didn't get n Deep Spaces

I didn't get in Deep Spaces, but got a very nice rejection letter and I'll get a catalog of the exhibit.  I am disappointed, but I had such great times making the piece that it certainly wasn't wasted time.  Here's pics of the piece "look inward, past boundaries and barriers"

I am working on a piece about foam, and once I do a very time consuming layer of crazy free form knitted lace, I have to figure out where to go next.  Then I am working on a wall hanging that is using three bedsprings as a base with all sorts of things dangling from it.

still here

I didn't become raptured.  I have been reading an interesting book, though -  "The World Without Us" by Alan Weisman.  He talks about what would happen if humans were to suddenly disappear.  The book also suggests scenarios for what happens to the stuff we leave behind - buildings, subways, refineries, and also describes how nature would change.  Feral cats would survive well, domestic dogs would hav a hard time without people.

Maybe between now and October, the "new" rapture date, I'll read some post-apocalyptic fiction.

vacation, relaxation and back to work

DH and I got to take a mini vacation, in Portsmouth NH.  We used the last of the Marriott Rewards Points we had, and he did a photography job to get gas and spending money.

see, I'm really there.  The sound of the waves, the smell of the salt air, the rocks and shells to pick up... it was great.

I love to catch a wave just as it is breaking...

DH patiently Blackberry-ing and waiting for me to finish getting rocks and pebbles.  The round rust circle was a base for some sort of gun, I think from WWII.  This was at the Seacoast Science Center.

I am now a very ferverent convert to the iPhone - got one since I was due for an upgrade, and I love love love it.  I have all sorts of apps on it, and can get work email plus regular email, and can make lists, and read books... I looked at tablet computers but really like the small size of the iPhone and the fact that I don't need to carry around all this other stuff.  i've got everything in one place.  I do still need to get the TeleNave option but I've got the phone, camera, music player, several e readers, games, tasks and to do lists, travel stuff, etc.   DH is still a staunch BlackBerry fan, though.

Inside they had displays and an aquarium set up.  This was a very strange but very friendly fish, came right over when I looked through the glass at him.  Or her, hard to tell.

foam at the edge of the waves.  I'm trying to replicate this in knitting for an art quilt but it is not easy.  I can get the holes but the transparency of the bubbles is something I'll have to think about.

We visited open studios at a mill building in Rollingsford, NH and I picked this room for me.  I can see myself moving in there with all my stuff.  The windows overlooked a river and trees.  We also visited artist's studios in Lowell MA, run by a former art quilter Maxine Farkas.  She's doing really cool boxes and assemblage now. Could only stay a little bit but it was great to see her again.  I could have a studio there too!

Walking down one of the flights of stairs in the NH building.  Very steep but very cool stair shapes.

We visited the American Textile History Museum in Lowell MA.  Great exhibits and friendly staff.  They don't allow flash photos, and only personal photos, but I did get permission to post a photo here.  I highly recommend visiting, you can see hand made textiles all the way up to very technical racing gear.

 Had lunch in an Irish pub, with real Irish food and Guiness.  Got pizza for dinner, ordered online and delivered right to our hotel room.  So convenient!  Went to Portsmouth Fabric Co, and got some great fabric.  Also during the artist studio day I met Wen Redmond, an art quilter, very friendly and great work.  It was so interesting to see her studio and the things she had to create with.
  Here's her website:
Wen Redmond Artist  and I really wish I could take a workshop with her.

Went to a friend's daughter's senior recital at Emma Willard school, in Troy NY and this lil guy was hanging out above me, along with some other stone friends.  Creepy and cute at the same time.

 Now I'm home, at least for a little bit - going to visit my brother over Memorial Day, and then to Boston the end of June for a business conference.  I am working on some artist trading cards, for swaps, through ATCs for All to just play and experiment with drawing and collage. 

And now I leave you with another crazy cat picture... this is Sir Douglas Fir Tree exhausted and resting from the ordeal of shredding tissues and papers all over the bedroom floor...

the weekend goes by too fast

Errands to run, meals to cook, books to read, internet searching to do... just a regular weekend but satisfying.  I got some stuff at the Salvation Army, shirts to dye, two old cursive writing blank books, a picture painted by someone named Diana of a woman looking at a lunar eclipse.  I love the anticipation and the fun of finding things.  Sometimes I can't afford everything but I sneakily take pictures of things that I would own if I could. 

