Lazy Days and Mondays

Believe it or not, I actually have been doing some work in the studio. Here's the most recent finished product. It's about 66" x68".










I did laundry this morning too, and Phoebe found the way into my to-be-folded pile when it was still warm from the dryer. Far be it from me to disturb her. She's still there.






And just in case you forgot what my son Josh, dauther-in-law Lori, and grandchild Mia look like, here's a pic taken yesterday morning soon after Mia came into the world.

Mia the Magnificent

She's here!!!

My first grandchild (Mia) was born this morning a little after midnight. She's ever so perfect! She's 8.5 pounds, and 21" long, and way cute.

The nurse made a print of her footsies for me.

This morning I got an e-mail from my daughter Kelly with a photo that she took of me in front of the Eiffel tower.

We had gotten there just before the 10 p.m. lighting of the tower with twinkling white lights. Tre magnifique!




One of the very best things about France is the food. Those people really know how to make and use cheeses, make pastries, and grow beautiful fresh vegetables and fruit.

Witness:






























Aren't these incredible! I love photographing such an array of colors and shapes in one shot.

Van Gogh's Wheat Field

On our trip, we saw the place where Van Gogh supposedly made his last painting, in a wheat field, right before he shot himself. It's fun to see the painting (Crows Over the Wheat Fields), and then see the photos I took of the way it looks now.





Here's the painting (made in 1890).





Here's the way the almost exact place looks now, and then the area just to the right of it. I'm sure his time of day and time of year must have made the colors much different from those that I photographed. Or maybe he altered the colors to convey his intense state of mind.

In Memory of the Madness of Monet

I've been doing some reading about the Impressionist painters, and found some paintings on line that Monet did of the cathedral in Rouen. I thought it'd be fun to compare them with my photos of the cathedral from my trip. Monet loved the results of the changing light, but it always frustrated him too. He said the light would change every seven minutes, so sometimes he'd have several canvases going at one time, trying like mad to capture a certain look that he liked.

Okay. First are two photos that I took on the West facade of the church. They were both at the same time of day, but from slightly differed viewpoints.




































Then there are Monet's paintings, capturing different times of the day.

I just think they're amazing.

Art, Art, and More Art

I got back from my trip to find an e-mail from fellow blogger and quilt artist Del Thomas from California. She had gone to the Pacific International Quilt Festival and photographed my quilt in what she said was a really good location. Thanks SO much, Del. You made my day!

I didn't win any prizes, but I was still thrilled to have been juried into the show.

This is the "artist's statement" that hung beside my quilt. I'm still recovering from the long trip home. I managed to catch a sore-throat and stuffed-up-head illness on the way back. But I'm having fun weeding through my photos and trip notes.

I'll post a couple more pics from my journey.

Here's a photo of the church in Auvers sur Oise that was the subject of Van Gogh's famous painting. It was a thrill to see. (Sorry about the phantom head in the foreground.)















This next photo was taken at the seaside town of Honfleur. It's easy to see why this beautiful place was the inspiration for many of the Impressionist painters.

Bone Joor

Well, after a gruelingly long airline trek, I finally got home yesterday from my trip to France.

It was a wonderful trip, and extra special because I was able to share it with my daughter, Kelly. Both of us were awed by the beauty of the food, the scenery and the incredible art.

We travelled by barge (a spiffy barge) from Paris, about 204 miles up the Seine River, and to the English Channel at Le Havre, near the World War II battle site at Omaha beach. (Think "Saving Private Ryan" and "Letters from Iwo Jima")

I'll post a few photos now, and maybe a few more later. I've whittled my photos down to 402, but I doubt if I'll post them all! :> ) Just kidding. I wouldn't dare even think of doing that.




Here we are (Kelly and me) traipsing around Paris.



This is the inside of one of many many 13th to 19th century churches we saw. I love the way the light shined through the adjacent stained glass window, throwing colorful reflections on this wall.





















These are a couple of shots in Monet's garden in Giverney. These are both of the lily pond Monet had installed so that he could paint it. It was breathtakingly lovely. His whole garden was planted in clusters of flower and plant colors that he wanted to paint.

I shot this from the boat as we were cruising along the Seine. It was easy to see where the Impressionists got their inspiration.




And a last shot along the river at sunset. Note the wild swans. Dang...it was soooooo beautiful.

Nancy Crow Quote

I know only yesterday I wrote that I probably wouldn't post again until I return from France, but I just have to.

Nancy Crow has an upcoming solo exhibition at the Snyderman Gallery in Philadelphia, starting Friday. I went to the Snyderman web site this morning, and read her artist's statement. There is a part in it that so perfectly describes what I experience, I just had to post it here for other quilt artists to see.

Nancy Crow: "...I love being inside my brain and pushing myself to think in ever more complex ways because I know the ideas are there for the taking. It’s all about being focused and disciplined and making use of one’s abilities. And about being alone, in solitude, so one can think and feel deeply without interruption. I have definitely grown far closer to myself rather than to others because I see my quiltmaking as my experience which has nothing to do with other people."

I love that.

I took the above photo when I was attending a workshop with her a year or so ago in Ohio. She made this quilt for a show for which she was invited to make a piece with a political bent. (FYI: RRR BC = Rice, Roe, Rumsfeld Bush Cheney).

I'd say she doesn't shy away from controversy, and really does make art without regard for what anyone else thinks.

Oldies But Goodies

Wow! What a week. Seems like a lot has happened since I last posted. For one thing, our next door neighbor (Mel) passed away last week. It was sad because he was up in Washington with his sister, and wanted so badly to come home, but he didn't make it.

I've been working on a piece that I plan to send my sister for her birthday, so I can't post a photo yet or she'll see it. I decided to post a couple of old photos instead.


This is a quilt top that my great aunt made. It's what got me started quilting. When I inherited it, I decided to learn hand quilting to finish it, and one thing led to another. I haven't worked on it for over a year because I've had a bum hand, but some day I'll finish it.








This is a quilt I made for my sister a year or more ago. Each little block was paper pieced...whew! Before I sent it to her, I laid it on a blanket in the back yard, and then stood on a little balcony upstairs to photograph it.

Here's a detail of the same quilt.
Friday, I leave on my adventure in France with my daughter, Kelly. I probably won't be able to post again until I get back home, but keep watching. I hope to post some beautiful and artsy shots when I get back.