Afternoon of the First Day in Kyoto: Tenryu-ji Shrine

Taking a trip like this one to Asia is stepping into a different world.  Few of us had any real understanding of the history that has formed the Japanese culture let alone an understanding of the spoken or written language.  Simple things, like D saying one day that now that he's seen the trees in Japan, he has a better understanding of the classic shapes in the art of bonsai.  It's because that's the shape of the full size trees in Japan.  Or how the facts that 73% of Japan is mountainous and 78% of the population live in urban areas may have influenced the culture as well as the manners of the people.

The Japanese we met were scrupulously polite for the most part.  Any time we tried to use a Japanese phrase no matter how we might mangle it, they were delighted and politely tried to help.  Mistakes were either overlooked or, what was even more frequent, were gently corrected. We found ourselves bowing as they did and gesturing to encourage them to precede us or to take a seat.  Indeed those courtesies we practiced in their country were continued by us in South Korea and Hong Kong.  I found myself wondering if their historically rigid forms of etiquette possibly born of class differences continued in part because the growth of their population forced people to live in more and more crowded areas.  It's probably an over-simplification, but it made some sense to me.

Anyway, here are photographs from our second day of touring.  The sight of the sampan on the river surprised me until I realized that even the Japanese like to experience so-called "touristy" things. You know this will appear in a painting at some point!

This thatched roof is really thick and precisely constructed. Given the shape of this roof, the thatching had to be a bit of a challenge!

Now this is a rather curious sight.  It is a graveyard for monks, and the grave stones are primarily individualized stone statues of Buddhas.  While I have other pictures of this place, I chose this one with the flowering trees in the background.  We missed the big cherry blossom time, but were lucky enough to see many in bloom (we also ate a cherry blossom "jello" dessert and drank cherry blossom tea).

You will have to tolerate and forgive my fascination for everything "roof" - from decorations, to style, to color, to intersections of several roofs and so on. I can only imagine that the creature below is a guardian spirit.

The torii gate has significance which I had not realized until our guide explained.  When one walks through such a gate on the way to a shrine, one leaves the profane world behind and enters a sacred place.  It's similar to the notion of "leaving your troubles at the door" but with a spiritual emphasis.  The color also has something to do with blocking bad spirits from passing through the gate into the shrine area.

What can I say?  Roof lines with lots of decorative touches.

 

A type of iris, I think.  They were wild and grew in profusion in many places we visited.

This is a camellia - a very lovely flower.

Two views of the ornamental lake.

Here is one of the many volunteers who work in the gardens.  This man is weeding the moss (!). Behind him on the hillside are rhododendrons in bloom.

Here's a lovely spot!

Proof that the cherry trees really were in bloom!

The bamboo forest is one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen, and here it is made lovelier by the two young ladies in traditional kimonos.

Here is a close-up.  We were fascinated by the bamboo with white rings and those with black.  There's probably a simple explanation, but I don't know what it is.

Many people rent kimonos to wear on special occasions.  Or just because they want to.  It didn't matter why to me because I just loved seeing all that glorious fabric!

  

As I think I mentioned yesterday, it was far more rare to see a male dressed, but the gentleman below is.

If you remember your Gilbert & Sullivan, you'll recognize my title for the next photograph:  "Three Little Maids from School Are We".

And the final gate for today is a relatively plain one, but it has such character I had to include it.

Travel is Officially Over

We are back from our incredible trip to Japan, South Korea, and Hong Kong, and although we are jet-lagged and D has a cold, we had a wonderful time!  

Honestly, for me the tedium of flying such a distance is exaggerated.  In my opinion, and I do realize others have their own view of the matter, if you are wise in what you take for your own entertainment, and if you can accept the fact that if you want to explore exciting locales, you have to be willing to get there, you can pass the time without wishing for a sharp knife to end it all! In my case, because of the time during which we traveled and my assigned seat, it was too dark to be able to do hand work (shades are pulled down to aid sleep and for the same reason I didn't want to use my own reading lamp while others in my row of 4 were trying to get some shut eye).  So I had to rely on my Kindle for reading and/or games and the in-flight entertainment of music (limited amount of classical music, but enough for both going and coming back), and movies (a documentary and Alice in Wonderland on the way to Japan and Hidden Figures on the way home were my choices).  Of course, meals kept us occupied also.