My dream was if I ever won the lottery to buy the old 2 story Borders store on Wolf Rd, (the shopping and restaurant corridor), and have the upstairs be for classes and workshops in the fiber arts, and the downstairs to be a shop where artists sold things, and I sold things from all over that I found in my travels.  Can you imagine having enough money to just get in the car and drive the back roads, stopping at all the thrift stores and flea markets and antique stores and getting things, rescuing things, that would become part of a display in a store that people would want to shop at because it had such funky stuff?  But  a group of Albany NY state workers won the lottery and I am glad for them.  Especially since I rarely buy a ticket.  My big win was $2 from a scratch off ticket that was part of a holiday gift.  I really wanted the $30 K but  ....

I visited a place called At the Warehouse - a combo of antiques, art, and salvage.  I got a crystal ball from a chandelier and had lots of fun wandering around and taking pictures.

branches and shadows

 old typefaces

 looking out through glass blocks

 looking through stacked windows

decayed cardboard in the parking lot

I am working on a new piece for a show, and since it has yarn, it is a magnet to my cat Aspen.  So I will have to give her credit, since she is my helper, as you can see.

I am not quite sure how she fits in there since sometimes I can't even get the quilt in there.

Happy Spring! My spaces are Organized!

It's sunny outside.  The robins are here.  Husband is at baseball practice. I'm enjoying the day and contemplating cooking dinner.

At work, I've moved up two floors, to a different office.  Smaller space, smaller window, but near a colleague who I need to work closer with.  I will miss my third floor group, but am also enjoying the new space.  Almost all of the historical files and things didn't move with me, but will eventually go into storage space.  So the ambiance is much nicer.

Some views of my new office:

looking in from the doorway

view out the window and some of my prisms

 the wall I face when working at my computer.  The art quilt is about geckos and has little gecko forms attached to it.  The watercolor was originally in the Dean's office when I first started many years ago, and it has ended up with me.

looking up.  Eventually when the other person goes in the office next door to mine there will be a drop ceiling put in, since there is no privacy, but for now it is fine. Makes an interesting arrangement of lines and spaces.

my plants and my working files  next to this on the right is a white board for my tasks and things to write.

And I am very happy too that we are almost finished with the Clean-Out of our house.  One downstairs closet left, and my son's room.  But that he'll have to do himself, I will just shut the door.  The external storage room will need to be gone through one more time, when the weather is warmer, but I feel like we can now have friends over to visit without them being shocked at how we live.  I'm also looking foward to doing some kind of garden out back, at least tomatos and maybe squash.  It's kind of hard to have a kitchen garden in a townhouse lot.

This is the supply room, originally meant to be a storage area.  It may not look great to you, but everything is labelled and accessible.  I can walk in and get something I need.

This is my very small but cozy studio space.  Also meant to be a storage area, but we had the builder put in an AC/heating vent, outlets and an overhead light.  Works in progress are on shelves above, and tools of the trade are within reach, colorful things to look at are all around.  There is a table for my sewing machines and a table for writing and painting.  The chair is from my husbands grandmother's kitchen set and needs a new covering of oilcloth on the seat,  but it is surprising comfortable to sit on.

my gallery wall - some favorite colorful things hung up

This is the part of my son's room that I took over.  Eventually when he moves out someday the whole room will become mine, but until then this is my paper supplies and vintage books for collage.  The two sets of bookshelves provide a wall type barrier.  There's a walk in closet that holds my clothes, my yarn, and other supplies. to the right past the shelves.

He's not happy about my being there, but I usually try to knock before I go in.

New goals include getting more stuff put in for sale my etsy.com shop, and working on art quilts for entry into shows. I have also allowed myself to have some fun, I found a website ATCs for All and I have been making some artist trading cards and participating in swaps.  I love having all those tiny examples of other's art and sending mine out into the world.  I had done this a number of years ago, and have a huge binder full, starting a second one.

And, I really don't need any more art supplies, beads, buttons, fabric or yarn.  Notice I didn't say I didn't want anymore!