Well, my supply suitcase is almost packed.  I just have to add things to print on and things to print with.  I'm actually going through the supply list and checking things off - and will take less than I normally do because it will be an international flight.  We don't leave for another 10 days but I'm trying to be efficient (probably a mistake).

I don't know where this piece is and don't have time to look for it, but it is another class demo piece I really like.  To me, this proves the benefits of being spontaneous and without preconceived notions of what something will turn out to be. 

There are only a couple of spots left in my master class at FoQ - Printing in Layers, so if you are thinking of signing up, do it quickly!

With all the lively discussion on yesterday's blog, I did indeed turn this piece sideways and here it is, for your viewing (and/or commenting) pleasure.

Wed night/Thurs morning

When I started this blog in January 2005, it was a vehicle for looking at my work from a distance and thinking out loud.  I still do that intermittently with pieces I don't mind having seen by the immediate world.

To celebrate some good news, I treated myself to a sit-down at the sewing machine tonight.  Stitched this piece as much as I wanted to and if it needs a bit more after I put on the facing, I'll add it then.

In the meantime, I am back looking at this piece again and dithering over the orientation.  It wants to be like that one but on the other hand...I have to contemplate this one.

Alas, I shall have to leave the decision till morning.

Wordless Wednesday (morning)

a kid grows in Brooklyn

Miss Emma - almost 6 mo., pix on my FB page.  But she was only part of the entertainment today.

I took Jessica to visit her friend Liz this afternoon. Liz is one of a kind: sharp as a tack, memory like an elephant, and has all her marbles. She is 103.

Jess and Liz have been friends for more than ten years, since Jessica lived across the hall from her on 29th St. in Manhattan.

Liz is in rehab because her substitute nurse dropped her taking her out of bed and she broke her knee.    You have to read this story about her and you ABSOLUTELY must watch the audio slide show in the article (click on amusing stories under Liz' small photo).  She has led quite a life and is a #1 amazing person.  We had a great visit with her today.  Hopefully, she will go home on Thursday.

the sun came out

and with it, the heat and mugginess.  But this morning, despite the early heat, I ate breakfast and read the papers on the deck while I looked at the scene now in the header of this blog. Ahhhhh - almost as good as being on vacation.

My printer ran out of toner this afternoon and I hot-footed it around the corner to Staples to replace it.  No luck: they were out of the one I needed, as were the two stores in the towns on either side of me. I was putting the finishing touches on a piece and needed to make some Thermofax screens, so I used my ink jet printer and put it on the copy machine.  Staples.com - here I come.

In the meantime, I think this will make a nice 12x12 if I ever get it stitched. I printed the background one night last week and it cried out for this particular image, made from a photo I took 4 or 5 years ago in Philadelphia.  This was one of the wonderful images on the wall of the building that bordered the parking lot across from the B&B where we used to stay.

Here is another piece where I used the same image, along with some others.  This hangs in my studio now.

 I suppose we all find ourselves drawn to the same images or types of images/designs/marks over and over again.  The question is why?  Why one particular shape, species, genre, image over another?  What is it that attracts/bonds and connects for one person and not for another?  Some things to ponder.

Oh, no!!!  my favorite blogs and websites have disappeared from the sidebar.   I have to recreate a list. Stay tuned.

New blogger template - bleh

I couldn't leave well enough alone, could I?  Just wasted an hour playing around because I wanted to just change my blog header. Due to the gloomy rain we've had and the tornado warning tonight, I changed the color scheme and header in honor of the weather. It's temporary (whatever that means).

In the absence of anything brilliant or creative going on,
Terry's trick is to walk around her back yard with a camera till she finds something interesting to photograph.  Del's trick is to post photos from a few years ago that we haven't seen.
My trick is usually food-related or a picture of my revolting mess in the sewing room.  But I'm fresh out of those, so here is my latest trick...borrowed from my daughter's FB page.

 I have a new Kindle.  I downloaded a book before I left for Greenville, figuring to read while I was away.  But the main little square button that does everything cracked in half when I touched it.  I called Amazon/Kindle, told them the problem, and it is evidently quite common because that is one of the things that even after a year they will replace. They can't replace the button but they can send you a new kindle and you just have to return the old one with a pre-paid UPS label you can print out.