We landed in Tokyo without any issues and made the connecting flight to Osaka with time to spare. Once we got there, we were very happy to find our room delightful!  Take special note of both the bed and the mural!  Can you find the bird?  Needless to say, we hit the bed like stones and didn't move until morning,

After our breakfast we got on our tour bus and headed to nearby Kyoto.  Once there we went to the monthly market in the grounds of a shrine. This market is held only once a month on the 21st on the ground of the Toji Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Temple was founded by a Chinese trained Shinto priest, Kukai, at the end of the 8th century.  It has burned and been rebuilt several times (the five story pagoda, the tallest in Japan, was a magnet for lightning but now has lightning protection).

What an experience the market was!  By the time we left it was very, very crowded, but as you can see from the photos, it wasn't bad when we got there.  I did find remnants of antique fabrics, and D bought a bag of candied ginger (not at all gooey) that lasted almost the entire trip.  The first photo features a knife maker with his knives spread out in front and beside him.  They were gorgeous and very sharp looking, but we decided the TS

A folks at the airport wouldn't be happy if we tried to take any home.

This is the man from whom D bought our ginger.  Did I mention it was the best I ever had?

Here the vendors are making some traditional dish which we didn't try.  Many stands were selling food items - some raw and some cooked on site.

A friend took a photo of me rinsing my hands using a dipper in the traditional way to purify them.

Fabrics, oh be still my heart!  I didn't purchase anything here because the pieces (lengths of kimono cloth) were too long and pretty expensive. Now of course, I wish I had - I could have shared with friends.  Oh well, the fabric was such fun to look at, though!

This photo show part of the shrine with stalls in front.  

Lots and lots of fish were on sale.  These vendors are selling fresh fish.  Colorful, isn't it?

The following pictures are of the locale rather than of the vendors and their wares, but by the end of this entry, I may have come back to vendors.  Here is the five-story pagoda (try to ignore the poles in front!).

A visitor dressed in traditional kimono and obi at the shrine's gate.  We saw many women and some men dressed in traditional garb while in Japan - more than I expected.

This is the time of year that school starts (begins in April and goes until March with several breaks throughout the school year) in Japan, and many students were going on sight-seeing trips.  All students wear uniforms which can be quite expensive. 

The  large shrine was open by ticket only, and we didn't have the time to do that, but there were many smaller shrines around the area.

Here is my favorite photo of D from the market visit.  Not only is it a good picture of him, I love the roof lines behind him.  Oh, his hand is on the railing of a bridge over the canal that you will see later on.

Isn't this a lovely little building?  You will notice red fire prevention buckets by all of these wooden structures even though I tried not to get them in the photos.  It just wasn't always possible!

This is a canal right beside a small shrine inside the grounds.  Behind you can see another building with a great roof line.

One of my favorite photos, it's a detail from one of the roofs I admired throughout the trip.

Another view of the canal - notice the reflections.

Here is another one of the small shrines.  This one I took because of the window on the side of the building and because you can get a sense of the bridge over the canal.  In this photo there is a better look at the bamboo railing on the bridge (like the one in the photo of D).

After the market, we boarded our bus and took off for a new kind of sight-seeing experience.  More about that tomorrow.

Eye Issues

I missed writing yesterday because I am fighting an infection in an eye.  It makes for lopsided everything!  Seems I spend a lot of time using wet hot pads, putting ookey ointment in my eye, and eye drops in between the ointment dosing.  The pills are easy!

So for a while, I won't be writing, but I will be back.

I hope that doesn't sound like a threat . . . .

Czarina No Longer!

This "Challenge Czarina" has been officially dethroned!  My tiara is gone, the ermine robe has been repossessed, and the scepter has been sent for re-plating and polishing.  My job with the Quilt Guild has been passed into the capable hands of a friend of mine (though she may change my designation in that "realm" as well!).

Now when I go to guild meetings, I can sit and natter away with those around me, knit rows that will have to be taken out because I wasn't paying attention, and/or doze off without worrying about having to get up to announce something.  

It had its moments, but I am glad to lay down the royal seal.  

Basically that was it for the day.  I got up so early to get to the meeting early enough to get a good parking spot, set up, and be ready to collect members' challenge quilts.  I am lucky enough always to have the help of friends so it goes smoothly no matter what I forget.  

Even so, the early hour coupled with the anxiety made me tired enough so I didn't do any packing when I got home.  I did some reading and then enjoyed the late afternoon on our sunny patio .

Everyday should end like that!

