Wow! cloud

It has been a challenge for me to get around to posting anything because of my desire to include visual content. The time to sketch or stitch anything post-worthy has escaped me (I am the Empress of Procrastination--don't argue! I hold the title.) But the other day I took a walk, and although we weren't going to get any more rain, the air was still "unstable" which produced dramatic clouds.

You do see what I mean? And I have not been totally noncreative lately. I have been dipping my pen into the "poetry pool", producing collections of words that might become poems. I just have to keep working on them a bit longer. The last "poem" only took 34 years? The newer ones will happen faster. I have fewer seriously emotional distractions. Please keep coming back. Leave a comment if you will.

Acoustic Café

Last night the group Dgiin played fabulous music (kinda Gypsy swing) and we danced and danced. I took time for a quick sketch as the light was fading. It was a wonderful evening. 

I am limping back into blogging. It doesn't seem right to me to post something without a photo for inspiration, and I didn't have this photo on my computer yet (even though I finished the quilt in July). I made it for my newest grandchild, before knowing her identity. I tend to like "gender-neutral" in any case. Most of the baby quilts I make are in the 32x45" range, and this is no exception. I like the longest side to be close to 45", the usual width of cotton quilting fabrics. The fabric on the back was the inspiration for the color choices on the front, and as you can see, I inserted a strip of patchwork on the back--partly for interest, partly (mainly?) to make it long enough. I am really happy with it, and I think it suits Rylan Claudia Hanley.

Next post I'll include a watercolor. Do come back often! Leave comments.

I am in the throes of converting to a newer iPhone; not everything seems to be working the way I think it should (maybe I should just change my idea of how it ought to be?). But the Sunday of the Labor Day weekend I spent several hours on the banks of the Spring Lake (Santa Rosa) swim lagoon, chatting with friends. I got out my watercolor supplies, and for old times' sake, painted a couple of post cards of two trees that I have painted over and over for more than 20 years. Still satisfying.

And now I can't seem to get my scanner to work, so the iPhone took these photos. At least that worked.

Last week my cousin's daughter posted a photo on facebook of an old oak tree in Spring Lake Park in Santa Rosa. Several years ago, I took a similar photo, and using that image, combined with a couple of others, as inspiration, designed and made an art quilt I call Spring Lake Evening. It is about 24" x 34", not large, but I like it a lot. It was a challenge, and fun to do, to figure out how to represent the different textures. I think it must be time to start on another such project. But which photo???

Coincidentally, I spent several hours yesterday at Spring Lake Park, visiting with friends I hadn't seen for years. For about 15 years, we all camped there together for a week or so each summer. It was great fun to reconnect.