hunting for home

Check out the bee swarm in my backyard! They were buzzing away all afternoon around this maple. After dinner, I thought to go take a look; it's getting close to sunset, cooling down. And there they are, keeping their queen warm.

I wonder where they will go tomorrow?

why worry indeed

Why Worry

10 inches high x 8 inches wide

collage

Another theme starting with a "w" from Illustration Friday, and a worrisome one at that. Just what is there to worry about? Man is progressing as he was directed to. It is up to him to define what being stewards of the Earth means, and so he has done so. Really, why worry at all?

I would worry about what women think.

how

Here is My World

notebook cover

collage

How is it that I am successful at making paper collages but am having difficulty translating that into fiber? What is it that I do when making paper collages that I don't do when using fiber? What do I see in paper that I do not see in fiber?

Tell me, please.

Clarification, I guess: The question is, Is it possible to translate vision from one medium to another?

adirondack sky

Spring sky between rain showers; this, at Blue Mountain Lake last week. What colors, eh?

ah, the world

Worldwide
10 inches high by 8 inches wide
collage

This week: wide is the theme. Go see what others have done. See here what the world is become, and who cares about it. And what the world is made of, for good or ill. Aah.

morning quiet

Yesterday morning, at Blue Mountain Lake in the Adirondacks. No people sounds yet, just the birds. And only the birds. No breeze, no rustle of leaves, no water slaps. Loon calls. Unidentified birdies singing their morning wake-ups, a very pleasant 6-note melody that ended on an anomalous gutteral, screechy 7th one. Surprise!

electricity

Bipolarity

10 inches high x 8 inches wide

collage

Electricity=that which is caused by the movement of charged particles.

Polarity=the presence of two opposing principles.

Bipolarity=having both a negative and a positive pole. And that's when all hell breaks loose.

needed giggle

Watch and smile. I think the cat with two legs on firm ground has the best understanding of how to deal with life's unceasing flow of stuff to get done.

PS. If the thing above doesn't work, try going here.

middle of the water

Here it is: the halfway point between Albany and Buffalo on the old Erie Canal. Camillus Erie Canal Park is just west of Syracuse; 400-some acres stretch along a section of the old canal that gets filled with water each spring so that we can get a really good view of what the canal looked like back in the 1860s and into the beginning of the 20th century. This version of the canal is what is left after the first enlargement of the original channel. In the 1910s, the final enlargement of the canal was built, changing the route—in this case, bypassing this section completely—and changing its name to the New York State Barge Canal, reflecting the newer use of the thing.

warning: snake ahead

Planting Knowledge

10 inches high x 8 inches wide

collage

Another week, another theme from Illustration Friday. This week, the word is seed. Seed, seeds, seedy. Planting them. Seeds of love. Seeds of war. The end always follows the beginning. Beware of what you start.

international fiber collaborative

Yesterday was the opening reception for Jennifer Marsh's Wrapped Gas Station International Fiber Collaborative in Syracuse, NY. It was a cloudy and chilly day, but many people came out to listen to some music, to eat some food, and to celebrate her accomplishment. I was one of 450+ participating artists—there were also something like 2500 elementary and other students involved. (My panel is the one directly to the right of the upside-down duck; it's called sunset over picnic and is knitted and sewn.) Her website explains better than I can what she is doing and why. Check it out and enjoy!

red crows

Red Crows: Work in Progress

about 6 inches high x 11 inches wide

fiber

Every fourth friday of each month, there is a challenge issued for those of us who had signed up for it. The point is to make us think about the elements of art and to create something from fabric/fiber to fulfill a particular theme. The last two themes have been about recycling, the latest using denim. I don't like working with denim. It's heavy and bulky; it frays and spills lint everywhere. This piece is made of lightweight denim, stamped and sewn. The thing isn't finished; I'm deciding on how to bring in grass-like something so that the crows are standing on or in it. And the middle is too much in the middle, pulling the eye nowhere or off the piece completely. More of my fiber creations are at the Fast Friday site here, as are pieces made by the other participants (you'll need to click on "show all posts" to see everyone else's.