Best Laid Plans

Well, I was full of optimism today just like yesterday.  Now that the day is over, I have to admit I was a little disappointed.  The plan was to walk, do a few errands, complete two hours of packing up the dining room, and then have time to sew.

We walked, did our errands, and came home for lunch.  What?  Lunch time already?  Oh yes.  Darn, darn, and mumble, mumble.  We ate quickly, D went out to clean up the front yard, and I hurried into the dining room to empty the Chinoiserie*.  Here is a photo of the cabinet closed:

Actually, I added that photo simply so you'd understand why we use the name we do for it.  Due to the lighting, it looks brownish (almost a burnt sienna), but it's closer to a dark red.  Anyway, I worked until I had this:

Completely empty, hooray!

Oh, you noticed the red and white linens on the ladder (there are two ladders full of linens)?  I thought I'd get those packed up, too, but I was tired out and over my time limit.

Guess who didn't get any sewing done today!

*from Dictionary.com

noun, plural chinoiseries 

 [sheen-wah-zuh-reez, -wah-zuh-reez; French shee-nwazuh-ree] (Show IPA), for 2. (sometimes initial capital letter)

1.

a style of ornamentation current chiefly in the18th century in Europe, 

characterized by intricate patterns and an extensive use of motifs identified as Chinese.

2.

an object decorated in this style or an example ofthis style:

Spring's Optimistic Affect

A rainy day turned sunny! The forsythia is definitely covered with yellow buds just waiting to burst into bloom.  It's one of those spring days that make me really glad to live where I do.  It's so much easier to appreciate spring when you have to go through the tunnel of winter to get there!  Oh well, it's D's birthday so everything looks lovely.

No photographs today because I had an appointment that took all morning, grocery shopping to pick up the leg of lamb and asparagus for D's dinner, and the rest of the afternoon packing the second china cabinet in the dining.  This cabinet holds the china and crystal we really use, but I still found a few "smalls" that can probably be put with the antique china I'm getting rid of.

So there's another point.  Here I am blithely and confidently saying that I am going to "get rid" of china and other highly collectible items.  Now, I have to confess that I know full well that most people now turn up their noses at the very notion of anything antique.  Just who am I thinking will want to purchase my "treasures"?  I am deluding myself, but I will try to find a dealer who understands that fashion is fickle and is young enough to be willing to wait until tastes change again.

Of course, that may take far longer than I have, but with the forsythia so cheerful, how can I not be?

Painting and Clearing Out

Painting was up and down for me today.  Sharon had to re-size my drawings for me as somehow (okay, it was a math thing) the ones I did were much too small.  After she did that I traced the drawings but decided not to transfer them onto the painting.  Instead, I thought my time would be better used if I indicated the tree canopy.  Doing that would insure I would have room for both the fountain's space and its sprays of water.  Again the branches were done with a very light wash.  I hope to be able to have painting time later this week, but I'm not sure that will happen.  

It's another. "I'll have to wait and see."

When I got home, I remembered that I had promised myself I would spend two hours working in the dining room to prepare it for painting.  Two hours is not enough, and I know that.  My theory is that two hours a day will make the process easier to tolerate.  I hope.  Here's what I did today.

One of the two cabinets, the linen press, is now empty.  The contents are in two bins in the garden room.  Since I had cleaned both the living and dining rooms from ceiling to floor after the kitchen renovation, everything was neat in the linen press.  The surprise was my reaction to many of the items.  I don't want most of them anymore!  There are beautiful pieces of antique china, some glass, and other odds and ends for setting an elegant table.  We haven't used them in at least twenty years, and our daughter has no interest in them.   It's the type of downsizing I can do. The other cabinet houses the china and crystal we do use, and that I will keep. 

Naturally packing all that up took more than two hours so I had no time to sew before dinner.  That's not good for my sewing plans!

Weekends Are Not for Laundry!

Today was to be "Fountain Day" as well as laundry day, but as so often happens, the fountain decided that it would rather wait.  But all was not lost - the laundry did get done!

And that led me to another curious curlicue of thought.  Laundry day. Why had I chosen Monday as the day for that chore?  When I was working, housework chores were always done on the weekends; weekdays were for helping with homework, or if it was math homework, just making sure it was done.  Then I had my own "homework" to do: correcting papers, writing lesson plans, reading, researching, etc.  Weekends were for grocery shopping, minimal housework, doing whatever our daughter needed done, family fun, and yes, laundry.

