DRAWING FROM THE DAY
  • ...a blog on art, creativity, and mindfulness

In the Spring

4/29/2021

 
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Watercolor pencils, Microns 005 and 05, General's Colored Pencils, Koi Waterbrush, graphite, on a white Zendala tile.
I did this during a class with Debbie L. Huntington, CZT.  I was impressed by the wildly different results achieved by the students--each Zendala was completely unique.  It was my first try at watercolor pencils; it won't be my last.
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Before the image was "activated" with water
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After I added the water.

“In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt.”

--Margaret Atwood

In Silence

4/26/2021

 
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A tile done last night just before sleep.  In the silence of the house.  Inspired by the Sunday night free "Tangle Time" led by Amy Kam CZT of The Peaceful Pen.

                                     Silence is better than unmeaning words.
                                                                 --Pythagoras


Languishing

4/25/2021

 
I'm in a liminal place:  In between rug hooking projects, in between books I'm reading, in between tangling projects, and just "in between" on a lotta things.  The mind doesn't like being so in between, but that's just how it is right now.

Here's a map-tangled tile I prepped a while back and finally got around to tangling last night.  I'm not sure I enhanced it.  I kind of liked the prepped version before I added anything.  But I'll see if it grows on me:
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End and Beginning

4/20/2021

 
The most closely-watched trial in this country in a long time ended today, with three guilty verdicts.  Perhaps this signals the beginning of some kind of reckoning for racial injustice in this country.  There is so much work ahead.  I put my head down and sobbed when I heard the convictions--relief, and sadness.  All mixed in.
                                                                             ***
Allow me to change the subject completely, as I do not want to get into the habit of posting political thoughts--that's not the focus of this blog.  So there was another ending today:  I finished this rug, which I've been struggling with for quite a while.  I had one color scheme in mind, and it didn't work out. 

Not. At. All.  Which meant I had to rip out a large proportion of the rug, think about what else might work, and then re-hook a large proportion of it.  I did, and just finished binding it today.  Next I gave it a good steaming and took a picture.  Tonight I'll sew on the label.  Hurrah!
PicturePattern available from W.Cushing & Co, Wells, Maine. Completed in 2020...yes, a pandemic rug.
The pattern is by Pearl K. McGown; I at first thought it was a very early design of hers, done while she was still in her early "geometric phase" and before she started designing the florals for which she's better known.

Later I discovered it's actually one of the last rugs she designed--another spate of geometrics named after her grandchildren, one of whom is named Duncan.

I did the color planning--much trickier than it sounds, as I mentioned above--and of course I did the hooking using largely #8 strips (with a few 6s and maybe even some 5s) from my stash.  I bought a few scraps, but nearly all the wool (some of which I dyed) was from my stash so this rug didn't require more than perhaps a total of one yard of new wools.  If that.

There was a LONG period as I worked on this where I was aiming only to "get it done," thinking it was so ugly that I'd never want to see it again.  But now that I've changed the colors and done a lot of re-hooking, I like it.

My "Duncan" was inspired by one I saw in 2009 at a rug show of the late Lida Skilton Ives' work.  The show was held at UConn in Storrs CT and the "Duncan" Mrs. Ives did stopped me dead in my tracks--I fell in love on the spot and knew I would hook it one day.  Gee, it only took me twelve years to start my own version.  Mine doesn't resemble hers one bit, but she completely inspired me.  Thanks also to my friend Kathleen H who, when she saw the photo of the Ives rug, told me it was a McGown pattern--I would never have guessed.  And Kathleen had already hooked her own version before we ever met, and since then has hooked a second one.  Phew.

The beginning?  It's time to begin cleaning up the mess the production of this rug generated.  And to begin a new rug.  I have just the one, ready to put on the frame.

All New

4/19/2021

 
I've now become a monomaniac about finishing my rug, and have been spending all my spare time on the binding.  After that I just have to steam it and sew on a label.  I am trying to focus on just this--getting this done.

Nevertheless I did drop on on The Peaceful Pen's Sunday night free tangling session and produced this.  All three tangles were new to me--what fun to try out new patterns!
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Tangles: Fleavy, Adri, Eze. Micron 01 and graphite on a 3.5" tile.

Sorrow and Beauty.

4/18/2021

 
My country is in trouble on so many levels at this moment.  I am aware every day of my sorrow and concern.  I am sitting with both, and experiencing these feelings.  Under no circumstances will I turn my back on them, or on what is going on here right now.

At the same time, I took a walk today and was greeted by the utter and complete beauty of a spring day. 
I hold both in my heart, the sorrow and the beauty.
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This lovely cloudy sky with the subtle tints of just-emerging leaves in the trees.
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The quality of spring sun interspersed with clouds brings out exquisite colors.

I have also reached the point where I am binding the rug.  Who knows if this is going to work or not?  I'm trying a crocheted binding, which I have not done on this size rug before.  I have some doubts about it but here it is so far.
PictureOne side is complete, so I will give it a good steaming (it's rippling a bit) to see if it straightens out. If yes, I'll keep going. If no, it will all have to come out and I'll do a more traditional binding.