In the meantime, I left the Kindle at home with the downloaded book on it - and while I wandered around Hudson, I found the very book, "The Man in the White Sharkskin Suit," by Lucette Lagnado, in hard cover on sale for $5.00 (brand new). A memoir of an Egyptian Jewish family forced to leave Egypt. Read the whole book before I got home.

I also bought "The Dogs of Babel" ($2 on sale) by Carolyn Parkhurst.  A very good read.

Now I'm ready for something else. But I must say I will never prefer an e-book over the real thing -- especially with buttons that break.

backtracking

Having gotten back home on Wednesday, it took me a day or two to recover and upload the rest of my pictures. Better late than never, right?  As I put my feet up and sat on the deck, the bambis were out chomping on the lower branches.
Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose.

Eva - you were correct in guessing which piece of student fabric I wish I had done.  Here are some others from the weekend workshop.

Anita deconstructed the screen with quite a few prints: below are just two of them.  The popsicle sticks are waiting till it is their turn to be used as resists.  Greenville has 3 dollar stores but I didn't get to any of them this time around.

Below is another of Calli's prints.  She created a screen that looked very geometric and abstract but when she printed it, we all thought it looked very mid-century domestic (i.e. - images of table settings)

Since I was not teaching at night, I was able to actually print some of my own fabrics after dinner while the students worked on theirs.  Maybe I'll get a chance to go back to them sometime this year.

Sujatha -(and anybody else) deconstructing the screen is a two-day workshop.  If I have enough requests I will schedule one in the Fall in my studio for 4-5 people.

Goodness - the afternoon is almost over.  Back to the sewing machine!

Ok - I have to go back to work

Dinner is over and this is MY time - going back to the studio to play - uh - work.  But first, a few pix from today.  Casey worked on paper today - thickened dye deconstructed and drop-dead gorgeous series. 

 

Here are only a couple. There are many more...yum!

Kate printed some cool fabrics today and I covet one of them - but oh, well. Can you guess which one?

Suzanne was so excited to print that she was in the studio before breakfast!

Calli did some really layered prints and here's one I captured today.  The second layer really made a difference.

This is a work in progress - can this fabric can be saved?

Maybe we'll know tomorrow.

blogging before breakfast

While I'm waiting for today's special of scrambled eggs with goat cheese and lemon thyme, I figured I'd get a little bit in about yesterday's class.

As usual, I was too busy teaching to take many pictures. The studio at the Greenville Arms is spacious and the class members had plenty of room to spread out and have two tables each -- a luxury when you are printing.  After the horrific storm (including hail) Sunday night, yesterday dawned much cooler and perfect for drying fabrics. 

One of my students is a printmaker who has never worked on fabric and she is doing some interesting pieces.  We'll see what develops today!

Off to class...

so here I am...

At the Greenville Arms, figuring I had better get some blobbing in before the students arrive and the evening begins.

Along the way I crossed the Rip Van Winkle bridge (built in 1933-35 for $2.4 million) heading for nearby Hudson, NY to visit Usha.

Glad she was here today - she's leaving tomorrow for multiple quilt shows - first stop, Quilt Odessey in Hershey, PA.  She lives here - in a town that has reinvented itself and oozes charm, galleries,interesting restaurants (but no Indian food), antique shops, and cool clothing stores. It seems to be thriving and is mobbed with tourists.  It's about a 2 hour drive from NY City.

Usha's store is like walking into heaven. Color everywhere!
Gorgeous scarves, bags, pillows, her fabrics, and lots of other items. What a visual treat!

I had hoped we could get out for lunch but the store was busy when I got there. So, I went out by myself and ate at
Earth Food (or some name like that) and had to take a photo of the chilled avocado and cucumber soup. It was divine.

Despite the heat and humidity, I then wandered up and down Warren St., which is the main drag.

I walked into an art gallery where the 12"x12" paintings were $1200@. Someone was seriously contemplating a purchase of one. When is the last time you sold a 12x12 for 1200 smackeroos?  Even net, not bad for that size.