That line of thought led me to an understanding of why I was determined not to do chores on the weekends.  One of the gifts hidden in retirement is that you can do whatever you need to do whenever you want!  That's why I don't shop, do housework, or do the laundry on the weekend.

Did I say housework?  Sorry, my fault.

I don't do housework on any day.

Re-figured Figures

The sketch of D has been re-drawn, and I think it is much better than the first one.  Today I re-sized the drawings from the relatively large size of the drawings to fit in the painting.  Since each person was drawn with no regard to the other two the resizing was different for each person.  It took time, but I was able to get it correct.  What you see below are the drawings before they were re-sized:

I cut out the original sketch of D as I didn't want to use up toner on that disaster!  The figure of B should be slimmed down a bit, but I think I can do that when I transfer the drawing.  G's arms need to be check to be sure they are as they should be.  It's probably harder to see them because of the markings I made for joints before I drew the body (working from the inside out - which is also why you see the curve of her spine).  D is far better (that is a shadow on the right I forgot to erase not a slice in his side!).

Next is the fountain itself.  While part of me liked the idea of it being larger (therefore not in proportion) than it is in reality, I now think that won't do.  My paintings tend to be on the realistic side and a super large fountain would merely look out of place.  Working on that will be a challenge as the smaller it is the more difficult to get necessary detail recognizable.

Drawing for the Savannah Painting

It was a busy day made busier when I went to a meeting that I didn't need to go to - this week, anyway.  "It's next Friday," said my friend KR when I called her from the parking lot.  Sigh.  Maybe I should have written about "one of those weeks" instead of "one of those days"!

However, it was indeed a good day because I did get a little drawing done.  Remember those figures in the Savannah painting?  Today I found enough time to quickly re-draw all three (ignore the differences in size among the three) :

D, who is the figure in the upper right, was first one I drew today, and that's clearly evident.  His legs show movement, but the upper body is static.  He's also not quite right proportionally.  

Next is our friend, B, the figure to the left of D.  This one I think is almost there; to me it looks as though he is walking with his whole body. There needs to be a bit more definition in the left leg as to the wrinkles or shadows in the pants which will help balance the figure.

Finally is the female, G, also a traveling companion, in the lower left.  The body is much better than my first attempt, and as with B, she appears to be active: strolling, enjoying the day, and looking around.  I was working on getting the perspective correct in her left arm when I was called away by a visitor.  It needs further study and re-drawing.  And her right foot is way too large!

Not bad for a second try.  One more day to work, and I may have it.

One of Those Days

Do you ever have one?  One of those days, I mean.  Today was one of them for me.  

It started out okay even though we had to get up earlier than we usually do and found that it was as gray and dismal as expected.  But we rallied and tore out of the house so D could rent a car (it's the weekend of the big bonsai show so he needs his own wheels), and after dropping him off, I could go get blood drawn.  Now that's not a horrible event to me but having to do anything without coffee or at least having coffee near-to-hand seems completely unnecessary.  Minor issue but still an issue.

After stopping at Starbucks (yes, I'm one of those coffee people), I returned home in order to help D get everything ready and in the rental car.  When he had departed, I found the address for the local SAS (San Antonio Shoes) store and scurried off to buy two pairs of shoes - one dressy, one everyday but both black (why make it too complicated? colors can come later) for our next trip.  The store is in Latham which I rarely visit, but nonetheless I was able to find it.  As an aside, here's why I went there.  SAS is a company that not only makes all its shoes here in the U.S.; it also purchases ALL its shoe leather from - wait for it - GLOVERSVILLE!!! I kid you not!  It doesn't guarantee you'll find what you want, but it certainly makes me try hard to find what I want.  Fortunately, comfort is more important to me than style (not their strong point), and I bought a pair of everyday shoes that are pure bliss. There's no other word.  They are the most comfortable things that I've ever had on my feet.  The only downside was that they didn't have a dress shoe for me.  Bummer.

Went to Fresh Market (a new experience), bought too much, and came home in time for the rain.  Just when I had to go next door to take care of the mail and cat for a neighbor who is away.  Naturally.  Then home for lunch when daughter called.  

She's having an Alexander's Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, so I had to spend quite a bit of time listening and helping (as much as I could which wasn't much).  We were interrupted I swear 17 times which meant that 16 times either she or I had to call back.  You can imagine how much I got done by the time all was "said and done".  Right.

