 My closest friend, to whom I gave this rug that I hooked years ago (2013), just sent me a photograph of the rug and the sculpture above it in her home. I love her arrangement. After I gave her the rug she gave me the carved horse figure above it, which she had found in the Southwest. Eventually I realized the carving needed to be with the rug. They are a perfect match. I dyed the teal and red wools in the rug; the light color is actually an as-is, off-the-bolt yellow wool plaid. I loved this pattern from Underhill Farms (no longer in business) but by the time I finished the hooking I was so thoroughly sick of looking at it that I gave it to my much-loved friend who had been drooling over it right from the start. I'm delighted she still feels that way and it has a place of honor in her house. Here is a better photograph of the actual rug.   An old friend--a former terrific boss who quickly transformed into a friend decades ago--has been asking me for some of my artwork. Her name starts with and L so I decided to do an "embedded letter" piece for her. I used Ellish as the main tangle since it's based on an L, and went from there. On a renaissance (tan) tile with a black Micron PN, black Micron 01, and white chalk pencil. With a touch of graphite.  This was the result of a class I took with the gifted teacher Romi Marks this afternoon. She really can teach anything. I'm calling this Big Fish Little Fish (and yes, I know one could see it as a Pisces image). It was a lovely relaxing few hours.
"Spend a new penny on an old friend and share an old pleasure with a new friend." A small piece in memory of my friend Val. You are remembered. You are loved and missed.  Tangles: Elegan, Swell variation, Bellah. Blue Micron PN pen on Gray Tile with Blue Chalk Pencil, White Chalk Pencil, Gray Chalk Pencil.  I am heartbroken over losing a good friend to COVID 19. She had a long, gruesome struggle and it's finally over. At some point about two weeks ago it became obvious that she was too damaged to come back to us, but the struggle went on. And on. And on. Horrible. She finally died last week and I have to say I was relieved on her behalf. Now the grief sets in. But, there are still plenty of other wonderful people in the world. One in particular--my 97 year old next door neighbor--called me last evening and told me she wanted me to come over to her property and cut myself a bouquet of her lilacs, "Since you don't have any on your land." I went over this morning and did just that. She even loaned me her garden shears. I adore her, and she has absolutely no idea that I just lost a friend. But somehow, she reached out anyway. It just made my entire day. You can imagine--I hope--the fabulous scent spreading through my home from her marvelous lilacs. Thank you, Erm! Kindness makes all the difference. I've learned that people will forget what you said; people will forget what you did; but people will never forget how you made them feel.
--Maya Angelou  Thanks to Romi Marx for the inspiration. General's Chalk Pencils, Micron 01, graphite. Tangles are Well, Printemps, Tipple, and some fragments. “When I say it's you I like, I'm talking about that part of you that knows that life is far more than anything you can ever see or hear or touch. That deep part of you that allows you to stand for those things without which humankind cannot survive. Love that conquers hate, peace that rises triumphant over war, and justice that proves more powerful than greed.” ―Fred Rogers  Gray Zendala and Gray Bijou tiles. General's Chalk Colored Pencils, 01 brown and black microns, graphite, embroidery thread. Tangles are Purk, Vega, Crazy Huggins, and a bunch of fragments. Normally I don't do any type of tangling on representational art, but I made one exception for this small project yesterday. It borders on being too cutesy for me but what the heck. It's the product of a webinar I took from Zentangle® headquarters in lieu of the large multi-day seminar they had to cancel due to the pandemic. We'd all like to "fly away" from our current global situation. I am lucky to be healthy so far, but have at least one sweet friend who is battling for her life at the moment. Everyone fighting this (and really that's all of us, even those who aren't sick) is under stress. I'll Fly Away is an old gospel song done by many choirs and artists since the 1930s. It's in the repertoire of the hospice chorus I sing in. Since I finished this tangled balloon, I've been hearing the song in my head. If you click on the link above you'll hear Alison Krauss's version, recorded for the film, O Brother Where Art Thou, which had such a great soundtrack. Here's the same piece photographed this morning in better light and on a white background. Amazing how different things can look under different light. Much like the way we view problems in life.  |
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. 
Certified, 2021
Certified Unified Mindfulness Coach Level I, 2024
Certified Zentangle® Teacher, 2013
Certified by AmyOxford.com at The Oxford Rug Hooking School, 2016
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SITES TO WATCH:
Insight Meditation Society Oxford Rug Hooking School Zentangle: The Official Site Green Mountain Rug Hooking Massachusetts Tarot Society 
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