Undercurrent in Red

Undercurrent in Red

Work in Paint, Thread, Wool & Silk

Still working away in the studio but I always seem to find time to read my three favourite blogs. Of course I do read many more but these are the three I check in with on a daily basis.

Ellen's birding adventure is hilarious and Andrea's clip of Ken Robinson speaking on Creativity and Education is an extremely worthwhile watch. Read Tracy Helgeson's post on ending her limbo........thanks Doug!

Check out Ellen's here and Andrea's here and Tracy's here

Laundry Days

Yesterday I spent most of the day catching up on laundry as my family was up for the weekend. We had a great time and as you can see below I was quite the whiz at badminton. Yes, that is the birdie flying over my head. Don't you love my graceful stance?

My daughter is much more graceful than me and obviously gets her badminton skills from her father..........as he so kindly likes to point out.

Hope to be back in the studio this afternoon.

Back From The Islands

So here I sit at the keyboard of my computer sadly longly for the Grand Cayman Islands. Oh, did we have fun. First of all we stayed at the Ritz Carlton which was an experience in itself. Interesting to see how the other half lives. When I got home it was sad to think I had to actually start to make meals again and my bed. It was nothing short of beautiful and the people were amazing. I talked to Andrea from Romania, Wiyoung from Bali, Coutney from Jamaica, Tasmine from Cuba and the list goes on. Most of these young people joined the Ritz so they could see the world. Wiyoung told me he is headed home next month to Bali for two months to see his family but is hoping to get a contract in Vancouver so he can see what snow is like first hand. I told him I have seen it first hand and am not that excited but good for him.

(yes, I know this is a duplicate picture but I couldn't figure out how to erase it)

On our third night there a dinner on the beach had been arranged. No shoes allowed. They called this the "shoe valet".

The band, the sunset, the pina coladas...........what could be wrong with that?

We spent everyday at the beach but oh, was is hot! At least 40 degrees celcius. I spent most of my time in the shade as I am pasty white and the sun does not like me. But I was in the water at least three times a day with a 50 SPF on as it was so very warm. When it came to snorkeling I was definitely a chicken so my oldest daughter took my place but was a tad frightened when she came upon a barracuda. My youngest spent most of her time on the blue matt "trying to catch some rays".........her words not mine.

It was wonderful that the girls found other kids the same age to hang out with. They thought they were living quite the life until we returned home and there were rooms to be cleaned and chores to be done but until then...........................

The last night we were hosted at a dinner in which we sat with two other couples we had gotten to be quite good friends with. ...........ironically they were all from Canada. Mike and Julie and Adrian and Carol. Our kids had all hit it off from day one and so did we.

That's me on the far left.

So as all good things must come to an end..........so did our trip. I spent most of today doing laundry, cleaning the cat's litter box, pulling weeds from my garden and scrubbing the toilets but during that entire time I still had a smile on my face.

On Vacation...........again!

Feels like I just got home from New York and today we head off to the Grand Cayman Islands. Wow, sounds like I'm quite the world traveller doesn't it? Well, I'm really not. Just happens that this summer has been unbelievably busy for us which is unusual to say the least. Most summers we just head up to our little cottage on the shores of Superior and laze around. But John has a business/personal event scheduled in the Grand Caymans so off we go.

When I get home I really have to give some serious thought to how better to utilize the space in my studio. It is not a happy place at the moment. Some of my older work is just taking up too much room and may have to go. Where? Not sure. I may post it on this blog and see what happens or maybe Etsy. Actually I do have some new smaller matted pieces that I'm going to put up when I get back. Thanks Liane for your email asking about that. It doesn't help to have a blog that talks about Daily Paintings in Paint & Thread when you don't ever post any. Not enough time I guess.........that will be my excuse.

Hope your all well and enjoying what is officially the last month of summer for us here in Canada. Oh, it does pain me to say that............ See ya next week.

Part Two ...A Visit with Tracy Helgeson .... ....

Three days into our trip we discovered the Lincklaen House as it was suggested by one of my classmates Maria. After we enjoyed a lovely dinner in the courtyard we asked to see one of there rooms. Not only was it perfect but it was half the price of the Brewster Inn. The next morning we switched locations.










