Taking Myself To Camp

This week, I’m attending art camp at A Work of Heart.  Owner, instructor and my friend Andrea Chebeleu will be focusing on Screen Printing and Book Binding. Today’s class featured block printing.

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I traced a design free-hand, which was transferred onto the block using a linoleum cutter.

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At the end of class, Andrea asked, “What did you learn in class.”  My response, “To get amazing results, your technique doesn’t have to be perfect.”  Her next question, “What would you do differently?”  I responded, “Relax!”  Hmm…I learned so much today.

I’m looking forward to Day #2 of camp.

Mapping Color

This past weekend, I spent an afternoon Eco Dyeing with a group of interesting women led by Kristine Vejar, owner of A Verb For Keeping Warm in Oakland, CA

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Three silk scarves scoured and mordant Mapping Colorwere artistically placed and personalized around a table creating an inviting space. We were welcomed into Kristine’s garden and invited to sample cuttings from her plants.  Of course, we were educated about which plants produce pleasant results, such as:  Eucalyptus leaves, Yarrow, Pomegranate rind, Marigold, Black Walnut and root of Rhubarb to name a few.

Color Mapping #4

After the chosen vegetation was placed, the dampened scarf was folded and rolled around a tree branch or tubing and tied before being processed in the dye pot.  The scarf was processed for 45 minutes in 180 degree water.

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Color Mapping #5

Color Mapping #6Here are my attempts at Mapping Color from Kristine’s garden.  I am anxious to Map Color from my own landscape. Color Mapping #7

All Tied UP

Have you ever found a project in a magazine and were obsessed with finding the suggested yarn for the project? The suggested yarn for a particular project I wanted to knit, Acadia (60% merino, 20% baby alpaca, 20%silk), The Fibre Company was waiting for me at Claddagh Yarns in Berkeley, CA. http://www.claddaghyarns.com   The owner, Amanda Fernandez, encouraged me to use a color outside my comfort zone.  I decided to use Col. 557 Chipmunk. The radiance from the silk fiber, along with the spun twist created by combining the merino and alpaca, highlighted with lilac-colored flecks proved to be a yarn worth knitting.

Halfway through the project, I looked at the sweater and began to question whether the pattern enhanced the beauty of Acadia.  I went on a treasure hunt looking for the perfect pattern for this yarn.  I discovered Toulouse Pullover designed by Leah B. Thibault in a special Winter Issue of Knitscene.  (The 3/4 length sleeves are still in progress)

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Leah mentions, “The focus is entirely on the bow here, as the rest of the sweater is a straight-forward raglan.” Leah’s addition of the floppy bow recalls the vintage look of days gone by, especially Elsa Schiaparelli (1890-1973) and her Trompe l’oile Bow Knot Sweater.  A more detailed history and a free download of the Bow Knot Sweater here http://www.schoolhousepress.com/bowknotsweater.htm

The look of the bow also resembles the “pussy bow blouse,”  a woman’s shirt with a big floppy bow at the collar.   In 1947, pussy cat bows were part of a look inspired by Gibson Girls and 1890s fashions created by designers such as Omar Kiam.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pussy_bow  

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The history of modern feminism takes the “pussy bow” blouse and defines the meaning in deeper context. An online article dated February 27, 2013, written by Tracie Egin Morrissey for Jezebel states:

“Other trailblazers concur: that’s how the floppy bow thing started in corporate America. Interestingly, the documentary doesn’t mention that these are called “pussy bows.” I always thought that was weird, but figured there was surely some kind of innocent reference (willow? cat?) that was just beyond my wheelhouse. But no. Since pussy bows were invented to be a sort of “girlie tie” it would appear that the name actually refers to the euphemism for female genitalia. Frankly, I think that makes it more awesome. It’s so feminine that it’s vaginal. The true offense here is that American Apparel is selling them as “secretary blouses”.”