Still pouring.  Didn't feel like sewing so I thought I'd go up and do some drawing of the figures for the Savannah painting.  It was 4:45.  P.M.  Could I have done it no matter what time it was?  Of course.  But my "oomph" had flattened out entirely.

So I sat down and read Dissolution by C.J. Sansom.  It's the first of the Shardlake series which if this one is any indicator is a good series of mysteries set in Tudor England.  

Basically, it was one of those days.

Butterfly Wall Hanging

Here's a photo of a new wall-hanging-to-be which I forgot about when writing my last entry (actually, I am sure there are dozens of to-be's that weren't mentioned!).  The blocks that you see aren't all sewn together, and they were laid out on the kitchen table to determine the eventual order of the blocks.  D and I think this is it.

The two butterflies that have bodies have been sewn, but none of the others are.  

There is one other flying creature pictured in this photo; see if you can find what it is!

THe Old Carrot Trick

There is a quilt underway (one I started several months ago) that I have managed to ignore for a while as well as one that I have worked on but not enough to finish it. Of course, each one has an "issue" that needs to be resolved which is why they are merely sitting quietly on my cutting board.  The first one I mentioned is a pain to cut out, and I suspect that one or two of the first blocks may have to be unstitched and re-sewn.  The second one is non-traditional and has been fun until it wasn't.  It turns out that the dark background can be seen through some lighter pieces in the foreground.  Naturally the foreground pieces are very fussy and time consuming to cut.

So I have decided that while trying to talk myself into taking care of business by completing the above two, I will cut out at least two more quilts that I am really eager to begin.  My thinking is that by doing this, I am coddling myself but also preparing enticements that I can't do until the less pleasant "chores" are done.

It the carrot before the horse trick.

Hope it works!  I'll let you know.

Back to Blogging!

My last blog was written on the day there was a death in my family at which time I wrote that my entries would be erratic but that I would write again.

Today is the day.  So I will start with the painting I'm now working on.  In 2015, we traveled to Savannah, a beautiful city.  I took loads of photos (unfortunately all on my phone), but for whatever reason, I never felt the time was right to paint.  A little over two weeks ago, I decided to face my fear and start with the subject I really wanted to do but was intimidated by.  

Forsyth Park is among the most beautiful park I've ever seen.  That's part of it.  But the real kicker is that it is the subject of many, many, many paintings.  Okay.  So what, right?  Mine will be just one more, but it will be pictured as I saw it.

Here it is after the second day of work.  

On the first day without sketching anything, I applied the first wash of color, and I was happy about it.  The focal point (the fountain) would not be in the center!  So on the second day, I figured that I'd sketch the focal point and the walkers.  If you are familiar with the park or have ever seen photos of this park, you know that the fountain is too large.  And "that's the way I like it, uh huh, uh huh"!

Now, the figures?  No.  At first I thought I was doing all right with them; all right, that is, until Sharon came along.  When she discussed the problem - they were too blocky, too static - I didn't get it . . . until she had me draw them her way on scrap paper, and then I saw what she meant.  

Her way of teaching me was to show me what she meant in a book entitled How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way.  It's a seriously good book that goes a step beyond the usual human anatomy text.  I purchased one right away, I can tell you!

  

Once I have the people sketched to my satisfaction, I will work on lifting (I mean erasing using a gum eraser) the figures on the watercolor paper and trace the newer, better ones.

I hope!

Finished Quilt

Times have been difficult of late.  My postings will continue to be erratic for the time being,but when I can, I will.

Today I was able to finish the modern baby quilt by attaching the binding.  Definitely not my favorite part of quilting, but it's done.

While you've seen this before, today you can sort of see the binding if you enlarge the photo by tapping the image.  I made the binding using strips of the various blues using withing the quilt.  I think if provides a better border than the white would which I think would be the only possible alternative.  A solid blue also would not have been as effective as this variegated version.  It mimics the random placement of color within the quilt providing a border that complements without taking attention away from the main design.

A Special Coleection

My studio is the place where you will find me nearly every day.  Usually I am engaged in either sewing/quilting activities or in painting/drawing.  Today I spent time cutting fabric for a quilt I started in late fall and for which I have made only eight blocks.  To me that cutting was a huge step towards getting more blocks made in this complex, labor intensive pattern.  I also cut out fabric I had purchased specifically for pillowcase because that's a really good sewing project for spare moments if  the fabrics are ready.  I still need to do the second cuts on the fabrics for the complex pattern and pin the pillowcase fabrics, but what I did is move ahead with things that had simply been piled up.

