Hinky Pinkie

ArtWalkEasthampton!!

Hello!  I'm hoping you stumbled here as part of your ArtWalkEasthampton tour this sunny day in May!  Welcome to my little blog where I share my inspirations and musings.  Enjoy your visit and be sure to drop a little hello note saying where you're from.

 

I wanted to show a couple new pieces:

 

 

This is a work-in-progress.  I'd love to give it a working title- have any ideas?

 

 

Here's a piece I finished last week (it's not quilted yet in this photo) which is soon to be on it's way to Texas!

 

 

 

 

 

   And here's my serious working face, that I put on when I'm teaching small children how to work with pointy objects in a serious manner. 

Please drop by White Square Books to see the completed Collaborative Quilt pieces  I made with the second graders at Maple Elementary!  I'll be there May 12th starting at 5pm, to answer questions and show you what I'm working on.  (Most likely yellow hexagons, which have been my obsession for a few years.)

Collaborative Quilting with Kids

Local Schools, Local Artists  is showing at the Easthampton Arts Walk.   I'm participating in this sharing after working with the second graders at Maple Elementary School here in Easthampton, Massachusetts.  On display, at White Square Books, will be the two quilts we made as a product of our six art class sessions together.  

 

The students learned about warm and cool colors, high and low contrast, practiced making a mark with stitch work and analyzed some layout and design ideas. This curriculum was supplemented with pattern play, quilt themed children's picture books and each child recieved a sewing kit in order to continue their project ideas at home.

 

 

Photography Lessons

I've learned quickly in my nature photography class to be selective with what I share. It's also much harder to feel ready to share images I've captured until after I've tweaked their light levels, saturation and removed the Gaussian blue (I don't even know what that is yet- but I know how to remove it!)  I'm happy with the awareness that's growing into an understanding of what makes an engaging image. I'd love your feedback!

Here's an image I've worked on with my new understanding:

 

Snuggle Puff at the Window- original

 

 

Snuggle Puff at the Window - final 

Three Nature Captures

 

I'm taking a photography class at the local wildlife Sanctuary.   Our first assignment was to capture some images demonstrating depth of field.  My goal was to find something worth looking at, bringing it to focus in the front and having the background show as blurry or fuzzy so that you can focus on the image in front.  This week we'll play in Photoshop to balance the colors, crop the images, in general make them ready for your viewing pleasure.  I'm showing the BEFORE images here.  I will post any changes next week!

 

 

 

This last one is my favorite of the three.

 

What do you think?

Thank You Notes

Thank you notes are a must in my upbringing.  Social ettiquette demands that if you aren't present to receive a present, you must extend a mention of your gratitude in a simple note or call.  I mostly like to draw pictures, but neglected to document them for you this year.  My daughter is however, following my lead.  Here is a painting she completed, thanking her cousins for a new coloring book and watercolor set.  I think it will be appreciated.

 How do you express your gratitude?

Shiny Sticky Stars

Stars are what I use to reward myself for sticking to my plan. If I run out of them, I use other stickers, or just draw stars in the place I want to note, but when I mentioned rewarding myself for taking a rest, that was a novel twist to Maeg Yosef.  She invited me to elaborate and I am visiting her blog today as a guest writer, on that topic.  Please follow me over to her site, Edison Rex, to read my thoughts about planning the work, working the plan and rewarding rest like a superstar.

 

 

A Room of her Own

 

Sometimes we all need a little time on the coffee porch where we can spy on the world, but not be easily seen.  These are the curtains I made to dress up my daughter's emerging room of her own. She's done a few things to personalize it too.

 

Company is Coming!

I just last week jumped into a mini blog world of creative mamas, who write a small musing on a given theme and then share once a month.  Check it out here: on Edison Rex, crafted by the fabulous and astounding Maeg Yosef, artist mama extraordinaire.

The great thing is that I get challenged to be introspective and then to share my thoughts.  The other great thing is to hear what other artist mamas think on the same thought. And the third great thing is that it invites visitors!

I’ve reached a point in my grown-up-ness, which I think might be related to the magical number 40, in which I’ve really accepted who and where I am.  I’ve accepted that I’m doing the best I can with what I have, and that that’s enough.  I got the warning email last night, from Maeg, that our creative mama post would go live this am, which I thought was a nice courtesy.  This morning, I’m realizing that means she’s inviting her new friends into my living room of blog space, and I didn’t clean it last night!  It’s just it’s own musty stale self of my thoughts from a few weeks ago.

Well- I’m ok with that- it’s honest and true.  I have been busy making things, and will now give you a little taste of my current works in progress.

 

Known as English Paper Piecing or Mosaic Patchwork, this is a time consuming hand work project that brings me great joy.

 

Another intricate project, machine paper-pieced trees, ready for their binding, sleeve and label.

 

The sticky note is the to do list on this one: sleeve and label is all that's left!  I love this color study and am eager to do more.  It's hard to choose where to direct my time!

 

Thanks for visiting- enjoy your stay and come again soon.  Having company coming is delightful, and means I might even have incentive to get a bit more finished product completed for sharing!