUN CROWN || 2017 (DETAIL) 

  MISSY STEVENS || MOON CROWN || 2017

  MISSY STEVENS || SUN CROWN || 2017

Missy, in addition to being an awesome artist, is also a very special friend. It was Missy who guided me on my first shamanistic journey which I wrote about last October. 

  MISSY STEVENS ANSWERS QUESTIONS AT THE OPENING RECEPTION.

See more of Missy’s artwork at her website.

The lady in the tree

Interesting tree. It's calling to me.

It's a lady, trapped in the tree.

There are mushrooms in the garden. I'm guessing it's because I just had the garden beds dressed with nice organic mulch. 

I’ll bet they are delicious and perfectly safe, but no way am I going to test that theory by eating them. There are certain lessons which were hammered into my head as I was growing up in Poughkeepsie, NY:

1. Don't eat mushrooms in the wild.
2. Never ever try heroin.
3. Don't have sex until you are married.

You know what they say: Two outta three ain't bad. :-)

Does anybody know what kind of mushrooms they are? Should I see if I can get some spore prints from them? Or use them in a dye pot?

I found this chimney swift on my dining room floor. Is there a message in this? I have felt a very strong connection with birds this past year, believing them to be spirit guides, here to escort me through the minefield of cancer treatments; here to keep me safe and help me prevail. Birds have been very close ever since last June when I was diagnosed with lung cancer. In recent weeks (months?) I have had a few experiences of seeing birds bid me farewell. Seeing them say their job is done, I don't need them to be such close-by chaperones, I'm going to be okay. And I've wondered: is that true?  

So, dear Swift, did you come to give me a message? What does your death mean? Is it about transition? Your energy has moved on. It may be the end of a cycle for the birds and me ... a door closes and a window opens. The wisdom imparted by "my" birds, the lessons learned these past months, will not be forgotten. And I'm pretty certain my lovely feathered spirit guides will always be here with me when I need them.

This was my father’s old iron lantern and it was in our back yard when I was a kid. Daddy loved his garden and "the Japanese lantern" seemed to play a special role on nights when he would light a candle inside it and we would sit in near darkness, enjoying the flickering illumination of our own private space. I don't know if the lantern actually is Japanese; my father spent some time in Korea before I was born, so maybe it came home with him when he returned. It has been a part of my garden for the last forty years or so and I am now more attached to it than ever. I was startled, in a pleasant sort of way, to see a similar one in Jude's yard. It's nice to run into a distant relative when you least expect it. 

But it seems so odd to me that my father has been gone for more than forty years. That's such a long time. And my mother - I think it's been about thirteen years, but I still feel like she died recently. 

Lily says: Good night and sweet dreams.

Basic Training

Sorting through linens. This one makes my heart swoon, it’s just so sweet. I should photograph more of the tea towels and napkins and so on - they're just so good to share. I love looking at these remnants of a time gone by. :-)

I’ve had this wire basket for a few years. I keep it on the counter and use it to hold things like lemons and garlic, generally not at the same time. :-) :-)

I’ve been trying to convince a certain man in my life that it’s really a nice thing to push your chair back in when you leave the table. I call this Basic Training. :-) :-) :-)

I love to shop

I love to shop! Photoshop, that is. So, I thought I’d share some examples with you because it is amazing what can be done with Photoshop. Mind you, I am by no means an expert, but I have played with it for years now and I keep learning, albeit very slowly.

Above, an image of a boy in Poughkeepsie, NY, circa 1978. I got lucky with this shot.

As you can see from the original image, right, Photoshop helped a great deal in creating the arresting image it became.

An edited image of a  geranium, above,  and the original, at right. The edited version of an image isn’t necessarily better than the original,  but it’s always interesting to see where a little fussing with the settings may lead.

At left, a gorgeous little girl I spotted at a friend’s wedding. Unfortunately, there was a mess of distracting arms and legs surrounding her precious face, as you can see, below. 

Once again, Photoshop came to the rescue.

Above, another shot from the wedding celebration, this time of a charming boy named Finn. 

The original photo was okay although a little flat. I could have just popped the contrast and be done with it, but I decided I really wanted to isolate the image of Finn, which is what I did in Photoshop. 

PHOTO  ||  ADELINE CRITES-MOORE

TTFN

I’ve got the button

I have a thing for buttons. You knew that already, right? I've collected so many beautiful buttons over the years, and I've let so many of them go. Sometimes it's a real struggle to give up a special button. I know it will look great on the piece I'm making, but I hate to see it go. Some of them are just so beautiful to look at that I kind of want to keep them forever.

One year, as a gift, my mother had a gorgeous selection of antique, hand cut mother of pearl buttons beautifully arranged and framed for me to hang on a wall. To Die For. I love it. I'll see if I can get a good photo of it (the glass might make that difficult) and I'll post it here. 

I have recently become aware of the author Rohinton Mistry and I am intrigued and excited by the thought of a really good book to read. I'm going to have a go at A Fine Balance. I hope I can find an audio version as reading with my eyes has become quite difficult due to cataracts which I've not been able to take care of because of all the other medical stuff that was going on. Finally, I can get them removed. The first operation will be at the end of August, so still quite a way off. and that's just the first eye. The second one will probably be in early October. I'm quite looking forward to an improvement in my vision, rather a necessary tool for making art.

Buh Bye