Then I turned my attention to ironing some cloth napkins used at Christmas time.  Once those were done, I thought of other - what my mother would call "flat work" that also awaited ironing.  So out came my piles of unironed hankies.  This is an easy task that I - if I have the time - truly enjoy.  It's a soothing, mindless task, and my collection of vintage hankies is large.  I have hankies for specific holidays and specific seasons.  I have genre hankies: art, hobbies, travel, dietary and etiquette reminders, souvenirs, etc. There are some that have special handwork: crocheted, tatted, and hemstitched edges, embroidered and appliqued surfaces.  And you know I have left some out.

Many of my hankies I bought myself, a few came from my mother, and many more have been gifts - especially from my SiLs N and A.

Here's a photo of a few of my hankies. You will see different piles because I was sorting them into groups by color, season, holiday, etc.  The little white pieces of paper tells me the category and the number in that category - so far.

The photo shows only a very small number of the hankies; some were so wrinkled by being pushed around in the drawer as I searched for a particular one that I decided to put them in the laundry and start fresh with them.

There are days when taking time for this sort of activity, the kind of task that brings with it memories both happy and sad, is well worth both the time and the energy.

Snow

Was I surprised when I looked outside at one point today and saw that snow was coming heavily. "Wait a minute," I thought,"this is supposed to over!"  But I realized that it was truly beautiful so I grabbed my phone (think about that!) and headed outside on the run.  In my slippers.

Rather amazing snow in our backyard, don't you think?

This one is a close up of the above scene complete with our red bird house from Rochester (a real favorite as our grandson had seen it on his bus home from school, told our daughter, and made sure we were taken to see the birdhouses.  Of course, we had to buy one, and this one shows up so nicely during winter.

It was so pretty it was (almost) worth my cold feet (remember my slippers?)!

Sunrise not Sunset

While in class today, I realized that my painting depicts a sunrise not a sunset.  That decision was reached after another student came over to see what I was doing (she has been away for a few weeks), and excitedly said, "Oh, I have similar photos that I want to paint, but mine are sunsets."  She showed me a few and the lightbulb in my memory room went on.  There is a difference between the two in the colors in the sky, and her photos reminded me of those similar sunset pictures I had taken.

Today was only the second day on this particular version of the "study", but I think I am not only close to finishing it but also close to calling it a finished work rather than study.  Having said that I may have thoroughly jinxed myself, but only time will tell.

The colors were accented in the sky and water during class after Sharon reminded me that I should put in my darks now so I could work on balance before I went too far one way or another.  Also, the clump of mangrove in the water, the bit of land that juts out from the right, and the glimmerings of more foliage on the left were added today.  

It's closer to finished.

In the Deep Mid-Winter

We are truly experiencing winter as it was when some of us were small.  At least there is snow on the ground, and it's been there for a couple of days.  Today we did not have the snow that had been forecast; instead we had a day of glorious sunshine.

By the time I had finished playing with some laundry, the sun had already rid the trees of a bit of their snow mantles. Even so, the back yard looked lovely, and if you look closely enough, you'll be able to see a splash of red in the shrub between the birdhouse in the middle and the arbor on the left.  That red is one of at least three cardinal couples who live in our yard.

The next one shows off both the amount of snow and our collection of watering cans - all lying on their sides.  We really shouldn't keep them outside all the time; we've already lost a couple to rust and old age.  But I don't really have a place for them inside, and I like to see them in all weather conditions.

And in case that's simply too much sun and shadow and snow, here's a sign of spring (even though it is indoors right now):

This is our third grafted miniature pussy-willow tree, and it is by far the healthiest one we've had.  Look at the number of catkins!  They are covered with the yellow pollen right now, and it's the best time to prune the "tree" before the leaves are out.  D plans to do that soon and start to shape this tree.  He'll have some fun, and we'll both try to keep this one going - water, water, water - that's the key.  Another good reason for having it on our kitchen table!

Monk's Face

Why I had such difficulty last time seeing the Tibetan Monk's face as I was painting became a wee bit more understandable today when I decided to measure the face in question.  Of course, I decided to measure it after I had done some work on it so I couldn't put the ruler directly on his head.  Even so, the closest I could figure is the face is 7/16th of an inch.  

Anyway, it finally occurred to me to use a magnifying glass in order to improve the previous work.  I think it's better, but you can judge for yourself.  Below is last week's work:

And here he is again after his face lift:

Blown up this much makes it possible to see that it may not be an improvement.  Now he has mumps on one side of his face and a skin graft on the other!

