We're home from D.C. and a busy, beautiful weekend. The weather couldn't have been better for November -- sunny and in the 60's. We had a lot of fun and it was great to spend a whole weekend with almost all of our kids and grandkids, plus people we hadn't seen in a long while. Here's a terrific picture of Marty and Jessica that shows the spirit of the family weekend. The other picture of him with Hilary came out blurry - boo hoo. Saturday afternoon was free so I walked around downtown Chevy Chase, where we were staying. As I left Borders (empty handed) I was struck by the colors and the sheer number of newspaper vending machines in a row! Even in NY city I don't recall having seen this many together. Which doesn't mean they are not there. Only that I hadn't noticed them. Sometimes you just observe things differently when you are away from your own territory. Chevy Chase is upscale shopping heaven. A little way down the road were Tiffany, Cartier, and Bulgari. And close to the hotel, Neiman Marcus, et al. There is a big Bloomingdale's across the street and as I walked over to see what they had that was different from the Bloomie's here, I encountered tons of this lovely grass. I made one tiny purchase and later, went back with my daughters and daughter-in-law to Neiman's because they wanted to check out the huge weekend sale. Jessica got a fabulous bargain on a skirt, so she was happy. The other two tried stuff on but nothing was right. Today I was so busy discussing something with Marty while I was on 95 that I somehow got on the wrong spur of 95 and ended up in Philadelphia instead of Delaware. Fortunately, I know my way around and we took the Ben Franklin Bridge to NJ. But it was a detour I would not have chosen to take. I got home to find a package containing several dozen scarves, so now I will be able to start printing some new ones. I'll let you know when they are available. Tomorrow - the studio!

Art or Craft?? Or does it matter?

Last night's art opening was packed and the panel discussion (with audience comments and questions) was lively. Most of the artists didn't seem to care whether they were labeled as art or craft, as long as they were exhibited and/or people bought/responded to their work. But the point was made that those of us who work in clay or fiber and come from the tradition of utilitarian/women's work are less likely to be regarded as making ART (except for the MEN in clay or fiber) Sigh... These pieces, made from rug canvas or some such, and onion bag mesh on one; screen on the other, used materials I would have printed with. Just goes to show you how differently we approach the same materials, depending on where we come from. Click on all of them to get closer looks. This piece is made from telephone wires and cables. The artist is a weaver who started in cloth, discovered this material, and never went back to traditional weaving. A gallery owner bought the first piece the artist had made like this and asked her to bring the rest of her work to the gallery so she could see it. The artist brought her regular woven things and the gallery owner said "Craft! go back and make more of the pieces with wire", which she considered to be art, even though they were made with the same technique as the cotton and wool pieces. I love these. Maria Lupo is a sculptor who works in a variety of materials and does some very cool work. She and I have exhibited together a couple of times. Incredible. Mid-November (well, almost) and in the high 50's - shirtsleeve weather and humid. We're in D.C. and getting ready to go to services and then dinner. Ciao for now.

Jan Myers-Newbury New Jersey workshop!

Jan is teaching a three-day shibori workshop at the Newark Museum on November 22,23,24. There are still a couple of openings left for this fabulous workshop so if you're in driving distance (NY/NJ/CT/PA), run to take advantage of this great opportunity! I'm so excited to be taking it! There is a Marriott Courtyard 15 min. from the museum and the "Gillman Hotel" has room for 2 people, if it will make a difference between your signing up and not. First come/first serve, e-mail me. I think the sun is trying to come out, but earlier, this was the scene on the deck. And the woods, as the leaves begin their descent to give us bare branches (which have their own beauty).

I am packing for our trip to D.C. for the weekend - driving down in the morning. And tonight, I have an opening. The show is called Bridging the Space Between: crafts-media artists crossing boundaries. All of the participating artists have to deal with the judgments of curators/jurors/gallery directors as to whether their work is art or "craft." This is true, not only for fiber artists but for glass/ceramic/collage/mixed media artists, as well. I will be on the panel to discuss these issues. So, lots to do today - including going to see my mother in a few minutes because I won't be around this weekend to visit her. If I have time tonight to post pix and write about the show, I will.

