I debated on showing the piece below to you but I do it for a couple of reasons.  First, to ask you, have you all seen a renewed interest in embroidery?  I am seeing evidence of it all around me and wonder if I am just taking note and it has been there all along or is embroidery on the upswing again.  And secondly, I want to share a couple of links to work that I find beautiful.  This one  is to recent embroidery, the work of Rosemary Milner (who I know nothing about other than I find her work so endearing).  The other is to an exhibit of very old (18th century) bits and pieces of textiles (including embroidery) left with abandoned babies at a foundling hospital.  The former inspired me to do the piece below, the latter feeds my nostalgic wonderment.

This insect was stitched on my sewing machine using free motion embroidering (no guidelines were used, hence the slight skewing!) on top of a piece of vintage (antique?) lace given to me years ago by my mother’s friend, Sybil, on top of a sample piece of matelasse given to me by an interior designer.  (lucky me to have such generous friends!)  I hand stitched onto the bee (I can stitch better but I wanted that amateur feel!!)  It measures about 3.25″ x 6.25″.

Had some free time this week to do a bit of painting.  (Free time seems so difficult to come by these days.   I can’t catch up much less advance.  This seems to be my continual complaint.  Is this my age????)

These are done in acrylic, on 10″x10″ canvas.

I have been spending too much time on the internet looking at various artists work.  Exposure to so much amazing art is not good for my ego.  I have so far to go!  But looking at other’s art is inspiring also.  After looking at a couple of paintings in a gallery, I am so ready to go home and “try” that!

This is my goal this year.   Spend more time creating narrative compositions.  I enjoy creating these little paintings and stitcheries, but I need to expound to capture a feeling, moment, story, sensation… and to push myself further along.  All encouragement in that direction is welcome!

This woman is my grandmother holding her fifth child who died in infancy.  I think the picture was taken with her knowledge that her baby was not healthy.  The story is so sad, I cried twice while painting this 7″x10″ watercolor.  I have turned them into a madonna and child complete with an icon halo that so often appears upon those we love who have died.  Most of these adored (at least in my family, I am sure), would not want to be on a pedestal, but there they sit in perceived perfection through my lifetime and, if I have done my story-telling well, maybe through my children’s.  ( I should think some of it got through to them!) I really didn’t know this grandmother well, (she was in her 70′s when I was born) and I have to wonder if she would be flattered or think it was foolishness that I use her image so often and freely.  I rather believe she would think I should be better off cleaning my house!

Here is a watercolor (8″x8″) I painted last night.  I purposefully skewed the perspective for interest but I’m thinking I should have skewed it more!  Now to see if, with time, my new brush will make me a better painter!

and here is my brush!

I’ve been painting super heros for a young boy’s room.  (no picture to show of that…)

I stitched up one Christmas card to send to a college friend of my husband’s (she sends the most wonderful hand cut cards each year with the stipulation she gets a handmade card back.  I don’t want to be crossed off her list!)  I love getting Christmas cards but when you don’t send them out, you don’t get many in return.  Anyone else notice that?  Cards have been low on my priority list for the last few Christmases, maybe if I start in August next year (and sell a painting to pay for postage!) I can send out the 60 to 70 cards to people who should be getting them.

And… I was so excited to find these little celebrating snowmen based on a picture in a Martha Stewart Living magazine from several years ago.  These guys have been hiding out in my attic despite all my best efforts to find them (or urging my husband to find them…) for the last 3 or 4 years!  They were made from covering styrofoam balls with paper clay and painting them iridescent white.  I put them on a painted wooden block and if the wind doesn’t blow much, they stand upright looking like Macy’s Parade Floats!  Love them!

Sorry for the blurry photos, but they are my specialty.  I hope your merry making thus far has actually been merry!

If you want to make snowflakes, google paper snowflakes and search images.  There are several bloggers out there who have instructions.  If you can’t find one, let me know.  I’ll show you how!

I hope you all have the most fabulous Thanksgiving and  an abundance to be thankful for.  God bless you.

It was a fleeting moment.

Here is the bug that made me think of that moment.  I drew him this week in pen and ink and then used colored pencils.  This is in my latest Moleskine.  The paper is the most wonderful receptacle for colored pencils.  They were so fluid and blend-able.  Makes me wonder exactly what the paper is.

This evening, I drew a butterfly, put some watercolor on it and then collaged paper all over it.  The paper came from the 4th holiday catalog this month from Pottery Barn.  I can’t believe that they can’t come up with a better advertising campaign than to send out un-requested catalogs but I guess it is keeping the printers and mailman employed.  And that is a good thing.  Hope the paper is recycled though!

I have never really liked doing collage (I have never really “understood” it altho’ I have liked many I have seen) but I had so much fun last week doing those faces I wanted to do more.   Always good to push yourself, right!?

This butterfly is about 7″x11″.  I wonder what a layer of beeswax would do to it…

Here are the backs.  I thought they looked pretty.  That is Amy Butler paper, I love the ones  with the art and crafts feel to it.