Sneak Peek

I have been busy in the studio, working on my "Departure" piece, for the Fiberactions Challenge. It's done, but can't be shared until Friday. Above is a sneak peek of a small portion of it.

Below are some of the local wildlife taking a respite in my back yard a couple of days ago.

Yesterday Byan & Brandon came over to help Warren finish the skirt on our deck. It took 2 to hold while one ran the drill. I fed them well afterward.

Winter Day in Alaska

You know winter is really here in Alaska when the bird feeder can go back up. We HAVE to take them down in spring time because of the bears.
My Brocolli cat loves bird watching.


It was such a pretty day yesterday. I spent most of the day near the fire watching tv & just vegetating. I found the Beta button last night & switched to Beta. It does seem to be easier, & I don't seem to have lost anything by switching. I had saved my template just in case, but when I logged on this morning, it looked the same on the surface, & loading pictures was much faster.
This last image is a set of 7 antique copper stamps thatI got from Ebay. There were 2 sets that I wanted, but somebody else wanted them too, & after I bid high enough to get this one, I decided I didn't want to spend that kind of money to get both sets.

A few more Homer Pictures

Your kind words on my odd paintings are greatly appreciated, but really I'm NOT a painter. It looks so kindergarten to me when I paint on paper.

I thought I'd post a few more pictures from our trip to Homer. This 1st is the Kenai River, & yes it is a beautiful turquoise color. It's not hard to take pretty pictures when you live in a place a beautiful as Alaska.

This next one is the rest stop by the Hope turnoff, without me & the DH obstructing the great view.

We stayed in the Old Town B&B just upstairs from the Bunnell Street Gallery where the workshop was held. The building is one of the early historic buildings, & I wanted to show how the stairs lean to the right as you go down them. If you were to have a little too much of the local brew you may feel a bit tipsy! I squared the camera on the door, & the stairs really do lean like it looks!

Warren got a lot of reading done, as there was no TV in the B&B. Plenty of books to peruse though. It was a very quiet weekend.

I loved this rock on the beach. Isn't it pretty?


These last 2 shots were the end of the workshop as we were taking things down. I would encourage any of you who are serious about your art, even if it has nothing to do with painting, to sign up for a Process Arts workshop if you ever get the opportunity. Or at least read the book. It really had an effect that I think will resonate for the rest of my life, & if I can ever repeat the class I will.

Just Home From Homer

The day we left Anchorage, it was sunny & bright. We stopped at the rest stop by the cutoff to Hope, & a nice young professional photographer offered to snap a picture of us together, so here we are, in a rare photo of the 2 of us. A bit squinty because of the bright sun, but such a beautiful day, who can complain!
We got up early on our 1st full day, & took a long walk on the beach. Clouds had moved in during the night, & it was intermittent rain & clouds the rest of our time in Homer, but we had a very restful, good time.
I took 148 photos, & can only show 7 in 1 blogging, so here are only a few of Homer for now. I'll add a few more later. I found this jellyfish the size of a dinner plate washed up on the beach.

The painting class was a meditative expeirience. I had no idea what I would paint, & since I'm not a painter, I was quite shocked that I managed to paint anything that was recognizable. The class was about the "PROCESS" not "Product". It was about painting what you were feeling. I didn't take pictures of other people's work, it just wouldn't have been right. It was a very private & individual expeience for each person. There were 13 women in the class. Some were actually painters & their art was amazing. One was a doctor, one worked in fused glass, a couple were photographers, one I think was some sort of therapist, one was a road crew manager. It was an interesting mix. All had some interest in art in one form or another. We all felt moved & changed by the class, & some are going to continue to meet & paint together for process.
My 1st painting became a portal. I've had portals on the brain for months now, so I finally got to do one. I didn't know what would be beyong the door, it started out sort of pretty & benign, but 2 sharks crept in, to represent the fears about cancer & my sister.
My next painting, I had no preconcieved idea of what it would be. I started with a design that I've drawn & quilted dozens of times. It was the Paisley like image in the upper right corner. I accidentally made a blue line with a 2nd brush in my left hand, & that became the start of the Firebird image. It really painted itself. Down below, on one of the leaves a tiny spider appeared. It too was a random accident of my paint, that decided it wanted to stay. I am arachniphobic, so it's lucky I didn't obliderate it!
My last, & by far the strangest painting was urged on me by Stewart. He said I should include a face (I balked loudly as I didn't think I could paint a face, since I'm not a painter), but a face came in, & it looks like a face, sort of, & the tree of life, & large sun, that started out as an orange that wasn't happy being just an orange... all sorts of strange dream-like imagery, & I had to hurry to finish as time ran out. But each time I look at these pictures I'm startled that I actually did them.
The last is the group together at the end, just before we all left. It was a very different sort of class. I never got to really know any of these people because we were so quiet & intent on what we were doing. Yet I feel connected some how, & would love to go back & do it again. I went for the CEU's but gained way more than that. I have a feeling of inner peace that I can't begin to explain. If ever any of you get the chance, take one of these workshops. You don't need to know how to paint.

Thank You

First, I want to say thank you to all of you who have commiserated with me with good wishes for my sister. She will be having a double mastectomy on Oct. 9th, so we would appreciate any good thoughts & prayers you can send her way.
Below is a copy of a clipping from our local paper. The title said this little girl wanted cards from Alaska, but what the article really said was from all over the US. Well, I know there are folks from around the world out there who might be willing to send this little girl a card, so I thought I'd put this here & hope some of you will. I'll be making one of my quards for her.

I've mostly been working these past few days, but got to spend a little time in my studio today, & Broccoli helped to entertain & chase some of my worries away for a few minutes. He went berserk over some soft Menkie fabric that I bought.



In the morning we will be heading down to Homer. It's about a 5 hour drive south of Anchorage. It'll be beautiful this time of year.We'll be staying at the Old Town B&B. I love Homer, Alaska. It is such a beautiful place. It's a small town, mostly supported by fishing & tourism, & it's full of artists. I'd love to live there, if only I could talk my DH into moving one last time.
I'll be taking a painting class from Stewart Cubley, & best of all, I get 14 nursing CEU's for it! I could hardly believe my luck when it came in the mail. I suspect it was the hand of Fate in play though, because this will be just the therapy I need right now. Don't expect any pictures of great paintings from me. This is paint therapy, it's more a process than a technique.
So I'll leave you with this image shot from my back door this evening. I'll be back October 5th.

Termination Dust & Sept. Journal Quilt

Here is my September Journal Quilt. I used Lutradur (which I painted) for the backing, then layered on a piece of my rust dyed fabric, followed by a crinckled layer of tissue paper, which I had used to mop up some of my fabric paints, topped with a layer of antique gold Tulle, then layered on burned strips of lame' fabric, & leaves made from painted dryer sheets. The edge is a chenille-like thing with wire in it's middle.
It rained all day yesterday, until the evening. When the clouds lifted a bit, there was Termination Dust on the mountain tops behind us! I was happy to see it! I love this time of year, the colors, the smells, the cool fresh air. Fires in the wood stove, & cozying down at home. I spent the whole day cleaning up my studio space, so now today I'm going to go & start messing it up again! & hope & pray I don't get interrupted by getting called into work! It's a shame we have to work for money, isn't it?