Back in the classroom I was surprised to find out fellow Canadian and textile artist Kit Vincent was sitting just across the way from me. She and I are both on the OCC's website and I have long admired her work. Kit and I got dubbed the "Canadian Girls" by our four classmates whom we called the "New York Girls". That's Kit Vincent sitting in the back corner working away.

Susan, Maria, Linda and Suzanne were the best you could hope for in fellow classmates. They never failed to crack me up and they always knew how to have a good time. Maria started bringing me these highly addictive dark chocolate M&M's which I munched on during class. I also loved Joan. She sat beside me and we spent a lot of time laughing and talking. She was such a warm person and made me feel so very comfortable. I'll really miss them all.

When Thursday rolled around I left class a bit early as we had an hour long drive up to Tracy & Doug Helgeson's home. Everyone who reads my blog regularly knows what a fan I am of her work (I know I have said that 100 times and this will be 101). On the way up in the car my oldest daughter said,

"So we are going to visit someone you have never met in person only through your blog?".

I said, "right".

She said, "How do you know they are not psychopaths?"

I knew there had to be at least one skeptic in the bunch.



When we arrived a very happy and friendly Penny ran out to greet us.


Then out came Tracy with Mr. Wilson. The minute my girls got a glimpse of Mr. Wilson I just knew their constant request for a dog would go up a notch or two in the coming days. Once again I'll admit to being a bit nervous (oh dear it sounds like I spent every waking moment in a state of the jitters) you never really know how things will go when you meet new people but I did have a really good vibe. So after all the intros we headed inside and got a tour of their beautiful home and of Tracy's art. When you see her work online it is great but seeing it live and in person delivers a whole other impact that just makes you say "wow". You'll notice I really like that word.

Tracy's husband Doug and John hit it off almost immediately as there was much talk of fishing.



We headed upstairs to see Tracy's new studio which made me want to weep. John knew he was in trouble when we reached the top of the stairs and got a chance to take it all in. What an amazing spot to work in. Another time in which "wow" seems to be the only adequate word. At this point I believe John was trying very hard to not make eye contact with me.


I really appreciated Doug and Tracy's son for all his tour guiding activities. He took the girls around to check things out so they didn't have to stand around with their parents. I know they appreciated that so very much and he was such a sweetie.

Ok, here's the part where I begin feeling inadequate. They have this gorgeous flower garden at the front of their home that Tracy tends to, I'm sure daily. I've got some wildflowers and daisies that have become overgrown with weeds.



We head out to check out the vegetable garden which is blooming and lush. I think of my spindly little carrots that have been pretty much pushed out by my wilting rhubarb. So at this point I'm thinking

1. Amazing artist..........check

2. Great gardener...........check

3. Talented cook..........check ( I checked this one after dinner)

I made a note to myself that when I got home I'd tackle the garden..........as of yet I haven't.

At dinner we sat around enjoying a simply delicious dinner. The pesto potato salad was there and it was yummy. There was interesting conversation and in some ways it felt like we already knew each other. My oldest daughter was quite in awe of Doug. She has always had an interest in archeology and fossils and he had so much knowledge to share. Afterwards she said he was the "coolest" adult she had ever met. High praise coming from a fifteen year old.

After dinner Tracy and I went back up to her studio. She had asked me to bring along some of my work so she could see it in person. As we all know jpegs on the internet just don't quite cut it. We did an art exchange and now her work hangs proudly in my livingroom.

Now you may be thinking this all sounds a bit too perfect and magical of an evening and was it really like that or am I exaggerating just a bit? I can't speak for Tracy or Doug but from my view.........it was just like that.

On the way back to town John mentioned how enjoyable of an evening it was and how everything just seemed to flow so very easily. From the back seat my daughter piped up......... "and they weren't psychopaths at all".

I told her I would pass that comforting news along to Tracy.

New York Bound

Two

Work in Paint & Thread

Well I'm off! The trip I've been enthusiastically planning for the past eight months is about ready to roll. I can't tell you how excited I am. I will take plenty of pictures to share with you when I get home......so much so that after a while you'll be thinking "This trip feels like it went on forever, will she ever shut up?".