Teabags and Tangling

4/17/2021

 
Here is the "mystery" from yesterday--solved.  Joanna Quincey of Zenjo taught a quick class on Teabag Tangling  Now you know what I was doing with that mess of teabags in my previous post. 

(PDS:  thanks so much for collecting for me, since I don't like or drink tea!  I have enough to keep me going for a while.) 

Jo is a terrific and inventive teacher.  Here are my first tangled teabags.
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The trio we completed in class today.
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Tangle = Boofont. This was our first practice teabag, to get us used to the surface and the "feel."
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Tangle = Columbine. This was our 2nd tangled teabag. Here we tried out hatching.
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Our final teabag. Tangles are Phicops, Mooka, and Orbs/Tipple. I used Microns, General's Pastel Pencils, White & Gold Gellyrolls, and some Derwent Graphitint colors on each teabag.
Massively fun to try out!  Thanks, Jo.

Mystery Project & Teasers

4/16/2021

 
More to come on this tomorrow or early next week. 
The prep for a grand experiment.
(this is Teaser #1)
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I know the general outline of the experiment will be, but I have no idea if it will work or not.  Hmmm.  This could be the first & last you hear about it.
Teaser #2 is below

It's the same little punch needle "ruglet"--which I showed here a few days ago--only this time, it's lying on part of my new rug.  I'm now binding the rug, and will show it in full once it's done.
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Stay tuned.

"To practice any art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow.  So do it."
--Kurt Vonnegut

Twelve in One

4/12/2021

 
Since I'm working hard to finish my current rug, not much tangling/drawing is getting done.  I just about manage to attend the 1-hour free Sunday Night group tangling led by Amy Kam, CZT, of The Peaceful Pen.  I did go last night and produced this tile, which was guided by her, but I went off-road and did several things differently.  In the picture on the left I thought I was done.  But then  this morning I added a few more things.  So here are two versions of a very busy tangle.
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Photo under artificial light last night.
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Photo under natural light this morning, after making a few changes.

Yes indeed, this is a very busy tile.  Think of it as a tangle "sampler." 

Tangles included:  Weighted Printemps, Blinkt, NStitch, Brrst, N'Zeppel, Strut, Beadlines, Narfello, DaizeeMae, Bales, Therefore, and DooDah.  Phew!

And now, back to working on the rug.  I'm on a mission to get it done.  But I do miss tangling every day.

Black and White

4/5/2021

 
Few things in life are black and white, but we can draw them that way.
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Black Micron 01 and PN on a white tile. Graphite, A bit of white gellyroll #10.
Done quickly during a free Sunday night tangle session with Amy P. Kam of The Peaceful Pen.

Construction Zone and Spring Prayer

4/3/2021

 
I needed a quick and easy diversion so decided to punch up this tiny 8x8" pattern from Storyteller Wool, to celebrate spring and all the crocuses popping up all over the place in my 'hood.  What a cutie!
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After 30 minutes of punching. The design of this pattern is © Storyteller Wool, 2021. This is the "wrong side," the one you punch on.
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After about 90 minutes addition punching. The "right side" is shown here, meaning it's reversed.

Spring feels so GOOD this year, for a thousand reasons.  Yet even as I write this, I'm thinking of the hundreds of thousands--millions--of people who are not here to celebrate, and their grieving families. 

It is bittersweet, yes.

But for those of us who made it through what felt like a time a profound darkness, this Light Return is deeply healing.

I bought this little kit (including yarns--so pretty!--from Storyteller Wool to take a break from drawing and traditional hooking for a couple of hours of hand-punching and a sweet reminder of the return of spring after a long, long, dark, cold time. 

May we heal together.  May we all remember those we miss so much.  May we move forward and know joy again, even as we hold them in our hearts.

I'll add a picture of the completed piece soon.  Happy International Punch Needle Rug Hooking Day! April 10th, 2021
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All done and ready for binding (background filled in). Will post it once it has been bound and steamed.

Better, Worse, or the Same?

4/1/2021

 
Here is the "before and after" on my first Ecoline Watercolor Map Tangled tile.  I'm curious to look at them side by side.  Is the tangled tile an improvement, not as good, or is it about the same in its appeal?  I had my doubts about tangling on it as I loved the plain tile.
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I like them both but think I'm favoring the tangled one.  Which surprises me.

Thanks, Annie Taylor CZT for great tile prep instructions and fun class!  I loved the room you gave students to use whatever tangles we wished, while making good suggestions.  And for your linguistic talents at teaching simultaneously in English AND Spanish!  Wow.

"If you've heard this story before, don't stop me, because I'd like to hear it again." --Groucho Marx

    ABOUT ME

     I'm a textile artist (traditional rug hooking, punch needle rug hooking, and other textile arts), a long-time meditator, a certified meditation teacher and coach, and focused on learning about the interplay of art, creativity, and mindfulness every day. 

    I am also a Certified Zentangle® Teacher (CZT 11) and a student of drawing and of the tarot.

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    Certified, 2021
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    Certified Zentangle® Teacher, 2013
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    Certified by AmyOxford.com at The Oxford Rug Hooking School, 2016
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  • ...a blog on art, creativity, and mindfulness