March 19
Originally uploaded by Dancing Crow.
Attempting to warm up this morning at Cup and Top before heading into the freezing rain – my coffee, plus a cup of crayons (in crayon, mind you) and colored pencils (in colored pencil).
I refrained from attempting to draw the coffee cup in coffee.
March 18
Originally uploaded by Dancing Crow.
Dedicated readers will wonder if I will ever draw anything besides what I see in front of me at the table (or counter). They may also wonder if I spend any time not thinking about food. Short answers are, respectively, yes, and no. Eventually I will endeavor to introduce more color as well.
I am still getting into a drawing groove, and the whole sketchbook concept still feels kind of forced. I had to wrestle my plate back from two energetic wait-staff today so I could sketch the wreckage, which was funny but embarrassing. Forks are a really strange shape.
Yoga this morning, circus this evening, plus a band concert from Aerin. So we will race home from Vermont eating bagel sandwiches so we can sit and be serenaded by the middle school bands. Good times. Really. Knitting time.
Week 11 artichokes 2
Originally uploaded by Dancing Crow.
More of the artichokes. I tried to print with glue and foil over it, but I think I used the wrong glue – the print was tolerable but the foil didn’t adhere to it properly and it came out kind of patchy. I like the roughness of it, and I tried to emphasize that with the stitching. The center is a layer of printed silk chiffon over a green silk dupioni , both with the artichoke printed on them in contrasting colors.
Aerin’s birthday was today. We had the party over the weekend, and carpeted the floor with mattresses and sleeping girls. One parent came at 10:00 to retrieve a daughter to be told they had not woken up yet. We fed them waffles with stuff, and they dispersed by noon.
My mother and brother came out for a quick visit. A lot of driving for them for a short visit with us. Like most visits with Mattie, we ate well.
Week 10 artichokes 1
Originally uploaded by Dancing Crow.
The artichokes we so compelling in cross section that I saved one out to experiment with. This is last week’s postcard a little late.
march 16
Originally uploaded by Dancing Crow.
My mother and brother came out for a visit, so I fed them: roasted chicken, roasted beets and fennel, baby artichokes braised in a frying pan, plus cake and two kinds of pie for dessert. A lot of driving for them, and nice visit for us all, I hope.
Pi day
Originally uploaded by Dancing Crow.
Apple and Blueberry Pi(e) from Atkins, lightly toasted to make it properly crispy and make the crust crunch and the filling hot enough to melt ice cream.
Why Pie Day? 3/14 = 3.14 = Pi (I’ll have to dig around for the greek letter) the relationship between the radius of a circle and the circumference. Plus as an added bonus, it is Einstein’s birthday.
IMG_3463
Originally uploaded by Dancing Crow.
I remember now, the reason I made myself do something Every. Single. Day. for a lot of last year, was because once a week is not enough.
So, starting here, a sketch a day, on whatever I have handy. I will probably get organized into one of the (several dozen) sketchbooks I have collected over the last several years, until then I’ll be pleased with documenting whatever I manage via camera and Flickr.
I have a plan for the TIF, I’ll post more about that tomorrow.
I’ve been really busy, and have Nothing to show for it.
I’ve been riding a little bit, which entails trailering to a local indoor arena because Wendy’s ring is still under a solid 12" of combined snow and ice. I’ve been looking for a horse of my own, but I don’t think that is what I really want. I’ve been looking for riding lessons, which I do want, but I’d like to strike some fine balance between so hard I cry and easy enough to be boring.
In circus I’ve been learning new tricks on fabric, and they are HARD. There may be pictures later, it depends on Al’s ability to make the camera go, or Aerin’s being done with her class before I have to flee because she can make the camera go. It’s high tech. Even with a geek for a husband, there is a generational tech gap…
In my fabric/fiber projects I just finished a lot of prep work, so I have postcards trimmed to size and ready to go, because apparently that is a huge hurdle for me. I trimmed up a bunch of backs as well,so if I promised you a postcard in the last couple months, it should be headed your way soon.
Postcards soon. TIF challenge is underway. I don’t think I can do the colors, though I’ll stick some in, but I am all over the prompt: look hard at the details. That is my specialty.
Week 9 pink rhino with baby
Originally uploaded by Dancing Crow.
Or How the Rhinoceros made a Triumphal Return to Europe at the Dawn of the Age of Enlightenment. After reading a book on Oudry’s nature paintings I found out that his life size (!) portrait of a rhino was a portrait of Clara who (I have been educated) was famous and toured Europe from 1741 – 1758. The Getty Museum sponsored the show that brought the Oudry rhino to the States and restored it. The pictures of all the rhino shaped tchotckes that accompanied Clara on her tour, including rhino figures, rhino pictures, and a chiming rhino clock (I liked that one) made me very happy. I can see making a Clara On Tour T-shirt…
I realized a Google search of pink rhinos got a lovely image of a statue in an Yves St. Laurent window in NYC, as well as a previous postcard of mine. I am proud to be in good company.
Week 8 lunar exclipse
Originally uploaded by Dancing Crow.
Although I am a full week behind on this one, technically I am quite pleased with it.
There are two layers of chiffon over a satin base, all with white resisted stars in black backgrounds. The trees in the front are another layer, transfer printed and cut out, tacked down with embroidery. The moon is white silk with a bite out of it. Visible behind the bite is a red circle with a single layer of black night over it. It pleases me that it looked pretty much like that.
I owe another postcard for this week. Another rhino.
Lee Thomson 