Peach Coglo

The Commission

Thank you all so very much for your beautiful compliments on my sketchbook last week.  You all make me stand a little straighter and feel a little braver.  Thank you.

I completed this commission about a week ago.  Commissions always tend to stress me out a bit as I am sure they do for most artists.  The patron wanted me to interpret a special place in Vermont for her.  She used to rent a carriage house there quite often.  In doing so, she became close to the mistress of the premises-an unlikely friendship, but a strong and beautiful one.  Her dog passed away while she was there one season and is buried on the property.   She never returned to the carriage house after that loss.  Of course this place holds many dear memories.  So taking this information, some photographs and directions to use a Monet-inspired palette, I made several studies trying out all kinds of ideas and compositions.  Finally I made this painting.

I always see the mistakes, but she was very happy and touched and for that I am humbled and grateful.

What challenges are you taking on lately?

The painting is too large to fit on any home scanner, so please excuse the fuzziness.  Can you spot the two dogs?

Have a wonderful weekend my friends.  And again thank you all for your incredible support and kindness.

Second Mitt

Joining Ginny for yarn along . . . .

Things are getting busier and busier.  It looks like the May Madness is starting to ooze over into June.  Thank goodness I have knitting and reading to slow things down a bit.  I am working on my second mitt, so things are a steady on that front.

I blew through (well mostly) Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking.  Now that was a wonderful book.  I learned a lot about myself.  It was a relief to see that other people recognize the frustration that introverts can feel in a world that prizes extroverts.  I didn't get to finish the entire book as it was due.  I turned it in because I didn't wish to add to my already fined-up account.

I started reading If These Walls Could Talk: An Intimate History of the Home.  What an interesting book.  It has all kinds of information on some of the more practical (read kinda gross or embarrassing) history of us and our homes.  I have learned the Western history of the bed, underwear and baths.  The bedroom has only recently become a private space.  Back in the nasty centuries when people refused to bath because they thought water was dangerous (they were partly right), they used underwear to keep themselves clean.  Gross Alert:  So yeah, everything a body can produce was "taken care of" by the linen undergarments.  A person then washed his or her unmentionables instead of washing the body.  Ugh.  The Tudor and Stuart periods were pretty darn nasty.  I have also learned from this book that urine is an excellent stain remover.  The servants used to wash out those stubborn stains that the lords and ladies collected on their hunts with basins full of the stuff.  Amazing.  So if you have a curiosity about the history of things we don't talk about in public (usually), then you can't go wrong with this one.  Grossness Over.

What are you making and reading this week?

Sketchbook~May 25, 2012

Presently, I am trying to capture the essence or impression of my subjects.  It's not the easiest thing to be sketchy, at least for me.  I think relaxing more while I paint would improve things. 

I wish you all much joy and contentment in whatever you are practicing.  Everyone had such lovely and beautiful practices; thanks for sharing what you are working on with others.  It is always inspiring.

This weekend we are hoping to mostly stay near to the roost.  Helena will participate in a Memorial Day parade and we'll be lighting a candle to remember those who have sacrificed so much.  What are you up to this weekend?

Well, I am off to deliver my second commission, yay!  I'm feeling a bit nervous about presenting it to her, hope she likes it.

 

Have a lovely weekend.  I'll be back at this space on Tuesday, hope to see you then.

Simple sketch of two ladies-working on impressions. . . .

One Mitt Down

 Joining Ginny for yarn along . . . .

Another Wednesday and I fear I am not quite where I wanted to be with my knitting, but that I am where I need to be.  There has been much  to-doing around here of late which has meant less time knitting and reading.  I have cast off my first mitt.  Now on to the second.  I am saving the thumbs for last.  So far so good.  I tried my mitt on and it seems that even if the thumbs don't work, the mitts will still; they'll just be fingerless and thumbless mitts.  It is natural but still amazing to gain new skills from knitting a lot.  I dropped a few stitches-don't know how- while making these.  I managed to fix them-don't know how-but they seemed all repaired and knitted.  I hope they stay that way.  Somehow though I was able to figure out where the lost and dropped stitch was.  I am sure for most of you such picking up dropped stitches is a quotidian act.  It was monumental for me.  I was afraid of picking up dropped stitches from the moment I started knitting.  It's a bit embarassing to admit that I ripped out things rather than pick up the stitches.  I just couldn't see them.  Thank goodness the projects were tiny.

