artwhispers

making the most of whipped cream

Friday night was my grandsons birthday party. Six boys in a tent in our backyard. Neighbors were warned that there might be noise, and indeed there was. My daughter has a reputation of giving great birthday parties and this was no exception. She also spent the night here with granddaughter who had a friend as well. Luckily they live around the corner from us as all the boys and girls had to be showered off after the whip cream extrangavaza and no one had brought extra clothes. Don't think anyone actually ate the whipped cream on the pie, most was on the kids, making wonderful sculptures with their hair, etc as you will see in the photos. Other than doing a lot of laundry so the kids could wear their own clothes home and scubbing off the patio and dog, it was just another party. The kids drew pictures of each other, what they liked about that person and made a little booklet with some photos of the party. I have these wierd glasses so all the kids did mug shots for me. So here are some photos: Fun huh?

Images

             

The barn is a composite of three images, a sky from Indianna, barn from LaConner and a self portrait done like a stencil. Playing with combining images. Humanity was actually a street sign in New Orleans as well as the other two images from a NO cemetary. The angel is also from NO. Couldn't resist photographing it, even though the statue was new. Sunflower is again a composite of two images.  Off to play some more between gardening.

mighty oak trees

I love these Oak Trees in New Orleans. They provide shade in parks and make canopies on streets lined with these huge trees on either side. Very ethereal. They seem to grow sideways at times with long lower branches that twist and sometimes reach the ground.

Lots of angels

Back from New Orleans and having fun with the images. It's hard not to be seduced by the cemetaries there and was glad to see Katrina had left them still in their glory. We were there in 2002, Katrina in 2005. It's sad to see the evidence of her force but NO is still alive and well and we had a great time. Mostly walking, eating, photographing and repeating the sequence. First image is of my feet with a shadow in the cemetary. Next is a sepia cupid followed by an unusual statue that appeared to be a male angel with it's ribs emphasized. The last 3 images are a gated image, as impressive coming or going, a contact sheet of "some of the images taken" and the last a composite of a new cupid that was painted combined with found words and a tomb background. I can envision lots of playing with the imagery.

Going to New Orleans

Leaving tomorrow to go play in New Orleans and can't wait. We were there before Katrina and hope we are not saddened by any remaining damage. We've rented a car this time so will be more mobile and see the cemetaries, etc. on our own time. Last time there, a clients Mom , more than graciously, escorted us around the cemetaries and tracking down soft shelled crabs that my husband had remembered from years earlier. He picked NO this year, needing to use vacation days before they "expire" and to do some photography himself. I want to focus less on the cemetaries and find interesting doors, windows and bits and pieces, maybe some gravestone rubbings. However, photographing what you have once captured, makes me want to be a little more playful and look at things differently.  In anycase it will be fun. When I come back will take a polymer class from Ronna Sarvas Weltman at The Art at the Ranch in Snohomish. It was originally tagged with a class on the new bronze clay that I took last month. Fun to have so much to look forward to! Here is a photo that I took (and doctored a little in photoshop) on the way to the Ranch. 

Making that descision

Made a comment on someone's blog and the response from another reader on her blog prompted this entry. It was about making descisions. Susan Lenz is doing a whole series on this topic and while beautifully done is also very thought provoking. I made a suggestion to include the descision to place your developmentally delayed child outside of the home. In my case, my youngest daughter is 34 and functions around 18months. She can feed herself but does not talk or do any activities of daily living on her own. She does however, have a sense of humor, a sparkle in her eye, can remember where she has been (especially a restaurant) and loves men, especially with beards. She also has an uncontrollable, multiple seizure disorder and has many seizures each day. She did not make the choice to leave home. Both her father and I are legal guardians and made the descision for her. She lives in a specialized foster home that she loves and is loved right back. There are other young adults as well as the couple and their two children. This was a hard choice to make and although some placements were less than ideal we feel blessed to have her part of this family for the last 11 years. She enjoys coming home but more important is excited to go back to her own place. Every 3 years we have to pay a lawyer and fill out papers to keep the right to be her guardian. Sometimes I wonder if it is worth the expense and time, but then remember we would loose any legal rights to make descisons about her care or future. It seems there really is no descision. I'm including a photo of Lisa, a pose she often takes in her wheelchair as she surveys her world. 

abstract printing

This gel print on a screen printed base will be digitally printed out on silk and then be part of a quilt. This whole process is very addicting and am having great fun exploring the process. Am also doing then directly to fabric.

disintergration

I made this bundle and hung it outside yesterday in the elements. This is part of the challenge from Seths's blog http://thealtereredpage.blogspot.com/  that I had read about. Since it was V day I included a heart attached to the bundle with a piece of torn silk. The heart was already made (recyled fabrics, tyvek, and sewn on cardboard) and reclaimed an advertisement from the recycling to make my bundle. The idea is to reveal the results May 1 but plan to photograph them periodically. I think I might add a few more to the yard, will keep the catalogues company that were slashed and left outside as part of Maggie Greys online class. Not too late to join!  

Leaving for Michigan

In my first post after not jogging for almost 2 months it's hard to fill in the blanks. I'm flying to Lansing, Michigan tomorrow to be with my mother in her last days.  Lost my former mother in law in November, my husbands Christmas Eve and now my Mom. Seems surreal. She has Alzheimer's and I think a lack of will to live. Her biggest fears were being in a nursing home (where she is) and having Alzheimer Disease. This all makes one think and evaluate where one is in their life. No New Year's resolution but quietly contemplating the past and future. Hopefully when I come back the weather in Washington will be more agreeable. We've gone from record snow to rain to now floods. I'm packing up handwork. It's more soothing than reading at times and I can still visit. My sister from Calif. is also coming and know she's not anymore ready for the extreme cold in Lansing.  If you haven't seen it yet check out Cyber Fyber, an online and gallery display of incredible work, all arranged by Susan Lenz. I can't believe how prolific she is in making beautiful and thought provoking art as well as being organized to produce this major event.  

Texture class samples

         

These are some samples from the online class I'm taking with Linda Monk and Carol McPhee at http://www.fibreinform.com  I have spent hours playing with molding paste, gesso, stencils, tyvek, tsl, gel mediums, puff paints, quink ink, bleach and various paints and rub on metallics and more.  It's all about making textures on fabric or canvas. I've used scrims, linens, silk and cotton or whatever I found in my stash. The ideas being generated from this class are overwhelming and will be the base for many experiments to come. They will have another class as well and promise to teach even more techniques. There is a yahoo group for sharing amongst the participants that  spark even more ideas. The relief figure on the copper and brown piece was made with paper towels formed over a glass perfume bottle, then  back filled with tsl and baked to make it rigid before painting and melding onto the background. The faces were made from polymer clay from molds I made from statues, mostly from thrift stores. Almost 2 weeks left in the class and know I will not finish everything but can work on my own pace. I highly reccomend the class.