Thank you, America

for the best birthday present I could have had today!! with love and hope, Rayna

It's a nail-biter.

I'm listening to NPR's reports from all over the country. ARGH. Polls are closed in NJ but anybody who was in line before 8:pm would have been able to vote. Although I am glued to the audio, I'm blogging about as much frivolity as possible, as a distraction. We're leaving for D.C. on Friday to go to our granddaughter Rebecca's bat mitzvah and I needed a manicure/pedicure (because, while I won't be wearing my Birks, I will be in some sort of open shoes). Hilary took me out for a fabulous sushi pre-birthday lunch today and there was a nail salon/day spa next door I decided to try. Ended up treating myself to a wonderful facial and an afternoon of pampering. It was part I of my gift to myself; part II will be a haircut tomorrow with the head stylist at a new salon. No guarantees, but at least it should be a change: doing something for myself. Tonight's UPS delivery (above) was a birthday gift from C&T - a box of cookies and candies. Isn't that nice! And while I'm on the subject of goodies - I picked up a couple of items at Trader Joe's on Saturday and would like to read you the tasting notes from the labels: #1 An aroma perfumed with acid fruity notes and floral notes of acacia, with dairy and exotic wood tones. Mildly bitter taste with candied citrus, floral tones with a honey character. #2 A mild aroma with tones of exotic wood, dried fruit and spicy notes. Delicate, persistent flavor, well proportioned and full. Highlighting tones of cedar, tobacco and raisins. Wine? Nope, varietal chocolates! Better than a wine tasting - I have been alternating the two, trying to decide which one of these bitter dark chocolates I prefer. Gee, I just don't know - I guess I'll have to keep tasting. #1 Guaranda Forastero Arriba cocoa from Ecuador#2 Ocumare Criollo cocoa from Venezuela Is that enough nonsense for the time being? It's after 9:00 on the east coast and it's looking promising -- but Ohio is a horse race so I'm still glued, as I am sure you are.

vote early and often

I took my camera with me to the polls this morning but decided that after yesterday's debacle I would play it safe and not bother trying to take pictures. We were there at 7:am and while business was brisk, there was only one person in front of us in line at A-G. The electronic little green x's lit up right across line A and there was someone outside watching the machine to make sure they registered when I pushed the "register vote" button. They told us there was a huge line at 5:30 am waiting for the polls to open at 6:00 - I guess all the people who had to catch a train or a bus into NY to go to work.

Del Thomas borrowed my tree photo from last week to compare on her blog how autumn should look, vs. how it does look in southern California. In the meantime, I have been watching my trees turn. This is how my woods looked one week ago.

Here they are this morning .

In another week --- who knows?

I will catch up with you tonight. In the meantime, I had better get my day started! Sushi lunch with my daughter Hilary - a double treat!!

another art day

Today was our Studio Six meeting: Studio Six is our crit group. We met at Judy Langille's house today and I must say, we were more efficient than usual, actually getting through all of our critiques before lunch. Unheard of! Among the luminaries in our group are Diane Savona, whose domestic archaeology pieces are highly original, Joan Dreyer, whose 3-D fiber work is represented by Snyderman-Works in Philadelphia, and Joanie San Chirico, who has a solo exhibition at the J & J world headquarters in New Brunswick, NJ. After the meeting, Joan, Diane, Randy Keenan and I waltzed over to Johnson & Johnson to see Joanie's paintings. The security at this place made Newark Airport look like a piece of cake. Before we could go into the building, they had to see picture IDs, take our photos (which were uniformly ghastly) and then we had to wait for an escort to take us in to see the exhibit (for which we had made an appointment). Joanie had told us we'd have to get a photo permit, but fortunately, we had a substitute escort who didn't know we couldn't take pictures in the gallery. As usual, my photos are not especially good - but I expected to be arrested any minute while I took these. This tree is my favorite. Click on it to enlarge. and this, which is part of a triptich, is the only one I could get a good photo of before it was too late. But you can see Joanie's work on her website.Afterwards, we went across the street to the Hyatt to see more of Joanie's work and then walked through the J&J campus to get back to our car. While we were at it, Randy and I snapped pictures. This Henry Moore sculpture, Draped Reclining Mother and Baby, was sitting on the grass. Wow! Henry Moore! Here is Randy, taking a picture of one end of the sctulpture while I took a photo of the other end.