I have still been enjoying The Gentle Art of Domesticity.  Jane Brocket has found all sorts of domestic  art.  They are quite enjoyable.  One of my favorites is Train Landscape by Eric Ravilious.  I am also reading Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking.  All I can say is "Amen".  This book gives me great insight about myself and I daresay justifies many of my "quirks".  I should finish up quickly as it can only be lent from the library for only two weeks.

What are you reading and making lately?

Weekending~May 20, 2012

Joining sweet Amanda for weekending . . . .

This weekend beautiful and fun and eye-opening.  That is a lot for one weekend.

My dancing girl danced in her fifth recital.  I cannot believe she has been dancing for five years.   She really loves it.  I hear parents say this a lot.  I have heard kids say they love something.  It's hard for me to remember being 7 and loving something so much.  It looks like I have two seven year-olds who have their passions. 

Our weekend was full of clay, wood and dance.

Elijah made his first clay figure that I think is pretty awesome (I am his mama so I know I am super biased).  He took it to school before I could snap a shot for this post.  Elijah has been obsessing over clay for months now.  He loves making stuff with his hands and has asked for a Leatherman for his birthday.  This weekend he chisled a canoe.  I need a shot of that too; Elijah tends to make off with his creations, so I'll grab him when he returns from school today.

Helena danced her ballet this weekend and declared she wants to be a professional dancer-"definitely ballet, but if not ballet then other kinds of dance.  I just want to dance all of the time."  She had a wonderful time at her recital and her brothers rallied around her (Eden was asleep which was probably for the best).

Somebody enjoys posing.  I call this her Lena Horne pose.

As per tradition we hit Dairy Queen afterwards.  That is always yummy and fun.  Then we came home and Helena danced some more, leaping everywhere, practicing her form.  I think she has discovered what incredible things her body can do.  It's a wonderful reminder for me.

Last night almost ended in a few tears as Helena was already missing her ballet teacher and not looking forward to a summer without dancing.  So here we go looking up ballet and art workshops and  stockpiling more clay . . . .

How was your weekend?  I hope your weekend was grand and that your Monday is treating you well.

 

 

 

 

Sketchbook~May 18, 2012

A peek at my sketchbook.  .  . I need to start drawing and painting more so I'll be sharing my sketchbook pages in whatever state they are in at the moment, finished or unfinished.  It's unfinished this week.  I am hoping this will get more drawing more.  Practice, practice, practice.  What are you practicing lately?

Have a fantabulous weekend friends.

 

 

 

 

Moving Mitts and Stealing

Joining Ginny and many others for yarn along.  .  .  .

I simply cannot believe it's Wednesday again.  I know I say it every week, but every week I am shocked and amazed at how fast time speeds away from us.  When I was a child, days just went on forever.    So my mitts are moving along thanks to sweet Tracey of Clover.  Thanks to her I was able to make my thumb hole.  It was a weird thing for me-making an intentional space in my knitting.  I make unitentional spaces frequently enough.   The mitt is not hard as it is mostly knitting in the round with no purling.  I should be done with the body of the first mitt in less than an hour, then it's on to knitting the actual thumb and the next mitt.  Yeah, I'm going to be making more of these bad boys.  People better watch out come Christmas.