Here is the everything-in-perspective view:

 At least I was sort-of able to see!

What a Day!

First of all - the snow!  By the end of the day, we had 16.3 inches, and I feel personally acquainted with each and every inch.  I went out twice to shovel the plough's pile of snow in front of the mailbox and the various walkways; thank Heavens it was light, fluffy snow!  Because it was easy snow, I was able to enjoy the beauty while working.  And hallelujah for the benefit the snow gives our gardens and trees.

Then I was able to spend some time in my studio working on the oil painting of the Tibetan monk.  Excitement was in the air because I had purchased not only new but also a new kind of oil brushes and today was the first day I used them.  So far, I like them much better than my old bristle brushes, but that really isn't saying much as I really dislike those.  These are synthetic (which makes clean up ever so much easier) but still quite stiff.  I did think they'd be a bit softer and was a trifle disappointed. However, this was the first day I used them so I'll withhold judgment for a while.

Today I worked a bit on finishing touches on the chickens, a lot on the monk, as well as the roof.  My phone was not feeling well (had to turn it off and then on again to make it feel better) so the photos are "off" a bit:

Here's a closer look at the lower half.  I really like the way the corn/grain is dropping down from his hand, and I've scattered a bit on the sidewalk near the chickens to make it look as though he started feeding them in one place and then just kept walking.

I had a hard time with his face.  It was partly the brush and partly not being able to see what I was doing; it's a very small area for very fine detail.  It isn't finished but -

So he has no eyes yet, poor man, the application of paint is blotchy in a bad way as it makes no sense in relation to the contours of the face.  

And oh, those eyebrows!!!

Play Day

Today I had a "play date"with ME.  We had arranged to go to the movies if she didn't have to work, and fortunately, she didn't.  We met at Barnes and Noble so we could have a coffee (ME) and a latte (moi) and spend some time looking at books and magazines.  I figured that since I am now more than halfway through the alphabet (letter "M" was Henry and Clara a historical novel about the two non-Lincolns in the box at Ford's theater the night Abraham Lincoln was assassinated, we had no "N's" left after the book purge, and the next book is the Quincunx, a "Dickensian novel" by Charles Palliser), I could allow myself a couple of quick-reads in paperback which I will then pass on to my friends.  We thumbed our way - very gently - through several magazines, bought only a few to share, and left in time to get to the theater but not until our coffees were finished!

We went to see LaLa Land.   The opening chorus and dance was thoroughly delightful, but after that for a while I found both story and song and dance numbers only moderately entertaining.  The dance  sequences were nothing flashy but were adequate and were still able to make me wish I could dance.  On the other hand, the singing was not strong.

However, I found Emma Stone really good in her role of aspiring actress.  Each time she tried to get a part, her auditions were, to me, fabulous, but she didn't get the nod until . . .  I won't give anything away.  

It became more engaging as time went on, and I left the theater feeling I had been entertained but not blown away.  And that's okay!  

But honestly, the sound level was the loudest I think I have ever had to sit through; it was downright painful!  

If you go, take earplugs!

Florida Keys Studies - Comparison of . . .

Today I had to come to terms with an odd kick in my gallop.  Again.  Although the title of this entry may make you think I'm going to compare the studies I've done so far,  I'm not.  Keep reading and you'll see what the issue is.

First a reminder of the second (first was the pencil sketch with notes at the bottom of the paper) study done while blind (forgot my glasses).  I commented on the fact that I was using the back of the paper which really makes a difference and not a good one.

Since it was a busy week followed by being away over the weekend, there were no painting days until today.  So here is study #3 which was started in class today.  This one is hard to see so I will describe what is going on.  I will say that it is one the correct side of the paper and the paint flowed much better than on the back, but . . .   Do you see all the dark places that look like shadows or smudges? Those are places that are warped from water.  First, what medium am I using? watercolor.  What paper was a painting on? watercolor paper.  So why is it buckling?  It isn't very good paper.  

Sharon finally said that I absolutely have to do my studies on good paper.  The point is that in addition to practice, a study is supposed to inform the final paper.  It's awfully hard if one is constantly distracted by lumps and bumps and by paper that even on the good side doesn't allow the paint to glide through the water.  Of course, if I had taped the paper to the surface the water wouldn't have caused such bad buckles.  Still humps and bumps but not as bad.

