Monday, February 25, 2013

Paper Transformed

I just bought Julia Andrus' book, Paper Transformed. She says something in there that I really like:
Such is the power of art. It is about relationships. What begins as an act of self-expression becomes a revealing connection when shared with others.

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

The Wye Oak

The Wye Oak was the oldest white oak tree in the United States, and was more than 500 years old. Sadly, it fell during a thunderstorm. It was 96 feet tall and its branches spanned almost 120 feet across.

The state of Maryland took the wood to a nearby park, and invited Maryland artists to come and take a piece or two. I was lucky enough to obtain 3 pieces along with certificates of authenticity from the state.

This fiber sculpture is made from one of those. I didn't want to alter the wood, so I embellished it with these "tree ears."

I also made a larger sculpture from another piece, which will post soon.

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Intuitive Basketry

This piece is entitled "Filling the Well"  and is my first intuitive basket. It was originally intended to be two baskets joined at the base. One was a bowl and the other, a goblet. Halfway through the goblet, I got the distinct impression that I should turn it sideways. I followed that impulse, and this is the result. After that experience, I try to always honor those impressions.

They left a note...

We have a bird feeder in The Back Forty. One morning we had a dusting of snow, and the birds left us a thank you note in it.

Sunday, February 17, 2013

Driftwood Speaks


I love to walk along the Chesapeake Bay and gather driftwood. When I weave, I allow the driftwood to suggest a form for the basket, and then follow that to my best ability. Collaborating with Nature has resulted in some interesting pieces.

Shapeshifter


I love Sherrill Kahn's Impress Me rubber stamps. My favorite image is the shapeshifter here, and it has appeared in several of my pieces. The first is a polymer clay charm which I made to embellish one of my recent baskets. The other is bleach on art paper. As you can see, he really is a shapeshifter!

If at first you don't succeed

Hello everyone,
My previous blog was entitled Spirit Art. Unfortunately, blogger disabled it because they apparently got a "false positive" that I was spamming. I dislike spam and wouldn't do that! I deleted the blog but am back, because there are many artists I'd like to link to. Let's see what happens!

This is a view of "The Back Forty" where I am inspired to much of my art. It 's more like 40 feet than 40 acres, but it's a wild place and its voice is louder than its size. This photo was taken on January first. Time for a new beginning.....