When I can, I have been devouring The Gentle Art of Domesticity.  Greg has made the oatmeal cookies from this book, and I will be making the chewy flapjacks hopefully soon.  I am becoming rather familiar with Lyle's Golden Syrup.  I absolutely love that lion on the can.  If you are looking for it, I usually find mine at Whole Paycheck.  The author, Jane Brocket, says it all when she states: "Embedded in the gentle arts is a slyly subversive streak that encourages free thought, individuality, creative self-expressionism, imaginative thought processes and not a little self-determination."

The other book I picked up was Steal Like an Artist.  I enjoyed this selection very much.  It's a quick read and very inspiring.  One of my favorite pieces of advice from the author, Austin Kleon, is to "use our hands".  One way to do this is to get away from the screens.  As much as I love my computer and my community that is found "on" it, I love analog stuff-pens, pencils, paints, office supplies.  I am a semi-luddite.  This book, like The Gentle Art of Domesticity, gave me "permission" to revel in that.  Kleon also encourages us to engage and nourish our "side projects" as they fuel our main passion(s).  As someone who has a lot of interests, this was refreshing to read.

What are you making and reading this week?

Weekending~May 13, 2012

Joining amanda for weekending . . . .

A glorious and too short weekend just rushed by me.

We watched Chicken Run on Friday.  I love that there is always one character who knits in all of the Aardman films.

Saturday was Helena's last day of regular ballet class, on to dress rehearsal and recital.  I can't believe another year of dance is over.

I spent some time wrestling with the calendar and wrapping my mind around it.

I spent some time missing my grandma.  I look at her embroidery runner and try to imagine what she was thinking when she made it.

I painted a study for a commission and I liked the results so much I was able to start the actual painting.  I love it when I can think and paint clearly.

I came home to a beautiful banner the kiddos created for me.

Greg made a quick batch of oatmeal cookies using a recipe from this book.

I also experimented making some rice balls per Elijah's request.  He has decided he wants them for lunch at school now.  They are pretty tasty.

I read some more of this and finished this.

Sunday was coffee and a trip back to my studio.  What an awesome Mother's Day gift.  I made good progress on my painting and had time to read some more.

The rest of the afternoon was spent outside with the family-kids off doing various things in various parts of the yard.  Our radishes and tomatoes are showing their first leaves.  There were popsicles.  Greg taught the kiddos how to saw and whittle.  Looks like I need to order some kid-sized saws and a manual drill.

Bliss-to just sit with a sweet breeze blowing, listening to birds chatter while they hopped around in the newly-tilled garden picking around for a meal, watching the kiddos jet, lope and meander around the yard from project to activity to project.

Dinner was some delicious take-out pizza capped off with our first bonfire of the season.  It was extremely difficult to turn off the light on this particular weekend.

I hope your weekend was grand and that your week is off to a wonderful start.

Photographic Friday ~ Fifty-three

It's Photographic Friday, the day when I share practice photographs from the past few days or so. They aren't perfect. What is really? I'm enjoying the process of concentrating, creating and working up my 10,000 hours of practice. If the spirit moves you, feel free to share your own creations, photographic and otherwise with a link!

Wishing you all a fantabulous weekend!

Mitted Domesticity

It's Wednesday again and time to join Ginny for yarn along.

Well now that there is a bit more time freed up, I thought I would be able to work on my Toasty mitts.  Unfortunately I caught some crazy cold via Eden-oh man, walking, lovable petri dishes children are.  So now between coughing fits and laying flat out, and child care, I work on my mitts and read a bit.

The mitts are coming along very well-simple stockinette stitch.  I haven't gotten to the thumb hole yet so we'll see how I'm feeling about the project in a few rows.  As for books, I am reading The Gentle Art of Domesticity.  It is a lovely and inspiring book.  Even though I have yet to finish it, I know I will  definitely return to it again.  I also have a stack of Maurice Sendak books to read to myself and to any of the kiddos who would like to listen.  Some of my favorites of his are Pierre, In the Night Kitchen, and Outside Over There even though that one kind of freaks me out.  RIP Mr. Sendak.

What are you reading and making this week?