Harvest

 "Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant."

Robert Lewis Stevenson

This fall's harvest, in part anyway. Tansy flowers at the back, safflower petals in the jar, horse chestnuts, acorns, and black walnuts.

I spared you the picture of the leaves being pressed and dried in a mountain of newspapers and cardboard weighted down by giant art books (see, the history of art does have practical uses) as well as the sleeping bag sized ziploc of avocado pits in the freezer. While not much into whole cloth dyeing these days it does pay to have some dyestuffs on hand to overdye with. The acorns are for tannin solution should the need arise and the horse chestnuts will supposedly make a laundry soap with a "blueing" effect-if you know what blueing was. Anyway, I thought it would be a fun experiment provided I can find the bookmark on my computer for the recipe. As I remember it is dependant on pH to a certain extent. The safflower petals are another experiment for the winter. While not known for being a completely permanent color (even though the ancient Egyptians used it as a dye) if done following exact directions it will impart pink to silk. We will see if I get it right. To my understanding even if I don't I will end up with a really lovely orange/yellow. Avocado pits also make a pink as well.

Over the last few years I have had a hard time making plans for the future. Can't imagine why, what with the Plague and all. I tend towards depression and anxiety anyway and wasn't doing all that well in 2019 to begin with. But, in the last few months I have decided to stick to my plan when I can't decide what to do. Pick the option that will offer the most options down the road. So, for instance, when on the fence about whether to do a particular art fair or not, go ahead and apply anyway. Burning $35-40 on an application isn't the end of the world and if accepted, I can decide at that point whether to accept and pay the booth fee later. If I hadn't applied, I definitely wouldn't be in the show.

That's kind of why I have been scurrying around like a squirrel this fall. As I said above, my emphasis is really on eco printing, not whole cloth dyeing. But having the dyestuff to work with does give me other options if an eco print doesn't "come out well", overdyeing can sometimes give you something so much better anyway. The other stuff just keeps me entertained! Last year the snow was so early that the leaves didn't change  color, they just turned brown and crumbly on the trees and then hung on all winter. Strangest looking thing. So this year I made sure to get out and pick up some of my favorites for winter time eco printing.

Even though this is harvesting, it is a way to plant seeds of ideas for the future.

Gray Fall Days

 "The color of truth is gray."

Andre Gide

I went walking the other day before the rain got going, to look for sticks for a project. I love this old tree, it is down near the river bank. At some point it split in two and both halves, the one still vertical as well as that laying on the ground continued to grow. The one on the ground seems to have finally given in. Sad as that is, I am always intrigued with the weathering of the exposed wood. 

Snow Dayz

"Snow is covering us. Close your eyes and dream. This is one story. There will be another."

Jeanette Winterson, The Stone Gods

Unlike a lot of my artist brethren I tend to shut down at this time of year. I have no interest in running around pelmel in order to get that last sale in during The Commerce, I mean, Christmas season. I did about 20 years in retail and can't say that I enjoyed one winter season ever. It was appalling. I can't be sure if it was because it was so busy, so much emphasis on acquiring, or if it is just that while I enjoy four seasons, my body and mind tend to feel that this is the time of rest and being in the mall for many 12 hour days in a row is anything but. Not to mention that left to my own devices I am a pathological introvert and that is just too many people for me to deal with all at once. You would think I would have a better attitude since this has not been one of my better years financially. But I also take to heart the saying that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over while expecting different results. So, I choose to use the down time to ponder what changes need to made.  I was encouraged by my Etsy sales and the summer shows and I am grateful to everyone that supported me. I feel the need to do over the blog, it has been awhile since I have done that and I don't take advantage of all the things it offers. In the meantime, it isn't like I have been laying on the couch for days on end either.

I have been working on a series that at this point is being called "Unraveling: The effect of the garment industry on our health, culture, and the environment." (subject to change). I picked up this old style projector at Art Salvage in order to enlarge drawings onto fabric itself or to make paper patterns. Having no AV cart and joints and muscles that will only bend so far for so long I had to improvise-the history of art comes in handy for so many things!

Today we woke up to snow, since the temperature is to remain above freezing and the rain will begin this afternoon I decided to go out and take some snaps while it was still enchanting.

A favorite piece of garden art made from a pitchfork and bike chains, among other things.

Brick patio on winter break.

Siberian Iris pods wearing snow hats. I didn't pick them this year as I have so many saved already. I would like to learn electro forming and do something with them some day.

We brought the porch cat inside for the winter as she had developed a sneeze. She has turned into a pretty good little house mate- uses the litter box and hasn't seen any reason to climb the Christmas tree so far. Here she is trying to sneak out to kill a few birds for a midday snack. Sorry darling, the cold and wet might bring back your sniffles and needless to say the birds are enjoying your confinement.

If I don't see you before then, Merry Christmas!

Creativity

"One gets into a state of creativity by conscious work."

Henri Matisse 1869-1954

Hope, 2018 collage: paper, felt

Time Well Spent

I had a lovely time in Anacortes Washington, both at the show and at the campground. I got quite a bit of work done while there, using all the lovely plants that don't grow on the eastern side of the state. The campground is right on the water's edge with a lot of untouched forest. Thimbleberry, salmonberry, ferns, and bracken all grow among the old trees and make wonderful prints.

I also walked a lot and spent time thinking and not thinking. I came across this tree one afternoon and watched the passage of time in the tides.

Another Winter Project

I have been putting this off for some time but decided to get on it. My mother's family can be traced back to the 1300's in England. They settled in Iowa and I have good memories of visiting the homestead farm. My mother drug all this stuff home intending to organize it and never did. Now I am working on it, today's find is a slip of paper giving instructions for dyeing fabric. I am making a guess that Great Aunt Lucy wrote this down, since I am getting to the point of recognizing the other's hand writing. She never married and it sounds like she took care of everybody from her aging mother to single siblings to farm hands and on and on. She had a degree in art and I have a few samples of her work. I can't tell from the rather cryptic notes whether this is for plant dyes or some sort of "new fangled" synthetic dye, she was born in 1860 so it is possible she was trying out a synthetic dye. I found this in an envelope with her cookbook. In addition to recipes cut from the newspaper, it also contains some rather bad poetry, also clipped from the paper, I may have to share some of that at some point.

The yellowed slip of paper to the left of the black journals is the dye instruction, the large photo to the right is of my great grandfather and his siblings, Lucy included.

A Good Day

I went to see the movie Wild today and I was impressed. It didn't quite give me the same sense of passion that the book did, but they did a good job with it. I came home and rinsed out several rusty nail scarves which all came out well-whew! Although I am not sure what I was worried about, the worst that would happen is that I would eco print them later. Then I took a small hike of my own over to the river. The wind was blowing and the sky was brilliant blue. The Spokane River was teal green as it is at this time of year. The wind is completely still now as the sun sets behind my favorite tree in our yard.

Zen Books

I read Cheryl Stayed's Wild last year and then read it or parts of it over and over. I can see why they are making a movie out of it, the story is astounding. Hope they don't screw it up, the book is incredible. It gives new meaning to "walking the path".

Fishing with my Father

I am working on a new eco print piece called " Fishing with my Father". He would go fishing at some farm pond or creek around where we lived and be glad to have me tag along. My parents had their issues, and by the time I came along it was just better if they stayed apart. He would come and get me and take me on these little expeditions. Even though I was more interested in stacking rocks, collecting leaves or swimming, he always seemed glad to have me along.