The PBS documentary mentioned above Makers: Women Who Make America can be viewed at   http://video.pbs.org/video/2336932877/

Free From Guilt

After yesterday’s post, I Can’t Resist, dated June 4, 2015, I wanted to follow-up with a no calorie post.

knitted pasta

(Photo from Vogue Knitting found on Lorena Ogni’s Facebook page posted May 31, 2015)

Since it’s National Donut Day, I couldn’t resist doughnuts with sprinkles.

donutshttp://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/doughnuts-or-bagels

My Feet Are Cold

During a telephone conversation last week, my sister and I were reminiscing about the knitted slippers our mother surprised us with every Christmas.  About three weeks before Christmas, she would ask, “What’s your favorite color?” We knew exactly what she was up to. To check for fit, she would have me try on a finished slipper and say it was for my sister, which in reality was my slipper. We played along all those years, because we cherished the comfortable slippers with the pom poms.

I found my mother’s vintage slipper pattern and I decided to surprise my sister with a pair of slippers.  They don’t have the pom poms, because I’ve added my own touch.  I hope they fit!

Linda's Slippers #2Linda's Slippers #1

Two Museums In One Day

Yesterday, I spent my day in San Francisco (which happened to be the coldest place in the continental United States, reported by Mike Sugarman of CBS news) surrounded by art and atmosphere.  I visited the de Young and Legion of Honor Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.  I specifically wanted to view Botticelli to Braque: Masterpieces from the National Galleries of Scotland and High Style which traces the evolution of fashion through a selection of works from the Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

The 55 masterpieces are by some of the great painters from the Renaissance to the early 20th century, including Botticelli, Velazquez, Gauguin and Picasso.  Two works caught my attention.  The first painting, Japanese Theater ca. 1909 oil on canvas, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, German, 1880-1938.

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“This example of Kirchner’s early Expressionism demonstrates how the worlds of the theater, cabaret, and circus provided rich subject matter for the artist and his peers.  This painting’s exact subject is a matter of ongoing debate, although recent scholarship suggests that it shows Madame Hanako’s troupe at the Central-Theater in Dresden.”

Head of a Woman, ca. 1911  oil on mill board laid on plywood, Alexei von Jawlensky, Russian, 1864-1941. “The majority of Jawlensky’s works are depictions of women’s heads, some of them portraits, and the artist readily acknowledged that he was inspired by the tradition of Russian icon painting.   This picture is not a veritable portrait: the identity of the sitter is unknown, and Jawlensky sought to distill the essence of a head, rather than to capture a physical likeness.  The brash colors and broad brushstrokes are similar to the style promoted by the Fauves, a group that included Andre Derain.”

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I found my way to the Legion of Honor to visit the restoration of the Salon Dore from the Hotel de La Tremoille, an example of French Neoclassical interior architecture. While meandering through the museum, I learned the Legion of Honor is fortunate to hold the largest group of the Domeniko Theotokopoulis’ (El Greco) paintings on the West Coast. http://legionofhonor.famsf.org/exhibitions/el-greco-legion-honor

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El Greco happens to be one of my favorite artists.

Happy Birthday To Me

I received a wonderful surprise for my birthday this year.  My husband planned a trip to the coast for a couple of days.

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We had the beach to ourselves…well, except for numerous brown pelicans, a pod of dolphins, a whale and a sea otter we named “Cecil.”  Cecil followed us up and down the shore as we hunted for buried treasure.

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I took pictures of  visually interesting rocks and,

Birthday 2015Happy Birthday #6After an afternoon of walking in sand, we decided to walk along a paved trail until the end. At the end of the trail, a wall separates  public access from private residences.  For the public, the wall does not represent a physical boundary of ownership, but a collective place to visually memorialize loved ones.

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Happy Birthday 2015 #5

After an afternoon running from the waves and watching the various marine mammals catch fish, we headed back to our room to get ready for dinner.

Happy Birthday #12_1_2We had a wonderful time!