Fun evening at my local children’s museum.Took along my new little echidna creation for company.I didn’t manage to save any pictures of the children’s art work so it would be great to hear from anyone who took photo’s.
What a fantastic trip a successful conference talk,family gold medal at the Commonwealth games and many memories made along the way.Here are some highlights.
Yarrenyty Arltere Artists- 21st Biennale of Sydney.MCA
Yarrenyty alter Artist.21st Sydney Biennale.MCA
Master weaver Ngarrindjeri.21st Sydney Biennale MCA.
Woven sedge grass.
My birthday present early in March was to tour Amazon’s newly installed bio-domes in down town Seattle.The building provides an alternate environment for work and collaboration within the company.
As an Amazon wife I’m really interested in the occupational health of this specific profession.So much has changed with technology over our life time and it’s interesting to observe at first hand the interaction of technology, humanity and the natural world.
I built my first sedum green-roof on our shed in Wantage in the 1990’s which was a great success and currently enjoy my weekly volunteer gardening in our local botanical gardens.I continue to interested in the connection of gardening and mental health.
I have a copy of Gardening Vertically by Noemie Vialard in my library and can highly recommend it as great reference.
Stocked with mangrove habitat.
I love the texture of these primitive trees
One of the things I like to do is recycle.I’ve also been inspired by Japanese Boro technique for many years.We have that glass table and I’ve been working on a series of placemats from our families old jeans.
These are really basic starts and I’m looking forward to long light evenings adding more stitches.
I’m off to Sydney Australia this month, am booking an embroidery class and will be connecting with a long term internet crafting friend.
I’ve been invited to join the Women & Creativity ATC Play along again this year.
ATC’s or Artist Trading Cards are 3 1/2 by 2 1/1 inch pieces of art created by artists for many different reasons.Maybe to try a new techniques, as a learning opportunity or to make a statement.
My Great Grand Father was a lithographer in London.I made an acrylic 3 layered background on green card.I then made a simple print block and hand-tinted flowers.I then used a glitter fabric pen to highlight the edges.
Necklace detail
Two Christmases ago I was gifted a book about creating necklaces using peyote stitch clasps.It took me a year to learn the techniques and along the way I met a whole new group of friends.I have subsequently joined a local seed beading group.These are the pieces I have completed so far.
Deck outside my studio dreaming of the days when I’ll be creating outside again.
Altered necklace from our 25th anniversary trio to Hawaii.I can’t wear metal next to my skin so this makes a great alternative.To be worn at a fall wedding in the UK.
Garden installation
Well that’s I made it the last month of being 50 !
I again helped to build the Seattle Arboretum Foundation’s award winning garden.I was asked to paint the piñata green to blend in with the design.I love working with Bob Lily and the team from the Arboretum Foundation.We have great fun and it is the best cure for my seasonal mood disorder (SAD) One of the nicest things is that Bob always gifts us plants and currently my deck pots have Blue Irises popping up at of slightly different blues from different builds.I’m also totally indulged by hubby and we always buy a plant or two to add to our garden collection. This year we have a white ribes and two beautiful specimen witch hazels.We have also gained some kinnickinick which I’m hoping will do well.
Leigh ,my wonderful gardener, and I have big plans for the garden this year.We’re trying some live stack planting with a very vigorous ribes which was causing a visual obstruction to the traffic on the street.We used the cuttings to screen the working area of the garden.We’ve taken advantage of renewing the fences in the fall to make formal plans.I value my privacy so am exploring different screening methods , these also help our small birds hide from the Cooper’s hawk that nest’s across the road.
I’ve wanted to build in more bird and bug friendly elements.I really happy to see the birds beginning to court on our deck.Most exciting of all is our Berwick wren seems to have a partner so I’m hoping to see the population increase.I’ll post the new structures and elements as they develop.
Baby quilts awaiting delivery
Surface design/book play
First crop – I explored growing our own summer vegetables in pots on the deck.Our salad bar was a huge success and this was our first crop of beans-the resident hummingbirds loved the heritage variety and they provided great screening/privacy from our neighbors.
Cover detail of a tool pocket created to hold a set of jewelry making tools which replaced a set which were stolen from an artist’s car while she visited her sick husband in hospital.
Dottee dolls created for an auction raising funds for Ladybug House proposed children hospice in Seattle area
Sample teenager for Baton Rouge project.Sadly this package was returned as contact didn’t pick it up from mailing office.So if anyone wants to pick up this project it’s all ready to go in the studio !
A variety of pieces from 2017 but thought I would share.I have also created a series of boro place mats which are still a work in process so there will be more in the future.I have just recieved my renewal for American Craft Council membership and look forward to reading the magazine and maybe funding my artistic voice this year.
For around 8 months I have been helping at the Bellevue Botanical Gardens with maintenance in the perennial border.We have a great time and once month have a weed and feed session potluck lunch).I love the team work and sense of accomplishment in a garden that is available to all.I was most surprised after joining the NW Perennial Alliance to find myself in this months newsletter.Yes I love that hat !
Happy rainy morning volunteering at Bellevue Botanical Gardens.
We are working to potentially make our garden open in a couple of years as an example of a wildlife friendly urban garden.I have just been editing images from last year our wildlife visitors include deer,rabbits,coyotes,bear (yearling while we where in Hawaii) and a stunning bobcat who it seems was responsible for the destruction of our old fencing.We discovered over the holidays that we had been accidentally feeding a family of raccoons when they visited our deck bird feeder while we were a dinner one evening.We have repositioned the feeder and consumption has reduced significantly.I am currently adding new areas to support birds and wildlife, removing non native species.We have 5 species of woodpeckers visiting and a gang of teenage juncos resident over the winter.My favorite daily visitor is a wren, such a personality, along with our two resident male hummingbirds who guard the feeders to the North and South of the house.
After a long absence I have also started to participate in Postcrossing again.I received a great set of Washington stamps to add to postcards and used them for the first set I sent but they seem to have disappear in the ephemera in the studio – I’m sure they will turn up soon.
The New Year brings the opportunity to develop skills.I will be going on retreat for the first time with a group to explore seed beading techniques.I have been experimenting with peyote stitch for around a year which will be included in a series of necklaces.I collected many beads and found objects during my travels and hope to continue to explore with these objects.I have joined the seed bead society so am looking forward to meeting and meeting new members.
In the run up to Christmas I attended my first Oddball Convention at Bellevue College.So many talented artists.I was looking for a personal handmade project for my parents to take back for my nieces and nephew and adapted an article about making boro brush holders when I “found” some oilcloth which had been in my stash.This seemed to be a more practical application as ever I now have extra “unfinished objects” in my studio space.
Small series of oil cloth brush holder.Screen prints patches by chibiyeti.com
