Bird Hills

Here's another example of the landscape lesson I'm teaching in my Art Quilt classes. I layed this out and created it in class, then sewed it at home.

the hilly walk

I have two walks in my neighborhood, and here's a slide show of what we call the 'hilly walk.'

I didn't make this

I woke up this morning and decided I wanted to make a sock rabbit. So I spent waaay too long on the internet looking for patterns. Why, you ask? Some deep-seeded childhood trauma perhaps? The angst of never having a sock monkey of my own? Who knows. I found a pattern for a bunny and another bunny and for the traditional sock monkey on line, so that's a start. Though I didn't find instructions for this particular rabbit.
Also, I've tried to knit and I'm really bad at it, but I would like to learn to knit socks. There, I said it.

Contemporary Museum of Art - La Jolla

Lunch with Pamela at the Contemporary Museum of Art La Jolla cafe. Itwas a cold day, but beautifully clear. I didn't appreciate the waaaay modern art in the museum so I went outside to the sculpture garden. The Niki de Saint de Phalle sculpture of the 'Big Ganesh" stands 11 feet tall in the garden and the view of the Pacific ocean (across the street) is breathtaking.
watercolor moleskine

Tree Pods

There are a couple of these trees in our neighborhood. Each fall, (i think) they burst with color from their pods. One tree has orange 'silk' another bursts red. This is a very loose (2 glasses-of-wine-loose) drawing painting.
watercolor moleskine.

Today's newspaper!

I'm on the front page, of the Business Section, of today's San Diego Union Tribune. Read the article here.
I mention Danny Gregory's website in the article...he inspires such loyalty, doesn't he?

Pomegranate Martini

YUM. I tried Oprah's recipe for a pomegranate martini and it is sooooooooo good.
Here's Oprah's recipe: (serves 2 or so she says)
1 1/2 cups pomegranate juice
2 oz. Absolute Citron vodka
1 oz. Cointreau liquor
Cup of ice
Optional: Squeeze of lemon

Shake ingredients in a shaker and put in chilled martini glasses. [Put pomegranate fruit into glass as garnish.]

watercolor (with a little vodka) moleskine

Molinillo collection

From my collection of Mexican molinillo [moh-lee-NEE-yoh] hot chocolate stirrers. I have about 10, purchased in various cities in Mexico. It would be a good day for hot chocolate--It's so cold, I saw icicles on my walk this morning!

watercolor moleskine

to seek elegance rather than luxury

william henry channing wrote:

"to live content with small means; to seek elegance rather than luxury, and refinement rather than fashion; to be worthy, not respectable, and wealthy, not rich; to listen to stars and birds, babes and sages, with open heart; to study hard, to think quietly, act frankly, talk gently, await occasions, hurry never; in a word, to let the spiritual, unbidden and unconscious, grow up through the common — this is my symphony. "

Rosehips

I picked these rosehips on my walk today. I also helped a lost dog named Shilo, saw a hawk on a distant tree and heard a woodpecker. Quite the eventful 2.5 miles!
watercolor moleskine

More fruitstickers and orange papers

I seem to enjoy doing these little fruitsticker-like quilts. This one turned out very Rube Goldberg-esqe. Done with color pencil (prismacolor) while watching TV.
sketchbook moleskine

paperwhites and lace ribbon and poetry

Sweet smelling paperwhites that we grew from bulbs in our kitchen window, a bit of lace ribbon leftover from making valentines, and a ticket stub from a wonderful concert we attended last night. In the small hall in LaJolla, the orchestra, the singers, the music Aaron Copland created to accompany Emily Dickinson's poetry was just magical. Kurt Weill's music put to Walt Whitman's heartbreaking poems of lost soldiers was especially touching. Husb and I enjoyed it all very much.
watercolor moleskine

Fabric Valentine Postcards

Fabric Valentine postcards. I've always loved hearts, so Valentine Day is my favorite holiday. These are 4x6" and they don't show up very well in the scans. They have ribbon, and red organza, and clear vinyl and some hand-dyed fabric and beads. They were lots of fun to make, and I want to make more.








Oh, by the way, if you haven't already heard of Keri Smith, you must. Check out her blog. She is a brilliant and thoughtful writer and a whimsical and talented artist. Not to mention, sensitive and inspirational. I'm working my way through her archives now.

Everyday Matters

A lovely Sunday spent with husb. A walk, out to breakfast, then to Target to shop for yoga clothes. When I got home, I began working on fabric postcard valentines. Waay fun. On the sofa in the evening, I drew this; my new hoodie, purchased today. Of course, BeBop sat on it half way through, then he got up before I finished. This is clearly, not one of my best drawings, but as I recently reminded, my mentor, Danny Gregory on his blog, that EveryDay Matters, and it's about the process of chronicling your days visionally in your sketchbook, and not about the finished product.
watercolor moleskine

Berries

Berries from my walk today. I painted a series of berries once. Love em. Goofed on the date. It is Thursday, but the 4th, not 3. oh well.
watercolor moleskine.

Succulents & Pomegranate

Yes, it's that same pomegranate, and it's really drying out. Still a great subject to paint. Also a little pot of succulents, that is my new favorite home accessory. I just went from pencil to watercolor this time, not ink (except where I forgot, on the pomegranate.) It gives the sketch a softer look. Plus I tried to be really loose with the watercolor, like my new idol, Laurelines.
watercolor moleskine

Lake Poway walk

Husb and I took a walk this morning, around Lake Poway. It's a state park within a few miles of our house. It's about 3 miles around the lake and it's one of our favorite walks--especially watching the season change. Today I was motivated to bring my camera along and capture bits of what we saw.
See the whole set of photos here

New Year's Day

Just elements of my day. Buddy sleeping, spent firecrackers, a rose from our garden and a chocolate truffle that I promptly ate.
watercolor moleskine

"Golden Hills"

Inspired by the beautiful rolling hills in the San Francisco bay area---where I grew up-- I created this art quilt over the last two days as a lesson for my upcoming art quilt class. It's dyed comercial fabric, hand and machine quilted, painted with acrylic paints and there's organza and gold foil in there too! (8.5 x ll")

new year's resolutions.

Not the most unusual new year's resolutions, but good ones nonetheless. These last few days I've been thinking of what my goals might be for the coming year. I've gone from doing 4-6 art fairs, and selling my work, to a lot more teaching the past 2 years. That seems to be okay, because the teaching gig is a more predictable income (not to mention I really enjoy it and the students seem to like me back) and I believe art sales (or at least mine) have really suffered in the last few years. I've got the wonderful article in the Jan/Feb 07 issue Cloth Paper Scissors magazine and another article on my sketchbooks in that same magazine slated from March/April. I love the exposure and attention seeing my work published and it feeds me emotionally if not mortgagely. My DVD of 3 Art Quilt Techniques comes out early 2007, and I'm trying to decide what it is I want from that. Currently I'm thinking I'd love a weekly or monthly TV segment where I'd teach or inspire a creative project. Sydicated, of course! (gotta dream big.) I'm not much of a goal setter, but I'm thinking this year, that I should be able to at least answer if someone asks me what I want out of my artist life. I do know, it includes continuing to draw and paint in my sketchbooks!

sketchbook moleskine with watersoulable crayons.