So I took out my bound pad (all edges are glued down) and started over.

By the time I started on this one, I didn't have a great deal of time.  But given that and the practice, I was able to get the first washes down quickly.  No grainy-ness, no buckling, and the painting flowed like a dream.  Now I'm really looking forward to going on with this one.

If one, i.e., read Noël, is going to get the best results, that one needs to use the best materials that she can afford.  I have to stop trying to penny-pinch with things that will affect my work.  I bought really good artist quality paints and sable brushes for the studies so it doesn't make any sense to save the best paper until the end.

After all, I need all the help I can get!

Baby Quilt Finished

It's been a busy seven or more days, but it's been busy in a successful way.  For example, the little baby quilt I've been working on was finished.  Last year American Quilter's Society's society had a kit for a pillow featuring Star Wars fabrics complete with a decent photo of the finished pillow.  I liked the pattern and figured it would be easy enough to figure the pattern out.  It is, as you can see, mostly half-square triangle blocks and solid blocks of white.  

The bedroom for the baby this quilt is going to is painted blue hence the color scheme (very pale blue to very dark navy blue) I chose.  The difficult part was making sure my color choices would make the zigzag pattern.  

After putting this where I could easily photograph it, I left it there for a while which meant I walked by it several times.  That one triangle of blue half way up the right hand side stuck out like a sore thumb.  I tried to ignore it, but that never really works.  I tried to rationalize the fact that the quilt is for a baby not an art critic.  That worked even less.  Then I told myself the quilt was finished so why mess with it (I could destroy it, I thought).  Really???  Pathetic!  Finally I snatched up the quilt and cut out the offending block.

Much better, and now it's really ready for the quilter!

A Special Thank-You

Many different, positive activities today, but I'm going to tell you about a very young, very gifted young relative of mine.  For the past several year, David and I have sent brother DJ's grandchildren (my great-nieces and great-nephew) pop-up books for Christmas.  I tend to select the work of Robert Sabuda, a great paper engineer but have at times chosen the works of other artists due to the accompanying stories.  Anyway, I admit I love really fine pop-up books because they frequently combine excellent stories and amazing "illustrations".

So, we spent time with these same young relatives this past September during our family reunion in Florida.  Our great-nephew (henceforth known as "GN" because I'm too lazy ((make that too poor a typist)) to keep on calling him by that awkward word combo) celebrated his birthday while we were there and had asked for art supplies.  BINGO!  I could hardly have had more fun than I did with that request; GN received the kind of art supply kit I would have loved having as a child.

Then for Christmas I sent GN a pop-up book on Hokusai's Wave* - a double whammy - art and paper engineering.

                            

And I have to admit as the years have gone on, I have wondered if any of the Greats would wind up trying to engineer their own pop-up art.

Today that question was answered.

Here is the thank you letter we received from GN:

Don't you just love the way children take in information and then turn it around and filter it through their own minds and talents.  Our young, seven-year-old GN is a in a gifted program in school so I find the way he uses information fascinating.

*The photograph of the book was found on:
http://www.daedalusbooks.com/Products/Detail.asp?Media=Book&ProductID=128787&SubCategoryID=2108

Sewing Woe

A day of errand running followed by a less than productive time sewing.  The baby blanket on which I am working was finally ready to sew together.  Or so I thought. The quilt blocks are simple half-square triangle which form a zig-zag line when assembled.  But in order to make the zig-zag as sharp as sharp as they should be, the color values have to be really right.  Several blocks weren't as accurate I wanted so they had to be re-done.  

After I did that and laid the whole quilt out again, I was excited to be at the sewing point.  The end, I thought, is near (read that out loud with lots verve and enthusiasm!).  So I sewed the first row together.  Hmm, the points of two triangles didn't match as well as I like, but they weren't too bad.  On to the second row.  Sew one block, second block, third, fourth . . . . what?, keep going and sew the fifth . . . . uh-oh.  Light bulb goes on.  "Drat," I muttered to myself.  "I forgot to square up the blocks!!!"  

My brain didn't want to hear that.  "Go on," it whispered in my ear, "you know you can fudge it when you have to sew it all together.  No one will notice."  Smirk.

I listened to my satanic-side and sewed the rest of the blocks in that row. Then I took both of them to the ironing board, ironed the seams in both rows, then went to the cutting board where I laid them out with edges touching.

No way.  I have to correct it.

So guess what I'll be doing tomorrow!