Hope all is well in your part of the world............see ya

Whirlwind of Summer Plans

Just arrived back from Muskoka this afternoon where we were pampered to the hilt for the past three days. John had his regional conference there and since they love to include the whole family we were invited also. My oldest daughter was off at camp so my youngest was a touch apprehensive about going it alone without her sister who all of a sudden she started missing. Can't remember when that happened last. Within hours I was the one on my own as she found a whole gaggle ( what do they call a group of 13 year olds?) of kids to hang out with. John atttended meetings in the morning was was off for the afternoon so we got to spend some time just taking in the beauty of that part of Ontario.



Today I'm back at home and for once we left the house in perfectly tidy condition......yes, all that decluttering last week really did work. John is in town at a garden center picking up some mulch, the girls are playing basketball so hopefully I can manage to sneak in a few minutes in the studio. My work has just been so sadly neglected this last little while. Tomorrow is a write off as I am busy all day and Wednesday John's brother and sister in law arrive from Iqaluit, Nunavut for a two day visit. Sunday we leave for New York so I can attended my workshop with Carol Shinn and a much anticipated visit with Tracy Helgeson. She has been blogging lately about her gorgeous new studio which I am, I will admit, a tiny bit jealous of. If you saw the space I worked in you would understand. But I am so very happy for her she sure deserves it. Can't wait to see it live.



Here is a link to one of my favourite galleries The Bau-xi Gallery in Toronto They also have a sister gallery in Vancouver. They represent the best of the best. Drew Burnham is represented by them and his work is just stunning.

On A Roll

Reds

Thread on Cotton

Yesterday went better than anticipated so today I'm on a roll. I've decided to tackle our overgrown gardens. Now John was always "the guy" when it came to taking care of all that but he's been unbelievably busy at work these days so the task has fallen upon me. If you saw the backyard you would know it has fallen on me. So this morning I went out and pulled some weeds and did some snipping of deadheads (I think that's a gardening term). There is still a lot to be done but today is a rather wet one and the mosquitoes are out in packs. I feel bad for our rhubarb though as it doesn't always get eaten. Our friend Jennifer who owns "Apple of My Pie" has a booth at the farmers market in Orillia and she sometimes raids the patch so at least in that way someone is enjoying it.

On the art front I've got a couple new galleries I am interested in but the application may have to wait until the end of summer as this one is just filling up too quickly. Check out OENO as it is one of the galleries I'm interested in.

Decluttering............how much of my life do I spend on this?

Purple Fields

Work in Paint & Thread

Sold

I will spend today doing one of my least favourite things and that is decluttering. It seems like I spend a lot of time on this task only to find out within a week or so that the entire house looks like it did before I started. How can that possibly be? It makes me wonder how many hours of my life I've spent on this. Today I've decided I will tackle John's workshop which is in the basement. I don't know why we call it his workshop as he never does anything in there. Oh, the odd time he goes in there to get a nail or a drill but mostly it just seems to be the room that collects a whole lot of junk. If the girls don't know where something goes they just leave it in there. So the most dreaded room in the house is finally going to get a much needed make over. But I can promise you there will be no before and after pictures. I'll have two bags on the go. One for garbage and the other for Goodwill. I think it's going to be a long day.

Most summers are unbelievably laid back for us which suits our lifestyle just fine but this year seems to be the exception. I don't know why we jam packed so much into a couple of short months but I'm feeling really tight on time these days. Surprisingly enough I did finish "Copper Road" and am extremely pleased at how it all turned out. The wools and silks I used just shimmer in the piece. Can't wait to see what it looks like once it's framed.

Hope these summer days are treating you well,

I Love A Parade

Yesterday being Canada Day and all, the village held it's annual Canada Day Parade. I've been attending the festivities for the past 10 years now but have never seen as many people as I did yesterday. The very first parade started out with one float and a fire truck. We had just sat down in our lawn chairs to watch and within 5 minutes we were folding them up again and heading home. But the village really outdid itself yesterday as the entire thing from beginning to end must have been at least half a good half hour. Whoo Hoo!

My friend Joe led the parade with his bagpipes.......





Here are some of the sights from yesterday.

This sweet little girl was standing right beside us and couldn't resist heading out to dance with the local dance troupe.





What's a parade without the local beauty queen?






It can't be a true rural parade without some Johne Deere tractors.










You gotta have a smart car................


