Bee and Crocus - true signs of spring

I almost missed these. They burst into bloom with the first, full, sunny day after days of cold rain. Bees were everywhere, celebrating the floral explosion. (The weather lured me outside out and I couldn't help but rake and search for new growth. These were one of the rewards.)

"High Meadows" a double-walled basket for the Fuller Craft Museum

After almost a year of thinking about, sketching, and weaving mock-ups, I have finished the commission awarded me by the Fuller Craft Museum in Brockton, MA. The challenge was to create a basket over and beyond what I had done before, yet exemplify the best of what I am known for.

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The decision was to weave a double-walled construction, using both tapestry and "hairy" techniques to create the design. There were many firsts to this piece. The most significant was that this basket was woven off center so that it would sit at an angle. Also new for this basket was the use of short "hairy" pieces in the inner basket. (Usually, I weave this technique on the entire outer surface of a basket, and not just in small areas.)

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The idea for this basket was inspired by the the linear elements of cultivated fields off-set by the wild outcroppings I saw in a Google map. The current basket has taken the idea of nature's geography one step further, into stylized texture. The chartreuse "field" (in the inner basket) holds the promise of spring growth. I was thinking of wild mustangs, and reindeer left to roam free for the summer. (The Google map was of Montana where I'd read about mustang gatherings and I'd been thinking about walking with reindeer we saw in the mountains in Norway last summer.) Weaving this basket was a way to honor the animal spirit and natural beauty I love.

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By clicking on this link, you will see twenty photographs documenting the basket's progression. I have written detailed captions for each photo explaining the steps. The basket is 12" tall on the high side, 8.5" on the short side and is 19" in diameter. The material is dyed rattan reed with encaustic medium. (and yes, marbles were added at the last minute for weight, interest and sound.)

Photos of the finished basket coming soon!

Tonight, I wove together the inner and outer baskets for the Fuller commission. It's taken me a lot longer than I expected, but I'm really pleased. I still have some work to do before I add the encaustic medium to it, but I wanted to invite anyone reading this to come back (at the end of the week) to see photos of the finished basket.

"Champagne Ice"

I got up early one morning to catch the ice crystals before the sun melted them. It was in the low teens outside and the sun was just hitting the arborvitea. An hour later the details had blurred and the magic moment had disappeared.

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p.s. I entered this photo in an online photography contest called "Winter Light." The juror, Roger Foley gave me a Silver. Click on his name to see his website! Getting an award from him is quite a complement.

The museum commission is in the works!

After a few months of sketching out design ideas and weaving small maquettes, I started work on the commission for the Fuller Craft Museum's permanent collection. They want their piece to be a personal statement representing and topping off, the work I've done to date. I'm weaving a sculptural, graphic, double-walled construction which will incorporate my "hairy" technique in the inner basket. The above photos are details of the basket. (I enjoy photographing these almost as much as I love weaving/creating/problem-solving the actual baskets.)

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Double-wall construction baskets are woven in two sections, an outer basket and an inner basket. I have finished most of the weaving/work on the outer basket, though I may rework the colors, or alter their placement as the inner basket design evolves. Working photos of the outer basket are posted here. More photos will follow as I work on the inner basket.

A bit of color for a grey day

Fireworks over Bergen ~ Happy New Year to All

2009 was a year filled with challenges and a lot of intense learning. I look forward to a bright and creative 2010 filled with magic and mystery for all of us. (The water, color, graphics and smoke in this photo, appealed to me. It was shot by a webcam in Bergen, Norway a few minutes after midnight.)

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I've been thinking about what is important to me, what I want to pursue, and what I want to change. (This blog has been good practice since writing isn't easy for me. I'd rather weave or build something.) I want to do it all. I want to spend more time weaving, playing with color, photographing nature and exploring the riches of social media. For the last few months I've been wrapped up in trying to learn as much as I can, as fast as I can about the internet, but the more I learn, the more there is to know. Since I haven't discovered a way to clone myself, I need to find a balance.

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I've been working on ideas for the Fuller Craft Museum's commission. Now that my broken finger is nearly functional, though a bit crooked, I'm looking forward to starting in on that! I've missed being able to weave. The basket will be a double-walled construction, with a garden color scheme. I will post photos of the piece as I work on it. Please come back to see how it evolves.

Oh my, I've been tagged for an "Honest Scrap Award"

Susan Cohan aka Miss Rumphius' Rules, has tagged me for this bit of notoriety! The award has two components. First you have to list 10 honest things about yourself (and make them interesting), and second -- present the award to seven other bloggers. This was an interesting process for me. I'm more comfortable sharing photos of baskets and nature than using words, but here it goes:

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1. I spend far too much time on Twitter, but it inspires me and I always learn something new or interesting.

2. Looking at color and design feeds me the way others are moved by music.

3. I believe in quality, not quantity as it applies to just about everything.

4. My best friend is an extroverted, 94 pound Old English Sheepdog.

5. I like all animals, but not all people.

6. I tried Match.com once, fell in love, it didn't work out. (I won't try that again soon.)

7. I am more comfortable in a garden or on the side of a mountain, than in a city. (There's a rustic cluster of cabins in northern Norway where I seem to breathe more deeply ...)

8. My 30 year old yard/garden is seriously "potbound."

9. I wanted to be an architect, I've always been an artist.

10. I wish preschools would teach logic to little kids.

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My seven (plus one) choices for bloggers are:

Cotswold Peeps

The Roaring Inside

The Hermitage

oh what a world, what a world...

Serendipity Rising

toptomato

ARTROX THINKS BLOG

Mountainear

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I look forward to hearing any thoughts you might like to share.

Anemone Seeds, Jeweled Nets

These anemone seeds started in tight heads. As they aged, they formed nets which broke open and their seeds spread with the wind.

I submitted this photo to Fine Gardening's November photo challenge and they liked it! (I was one of four whose work was chosen to receive a time-lapse plant camera!)

The Summer Palace, by Patrick Dougherty

This 25 foot sculpture was built on the grounds of the Morris Arboretum in April of 2009. Partick Doughtery worked with 75 volunteers over a 19 day period. They used locally gathered materials: willow, dogwood, maple and birch. (No nails or hardware were used.)

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It was very humbling to walk into something so structurally strong which felt like it had been woven by a bird (ie. as in bird's nest).

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The third photo is looking through one of the outer walls into an inner chamber. I noticed a few of the willow branches had started to grow and had sent out leaves. How amazing it would be to weave a home and then have the whole thing take root and grow!