Gorgeous campus - we just kept snapping as we walked to the car.

These pods were creepy - I don't know what they are. I think we used to call them boxer when we were kids: the remind me of carob pods but probably are not. I picked some up to print with but left them in Joan's car by mistake. On the way out of the parking lot the security guard stopped us and told us it was forbidden to take pictures on the J&J campus and that if he called the New Brunswick Police we'd be arrested. We were waiting for him to confiscate our cameras but he only told us we had to delete the pictures. Fortunately, he did not insist we do it in front of him. I do not expect to see this sign again.

Tonight, I was too tired to go to my printing workshop. I shall have to try and figure out the next assignment on my own. Frankly, I believe this one hour-time change deal has done me in. What a wimp.

at the press

I spent the afternoon at the studio,printing, and then because the press was really in an awkward space, I decided to rearrange the studio. What a mess! After I pushed everything around, I hated it. So It went back sort of the way it was, but with more space around the press. Around 5:00 I was so tired that I left the place looking like somebody had broken in and ransacked it. It will probably stay that way for more than a week: this week coming up ls very busy. I found the missing collagraph plate I had made for my second print class (the one that the car ate?). I won't tell you where it was because I can't figure out how it got there. But anyway, I had made it with fabric (that was the assignment). Today I took it into the studio and got busy. I am really happy with these. So, I am posting them and then going to bed. Tomorrow, the eye doctor and then I have to drop off work for a show, the subject of which I will talk about in another post.

There were more, but this is enough for now. Each is a first print and a ghost.

almost as good as dark chocolate

For me, bittersweet chocolate is a real upper: energizing and happiness-inducing at the same time. That's what today's visit to Marni Goldshlag's exhibit was like. Marni's work is spectacular and no one else is doing what she is doing. She works with sheers which she dyes and paints before she layers them, then hand stitches and floats them so they glow. I got there an hour before the opening, so was able to take pix and spend alone time with her before people started arriving. Here she is, greeting the first arrivals - fiber art appreciators from the Nutmeg Guild in CT. I never expected to see anyone else I knew, but lo and behold, in walked Judy Cuddihee, the SAQA rep from Connecticut. I hadn' t seen Judy in 3 or 4 years, since I dropped out of Fiber Revolution...so it was good to reconnect. She certainly does intriguing work, tongue firmly in cheek. Here she is, chatting with another guest at the opening.Not five minutes later, who should arrive but Benedicte Caneill! She had read my blog this morning, knew I was going to be there, and came over to say hello and see the exhibit. (Thank you, Benedicte - it is good to know that you're reading -- even if you don't leave a comment). It was great to see her, too! Benedicte had taken a class from me a couple of years ago when I taught at Northern Star Quilters in Somers, NY. That guild has so many talented artists and cool people in it: Natalya Aikens, Jeri Riggs, Elizabeth Rosenberg, Vivien Zepf, Elizabeth Poole, Jane Davila, Norma Schlager, and that's just the tip of the iceberg! Here is Marni in front of her newest and a top favorite in the show. I thought it was my favorite, but now I think this one is my favorite...although there were too many beauties to post them all - you really need to get yourself over there to see the exhibit if you are within a 2 hour drive. Approximately 20 pieces by fiber artist Marni Goldshlag. For more information about the artist, and to see many examples of her work, visit: www.marnigoldshlag.com For more information about the venu and for directions, visit www.cshgreenwich.org

Oct. 27, 2008 - Dec. 19, 2008

The Cora E. McLaughlin Gallery

Convent of the Sacred Heart

1177 King St.

Greenwich, CT 06831

8:30-5pm, Monday-Friday

See? Almost as good as eating dark chocolate.