When the parade ended everyone walked on over to the community hall where we were treated to some great local entertainment, strawberry cake and ice cream. Here are my friends Andy and Charlie singing "Bring Down The Government" just as Garfield Dunlop our local MPP for Simcoe North walked in the door. They did warn us it was an anarchy song. I say perfect timing.

Back To The Studio

This morning I got into the studio.......finally, and started on a new piece. Since the show opened at the beginning of June I haven't spent that much productive time in there. Oh, I've been in there to tidy up a bit and fool around with some paint but as far as work goes....nada. After every show I almost always feel the burnout settling in.

So this new piece is going to be called "Copper Road". First time I can remember a name coming to me before the piece had been completed. Copper Road will be much longer than it will be wide as that is a shape that has always really appealed to me. The top 1/3 will be blue sky.......I'll use cobalt with a lot of white and the trees will be entirely worked in thread. The bottom 2/3 will be much more abstract. I'm planning on integrating a variety of wools (umbers, mahoganys, deep siennas and of course coppers). It will start almost brown/black at the bottom and lighten in colour from there. I think I may throw some silks in too just to add a tiny bit of shimmer.

Here are a few photos of some of my wools and silks

A Wicked and Wild Night in the Village

This has been just a crazy busy week so far. The first full week the girls are finished school and are just "hanging around" the house. Today I drove to town to pick up my sewing machine...."yeah" then came home and drove my youngest daughter's friend home after a sleepover. After that I picked up my oldest daughter from another sleepover and then drove them both into town for a final end of year school party. They have a much richer social life than I. I need to get out more.

Saturday night there was some real excitement brewing the in Village. Around 7:00pm a huge storm blew in with torrential winds and rain. After all was said and done the creek behind my house breached it's banks and flooded two hundred meters on either side. The above photo is of the creek on a normal day. Below you'll find pictures of what it looked like on Saturday night.

Hope everyone is well and thanks so much to all the great artists who took the time to answer my questions regarding oil painting...........yes, Jean I promise to try and have a bit more patience...probably not my strong suit but I'll try.

New York in July

Next month we are headed to Upstate New York and I am unbelievably excited. I found out this past winter that the amazingly talented Carol Shinn was teaching at Morrisville State College
Since New York is just a hop, skip and a jump from me (ok, maybe not that quick but about 5 hours) I decided to take her class this summer. Studying under Carol Shinn is like meeting with a rock star for me. Her work is about the best you can get for anyone who is working in embroidery. Although we both work in thread, she works in it exclusively which means no paint whatsoever. This will be a major challenge for me as I am used to incorporating both of them into my work. John and the girls are coming along as we've planned on making a vacation out of it. I have heard Upstate N.Y. is similar in many ways to Ontario.....lots of rivers, lakes and green spaces. John is an avid fly fisherman so he should be in his glory........the girls no so much but they are hoping there is shopping near by. I've found a beautiful Inn where we'll be staying and since I'll only be in class during the day it leaves lots of time for exploring the area the rest of the time.

Well must run the laundry is calling. I think all day today I'll be singing the "I Love New York" theme song.........maybe not singing but humming for sure.

A Visit From The Plumber

I had great intentions yesterday of getting many things done but instead spent two hours with the plumber. Last week my oldest daughter mistakenly (I don't know how you can do this mistakenly but she did) flushed the toilet paper roll down the toilet. You know the plastic cylinder that the toilet paper roll fits over? She said it slipped out of her hand while the toilet was flushing. Huh? I spent days trying to plunge that thing thinking I could save myself some cash and perhaps begin a new career but it finally dawned on me that I was making no headway with the toilet. The plumber arrived yesterday and tried to push the thing through the system with something he called a snake but that didn't work either. For some odd reason, he too, kept calling me Mel.

He finally had to take the toilet off and set it outside on my deck while he used a coat hanger to try and get that dreaded plastic roll out of the toilet. At one point he said he had gotten one half of it but the other was jammed in there and we may need to think about getting a new toilet. I could see the money I had made at the show on Friday night going toward buying a new toilet and it didn't make me feel very happy. He said he would keep working on it. Tick tock, tick tock...$$$$$$$$$

After another ten minutes he finally removed it from the toilet, raised it above his head and said proudly, "Mel, I got it". Surprisingly enough that was the highlight of my day yesterday.

Here's a few new pieces.... work in acrylic paint and thread

Purple Fields

Red Tulip

In The Distance