Monday, March 31, 2014

Martha and David's Woods

Bark
Usually my Mom, sister, and sister-in-law, schedule a weekend in the woods each January.  It's a beautiful time of clarity.  We can study the twists and turns of branches and notice each fluttering of wings.  The hiking paths are easily distinguishable from the forest.  Animal tracks are quite obvious in the snow.  Inside our cabin, we reflect upon our lives, the choices we've made, and the challenges.  Sounding our worries and woes off of each other, we gain instant insight and reassurance.  Most of all, we laugh and indulge--in delicious food, creating art, silence, freedom, and each other.  


This year, we were unable to find a weekend that worked with our schedules until this past weekend in March.  And while the trees are still bare, the birds visible, and the paths still obvious, we followed animal tracks left in mud instead of snow.  The ground cover was exposed and refreshingly green, layers of thin decaying leaves stuck to our boots, and the skunk cabbage shoots emerged in the banks of the creek.  


My sister-in-law couldn't make it because of illness, and it didn't seem the same without her.  There was a stickiness of this weekend---our hearts being tugged to this place like the muddy trails pulling at our boots and a feeling of impossibility and wonder of how buds will ever give way to broad leaves.  


We saw a pair of screech owls, seven deer, a pair of red tail hawks, a cooper hawk, a great variety of birds, and owl pellets.  


 Now that it is the last day of March, I'll share the lyrics to the song by Sergio Mendes called The Waters of March

A stick, a stone, it's the end of the road
It's the rest of a stump, it's a little alone
It's a sliver of glass, it is life, it's the sun
It is night, it is death, it's a trap, it's a gun

The oak when it blooms, a fox in the brush
The knot in the wood, the song of a thrush
The will of the wind, a cliff, a fall
A scratch, a lump, it is nothing at all

It's the wind blowing free, it's the end of the slope
It's a beam, it's a void, it's a hunch, it's a hope
And the river bank talks of the waters of March
It's the end of the strain, it's the joy in your heart

The foot, the ground, the flesh and the bone
The beat of the road, a slingshot's stone
A fish, a flash, a silvery glow
A fight, a bet, the range of a bow

The bed of the well, the end of the line
The dismay in the face, it's a loss, it's a find
A spear, a spike, a point, a nail
A drip, a drop, the end of the tale

A truckload of bricks in the soft morning light
The sound of a shot in the dead of the night
A mile, a must, a thrust, a bump,
It's a girl, it's a rhyme, it's a cold, it's the mumps

The plan of the house, the body in bed
And the car that got stuck, it's the mud, it's the mud
A float, a drift, a flight, a wing
A hawk, a quail, the promise of spring

And the river bank talks of the waters of March
It's the promise of life, it's the joy in your heart

A snake, a stick, it is John, it is Joe
It's a thorn on your hand and a cut in your toe
A point, a grain, a bee, a bite
A blink, a blizzard, a sudden stroke of night

A pass in the mountains, a horse and a mule
In the distance the shelves rode three shadows of blue

And the river bank talks of the waters of March
It's the promise of life in your heart, in your heart

A stick, a stone, the end of the road
The rest of a stump, a lonesome road
A sliver of glass, a life, the sun
A knife, a death, the end of the run

And the river bank talks of the waters of March
It's the end of all strain, it's the joy in your heart
Songwriters
ANTONIO CARLOS JOBIM
sticks and stones
Deer
Owl Planter
Screech Owls, male and female

Skunk Cabbage

Owl Pellets

Sticks

Tree Branches

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Spring Break

I'm making art with kids and feeling relaxed at home this week.  This is going to be a planter when I am through with it.  Also, I introduced Abe to the greatest thing ever--melting crayons on hot plates.  I spent many hours in the basement doing just that as a child and happily burned the tips of my fingers all the while.  Again and again it seems like it all comes down to pigment for me.  I love color and love being able to share my passion with my kids.

Saturday, March 22, 2014

Friday Walkabout

I'm trying to make time to go on walks meant solely for noticing the world and its details that normally are overlooked.  I want to share them on the blog accompanied by a short detail of how it inspires me.  I love this shade of patina, texture, and shadows found on a memorial to WWII veterans at our school park.

Friday, March 21, 2014

Tie-dye Bandanas Bandanas and The Great Painted Pillow Mountain

We had tons of fun creating colorful, plush pillows and bandanas at EAM. I want to make tie-dye quilts now!!!!!

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Hootie Owls and Triangles

These owls were fun to make after tie-dying last Monday at EAM.  Next week we'll make nests for them.  Also, after a week if cutting triangles, I'm finally starting to piece them together again into squares.  I love being inspired by color combinations.

Friday, March 14, 2014

Last Class at PCNS

Some magic and Spring for our last day of class at PCNS.
Our Class in Sketchbook Form
Last week's line and dot challenge
Gnome House featuring moss and rainbow stickers
Face Collage/African Mask
India Ink tree with water color and plastic wrap technique
Magic Wand to bring Spring
paper towel tube print and color
Another gnome house

Monday, March 10, 2014

EAM and PCNS

This is a sliver of what has been happening in the classrooms lately. I haven't been steadfast in documenting Pilgrim's sessions, and this Friday is our last! These kids are champs that's all I can say--printing and tie-dyeing.
Cardinal Puppets
India Ink paintings of bare trees.  We added last week watercolor on top
Leaf Prints
Ceramics at EAM Slabs, pinch pots, and froggies
Tie-Dyed Bandana

Monday, March 3, 2014

Amazing art opportunity

I installed about 20 pieces at a smaller branch of our local library, the Maze branch, which has an a great opportunities for artists to display their work above the bookcases. I'm so excited to not only to be a part of a great public space but to have more exposure.  An added bonus, I'll be archived in the on-line records at the library.  Here is a link to the program.

EAM: Monsters, fish, and pillows

Painting with alternative materials
Some of my projects for EAM and PCNS overlap-- such as the fish which I posted as a finished product in a previous entry.  Above is a photo of the process of creating scaly patterns using alternative materials for printing and painting like bubble wrap.  Then there are lots of photos of  silly monster collages, some painted pillows, and a collage using rubbings and cut circles for a color study.