Silk charmeuse scarves - breakdown screen printed and then over dyed. These scarves take a lot of time and effort to make. I was hoping to have 10 for the show next week but think I'll be very happy with only 5. I'm learning to not push myself quite as hard as I have in the past....trying to get keep joy in journey.

Yesterday while looking for one thing I found some scanned Santa images I had from years ago. Just about as many years ago Dixie, an old Ebay buddy (Ebay use to be fun and a meeting place for many creative people who joined 'groups' that were similiar to chat rooms), was kind enough to send me a box filled with these shirting samples that she thought I would appreciate. Appreciate them I did but never used them until yesterday. This small 4x6" card will be offered for sale next week at the art/craft show...there are 6 more in line to be hand stitched while sitting watching movies or listening to music. I can't think of a better way to spend time off from the day job. Well, except - maybe - finishing the surface design on those scarves I also started yesterday....and....spending alone time with Steve....and....working on a pastel painting.....sweet.

Catskill shack.

A glimpse of the past.

Pastel painting on sanded paper.

This is finished - I guess. It's hard for me to know when enough is enough, when enough is too much, when it's not quite enough. I've read other art blog postings and heard the same lament at art classes so I know it's a common theme that plagues other creative souls. Sometimes when I'm working on something I have in my mind that if I just do A, B or C it will transform the piece from boring to not. The problem always lies with figuring out...what is the A, B or C perfect touch? Is that something that is pure inspiration or does it come with knowledge, education and practice? Perhaps it's a combination of both of these things? If anyone out there has the answer please share it....or sell it via PayPal on your blog - you'll make a million dollars.

Egg, fruit or portal? You decide.

Only 2 days in that other life this week (you know, the one that helps to pay the bills) and then it's lots of cooking, eating and arting! Have breakdown screens drying in the garage now.

Started laying in some flowers last night. Hopefully I'll some energy tonight to continue. This painting is taking me a long time. I'm a ponderously slow painter. I am always amazed at those artists who just - confidently - start putting the brush to the canvas (or the pastel stick to the paper) and go at it! I always have to think and look and think some more and look some more....and then do some laundry and then think some more and then get a snack and then look some more...get the picture? Of course there are those moments - those moments where it all flows and I am in the right side of my brain and it is the sweetest of time. The ultimate reward.

Dropped in a bit more handstitching last night.....more to come!

A photo for inspiration! Seedlings traveling their path....

Was inspired to start some hand stitching and appliqueing on this piece last night. I didn't get very far but really enjoyed the meditative time spent with the needle and thread. My mind just seems to ease as time passes. One of the best drugs in the world!

Today Melanie and I are meeting at the Dia Center in Beacon. We'll take in some art and then spend time over a slow lunch in order to put down on paper the guts of a syllabus for a multi-displinary kids arts program connected to the Hudson River & Hudson Valley. I've already been in touch with Mike & Ruthy and they're in for the folk song segment (think The Power of Song...and if you've never seen this documentary about Pete Seeger, you must!). Exciting stuff.

Did some more work on the pastel painting last night. I use very rough, sanded paper because I add lots and lots of layers that are smudged and rubbed together. I need to use a surface with a lot of bite in order to hold these layers. I'm developing callouses on my finger pads as a result of this - really.

All that remains to be done is to lay in the flowers (darks then lights) and this piece should be finished. Shawn told me she sees a gothic quality about my paintings. I have to say I agree with her....a kind of gothic, primitive feeling...perhaps due, in part, to the dark saturated colors I use. I'd love to hear comments regarding this.

Breakdown printed silk cloth overlaid with dyed organza - with a few painted eggs. I'm toying with the idea of securing this to a painted canvas but I'm not sure. If this piece turns out well it will be go into that show I've committed to doing in March. A few textile pieces, a few pastel paintings and a few acrylic abstracts....what a hodge podge...but I'm working towards tying the whole show together with the theme title 'Glimpses'. Wish me luck.

Today I'm working on a pastel painting that's the largest I've ever done (20x16"). I thought some of you might be interested in seeing how pastels are layered so I decided to post this work in progress. Most pastel artists work from darks to lights, layering colors and smudging them with fingertips. The dark shadow around the window top is going to be a mass of trailing flower vines in pinks and purples. At the bottom of the window will be a box filled with other blooms in reds and yellows.
It's time to get back to work on the dishes in the panes....that are a pain....and taking me a very long time.

I dyed this small piece of cotton cloth over the weekend too. It's about 8x10" and was just the piece of cloth I used to experiment with. Sometimes the rag cloth becomes a ragged treasure.

This is a piece of silk cloth with dyed with breakdown printing, silk screening and overdyeing. Do you see the egg? It's about 20x20" so a nice larger size. I think I'm going leave it as a whole cloth piece and add stitching and enhancements.