Back at the Greenville Arms - I was happy to meet Cindy Ferguson in person today and spend some time chatting while we were multitasking (both on our computers).  I KNEW she looked familiar, and sure enough - we're FB friends - LOL.

Time to get ready for wine and cheese, which can't come soon enough for me.

yesterday's laugh and good/bad stuff

Somehow, I found James Walsh's blog yesterday and in about 2 minutes, was laughing out loud. I couldn't relate to every post, but his rants are too funny and so British. This is good.

I

You can tell I am desperate for content when I scrounge around on my camera and find a picture like this one, let along post it here.
1) I took it a few days ago but I have no idea where I was. This is not good.

2) I think there was a monarch butterfly I was trying to capture on film (uh - disk) but it was faster than I was. This is also not good.

I worked all day and accomplished a few things but none of my pictures came out well and I am too lazy to retake them.
Hence, the above photo of weeds and the missing Monarch.

The Lexus people towed away my husband's beloved car today. It has gone through 3 batteries in 6 months and they can't figure out why or how to fix it.  This is bad.

What is good is that now I have room on the driveway to park away from the sticky tree.  I have to get my car washed about 5 times in a row to get all the glop off.  I need to see out the window while I am driving to the Hudson River valley.  Was going to get the car washed today but it got pretty clean sitting in the torrential rain this afternoon.  This is also good.

Got out my el-cheapo alginate blender and made print paste this morning, to take with me.  I just hope I remember everything I need  -- steam pot, hotplate, and a bolt of PFD in addition to the usual suspects.

Just in the past two weeks, two esteemed gallery curators have asked me to participate in ART exhibits they are putting together. Mine will be the only textile work. This is VERY good.

  Fortunately, they have not seen this piece of my handiwork, of which there are 4 more that turn up like bad pennies every time I turn around.  I can't even burn them because of the polyester fabric. This is bad.  I need to re-use them but this is also bad.

What is on your good and bad list?

frying fish

Well, not literally.  Dentist this morning, after which I continued my hunt for tahini.  I used to be able to buy it everywhere but somehow, these days, I can't find it very often. So on the way home from the dentist I stopped in yet another supermarket and bought the last two cans. This should hold me for a while, like maybe 2 years. The top can is almost empty.

Now why, you might ask, do I need so much tahini? Good question.  I seem to use a lot of it.  I always make my own hummus bi tahini and baba ganouj, which require this ingredient.  Both are so simple to make and so wonderful and much less expensive (if you amortize the $6.49 can over a year's time - LOL) than buying it.  Besides, it is authentic when I make it. The recipe comes from a Syrian/Lebanese cookbook that the father of my children brought back as a gift when he returned from a sojourn to the middle east 35 years ago.  I almost always have some in the fridge and can make it on the spur of the moment.

Hummus bi tahini

1 cup canned chick peas, drained.
1/3 cup tahini
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
2 garlic cloves, crushed

Throw chick peas in food processor and purée.  While the processor is running, slowly add tahini and lemon juice, alternately.  Add garlic crushed w/ salt.  Sauce should be thick and smooth but if it seems to thick, thin with water.
Yum yum yum.

1 large eggplant, baked or broiled or grilled till skin is crisp and starts to crack open & flesh is soft.  Scoop pulp out and throw into food processor.

Add 1/3 c. tahini
1/2 c lemon juice 2 cloves garlic, 3/4 tsp salt
Process till smooth.

I bought radishes and was going to make a delicious radish salad with tahini from a vegetarian cookbook I have,but never got around to it tonight. Maybe tomorrow I'll post this very different, tasty recipe. I mean, there aren't all that many recipes for things to do with radis.

Now it is almost 3:am - I drank too much coffee but did get some work done, moving things around on my design wall, which is out in the hallway by the front door.  The problem is, if I move it so it is not blocking the a/c vent, then it is blocking the door from the garage (which we use constantly) and it falls over every time, scattering my carefully placed pieces of cloth. 

So this is why it looks different every time I post it. It falls down and can't get up.  I feel as though it's one of those rubic cubes - I can move the pieces around but will never get them in the right places.  I think it is my procrastination board.  But I have given up for tonight.