Studio Time
I am in my garden a little less right now and in my studio a little more. That is because I have a work deadline for a large commission. The assignment I was given almost a year ago was to create two designs that included people enjoying the outdoors, kayakers or canoers, and ducks(!) in a place recognizable to locals. Although my first design was beautiful, with the reflection of a boat and people and a mama duck hidden in the foreground reeds, it was also fictional. It turns out that there is no such place locally where people enjoying nature can use a canoe or kayak. The committee wisely chose my second design which is inspired by the Bolsa Chica State Reserve, a spot with many walking trails, wetlands, and terrific bird watching (including ducks). The working title is Bolsa Chica Trails.
The size of the piece is large, 4 X 6 feet! It is barely within my comfort zone and requires many extra steps, including converting my ping pong table into a work surface. I will share more about my process when it is completed in mid October. Below are one of my photo reference and my accepted design. The finished piece will be installed in a lobby at University of California Irvine hospital.
The black and white sketch is only about 11 X 17 inches.
I have completed the fusing step for about half the piece. Below is a little detail of the birdwatcher guy.
Fabrics in this detail have been fused, but no stitching has occured yet.
Before the looming commission deadline, I was aware of another one. September 19th is the submission deadline for Art Matters, the annual fundraiser special event for AVA community art center. This is a juried multi-media show with substantial cash awards and is an opportunity to make a sale.
I did not have much artwork available that fit the requirements, so I made a new piece by reusing older pieces. Most of these older 10” X 14” abstract quilts, representing months of the year, were created in 2016 and 2017. The months of April and September had sold long ago, so I had to make new versions for these months. Then, by hand, I stitched all twelve pieces together on the back side, using embroidery floss and a criss cross stitch. I created a new sleeve.
diagonal stitch down and up creating a criss cross pattern.
The resulting quilt is called Calendar. From the top left: January has blowing snow; February shows a red twig dogwood against a pink sunsets: March is a windy, long, dull 31 days, but if you look closely here, the crocuses are beginning to bloom; in April we plant peas, and sometimes there is a surprise blizzard; May is sunny and rainy, bursting with life; June offers marching clouds and green tree tops; in July we enjoy vacation travel and fireworks; hot, dry August offers flowers and the welcome shade trees; in September school starts and crops are harvested; October brings fall color and blowing leaves; in November look for shorter days; December brings the scent of pine and the joy of holiday lights.
Calendar, 41 X 42.5 inches
Calendar describes what the seasons are like in the north western part of the United States. You may live where there are hurricanes or fog or a light summer and dark winter (a little bit true in WY, but it isn’t Alaska!) If you were creating a calendar, what would you include? I didn’t include fire in my summer season, but did select a dusty, dirty color to represent March. There are many possible approaches. Calendar was completed well ahead of the September entry deadline, which meant that I could get a jump start on the Bolsa Chica Trails piece. (If you can suggest something betteer than my working title, let me know!)
I share a lot of weird, healthy, interesting, and usually tasty recipes with you at the end of each blog post. This one, for cocoa chia pudding, is very simple. Mix and let rest overnight: 1 t. cocoa, 2 t. chia seeds, 1/4 c. plant milk and a bit of honey.
I got this recipe from a YouTube “Zoe Science and Nutritian” podcast in which Dr. Ayesha and Dean Sherzai talk about dementia. Since listening to this show (and many other Zoe podcasts) Felix and I have made diet and life style changes: we eat less meat, more fish and fish oil, more greens, legumes, and fermented foods. We exercise more and we each wear a Fitbit to give us a sense of the quality of our sleep and exercise. The pudding is good for your gut microbiome. Enjoy!