The Perils of Driving in Bad Weather

John took my work to the Carriage House Gallery this morning after I spoke with Stu to let him know of it's arrival. Carol and Stu are just about the nicest people you would ever want to meet. I am so going to enjoy being a part of their gallery.

So funny the other day when I was blogging about my terror of driving in bad weather. Last night I had to pick up my oldest daughter and Kelly's daughter from play practice and by 4:00pm I could see the blowing snow and grey skies and yes, I did begin to feel a tad panicky. By 4:30pm when I hit the highway the first thing I see is a major collision in the southbound lanes. Cars in the ditch, cars smashed up, ambulances, etc. etc. Ok, so now the little bit of panic I was feeling has expanded to full panic. Dry throat, rapid heartbeat ....you know the drill. But I am driving slowly and am saying a mantra to myself "you are a good driver.....just go slow" over and over again, maybe that is why my throat was so dry. By the time I arrived at the school the temperature had dropped and all that wet snow had turned to ice. Yikes!!! It was a white knuckle drive home and extremely silent in the car. A drive that normally takes 10 minutes took 30 minutes. Kelly called when I got home to see if I was alright. I just love good friends especially when they know all your "wierdness" and still love you.

I am back in the studio today finishing up another piece and last night was playing around with acrylic on canvas......

Hope everything is good in your part of the world

Work in Progress

Thought I'd post a piece that is almost half completed. There is still much to be done but at the moment this is where I am with it. I think I'll leave the path painted rather than try to embroider it. At times, an overload of thread can cause the entire piece to be just too busy and heavy. I enjoy the contrast between the areas. It is a fine balance.

So for the many of you who have asked about my process, here is a quick run through.

I work from my own photos but do opt for creative license when it comes to moving things around. There is much prelimenary work that needs to be done before I even sit in front of the sewing machine. Colour choices for threads, design options, composition, size of completed work, a rough sketch, etc. This is not an art form for anyone who would like to start and finish a piece within a day.

Once these decisions are all ironed out (pun) I then begin to paint the cotton. With this piece I used a very light gray for the background, almost a wash. I really wanted the green of the trees to pop out against a neutral background. I then loosley painted in where my trees would be positioned as well as my grasses and shrubs. I used a much darker gray for the path and painted it about three times to not only achieve darkness but heaviness as well. Then off I went, the trees were completed in layer upon layer of five different threads. At this point I am following my basic painting of the tree trunks but winging it when it comes to the branches. I do find much of my work has now become spontaneous. Using a variety of browns on the trunks is imperative. Without many thread changes the work will appear flat and lifeless. I have just started on my first green and will probably end up using about eight before I'm done. I think I'll also add flowers to my shrubs to break things up a bit. So, after the work is completed I will then use a piece of quilt batting and loosely quilt it. I really like the added texture the batt brings to the piece and it also just pops everything out adding a three dimensional value to the artwork. Yes, it is an enormous amount of work but I love what I do and couldn't ever imagine doing anything else. I consider it a labour of love and a way to express myself that brings me unbelievable joy.

Till next time,

Summer Days

Woke up to summer this morning which feels really good. Everything in the garden is coming up beautifully and it is absolutely wonderful to be outside.

Got a call from Ila Kellerman the painter who is part of the three person exhibit at the Double Doors Studio in June. She sounded really excited about our show and we made a promise to get together a week or so beforehand with Mary Profitt just to get to know each other and figure our what our vision is going to be for the show.

Lots of work to finish up in the studio.............see ya