Friday, September 26, 2014

The Last of Summer Sun?

Seasons’ change we are looking very closely at fall here in Northern Virginia. One day it was a hot summer day and the next it was cool and breezy… although the sun was shining.

I took the camera with me for a short drive one day…  and found these. They are blooming all over… along the road, in the middle of fields, along fence and tree lines every where!

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Coreopsis major - Greater Tickseed, Whorled Leaf Coreopsis, Forest Tickseed.

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If I lived where I could see these from my windows I’m not sure I could get anything done inside the house! Such a happy riot of yellow and green!

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I like that there are 2 butterflies visible… both are sulphurs (a white and a yellow). Technically a bad photograph because the horizon is skewed, but either the horizon or the plant would have to be tilted….

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This was across the road…there is Buttercup, (I think), Queen Anns Lace and a small white daisy. On the left is another butterfly (a sulphur… which one I don’t know) , and just behind it, in the back ground you can see some small blurry blue dots of flowers and those are chicory.

A few miles down the road the maples are beginning to show some color. In a few weeks the color in the Shenandoah Mountains should be spectacular!!! So I am thinking these might be the last of the summer flowers.

 

Sunday, September 21, 2014

Around the World Blog Hop

I have been invited to participate in Blog Hop! Nothing big… I answer a few questions in my post and  then nominate/ask 3 others to do the same.

I was asked by a South African blogger, that I have been reading for several years and you can find her blog here. South Africa is a big country with many diverse areas. If I had known Fleur was blogging while I was in Durban, I like to think we would have met up for coffee -at least!

What am I currently working on? It’s a hush hush project. cr-estrellaA challenge, due in November, so I can only show a peek… of it.  See that gray and red slashed fabric (in the center). That is the challenge fabric…. and the other bit that has to be in the piece is a star…. . I and you can see a bit of it in the upper right corner. I just recently finished making several Thread ‘Play, Sketch, Painted’ pieces (which ever term … fits).

The first… the Flower Basket- front (25” x 25”)

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and back

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The Elephants Blanket-front (40” x 25”)

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and the back.

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and  Feather’d (20” x 22) front

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and back

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How does my stuff differ from others? I’m not sure it differs from others… Its fabric and thread… sometimes beads and/or embroidery. I take a large pieces of fabric, sometimes bright and sometimes more subdued, cut it into little bits, mix it with a few others, stitch it back together in a some what cohesive manner…. which may or may not be better than the original pieces of fabric -add thread…. and pray! I don’t think I have a particular style or signature either. Not that I really want one. I don’t want all my stuff to look the same… or so closely related that it may be mistaken for the ‘same’ and skipped.

Why do I create what I do? I have always been involved with creating, either my vision or assisting others, (also known as work) with theirs. I play in the textiles area because I think it allows the most freedom… from precision (which I do not do well) to the ‘no rules’ JUST MAKE ART kinda stuff, and within that I fall somewhere in the middle. Neither precise or innovative. I generally begin with an interest -a new style, color, pattern, technique… block… well any spark really!!! My one “personal” rule is to try and expand or stretch my knowledge or process… while making it. Either the technique, my technique, a new color or color way or perfect something I have learned.

How does my writing process work? I share what I think would be interesting… and would only share pictures, but they don’t always tell the whole story… sometimes we need words too. I have considered doing photos of in progress, but in the end I don’t think they ever show the ‘interesting’ part or I forget to take pictures of the interesting parts.

To end I have nominated 2 other bloggers to add to this hop.  Wolfie from Sweden and Karen at A Creative Kick…  (I haven’t been able to round up another) they are both friends and do some pretty amazing stuff!

Until Later- Beth