malware

I spent much of the past 24 hours trying to get rid of some nasty spyware on my laptop and finally, thanks to Spybot Search & Destroy (freeware with optional donation, which I made) my computer is clean. Now I want my money back for the other software that didn't find the culprits. I made the mistake of re-installing IE on my computer and all that junk came with it. This quilt has nothing to do with anything, except that it was the first quilt I ever had in print: in Margaret Miller's book, Smashing Sets. I was thrilled, of course. Margaret is one of the warmest, most engaging people in this business and I am always astounded that she remembers me when we run into each other (which is not all that often). The 9 patches are antique blocks and this quilt was what I called my "flat robin." That's a round robin done by yourself! Start in the middle, put it away and forget it, then take it out and add the next round. Put it away. Repeat the routine till it's done. I've been spending way too much time reading other peoples' blogs instead of doing what I am supposed to be doing. One of my favorites, because her work is SOOO gorgeous, is Connie Rose's blog. She spins, dyes yarn, weaves and does shibori and surface design. Her fabric and scarves are delicious: she's got an Etsy shop that is severly tempting...and I am not easily tempted....but there is one shibori'd woven scarf that is to die for. Tomorrow, I'm driving up to Greenwich, CT to see Marni Goldshlag. She has a show opening and I'm meeting her before the opening so we can spend an hour and I can get home without getting caught in rush hour on the Tappan Zee bridge. Marni lives in North Carolina, so an hour and a half drive to see her seems like a bargain! Her work is worth seeing if you are within driving distance of Greenwich. And if not, you can see it here.

Oct. 27, 2008 - Dec. 19, 2008 - solo show at

The Cora E. McLaughlin Gallery

Convent of the Sacred Heart

1177 King St.

Greenwich, CT 06831

8:30-5pm, Monday-Friday

Opening reception - Oct. 30, 3:30-5:30pm

Off to crawl into bed. The battery ran out on the upstairs thermostat, so it is a bit chillier than we would like. It's just such a hassle to unscrew the thing, find batteries that fit, and reset it that I couldn't deal with it today. Maybe on Friday.

lost weekend?

The phone woke me at 10 am, I went back to sleep and finally dragged myself out of bed at 10:40. This NEVER happens....but it was pouring, as it had been all night. The perfect day to sleep late -- although I hadn't intended it. By the time I showered, dressed and put up the coffee, it was almost lunchtime. But before I had my coffee, I grabbed my camera. I've been watching the trees change from day to day and this morning, in the dismal gray weather, they were especially vibrant. If this were a painted scene it would be cornball. Look at that red on the left! With a sigh of relief, I decided I didn't need to go further than the mailbox today -- and since it felt like a soup day, it was the perfect day to try the recipe for Mulligatawny soup someone had posted on another list. I had all the ingredients: red lentils, hot peppers, fresh ginger, fresh cilantro, coconut milk, garlic, onions, cumin, coriander, turmeric, and even gram flour (chickpea flour), which I bought a while ago in case I ever had an urgent need for it. LOL. It pays to be prepared for all eventualities. While I was at it, I made the rest of dinner: ground lamb and pine nut-stuffed eggplant and kale salad. The soup was fragrant and delicious and so was the rest of the meal. The only thing I didn't do was bake - because I had to pay my mother's bills. Till that point, the day was lovely and relaxing. Then I had to take another picture. See those little white dots? Yep. snow. A little while earlier it had been so warm there was thunder. Go figure. I brought the plant in. But let's back up a bit... Last night was my collagraph class and yes, I was too tired to write about it when I got home at 9:30. Our homework was to carve into a plate so we could print intaglio and relief with two colors in one pass. WELL. First of all, I am not fond of sharp instruments. Second, I can carve into that soft rubber stuff with a speedball thing but have never carved into mat board with an exacto knife. So, my plate didn't look like anybody else's. All those other people carved gorgeous, detailed, recognizeable objects. I had lumps. Here is how the lumps printed. Afterwards, teacher gave me a carving lesson and I spent the rest of the evening practicing how to do it the right way. Not sure I really needed to know. Good thing we don't get grades.