Henry's Second Sweater!

Henry is a VERY inportant part of my family's life right now! In an earlier post I reported that he was born to my niece Megan and her husband Matt at 29 weeks. He is now 7 weeks old and weighing in at over 4# and doing VERY well! Though there is great relief in that, he is still in the hospital and we will all be happier when he is cleared to go home. This is one of my favorite pictures of Henry so far and though you can't tell very well from this picture, he appears to have inherited him mom's red hair!



Henry is awaiting the birth of two cousins since his mom and her
two sisters are all pregnant at the same time! This family event has put me in knitting mode and I have been creating baby sweaters for each of the boys. Yes you got it right! three sisters are having three boys within a few months of each other! Boys managed to skip one entire generation in my family somehow! So here is a sneek peak at Henry's second sweater. His first was premie sized but if he keeps packing on the groceries he will have outgrown it before he makes his first trip home! This one is a 6mo size and has a collar with a one button loop/button tie at the top. The details in this photo got a bit lost ....I chose Lion Brand Suede yarn in this multi color. I know it's not the traditional baby colors but it is so soft and I think quite fun for a change. I hope Henry enjoy's it's snuggly feel as much as I do! Here is a picutre of it. The color mix isn't well represented in the photo but you get the idea. It looks much cuter in real life!

Current Commission

Today I wanted to share with you the beginnings of my current commission. This will be a Hairlock Painting approximately 28"x32" (unframed) which I am creating for some folks in Atlanta. It will hang in their lakehouse which has a western theme. They asked me to create an image for them to include cowboy boots and the drawing at left is what they have decided to go with. The hat was inspired by Clint Eastwood in one of his Classic cowboy movies "The Good, Bad and the Ugly". We are currently discussing the canvas that it will go on and though there are a few options, I am partial to and recommending that they use a canvas that I created and haven't used yet! Its reddish brown tone and off white paper reminds me of a cow hide. My more spiritual side tells me that this canvas has been waiting for this project to live on it! This particular canvas is more unusual than my others in that the felt backing I made from hand made felt so is a bit more rustic looking. Since the initial layout of fiber must be about 30% larger than the finished size, it began it's life with three layers of sheeps wool about 3' x 4'. That's a lot of sheeps wool and very time consuming since I have a fine hand in my method of laying out the fibers. As soon as I hear back from them, this will be the next "painting" project on my studio table. Watch for postings of the finished painting!

Audubon Art & Fine Craft Show Added to the 2008 Calendar!

Well I officially have new incentive to get the creative juices rolling! One of my dearest friends and fellow artist, Susan Mills of Bowdoinham, Maine and I have just received word that we have been admitted to the Audubon Art & Fine Crafts Show at Gilsland Farm in Falmouth on August 16th & 17th. Susan and I showed our work together at Fryeburg Fair's Fiber Center last year and found that our work complements each other very well. As a result we submitted an application to show together at this event. The Audubon show is known for maintaining a high quality standard of Art & Craft and is set in one of the prettiest locations in the area. When I lived in Portland, I used to frequent the farm and always found an incredible bit if remote peace there, rarely encountering many people and affording me some solitude for communing with nature. This facility is a gem in itself and is a great place to combine with Fine Art & Craft.

Susan will feature her unique Fiber Art in Felt, with her Goddess pieces, wall hangings, Designer Handbags and ever popular Vessels. I will be showing a new body of Hairlock Paintings to include framed as well as unframed work.

So mark your calendars for this do not miss event!

We'll hope to see you there!For more information about the show visit their website at http://www.audubonshow.com/

Creating a Canvas

Let the process begin!
I am currently preparing some canvases to paint on. The balmy humid Bermuda air makes this process a bit of a challenge. I have to monitor the drying process to be sure that they are drying quickly enough to prevent them from molding. I once heard that it takes years for paper to truly dry out so although they may not be completely cured for a very long time, they must be dry enough to the touch for me to work on. In the initial stages where I am adding the pulp on the felted fabric backing, I set them on these screen racks in the images so that they benefit from the most air circulation I can provide. It takes an average of three days for them to dry enough to move forward. I create canvases in batches of different sizes with no specific image in mind. Instead, I simultaneously yet independently am creating canvases while seperately researching and working on drawings of images that I will use for the inspiration for my paintings. It is rare that the paintings become an exact duplicate of the drawing. I prefer to allow the freedom of creation while painting to present to me what the final image will be.

My Bermuda Studio

I think that most of you know that I spend a lot of time living in Bermuda. My husband is a "bean counter" here with a contract to work for at least another 18 months. I know! You have no sympathy for me especially knowing the kind of winter you have been experiencing in the northeast! But it's time for me to clear my Bermuda work space and begin to create for the 2008 season! Clear the work space you ask? YES! But it looks pretty clear to me! Well this photo was taken soon after I set up the studio almost a year ago. Since I have not painted much in the last few months it has accumulated supplies, as many surfaces can over time. You know how that goes :-)

The work you see on the walls has served as templates for much of my work. They are Sumi-e paintings (Asian ink paintings) that I created in the last few years and the inspiration which led me to the creation of Hairlock Paintings(tm). Though I have begun to move on to other subjects I keep them up as a reminder of my roots and the desire to keep most of my work simple. Sumi-e is about the "essence" of a subject. It's about capturing the spirit of something without duplicating it's every detail. It is something that I am constantly aware of when I paint but continues to challenge me. Our brain has difficulty allowing us to duplicate what we see instead of what it thinks we see. It is always using memory to add and remove details at will based on our impressions of the objects that we are looking at. It is not my intention to duplicate as in a photograph, the subjects that I choose to paint. Instead, I always strive to create something that has a bit more spirit, but often without success. It doesn't make the work bad since many artists duplicate subjects to as much reality as possible in all of their work. It just challenges me each time I create to strive for something deeper.

There is a great book that I recently picked up called "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards. Even if you do not draw or ever intend to, the information revealed in this book about how our brain works and sees images is fascinating. I highly recommend it!

Gale

Henry's First Sweater!

Although it is only April, it feels like the beginning of the year to me! Where has the first quarter of the year gone? I have been doing a lot of knitting lately. I recently became a great aunt for the first time. Henry came at week 29 weighing in at a tiny 2lbs 6oz but is doing very well! His mom and her two sisters are all pregnant at the same time which has prompted me to get my knitting needles in motion! Henry's sweater is made from wool ease, a washable wool blend yarn for easy care with warmth.

Watch for additional postings of the other sets.