Negative Space

Color and pattern

A turtle I found on a morning walk--Alex studied him for a day and then released him back into the wild.  I am struck with the similarity of color scheme to this painting....

37 heads of garlic

Our garlic crop was an experiment last summer.  But when our harvest turned out to look and taste just like garlic, we were hooked.  THIS summer, Chris put a lot of cloves in the ground and yesterday we both gasped when thirty-seven big, beautiful, wonderful heads of garlic came out.  We are addicted to growing garlic, thrilled by it actually.

You should see the beets!

Shape and color and growing things

I greatly admire people who grow plants (and keep them alive...).  Plants scattered about a home are one of the most aesthetically pleasing facets of a domestic interior--here are some pics from a gracious host's home from the past week's travel.  Her windowsills are stunning!

Shape and tone

Waiting for the Guggenheim to open, waiting in line, waiting to see lots and lots of Kandinsky paintings!!

Jered Sprecher

My husband went to graduate school with Jered Sprecher--yet another really great abstract painter who lives in Tennessee.  Jered's got a show opening soon in New York at Jeff Bailey Gallery.  I'm excited because I'm actually going to be able to see this show in early December.

The above painting is called Natural Occurance; it's a 48"x36" oil on linen.

Purple and pecans

The one draw back in spending time at a residency is that one is temporarily ruined when it comes to returning to the more mundane aspects of being an artist.  I've got an exhibition statement that must get written, should have been written yesterday (it's only 2 paragraphs!!!) but I cannot settle myself enough to write it.  Or perhaps the problem is I am having great difficulty pulling my head around to the kind of explication necessary in such a statement--wholly different from making the work.

Today I determined it would be a good idea to work in the studio first for awhile and then move on to the writing--but now I just want to read my favorite food blogs.  That task being accomplished with sufficient slowness, I better get back to it...

(I took this picture over the weekend.  The pecans are falling all around us with gusto--I am determined to have enough for a pecan pie come Thanksgiving.)

Red and Round Things

I've enjoyed the days settling back in to home.  My son is older--amazingly so.  What conversations we've had!!!  Fall has come and nearly gone.  The arugula and lettuce in the garden are shooting up.  And I've spent some good hours cooking and baking--always an intensely aesthetic and grounding experience.

This week #1

My son was sick for much of the week (he is much better now) so there is little news in the studio.  I've spent most of my days inside the house with him.  We are assuredly in Fall now; I think we've closed the windows until Spring, and I've pulled out the heavier blankets.  I also spent moments here and there cooking apples for applesauce--I made and froze 13 quarts!!!  I feel quite honored to have inherited the applesauce maker/sieve (silver, old, with a turning handle) my grandfather used to make applesauce in the few years after my grandmother died.

Sketchbook, Monday Afternoon

Warming up

with little paintings and collages in the new studio.

Color, shape, proximity and texture

My painting colleagues are coming for dinner this evening--I've spent the afternoon mingling with the best from our garden today--a heady and lovely experience.

Zucchini and Cucumbers

I've so much to say about our recent trip to Memphis. We had three days full of art, studio visits with inspiring painters, and really, really great food. Thank you Hamlett--host extraordinaire!

BUT we came home to an overflowing garden, and so the race was on...I've been pickling and preserving much of today.

Shape and Color (2)

My husband left yesterday for a beautiful and wonderful residency in North Georgia. While he's spending his time working in the studio, hiking the many trails on the surrounding land, meeting new artists and writers, AND enjoying an amazing vegetarian feast each evening (I'm off to Hambidge myself in late October so no that isn't envy you are hearing in my words but a plug for Hambidge, urging YOU to go too...) Alexander and I are holding down the fort at home.

Of top priority is the vegetable garden which is putting forth yellow squash after yellow squash, soon zucchini and tomorrow (I think) the heavenly sun-gold tomato. Today, while watering (and subsequently musing) I marveled at the size of our zucchini plant leaves--and their color. I think the possibility of being swallowed up by zucchini leaves is not as improbable as one might imagine; these gain new girth each day!

We've spent today constructing "a world of pillows", making up new versions of mankala, eating our fair share of popsicles, and counting down the days until we head to the sea with Nana and Grandad.

Now I'm exhausted and off to an evening of reading and drawing and perhaps watching a movie.

Bryan Ellis 2/Shelf

In the final days of our work together, Bryan and I assessed an expanse of the gallery too big to leave empty and too small to overwhelm with large images/pieces. Running to the left of my large wall painting/drawing, the breadth of wall and proximity to my work seemed to call from something from Bryan. He mentioned some little sculptures in his studio and the next day brought this little shelf and the blue one below in...I love them--their oddness and awkwardness draw me in.

Bryan doesn't typically show these--hopefully seeing them up will change that tendency.

Color and Shape

texture

To think about tomorrow--

Symmetry

My dialogue with Bryan has encouraged an exploration of symmetry--of all things.

Farmer's Market Finds

Alexander and I arrived at the Farmer's Market late today--but not so late to prevent us from picking up the last two stalks of brussels sprouts from John of Weatherhand Farm. While Christopher has a fantastic recipe for brussels sprouts (one that actually makes me want to DEVOUR them), I must confess my first impulse toward buying these was aesthetic.